Worldwide

NEW YORK, July 23 (IPS) – Under a new rule proposed by the Department of Homeland Security, the duration of “I visas” for foreign media will be slashed from renewable multi year periods—often up to five years—to a maximum of 240 days, and just 90 days for Chinese journalists. Renewals would no longer be a routine administrative step tied to continued employment and compliance with the law, but a discretionary privilege the government can grant or withhold at will.

Read the full story, “Trump’s Authoritarian Gambit to Muzzle the Foreign Press”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, July 22 (IPS) – Despite growing up and working in vastly different geographic regions and environments — one shaped by decades of armed conflict and political instability, and the other by remote, hard-to-reach areas — both Sagal and Johao encounter children daily who have never been vaccinated. Sagal and Johao are members of UNICEF’s Global Youth Health Advisory Group, where they advance children’s health by shaping UNICEF’s strategies, policies, and campaigns, while working directly in their own countries to connect community realities to global conversations about children’s health.

Read the full story, “Children in Conflict Zones and Remote Areas Bear the Brunt of Global”, on globalissues.org →

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, July 22 (IPS) – In September 2024, an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in South Ethiopia was confirmed, contained, and declared over within three months.

Read the full story, “Africa’s Health Defenses Have Improved But Its Funding Has Not”, on globalissues.org →

CIVICUS discusses land grabs and environmental damage linked to a luxury coastal resort project with Eva Kushova, Director of Destination Management Organisation Albania, a civil society organisation that supports sustainable tourism in Albanian destinations, seeking to preserve culture and nature while maximising benefits for communities.

Read the full story, “ALBANIA: ‘The Public Only Learns about These Development Megaprojects Once Construction Machinery Arrives’”, on globalissues.org →

BORGO LAUDATO SI’, Italy, July 21 (IPS) – “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.” By bringing the supercomputer HAL 9000 to life in his 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, American director Stanley Kubrick created one of the most powerful symbols of the fear of artificial intelligence (AI) escaping human control.

Read the full story, “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity: Nobel Laureates Call for Global Safeguards”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, July 21 (IPS) – Despite rising geopolitical tensions, trade restrictions and calls to bring production back to domestic shores, the global economy remains more interconnected than it may appear. Trade through global value chains (GVCs) reached historic levels in 2024, according to a new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Read the full story, “Global Value Chain Trade Reaches Historic Highs, Despite Push for Reshoring”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, July 21 (IPS) – Sixty-seven minutes. That is how long volunteers spent serving lunch to people experiencing food insecurity at Refettorio Harlem in New York City last week – one for every year Nelson Mandela gave to public service.

Read the full story, “From the General Assembly to Harlem: Mandela’s Call to Action Endures”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, July 20 (IPS) – Throughout July 2026, various United Nations (UN) bodies and global experts have underscored the need for increased comprehensive artificial intelligence (AI) governance. Although AI yields significant potential gains for global development, persistent structural barriers continue to impede equitable access and deepen the digital divide.

Read the full story, “Global AI Governance Cannot Wait As the Digital Divide Widens”, on globalissues.org →

PORTLAND, USA, July 20 (IPS) – In many countries, older adults (aged 65 and above) now outnumber younger individuals (under the age of 18), reflecting a significant demographic transformation known as demographic ageing.

Read the full story, “Changing Age Distributions of Populations”, on globalissues.org →

United Nations agencies have deplored a fresh Russian assault on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv which left at least one person dead and a dozen injured.

Read the full story, “Ukraine: UN condemns overnight attack on Kyiv”, on globalissues.org →