News

Tensions have escalated in the Strait of Hormuz amid renewed security incidents, including reported attacks on vessels and a US interception of an Iranian cargo ship. It’s unclear if more talks will take place in the coming day between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad. In Lebanon, a 10-day ceasefire with Israel continues to hold, with thousands returning to the south despite widespread destruction. A UN peacekeeper was also killed over the weekend – likely from Hezbollah fire.  Stay with us for live updates. App users can follow coverage here.

A UN peacekeeper has been killed and three others injured after a UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol came under fire in southern Lebanon, the mission said.

Globally, most people say they want two or more children, but many are having only one, or none at all. According to a senior UN economist, fears of a demographic timebomb are unwarranted.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised alarm over the killing of two contracted workers delivering clean water to families in the Gaza Strip.

The choice of the tenth UN Secretary-General,  who will take office in January 2027, could shape global diplomacy, the response to crises across the world and the direction of the multilateral system for the next decade.

5.8 million Haitians, or roughly 52 per cent of the population, are facing crisis levels of food insecurity, or worse. Of those, more than 1.8 million are dealing with emergency levels, which means they are exhausting their last assets and unable to meet even basic food needs.

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.

Across war-torn Sudan, women and girls “are telling a consistent story of continued experience of danger, and risks for gender-based violence” whether when fleeing to safety or arriving at displacement camps, a senior official with the UN reproductive and sexual health agency UNFPA said on Friday.

Since the Middle East war started on 28 February, several sites of major cultural significance have come under attack in Israel, Iran and Lebanon. Ensuring their protection is the task of the UN agency for education, science and culture, UNESCO. 

The world is at a “moment of crisis” and countries must reaffirm commitment to international law amid rising violations and geopolitical tensions, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at an event on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 

Senior UN officials painted a sorry picture of South Sudan on Friday at the Security Council, describing political turmoil, rising violence, hunger and disease, amid budget cuts that are limiting the ability of the UN peacekeeping mission to protect civilians.

Six weeks since war erupted in the Middle East, the shockwaves have spread to the Caribbean region, already pushed to the brink, amid fears of a looming El Niño-linked climate disaster.