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Global perspective Human stories

Under fire, Kharkiv is already building for a peaceful tomorrow

Every day in Kharkiv begins with uncertainty: air raid sirens interrupt sleep; missiles strike residential neighbourhoods, industrial sites, and roads. Anxious citizens rush into metro stations during bombardments and children study underground.

31 May 2026

Borrowed boots, borrowed joy: Football thrives in Gaza camps

Matches organised by a former professional player are providing a brief respite from the harsh reality of life for the thousands living in overcrowded tents, schools or damaged buildings in the shattered Occupied Palestinian Territory of Gaza.

30 May 2026

‘You are not alone’: WHO chief vows to stand with DR Congo through Ebola outbreak

Community trust will be decisive in bringing the rapidly evolving Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo under control, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday, as health teams race to contain the emergency that has spread across multiple provinces and into neighbouring Uganda.

30 May 2026

UN honours blue helmets and calls for renewed investment in peace

Peacekeepers are serving in a dangerous era of mounting global tensions and tight resources. UN chief António Guterres is now calling for greater political backing and reliable financial support for ‘blue helmets’ who put themselves in harm’s way.

29 May 2026

‘A disease you get when you care for someone’: WHO on the Ebola frontline

Two weeks into the latest deadly Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there are now 906 suspected cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including 223 suspected deaths.

29 May 2026

Conflict-related sexual violence cases more than doubled in 2025, UN warns

Nearly 10,000 cases of conflict-related sexual violence were recorded worldwide last year – more than double the previous year's figure – as rape, sexual slavery and abduction were deployed as weapons of war across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Caribbean.

29 May 2026

Gaza children trapped ‘in an endless cycle of suffering’: UNICEF

The dire conditions in the Gaza Strip are trapping children “in an endless cycle of suffering” and their heartbroken parents can only look on, an official with the UN child rights agency UNICEF said on Friday in a fresh appeal for greater humanitarian access to support families in the war-ravaged enclave. 

29 May 2026

Banning children from social media is not enough, UN warns – platforms must be made safe by design

Blocking children from social media is no substitute for making platforms safe in the first place, the UN human rights office warned Friday, as it issued a 10-point framework urging governments and tech companies to go further and faster to protect children online.

29 May 2026

World News in Brief: Drone strike in Romania condemned, Lebanon and South Sudan updates

The UN Secretary-General has expressed alarm after a drone struck a residential building in the Romanian city of Galați overnight into Friday, reportedly injuring two people.

29 May 2026

Gaza: 26 killed over Eid holiday, UN rights investigators report

At least 26 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip since Tuesday – the eve of one of the most important holidays in Islam – the UN human rights office, OHCHR, reported on Friday.

29 May 2026