Majority of nations pass measure setting up U.N. vote on 'killer robots'
The first-of-its-kind provision cites an “urgent need for the international community to address the challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems."
United Kingdom (U.K.)
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Israel rejects cease-fire in Gaza as diplomats warn of war spreading
While Israel pounded Gaza with increasingly intensifying airstrikes in response to Hamas' surprise attacks, the U.N. chief emphasized the rules of war must be obeyed.
U.N. resolution seeking 'pauses' for aid in Gaza divides major powers
The U.S. blocked a U.N. Security Council resolution on the Israel-Hamas war, while Russia pushed resolutions that do not mention Hamas or Israel's right to self-defense.
Geneva gains new quantum institute and science diplomacy curriculum
Each of the Geneva-based global initiatives developed by the GESDA Foundation won pledges of millions of Swiss francs.
Extreme weather likely to displace 113 million children in next 30 years
UNICEF forecasts nearly 96 million children displaced by river flooding, 10.3 million by cyclonic winds, and 7.2 million by storm surges over three decades.
Accelerated melting in the world's cryosphere alarms climate scientists
New measurements show a dramatic decline in the health of glaciers and sea ice, perpetuating the cycle of warming.
Switzerland, Sweden and U.S. top WIPO's global innovation rankings
But the world's five biggest science and technology clusters are now in East Asia; Japan's is the largest and China has the most.
Ukraine's president warns Russian 'mass destruction' threatens world
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Joe Biden each took the stage at the U.N. General Assembly to emphasize there are global stakes in the outcome of the war.
Most of U.N.'s most powerful members to skip high-level meeting
Despite the absences, the politics of catastrophe and climate inaction toward Earth's impaired health await the assembly's annual gathering of world leaders next week in New York.
ICRC financial crisis grows with more job cuts as funding shrinks
Funding for humanitarian aid has been getting hard to find amid global economic pressures, but the needs are soaring.
Leaked audio indicates U.N. climate summit host will try to limit scrutiny
In the recording, UAE officials anticipate a need to "minimize" attacks on the Gulf nation's human rights record when it hosts COP28 in Dubai later this year.
New global fund launches to restore biodiversity in developing countries
The Global Environment Facility set up the new multilateral fund with key initial investments from Canada and the U.K.
Top U.N. panel hears evidence of North Korea human rights abuses
The U.S., Albania, Japan, and South Korea led a U.N. Security Council session that shone a spotlight on starvation and repression under Kim Jong Un's regime.
Danger of exhausting local water supply puts 1-in-4 at risk globally
'Extremely high water stress' afflicts 83% of the population in the Middle East and North Africa and 74% in South Asia.
Newly elected IPCC chair cautions against climate doom and gloom
Scottish energy expert Jim Skea said it's important not to despair over the 'existential threat' from rising temperatures.
Global climate litigation to force action more than doubles in 5 years
As climate litigation increases, the body of legal precedent grows, forming an increasingly well-defined field of law.