‘Clock is ticking’: Hormuz disruption raises fears of global food crisis

© IFAD/GMB Akash Prolonged disruptions to fuel and natural gas supplies could affect the global availability of fertilizers and impact crop yields. (file photo)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

This article is published in association with United Nations.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

This article is published in association with United Nations.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

© NASA/Jeff Schmaltz A satellite image shows the Strait of Hormuz. (far right)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

Fokah Wembe Darrell Dupray is a 4th-year medical student at Université des Montagnes, Bangangté Cameroon and a student leader within the Cameroon Medical Students’ Association (CAMSA).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

© IOM Families returning to Khartoum face the mounting task of rebuilding their lives and livelihoods amid damaged homes and limited access to basic services (file).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

© UNHCR Smoke and debris from a building in the Bashura neighbourhood of Beirut, Lebanon, after an airstrike.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

This article is published in association with United Nations.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

This article is published in association with United Nations.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

This article is published in association with United Nations.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

© WHO UN officials in Cyprus oversee the loading of emergency humanitarian supplies for Gaza.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

© IMO Crew members take a break on a ship. (file)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

© UNIFIL UNIFIL peacekeepers on patrol along the Blue Line in southern Lebanon.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

© WFP/Arete/Ali Yunes A building in Beirut lies in ruins after airstrikes in Lebanon.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

UN News/Daniel Dickinson The closure of the Hormuz strait is impacting trade on a global scale.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 […]

Gulf war ‘out of control’, Guterres warns, as UN appoints envoy to push for peace

This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the escalating Gulf war is “out of control”, urging all sides to step back from the brink and allow diplomacy to prevail, as he announced the appointment of a senior envoy to spearhead peace efforts. Speaking outside the UN Security Council in New York […]

Gaza: Commitment to US-backed plan crucial to recovery, Security Council hears

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. As tensions escalate in the Middle East, the international community must not lose sight of the situation in Gaza, an official with US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace across the shattered enclave said on Tuesday in his first appearance in the UN Security Council.  High Representative […]

Dire fertiliser shortage a lurking threat due to Hormuz crisis

© IMF/Stephen Jaffe The UN is warning of surging food and fuel prices driven by the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.This article is published in association with United Nations. Since the start of the Middle East conflict with Israeli and US strikes on Iran on 28 February, concerns have been growing over rising oil and commodity prices. At the centre of it lies the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints […]

War in the Middle East: Iran nuclear facility hit as equivalent of ‘one classroom of children’ killed, wounded daily in Lebanon

© WFP/Arete/Ali Yunes A building in Beirut lies in ruins after airstrikes in Lebanon.This article is published in association with United Nations. More than 1,000 people have been killed and 2,584 injured in Lebanon since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, UN officials said Saturday. Key points “Recent escalation has killed or wounded the equivalent of one classroom of children every day,” said Ted Chaiban, deputy chief […]

Middle East war shockwaves ripple through Asia-Pacific fuel and supply chains

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. The fallout from the war in the Middle East is rippling far beyond the Gulf, disrupting fuel supplies, shipping routes and supply chains across Asia and the Pacific, with some of the region’s most vulnerable economies already feeling the strain through rising prices, rationing and threats to […]

Humanitarian needs in Gaza deepen as aid access remains constrained

© WFP/Jaber Badwan A woman carries food rations distributed by the World Food Programme in Almaghazi, Gaza.This article is published in association with United Nations. Humanitarian needs are continuing to grow again across Gaza, the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Wednesday, amid mounting pressures on aid delivery and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.  “Families face ongoing hardship” as access to essential aid remains limited and many continue […]

Middle East war risks pushing 45 million more people into acute hunger

© WFP/Khadija Dia Food is distributed to displaced families sheltering in a school in Tariq Jdide, Beirut.This article is published in association with United Nations. The Middle East war could cause the worst disruption to lifesaving humanitarian work since COVID, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday, as the UN chief again demanded an end to the widening conflict. “The Secretary-General asserts once more that the war in the Middle […]

Middle East war’s ‘spiral of conflict’ drives mounting civilian toll

© World Vision Smoke rises in Beit Mery, close to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, following an airstrike.This article is published in association with United Nations. The widening war in the Middle East and its growing impact on civilians came under scrutiny at the UN in Geneva on Monday, as independent experts briefing the Human Rights Council warned of escalating violence following the onset of Israeli and US strikes on Iran and counterstrikes […]

Middle East war: Women in Lebanon forced to give birth on roadside

© Mousawat A mother and child displaced by the conflict in Lebanon receiving care at a clinic.This article is published in association with United Nations. As the UN Secretary-General touched down in Beirut on Friday in solidarity with the people of Lebanon, UN agencies highlighted the dangers for civilians and particularly pregnant women and migrant workers, amid ongoing airstrikes and rocket fire between Hezbollah fighters and Israel.  “There’s 11,600 pregnant women who […]

‘Perfect storm’: Lebanon crisis deepens as civilians bear the brunt

© WFP/Arete/Ali Yunes Some residents of Beirut who have been displaced by the conflict are now living on the streets of the Lebanese capital.This article is published in association with United Nations. Lebanon is facing a “perfect storm of unpredictable challenges” as conflict, mass displacement and dwindling humanitarian resources converge, the UN’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, has warned. The current escalation began on 2 March, when outgoing fire by Hezbollah drew a strong retaliation from […]

UN relief chief condemns ‘$1 billion-a-day’ cost of war in Middle East

© WFP/Maxime Le Lijour People living in Gaza have received humanitarian aid from the UN throughout the conflict with Israel.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN’s emergency relief chief on Wednesday condemned the “$1 billion-a-day” cost of the war in the Middle East, at a time when humanitarian needs are soaring and aid funding is falling dangerously short. “We’re seeing the consequences spread faster than we can respond”, warned the UN emergency […]

‘Toxic rain’ warning from oil depot strikes amid ongoing Middle East war

© UNICEF/Azizullah Karimi Afghan returnees from Iran gather at the Islam-Border, near Herat in western Afghanistan (file).This article is published in association with United Nations. Toxic “black rain” linked to strikes on oil depots, mass displacement and continuing disruption to aid supply chains are upending lives across the Middle East and beyond after 10 days of war in the region, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.  Speaking to reporters in Geneva, UN Human […]

Nearly 700,000 displaced in Lebanon as Middle East crisis escalates

© UNHCR People gather at the Masnaa border point in Lebanon as they wait to cross into Syria.This article is published in association with United Nations. On day 10 of the war engulfing the Middle East, UN agencies on Monday reported massive displacement across the region, along with surging food and fuel prices that risk increasing hunger and suffering for the most vulnerable. In Lebanon alone, nearly 700,000 people including around 200,000 children […]

Lebanon ‘dragged back into turmoil’, UN envoy warns

UN Photo/Pasqual Gorriz Smoke rises in Beirut, Lebanon, following the outbreak of hostilities across the Middle East.This article is published in association with United Nations. Lebanon has been “dragged back into a state of turmoil and violence”, the UN’s top envoy in the country warned on Saturday, after the latest round of regional strikes triggered a fast‑escalating crisis along the Blue Line. What had been fragile but real momentum, she said, has […]

MIDDLE EAST LIVE: Strikes continue across Middle East as humanitarian concerns grow

UNHCR Smoke rises after an airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon.This article is published in association with United Nations. Highlights Production team: Vibhu Mishra with Daniel Johnson in GenevaToday 12:15 μ.μ. UN rights office warns displacement orders in Lebanon affecting hundreds of thousands The UN human rights office has warned that large-scale displacement orders and ongoing airstrikes in Lebanon are worsening the suffering of civilians already affected […]

MIDDLE EAST LIVE: Further escalation drives uncertainty and suffering

© UNICEF/Ramzi Haidar Destroyed buildings and debris in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, following airstrikes.This article is published in association with United Nations. On day six of the war in the Middle East, there’s been no let-up in bombs, drones and rockets targeting Iran, Israel, Lebanon and many Gulf States, while NATO forces reportedly intercepted a missile fired at Türkiye by Iran, a claim denied by Tehran. We’ll bring you […]

MIDDLE EAST LIVE: Conflict continues across region amid US, Israeli and Iranian strikes

UN Photo/Pasqual Gorriz Smoke rises in Beirut, Lebanon, following the outbreak of hostilities across the Middle East.This article is published in association with United Nations. Violence in the Middle East is continuing into a fifth day, with US and Israeli strikes against Iran and Iranian missile and drone attacks reported across several countries in the region. The escalating confrontation is disrupting airspace, transport and daily life while raising fears of a wider […]

Iran crisis: Schoolgirls killed, thousands displaced and aid compromised

© IAEA/Paolo Contri The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Iran.This article is published in association with United Nations. On the fourth day of Israeli and United States airstrikes against Iran and amid growing violence and instability in the Middle East, the UN urgently called for protection of civilians and warned of growing displacement and humanitarian needs. UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani also recalled […]
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