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Development finance gap risks reversing decades of progress

Global fragmentation, deepening geopolitical tensions and conflicts are putting decades of development progress at risk, the UN warned in a report published on Thursday - calling for stepping up investment to meet internationally agreed goals.…

Hundreds feared dead in Lebanon strikes

The United Nations has strongly condemned airstrikes by the Israeli military across Lebanon on Wednesday which have resulted in significant casualties and destruction.  The attacks came…

Over 1,000 humanitarians have been killed in three years, Security Council hears

At least 326 humanitarians were killed in the line of duty across 21 countries during 2025, bringing the total killed over three years to over 1,010. The International Red Cross warned the Security Council on Wednesday that “we are losing our humanity in war…

MIDDLE EAST LIVE 8 April: US-Iran ceasefire announced; strikes continue in Lebanon

After nearly 40 days of intense hostilities across the Middle East – marked by rising civilian casualties and widespread damage to critical infrastructure – a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran has been announced. While the UN Secretary-General has welcomed the move as a step…

Iran ceasefire raises hopes for reopening key Strait of Hormuz

The announcement of a shaky two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran will, it is hoped, lead to the opening of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which one fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes…

‘Entire families brutally erased’: Remembering the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

Thirty-two years ago, a genocidal campaign was unleashed against Rwanda’s Tutsi minority, resulting in more than one million deaths. On Tuesday, the UN is holding commemorations to ensure that the genocide is never forgotten and never repeated…

MIDDLE EAST LIVE 7 April: Humanitarian and economic pressures grow; Russia and China veto resolution on Strait of Hormuz

Hostilities continue across the Middle East, with ongoing strikes, rising civilian impacts and mounting pressure on critical infrastructure and humanitarian services. On the diplomatic track in New York, China and Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution put forward by Gulf States to ensure…

Security Council: Russia and China veto resolution on Strait of Hormuz

The UN Security Council has failed to adopt a resolution aiming to boost security in the Strait of Hormuz as the critical shipping corridor remains largely closed to global trade and the transport of humanitarian aid, with war continuing to rage across the region.…

From misdiagnosis to medical bias: Why women are living longer but not better

For 25 years, the world has made significant progress in advancing women’s right to health, particularly in sexual and reproductive care. Women are living longer than ever before – but they are not living better…

World News in Brief: Death on the Mediterranean, displacement in Afghanistan, ‘One Health’ summit

Over 180 people are feared dead or missing in the latest shipwrecks on the Mediterranean, according to the UN migration agency, IOM. It brings the total number of migrants and refugees killed this year…