Archive July 28, 2025

UN report reveals global hunger falls, but food insecurity rises in Africa

In 2024, global hunger levels decreased for the third year in a row thanks to improved access to food in South America and India as a result of deepening malnutrition and climate shocks in some regions of Africa and the Middle East.

According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, which five UN organizations collaborated on, 673 million people, or 8.2% of the global population, experienced hunger in 2024, down from 8.5 percent in 2023.

The organizations include the World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The organizations claimed that the report neglected to fully account for the effects of acute crises brought on by specific events and wars, including Israel’s occupation of Gaza. It focused on chronic, long-term issues.

In remarks made by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres via video link from a UN food summit in Ethiopia on Monday, Guterres stated that “hunger further feeds future instability and undermines peace.”

Since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2, malnutrition has reached “alarming levels,” according to WHO.

Despite UN and aid organizations’ warnings about widespread starvation, the blockade was partially lifted in May, but only a small amount of aid has been allowed to enter since then.

South America and southern Asia experience lower rates of hunger.

According to the UN report, South America and southern Asia reported the most significant progress in 2024.

The hunger rate in South America decreased from 4.2 percent in 2023 to 3.8 percent in 2024. It decreased from 12.2 percent to 11.1% in southern Asia.

According to Maximo Torero, the FAO’s chief economist, the country’s progress was fueled by increased agricultural productivity and social programs like school meals, according to Reuters’ news agency.

More people in southern Asia are now eating healthier foods, according to new data from India.

The overall hunger rate for 2024 was still higher than the 7.5% level before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.

In Africa, hunger is more pervasive.

In Africa, the situation was drastically different because productivity increased while conflict and extreme weather caused the country’s population to grow.

More than one in five people on the continent, or 307 million people, were chronically undernourished in 2024, which indicates that hunger is more prevalent than it was 20 years ago.

According to the most recent projection, 512 million people worldwide could be chronically undernourished by 2030, with nearly 60% of them occurring in Africa, according to the report.

The FAO’s Torero reaffirmed that “we must urgently reverse this trajectory.”

Africans who are unable to afford a healthy diet are a major source of stress. The number increased in Africa from 864 million to just over one billion during the same time, while the global figure decreased from 2.76 billion in 2019 to 2.26 billion in 2024.

On the continent’s 1.5 billion people, the vast majority of Africans are unable to eat well.

Inequalities

The UN report also cited “persistent inequalities,” which were most acute among women and rural communities last year and increased over the course of 2023.

Millions of people are malnourished or go hungry because safe and nutritious food is not readily available, accessible, or, more frequently, not affordable, according to the statement.

According to the report, the gap between global food price inflation and overall inflation reached its highest point in January 2023, increasing the cost of diets and hurting low-income countries the most.

Jack P. Shepherd heads on honeymoon with wife as he pokes fun over accommodation

The newlyweds are currently on their honeymoon in the United States. Coronation Street star Jack P. Shepherd wed content creator Hanni Treweek over the weekend at the Manchester Catherdral.

Newlyweds Jack P. Shepherd and Hanni Treweek are enjoying their honeymoon after tying the knot over the weekend. The Coronation Street star and his wife have headed away for some quality time together after the special occasion.

Jack, 37, and Hanni got married in Manchester on Saturday, with a host of celebrity pals, including Colson Smith and Helen Worth, among the guests in attendance. The couple exchanged vows at Manchester Cathedral after having got engaged whilst on a holiday in Tanzania last summer.

Content creator Hanni shared on Instagram this morning that she was heading away with her husband following the nuptials. She posted a photo of a plane sat on a runway at an airport and wrote: “Some quality time with my husband.”

Jack was tagged in the post by Hanni, but she kept her name a secret about their honeymoon destination. Since then, Jack has since posted footage from the vacation in a post this afternoon, giving fans a window into the experience itself.

Jack P. Shepherd has given fans a glimpse into his honeymoon with Hanni Treweek this week(Image: jackpshepherd88/Instagram)

Jack, who has played David Platt on the ITV soap since 2000, shared a video that showed waves along a coastline. Stood with his wife on a platform above the water, he told his followers: “Little choppy today. A few broken plates.”

Then he showed Hanni, who had windswept hair in the video, standing next to him. She remarked, “A little too much chop”! Before returning to the water, Jack continued to show furniture on the couple’s deck.

The actor appeared to be making references to the 1985 movie The Goonies. In the video message, he stated, “William’s Cave, where all the gold is kept.” Then, before laughing and apologizing, Jack showed a tower further down the coast, stating, “That’s my room there. Where will I be staying?

Jack P. Shepherd's wife Hanni Treweek stood, with windswept hair and in sunglasses, with the sea behind her on their honeymoon.
The actor shared footage of them at the coast on their holiday following their wedding(Image: jackpshepherd88/Instagram)

The most recent updates following their wedding over the weekend are Jack and Hanni’s respective posts about their honeymoon. In a joint post that was posted to the platform yesterday, the newlyweds expressed their gratitude for the occasion.

They also emailed “Introducing Mr &amp, Mrs. Shepherd” along with photos from their wedding. Words cannot adequately express how wonderful and perfect yesterday was for us. The energy and love that permeated the space (as well as the outside) was incredible.

Plane at an airport.
Hanni had previously teased that they were heading on a flight for the trip(Image: hannitreweek/Instagram)

They continued the caption of their post by writing in the message to their followers on the weekend: “Our hearts our truly full. Thank you so much to you all – it means the world to us.” Jack and Hanni added: “Love is all you need.”

The couple continued, “It took a whole team, a team we couldn’t be happier with,” adding that “we are literally in awe of how talented you all are.” Then, they tagged their florist and photographer as well as other vendors.

This story, do you like? Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Threads for more latest news and gossip.

Continue reading the article.

READ MORE: Molly-Mae’s sell-out £340 Saint Laurent sunglasses have a £27 high street alternative

Prendergast helps Ireland to ODI sweep over Zimbabwe

Images courtesy of Getty

Stormont’s second one-day international

Ireland 182-6 (38.5 overs): Prendergast 67, Lewis 44, Tshuma 4-35

Zimbabwe 178 (49.1 overs): Mugeri-Tiripano 56, Mupachikwa, 45, Dalzell 4-36, McBride 3-22

By four wickets, Ireland won.

Ireland won their one-day international series against Zimbabwe at Stormont by two games thanks to Orla Prendergast’s unbeaten 67.

The hosts defeated the hosts by four wickets on Monday after a 97-run victory at the Belfast stadium on Saturday and a 3-0 triumph in the T20 series earlier this month.

Zimbabwe won the toss, chose to bat, and lost their first three wickets for 38.

Before allowing Loreen Tshuma to fall to wicketkeeper Amy Hunter for four, Alana Dalzell bowled opener Kelis Ndlovu for a first-ball duck.

The tourists’ innings appeared to be teetering on the verge of collapse when Chiedza Dhururu was trapped by Ava Canning.

With 56 from 92 balls, Captain Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano steadied the ship, while Modester Mupachikwa scored 45 to give Ireland a target of 178.

Gaby Lewis, the captain, delivered 44 off 59 balls, while Ireland lost an early wicket of their own after Sarah Forbes was bowled by Biza for just three.

What appeared to be a potentially crucial wicket at the time instead of Mupachikwa’s fellow wicketkeeper Amy Hunter for just 14 brought Prendergast to the crease.

With Ireland’s ease in the 39th over, her 67 included seven boundaries, making it her second half-century in a row in the one-day format.

related subjects

  • Northern Ireland is a sport
  • Zimbabwe
  • Cricket

UNICEF ambassador David Beckham finally breaks silence on Gaza as he backs ceasefire

After months of silence, former footballer David Beckham shared a post calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.

David Beckham has shared a post calling for a ceasefire(Image: AP)

David Beckham has finally spoke out about the conflict between Israel and Palestine after months of remaining silent. The football icon, 50, is an ambassador for UNICEF, who last year called for a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and launched an appeal for the children of Gaza.

He failed to share a post from UNICEF UK to his millions of followers about their flagship appeal in 2024. David was among the almost half of the organisation’s high profile supporters who hadn’t shared a post.

The England sports star for the first time ever shared a post with UNICEF in March of this year. After months of silence, David has now publicly reacted by sharing another image from the organization.

David Beckham UNICEF post
David shared a post from UNICEF after months of silence(Image: davidbeckham/instagram)

UNICEF stated in a post that David liked and shared that UNICEF “welcomes the announcement by Israel to implement most urgently needed humanitarian pauses to increase access to aid in and across Gaza.

Children have been deprived of the basic necessities to survive since the ceasefire’s demise in March. They lack a safe place to go because they are frightened and traumatized. Gaza’s population, which is more than 2 million people, is severely undernourished. One in three people has been starving for days, and 80% of all deaths have been caused by starvation are reported as children.

“This is a chance to start reversing this catastrophe and rescuing lives.” UNICEF has delivered consistently, it continued. However, we can do much more if commercial trucks and designated humanitarian corridors are constructed to facilitate our convoy movements. UNICEF provided nutrition supplies for 147 trucks inside Gaza in July, including milk, high-energy biscuits, and baby food.

We are prepared to increase this figure, ensure that more life-saving aid is delivered to Gaza on time, and offer hope to a depleted population.

UNICEF calls for a ceasefire, the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid across Gaza, the protection of children, and the release of all hostages so that their loved ones can visit them.

David Beckham UNICEF post
He previously shared a UNICEF message in March(Image: davidbeckham/instagram)

On his own post, David tagged UNICEF but added no further comment to his 88.3million followers. His previous silence prompted backlash over how he responded different to Gaza and Ukraine.

He handed over control of his Instagram account to a Ukrainian doctor working in the city of Kharkiv in March 2022, to highlight how Russia’s invasion was impacting the country’s pregnant women and children.

The same month, the football legend and his wife Victoria Beckham donated £1 million to a UNICEF appeal to support Ukrainian children affected by the devastating conflict.

David, who was a Qatar 2022 World Cup ambassador, has been accused of being less explicit regarding where he stands when it comes to the plight of Palestinian people.

Other celebrities who remained silent about UNICEF’s Protect Children in the Gaza crisis appeal included Robbie Williams, Tom Hiddleston, Cat Deeley, Charley Boorman, Claudia Schiffer, David Harewood, Lord David Puttnam, Emma Bunton, James Nesbitt, Jessie Ware and Martin Bell.

Continue reading the article.

Olivia Coleman, Michael Sheen, Ewan McGregor, Gemma Chan, Jemima Khan, Levison Wood, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Sir Chris Hoy, Muzoon Almellehan, Sir Andy Murray, Suzy Eddie Izzard and Ramla Ali all called for a ceasefire.

READ MORE: 71-year-old ‘looks forward’ to anti-ageing treatment that’s like a ‘£221 spa facial’

The fall of Felix – inside one of football’s most confusing careers

The next chapter in one of football’s most confusing careers is nearly upon us – and with it comes the feeling that the potential he once had will never be fulfilled.

Joao Felix, who is set to join Al-Nassr from Chelsea, remains the third most expensive transfer ever – in terms of initial fee – having cost Atletico Madrid £113m from Benfica at the age of 19 in 2019.

The Portugal forward has since gone on to play for European giants Barcelona, AC Milan and Chelsea – yet, since leaving home, has never scored more than 10 goals in a season.

Now, aged 25, he is off to Saudi Arabia. As Lisbon-based journalist Marcus Alves puts it: “The feeling back home is that Felix has officially given up on being a truly top-level international player.”

So what happened?

“It doesn’t seem there is any turning point for him,” said Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague.

‘Pure art’ – the start at Benfica

Having come through the Benfica academy, Felix became the youngest player in Benfica B history when he made his debut in Portugal’s second tier aged 16.

He went on to make his first-team debut in August 2018 – and, put quite simply, he was brilliant, especially in the second half of the season.

Felix netted in the Lisbon derby against Sporting just a week after his introduction and became the youngest player to score a Europa League hat-trick in their quarter-final tie with Eintracht Frankfurt.

He ended the season with 20 goals in 43 games across all competitions, 15 of those coming in 26 league matches.

Benfica won the title and Felix was named young player of the year, named in the Portuguese league team of the season – and later that year won the Golden Boy award for the best player in Europe aged under 21.

“Those six months of him playing at Estadio da Luz regularly were by far the best I’ve witnessed from a player in almost a decade in Portugal,” said journalist Alves.

“It was pure art, a joy to watch. He seemed destined for the top.

“Back in mid-2019, when Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at the Portugal camp for the Nations League finals, I remember seeing a headline on TV that said ‘Ronaldo joins Felix’. Felix, not the team.

“That was no joke – it was just how highly rated Felix was at that time.”

Getty Images

Awards at Atletico – but not enough to justify the fee

The four most expensive transfers to this day, sorted by British pounds and not euros, were all made between 2017 and 2019.

The top two were Paris St-Germain’s signings of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Number three is Atletico Madrid’s £113m move for Felix to replace Antoine Griezmann, who they sold to Barcelona for £107.7m in the fourth biggest deal.

There he would link up with Atletico’s Argentine boss Diego Simeone, who is legendary for how hard he makes his teams work.

“We should have seen what was coming,” said Balague. “On one occasion earlier on in his time at Atletico, Simeone got really mad at him during a game, asked him to do certain things and you could see how Joao Felix was ignoring him.

“He basically ended up doing nothing like the stuff Simeone was asking him to do. From then on he started to come in and out of the side and we started to hear stories about his lack of defensive commitment. But I think it goes deeper.”

There were good times at Atletico, too, but not enough of them to justify that fee.

In three and a half seasons in (and out) of the Atletico team he scored 35 goals, as well as 16 assists, in 131 games.

In 2020-21 he was part of the Atleti squad who won their second La Liga title under Simeone.

Joao FelixGetty Images

The following campaign was worse for the team but better individually, as Atletico finished third but he was named the club’s player of the season, with 10 goals in all competitions coming before a season-ending injury in April.

“After two and a half years of flattering to deceive, Joao Felix is finally starting to look capable of becoming one of the best players in the world,” a BBC article at the time opened with.

But it was a false dawn.

“The cost to Atletico suggests there was a raw talent,” said Balague.

“I think he’s the last generation of players as kids who were told how brilliant they were, that do not appreciate the other side of it that you need – which is to work without the ball. Even with the ball he’s not consistent enough.”

Halfway through the next season, Felix wanted out.

“He is the biggest bet this club has taken in its history,” Atletico chief executive officer Gil Marin said in December 2022. “I personally think he’s a top talent, a world-class player.

“For reasons it isn’t worth getting into – the relationship between him and the boss [Simeone], the minutes played, his motivation right now – it makes you think that the reasonable thing is that if there’s an option that’s good for the player, good for the club, we can look at it.

Chelsea and Barcelona loans don’t change fortunes

Then came his first loan spell at Chelsea.

In January 2023 Graham Potter’s Blues signed him on a six-month deal for a loan fee of £9.7m. At the same time Atleti extended his contract for a year to 2027.

Arsenal and Manchester United had also been linked to him.

Felix looked quite good on his Chelsea debut in their derby match against Fulham… until he was sent off for a lunging tackle on Kenny Tete in a 2-1 defeat.

He would only start another 13 games for the club once his three-match ban was over, plus six more off the bench, scoring four goals.

And that summer new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, who replaced Frank Lampard, who had in turn replaced Potter, decided he did not want Felix so no permanent deal was struck.

Felix subsequently returned to Atletico, but was reportedly seen arguing with sporting director Andrea Berta and made to train with the reserves.

Joao FelixGetty Images

And then Felix angered the club and their fans by announcing he wanted to join Barcelona – and was booed on the opening day against Granada, a game he did not even play in.

He got the move to Barca, the team he said he supported as a boy, on a season-long loan on 1 September.

The Portuguese scored 10 goals for Barcelona, with two of those coming against his parent club.

He was the first player to score in both La Liga games against Atletico Madrid for any side since Lionel Messi four years earlier.

Back to Chelsea (for some reason)

Considering how Felix did not set the world alight during his loan spell at Chelsea, it was somewhat of a surprise that they paid £45m to sign him a year later.

He agreed a seven-year deal – one he is now set to leave six years early.

The signing came under strange circumstances and was perhaps one for the accountants rather than the coaching staff.

Chelsea wanted to sell Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid, a move that would help them meet profit and sustainability rules because the English midfielder was a youth product so would count as pure profit.

But Atletico could only afford to buy him if they sold someone.

The Blues tried to bring in Samu Omorodion but that move fell through – so they signed Felix instead, for £12m more than the Spanish club paid them for Gallagher.

He scored on the first game of his return, against Wolves, but that would prove to be his only Premier League goal as a permanent Chelsea player.

Felix netted seven times for the Blues last season, one goal every 135 minutes – which actually made it the best spell of his career in terms of goals since leaving Benfica.

Joao FelixGetty Images

Just 7% of the way through that contract he joined AC Milan on a six-month loan for a £5m fee.

His time in Italy yielded just three goals in 21 games – one every 339 minutes – and is best remembered for a viral incident with Kyle Walker.

“Pass the ball – nobody here is Messi,” Walker was filmed saying to Felix in the tunnel at half-time in a game against Napoli.

The England defender later said on his BBC podcast that they were discussing team tactics and it was not him criticising the Portuguese.

Much like Chelsea and Barcelona before, Milan did not make the loan permanent.

“Because of the potential he had there’s always the hope things will change but, to be honest, all the clubs he’s been at recently come out with the same conclusion – he’s not a modern forward in terms of work-rate,” said Balague.

“He doesn’t want to change what he offers to football and that takes you to a limit.”

Portugal-based reporter Alves added: “When he was unveiled as a Atletico player in 2019, there were six TV channels broadcasting the presentation live. Now nobody appears to care much anymore.

Back to Benfica in a happy ending…? Nope

With Felix clearly not having a future at Chelsea, even being left out of their Fifa Club World Cup squad this summer, there was talk of him returning to Benfica.

A chance to go home and try to rediscover the magic from the start of his career. The romantic move.

“The whole world knows that Benfica is my favourite team. It’s my home. One day I will return. I don’t know if it’s now or in a few years, but if it were now I would be very happy. There are two options: either I stay in England or I return to Benfica,” he said earlier in July.

Benfica boss Bruno Lage warned publicly that Felix could have to take a pay cut to make the move happen.

And… instead, he is off to Saudi Arabia and Al-Nassr, where he will play under ex-Benfica boss Jorge Jesus and alongside Portugal legend Ronaldo.

“Regardless of how much effort his PR team does [about those Portuguese links] – that was certainly not where you pictured him going in those Benfica days,” said Alves.

“Earlier this month, he told local TV that he was inclined to return to the Lisbon giants. That made a lot of sense – he would be, after all, reunited with the manager that took the most out of him in his career so far, Bruno Lage. “

Balague said: “We say [in Spain] head of a rat instead of tail of a lion.

“He’s not consistent enough, doesn’t work hard enough, doesn’t fit the new position in football that has become the predominant model of our times – because it requires responsibilities and obligations he’s not willing to do.”

Felix has won two Nations Leagues with Portugal and scored nine goals in 45 caps.

Renato Veiga, Pedro Neto and Joao FelixGetty Images

Related topics

  • Chelsea
  • Football Transfers
  • Football