Climate activist Greta Thunberg makes surprise visit to German forest

Humanitarian workers are racing against time to deliver aid as winter looms in Afghanistan, UN officials told DW. The situation on the ground is already desperate and "looks like it's going to get worse."

African voices are at the heart of conversations at the COP26 climate summit. Despite contributing the least to greenhouse gas emissions, the continent is on the frontline of changes that threaten the environment and livelihoods. In Mauritius, there are fears all the country's beaches could be gone in just 50 years. Meanwhile, the Rwandan capital Kigali is being transformed into a green city with a pedestrian-only centre and self-service bikes.

Forests, soils and oceans are the unsung heroes of our climate, storing the greenhouse gases that cause global heating. But they could perform even better with a little help.

International travel picked up over the summer, but Covid-19 is still expected to cost the global tourism industry some €1.8 trillion in 2021. Also, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire remains optimistic about the recovery despite concerns over the Omicron variant, and farmers in India continue their protest movement despite concessions from the government.

France is hosting an international conference to help Libya prepare for elections at the end of 2021. The oil-rich nation is ruled by a fragile unity government put in place after nearly a decade of civil war. European leaders are especially keen to stabilize the country.

In the global effort to reduce greenhouse gases, many countries do not include armed forces' emissions in their target. Experts say, the world's militaries are among the biggest polluters on the planet – lagging in developing greener technologies.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is sounding "alarm bells" over a record high temperature in Siberia. The record temperature was logged in June 2020 in the town of Verkhoyansk.

The UNHCR has said Sudanese security forces shot a man in the head and raped several women during protests against the country's military leaders. More protests are expected over the coming days.

UN representatives traveling to the region described the situation as "appalling," calling on both countries to live up to their human rights obligations.

The United Nations has urged Belarus and Poland to address the "appalling situation" at their common border. Migrants were being pushed back and forth across the border and left with little food, clean water or shelter, the UN human rights office said.

With days to go until Christmas, Santa might be somewhere out there worrying about how to deliver all the presents with his team of reindeer... meanwhile, just north of the Arctic circle, real reindeers herders are struggling with much bigger problems: climate change threatens their very livelihood.

The 10 most expensive weather disasters of 2021 caused more than $170 billion (€150 billion) in damages, UK charity Christian Aid has reported. That's up $20 billion on last year's figure.