World News in Brief: Children at risk in South Sudan, Balochistan attacks, summit backs boost for undersea cable security

World News in Brief: Children at risk in South Sudan, Balochistan attacks, summit backs boost for undersea cable security

Clashes in Jonglei state since the start of 2026 have displaced at least 250,000 people, mainly in the north and centre of the state, cutting families off from lifesaving care in areas already suffering some of the highest malnutrition rates in the country. Deadly risks “We are extremely concerned for women and children impacted by these […]

Ukraine: Civilians injured, miners killed, in separate Russian attacks

Ukraine: Civilians injured, miners killed, in separate Russian attacks

Matthias Schmale was “appalled” by the attacks in Dnipro, Kharkiv and Kyiv, noting that many more people in several regions – including Dnipro, Odesa and Vinnitsya – are facing power outages.  “Systematic attacks by the Russian Federation Armed Forces on critical infrastructure affect the daily lives of millions and cause life-threatening conditions for the most vulnerable, including older people and children,” he said in a […]

Building healthy bridges towards peace: WHO launches $1 billion appeal

Building healthy bridges towards peace: WHO launches $1 billion appeal

“This appeal is a call to stand with people living through conflict, displacement and disaster to give them not just services, but the confidence that the world has not turned its back on them,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. The 2026 appeal seeks to respond to 36 emergencies worldwide, including 14 “grade 3” crises […]

UN peacekeeping patrols suspended along Lebanon-Israel Blue Line

UN peacekeeping patrols suspended along Lebanon-Israel Blue Line

The incident took place north of the Blue Line on Sunday morning and led to the suspension of more than a dozen UN peacekeeping activities for over nine hours, according to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. Toxicology tests “The IDF said that peacekeepers should stay clear of the area,” Mr. Dujarric told reporters in New York. […]

Global health systems ‘at risk’ as funding cuts bite, warns WHO

Global health systems ‘at risk’ as funding cuts bite, warns WHO

This is occurring as the risk from pandemics, drug-resistant infections and fragile health services are on the rise, said the WHO Director-General. Addressing the WHO Executive Board in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the impact of workforce reductions last year due to “significant cuts to our funding,” which have had significant consequences. “Sudden and severe […]

From Cape Town to London, Deo Kato runs to challenge racism and reclaim the migration narrative

From Cape Town to London, Deo Kato runs to challenge racism and reclaim the migration narrative

The 8,262-mile journey took him through 21 countries, transforming an extraordinary physical feat into a powerful act of activism, aimed at confronting racism and reshaping how migration is understood. Born in Uganda and raised in the United Kingdom, Deo first took up running to manage his health. Over time, that personal discipline grew into a […]

Myanmar crisis deepens five years after coup, as military ballot entrenches repression

Myanmar crisis deepens five years after coup, as military ballot entrenches repression

The people of Myanmar continue to suffer amid “widespread violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” as the cycle of impunity persists, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement, on Friday, marking the anniversary. “The suffering of the people of Myanmar has deepened,” Farhan Haq, the UN Deputy […]

Can workers compete with machines and stay relevant in the AI era?

Can workers compete with machines and stay relevant in the AI era?

Whether you are a “doomer” or a “boomer” on the subject, it’s impossible to ignore AI, which is seeping into every corner of our personal and professional lives. The UN has been banging the drum for a “people-first” approach to the subject for years now. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council back in 2024 that the […]

UN chief ‘deeply concerned’ by escalation of violence in South Sudan

The tensions are concentrated in South Sudan’s Jonglei State, where many deaths and injuries have been reported in response to renewed fighting between opposition militia and army forces, leading to the displacement of 180,000 people.  According to news reports, the army launched a major offensive in Jonglei against opposition forces, ordering civilian evacuations on Sunday […]

Violence roiling Nigeria extends beyond religious lines, amid a deepening humanitarian crisis

The strikes thrust Nigeria’s long-running sectarian bloodshed into the global spotlight – and revived claims that a “Christian genocide” is unfolding in Africa’s most populous country. But in an interview, the UN’s top humanitarian official in the country has told UN News that the current crisis extends far beyond any single community or conflict. Violence, […]

South Sudan: ‘All the conditions for a human catastrophe are present’

Briefing journalists based at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, Anita Kiki Gbeho, Officer in Charge of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said Jonglei has become a ‘flashpoint’ for fighting, with civilians caught in the crossfire. With over 200,000 people displaced by the conflict this month, the senior official – who also […]

UN watchdog warns Ukraine war remains world’s biggest threat to nuclear safety

UN watchdog warns Ukraine war remains world’s biggest threat to nuclear safety

Addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors, Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency remains focused on preventing a nuclear accident as fighting continues to endanger critical infrastructure. “The conflict in Ukraine is about to enter its fifth year,” Mr. Grossi said. “It continues to pose the world’s biggest threat to nuclear […]

World News in Brief: Syria ceasefire welcomed, ‘Olympic truce’, Ukraine’s freezing children

“We welcome efforts to bring stability to the region and now hope for a complete end to hostilities and a sustainable resolution,” said Chair of the independent UN Human Rights Council-mandated investigative team, Paulo Pinheiro, stressing the need to address acute humanitarian needs, including food, water and electricity. Recognition of rights He also welcomed a […]

Reaching a child in Darfur is ‘hard-won and fragile’, says UNICEF

Briefing journalists in Geneva on Friday, Eva Hinds, the UN child agency’s Chief of Communications, described a humanitarian response that is fragile, painstaking and essential, following her return from a 10-day mission to Darfur. For nearly three years, rival militaries who were former allies have been battling for control of the shattered country, engaged in […]

Potential turning point for Gaza as peace plan enters second phase: UN envoy

Ramiz Alakbarov warned that risks of violence escalating again remain high, while the situation in the occupied West Bank continues to deteriorate. The Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process said he was addressing ambassadors “at a moment of both profound opportunity and considerable risk,” pointing to cautious diplomatic progress on Gaza alongside […]

World News in Brief: IOM warning for Sudan returnees, Nipah virus alert for India, food security in Afghanistan

They did so despite extensive damage to housing, basic services, vital infrastructure, and an uncertain future.  The highest number of returns were recorded in Khartoum State, where more than 1.3 million people have made the journey home, followed by nearby Aj Jazirah State, according to IOM’s latest data. Pockets of security IOM says the number […]

World News in Brief: UN Support Office in Haiti, Goodwill Ambassador Theo James in Syria, urgent appeal for millions in DR Congo

The office established through a resolution in September, will provide support to the new Gang Suppression Force and the UN political mission in the country (BINUH). The Spokesperson’s updates included that Stephen McOwan has been selected as interim director of the office and he joined some 37 staff members already up and running in Port-au-Prince over […]

‘We children saw things that no one should ever have to see’ Holocaust survivor tells the UN

Speaking in the General Assembly Hall alongside one of her great grandchildren, Mrs Lazan described her family’s journey from a ‘comfortable’ life in Hoya, northwest Germany, to a detention camp in the Netherlands – and in January 1944, internment in Bergen Belsen concentration camp. Mrs Lazan’s indomitable spirit in the face of the most inhumane […]