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The world of football met the world of diplomacy this week as Brazilian World Cup legend Zico touched down at UN Headquarters in New York. 

On the outskirts of the Ugandan town of Biale, tents are scattered along dirt roads that give way to open fields. The Kriandongo camp sits between a shattered past and a life tentatively being rebuilt. Here, the story does not end with fleeing war. Another phase begins, one where days are measured not in hours, but in the weight of loss and the effort to carry on.

As Israel and Lebanon prepare for talks in Washington, the UN Secretary-General has urged both sides to use all available diplomatic avenues to end hostilities. At the same time, blockading of the Strait of Hormuz continues to impact global trade and food security. Meanwhile, a regional humanitarian crisis continues. Stay with us for live updates. App users can follow the coverage here.

Syria has made “remarkable progress” on transitional justice within the past year, raising hopes for accountability and recovery after more than a decade of civil conflict.

The United States and Iran must continue talks aimed at ending their weeks-long war, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, underscoring that there is no military solution to the conflict. 

As Sudan’s war moves into a fourth year, civilians are still being killed, displaced and subjected to widespread sexual violence, the UN’s top humanitarian official in the country warned on Monday, calling for urgent action to stop the fighting and protect civilians.

A senior United Nations official on Monday hailed the European Union (EU) as “a major economic and diplomatic actor and a strong advocate of multilateralism.”  

The clock is ticking for global food systems as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz threaten to choke off the flow of fuel and crucial fertilizers needed for the next planting season – also raising the risk of higher food prices and a new wave of inflation. 

Digital tools are changing the way countries manage everything from tracking refugees to caring for the elderly. 

Weekend developments have raised fresh concerns worldwide after talks between the United States and Iran on Saturday ended without agreement, fuelling uncertainty and raising tensions once again. The planned US blockade targeting Iranian ports going into effect has added to fears of further escalation and global trade disruption. Meanwhile, the humanitarian toll mounts, with Lebanese authorities reporting that deaths from Israeli airstrikes has now surpassed 2,000. Stay with us for live updates on humanitarian impacts and diplomatic efforts. App users can follow coverage here.

Katerine Avella is a former combatant in Colombia’s decades-long civil war, a peace signatory and a community leader. After the guns fell silent, she created the fashion brand Ixora but, with violence returning to the region, Ms. Avella is now focusing on trying to keep the project afloat in the face of new challenges.

The UN’s Independent International Scientific Panel on AI – the first global body of its kind – is gearing up for its inaugural in-person summit.