Democratic Republic of the Congo
(UN News) As Ebola sweeps across the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), ensuring families meet their basic food needs is crucial to halt the spread of the deadly disease. That’s the message from the World Food Programme (WFP), which is calling for greater international support for the population, particularly hungry people in remote areas far from lifesaving Ebola treatment centres. “Ebola is a health crisis, there’s no question about that,” David Stevenson, WFP Country Director for the DRC, recently told UN News. “But at the same time, since Ebola is in eastern Congo and that area is so tragically affected by conflict, by food insecurity, by displacement, it needs to have a comprehensive approach.” – Ebola response in eastern DR Congo must include food aid, WFP says | UN News
Gaza
(UN News) In war-torn Gaza, a growing number of women-headed households face “impossible decisions” every day, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and still-scarce resources, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday. Key facts: nearly one in four Gaza households is headed by a woman; 246 Palestinian women and girls killed since October 2025 ceasefire; Women-headed households more likely to lack shelter, food and cash. According to new data from UN Women, nearly one in four households in Gaza is reportedly headed by a woman, an estimated 86,290 families. “This is double the pre-October 2023 rate and follows the widespread killings of Palestinians,” said Sofia Calltorp, Chief of Humanitarian Action at the agency. The update comes 11 months after a ceasefire agreement was reached between Hamas fighters and Israel. It has not halted ongoing exchanges of fire and the killing of 246 Palestinian women and girls by Israeli air bombardment and military ground operations in Gaza. “This is equivalent to six women and girls killed every week between October 2025 and 28 July 2026,” Ms. Calltorp said. – In Gaza, women-headed households face ‘impossible choices’ to survive | UN News
Global Shipping Industry
(UN News) The global shipping industry is facing a “genuinely unprecedented” convergence of maritime crises, with vessels and seafarers increasingly used as “leverage” in conflicts that have nothing to do with them. Four regions – the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the waters off Somalia, and the Black Sea – are now simultaneously active theatres of danger, on a scale the shipping industry has not seen before. Vessels and seafarers are being trapped and attacked in conflicts that have nothing to do with the ships themselves. Damien Chevalier the Director, of the Maritime Safety Division at the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) spoke to UN News about the scale of the threat and what’s being done to protect ships and crews. – Ships and seafarers increasingly caught in the crossfire of unrelated wars | UN News
Israel – Lebanon
(UN News) The Secretary-General has condemned mounting civilian casualties in southern Lebanon and called on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory, as fighting intensifies in and around Nabatieh. Key points: the Secretary-General has appealed for an immediate cessation of hostilities and called on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory; he has condemned mounting civilian casualties and “scenes of massive destruction” from intensifying Israeli operations in and around Nabatieh; OCHA says around 20,000 people fled Nabatieh District last week, with healthcare in the area under increasing pressure; UNIFIL recorded 528 Israeli projectiles fired between Thursday and Monday and 62 airspace violations on Sunday alone – among the highest daily totals since June. – UN chief demands Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon amid Nabatieh escalation | UN News
Syria
(UN News) A successful and lasting transition in Syria requires comprehensive accountability, inclusion and guarantees that violations will not be repeated, UN independent investigators told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday. Delivering their latest update, the members of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria commended the Government and people for significant achievements made since the fall of the Assad regime nearly two years ago, including establishing a legislative body and constitutional court. – Syria’s transition hinges on justice for all, UN Human Rights Council hears | UN News
Tech World, Cybersecurity, and Surveillance
(UN News) Use of data-intensive technologies – in particular artificial intelligence (AI) data centres – is growing faster than electricity infrastructure can handle, the UN’s economic commission for Europe has warned, raising concerns about the future reliability and resilience of energy systems worldwide. Datacentre consumption is expected to almost double by 2030 – from 485 Terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2025 to 950 TWh by 2030, equivalent to three per cent of global demand, according to the intergovernmental International Energy Agency (IEA). Investment in datacentre infrastructure worldwide, on the other hand, is forecast to roughly double only by 2050 – from around $800 billion per year in 2026 to $1.8 trillion per year in 2050. The Geneva-based commission (UNECE) warns that in many regions, datacentres and other energy-intensive facilities are being built much faster than the power grids needed to supply them. A large facility can often be built and connected within two to five years, but expanding transmission lines and other grid infrastructure can take more than 10 years because of lengthy planning, approval and construction processes. – AI datacentres pose growing threat to electricity systems worldwide | UN News
