Blackouts and shortages disrupt healthcare across Cuba

16/05/2026 0

Hospitals across Cuba are suspending surgeries, struggling to keep lifesaving equipment running and facing severe medicine shortages as blackouts and fuel shortages push the country’s healthcare system deeper into crisis, senior UN officials warned on Friday.

Security Council meets on Syria transition and humanitarian crisis

15/05/2026 0

The UN Security Council meets Friday morning in New York to discuss the evolving situation in Syria, as the country navigates a fragile transition after years of conflict and the fall of the Assad regime. Deputy Special Envoy Claudio Cordone and UN relief chief Tom Fletcher are expected to brief members on political and humanitarian developments. Follow our live coverage for updates from the chamber as they happen.

LIVE UPDATES: UN committee commemorates the 78th anniversary of the Nakba

15/05/2026 0

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People meets Friday at the UN Headquarters to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Nakba. Senior UN officials, including General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock and Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari, are expected to address the meeting. The event will also feature testimonies from Palestinian families and a tribute to historian of Palestine and the Nakba, Walid Khalidi. Follow our live updates from the meeting as it happens.

WHO sounds alarm over nicotine pouches targeting young people

15/05/2026 0

Brightly coloured nicotine pouches promoted through social media influencers, music festivals and youth-oriented advertising are driving a rapid rise in nicotine use among young people worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday.

HIV prevention and treatment services faltering, warns UNAIDS

15/05/2026 0

Decades of gains in the fight against AIDS are under growing threat as donor funding declines and community-based health services collapse in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries, the head of the joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS warned on Thursday.

UN welcomes $1.8 billion US boost for humanitarian operations

14/05/2026 0

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.

Yemen parties agree under UN mediation to release 1,600 detainees

14/05/2026 0

More than 1,600 conflict-related detainees in Yemen will be released under a UN-brokered agreement reached after months of negotiations in Jordan, marking the largest prisoner release deal since the country’s civil war began and offering a rare sign of progress in stalled peace efforts.