World News in Brief: Aid deliveries to Gaza restricted, UN prepares El Nino response, El Salvador eliminates disease

© WFP/Maxime Le Lijour The majority of homes in Gaza are still barley habitable.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for greater humanitarian access to Gaza, warning that restrictions on aid deliveries, ongoing violence and funding shortages are severely limiting its ability to reach people in need. Tweet URL Reporting from a recent aid convoy mission, WFP Country Director for Palestine […]

UN chief urges Iran and US to ‘urgently resume negotiations’ as Gulf strikes escalate

© 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. Renewed strikes and counterstrikes between Iran and the United States in the Gulf region have raised fears of a return to all‑out war, with Washington denying Tehran’s claim that it had closed the crucial Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. The US said it had struck around 140 […]

Diplomats go virtual to witness Gaza displacement site up close

UN News Children collect water from a truck in a displaced persons camp in Gaza. (file)This article is published in association with United Nations. Representatives from 12 countries carried out a “virtual diplomatic field visit” to a displacement site in the Gaza Strip and heard from some of the residents about their pressing needs, the United Nations said on Thursday.  The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Ramiz Alakbarov, and his […]

When AI hurts people, who’s to blame? Global experts grapple with accountability

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. Who is legally responsible when Artificial Intelligence causes harm? The issue took centre stage on Tuesday – day two of the first ever UN summit on AI governance, where leading experts warned of mounting evidence of human rights violations linked to the revolutionary technology. “Across 11 Global […]

Occupied Palestinian Territory: Aid restrictions in Gaza, ‘senseless’ infant deaths in the West Bank

UN News Humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip remain dire, with families in urgent need of shelter, healthcare and food.This article is published in association with United Nations. Ongoing restrictions and closures of border crossings continue to hamper delivery of critical supplies into the Gaza Strip, amid mounting concern for children there and in the West Bank, the United Nations said on Monday.  UN teams in Gaza continued to collect food and fuel from the Kerem […]

Civilian dangers multiply as drones transform Ukraine’s battlefield

UN Ukraine The aftermath of a Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv in May 2026.This article is published in association with United Nations. As drones reshape the battlefield in Ukraine, they are also creating new and increasingly complex dangers for civilians, threatening recovery efforts, agriculture and global food security long after the fighting ends. “The battlespace has become a lot deeper, a lot wider and a lot more lethal,” Paul […]

Venezuela’s earthquake-hit hospitals pushed to the brink as disease risk grows

© WHO/PAHO PAHO has mobilised emergency health supplies from its Strategic Reserve in Panama following the earthquakes that struck the country on 24 June.This article is published in association with United Nations. A week after earthquakes tore through northern Venezuela, hospitals in La Guaira are buckling under the weight of the disaster – and the risk of disease outbreaks in shelters is rising fast. An assessment by the UN-backed Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) found that all eight health […]

Venezuela earthquake disaster: needs ‘skyrocketing’, say relief agencies

Venezuela earthquake disaster: needs ‘skyrocketing’, say relief agenciesThis article is published in association with United Nations. In Venezuela, a rescue operation in La Guaira has succeeded in getting a toddler out alive from under the rubble, six days since the double-earthquake disaster. The miraculous story of the three-year-old’s rescue in the worst-hit northern region came as tens of thousands of people remained without […]

Despite record $100 million shortfall, Palestine relief agency still ‘a critical platform’ for Gaza recovery

© WFP/Maxime Le Lijour Much of Gaza will need rebuilding after the war with Israel.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN agency serving 5.9 million Palestine refugees, UNRWA, continues to strive to deliver on its mandate while facing an unprecedented $100 million budget shortfall, a gap it hopes to narrow during Tuesday’s pledging conference at UN Headquarters. Operating primarily on voluntary donations since its inception in the […]

UN details humanitarian toll of strikes on Ukrainian power industry

© UNOCHA Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine has been regularly attacked with aerial bombs and drones.This article is published in association with United Nations. Missile and drone attacks killed at least a dozen civilians in Russia and Ukraine over the weekend as both countries continue to launch long-range drone strikes. Tweet URL Ukrainian authorities reported eight civilians killed and 35 others wounded in Russian attacks on the city of Dnipro on […]

Venezuela earthquakes leave 680,000 children in need of assistance: UNICEF

Photo credit: Luis Garcia The UN System is present in La Guaira, the region most severely affected by the devastating twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela.This article is published in association with United Nations. Some 680,000 children are among the 1.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance following the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June, the UN child rights agency UNICEF reported on Sunday as rescue efforts continue. Damage to hospitals, schools, and water systems is exacerbating the situation for affected families, […]

Stranded Hormuz seafarers begin mass evacuation operation

© Unsplash/Angus Gray Ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz have dropped by over 90 per cent since the crisis escalated in late February 2026.This article is published in association with United Nations. As the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) released more details of its plan to evacuate more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, one mariner caught up in the emergency has described the ever-present fear of coming under attack. “You don’t know when the war […]

World News in Brief: UN launches Hormuz evacuation plan, UNICEF youth champion killed in Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire ‘largely holding’

© Unsplash/Angus Gray Ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz have dropped by over 90 per cent since the crisis escalated in late February 2026.This article is published in association with United Nations. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) will begin implementing an evacuation plan for more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, the UN agency announced on Tuesday. The development follows months of hardship and distress for thousands of innocent seafarers and comes on the heels of […]

World Refugee Day: UN calls for renewed commitment and solidarity

© UNICEF Chad hosts refugees from conflicts in neighbouring Sudan, the Central African Republic and Cameroon.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has called on the international community to strengthen support for the nearly 42 million people worldwide who have fled their home countries to escape conflict, violence or persecution. Barham Salih highlighted the contributions refugees make to their host communities as workers, students, neighbours, […]

‘Darkest chapter’: Record child violations in 2025, with national forces leading the way

© UNICEF/Oleksii Filippov A bouquet of flowers and soft toys placed near the site of a missile strike, left in memory of the children killed in the early morning attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 24 April 2025.This article is published in association with United Nations. For the first time, soldiers and Government forces were responsible for more grave violations against children in armed conflict than non-State armed groups – and 2025 set a grim new record for the total number of child victims.  The findings come in the annual UN report on Children and Armed […]

Triple climate threats affect nearly half the world’s children

© UNICEF/Sukhum Preechapanich Children in Thailand are enduring extremely hot temperatures and drought. (file)This article is published in association with United Nations. Drought, extreme heat and heatwaves are the most prevalent trio of hazards endangering millions of children globally, warned a newly released climate report by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). About 1.1 billion children now face at least three overlapping climate hazards, threatening their health, education and survival, […]

Ukraine: Latest Russian attack kills civilians, damages cultural landmark

© UNOCHA Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Ukraine's most significant religious and cultural landmarks.This article is published in association with United Nations. eral civilians were killed and dozens more were injured in the latest wave of overnight attacks in Ukraine that targeted the capital Kyiv, the city of Kharkiv and the country’s history and cultural heritage, the United Nations said on Monday. The Russian strikes damaged homes, schools and […]

Guterres welcomes US-Iran peace deal as ‘critical step’ toward ending conflict

© NASA/GSFC/Jacques Descloitres The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow but vital shipping route linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the wider Arabian Sea. It lies between Iran to the north and Oman and UAE to the south.This article is published in association with United Nations. UN Secretary General António Guterres welcomed on Sunday a new peace deal between the United States and Iran, calling it a “critical step” toward ending the conflict. According to a statement issued by his Spokesman, the agreement provides for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the reopening of […]

Children are dying as US sanctions push Cuba to the brink, warns UN human rights chief

© UNICEF A child is vaccinated against multiple diseases at a health centre in Cuba.This article is published in association with United Nations. Children are dying because doctors cannot access essential medicines, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said in a stark warning on Monday, calling for the immediate lifting of United States sanctions against the Caribbean nation that were causing “widespread harm”. “The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and recent tightening of […]

World News in Brief: Millions displaced in South Sudan, global meat supply quadruples, Middle East crisis deepens global hunger

© UNOCHA/Adedeji Ademigbuji Children displaced by the recent violence in Jonglei State, South Sudan, sit outside a church, home to thousands of displaced people.This article is published in association with United Nations. Months of fighting and insecurity have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in South Sudan’s eastern Jonglei State, triggering “one of the most severe conflict-related displacement emergencies in recent years”, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.  Tweet URL Fighting between the […]

Lebanon crisis: Needs soar as UN launches new funding appeal

© WFP/Marco Frattini Aid is distributed to displaced families in northern Lebanon.This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN in Lebanon appealed for an additional $331.5 million on Friday to help 1.4 million people in crisis as already massive needs continue to grow, three months since deadly violence erupted between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces. “Humanitarian needs are soaring with each day of the […]

Undeclared chemical weapons found in Syria, including type used in notorious Ghouta massacre

© UNICEF/Amer Almohibany Destroyed buildings in Harasta, Ghouta. A suburb of Damascus, Ghouta was the site of a deadly chemical weapons attack in August 2013.This article is published in association with United Nations. Chemical weapons inspectors have uncovered a significant cache of previously undeclared chemical weapons in Syria – including rockets of the same type used in the notorious 2013 Ghouta attack – in what the UN’s top disarmament official called a “momentous discovery” for international security. Izumi Nakamitsu briefed […]

Growing up with sirens: UN child rights envoy on the toll of the Ukraine-Russia war

© UNICEF Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict, during a visit to frontline areas in Ukraine.This article is published in association with United Nations. Children in Ukraine have been profoundly impacted by years of war, sheltering in underground schools – or forced to study online – and living with the psychological strain of constant air raid sirens that could spell death for them and their families. But children on both sides […]

UN deplores another wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine

© UNICEF The aftermath of a Russian strike on a residential area in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.This article is published in association with United Nations. Overnight attacks in three key cities in Ukraine have left several civilians dead, scores more injured, and homes, hospitals and shops destroyed or damaged, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country said on Tuesday.  Matthias Schmale condemned the large-scale Russian assault on the capital Kyiv, as well as Dnipro and Kharkiv, […]

DR Congo Ebola outbreak: Nurses discharged after full recovery

© WHO/Joël Lumbala A shipment of essential medical supplies for the Ebola response arrives at Bunia airport in Ituri province, DR Congo.This article is published in association with United Nations. Four nurses who fell ill with Ebola in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been discharged from hospital after recovering from the often-fatal illness that sparked an international health alert.  “More recoveries are expected, especially when people are diagnosed early and able to access care, and […]

Under fire, Kharkiv is already building for a peaceful tomorrow

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. Every day in Kharkiv begins with uncertainty: air raid sirens interrupt sleep; missiles strike residential neighbourhoods, industrial sites, and roads. Anxious citizens rush into metro stations during bombardments and children study underground. Yet amid the destruction, Ukraine’s second-largest city is doing something that may seem almost impossible […]

UN agencies step up Ebola response in eastern DR Congo

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. United Nations agencies have moved swiftly to support efforts to contain the latest Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), delivering emergency medical supplies, protective equipment and logistics support. As health authorities in both the DRC and Uganda respond to the deadly resurgence, the […]

How the Hormuz crisis keeps disrupting kitchens, ports and paychecks

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran may have eased fears of a wider regional war, but persistent instability around the Strait of Hormuz continues to disrupt global trade, drive up energy costs and fuel a growing jobs and cost-of-living crisis. The fallout is being […]

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 […]
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