Hormuz disruptions drive up aid costs amid U.N. funding squeeze
Shipping delays, rising transport prices and deep budget cuts force humanitarian agencies into difficult choices worldwide.
Pakistan
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Nuclear treaty review opens amid war, testing threats, failed consensus
After repeated failures, nations will try again to agree on disarmament, nonproliferation and peaceful nuclear energy.
Europe drives surge in global arms transfers as U.S. dominance expands
New data show Ukraine as world’s largest arms importer while Russian exports collapse and NATO members rearm.
Chilean diplomat Julio Cordano wins chair of U.N. plastics treaty talks
Procedural vote resets leadership of stalled negotiations as global pressure builds for more substantive progress.
Despite some gains, 17.4 million Afghans near a hungry lean season
The looming food security crisis in Afghanistan is pushed to a breaking point by a severe shortfall in global funding.
Syrian repatriation wave falters as global aid dries up, U.N. warns
Families must endure droughts, water shortages and a scarcity of electricity, compounded by a surge in living expenses.
U.N. chief's selection enters public phase as calls for transparency rise
Since 1946, a woman has never been chosen for the top job, and four of the nine U.N. chiefs have been Europeans.
Trump orders new testing of nuclear weapons, sparking arms race fears
The directive, using the stronger language of an 'instruction' rather than a threat, undermines decades of arms control.
UNHCR faces liquidity crisis as U.S. policy, $6.1 billion gap strain budget
The U.N. refugee agency expects $3.9 billion in 2025 funding, contrasting sharply with its $10 billion 2024 approved budget.
U.N. warns of highest nuclear threat in decades, cites strained treaties
To counter these threats, the U.N. formed an independent scientific panel to report on the effects of a nuclear war.
Tariffs, Gaza, 'America First': Brazil and U.S. presidents set tone at U.N.
Lula criticized 'unilateral attacks' on Brazil's institutions. Trump said the United Nations is not living up to its potential.
U.N. rights chief condemns Israel over Gaza, cites evidence for case
He also warned against a 'glorification of violence' as some nations become an 'extension of their ruler's personal power.'
Pakistan grapples with dual flood crisis from rain and glacial melt
A new low-pressure system in India is expected to bring more rain, and the high temperatures also are causing glacial melt.
China and India mend ties at SCO summit as Trump's tariffs sting
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization's initial security focus has broadened to include economic and trade cooperation.
U.N. launches new nuclear war impact study, first since 1988
A prevous study on climatic and global effects of nuclear war raised awareness of the concept of "nuclear winter."
Nuclear weapons spending globally surpassed $100 billion last year
Nuclear-armed nations possess about 12,400 nuclear warheads, but nearly 90% belong to Russia and the U.S.