News headlines
US-Iran war leaves shipping at near-standstill in Hormuz again
- UN News

Renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran reportedly brought shipping to a near-standstill in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, leaving around 6,000 seafarers stranded aboard hundreds of vessels and Gulf countries on high alert for further attacks.
Security Council LIVE: ‘Urgent de-escalation’ needed now amid spike in civilian deaths
- UN News

The Security Council must use every tool and diplomatic channel to reach an urgent de-escalation, Rosemary DiCarlo, chief of UN political and peacebuilding affairs, told an emergency meeting on Thursday amid escalating deadly Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian civilians. Stay tuned for live updates.
Roma Need Special Consideration After Ukraine War is Over
- Inter Press Service

BRATISLAVA, July 8 (IPS) - Governments, donors, NGOs, development banks and businesses recently gathered in Gdansk, Poland, to discuss reconstruction in Ukraine even as Russia’s full-scale invasion continues.
We Owe Future Generations a Path Out of the Global Debt Crisis
- Inter Press Service

WASHINGTON DC / NEW YORK, July 8 (IPS) - Almost half of the world’s population now lives in countries that spend more money paying interest on their debts than on education or health. New data shows the cost of borrowing for African countries in particular rose 91% since 2020. Rising debt payments have reduced governments’ capacity to invest in children and build their human capital.
Restoring dignity: Senegalese surgeon and Burundian foundation win reproductive health awards
- UN News

A Senegalese surgeon who has dedicated his career to restoring the health and dignity of women living with obstetric fistula, and a Burundian foundation supporting vulnerable women and children, have been named the winners of the 2026 United Nations Population Award.
Srebrenica survivors warn of genocide denial while safeguarding memory of the dead
- UN News

Three survivors of a genocide which took place in Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 1995 have told UN News how they are keeping alive the memory of the more than 8,300 men and boys who were killed in the town while combating the rising current of denial about the massacre.
UN Syria inquiry presses for answers on missing detainees after wide-ranging visit
- UN News

UN investigators have urged Syria’s Government to trace thousands of missing detainees and hold perpetrators to account after a week-long visit that took in bomb attacks in Damascus, prison visits in the northeast and reports of vigilante violence in Homs.
‘Help is coming’: UN relief chief briefs on Venezuela quake recovery
- UN News

The widespread solidarity shown to Venezuela must now be transformed into real, practical support for recovery from the deadly double earthquakes last month, UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said on Wednesday.
US-Iran war: Renewed attacks in Strait of Hormuz prompts another global energy alert
- UN News

Renewed attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz unsettled energy markets on Wednesday and prompted calls from the UN maritime agency, IMO, for “maximum restraint and de-escalation”.
Sudan: ‘El Obeid must not become the next crime scene’ warn UN investigators
- UN News

Atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia against Sudanese civilians in El Fasher in October – including mass killings, abductions and gang rapes – bear the markers of genocide, independent UN human rights investigators reported on Wednesday.

