The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the recent upsurge of Mpox, previously called monkeypox, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and several African nations a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The decision follows the detection of a more dangerous strain of the virus, clade Ib, and the recommendations from the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasised the urgency of the situation, stating, “The emergence of a new clade of Mpox, its rapid spread in the eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying.” He highlighted the need for a coordinated international response to control the outbreaks and save lives.
Professor Dimie Ogoina, Chair of the Emergency Committee, warned that the mpox surge, including a new sexually transmissible strain, poses a global emergency.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) also declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental security earlier this week, reported CNN.
This is the second PHEIC declaration for MPoX in two years. The disease, endemic to central and west Africa, saw a global outbreak in 2022, which was declared over in May 2023. The current outbreak has led to more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths in the DRC, with a concerning new strain, clade 1b, spreading through neighbouring countries.
The WHO has released US$ 1.45 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies and anticipates a need for US$ 15 million to support response efforts. WHO is also facilitating access to vaccines and other medical tools.
Ukrainian forces have launched a significant incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, prompting President Vladimir Putin to call in reserve troops and declare a federal-level emergency. The Ukrainian advance, now in its fourth day, sent shockwaves through Moscow and Russia’s military ranks. President Volodymyr Zelensky praised his army’s ability to “surprise” and “achieve results,” though he did not directly reference the ongoing raid.
Around 1,000 Ukrainian troops, supported by tanks and armoured vehicles, reportedly penetrated more than six miles into Russian territory, breaching two defensive lines and a stronghold. Despite Russian attempts to control the narrative, claiming the situation is under control, the state of emergency and evacuation of 3,000 residents reveal the severity of the incursion.
Ukraine struck a Russian military airfield in the Lipetsk region, more than 100 miles from the border, igniting a large fire and damaging bomb stockpiles at a site housing advanced warplanes.
A Russian missile hit a supermarket in Kostiantynivka, a Ukrainian town near the frontline in the Donetsk region, killing at least 14 people and injuring 43 others. Ukrainian President Zelensky condemned the attack as another act of terror as emergency services continue to search for survivors.
Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed that reinforcements, including heavy artillery and tanks, are being deployed to the region to counter Ukraine’s bold advance.
Forensic authorities in the Dominican Republic are working to identify the remains of 14 decomposed bodies discovered on an abandoned boat 10 nautical miles off the northern coast. The Dominican Republic Navy reported that the skeletal remains likely belong to individuals from Senegal and Mauritania, based on documentation found alongside the bodies.
The cause and timing of the deaths are under investigation, with authorities also examining 12 packages of an unidentified substance found on the vessel, which allegedly indicate cocaine or heroin. Cell phones and geolocation devices were also recovered from the boat.
The bodies are currently being analysed by the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) in Santiago, while the substance is being tested by the National Directorate of Drug Control, according to officials Nairobi Viloria and Carlos Devers.
There are new fears war in the Middle East could spread after Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed early Wednesday morning in Tehran by an airstrike, which Iran and the militant group have attributed to Israel. The strike occurred just hours after Haniyeh attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president and followed a similar Israeli operation targeting a Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
In a statement on his official website, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has vowed revenge. This has heightened the risk of direct confrontation between Iran and Israel. Khamenei said revenge was “our duty” and that Israel had “prepared a harsh punishment for itself” by killing “a dear guest in our home,” reported the Associated Press.
The U.S. and other international actors are scrambling to avert further escalation, as the killing threatens to unravel ongoing cease-fire negotiations and exacerbate existing tensions in the region. The potential for a broader conflict looms large, with significant implications for regional stability.
The Gaza Health Ministry has officially declared the Palestinian territory a “polio epidemic area,” attributing the resurgence of the virus to the destruction of health infrastructure caused by Israel’s military campaign.
Poliomyelitis, a highly infectious disease that can cause paralysis and is transmitted through contaminated water and food, has seen a dramatic global decline due to widespread vaccination efforts. However, Gaza’s deteriorating conditions have revived the threat. The virus which is spread mainly through the fecal-oral route has been detected in sewage samples from Khan Yunis and central Gaza.
“I witnessed at first hand living conditions that are highly favorable for the spread of polio and other diseases,” said Dr Hanan Balkhy, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, “This is an important time…to come together to act swiftly and decisively to contain this outbreak, for the children of Gaza.”
The Gaza Health Ministry, in collaboration with UNICEF, confirmed the presence of “component poliovirus type 2” in sewage earlier this month, particularly affecting areas where displaced families reside. “The brutal Israeli aggression that deprived the people of usable water, the destruction of the sanitation infrastructure, the accumulation of tonnes of garbage and a lack of food security” had led to the recurrence of the virus, the ministry said.
In response, the Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that the vaccines will be administered to children in the coming weeks. He noted that no cases of polio have been recorded yet but without immediate action, it was “just a matter of time before it reaches the thousands of children who have been left unprotected.”
In a bid to prevent a polio epidemic in Gaza, UN humanitarians on Tuesday repeated continuing international calls for a ceasefire to allow the “more than a million polio vaccines” campaign to get underway.
After an intense and controversial election over the weekend, Venezuela ordered the withdrawal of its diplomatic personnel from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. The move came after these countries refused to recognise President Nicolás Maduro’s victory in the July 28 elections, prompting a retaliatory demand for the expulsion of their representatives from Venezuela.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry condemned the refusal to acknowledge the election results as an attack on its sovereignty. In an official statement, it said, “The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has decided to recall all members of its diplomatic missions in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay due to a heinous precedent, which is an attack on our sovereignty, and also demands that these countries’ governments recall their diplomats from Venezuela.”
Chancellor Yvan Gil Pinto, who is a Venezuelan diplomat and politician serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, further emphasised the government’s position, highlighting international support for the election’s legitimacy while strongly denouncing what he called ‘violence and interventionism’ from the Venezuelan opposition and international actors.
Maduro’s third term triggered the reaction of international leaders across the Americas. Panama President Jose Raul Mulino announced, “We are putting diplomatic relations on hold until a complete review of the voting records.”
“Maduro’s regime must understand that the results are hard to believe…Chile we will not recognise any result that is not verifiable,” declared Chilean President Gabriel Boric. A stance echoed by the government of Argentina, “We do not recognise fraud, we call on the international community to unite to restore the rule of law in Venezuela,” stated President Javier Milei.
Venezuela has vowed to take all necessary legal and political measures to defend its right to self-determination and counteract what it views as attempts to destabilise its governance.
The 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony stirred up global ‘side eyes’ following a drag performance that critics argue disrespected Christian sensibilities. The performance included a segment that imitated Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ with drag performers dressed provocatively.
Catholic leaders, including representatives from the Vatican and French bishops, condemned it as “derisive” and disrespectful to Christianity. Bishop Emmanuel Gobillard, a spokesperson representing the Holy See for the 2024 Paris Olympics, told NBC News, “The fact that our religion should be mocked is usual, and we are used to blasphemy in France, but the context isn’t the same. In an event that brings together all or part of the population, I found this staging hurtful and out of place.”
After receiving global backlash, the Paris 2024 Olympics Committee has issued an apology, emphasising that the intention was to celebrate diversity and inclusion, not to offend. Anne Descamps, a spokesperson for the Committee, asserted that the performance aimed to promote community tolerance, though she acknowledged that the execution may have inadvertently caused offense. “We really did try to celebrate community tolerance. Looking at the results of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence, we are, of course, really, really sorry,” Descamps said.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Thomas Jolly, the artistic director, defended the performance as a tribute to diversity and French culture rather than a deliberate mockery of religious iconography. He said, “My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock. Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide. In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country. I didn’t have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver. In France, we are republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey.”
On July 26, the Games’ official X account shared additional images, revealing that the performance was instead inspired by the Feast of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry. The statement emphasised that the depiction was meant to highlight the absurdity of violence and celebrate community tolerance.
Nicky Doll was among the drag queens who carried the Olympic flame and also performed during one segment of the ceremony. Doll responded to the criticism, saying, “The opening ceremony did ruffle some feathers… and I LOVE it. Doll wrote on his Instagram Stories on Monday morning: “You know why? Because the Olympics are the biggest stage in the world and we queer people have always been the audience to other people’s lives and achievements. It is time that we are welcomed into this space.”
Around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, equivalent to one in eleven people globally and one in five in Africa, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published today by five United Nations specialized agencies.
The annual report, launched this year in the context of the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty Task Force Ministerial Meeting in Brazil, warns that the world is falling significantly short of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, Zero Hunger, by 2030. The report shows that the world has been set back 15 years, with levels of undernourishment comparable to those in 2008-2009.
Despite some progress in specific areas such as stunting and exclusive breastfeeding, an alarming number of people continue to face food insecurity and malnutrition as global hunger levels have plateaued for three consecutive years, with between 713 and 757 million people undernourished in 2023—approximately 152 million more than in 2019 when considering the mid-range (733 million).
Regional trends vary significantly: the percentage of the population facing hunger continues to rise in Africa (20.4 percent), remains stable in Asia (8.1 percent)—though still representing a significant challenge as the region is home to more than half of those facing hunger worldwide —and shows progress in Latin America (6.2 percent). From 2022 to 2023, hunger increased in Western Asia, the Caribbean, and most African subregions.
If current trends continue, about 582 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030, half of them in Africa, warn the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO). This projection closely resembles the levels seen in 2015 when the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted, marking a concerning stagnation in progress.
Key findings beyond hunger
FAO Director General QU Dongyu at G20 in Brazil1
The report highlights that access to adequate food remains elusive for billions. In 2023, around 2.33 billion people globally faced moderate or severe food insecurity, a number that has not changed significantly since the sharp upturn in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those, over 864 million people experienced severe food insecurity, going without food for an entire day or more at times. This number has remained stubbornly high since 2020 and while Latin America shows improvement, broader challenges persist, especially in Africa where 58 percent of the population is moderately or severely food insecure.
The lack of economic access to healthy diets also remains a critical issue, affecting over one-third of the global population. With new food price data and methodological improvements, the publication reveals that over 2.8 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022. This disparity is most pronounced in low-income countries, where 71.5 percent of the population cannot afford a healthy diet, compared to 6.3 percent in high-income countries. Notably, the number dropped below pre-pandemic levels in Asia and in Northern America and Europe, while it increased substantially in Africa.
While progress has been made in increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates among infants to 48%, achieving global nutrition targets will be a challenge. Low birthweight prevalence has stagnated around 15%, and stunting among children under five, while declining to 22.3%, still falls short of achieving targets. Additionally, the prevalence of wasting among children has not seen significant improvement while anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 years has increased.
Similarly, new estimates of adult obesity show a steady increase over the last decade, from 12.1 percent (2012) to 15.8 percent (2022). Projections indicate that by 2030, the world will have more than 1.2 billion obese adults. The double burden of malnutrition – the co-existence of undernutrition together with overweight and obesity – has also surged globally across all age groups. Thinness and underweight have declined in the last two decades, while obesity has risen sharply.
These trends underscore the complex challenges of malnutrition in all its forms and the urgent need for targeted interventions as the world is not on track to reach any of the seven global nutrition targets by 2030, the five agencies indicate.
Food insecurity and malnutrition are worsening due to a combination of factors, including persisting food price inflation that continues to erode economic gains for many people in many countries. Major drivers like conflict, climate change, and economic downturns are becoming more frequent and severe. These issues, along with underlying factors such as unaffordable healthy diets, unhealthy food environments and persistent inequality, are now coinciding simultaneously, amplifying their individual effects.
Financing to end hunger
FAO Director General_QU Dongyu at G20 in Brazil1 (2)
This year’s report’s theme “Financing to end hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition’’, emphasizes that achieving SDG 2 Zero Hunger requires a multi-faceted approach, including transforming and strengthening agrifood systems, addressing inequalities, and ensuring affordable and accessible healthy diets for all. It calls for increased and more cost-effective financing, with a clear and standardized definition of financing for food security and nutrition.
The heads of the five UN agencies, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu; IFAD President Alvaro Lario; UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell; WFP’s Executive Director Cindy McCain; and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus write in the report’s Foreword: “Estimating the gap in financing for food security and nutrition and mobilizing innovative ways of financing to bridge it must be among our top priorities. Policies, legislation and interventions to end hunger and ensure all people have access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food (SDG Target 2.1), and to end all forms of malnutrition (SDG Target 2.2) need significant resource mobilization. They are not only an investment in the future, but our obligation. We strive to guarantee the right to adequate food and nutrition of current and future generations”.
As highlighted during a recent event in the High-Level Political Forum at UN headquarters in New York, the report underscores that the looming financing gap necessitates innovative, equitable solutions, particularly for countries facing high levels of hunger and malnutrition exacerbated by climate impacts.
Countries most in need of increased financing face significant challenges in access. Among the 119 low- and middle-income countries analyzed, approximately 63 percent have limited or moderate access to financing. Additionally, the majority of these countries (74 percent) are impacted by one or more major factors contributing to food insecurity and malnutrition. Coordinated efforts to harmonize data, increase risk tolerance, and enhance transparency are vital to bridge this gap and strengthen global food security and nutrition frameworks.
What they said
FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu: “Transforming agrifood systems is more critical than ever as we face the urgency of achieving the SDGs within six short years. FAO remains committed to supporting countries in their efforts to eradicate hunger and ensure food security for all. We will work together with all partners and with all approaches, including the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, to accelerate the needed change. Together, we must innovate and collaborate to build more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems that can better withstand future challenges for a better world.”
IFAD President, Alvaro Lario: “The fastest route out of hunger and poverty is proven to be through investments in agriculture in rural areas. But the global and financial landscape has become far more complex since the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015. Ending hunger and malnutrition demands that we invest more – and more smartly. We must bring new money into the system from the private sector and recapture the pandemic-era appetite for ambitious global financial reform that gets cheaper financing to the countries who need it most.’’
UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell: “Malnutrition affects a child’s survival, physical growth, and brain development. Global child stunting rates have dropped by one third, or 55 million, in the last two decades, showing that investments in maternal and child nutrition pay off. Yet globally, one in four children under the age of five suffers from undernutrition, which can lead to long-term damage. We must urgently step-up financing to end child malnutrition. The world can and must do it. It is not only a moral imperative but also a sound investment in the future.”
WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain: “A future free from hunger is possible if we can rally the resources and the political will needed to invest in proven long-term solutions. I call on G20 leaders to follow Brazil’s example and prioritize ambitious global action on hunger and poverty. “We have the technologies and know-how to end food insecurity – but we urgently need the funds to invest in them at scale. WFP is ready to step up our collaboration with governments and partners to tackle the root causes of hunger, strengthen social safety nets and support sustainable development so every family can live in dignity.”
WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “The progress we have made on reducing stunting and improving exclusive breastfeeding shows that the challenges we face are not insurmountable. We must use those gains as motivation to alleviate the suffering that millions of people around the world endure every day from hunger, food insecurity, unhealthy diets and malnutrition. The substantial investment required in healthy, safe and sustainably produced food is far less than the costs to economies and societies if we do nothing.”
Notes to the editor: the SOFI report
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World is an annual report jointly prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Since 1999, it has monitored and analysed the world’s progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition. It also provides an in-depth analysis of key challenges for achieving these goals in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report targets a wide audience, including policymakers, international organizations, academic institutions and the general public.
This year’s theme is timely and relevant in the run-up to the Summit of the Future, and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in 2025.
An explosion and subsequent fire at a Jose Cuervo tequila factory in Tequila, Jalisco State, claimed the lives of at least 5 workers and left two injured, local officials confirmed. The disaster occurred at Casa Cuervo’s Rojeña distillery.
According to local officials, the explosion initially involved a tank, triggering fires in three additional tanks, each with a capacity of 219,000 liters. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
Emergency response teams, including 40 firefighting and civil protection units, swiftly mobilised to the scene to contain the blaze and assist affected personnel. In an official statement, Casa Cuervo expressed condolences and pledged full cooperation with authorities in their investigation.
The incident has prompted safety concerns in Tequila, a town renowned for its tequila production and tourism, with Mayor Alfonso Magallanes urging caution and advising residents to avoid the factory area amidst ongoing operations.
In a 52-minute address to the US Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasised the importance of US-Israel solidarity amidst the escalating war in Gaza while issuing a warning against rising antisemitism.
Netanyahu’s speech was largely what experts and U.S. officials expected: an effort to deflect criticism of Israel by framing its war as an existential battle for its survival in an effort to maintain bipartisan U.S. support. “For the forces of civilisation to triumph, America and Israel must stand together. Because when we stand together, something very simple happens: We win, they lose.” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu asserted, “The hands of the Jewish state will never be shackled. Israel will always defend itself.” The Israeli PM made no mention of ongoing ceasefire negotiations despite international pressures for progress. However, while expressing gratitude for bipartisan support in the US, he said, “As we defend ourselves on all fronts, I know that America has our back, and I thank you for it—all sides of the aisle.”
Addressing antisemitism, Netanyahu condemned what he termed as ‘malicious lies’ aimed at delegitimizing Israel and demonising Jews worldwide. “Antisemitism is the world’s oldest hatred,” he asserted. “Just as malicious lies were levelled for centuries at the Jewish people, malicious lies are now being levelled at the Jewish state. The outrageous slanders that paint Israel as racist and genocidal are meant to delegitimize Israel, to demonise the Jewish state, and to demonise Jews everywhere.”
