World News in Brief: Europe warming twice as fast, acute hunger in Lebanon, peacekeepers deployed in Congo

In a joint report with Copernicus Climate Change Service, the WMO spotlights key changes across Europe, which is the world’s fastest warming continent with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average.

Key results from the study show that at least 95 per cent of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures in 2025. 

Records broken

There was also a record three-week heatwave affecting sub-Arctic peninsulas in Scandinavia, with temperatures near to and within the Arctic Circle exceeding 30°C.

Annual sea surface temperature for Europe was also the highest on record, with 86 per cent of the region experiencing “strong” marine heatwaves – or worse. 

At the same time, wildfires burnt more than one million hectares, the largest area on record, while river flows were below average for 11 months of the year across Europe.

Lebanon: Global food security experts warn that 1 in 4 people face acute hunger 

One in four people in Lebanon face being pushed into acute hunger as clashes continue in the south of the country between Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces.

The alert from experts at UN-partner the IPC, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification platform, indicates all population groups in Lebanon now face a “sharply deteriorating” situation, driven by renewed hostilities and widespread displacement since early March. 

Acute food insecurity

In total, it’s feared that around 1.2 million people could encounter high levels of acute food insecurity between now and August.

The alert is worse than previous forecasts and marks a “substantial increase” compared with the 874,000 people who were experiencing acute food insecurity between late 2025 and March this year.

The report includes 725,000 Lebanese residents in what the IPC describes as “crisis” conditions – where households face high acute malnutrition or are forced to sell their assets to obtain a minimum amount of food.

Also, in crisis are more than 460,000 Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and 50,000 people who’ve arrived from Syria since December 2024.

UN peacekeepers deployed in DR Congo 

Peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been rapidly deployed in Djugu, in Ituri province, in response to an attack by armed rebels on the Congolese armed forces and civilians.

In coordination with the Congolese armed forces, the ‘blue helmets’ serving with MONUSCO rescued 191 civilians, including 59 women and 126 children, and safely relocated them to a site for displaced people. 

Since February, the mission has been closely coordinating with the Congolese armed forces to deploy patrols and deter armed groups in North Kivu, as part of Operation Nyundo II.

Large-scale displacement 

The humanitarian situation in Masisi Territory, in the North Kivu province, continues to deteriorate amid renewed clashes between armed groups.

Since early February, intensified violence has triggered large-scale displacement, with people forced to flee multiple times. 

As of mid-April, more than 170,000 people across the Masisi Health Zone have been displaced whilst several villages have been entirely emptied of their inhabitants, according to UN partners on the ground. 

Against this backdrop, conditions in host areas remain precarious, straining already overstretched basic services. Civilians urgently need food, shelter, water, sanitation and healthcare.