Earth News

UN News Apr 16, 2026 • 12:00

New food alert platform helps humanitarians combat hunger

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) released its next-generation platform on Thursday known as HungerMap Live, a digital monitoring and intelligence site that integrates food security data with predictive modelling to help fight hunger in more than 50 countries.

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UN News Apr 16, 2026 • 12:00

The Epstein files: Rights experts demand accountability, call for probe into trafficking allegations

UN independent human rights experts called on Thursday for justice and accountability for young women and girls who were trafficked systematically as part of allegations contained in the so-called Epstein files.

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UN News Apr 16, 2026 • 12:00

Deadly Russian strikes on Ukrainians ‘simply trying to live their lives’ must stop, says senior UN official

The latest wave of Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians in Dnipro, Kyiv and Odesa, which killed and injured scores of civilians, was roundly condemned by Matthias Schmale, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country.

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UN News Apr 16, 2026 • 12:00

UN peacekeeping missions under strain as funding cuts and new threats grow

From election support in the Central African Republic to patrols in the disputed Abyei region, UN peacekeepers are operating in increasingly volatile environments – but shrinking resources and new threats, including drone warfare, are testing their ability to keep communities safe.

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UN News Apr 16, 2026 • 12:00

MIDDLE EAST LIVE 16 April: UN meets over China-Russia Hormuz crisis veto as humanitarian crisis continues in Lebanon

War in Lebanon continues amid the fragile US-Iran ceasefire amid hopes for direct talks between Israel and Beirut. Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly is debating the China-Russia Security Council veto on the crucial Strait of Hormuz crisis last month, with assembly president Annalena Baerbock saying debate must move “to action”, on stabilising the Middle East. Stay with us for live updates below and live Meetings Coverage on the veto meeting is here. App users can follow our live coverage here.

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UN News Apr 15, 2026 • 12:00

Strength in numbers: Developing countries band together as Iran war batters global economy

Developing countries are banking on having a stronger voice in debt negotiations, following the launch of a new country-led borrowing initiative on Wednesday on the margins of the annual IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings.

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UN News Apr 15, 2026 • 12:00

‘Sudan is an atrocities laboratory’, UN aid chief tells Berlin conference

Foreign ministers from across the world met in Berlin on Wednesday to show support for Sudan, where a fourth year of brutal warfare has begun as humanitarian needs deepen. 

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UN News Apr 15, 2026 • 12:00

Tobago’s teen archery champion takes aim at sustainability targets

Six-time Trinidad and Tobago archery champion, Anthurium Lewis, has told UN News how sport helped her overcome age barriers in environmental advocacy and how in the future it can contribute to reaching globally agreed poverty and sustainability goals.

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UN News Apr 15, 2026 • 12:00

Africa: Nearly 20 million measles deaths averted since 2000

Measles vaccinations have saved nearly 20 million lives in Africa since the year 2000 and more than 500 million children were protected through routine immunisation, but the continent remains offtrack in the fight against vaccine-preventable diseases. 

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UN News Apr 15, 2026 • 12:00

Youth shape the road to 2030, call for urgent action on sustainable development

As we confront increasingly complex and interconnected crises - from climate change to the AI revolution - the leadership and voices of young people have never been more vital, says the UN. 

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UN News Apr 15, 2026 • 12:00

SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Security fears rise in eastern DR Congo

The UN Security Council met Wednesday over the deteriorating security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and wider Great Lakes region. Despite mediation efforts in Doha and Washington, regional tensions between the DRC, Rwanda, and Burundi remain acute. Follow the full live updates below from our Meetings Coverage team, and app users can click here.

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UN News Apr 15, 2026 • 12:00

Middle East conflict chokes end of supply chain as lights go out in the Pacific

For Pacific Island countries, the Middle East crisis is not a distant geopolitical event. It is already showing up in higher fuel prices, electricity uncertainty and fears that communities sitting at the far end of global supply chains could be pushed into deeper economic insecurity.

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UN News Apr 15, 2026 • 12:00

MIDDLE EAST LIVE 15 April: Civilian dangers intensify as Israel expands Lebanon evacuation orders

Across the Middle East, tensions remain high with Israeli military operations continuing in Lebanon following direct talks between the two governments in Washington on Tuesday. More than 2,000 Lebanese have been reported killed since early March. Uncertainty also continues over the crucial Strait of Hormuz crisis. Stay with us for live updates on developments on the ground, humanitarian impacts and diplomatic efforts. App users can follow coverage here.

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UN News Apr 14, 2026 • 12:00

World failing Sudan as war enters a fourth year, UN relief chief warns

Sudan remains the world’ s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis, UN agencies and partners said on Tuesday, calling for an end to the war between rival militaries on the eve of the three-year mark. 

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UN News Apr 14, 2026 • 12:00

Yemenis are ‘hanging by a thread’ top aid official warns Security Council

Yemen must not be drawn into the escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Security Council heard on Tuesday, stressing the need for de-escalation, political progress and urgent humanitarian funding for beleaguered civilians battered by years of grinding war. 

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UN News Apr 14, 2026 • 12:00

‘Time for diplomacy over escalation’ in Middle East war: Guterres

As the war in the Middle East continues, the United Nations Secretary-General issued a passionate call for “serious negotiations” between the US and Iran to resume, warning that respect for international law “is being trampled” underfoot. 

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UN News Apr 14, 2026 • 12:00

Reparations ‘key to dismantling systemic racism’: UN rights chief

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has described reparatory justice for colonialism, enslavement and the trade in enslaved Africans as “key to dismantling systemic racism.”

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UN News Apr 14, 2026 • 12:00

Fleeing Sudan's war, refugees rebuild their lives in Uganda

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.

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UN News Apr 14, 2026 • 12:00

Why the ‘beautiful game’ is joining the fight for a better world

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. 

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UN News Apr 14, 2026 • 12:00

‘Now is the moment to invest’: Syria needs global backing, says UN expert

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.

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UN News Apr 14, 2026 • 12:00

MIDDLE EAST LIVE 14 April: UN chief says US-Iran ceasefire must continue, urges respect for international law

Respect for international law is being “trampled” the UN chief warned on Tuesday, urging further negotiations between the US and Iran over ending the war and extending the fragile ceasefire as needed. Saying “there is no military solution,” he called for international navigation rights to be restored in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, a regional humanitarian crisis continues. Stay with us for live updates. App users can follow coverage here.

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UN News Apr 13, 2026 • 12:00

Sudan: Top UN aid official warns of ‘abandoned crisis’ as war enters fourth year

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.

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UN News Apr 13, 2026 • 12:00

US-Iran war: Guterres calls for continued talks, end to ceasefire violations

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. 

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UN News Apr 13, 2026 • 12:00

‘Clock is ticking’: Hormuz disruption raises fears of global food crisis

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. 

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UN News Apr 13, 2026 • 12:00

European Union support for the UN ‘more vital than ever’, Security Council hears

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.”  

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UN News Apr 13, 2026 • 12:00

Tech gaps and budget cuts threaten global efforts to track and help the vulnerable

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

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UN News Apr 13, 2026 • 12:00

MIDDLE EAST LIVE 13 April: US-Iran talks falter; Strait of Hormuz uncertainty deepens

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.

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UN News Apr 12, 2026 • 12:00

From conflict to catwalk: Women ex-combatants weave reconciliation in Colombia

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.

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UN News Apr 11, 2026 • 12:00

Putting humans at the centre: UN AI panel begins work on global impact study

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. 

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UN News Apr 10, 2026 • 12:00

Haiti’s freefall demands urgent global action as millions face hunger and violence

Haiti is facing “one of the most severe and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crises in the Western Hemisphere,” a senior UN aid official warned on Friday, underscoring the need for continued global attention to alleviate suffering there. 

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