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Global perspective Human stories

Deminers race to keep up with military technology

In conflict zones where new technologies are making landmines more dangerous, deminers must innovate at the same pace to avoid being left behind, a leading UN mines expert has told UN News. 

3 April 2026

‘We watched them die before our eyes’: Sudan health workers helpless amid medical shortages

As violence forces tens of thousands to flee Sudan’s South Kordofan state, doctors in a key maternity hospital are facing impossible choices – with too few supplies, too many patients, and lives slipping away.

3 April 2026

MIDDLE EAST LIVE 2 April: Civilian impact deepens as UN chief says ‘we must find a peaceful way out’ before region is engulfed by war

Deadly new strikes reported across the Middle East overnight and Thursday rattled energy markets and pushed crude oil prices up to $107 in early trading. Hopes dwindled of a quick end to the conflict as President Trump spoke of another "two to three weeks" of attacks, alongside "ongoing" discussions with Tehran. Civilians across the region continue to suffer misery and displacement. The UN chief told reporters at UN Headquarters the conflict ‘is already being felt everywhere,” and “the spiral of destruction must stop”. Follow live coverage from the Security Council here. App users can follow coverage here.

2 April 2026

Middle East crisis exposes global energy fault line as UN urges shift to renewables

The ongoing crisis in the Middle East is exposing a central vulnerability in the global economy: the dependence on fossil fuels flowing through regions affected by conflict, a situation which is strengthening the UN’s case for a faster transition to cheaper, more resilient renewable power.

2 April 2026

Guterres warns of ‘wider war’ as Middle East conflict enters second month

The Middle East crisis has lurched into its second month, prompting UN Secretary-General António Guterres to issue a stark warning on Thursday morning that the world is “on the edge of a wider war” with catastrophic global implications.

2 April 2026

World News in Brief: South Sudan rights, opioid guidelines update, DR Congo crisis continues

South Sudan is evolving into a catastrophic human rights and humanitarian crisis, UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent experts warned on Thursday.

2 April 2026

Middle East war: Energy crunch hits vulnerable nations

The war in the Middle East and the near halt to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has amplified the energy crunch facing developing nations in Africa and South Asia that rely heavily on imported liquid gas, food and fertilizers. 

1 April 2026

Middle East war: UN’s Türk decries ‘severe restrictions’ on free speech

From Iran to multiple nations in the Gulf and the wider Middle East, around 3,000 people have reportedly been arrested in the first month of the ongoing war across the region, sparking alarm over free speech restrictions and state repression.

1 April 2026

Breaking the Gaza aid bottleneck: 106-tonne delivery arrives via new sea route

The World Health Organization (WHO) has facilitated the delivery of some 106 metric tonnes of lifesaving nutrition supplies to the Gaza Strip – the first shipment via a mechanism to deliver aid by sea, in line with a UN Security Council resolution and amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. 

1 April 2026

World News in Brief: Lebanon peacekeeper deaths, Haiti mission support, drought and conflict in Somalia

Although the situation on the ground is challenging, investigations are underway into the killing of three UN peacekeepers over two consecutive days with an update expected “as soon as possible,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Wednesday. 

1 April 2026