Island nations' sovereignty in focus as seas rise and rivalries sharpen
Pacific island nations want to preserve vast maritime zones as climate change alters coastlines and competition intensifies.
Asia-Pacific
The Asia-Pacific is a vast region that encompasses Asia and the nations of the Pacific Rim. It is home to over 4.3 billion people and is the world's fastest-growing economic zone. Its economic dynamism and geopolitical importance make it a critical hub for global trade.
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COP17 turns to private capital as land restoration finance gap persists
Only $216 million of a $1.3 billion finance portfolio is confirmed as governments seek ways to close a funding gap.
Nepal floods expose challenge of forecasting cascading hazards
A new flood alert forced evacuations as rescuers seek nearly 1,000 missing people, underscoring the forecasting challenge.
Cities press for bigger role in U.N. fight against land degradation
COP17 declaration seeks direct finance and a permanent voice for local governments to turn restoration pledges into action.
Afghan women confined to homes five years after Taliban takeover
More than half leave home twice a month or less as restrictions on education, work, health and rights deepen.
U.N. investigators trace Myanmar atrocities from attacks to suppliers
Annual report documents deliberate airstrikes, mass detention and torture as evidence builds for prosecutions.
IOM launches strategy against trafficking into online scam networks
The agency says victims forced to conduct cyber fraud should be treated as trafficking survivors, not criminals.
China launches intergovernmental body to shape global AI governance
Twenty-nine countries joined the Shanghai-based organization as Beijing offered aid to developing nations.
U.N. member nations back climate ruling despite U.S. and oil producers
General Assembly urges countries to comply with legal obligations on climate, adding political and legal pressure.
U.N. report details global trafficking into cyber-scam compounds
Hundreds of thousands forced into online fraud operations marked by violence, surveillance and coercion.
Myanmar rejects genocide claims as a 'legitimate’ response to terrorism
As the top U.N. court begins a landmark merits trial, the military junta defends its 2017 campaign against the Rohingya.
Trump calls U.S. the real U.N. after Thailand, Cambodia ceasefire
The comments were consistent with Trump’s long-standing hostility toward the U.N. and multilateralism more broadly.
Despite some gains, 17.4 million Afghans near a hungry lean season
The looming food security crisis in Afghanistan is pushed to a breaking point by a severe shortfall in global funding.
AI 'capability' among countries could deepen the rich-poor divide
The rapid, unchecked proliferation of AI is set to trigger new inequities based on vast discrepancies in national readiness.
China seeks global AI body as APEC shapes technology, demographics
At APEC, China pushed to create a new rules-based global organization on AI, possibly headquarted in Shanghai.
ASEAN Summit exposes anxiety as U.S. deals new critical minerals front
In response to global trade uncertainties, ministers reaffirmed their commitment to rules-based trading with WTO at its core.