UN Secretary-General António Guterres voiced deep concern on Wednesday over the continuing military escalation in the Middle East amid ongoing strikes by the United States and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz. 

On Wednesday, the Security Council heard an update on the International Criminal Court’s work in Sudan’s Darfur region, referred to the Court back in 2005. Focus has recently turned to atrocities in the ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The briefing was held as the ICC faces

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued updated global guidelines aimed at reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, saying that up to 45 per cent of cases may be preventable or delayed by addressing modifiable risk factors throughout life.

As Colombia awaits the inauguration of its newly elected president, pockets of insecurity remain a challenge for a nation that has overcome decades of conflict, the head of the UN verification team there told the Security Council on Wednesday.

On 14 July 2026, South Africa notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards regarding the initiation on 10 July 2026 of a safeguard investigation on certain cold-rolled products of iron and steel imported into the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).

Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala called on WTO members to make simultaneous progress on reforming the organization as well as on outstanding negotiating topics, urging delegations to “collectively advance the two sides of the same coin”. She made her remarks at a 14-15 July General Council meeting where she reviewed work undertaken since the WTO’s 14th Ministerial

Humanitarians in the Gaza Strip continue to face significant challenges in reaching communities located near the so-called “Yellow Line” in northern Rafah, the UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Tuesday. 

Jihadist groups are no longer content with launching attacks in West Africa and the Sahel: they administer territories, control trade routes, exploit new technologies and are gradually pushing their influence all the way to the Gulf of Guinea. 

A UN independent human rights expert has urged political leaders in the United Kingdom to support implementation of a Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of sex, warning that opposition to updated equality guidance risks weakening protections for women and girls.

Civilian casualties in Ukraine soared during the first half of 2026 amid escalating Russian attacks and intensifying use of deadly weapons, the UN human rights monitoring mission in the country, HRMMU, said on Tuesday.