U.N. proposes global 'roadmap' to 80% cut in plastic pollution by 2040
The estimated annual social and environmental costs of plastic pollution range from $300 billion to $1.5 trillion.
John Heilprin
Award-winning U.N.-accredited journalist, with 30+ years on four continents, almost half of it for AP in Washington, New York and Geneva.
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Geneva
Nations agree to add pollutants under hazardous management
Methoxychlor, a pesticide, and two industrial chemicals, Dechlorane Plus and UV-328, are to be eliminated.
Deputy chief defeats boss to become next head of U.N. migration agency
Amy Pope will become the first woman to serve as director general of the International Organization for Migration.
New U.N. estimate shows the Syrian civil war's deadly toll on civilians
More than half of the deaths were never documented due to the difficulty of collecting reliable data on death tolls in conflict zones, made still harder by the brutality of Syria's war.
Russian evacuation around Ukraine plant alarms U.N. nuclear watchdog
IAEA experts at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant were closely monitoring the situation after learning the town of Enerhodar was being evacuated.
U.N. panel on racism and law enforcement ends first U.S. tour
Panel members said they heard countless painful stories from victims and their families but also learned of some promising initiatives against racial discrimination.
U.N. health agency declares COVID-19 no longer a global emergency
Though the emergency phase is over, the World Health Organization's pandemic designation still holds.
Ukraine's leader presses for war accountability at The Hague
Zelenskyy conveyed his confidence that Russia's leaders would someday face justice for war crimes.
Faking content is getting easier. Digging for truth is getting harder.
There's a growing industry and more tools for producing and distributing disinformation. Meanwhile, authorities are getting more aggressive and hostile toward journalists.
Global talks kick off on hazardous chemicals and waste management
Virtually all the world's nations are negotiating proposals under the legally binding Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions to limit toxic chemicals, pollutants and wastes.
U.N. vote opposes Taliban constraints against females
A U.N. Security Council resolution calls on Afghanistan's de factor rulers to quickly restore the rights of women and girls.
Human-induced climate change worsened Horn of Africa drought
Low rainfall and high evaporation rates 'would not have led to drought at all in a 1.2° C. cooler world,' scientists concluded.
Aid flows constrict and civilians in danger as Sudan descends into chaos
Sudan's unraveling forced humanitarian aid organizations, including those with staff killed by fighting, to suspend operations, despite millions of civilians in great need.
U.N. chief rebukes Russia at a meeting chaired by its top diplomat
Twice in a week U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has criticized two powerful members of the world body: Russia for invading Ukraine and the U.S. for spying on his phone calls.
'Continuous advance' of climate crisis pushes 1.15° C. warming
Droughts, floods and heatwaves drove food insecurity and mass migration as communities on every continent were hit by massive costs, the World Meteorological Organization said.
UNICEF raises alert over lagging confidence in childhood vaccines
Public perception of the importance of vaccines for children fell during the pandemic in 52 of 55 countries studied.