The United Nations is warning that countries around the world are falling far short of their pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, putting the world on course for catastrophic global heating. An assessment by the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change released on Wednesday found that pledges by countries to slash emissions nearly in half by 2030 are far below that goal, with the world on track to see emissions rise by more than 10% this decade. Without a change in course, the U.N. warns the planet is on track to see an average temperature rise of up to 2.9 degrees Celsius — or more than 5 degrees Fahrenheit — by the end of the century. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres spoke with the BBC Wednesday, less than two weeks before the COP27 U.N. climate summit opens in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Secretary-General António Guterres: “Climate change is the crisis of our lifetime. It’s the defining issue of today’s world. So, climate change remains a central priority in everything we do. … If we are not able to reverse the present trend that is leading to catastrophe in the world, we will be doomed.”

The U.N. also issued a warning Wednesday over the three greenhouse gases that contribute most to global heating. Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide all hit record levels this year. Methane saw its biggest year-over-year increase.

A new report by the British medical journal The Lancet finds efforts to mitigate climate change can still deliver a future where people can not only survive, but thrive. The report’s lead author, Dr. Marina Romanello, said in a statement, “There is clear evidence that immediate action could still save the lives of millions, with a rapid shift to clean energy and energy efficiency.”

The Nigerian Medical Association is raising alarm about the spread of waterborne diseases in Nigeria, after historic flooding killed over 600 people and left over 200,000 homes partially or completely destroyed. Aid groups say the flooding has led to a major increase in cholera cases and other preventable diseases like diarrhea and typhoid fever. Survivors are growing increasingly angry over Nigerian authorities’ response to the flooding, which has displaced about a million-and-a-half people.

Chinyere Johnson: “My house is flooded. My community is flooded. People are suffering. No drinking water, no light. In fact, it’s a terrible situation.”

Ukraine’s government says it has discovered the bodies of nearly 1,000 civilians and soldiers buried in territories recaptured from Russia by a Ukrainian counteroffensive. About half of the bodies were discovered in a mass grave in Izium in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.

Overnight, Russia’s military carried out fresh attacks on power plants, this time in central Ukraine. In southern Ukraine, officials in the Russian-occupied Kherson region say more than 70,000 people have evacuated their homes ahead of a looming battle for control over Kherson city.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has deployed more of its forces near its border with Belarus, a key Russian ally.

In Iran, a mass shooting at a Shia shrine in the southern city of Shiraz killed 15 people and injured another 40 on Wednesday. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. This is a survivor of the massacre.

Survivor: “They chased me, and I was shot in the back, and three people died next to me. When they attacked and started shooting, I laid down on the floor, and they thought I was dead. They killed three people near me, but I managed to escape with my life.”

The deadly attack came as massive protests rocked Tehran and other parts of Iran Wednesday as people marked 40 days since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.

Also on Wednesday, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on 14 Iranian officials over the regime’s “brutal suppression” of protests.

In Georgia, another woman has come forward to claim anti-abortion Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker pressured her into having an abortion. The unidentified woman said it happened in the 1990s while they were dating and that Walker drove her to a clinic to have the procedure. On Wednesday, lawyer Gloria Allred spoke to the press about her client’s allegations and played audiotape of the woman.

Jane Doe: “Herschel Walker is a hypocrite, and he is not fit to be a U.S. senator. We don’t need people in the U.S. Senate who profess one thing and do another. Herschel Walker says he is against women having abortions, but he pressured me to have one.”

This comes as Georgians have turned out in record numbers for early voting. Nearly 60% more voters have already cast ballots than at this point in 2018’s midterms. Data also show a higher proportion of Black and older voters.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic Representative Mike Doyle announced Wednesday he is retiring from Congress, a year after he first revealed he would not seek reelection. Congressmember Doyle told reporters, “I feel an obligation to make sure that people understand that my term expires at the end of the year, that I am not seeking reelection — but there is someone that has the same name as me on the ballot.” Republican Mike Doyle is a city councilor in a Pittsburgh suburb who’s seeking to replace Congressmember Mike Doyle. He has denied he’s seeking to deceive voters into voting for him based on name recognition, though his campaign literature makes few references to his party affiliation. He faces Democratic nominee Summer Lee, a Pennsylvania state representative who has the backing of the Democratic Socialists of America and progressives, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

In Arizona, police are investigating a burglary at the Phoenix campaign headquarters of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs. No suspects have been identified, but Hobbs’s campaign has released images from a surveillance video showing an unauthorized person entering the building overnight on Monday. Hobbs currently serves as Arizona’s secretary of state. As of Monday, she had reported a half-dozen voter intimidation complaints near ballot drop boxes to police — including armed people wearing masks and tactical gear. Hobbs has reportedly received hundreds of death threats and threats of violence over the course of her campaign.

A judge has ordered former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to testify before the Georgia grand jury investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Meadows is believed to have set up and taken part in the Trump phone call on January 2, 2021, in which Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” nearly 12,000 votes that would make Trump win the state over Joe Biden.

A jury in Michigan has convicted three men of providing material support for a terrorist act and other charges in the plot to kidnap Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. Prosecutors say the men belong to the militia group Wolverine Watchmen. Paul Bellar, Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico will be sentenced in December.

In Ohio, right-wing conspiracy theorists Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman pleaded guilty this week to placing thousands of robocalls spreading misinformation about voting in the lead-up to the 2020 elections. The calls targeted Democratic voters and people of color in Cleveland, falsely claiming election officials would use vote-by-mail information to arrest or collect overdue debts from voters and that the CDC would use their personal information in a mandatory vaccination program. The robocalls also went out to voters in Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and New York.

Elon Musk is nearing a deal to purchase Twitter for $44 billion. This week, Twitter employees circulated an open letter protesting reports that Musk is planning to slash the company’s workforce by 75%. Musk reportedly denied the reports Wednesday during a meeting with employees at Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco. Earlier this year, Musk suggested he will allow Donald Trump to reactivate his Twitter account, which the company suspended after the January 6 insurrection.

In Pennsylvania, lawyers for political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal have asked a judge for a new trial, based on new evidence that casts doubt on his 1982 conviction for the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner. Lawyers for the former Black Panther and journalist said evidence in boxes discovered in the Philadelphia district attorney’s office showed his trial was tainted by racist jury selection and that one of two key witnesses sent prosecutors requests for “the money owed to me.” The judge said she intends to dismiss the request and set a new hearing in December. Faulkner’s widow, Maureen Faulkner, was at the hearing; she also attended Monday’s debate between candidates for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat, where Republican Mehmet Oz mentioned her by name.

In Haiti, well-known investigative journalist Roberson Alphonse is hospitalized in stable condition after being attacked by gunmen Tuesday in Port-au-Prince. Alphonse works at the daily newspaper Le Nouvelliste and the radio station Magik9. Also on Tuesday, a journalist who had gone missing was found dead. Garry Tess previously hosted a political talk show in the southern city of Les Cayes. The Inter American Press Association said this year has been one of the deadliest on record for members of the press.