UNITED NATIONS

Global growth to slow to 2.6% in 2025: Report

Global growth will slow to 2.6 percent this year, down from 2.9 percent last year, because of growing pressure from financial volatility and geopolitical uncertainty facing global trade and investment, the United Nations Trade and Development said on Tuesday. The agency's Trade and Development Report 2025 said that shifts in financial markets affect global trade almost as strongly as real economic activity, influencing development prospects worldwide. Despite the potential gains from new technologies, global growth is projected to remain subdued next year, at 2.6 percent, the report said.

UNITED STATES

Migration applications for 19 countries halted

The US government has halted immigration applications for citizens from 19 countries, said an official memorandum released on Tuesday. Authorities paused green card and citizenship processing, according to the memo, for people from countries already subject to travel restrictions announced in June. The New York Times reported that the list includes some of the poorest and most unstable countries. The memorandum outlining the new policy cites the attack on US National Guard members in Washington last week, in which an Afghan man has been arrested as a suspect.

MIDDLE EAST

Lebanon and Israel hold 1st dialogue in decades

Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks on Wednesday in decades, part of a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism in the conflict with militant group Hezbollah, a source close to the talks told AFP. The meeting was taking place at the United Nations peacekeeping force's headquarters in Naqoura near the border with Israel, the source said. Morgan Ortagus, the United States special envoy for Lebanon, also attended Wednesday's meeting, the source added. Until now, Israel and Lebanon, which have no formal diplomatic relations, had insisted on keeping military officers in the role.