Droughts worldwide pushing tens of millions towards starvation, says report
Water shortages hitting crops, energy and health as crisis gathers pace amid climate breakdown
Wed 2 Jul 2025 13.30 BST
Drought is pushing tens of millions of people to the edge of starvation around the world, in a foretaste of a global crisis that is rapidly deepening with climate breakdown.
More than 90 million people in eastern and southern Africa are facing extreme hunger after record-breaking drought across many areas, ensuing widespread crop failures and the death of livestock. In Somalia, a quarter of the population is now edging towards starvation, and at least a million people have been displaced.
Iran orders suspension of cooperation with UN nuclear agency
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday signed legislation to suspend access for IAEA inspectors into the country until the "security" of its nuclear facilities is guaranteed.
The move could further limit inspectors' ability to monitor Iran's nuclear program that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels.
The suspension comes weeks after US and Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran's nuclear facilities.
Children ‘subjected to monstrosities’: Report exposes decades of abuse in French schools
French lawmakers on Wednesday accused the state of "structural dysfunctions" in handling child abuse in schools, delivering a scathing 330-page report that chronicles decades of systemic violence and silence across France’s educational institutions.
“Children across France were subjected to monstrosities,” wrote the committee president, Fatiha Keloua Hachi, describing the three-month investigation as a “deep dive into the unthinkable”.
Hamas studying new ceasefire proposals, calls for end to Gaza war
The Palestinian group Hamas says it is studying new proposals for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, but insisted it is seeking an agreement that would bring an end to Israel’s war.
Hamas said in a statement on Wednesday that it had received proposals from the mediators and is holding talks with them to “bridge gaps” to return to the negotiating table and try to reach a ceasefire agreement.
Dalai Lama confirms he will have a successor after his death
Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has confirmed he will have a successor, putting to rest speculation over whether the 600-year-old institution will end when he dies.
In a video message keenly-awaited by his followers, he said only the trust that he founded could appoint his successor and "no-one else has any authority to interfere in this matter".
According to Tibetan tradition, Dalai Lamas are "reincarnated" after they die. China annexed Tibet in 1950 and the current Dalai Lama lives in exile in India, making succession a highly contentious issue.
Air pollution linked to lung cancer-driving DNA mutations, study finds
Wed 2 Jul 2025 16.00 BST
Air pollution linked to lung cancer-driving DNA mutations, study finds
Research finds that the higher the levels of air pollution in a region, the more cancer-promoting mutations are present
Air pollution has been linked to a swathe of lung cancer-driving DNA mutations, in a study of people diagnosed with the disease despite never having smoked tobacco.
The findings from an investigation into cancer patients around the world helps explain why never-smokers make up a rising proportion of people developing the cancer, a trend the researchers called an “urgent and growing global problem”.
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