This article is published in association with United Nations. Amid claims and counter-claims of strikes and confrontations in the crucial Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the United States, UN maritime officials continue to urge vessels to exercise “maximum caution”. “We are aware of the reports but do not have further details. We continue to urge […]Uncertainty continues over safety in the Strait of Hormuz
May 5, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Amid claims and counter-claims of strikes and confrontations in the crucial Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the United States, UN maritime officials continue to urge vessels to exercise “maximum caution”. “We are aware of the reports but do not have further details. We continue to urge […]Middle East crisis puts aid, food, fuel further out of reach for millions already struggling – UN agencies
May 4, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. As the Middle East crisis continues the humanitarian fallout is worsening, with aid route disruptions and food and fuel price hikes wrecking the lives and the rights of the most vulnerable people worldwide, UN agencies warned on Friday. Heightened insecurity and instability around key Gulf routes, including […]Hormuz crisis strangling global economy, Guterres warns, demanding solutions to end stalemate
May 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The escalating crisis in the Strait of Hormuz could push tens of millions into poverty, trigger a surge in global hunger and even tip the world towards recession, the UN Secretary-General warned on Thursday. António Guterres decried the restrictions on free passage through the crucial chokepoint which […]AI in advertising risks fuelling information crisis, UN warns
April 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. With spending on advertising topping $1 trillion a year worldwide, the United Nations on Wednesday highlighted the untapped power of major brands to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence, warning that a failure to act could deepen a global information integrity crisis. In a new brief titled […]2015 nuclear deal ‘no basis’ for any new agreement with Iran
April 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The 2015 nuclear accord with Iran cannot be the starting point for a new agreement with the country, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday in New York. Rafael Mariano Grossi was speaking during a press conference at UN Headquarters held on […]From Hormuz to Lebanon, crisis reverberates through trade routes, upending humanitarian networks
April 29, 2026 by Leave a Comment
© WHO/Hanan Balkhy In Gaza displaced families are living in overcrowded tents and makeshift shelters, surrounded by waste and debris, with limited access to safe water and sanitation services. This article is published in association with United Nations. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to send shockwaves through global food systems, the UN Food and Agriculture […]World News in Brief: Sudan drone attacks condemned, South Sudan violence, airstrikes in Ukraine, South Africa Freedom Day
April 28, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations has condemned two recent drone attacks in Sudan, one of which left seven dead, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday during his regular media briefing in New York. An aid truck from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) that was carrying emergency shelter kits came under attack by […]Chokepoints and conflict: How the Hormuz crisis is exposing global shipping vulnerabilities
April 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The blockading of ships in the Strait of Hormuz as a result of the conflict between the United States and Iran has demonstrated how ships and seafarers have become “leverage in geopolitical disputes,” according to the head of the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO). Since conflict began […]Middle East war: After oil and gas, concerns grow over minerals crunch
April 24, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The shipping crisis in the Strait of Hormuz caused by war in the Middle East has exposed a new threat: a looming shortage of strategic minerals that drive economies all over the world – and a race by countries to obtain them. Until war erupted on 28 […]Ceasefire extension offers diplomatic opening, but tensions persist in Strait of Hormuz
April 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The United States’ decision to extend a fragile ceasefire with Iran has kept a narrow window open for diplomacy, but fresh security incidents in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday underscore the volatility of the situation and the risks to global shipping and regional stability. The UN […]Strait of Hormuz: With hunger looming, life-saving fertiliser shipments cannot wait, head of UN task force says
April 22, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. As the Persian Gulf crisis continues, time is ticking for farmers who rely on fertilizer shipped via the Strait of Hormuz – and millions worldwide who depend on their crops, particularly in vulnerable countries such as war-torn Sudan. In normal times, one third of global fertiliser trade […]Economic collapse pushes highly educated Gazans into the ‘survival economy’
April 22, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Young Palestinians in Gaza with university-level educations are setting aside dreams of putting their hard-won skills into practice and doing whatever they can to survive. Abdullah al-Khawaja, an electrical engineering graduate displaced from Rafah to Khan Younis, now stands behind a small spice stall, having lost the […]World News in Brief: AI diagnostics, humanitarian deal for DR Congo, rights abuse allegations in Belarus, Ukraine children bear heaviest burden
April 21, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. New data shows that nearly three in four countries in Europe now use Artificial Intelligence in their health services to make a diagnosis. According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO) joint report with the European Union, 74% of countries in the bloc use AI tools in medical […]Time running out on development goals as finance dries up, UN warns
April 21, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Rising conflicts, the climate crisis and shrinking development finance are putting growing pressure on the poorest and most vulnerable countries – pushing development goals further off track. The warning comes in the Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2026 (FSDR), a new UN report launched on Monday, which finds […]World News in Brief: Myanmar amnesty, rising needs in Afghanistan, another power loss at Ukraine nuclear plant
April 20, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Authorities in Myanmar released the country’s ousted president from prison on Friday, along with some 4,000 other people, as part of an amnesty to mark the traditional New Year festival. President Win Myint had been in jail since February 2021 when the military overthrew Myanmar’s democratically elected […]The Epstein files: Rights experts demand accountability, call for probe into trafficking allegations
April 17, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN independent human rights experts called on Thursday for justice and accountability for young women and girls who were trafficked systematically as part of allegations contained in the so-called Epstein files. The Human Rights Council-appointed experts also issued a general warning over the “continuing violence of patriarchal power systems” revealed […]Middle East conflict chokes end of supply chain as lights go out in the Pacific
April 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. For Pacific Island countries, the Middle East crisis is not a distant geopolitical event. It is already showing up in higher fuel prices, electricity uncertainty and fears that communities sitting at the far end of global supply chains could be pushed into deeper economic insecurity. “We are […]‘Time for diplomacy over escalation’ in Middle East war: Guterres
April 15, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. As the war in the Middle East continues, the United Nations Secretary-General issued a passionate call for “serious negotiations” between the US and Iran to resume, warning that respect for international law “is being trampled” underfoot. Addressing journalists at UN Headquarters in New York outside the Security […]‘Clock is ticking’: Hormuz disruption raises fears of global food crisis
April 14, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The clock is ticking for global food systems as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz threaten to choke off the flow of fuel and crucial fertilizers needed for the next planting season – also raising the risk of higher food prices and a new wave of inflation. […]Lebanon airstrike casualties ‘still under the rubble’ as ambulances, hospitals face new threats
April 13, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday. Speaking from Beirut, where he witnessed Wednesday’s attacks first-hand, the World Health Organization (WHO)’s representative […]Lebanon: Health system overwhelmed following a ‘horrific’ day of Israeli strikes
April 10, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The scale and speed of destruction from the wave of airstrikes in Lebanon which began just hours after the US-Iran ceasefire announcement, has left the country’s already strained health system struggling to cope, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO Representative in Lebanon Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar […]Iran ceasefire raises hopes for reopening key Strait of Hormuz
April 9, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The announcement of a shaky two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, will it is hoped, lead to the opening of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which one fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes. The strait has become a global […]Global Health Priorities for the Year Ahead: Why the Next Generation Must Lead
April 8, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Sharif Mohammed Sadat, a medical student from Bangladesh and serves as the Regional Director for Asia-Pacific of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA). He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this […]World News in Brief: ‘Skyrocketing’ needs outpace Sudan funding, Ukraine strikes update, global water security
April 7, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN is significantly scaling up its presence in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, to expand life-saving operations as the conflict between rival militaries approaches its third year. UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown has returned to the city with a core team, marking a renewed commitment […]MIDDLE EAST LIVE 6 April: Strikes persist across region as humanitarian needs rise
April 7, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Strikes and counter-strikes continue across the Middle East, with dozens of casualties reported over the weekend in Lebanon following Israeli strikes targeting the south and the capital, Beirut. Meanwhile, humanitarian needs are rising, critical infrastructure remains under strain, and the wider economic and global impacts of the […]UN nuclear agency chief ‘deeply concerned’ by reports of latest attack on Iran power plant
April 6, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Reports of yet another projectile strike near the Bushehr nuclear power plant prompted Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to register his deep concern on Saturday. The IAEA was informed of the strike – the fourth such incident in recent weeks – by […]Guterres warns of ‘wider war’ as Middle East conflict enters second month
April 3, 2026 by Leave a Comment
The Middle East crisis has lurched into its second month, prompting UN Secretary-General António Guterres to issue a stark warning on Thursday morning that the world is “on the edge of a wider war” with catastrophic global implications. Speaking to the press outside the Security Council in New York, the UN chief painted a grim picture of the rapidly […]Middle East war: Energy crunch hits vulnerable nations
April 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment
The war in the Middle East and the near halt to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has amplified the energy crunch facing developing nations in Africa and South Asia that rely heavily on imported liquid gas, food and fertilizers. And with Brent Crude still trading at more than $100 per barrel, many workers and households have reverted to […]Breaking the Gaza aid bottleneck: 106-tonne delivery arrives via new sea route
April 2, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) has facilitated the delivery of some 106 metric tonnes of lifesaving nutrition supplies to the Gaza Strip – the first shipment via a mechanism to deliver aid by sea, in line with a UN Security Council resolution and amid the ongoing war […]‘No precedent’ for seafarers caught in war zone in post-WW2 era
April 1, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Some 20,000 seafarers remain stranded on ships in the Strait of Hormuz as the war in the Middle East continues, a situation which has been described as unprecedented in the post-Second World War era. The seafarers are working on some 2,000 ships including oil and gas tankers, […]UN condemns killing of two more peacekeepers in Lebanon
March 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The United Nations has condemned two consecutive days of deadly attacks on peacekeepers serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), amid rising hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants. Two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed on Monday, and two more were injured, in an explosion that hit a UNIFIL logistics convoy, destroying […]Middle East war: Attacks on vital healthcare, evacuation strike fears
March 30, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Almost one month since Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran began, sparking a wider regional war, UN agencies and partners on Friday highlighted the terror among civilians fleeing bombardment, with “no safe space” to go. In a rare piece of good news, though, the UN World Health […]Persian Gulf crisis impacting food security, FAO warns
March 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The intensifying conflict in the Persian Gulf “has triggered one of the most rapid and severe disruptions to global commodity flows in recent times,” the Chief Economist with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday. The crisis is affecting agricultural production and food security worldwide, with impacts […]
