Ukraine will need $9 billion over 10 years for its culture and tourism sectors to recover, the United Nations' cultural agency said on Tuesday, adding that the two-year war had so far cost the country over $19.6 billion in tourism revenue.
"The damage continues to increase and the needs for the sector's recovery continue to grow," Krista Pikkat, director of culture and emergencies at UNESCO, told reporters, adding that the lost revenue to the capital Kyiv alone was $10 billion.
In an assessment ahead of the war's two year anniversary, the UNESCO estimated the cost of damage to cultural property at about $3.5 billion, up 40% from 2023.
It said it had analysed damage to 340 buildings, including museums, monuments, libraries and religious sites.
"International solidarity will be essential to meeting these needs," the report said. "The implementation of risk prevention measures and the support for the creative industries are also important levers to reduce the estimated long-term impact of the war."
A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck near the coast of Mexico's southernmost state of Chiapas on Friday, triggering a tsunami warning and shaking buildings in neighboring Guatemala and El Salvador.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced that it completed its latest major wave of strikes against Iran, while Kuwaiti and Qatari defence forces reported intercepting missile attacks early on Friday.
Andy Burnham, nicknamed the 'King of the North', was elected leader of Britain's governing Labour Party on Friday, the final step before becoming its seventh prime minister in a decade on a pledge to thwart the rise of the populist Reform UK.
One of Kuwait's power generation and water desalination stations was hit in an Iranian attack, causing damage to facilities, a fire and the disruption of a large number of electricity generation units, Kuwaiti authorities said on Friday.