World News in Brief: More attacks in Ukraine, violence against children in Haiti, refugee IDs in Africa

© UNFPA Ukraine In March 2026, a maternity hospital in Odesa, Ukraine was attacked by Russian forces.This article is published in association with United Nations. Civilians, including humanitarians, continue to face great danger across war-torn Ukraine amid ongoing hostilities, according to the UN humanitarian relief coordination office there, OCHA. Over the past three days, frontline attacks killed at least 11 civilians and injured nearly 200 others, including five children, as reported by […]

Nuclear terror threat ‘has never been so high’

UN Photo/Milton Grant Sculpture depicting St. George slaying the dragon. The dragon is created from fragments of Soviet SS-20 andUnited States Pershing nuclear missiles.This article is published in association with United Nations. The widespread availability of new technology, such as militarised drones and artificial intelligence, means that the current threat of nuclear terrorism is higher than it has ever been. The humanitarian, environmental, and economic consequences of a radiological or nuclear terrorist attack would be global, undermining international peace […]

Global energy and trade disruption pushing millions towards poverty

© UNICEF/Nyan Zay Htet Recent disruptions to energy supplies and global supply chains have reverberated across development and humanitarian sectors, including relief efforts in Myanmar, where millions remain in need of assistance.This article is published in association with United Nations. Disruptions to global energy supplies and trade corridors are driving up the cost of food, transport and essential goods worldwide, slowing economic growth and increasing pressure on vulnerable households and debt-strapped developing countries. The warnings came during a special meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council […]

UN welcomes $1.8 billion US boost for humanitarian operations

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe UN Relief Chief Tom Fletcher (centre) along with Ambassador Mike Waltz (right) and Jeremy P. Lewin of the United States hold a joint press briefing on funding to the humanitarian system.This article is published in association with United Nations. An additional $1.8 billion in US humanitarian funding will allow the United Nations and its partners to expand emergency relief operations reaching millions of people worldwide, as rising global needs and funding shortfalls force aid agencies to scale back assistance. The funding announcement, made on Wednesday by […]

World News in Brief: Mounting waste in Gaza, drone attacks in Sudan, aid truck struck in Ukraine

© WHO/Hanan Balkhy 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. Mounting waste and limited access to sanitation sites are deepening health risks for families across Gaza, as humanitarian workers warn that overcrowded dumping areas and worsening living conditions threaten vulnerable communities. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN’s top aid official in Occupied Palestinian Territory visited a dumping site in Gaza […]

Strait of Hormuz de-escalation is urgent, says UN chief

© NASA The Strait of Hormuz which separates the United Arab Emirates and Iran is a strategically important shipping routeThis article is published in association with United Nations. As the Strait of Hormuz crisis deepens and tensions between Iran and the United States remain unresolved, oil prices rose again early Monday, prompting the UN Secretary-General to call for a peaceful resolution and warn of the widening fallout across Africa and beyond. “My strong appeal is […]

Ukraine: Over 3,000 attacks on healthcare since full-scale Russian invasion

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) has verified more than 3,000 attacks on healthcare in Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, the UN agency reported on Friday. “During 1,534 days of war, Ukraine’s healthcare system has experienced repeated attacks,” it said.  Every aspect of the system has been […]

Bahrain and US float Security Council resolution on the Strait of Hormuz

© NASA The Strait of Hormuz which separates the United Arab Emirates and Iran is a strategically important shipping routeThis article is published in association with United Nations. Bahrain and the United States have circulated a draft Security Council resolution calling for Iran to cease attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, their ambassadors outlined to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday. The text is supported by Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the […]

In Lebanon, the same fears and dangers persist despite ceasefire: UNHCR

© UNICEF A damaged ambulance in Tebnine in southern Lebanon.This article is published in association with United Nations. Death and destruction have continued unabated in Lebanon while communities are still unable to return to their homes despite a ceasefire that began on 17 April, humanitarians said on Tuesday. “Civilians in the south of Lebanon and parts of the Bekaa [Valley] are really living with the […]

Uncertainty continues over safety in the Strait of Hormuz

© Unsplash/Planet Volumes A computer-generated image shows the Strait of Hormuz.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 […]

AI in advertising risks fuelling information crisis, UN warns

This article is published in association with United Nations.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

This article is published in association with United Nations.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

Credit:Unsplash)© 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

© UNICEF/Mohamed Zakaria A displacement centre in El Fasher, North Darfur (file).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 […]

Middle East war: After oil and gas, concerns grow over minerals crunch

Middle East war: After oil and gas, concerns grow over minerals crunchThis 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

This article is published in association with United Nations.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

UN News Moreira da Silva (right), Executive Director of UNOPS on a visit to the Gaza Strip.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’

UN News A popular market in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.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: Myanmar amnesty, rising needs in Afghanistan, another power loss at Ukraine nuclear plant

Ukraine’s women at breaking point after four years of war as attacks on energy, healthcare continue – UN humanitariansThis 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 […]

‘Time for diplomacy over escalation’ in Middle East war: Guterres

© UNICEF/Fouad Choufany The Basta neighbourhood in Beirut, Lebanon, lies in ruins.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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]
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