This article is published in association with United Nations. Opium production in Afghanistan has risen fivefold in a year. According to a UN survey released on Thursday, it’s the first significant increase since the Taliban banned poppy cultivation in 2022. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found that the area planted with opium […]Afghanistan opium production jumps fivefold as farmers find ways round Taliban ban
October 29, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Opium production in Afghanistan has risen fivefold in a year. According to a UN survey released on Thursday, it’s the first significant increase since the Taliban banned poppy cultivation in 2022. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found that the area planted with opium […]Higher Ground: How New York is raising a park to hold back the sea
October 29, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. On 29 October 2012, Hurricane Sandy slammed into New York City, unleashing a devastating storm surge that flooded homes, subways and tunnels, knocked out power and sparked deadly fires. In just 48 hours, 44 people were killed, nearly two million New Yorkers lost power, and 6,500 […]Record carbon dioxide levels will impact us for centuries, says UN weather agency
October 28, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by burning fossil fuels reached record highs in 2025, locking in more long-term global warming, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday. The agency’s latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin indicates an average […]World News in Brief: ‘No safe place in Ukraine’, IAEA calls for Iran nuclear inspections, Kenya hosts thousands of Ethiopians fleeing clashes
October 28, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday urged continued international support for Ukraine’s population as Russian airstrikes intensify and humanitarian needs grow in advance of another bitterly cold winter. The “relentless” attacks are targeting critical energy infrastructure, leaving millions without heat and electricity, and limited access to […]Four in five domestic workers lack formal job protections, UN finds
October 28, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. An estimated 66.5 million domestic workers – representing more than four out of five domestic workers worldwide – were informally employed in 2025, a new report by the UN’s labour organisation has found. This makes them more than twice as likely as other employees to lack […]Gaza: Families brace for fourth winter in tents as aid operations remain stymied
October 28, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Families in Gaza are bracing for a fourth winter in tents and makeshift shelters as UN aid operations face mounting obstacles, with transport suspended on Tuesday due to Israel’s closure of the key Kerem Shalom crossing for election day. The UN project services agency in the […]General Assembly weighs US embargo against Cuba ahead of 34th vote
October 28, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The General Assembly opened its annual debate on the US economic embargo against Cuba on Tuesday. On Wednesday, 28 October, Member States will vote for the 34th time on a resolution calling for it to end. Every year at around this time, the assembly – where […]Women and girls’ share of civilian war deaths doubles since 2021
October 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. ar is growing deadlier for women and girls, who accounted for one in four of the more than 37,000 civilians killed in armed conflict last year – double their share in 2021 – according to major UN report released Monday. At least 25 women and girls […]World News in Brief: Ethiopians flee to Kenya amidst renewed conflict, new head of UN’s food programme, UN mission in Somalia concludes
October 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Around 36,600 people have fled into northern Kenya following an uptick in fighting on the Ethiopian side of the border. That’s according to the UN migration agency, IOM. Forces from the Somali and Oromia regions in Southern Ethiopia have been fighting for over two decades over […]Record carbon dioxide levels will impact us for centuries, says UN weather agency
October 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by burning fossil fuels reached record highs in 2025, locking in more long-term global warming, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday. The agency’s latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin indicates an average […]West Bank: Hebron crackdown displaces thousands, Türk warns of ethnic cleansing
October 27, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Israel’s “aggressive operation” in the West Bank city of Hebron raises serious concerns of ethnic cleansing, UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned on Monday, as the number of Palestinians forced from their homes passed 3,000 on the eve of Israeli elections. The UN aid coordination […]‘Burden and loss’ builds in DR Congo, as Kenya strengthens Ebola containment
October 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. As Ebola continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), more resources are needed to fight the disease and feed patients and families, UN agencies said on Friday. “If we lift the foot off the pedal, the virus will resurge very quickly, will […]Women ‘first to suffer’ under siege, first to step up as frontline responders in Sudan
October 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. When Tahani Al-Numeiri heard the first explosions in Khartoum, her hometown, war seemed so remote that she assumed they were celebrations from a nearby wedding. It was the morning of 15 April 2023, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces had just turned their guns on the […]Yemen: Deepening concerns for Taiz City as aid is blocked from entering
October 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Aid agencies warned on Friday of the fast-developing humanitarian emergency inside Taiz City in Yemen, which has been encircled by de facto Houthi forces fighting government troops along the country’s west coast. “It’s 20 days and counting since Taiz has been cut off…we are seeing increasingly […]World News in Brief: Iran nuclear inspections, deadly church attack in Jordan, El Fasher – one year on
October 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, called on Friday for a swift return of inspectors to Iran, warning of growing fragility in the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. The technical groundwork has been done and “the bases on which a diplomatic agreement […]West Bank: Guterres alarmed as Israel imposes sweeping closures after deadly Hebron attack
October 26, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN said on Friday it was “extremely alarmed” by intensifying violence in the occupied West Bank, as Israel moved to seal off the territory following a deadly attack on its soldiers in Hebron. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and at least five injured when gunmen […]‘Connect the dots’ between street protests and global turmoil, urges Guterres
October 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The international community must combat inequality and stop wars from expanding to ensure a safer world for all, the UN Secretary-General said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters in New York ahead of a visit to Egypt, António Guterres addressed growing public discontent in Europe and beyond, […]UN agencies appeal for help to protect weakest from unprecedented El Niño
October 22, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Two UN agencies issued a powerful appeal on Wednesday for immediate assistance to help communities already being impacted by the strongest El Niño weather pattern on record. “The current El Niño event could be unprecedented in strength – literally, off the monitoring charts that we have […]World News in Brief: Aid for Ethiopia, Abyei drone strikes condemned, extreme heat and newborn health
October 22, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) is scaling up emergency health response operations across Afar, Amhara and Tigray in Ethiopia to address growing humanitarian and health needs resulting from ongoing hostilities. Tweet URL The UN health agency has strengthened its emergency coordination, deployed technical teams and expanded […]Migrants paid up to $500 million in smuggling fees on European sea routes
October 22, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The price tag for smuggling on European sea routes reached up to half a billion dollars last year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN migration office, IOM, reported on Wednesday. Key points Almost half of migrants trying to get smuggled into […]‘One step away from famine’: Inside Afghanistan’s hunger crisis
October 21, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Following extreme hunger warnings, a bitter reality is unfolding across Afghanistan: food is available, but remains inaccessible for millions of people. That’s according to UN aid coordination office spokesperson Olga Cherevko, who has just returned from a field visit with a stark call to action. Nearly […]AI on track to ‘crowd out’ human decision-making in warfare
October 21, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. Artificial intelligence is already being widely used on the battlefield, and the role of human judgment in military operations is shrinking rapidly, the head of the UN’s independent disarmament research institute warned on Tuesday. In a briefing at UN Headquarters in New York, […]Global warming will breach 1.5°C – but deep, fast cuts can still bring it back
October 21, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. With global temperature rise set to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, countries “must pull out all the stops” and urgently cut emissions to minimize the overshoot and return to the internationally agreed threshold by the end of this century. The recommendation comes in the Emissions Gap […]Gaza: 340 children killed despite ceasefire agreement – UNICEF
October 20, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. A little over one year since a ceasefire agreement was announced between Hamas fighters and Israel, more than 340 children have been reported killed and hundreds more injured, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday. For families “mourning the loss of their children, those terrible […]UN condemns deadly wave of drone strikes in war-torn Sudan
October 20, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Drone strikes killed and injured dozens across Sudan on Monday as the ongoing war continues to cause soaring displacement and hunger. “We are alarmed by the continued deadly drone strikes across the country that are killing civilians, including children, and that are disrupting essential services,” UN […]‘Season of fear’: Escalating Israeli attacks on West Bank olive farmers, deadly strikes on Gaza
October 20, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Israeli attacks on war-torn Gaza over the weekend killed at least six Palestinians, including children, despite a year-old ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, settler violence continued through the ongoing olive harvest, with UN independent experts on Monday urging Israel to protect Palestinian farmers. […]Gaza: Funding cuts leave half a million without food assistance
October 19, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. “I tell my kids I work in a time machine,” said Rhony Dostaly. In a basement beneath Lincoln Center, the media preservation engineer rescues moments from the past. “I go back in time, and I grab elements, and I make them available for people today.” He […]Gaza: Funding cuts leave half a million without food assistance
October 19, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Funding shortages have forced the World Food Programme (WFP) to slash assistance to hungry families in the Gaza Strip by roughly one third – a move that will affect some 500,000 people as winter approaches, the UN agency announced on Monday. WFP said that its food […]COP17: The world has a plan to save nature. Is it working?
October 19, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Secretary-General has called for an end to the “war on nature”. On Monday, governments gathering in Yerevan, Armenia, will have to confront a more practical question: are they doing enough to win the peace and put the world’s biodiversity goals back on track? COP17, […]Colombia: UN independent experts call for Ecopetrol to provide reparations to victims of armed conflict
October 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. UN independent experts welcomed on Wednesday a recent landmark corporate accountability ruling involving the Ecopetrol oil company by Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace, calling for reparations for victims. The Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) ruling related to the Macro-Case 08, which recognises the responsibility of several State […]Haiti sanctions renewed: Starving the gangs of bullets
October 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Haiti is living through one of the world’s most acute security crises. Armed gangs control large parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and are pushing into rural areas, terrorising communities, killing people, committing rape and other sexual assaults, kidnapping for ransom and extorting individuals and businesses. About […]WHO urges vigilance after Kenya confirms second Ebola case
October 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to support Kenya’s efforts to contain Ebola after a second person tested positive for the Bundibugyo virus, the UN agency’s representative in the country said on Thursday. The patient, a 39-year-old man, is a relative of Kenya’s first case – […]Afghanistan faces record hunger levels amid rampant rights violations
October 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment
This article is published in association with United Nations. Acute malnutrition and hunger in Afghanistan have reached the highest levels ever recorded, with 15.9 million people facing acute food insecurity and conditions set to worsen in the coming months, according to a global hunger monitor report released on Thursday. UN agency heads are calling for […]
