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UNICEF Warns of 'Lost Generation' as Virus Hits Children Services

A seven-year-old child looks out the window in Istanbul, Turkey, during the COVID-19 emergency. Closure of schools, disruption of health services, and suspension of nutrition programs, due to the coronavirus pandemic, have affected hundreds of millions of children globally. | UNICEF
A seven-year-old child looks out the window in Istanbul, Turkey, during the COVID-19 emergency. Closure of schools, disruption of health services, and suspension of nutrition programs, due to the coronavirus pandemic, have affected hundreds of millions of children globally. | UNICEF
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UNICEF Warns of 'Lost Generation' as Virus Hits Children Services

A seven-year-old child looks out the window in Istanbul, Turkey, during the COVID-19 emergency. Closure of schools, disruption of health services, and suspension of nutrition programs, due to the coronavirus pandemic, have affected hundreds of millions of children globally. | UNICEF
A seven-year-old child looks out the window in Istanbul, Turkey, during the COVID-19 emergency. Closure of schools, disruption of health services, and suspension of nutrition programs, due to the coronavirus pandemic, have affected hundreds of millions of children globally. | UNICEF

UNICEF said on Thursday that the COVID-19 pandemic could cause "irreversible harm" to the health, education, and nutrition of children around the globe.

"Disruptions to key services and soaring poverty rates pose the biggest threat to children. The longer the crisis persists, the deeper its impact on children's education, health, nutrition, and well-being. The future of an entire generation is at risk," said Henrietta Fore, the executive director of UNICEF.

The UN agency sounded the alarm in a new report on the status of children worldwide during the pandemic, calling for urgent action to close educational and health gaps.

Up to 2 million additional child deaths

The report, which surveyed 140 countries, found that around one-third of countries reported at least 10% decline in health services coverage — including vaccinations and maternal health services.

UNICEF said that if interruptions to services and rising malnutrition continued, then it could lead to about 2 million additional deaths of children, and 200,000 additional stillbirths over the next 12 months.

The UN's children agency found that nutrition services for women and children saw a 40% decline across 135 countries owing to the pandemic. As of October, 265 million children were missing out on school meals.

In addition, over 250 million children under the age of five were missing the benefits of Vitamin A supplementation programs. UNICEF added that an additional 6-7 million children under the age of five could suffer from acute malnutrition.

The report also noted that 33% of children enrolled in schools were affected by school closures.

Globally, the number of children in poverty, without access to education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation, or water, is expected to rise by 15%, according to UNICEF.

UNICEF calls for support

The agency set out a six-point plan, under which it appealed to governments to close the digital divide in education, guarantee access to nutrition and health services, make vaccines affordable, support mental health of children, and end gender-based violence.

It also urged governments to support children in conflict areas and reduce child poverty. UNICEF added that schools were not the main driver of community transmission of the coronavirus, and children were more likely to get the virus outside the school.

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World

Democrats Disagree over Abolishing or Reforming ICE at DNC Meeting

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks during a Labor Council meeting as part of the DNC Summer Meeting, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks during a Labor Council meeting as part of the DNC Summer Meeting, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
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Democrats Disagree over Abolishing or Reforming ICE at DNC Meeting

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks during a Labor Council meeting as part of the DNC Summer Meeting, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks during a Labor Council meeting as part of the DNC Summer Meeting, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Joel Angel Juarez)

Democrats on Saturday approved dueling messages on whether US Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be abolished or reformed, reflecting sharp opposition to President Donald Trump's crackdown but revealing disagreement in the party ahead of the midterms.

The Democratic National Committee, gathered for a summer meeting, also signed off on a raft of policy positions, including one that calls for “concrete reforms” of ICE and another for abolishing the agency that's been at the center of several fatal encounters.

ICE has been at the heart of a progressive rallying cry since 2018 during the first Trump administration, and has been renewed among some in the party after two recent fatal shootings by the agency in July.

Saturday’s vote isn't binding and doesn't set the party's platform, which will be determined at the 2028 convention, but it reflects the party's differing views on a major issue. Candidates and lawmakers will continue to determine their own positions on the issue.

Michele Johnson, a DNC member from Louisiana who proposed the measure to abolish ICE, said it's time for Democrats to take a stand and pointed to the dissolution of ICE's predecessor agency, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, as a precedent.

“I think one of the reasons why people are not trusting the party is because we sound so academic," she said. “We sound focus group tested, we sound poll tested because we’re worried about saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing and not just like, just stand on business, like take a position.”

Not every DNC member was convinced, though. Yvonne Reeves-Chong voted against the measure, saying it would only gain support from a part of the party's base, while drawing “fire” from another group of voters.

“I would strongly suggest we get to the business of winning races so we can make the policies that make a difference,” she said.

DNC Chairman Ken Martin, who's from Minnesota, where Renee Good and Alex Pretti were fatally shot amid the immigration crackdown earlier this year, said in an interview that the takeaway is that Democrats find the administration’s handling of immigration, including by US Customs and Border Protection, unacceptable.

“Clearly, the one thing that unites Democrats, regardless of their position on reform versus abolish or whatever other ways to change what’s happening, is people believe that what ICE is doing right now — and CBP and the federal government — should stop,” he said. “There has to be a better way.”

Immigration remained a stronger issue for Trump than the economy or Iran, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released this month, even after three people were killed in encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the span of under a week in July.

Overall, the survey found that only 39% of US adults approve of his performance on immigration, down from 49% at the beginning of his second term.

World

Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 Returned to Munich after Takeoff Incident

FILE PHOTO: A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplane prepares for landing at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi, Vietnam March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Kham/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplane prepares for landing at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi, Vietnam March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Kham/File Photo
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Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 Returned to Munich after Takeoff Incident

FILE PHOTO: A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplane prepares for landing at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi, Vietnam March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Kham/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplane prepares for landing at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi, Vietnam March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Kham/File Photo

A Vietnam Airlines flight bound for Hanoi returned to Munich Airport on Saturday following technical problems after takeoff, the airline and airport said.

The Boeing 787 plane circled for more than two hours to burn fuel after reportedly ‌overrunning the runway ‌during takeoff, according to flight-tracking ‌website ⁠Flightradar24.

Video aired by ⁠US-based ABC News showed the jet taking off with a large cloud of dust trailing behind it, Reuters said.

Vietnam Airlines said in a statement the flight had returned to its departure airport after takeoff ⁠due to a "technical issue". It did ‌not provide ‌further details about the problem.

Munich Airport said after ‌landing, the plane was unable to taxi ‌off the north runway under its own power and remained stranded.

That forced the closure of the north runway and a rerouting of ‌air traffic via the south runway, the airport said in ⁠a statement.

Vietnam ⁠Airlines said the flight crew had followed all required procedures and landed safely at Munich Airport.

"The passengers and cabin crew members are safe," the airline said.

Vietnam Airlines said it was coordinating with the relevant authorities and parties to inspect the aircraft and it would provide further updates as soon as the inspection results and specific operational plans were available.

World

Hurricane Lala Brushes Past Hawaii’s Big Island, Bringing Heavy Rain

A vehicle drives near a downed utility pole dangling above Mamalahoa Highway during Hurricane Lala near Ocean View, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A vehicle drives near a downed utility pole dangling above Mamalahoa Highway during Hurricane Lala near Ocean View, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
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Hurricane Lala Brushes Past Hawaii’s Big Island, Bringing Heavy Rain

A vehicle drives near a downed utility pole dangling above Mamalahoa Highway during Hurricane Lala near Ocean View, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A vehicle drives near a downed utility pole dangling above Mamalahoa Highway during Hurricane Lala near Ocean View, Hawaii, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

The eye of Hurricane Lala brushed past the southern part of Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday, as heavy rain and strong winds struck the US Pacific state and officials warned of potentially dangerous flooding.

"Hurricane conditions will persist on the Big Island of Hawaii overnight, with the strongest winds expected in areas of higher terrain," the National Hurricane Center said at 8:00 pm local time (0600 GMT Sunday), warning that the coast would be hit with "large and dangerous waves."

Lala strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane earlier in the day, generating winds of up to 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour).

The hurricane approached Hawaii County, which covers the Big Island, and a tropical storm warning was in place for the state's seven other major islands: Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau.

Lala came within 30 miles southwest of South Point on Big Island in the afternoon but did not make landfall.

The hurricane is moving toward the northwest and the general motion is expected to continue overnight, NHC officials said.

"A gradual westward turn with an increase in forward speed is expected on Sunday, as the core of the storm remains south of the smaller main Hawaiian Islands and the easternmost Northwestern Hawaiian Islands through the early part of next week," they added.

Lala is expected to bring 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 cm) of rain to the Big Island, with totals possibly reaching 25 inches.

Heavy rainfall "will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," officials said.

Power outages were reported for more than 20,000 customers in Hawaii Saturday afternoon, with weather officials confirming "damaging winds and heavy rain" were spreading across the Big Island famed for surfing and tourism.

Swells generated by Lala would build through the weekend and are likely to cause "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."

"It's a serious storm," Governor Josh Green said, proclaiming a state of emergency to ensure Hawaii and its counties "have sufficient resources to clear debris, secure infrastructure, and take other measures to prepare."

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said Friday his administration had spent days preparing for the storm, and urged residents to be ready.

The state was last hit by a "major" hurricane -- meaning Category 3, 4, or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale -- in 1992, when Hurricane Iniki caused at least six deaths and billions of dollars in damage.

Hawaii was menaced by Hurricane Fausto last month, before the storm weakened and skirted north of the island chain.

- El Nino -

The storm comes as a powerful El Nino has formed in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Temperatures are already so high that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now predicts a 69 percent chance of a "historic event that would exceed the strength of previous El Nino events dating back to 1950" when it peaks between October and December.

El Nino, a natural climate pattern when sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become unusually warm, tends to promote hurricane activity in the Pacific while suppressing it in the Atlantic.

Human-caused climate change can amplify El Nino's impacts because a warmer ocean and atmosphere increase the availability of energy and moisture for extreme weather events, such as heat waves and heavy rainfall.

Hawaii's emergency management agency recommended residents clear gutters and drains and move valuables off the ground, seal gaps in doors and remove tree limbs that threaten their properties.