The UN Security Council meets Friday morning in New York to discuss the evolving situation in Syria, as the country navigates a fragile transition after years of conflict and the fall of the Assad regime. Deputy Special Envoy Claudio Cordone and UN relief chief Tom Fletcher are expected to brief members on political and humanitarian developments. Follow our live coverage for updates from the chamber as they happen.

15 May 2026

At least six million people in Somalia are going days without enough food, UN aid teams warned on Friday, highlighting that nearly two million of this number are young children “at high risk of illness or death”.

15 May 2026

Civilians across Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon continue to face mounting hardship as conflict, displacement and ongoing military operations deepen humanitarian needs and strain already limited aid efforts, according to the latest updates from UN agencies.

15 May 2026

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People meets Friday at the UN Headquarters to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Nakba. Senior UN officials, including General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock and Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari, are expected to address the meeting. The event will also feature testimonies from Palestinian families and a tribute to historian of Palestine and the Nakba, Walid Khalidi. Follow our live updates from the meeting as it happens.

15 May 2026

Brightly coloured nicotine pouches promoted through social media influencers, music festivals and youth-oriented advertising are driving a rapid rise in nicotine use among young people worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday.

15 May 2026

Afghanistan’s deepening malnutrition crisis is pushing mothers and children to the brink, the UN World Food Programme has warned, as mass returns from neighbouring countries and severe funding shortfalls overwhelm already strained humanitarian operations.

15 May 2026

Hospitals across Cuba are suspending surgeries, struggling to keep lifesaving equipment running and facing severe medicine shortages as blackouts and fuel shortages push the country’s healthcare system deeper into crisis, senior UN officials warned on Friday.

15 May 2026

The Secretary-General is alarmed that a clearly marked United Nations vehicle was struck twice in Kherson city in Ukraine on 14 May, his spokesperson said in a statement.

15 May 2026

Disruptions to global energy supplies and trade corridors are driving up the cost of food, transport and essential goods worldwide, slowing economic growth and increasing pressure on vulnerable households and debt-strapped developing countries.

15 May 2026

Eighty years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, artist Sandy Walker believes art still has the power to cut through abstraction and confront people with the human reality of nuclear violence. Inspired by the writings of Hiroshima survivor Tamiki Hara, Walker’s work seeks to transform historical catastrophe into intimate acts of memory, grief and attention. 

14 May 2026