The Advocate

Attention is turning to hidden hunger, a form of malnutrition in which people consume enough calories but still lack essential vitamins and minerals their bodies need. Advocates are highlighting the problem to promote growing diverse, nutritious foods and making food production more sustainable, arguing that quantity of food alone does not guarantee good nutrition for communities worldwide.

Legumes improve soil fertility, nutrition, cropping diversity and resilience, but experts say their potential in Africa is being held back. Poor seed systems, biotic and abiotic constraints, weak policy support, post-harvest losses and uneven research investment are cited as the main barriers limiting wider legume production across the continent.

Advocates and families have gathered in Lansing, Michigan, for a statewide conference focused on youth mental health. The event brings together those affected and those working on the issue to share concerns and push for better support for young people. Coverage of the gathering highlights ongoing attention to mental health challenges facing children and teens across the state.

The state is working to reduce suicide rates through new and expanded partnerships, according to state officials. The initiative aims to strengthen collaboration between agencies and community organisations to better reach people at risk. Details on which partners are involved and how the programme will operate have not yet been widely reported.

California lawmakers have passed new legislation making incremental adjustments to the state's mental health court system, while rejecting larger proposed reforms. The changes refine how the courts, which divert people with serious mental illness from jail into treatment, operate, but fall short of the overhauls some advocates and officials had pushed for this session.

The US Senate has blocked a resolution demanding accountability over Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank. The measure followed the deaths of nine American citizens killed by Israeli settlers or security forces in the territory since 2022. Supporters of the resolution had pressed for Washington to take a firmer stance on the killings, while opponents argued it risked straining relations with a key ally.

Climate advocates are pushing back on the idea of doomsday as a sudden, overnight catastrophe. They argue the climate crisis is already visible in failed harvests, disappearing water sources, extreme heat, floods, stronger storms, and communities struggling to recover. The message stresses that actions taken today can still shape how severe those impacts become, urging people to see gradual deterioration as the real emergency.

The Environmental Protection Agency says it will reconsider air quality rules as Texas confronts what is being described as a diesel price disaster. Rising diesel costs are straining truckers and supply chains across the state, and the announcement has drawn attention from industry groups and environmental advocates watching how federal regulation may shift in response.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says it will attempt to kill a second wolf from the Couse pack, in the state's southeast. The agency typically takes such lethal action after repeated conflicts with livestock, and wolf removals in Washington routinely draw strong reactions from ranchers and conservation groups alike.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will host a virtual public meeting on the recovery of the red wolf, an endangered species whose wild population is confined mainly to eastern North Carolina. The session gives residents and conservation groups a chance to hear updates and comment on recovery plans for one of the world's rarest canids.

The Pinelands in Burlington County, New Jersey, will be the focus of a new climate change study. The research is expected to examine how the region's unique pine barrens ecosystem is being affected by shifting climate conditions. Local officials and environmental advocates are watching closely, as the Pinelands is a protected area of ecological significance in the state.

Consumer advocates are warning that a climate case before the US Supreme Court could 'rewrite' the American economy. They argue the Court's eventual ruling may have sweeping consequences beyond environmental policy, affecting how industries are regulated and how much consumers pay for goods and services. The case has become a focal point in broader debates over the extent of federal regulatory power.

Orange County commissioners in Central Florida have approved development plans near Shingle Creek that they had previously rejected, a reversal drawing attention from residents and environmental advocates concerned about growth pressures in the area. The Shingle Creek region is considered environmentally sensitive, and opponents had pushed to block the project before commissioners changed their position.

A federal judge has declined to block the Trump administration from transferring acres of a wildlife refuge to SpaceX in a land swap. The ruling clears the way for the company to take over the refuge land, drawing attention from environmental advocates concerned about the impact on protected habitats. The legal challenge sought to halt the handover but failed to convince the court to intervene at this stage.

Mexico is moving to require digital storefronts to disclose the license terms attached to digital purchases, such as games, apps and other software. The measure would compel platforms to tell consumers clearly what rights they actually acquire when buying digital goods, addressing long-standing confusion over whether purchases are owned or merely licensed. Consumer advocates have long pushed for such transparency, while platforms could face new compliance obligations.