People working in the petroleum industry or living near petroleum facilities are at increased risk of developing several different cancer types.

A UN staff member in India has described the huge upsurge in COVID-19 infections in her country in recent days as a “tsunami”, and has spoken of the “panic” she felt, as her immediate family became infected with the virus.

The United Nations is supporting India as the country battles a major surge in COVID-19 cases which on Wednesday saw the overall reported death toll top 201,000.

COVID-19 infections have increased for the ninth consecutive week globally while variants continue their spread, the UN health agency has confirmed.

The numbers of home workers around the world  have been swelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, putting a fresh focus on the need for employers to ensure that their employees are working in a safe environment.

Without decisive action by the international community, the digital divide will become “the new face of inequality”, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed warned the General Assembly on Tuesday.

The “three planetary crises” of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are reinforcing each other and driving further damage to the environment and to our health, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said on Tuesday.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the workplace dangers faced by key workers who need far greater protection to do their jobs safely, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Tuesday.

Forests are at the core of our efforts to restore our relationship with the natural world, the deputy UN chief said on Monday at the UN Forum on Forests.

In his message for Chernobyl International Remembrance Day on Monday, the UN chief reminded that “disasters know no borders”.