WTO adopts first Aid for Trade declaration in two decades
Members seek new financing partnerships to help developing economies but announce no fresh funding commitments.
Australia
Australia is a sovereign nation that comprises the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. As the world's sixth-largest country by total area, it is a major exporter of natural resources, including iron ore and coal.
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Antarctic protection talks fail for 10th year amid krill fishing dispute
Governments leave Hobart without new marine reserves or revised fishing rules as pressure grows to expand harvesting.
WHO maps ‘very high’ health risks as El Niño rapidly strengthens
Global assessment flags malnutrition, cholera and disease risks as climate pattern collides with wars and hunger.
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.
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.
U.S. moves to 'systematically disable' ICC in major escalation against court
U.S. State Department says no diplomatic option is off limits as Washington pressures countries to reject the court's authority.
Governments turn to AI firms as new layer of governance emerges
Direct agreements with developers reflect a shift toward operational oversight as regulatory systems lag behind.
U.N. Gaza rights commission calls for access amid deadly winter toll
New leadership confronts genocide findings and a humanitarian crisis as nine children die from exposure
Earth marks one of three hottest years on record as warming accelerates
Scientists warn that the 1.5° C. climate threshold could be breached by 2029 following an intense three-year heat streak.
New U.S. strategy to target 'erosion' of sovereignty by multilateralism
The document rejects past U.S. policy that it says 'lashed American policy to a network of international institutions.'
Climate lead shifts to Global South as rich nations show lost 'enthusiasm'
As COP30 opened, its president said high-income countries are retreating from their Paris Agreement climate obligations.
World leaders gather at U.N. to confront cascading crises and wars
While the U.N. grapples with crises and wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, it is fighting for its own financial survival.
Sand and dust storms intensify global health and economic crises
The World Meteorological Organization revealed these airborne hazards affect 330 million people in 150 countries.
People, wildlife, planet pay cost of convenience for single-use plastics
A plastic layer in Earth’s geological record may become our legacy, marking a moment we turned into a single-use planet.
World's largest coral bleaching event affects over four-fifths of reefs
The bleaching event began at the start of 2023 and continues today, affecting 82 nations, territories and economies.
E.U. defense summit agrees on plan to arm Ukraine without Hungary
"Europe faces a clear and present danger," E.C. President Ursula von der Leyen said as the emergency meeting began.