Humanitarian Crisis

October 28, 2026 11:26 AM

US-brokered truce appears to hold in Ukrainian town close to starvation

A ceasefire appeared to be holding on Tuesday around the Ukrainian town of Oleshky after more than four years of Russian occupation that have left trapped residents desperate for food, water and medicine. The local truce, brokered by US first lady Melania Trump with the involvement of Pope Leo, is intended to allow aid into Oleshky and enable those who want to leave to do so. Some residents say they have survived on a cup of rice or buckwheat a day, sometimes with a tomato, cucumber or wild pla...

October 13, 2026 10:55 AM

UN refugee agency’s funding shortfall is impacting refugees worldwide, its chief says

Deep funding shortfalls are forcing the UN refugee agency to make painful cuts across its humanitarian operations worldwide, and there are limits to how much restructuring can offset shrinking donor support, its chief said on Monday. UNHCR has secured only $3 billion, or 35% of the $8.5 billion in funding it requires for 2026, High Commissioner Barham Salih told the agency's executive committee at a meeting in Geneva. The shortfall follows aid cuts by countries including the United States unde...

September 5, 2025 11:16 AM

Two powerful aftershocks rattle eastern Afghanistan, fears of more deaths and destruction

Two powerful aftershocks shook eastern Afghanistan in a span of 12 hours, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said, triggering fears of more deaths and destruction on Friday in a region where about 2,200 people died in quakes in four days. Survivors in the earthquake-prone region are scrambling for basic amenities as the United Nations and other agencies warn of a critical need for funds, food, medical supplies and shelter, with the World Health Organization seeking funds of $4 mil...