Prepare for a more intense El Niño, UN warns

The UN has issued a stark warning: a powerful 'Super El Niño' event is imminent, with a 90% probability of occurring in the coming months, threatening to supercharge global climate chaos. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called it an 'urgent climate warning,' emphasizing that the heat surge from the Pacific Ocean will amplify extreme weather worldwide—sparking droughts in the Amazon and Southeast Asia, disrupting the Indian monsoon, and driving up food prices as India, the world's largest rice exporter, faces potential export restrictions. Meanwhile, in South Asia, record-breaking heatwaves are already killing farm laborers, while countries like Indonesia and Australia brace for intensified wildfires and prolonged dry spells. The episode also covers escalating violence in Lebanon, where a US-brokered partial ceasefire failed to stop Israeli strikes in the south, leaving thousands displaced and raising fears of a Gaza-style occupation. In Ukraine, a devastating Russian missile and drone assault killed 21, including children, as Ukrainian MPs lament global neglect amid stalled diplomacy. The podcast further explores the hidden environmental threat of 'shadow fleet' ships—sanctioned vessels beyond their design life, operating illegally and risking catastrophic oil spills.