US September trade deficit shrinks unexpectedly to narrowest since 2020: govt

NAIROBI, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The high-level segment of the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) opened Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, with a rallying call for unity to secure a green and resilient future for the planet amid geopolitical headwinds.In a video message, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said UNEA-7 was taking place against a backdrop of an intensifying ecological crisis driven by rising temperatures, biodiversity loss, and air pollution.Yet this assembly offers hope. With just five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, UNEA-7 is a moment to invest in resilience, commit to justice, and remember what we are fighting for, Guterres said, calling for rapid scaling up of solutions that promote water management, climate resilience, sound management of minerals, and artificial intelligence.As the world's highest-level decision-making body on environmental matters, UNEA has since 2014 set priorities for global environmental policy and governance, with universal membership of all 193 UN member states.Kenyan President William Ruto said UNEA-7 provides an opportunity to reaffirm the vitality of multilateralism in advancing a just, fair, green, and resilient transition for countries on the frontline of the climate crisis.Ruto stressed that global economic transformation, driven by digital technologies, should be aligned with enhanced protection of natural habitats, equity, and human dignity to avert exclusion, conflict, and pollution.Annalena Baerbock, president of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, said UNEA-7 should serve as a wake-up call for countries to intensify action on climate disasters, species extinction, and waste pollution that have placed a heavy burden on economies and public health.It is time for actions that match our convictions. Time to confront the triple planetary crisis; climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution with seriousness equal to the scale of...

The death toll from recent floods and landslides on Indonesia's Sumatra Island has risen to 990

GENEVA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Influenza activity has risen globally since October this year, with influenza A viruses dominating circulation, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report released late Wednesday.The latest Seasonal influenza - Global situation update noted that the increase coincides with the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and a seasonal uptick in acute respiratory infections caused by influenza and other respiratory viruses.Although global influenza levels remain within expected seasonal ranges, early increases and more intense activity than usual have been observed in some regions, particularly involving influenza A (H3N2) viruses.In many Northern Hemisphere countries, acute respiratory infection rates have increased, driven by seasonal epidemics of respiratory pathogens such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other common respiratory viruses, WHO said.The timing of onset, duration, magnitude, and severity of each seasonal wave remain difficult to predict, as they depend on the type of circulating viruses, population immunity, and environmental conditions.Some Northern Hemisphere countries have reported early starts to the flu season, though activity has not yet reached the epidemic threshold. Meanwhile, parts of the Southern Hemisphere have recorded above-average virus activity in recent months.Across temperate, sub-tropical, and tropical regions, detections of H3N2 viruses have increased, making this virus predominant since late September.The report noted that seasonal influenza viruses continue to evolve. Since August 2025, based on available genetic sequence data, there has been a rise in the detection of H3N2 J.2.4.1 (alias K subclade) viruses from several countries.These subclade K viruses showed several genetic changes from related H3N2 viruses, though current epidemiological data do not indicate an increase in disease severity.WHO stated that vaccines remain essential, especially for people at high risk...

TEHRAN, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) - Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the number of its Ground Force members killed in a terrorist attack on Wednesday had risen to four.The fourth member succumbed to his wounds sustained in a clash with the terrorists in the Lar area, northeast of the provincial capital Zahedan in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, the IRGC reported through its official news outlet Sepah News, without specifying the assailants' affiliation.It identified the slain members as Sajjad Marashi, Mohammad Bazi, Alireza Nasirabadi Sarhadi and Alireza Piri, adding that a manhunt has been launched to arrest the assailants.In an earlier statement, the IRGC said its three soldiers were killed by members of terrorist and hostile groups while on a mission protecting Iran's border.Bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, Sistan and Baluchestan province has witnessed several terrorist attacks on both civilians and security forces in recent years.

Workers were trapped on Thursday in a construction site collapse accident in Gwangju, South Korea, according to Yonhap news agency.