The Latest Breaking News from United Nations

Drylands now make up 40% of land on Earth, excluding Antarctica, study says

An area nearly a third larger than India turned permanently arid in past three decades, research shows

The Guardian - UK · Dec 9, 2024

'An existential threat affecting billions': Three-quarters of Earth's land became permanently drier in last 3 decades

A car driving by a raging wildfire in Orange County, California.

LiveScience · Dec 9, 2024

2024 'certain' to be hottest year ever as emissions continue to drive climate change

This year is "effectively certain" to be the warmest on record and the first calendar year in which average global temperatures were more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, Europe’s climate monitor has announced.

Radio France Internationale · Dec 9, 2024

Hezbollah’s war with Israel left the Assad regime fatally exposed

With the fall of Damascus, Iran can no longer deny that its political and military ‘axis of resistance’ has collapsed

The Guardian - UK · Dec 8, 2024

Centuries-old Ivorian dish attiéké named among world's cultural treasures

Attiéké, a tangy cassava couscous that has been a staple of Ivorian cuisine for generations, has been recognised by Unesco as a part of the world's intangible cultural heritage.

Radio France Internationale · Dec 8, 2024

Syria’s Bashar al-Assad: The president who lost his homeland

Overthrown president leaves a country in ruins and questions about what’s next.

Al Jazeera · Dec 8, 2024

Keir Starmer welcomes collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s ‘barbaric regime’

UK prime minister calls for civilians in Syria to be protected after rebel forces take control of Damascus

The Guardian - UK · Dec 8, 2024

Taliban critics and ‘rebel collaborators’ face systemic torture in Afghan prisons, survivors say

Findings from interviews with 38 former Taliban detainees have been shared with the UN special rapporteur for Afghanistan. Arpan Rai and Mahbob Shah Mahbob, for Afghanistan International, report

The Independent UK · Dec 8, 2024

Fall of Damascus sidelines Russia and brings Turkey to the fore

As Moscow’s top diplomat reeled in Doha, his Turkish counterpart appeared to know he had the upper hand

The Guardian - UK · Dec 8, 2024

Rebels Hail End Of Assad Rule In Syria

Islamist-led rebels took Damascus on Sunday after a lightning offensive, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath party rule in Syria.

International Business Times · Dec 8, 2024