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 […]

‘Real impact on the ground’ needed as Indonesia backs UN reform

© FAO/Harriansyah Farmers in Brebes, Indonesia, harvest shallot.This article is published in association with United Nations. Indonesia is expecting a “strengthened multilateral system that delivers real impact on the ground,” as one of the key outcomes of the ongoing reform of the United Nations, that’s according to the country’s outgoing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Cooperation, Tri Tharyat. The UN80 Initiative is […]

Global demining work strained by rising conflicts and shrinking aid

UN News UNMAS team member is identifying explosive remnants of war located between destroyed buildings and near displaced persons’ tents in the Gaza Strip.This article is published in association with United Nations. Demining experts from around the world have been sharing their collective shock at the widespread and growing threat from unexploded ordnance, the new head of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said this week.  “They’re telling me, ‘Never in my career have I ever seen so many conflicts,’” […]

Three dead in suspected hantavirus infection outbreak on cruise ship: WHO

WHO/P. Virot The flag of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) flies at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.This article is published in association with United Nations. Three people have died and three others are ill following suspected cases of hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday. WHO is supporting the response, noting that one case of the rodent-borne disease has been confirmed so […]

Attacks on media workers must end, UN urges

UNAMA/Fardin Waezi A mural commemorating journalists killed in Afghanistan has been painted on a blast wall in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan (file).This article is published in association with United Nations. War in the Middle East has made Lebanon the deadliest country for media workers so far this year, but practically no country offers a safe environment in which to be a journalist, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.  Volker Türk highlighted growing threats to the […]

Middle East crisis puts aid, food, fuel further out of reach for millions already struggling – UN agencies

© ADB/Ariel Javellana Women farmers in India sell wheat grain and buy fertilizer with the proceeds.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

© 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 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

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 […]

WHO calls for stepped up action to eliminate viral hepatitis

© PAHO In Chile, new hepatitis treatments mean around 98 per cent of patients recover completely. (file)This article is published in association with United Nations. Countries are making measurable progress in combatting viral hepatitis, but the disease remains a major global health challenge, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report published on Tuesday.  It highlights significant gains made in the fight against hepatitis B and C, which together account for 95 per cent of all hepatitis-related […]

Iran crisis shows fossil fuels-based energy system ‘is inherently volatile and unstable’

© Unsplash/Francesco Boncompagn Numerous crude oil extraction byproducts made in the Gulf are unable to be shipped abroad because of the Strait of Hormuz crisis.This article is published in association with United Nations. Senior UN climate leaders are getting behind countries mobilising this week for a transition away from fossil fuels at a groundbreaking event in Colombia. The last major UN climate conference (COP30 in Brazil) broke up without a breakthrough agreement on phasing out coal, oil and gas – […]

World News in Brief: Syria human rights update, Cuba post-hurricane support still vital, impunity and violence in Myanmar

© UNICEF/Wissam Bashour Two children stand in front of damaged buildings in Damascus, Syria.This article is published in association with United Nations. Three mass graves were recently uncovered in northeastern Syria, including one reportedly at the site of a former detention centre run by the Kurdish-backed Syrian Armed Forces (SDF).  UN human rights investigators were informed of the discovery – made last month – during a five-day mission to Al-Hassakeh Governorate that concluded on Tuesday.  The […]

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 […]

Darfur: Two decades on, a new generation of children faces ‘horrific violence’

Darfur: Two decades on, a new generation of children faces 'horrific violence'This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Twenty years after the conflict in Darfur first sparked global outrage, children in the region are once again trapped in a catastrophic cycle of violence, hunger, and displacement – but this time, the world is failing to take notice. In a new Child Alert report titled Darfur: […]

As warheads proliferate, decades old nuclear weapons treaty must evolve, warns UN chief

As warheads proliferate, decades old nuclear weapons treaty must evolve, warns UN chiefThis article is published in association with United Nations. With top diplomats gathered at UN Headquarters to review the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the UN Secretary-General warned that it must evolve to survive the age of AI and other new technologies. For the first time in decades, the number of nuclear […]

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 […]

South Pacific islanders strive to rescue their home from toxic legacy

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. More than 80 years after World War Two, the Solomon Islands remain one of the most heavily mine-contaminated places in the Pacific. Today, the UN is supporting the process of making the land safe to walk and build on again, but the risk to public health from […]

For every generation, vaccines work and they have saved over 150 million lives: WHO

© UNICEF A child is vaccinated against multiple diseases at a health centre in Cuba.This article is published in association with United Nations. Over the past 50 years, vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives, as ordinary people chose to protect themselves, their children and their communities from diseases like measles, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, and rotavirus.  Over the past 50 years, vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives, as ordinary people chose […]

Mali: Guterres calls for international solutions to curb spread of violent extremism in the Sahel

UN Photo/Mark Garten Bystanders on the street of Kidal, Mali.This article is published in association with United Nations. here are reports of continuing clashes in Mali on Sunday, a day after a series of coordinated attacks across the landlocked African nation against Government forces by extremists and northern separatist rebels. Gunfire and explosions were reported in the capital Bamako on Saturday and around a large […]

Rising nuclear risks put global security pact to the test at UN Headquarters

This article is published in association with United Nations. At a moment of mounting nuclear danger and deepening global mistrust, governments from nearly every country will convene at the United Nations next week to confront a central question: will the world’s main barrier against the spread of nuclear weapons still hold? The Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation […]

World News in Brief: Airliner safety warning, drought in Somalia, solar boosts farming in Ethiopia

© ICAOThis article is published in association with United Nations. The head of the UN’s civil aviation agency, ICAO, has called for immediate global action to protect commercial flights from escalating military threats, including missiles, drones, and GPS signal jamming. Addressing the 2026 World Overflight Risk Conference in Malta earlier this week, ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos […]

Renewables rising, Part 1: How four countries are reshaping energy security

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe The Hellisheidi geothermal power plant in southwestern Iceland.This article is published in association with United Nations. The ongoing insecurity in the Middle East, where a large proportion of the world’s oil and gas is extracted, is forcing many countries to focus on how they can ensure access to cheap and reliable energy supplies primarily through the use of renewable power sources. Why it […]

Chokepoints and conflict: How the Hormuz crisis is exposing global shipping vulnerabilities

© IMO/Cihancan Tunay A ship makes its way across an ocean.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 […]

WHO says billions saw health gains in 2025 despite funding cuts

© WHO Pakistan/Hamid Inam Polio vaccinator Zeenat administers polio drops during the first national campaign of 2026 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.This article is published in association with United Nations. Despite significant funding cuts, the World Health Organization (WHO) was able to support significant national health gains for hundreds of millions of people in 2025, according to its annual Results Report released on Thursday. “The Results Report 2025 shows that with support from WHO and partners, countries […]

Devastation at every turn greets UN aid mission to south Lebanon

© UNICEF A building lies in ruins in southern Lebanon.This article is published in association with United Nations. A UNICEF relief mission reached a large hospital in the southern Lebanese town of Tebnine on Thursday, only to find massive destruction and staggering needs. “I came here two weeks ago and we’ve come back today again with a convoy… but what is different today is the […]

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 […]

Long hours, stress and harassment are causing hundreds of thousands of early deaths, says UN labour agency

This article is published in association with United Nations.This article is published in association with United Nations. More than 840,000 people die each year from health conditions linked to risks such as long working hours, job insecurity, workplace harassment and bullying, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO).  The way that jobs are designed, organised and managed has a major […]

Earth Day: The battle to save a drowning Pacific island nation

© UNDP/TCAP The Tuvalu archipelago is located in the west-central area of the Pacific Ocean.This article is published in association with United Nations. As the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu battles rising sea levels that threaten to put large parts of the island entirely underwater by the end of this century, its citizens are making efforts to safeguard their future while preparing for the worst impacts of climate change.  In […]

Extreme heat pushing global food systems to the brink, UN agencies warn

© IFAD/Didor Sadulloev Crops and livestock are under growing strain as heatwaves intensify across key agricultural regions. (file photo)This article is published in association with United Nations. Extreme heat is pushing global food and farming systems to the brink, threatening the livelihoods of over a billion people as rising temperatures and more frequent heatwaves redefine how food is produced worldwide, a new UN report warns. The joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and […]

Libya: UN mission chief laments lack of progress towards national renewal

© UNOCHA/Sebastian Brandt A boy walks through a neighbourhood of Tripoli, Libya's capital.This article is published in association with United Nations. Libya’s political leaders continue to lag in implementing a roadmap that leads to national elections and unified institutions, the UN Special Representative for the country told the Security Council on Wednesday. “We are not where we would like to be in terms of progress on the roadmap,” said Hanna […]

World News in Brief: Insecurity in the Darfurs, 100 million live with landmine threats, Singapore execution moratorium

This article is published in association with United Nations.The United Nations is deeply alarmed by continued insecurity in the Darfur region of Sudan and the heavy toll it is having on civilians, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Wednesday.  More than 10 people were reportedly killed, and many others injured, in a drone strike on Tuesday in the town of Um Dukhun in Central Darfur state, according […]

Time to apply the brakes to runaway AI, says pioneer

Apply AI Strategy: Building trustworthy AI can be Europe's competitive advantageThis article is published in association with United Nations. If AI is “a very fast car with no steering wheel” then regulation must provide one, insists Nobel laureate and Artificial Intelligence pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, the visionary scientist widely known as the “godfather” of the self-learning tech.  Speaking at the Digital World Conference (DWC): AI for Social Development   […]

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 […]
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