Africa
(UN News) The UN General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to encourage governments, schools and tech companies worldwide to stop using maps that make Africa look far smaller than it really is. By 164 votes to one, Member States on Friday endorsed a resolution promoting map projections that more accurately reflect the true size of continents – the culmination of an African-led campaign against the 16th-century Mercator projection, still the most widely used map in the world. The United States cast the sole vote against, dismissing the initiative as part of a “radical ideological project”. Six countries – Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine – abstained. The resolution does not ban the Mercator projection or impose a replacement. Instead, it encourages governments, schools, international organizations and technology companies to use the Equal Earth projection and other so-called equal-area maps when relative size matters, and to teach the limitations of any flat map in representing a spherical planet. Behind that seemingly technical debate lies a larger argument about history and power: whether a map designed for European sailors in the 16th century has, over generations, distorted not only geography but perceptions of a whole, vast and complex continent. “Maps shape our understanding of the world,” Robert Dussey, Togo’s foreign minister, said before the vote. “They guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions”. – UN tells the world: Stop making Africa look small | UN News
Israel – West Bank
(UN News) Israeli security forces forcibly displaced the entire population of three Palestine refugee camps in the occupied West Bank in January and February last year – and continue to prevent their return, in violation of international law, according to a new report by the UN human rights office, OHCHR. The report said military, police and other forces deployed during Israel’s Operation Iron Wall offensive killed civilians, destroyed hundreds of homes, damaged roads and other infrastructure, cut off water and electricity, and blocked humanitarian access to the Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarem refugee camps. Israeli forces went door to door ordering residents to leave. Some displaced Palestinians told OHCHR that Israeli officers said there would be no more refugee camps and that they should “all go to Jordan”. – West Bank: UN rights report warns of forcible displacement from three refugee camps | UN News
Nepal
(UN News) The UN and its humanitarian partners launched a $49.6 million flash appeal on Friday to deliver emergency assistance to more than 84,000 people affected by last week’s catastrophic floods in Nepal. On 26 August, a glacier on the border between Nepal and the Tibet autonomous region of China collapsed, triggering floods that have now claimed more than 1,250 lives and left thousands missing, according to the UN’s office in Nepal. The UN’s local humanitarian team estimate that 84,270 Nepalis – or 19,284 households – were affected by the floods. – UN aims to raise nearly $50 million for Nepal flood response | UN News
Russia – Ukraine
(UN News) A new airstrike overnight damaged one of the main warehouses used by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Ukraine to store humanitarian medical supplies in the Kyiv region, the UN agency said on Friday. This is the third attack to affect a WHO-used storage facility in the last three months. “Yesterday, overnight, between 3 and 4 September, an air attack in Kyiv oblast affected one of WHO’s main warehouses, storing humanitarian medical needs and supplies,” said WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier. Speaking to journalists in Geneva, he explained that “the access to the site remained restricted due to heavy smoke and safety concerns, while assessments of possible damage and stock losses are ongoing”. No WHO personnel were affected, he said. – Repeated attacks on humanitarian warehouses put vital medical aid at risk in Ukraine: WHO | UN News
Tech World, Cybersecurity, and Surveillance
(DigWatch) Tenable Holdings, Inc. announced on 31 August 2026 that it has joined Project Watershed, a White House‑led initiative aimed at protecting US water and wastewater systems from cyber threats. Coordinated by the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) and is being piloted in Texas, the initiative brings together federal and state authorities, water-sector operators and private-sector cybersecurity expertise to address vulnerabilities affecting one of the country’s most critical and interconnected essential services. Project Watershed is intended to provide participating water utilities with access to cybersecurity capabilities, technical expertise and practical support to identify, assess, prioritise and remediate vulnerabilities across both information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) environments. This integrated approach is particularly important for water and wastewater infrastructure, where traditional enterprise IT systems increasingly interact with industrial control systems, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) environments and other operational technologies responsible for monitoring and controlling physical processes. A compromise affecting either environment can therefore have consequences extending beyond data confidentiality or service availability to the continuity and safety of essential public services. – Tenable joins White House‑led Project Watershed to improve US water systems cybersecurity | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Vice President of the United States J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have announced the launch of the Foundry School, a training program aimed at rebuilding American manufacturing and which targets semiconductors, defence, and energy. Developed by Stanford University, the curriculum of the Foundry School will be taught by founders and CEOs from advanced manufacturing enterprises in the United States as well as South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and India. Beginning in September 2026, the project will hold seven regional sessions across several American universities to cover the fundamentals of modern factory design, materials and supply chains, assembly-line engineering, plant economics, regulation and permitting, and workforce development at scale. The participating universities are Arizona State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Kansas, Vanderbilt University, and Washington University in St. Louis. – United States launch Foundry School with Stanford to strengthen semiconductor workforce | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) Thailand has begun developing a national regulatory framework for data centres as it seeks to manage the sector’s rapid expansion while supporting continued digital growth. At the first meeting of the National Data Centre Business Policy Committee, the government said clearer rules are needed to address gaps in existing regulation and provide a more systematic framework for data centre development. The proposed framework will address electricity, water and land use, environmental impacts, cybersecurity, and data protection, as well as planning and permitting requirements. The government also wants clearer legal definitions for data centres, tighter oversight of electricity capacity applications and stronger green data centre standards, including greater use of renewable energy. – Thailand begins developing a national data centre regulatory framework | Digital Watch Observatory
(DigWatch) The fifth edition of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum will take place in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, from 8 to 10 September 2026, with its opening ceremony and inaugural telecom‑fraud alliance meeting scheduled for 9 September. Organised under the theme “unite to advance public security governance, bring stability to a turbulent world”, the forum will bring together senior law-enforcement officials, representatives of international organisations including the United Nations and Interpol, diplomats, former government and law-enforcement officials, and international experts. The event is intended to promote international dialogue and practical cooperation in response to increasingly interconnected and transnational public-security challenges. – China to host 2026 Global Public Security Cooperation Forum amid growing focus on technology-driven crime | Digital Watch Observatory
The Global Eye is in partnership with SIOI – Società Italiana per l’Organizzazione Internazionale
