UN – a France- and Saudi-led conference at the UNGA will see at least ten countries, including Portugal, Canada, and Belgium, move to recognize a Palestinian state. This would bring the total to 157 of the UN’s 193 member states, or just over 81% of the membership. The push, accelerated by Israel’s war in Gaza and a UN finding of genocide, marks a major moment in diplomatic support for Palestine. Israel condemned the moves as “a reward for terrorism.”
Chad – In The New York Times, Ruth Maclean describes a maternity ward in Chad’s Aboutengué refugee camp buckling under U.S. aid cuts. With midwives laid off and medical supplies dwindling, thousands of Sudanese refugee women face dangerous pregnancies, many due to widespread sexual violence. The Trump administration’s elimination of USAID funding has left frontline health workers unable to cope, putting mothers and babies at heightened risk.
Syria – UNICEF announced the launch of a nationwide “Back-to-Learning” campaign, the first unified education effort in Syria in over a decade. More than 2.4 million children remain out of school, but the program aims to reopen schools, provide materials and psychosocial support, and reach displaced and at-risk children. UNICEF called education a “lifeline and a shield” for Syria’s youth.
Yemen Asharq Al-Awsat reports that the UN has warned Yemen faces its worst humanitarian catastrophe since 2022, with 18 million people projected to suffer acute hunger this month and 166 districts sliding into emergency levels. Nearly half of all young children are malnourished, and aid funding has reached only 10% of the 2025 requirement.
UK – The Guardian reports that parents are furious after Meta used back-to-school photos of schoolgirls as promotional ads targeting a 37-year-old man. The images, drawn from parents’ Instagram posts, appeared in Threads recommendations without consent, raising accusations of exploitation and sexualization. Critics, including children’s rights campaigners, called Meta “wilfully careless,” while the company defended the practice as consistent with its policies.
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