Month: September 2025

Super Typhoon Ragasa, the most powerful storm of 2025, has been intensified by human-made climate change, according to a new study. The typhoon hit the northern Philippines and Taiwan on Monday, resulting in at least 25 fatalities, before moving towards Hong Kong and southern China, where it brought torrential rains, destructive winds, and widespread flooding, reports 24brussels.

The storm reached its peak intensity, comparable to a Category 5 hurricane, causing severe damage across the affected areas. As residents faced devastation from extensive rainfall and flooding, emergency services worked to assess casualties and provide relief to those impacted.

Research conducted by ClimateMeter revealed that cyclones similar to Ragasa are now about 1°C warmer, up to 10% wetter, and roughly 4% windier compared to historical data from 1950 to 1986. This comparison highlights significant changes in atmospheric conditions that are exacerbating the severity of storms like Ragasa.

Davide Faranda from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) emphasized the link between greenhouse gas emissions and the increasing ferocity of storms, stating, “The devastating impacts of Ragasa show that greenhouse gas emissions do far more than warm the world — they make typhoons wetter, stronger, and more violent.” He warned that without rapid reductions in emissions, regions like the Philippines, Taiwan, and China could experience even more catastrophic storms.

Impacts of Rising Ocean Temperatures

While tropical cyclones are typically frequent, their intensity has surged in recent decades, a trend many scientists attribute to human-induced climate change. Specifically, Ragasa intensified over sea surface temperatures that were between 0.7 to 1.1°C above average, conditions made increasingly likely by climate change.

Data indicates a notable rise in the occurrence of Category 4 and 5 storms in the western North Pacific since the 1970s, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirming that climate change will likely lead to more intense tropical Super Typhoons in the region. However, the overall frequency of such storms may remain unchanged.

As the global community grapples with the implications of climate change, the devastation wrought by Super Typhoon Ragasa serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for coordinated climate action and disaster preparedness.

British officials said they feared Trump would recognise Israeli control over the West Bank in retaliation for the UK, Australia, France and other recognising Palestine

Donald Trump has said he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, rejecting calls from some far-right politicians in Israel who want to extend sovereignty over the area and snuff out hopes for a Palestinian state.

“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding “There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now.”

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As reported by ULYS Media, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev publicly aligned with President Trump’s criticism of the United Nations after the poorly managed 80th-anniversary UNGA session. Tokayev, who was present in the hall during Trump’s speech when the failures occurred, lent particular weight to his comments given his long-standing institutional knowledge of the UN, having served as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (2011–2013) and representing Kazakhstan in various UN forums over his three decades of diplomatic service.

During his address to the General Assembly, President Trump recounted a series of technical incidents: an escalator carrying him and First Lady Melania stalled abruptly, nearly causing a fall; his teleprompter failed at the start of his speech, forcing him to improvise—a skill for which he is well known; and the sound system cut out, leaving much of the audience unable to hear him without interpreter earpieces. He condemned the breakdowns as symbolic of broader UN dysfunction, calling them “a REAL DISGRACE” and alleging “triple sabotage.” Trump urged a Secret Service investigation and preservation of security footage.

As reported in ULYS Media, Tokayev said: “I consider the incident that occurred at the UN exceptionally dangerous, an event that could have harmed the health of the President and his spouse. The decision to investigate has already been made and is correct.” He went on: “On the other hand, this is the most serious failure, one might even say a collapse, of the UN Secretariat, all employees of the relevant services and departments. To allow such a blunder during the anniversary session of the UN General Assembly is beyond negligence, unless, of course, it is a deliberate sabotage, which is also quite possible given the negative and even depressive sentiments among UN staff.”

Tokayev sharpened his critique further, describing the United Nations as suffering a “serious decline” in political effectiveness and managerial competence. He highlighted weakened public trust in the organization’s leadership, an ever more paralyzed Security Council incapable of addressing pressing issues, and an internal culture marked by indifference, fatigue, and low morale—even within the higher decision-making bodies.

Tokayev and Trump converge in their sharp criticism of the United Nations, pointing to mismanagement within the Secretariat, the erosion of credibility among its leaders, and the paralysis of the Security Council. Tokayev has even echoed Trump’s remarks approvingly, recognizing their shared view that the organization has drifted into inefficiency and neglect. At the same time, he underscores the urgency of bold reforms to restore the UN’s effectiveness and authority, reinforcing the common ground both leaders have staked out in calling for change.

Trump would have welcomed Tokayev’s additional words: “Several of my colleagues have expressed to me an accurate opinion: even the material condition of the UN’s main building [in New York], the common home of humanity, is in a state of decline. And it is hard to argue with President Trump here; he openly spoke about the mismanagement and indifference of the leaders of this global organization.”

Tokayev concluded by reiterating his call for sweeping change: “All this once again argues in favor of a total reform of the UN, which I mentioned in my speech on the first day of the general debates. The time of endless, abstract discussions is over; bold, smart reforms aimed at increasing the efficiency, reputation, and authority of the UN are needed.”

The UN was built to help nations find common ground—but at its 80th-anniversary session, the common ground between Donald Trump and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev turned out to be shared frustration with the organization itself. Trump blasted the technical glitches as proof of mismanagement, while Tokayev, speaking as a UN insider, called out deeper problems of low morale and weak leadership. Coming from two very different leaders, their agreement was blunt: the UN is struggling, and without serious reform, it risks losing the credibility it was created to uphold.