UN News Today 01 July 2026 |

Venezuela earthquake: Needs skyrocketing, say aid agencies

In Venezuela, a rescue operation in La Guaira has succeeded in getting a toddler out alive from under the rubble, six days since the double-earthquake disaster.

The miraculous story of the three-year-old’s rescue in the worst-hit northern region came as tens of thousands of people remained without adequate shelter, after the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes struck on 24 June.

“As the death toll rises, needs are skyrocketing,” the UN refugee agency has said. According to the authorities, nearly 2,000 deaths have been confirmed and more than 6,400 people have been rescued so far. 

In response to the emergency, an initial 47-tonne shipment of humanitarian aid from the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, arrived in Venezuela on Tuesday.

Those supplies are in addition to a regional shipment from Panama. Combined, they will support more than 100,000 children and their families over three months.

Here’s the agency’s Gabriel Vockel, speaking in La Guaira: 

“UNICEF is on the ground and working around the clock to reach as many children and families as possible. The first flights with water, medicine and many other supplies have reached the country, and we are grateful for the solidarity and we ask for donations to UNICEF because with more funds, we can save more lives, reach more children, and reach as many families as possible.”

The agency reported that families across affected states urgently need safe water and access to healthcare. Many are sleeping outside, afraid of more aftershocks. 

Sudan alert as paramilitary forces approach key Kordofan town El Obeid

To Sudan, where around half a million civilians continue to be at grave risk of large-scale atrocities near the town of El Obeid, amid drone attacks by advancing rebel fighters.

In response to the significant build-up of Rapid Support Forces militia and allied troops in the North Kordofan capital, UN Member States warn that an increasing number of deadly airstrikes have destroyed basic services, causing severe fuel and water shortages.

“Siege-like conditions” have also left thousands trapped in El Obeid town cut off from basic services, according to the Human Rights Council.

The UN forum’s 47 members are set to discuss an international response to the emergency on Friday, following a request from Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK.

It comes after the UN human rights chief echoed warnings of imminent serious international crimes in El Obeid, similar to atrocities committed in El Fasher last October and Zamzam displacement camp, which Rapid Support Forces militia shelled repeatedly and then stormed last April.

Sudan has been engulfed in war since 2023, when fighting erupted between the formerly allied Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. 

The war has displaced more than 13 million people internally and driven millions more to the brink of famine, with humanitarian access severely constrained across much of the country.

AI: World must act now before regulation window closes, say tech experts

Dozens of leading tech experts backed by the UN issued an urgent warning on Wednesday that AI is moving faster than governments can keep up.

A few years ago, Artificial Intelligence platforms could answer questions or generate text; today, they can write computer code, analyse vast amounts of data, create realistic images and videos; all with little human oversight.

In sharp contrast to this rapid development, the experts say that the rules that ensure AI is used safely need to change, as current safeguards are struggling to keep pace.

In their first report, the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, writes that the window to establish effective global governance remains open, but may not stay that way for long.

More than 40 AI governance frameworks and ethical guidelines exist worldwide, but they remain fragmented and inconsistent.

The UN’s role – guided by the independent Scientific Panel and others – is to create a fairer system and to help ensure that artificial intelligence serves humanity and upholds human dignity.

The panel’s work will help shape decision-making at the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance which begins next Monday in Geneva, where Member States will discuss international approaches to managing the technology.

Daniel Johnson, UN News