Category World News

Obesity has outpaced undernourishment to become the leading form of malnutrition worldwide for the first time among children and teenagers, according to UNICEF.

The United Nations children’s agency stated in a report released on Tuesday that nearly one in 10 children aged five to 19 is living with the chronic disease. The epidemic is being fuelled by easy availability of ultra-processed foods “even in countries still grappling with child undernutrition” and aggressive marketing.

Today, “when we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children”, UNICEF chief Catherine Russell said in a statement accompanying the release of the report: “Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children”.

“Ultra-processed food is increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and protein at a time when nutrition plays a critical role in children’s growth, cognitive development and mental health.”

For the first time, obesity has surpassed underweight among school-age children and adolescents globally, reveals UNICEF’s latest report.

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The fight to reduce world hunger is bearing fruit in some areas, with the prevalence of underweight youths on a downward trend, falling from 13 percent to 10 percent between 2000 and 2022 among five- to 19-year-olds, according to data collected in 190 countries.

But over the same period, overweight numbers in the age range soared, more than doubling to rise from 194 to 391 million.

The spike is even more pronounced for obesity, a more serious form of being overweight, associated with metabolic disorders such as diabetes, certain cancers, anxiety and depression.

In 2022, 8 percent of youths worldwide, or 163 million, were obese, compared with 3 percent in 2000.

Given the distinct trends, UNICEF believes “a historic turning point” was reached this year, with the global prevalence of obesity at 9.4 percent for youths surpassing that of underweight, at 9.2 percent.

According to the report, 188 million children and adolescents are now obese.

Unethical

UNICEF bluntly described the primary culprit not as poor nutrition decisions by families, but unethical business practices designed to generate profits.

Children “are being bombarded by … unhealthy food marketing of junk foods”, especially at school where they are exposed to sugary drinks and salty snacks, Katherine Shats, a UNICEF legal expert in nutrition, told the AFP news agency.

Such products are often cheaper than fresh foods like fruits, vegetables and proteins, which are being steadily replaced in families’ diets.

UNICEF stresses the fault lies neither with children nor their families, but “a failure of society to protect the environments that children grow up in”.

Historically, levels of overweight have been higher in more developed nations. They remain high, for example, in Chile, at 27 percent in the age group of five to 19, and in the United States at 21 percent.

But since 2000, the gap between rich and poor countries has narrowed, with obesity rates soaring in some Pacific islands where imports are replacing traditional products.

For some nations, it is a double curse as they grapple with both undernutrition and growing obesity.

Portugal earned a 3-2 victory at Hungary in their UEFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, with Joao Cancelo scoring a late winner, two minutes after the hosts had equalised, to put them in control at the top of Group F with two away wins from two.

The visitors came from behind to lead thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty, but almost let the three points slip when conceding late on before Cancelo’s goal rescued the win to add to their 5-0 success in Armenia on Saturday.

Hungary took the lead in the 21st minute when Barnabas Varga met Zsolt Nagy’s inch-perfect cross into the box with a header which went in off the upright, before Portugal drew level 15 minutes later through Bernardo Silva’s close-range effort.

Portugal went in front after Varga handballed a Ronaldo flick-on in the area, and the 40-year-old buried his spot kick into the bottom corner.

The goal took Ronaldo level with Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz as the joint-top scorer in World Cup qualifiers on 39. He also extended his international record to 141 in 223 games.

Hungary, who drew 2-2 away to Ireland on Saturday, looked to have done the same in Budapest when Varga headed his second of the night six minutes from time, but the hosts were unable to hold on.

Two minutes later, Cancelo struck a first-time shot from outside the area after a Bernardo Silva pass to leave Portugal top of the group standings on six points.

“It’s never easy once you fall behind, and we showed a lot of character, just like against Germany and Spain [in the Nations League] in June when we were losing but managed to come back,” said Silva.

“Today, once again against a tough team, we managed to come back. Even when they scored after 80-something minutes, we still managed to score the winner.”

Armenia, who beat Ireland 2-1 earlier on Tuesday, are second with three points, with Hungary and Ireland on one point.

Norway register double-digit win against Moldova

Norway’s Erling Haaland scored five goals and substitute Thelo Aasgaard added four more as they hammered hapless Moldova 11-1 to take another huge step towards qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

With five games played, the Norwegians top Group I on 15 points, six ahead of second-placed Italy, who have a game in hand. Moldova’s worst defeat leaves them bottom of the group with no points.

The group winners qualify automatically for next year’s World Cup, while the runners-up go into a playoff.

Haaland’s beautifully cushioned pass teed up Felix Horn Myhre to break the scoring deadlock with a sixth-minute tap-in, and Martin Odegaard should have made it two a minute later, but he blazed the ball over from close range.

The Norwegians did not have to wait long for another goal as Haaland rattled home in the 11th minute, snapping up a loose ball in the box and sweeping it into the far corner.

Haaland slotted home his second to round off a Norwegian counterattack in the 36th minute and completed his hat-trick before halftime.

Moldova keeper Cristian Avram forced him to go wide, but Haaland recovered the ball and chipped it brilliantly in at the far post to make it 4-0.

Odegaard netted a fifth in first-half stoppage time, and seven minutes into the second half, Haaland struck again, scoring his fourth with a header as Norway ran riot in front of their home fans.

Substitute Aasgaard struck twice, either side of an own goal by Leo Ostigard, and he got his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 79th minute before Haaland added the 10th, his ninth goal in five World Cup qualifiers.

Aasgaard completed the rout with a flicked finish in second-half stoppage time to complete a rare double-digit margin of victory.

England dominate Serbia

England took a huge step towards automatic qualification for the World Cup, with captain Harry Kane paving the way for an impressive 5-0 victory away to main Group K rivals, Serbia.

Criticised for a laboured home win over Andorra at the weekend, England produced their best display under Thomas Tuchel to take full advantage of a timid Serbia display and maintain their 100 percent record in the group without conceding a goal.

Kane headed England’s opener from Declan Rice’s corner in the 33rd minute, and minutes later Noni Madueke scored his first senior international goal to double the lead.

Seven minutes after the break, it was Ezri Konsa’s turn to open his England account and put the visitors in cruise control with a close-range finish.

Serbia’s night went from bad to worse when Nikola Milenkovic was sent off in the 73rd minute for a foul on Kane, and from Rice’s resulting free kick, Marc Guehi arrived to make it 4-0.

Substitute Marcus Rashford rounded it off with a late penalty after a foul on Ollie Watkins as England moved to 15 points from five games and a seven-point lead over Albania.

Serbia’s first defeat in the group leaves them third on seven points, with a game in hand.

The group winners qualify for next year’s finals, with the runners-up going into the playoffs.

Here is how things stand on Wednesday, September 10:

Fighting

• A Russian air strike killed 24 elderly Ukrainians who were collecting pensions in eastern Ukraine’s Yarova village, about 24km (15 miles) from the city of Sloviansk.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Kyiv’s allies to quickly boost supplies of air defence weapons to Ukraine and emphasised that Moscow interpreted a lack of stronger international sanctions on Russia as permission to continue its war.
• Ukraine’s air defence units were trying to repel a Russian drone attack on Kyiv early on Wednesday, the military administration of the Ukrainian capital said on the Telegram messaging app.
• A man in Sochi, Russia, died as a result of a Ukrainian drone attack overnight, the region’s governor said.
• Russia’s air defence units destroyed 122 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian state-owned RIA news agency reports.
• Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries and export facilities have shut down at least 17 percent of Russia’s oil processing capacity, or 1.1 million barrels per day, according to calculations by the Reuters news agency.

Regional security

• Poland’s air force has reportedly shot down hostile aerial objects, described as drones, that entered Polish airspace during a Russian overnight attack on Ukraine.
• Polish and allied NATO aircraft, ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems were in the “highest state of readiness” in the early hours of Wednesday after Ukraine’s air force warned that Russian drones had entered Polish airspace.
• If the drones are confirmed to be from Russia, the incident would mark the first time that Poland, a NATO member, has directly engaged Russian assets in its airspace since the Ukraine war started in 2022.
• Poland is closing its two remaining border crossings with Belarus at midnight on Thursday until there is “no more threat to Polish citizens”, as the Russia-led “Zapad” military exercises with Belarusian forces take place in Belarus.
• Russia and Belarus’s large-scale military exercises start on Friday and have raised security concerns in Poland, as well as neighbouring NATO member states Lithuania and Latvia.
• The Zapad-2025 exercises will include drills on the possible use of nuclear weapons and the deployment of the Russian-made, intermediate-range, hypersonic Oreshnik missile, according to the Belarusian defence minister.
• Lithuania, which conducted military drills earlier this month with Poland and other allied troops, is set to reinforce its border with Belarus and Russia due to the military exercises.
• Poland also arrested a suspected Belarusian spy and will expel a diplomat from the Belarus embassy who “supported the aggressive action of the Belarusian state against Poland”, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on the X platform.

Military aid

• Ukraine’s Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal said Kyiv wanted its allies to allocate $60bn in 2026 to “protect Europe and Ukraine”, speaking at a meeting of the Ramstein group of countries that have supported Ukraine in its war with Russia.
• Ukraine is at risk of running short of air defence weapons after a US Defense Department review of military aid resulted in slower deliveries of supplies to Kyiv.
• Germany delivered the first launchers of two Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, while Germany’s defence minister said his country would boost its support for the procurement of long-range drones as part of contracts with Ukrainian defence companies worth 300 million euros ($351m).
• Poland will receive 43.7 billion euros ($51.3bn) under a European Union programme to boost defence capabilities in the country, which is already the biggest spender on its armed forces relative to the size of its economy among NATO members.

Peace talks

• US President Donald Trump said he will hold a call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this week or early next week, amid efforts by Washington to reach a peace deal in Ukraine.

Politics and diplomacy

• Serious crimes committed by Russia’s returning soldiers have caused alarm, with sources close to the Kremlin saying President Vladimir Putin views the prospect of an army returning from war en masse as a potential risk to society and his political system.

Aid

• Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko submitted an official letter requesting a new loan programme from the International Monetary Fund, which would add to the country’s existing IMF loan programme worth $15.6bn.

Bolivia shocked Brazil 1-0 to secure a spot in the intercontinental playoffs for next year’s World Cup, while Argentina suffered a 1-0 defeat by Ecuador in the final round of South America’s 2026 qualifiers on Tuesday night.

Bolivia’s Miguel Terceros converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time to secure the home win over five-time World Cup winners Brazil in La Paz, a result which saw Carlo Ancelotti’s side drop to fifth in the standings.

Bolivia will be joined in the playoffs by two teams from CONCACAF as well as one each from the African, Asian and Oceania confederations, in the hunt for two places at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The playoffs will take place in Monterrey and Guadalajara in March.

Messi-less Argentina stunned by Ecuador

While Ecuador and reigning champions Argentina had already qualified for the World Cup, there was no shortage of intensity in their match in Guayaquil.

Argentina’s Nicolas Otamendi was sent off in the 31st minute, and the hosts capitalised on their numerical advantage when Enner Valencia scored a penalty in first-half stoppage time.

Ecuador were also reduced to 10 men when Moises Caicedo was dismissed in the 50th minute, but they held firm to claim the 1-0 victory and go second in the table.

Argentina star Lionel Messi, who played his last official match at home last Thursday, did not suit up.

Despite the loss, Argentina retained top spot in the standings with 39 points, nine ahead of Ecuador.

Colombia secured third place with a 6-3 victory over Venezuela in Maturin, with Luis Suarez stealing the show by scoring four goals to extinguish Venezuelan hopes of clinching the playoff place.

Uruguay finished qualifying in fourth place following a 0-0 draw with Chile in Santiago, while Matias Galarza’s strike gave Paraguay a 1-0 win over Peru in Lima, leaving them in sixth place.

Australia will spend 1.7 billion Australian dollars ($1.1bn) on a fleet of extra-large underwater “Ghost Shark” attack drones, in a move that officials said would supplement the country’s plans to acquire sophisticated nuclear-powered submarines.

Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said on Wednesday that the Ghost Shark autonomous underwater vehicles will complement Australia’s naval surface fleet and submarines to provide “a more capable and more lethal navy”.

“This is a profoundly important capability for the Royal Australian Navy,” Marles said.

“We have consistently articulated that Australia faces the most complex, in some ways, the most threatening, strategic landscape that we have had since the end of the second world war,” Marles said.

The government said it signed the $1.1bn, five-year contract with Anduril Australia to build, maintain and develop the uncrewed undersea vehicles in Australia.

“This is the highest tech capability in the world,” Marles said, adding that the drones would have a “very long range” as well as stealth capabilities.

Australia is in the midst of a major military restructuring, focused on bolstering its long-range strike capabilities in an effort to balance China’s expanding military might in the Asia Pacific region.

Marles also said that Australia was now a leading player in “the world in terms of autonomous underwater military capabilities, and Ghost Shark is capable of engaging in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike”.

Dozens of Ghost Sharks will be built in Australia, with opportunities to export to the country’s allies, Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said, adding that the first Ghost Sharks will be in service at the beginning of 2026.

Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group has said it wants to incorporate autonomous technology into the country’s defence forces because Australia has a vast coastline and up to 3 million square kilometres (1.1 million square miles) of northern ocean that needs to be defended, but only a relatively sparse population.

Separately, Australia plans to build stealth, nuclear-powered submarines with the United Kingdom and the United States under the AUKUS programme over three decades.

But critics of the AUKUS deal in the US have questioned why Washington would sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia without stocking its own military first.