Worsen

• Merck & Co. is considering the use of molnupiravir, an antiviral drug previously authorized for COVID-19 treatment, to combat a worsening Ebola outbreak in central Africa. • The move comes as governments and health authorities struggle to respond to the escalating public health crisis in the region. • Repurposing an existing antiviral could provide a faster therapeutic option for patients as the outbreak intensifies.

The Middle East is Japan’s main source of crude oil, from which naphtha is extracted and used to make items including printing ink and plasticsTakeaways, supermarkets, and bakeries in Japan are running out of plastic bags, trays and food service gloves amid widening shortages of the key plastic ingredient, naphtha, due to the Middle East crisis.The food sector accounts for nearly one-third of Japan’s annual plastic use of more than 8m tonnes, and price rises and shortages are hitting hard across the industry and beyond. Some outlets have begun offering perks to customers who bring their own bags, plates or containers. Continue reading...

• The Ebola outbreak is continuing to worsen, creating significant collateral health and safety risks specifically for women and girls. • In a surprising leadership change, Kyle Diamantas has been appointed as the new acting head of the FDA. • Global health data reveals a staggering 1.17 billion people are currently living with mental disorders.

Rents will rise and homelessness quadruple in a decade unless serious steps to cut emissions are taken, University of Sydney researchers findFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGlobal heating could worsen housing affordability, push up rents and quadruple homelessness in a decade without fairer housing policies and action to reduce emissions, new research has found.Home prices and rents in Australia are influenced by a complex mix of factors, from incomes and mortgage rates to insurance premiums, available land and population. Continue reading...

Legal and child advocates have criticised the changes, which include eroding the Aboriginal child placement principle, as ‘dangerous, ignorant and wrong’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Northern Territory government is removing a protection introduced to avoid a repeat of the Stolen Generation as part of sweeping reforms to the child protection system.The draft legislation was revealed alongside details of a major review into the Territory’s child protection system, announced in the wake of the high-profile death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby in Alice Springs. Continue reading...

Government’s anti-slavery commissioner says traffickers are exploiting a growing pipeline of vulnerabilitySlavery in the UK is at record levels and is expected to worsen over the next decade, the government’s independent anti-slavery commissioner has warned.According to the number of referrals to the national referral mechanism, which assesses potential victims of slavery and provides support to victims, numbers have almost doubled in the last five years from 12,691 referrals in 2021 to 23,411 in 2025, the highest ever number. Continue reading...

• Active fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has intensified blockades on humanitarian corridors, trapping over 2 million internally displaced persons without access to food and medical supplies. • The UN World Food Programme reported that starvation conditions now affect multiple regions, with malnutrition rates among children exceeding 40 percent in some areas. • The U.S. State Department announced an additional $150 million in emergency humanitarian assistance but acknowledged that insecurity makes delivery of aid increasingly difficult.