UN News

Heavy machinery clears rubble from a building destroyed by airstrikes in Beirut, Lebanon. Workers in safety gear are present at the site of the recent destruction.

MIDDLE EAST LIVE 17 April: Israel-Lebanon ceasefire begins; Iran announces opening of Strait of Hormuz

A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect at midnight in Beirut, offering a pause in hostilities after weeks of fighting. The UN Secretary-General has welcomed the agreement and urged all parties to respect it, expressing hope it could open the way for further negotiations. He also welcomed Iran’s announcement that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open to commercial vessels for the remainder of the ceasefire, calling it a step in the right direction. Stay with us for live updates. App users can follow coverage here.

Ancient stone ruins of the historical city of Tyre in Lebanon, featuring a prominent stone archway and sarcophagi under a clear blue sky, with modern buildings visible in the background.

UNESCO grants ‘enhanced protection’ to cultural heritage sites in the Middle East  

A patrol of UN peacekeepers passes through Abyei, a disputed border town between Sudan and South Sudan, where looted items are being collected after recent violence.

‘Slaughtered like goats’: Despair and abandonment in South Sudan

UN Secretary-General António Guterres speaking at a podium during a solemn sitting at the International Court of Justice to celebrate its 80th anniversary. Other dignitaries including King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, ICJ President Iwasawa Yuji, and UN officials are seated in the Great Hall of Justice.

As the ‘world court’ turns 80, Guterres says law must prevail over force

Headlines

Shockwaves of Middle East war reach Caribbean as food prices soar

Record number of Rohingya refugees died at sea in 2025: UNHCR

More than 38,000 women and girls killed in Gaza war, UN gender equality agency reports

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

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Featured

A group of smiling African children in a refugee camp in Uganda, holding up bars of soap, with a man distributing aid in the background.

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

Migrants and Refugees 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.

Professor Brian Cox, an English physicist and musician, smiling while giving a presentation on stage with a large screen behind him.

New era for space dawns as Artemis astronauts return

Doctors perform a cesarean section at El Obeid Maternity Hospital in Sudan. The hospital faces equipment shortages, with only 4 of 7 operating rooms functional and limited anesthesia capacity, leading to maternal deaths.

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

A UN peacekeeper in a blue helmet and an AFRILAN demining specialist crouch in a field watching a controlled mine explosion in the background.

Deminers race to keep up with military technology

A view of a polluted industrial waterfront at sunset, with large plumes of dark smoke billowing from factory smokestacks into the sky. Several large ships are docked in the foreground on the water.

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

Photo Stories

A young girl carries a pot of cooked food in Al-Mawasi, Gaza.

UN ramps up ceasefire support to hungry and war-weary Gazans

The UN is taking the opportunity of the ceasefire in Gaza to ramp up the delivery of aid to the beleaguered people of Gaza.

From podiums to patrols: Taking the pulse of the UN’s busiest week

Delegates gather on the plaza in front of the General Assembly building at UN Headquarters.

Ukraine: Keeping the lights on during the darkest times

People living in areas recently liberated by Ukrainian forces receive aid.

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Siobhán Mullally, Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children, addresses a UN General Assembly high-level meeting on "Appraisal of UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons".

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

Human Rights 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.

New food alert platform helps humanitarians combat hunger

Economic Development 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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