Carlyle Clinches $22 Billion Landmark Deal for Lukoil Assets

The Carlyle Group has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the majority of Lukoil’s international portfolio in a transaction valued at $22 billion. The deal represents one of the largest private equity carve-outs in the energy sector this year, signaling a major shift in the ownership of global fossil fuel infrastructure. The acquisition encompasses a […]

Continue Reading

DR Congo: Displaced people in South Kivu close to ‘utter desperation’, WFP says

That’s according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), which announced on Tuesday that it is scaling up to deliver aid to more than 210,000 people displaced by the violence after a new offensive by armed group M23 reignited hostilities earlier this month.  “This hunger crisis risks spiraling without urgent action,” said Cynthia Jones, WFP Country Director for the DRC.   She added that even […]

Continue Reading

Limited access restored to Syria’s Al Hol camp amid security concerns

Briefing reporters in New York, Farhan Haq said the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, was able to access the camp on Friday together with Syrian Government officials and establish contact with some residents. Essential supplies have also resumed. Al Hol is one of the region’s largest displacement sites, housing tens of thousands of people, mostly women […]

Continue Reading

Historic vote looms in Central African Republic as UN urges peaceful participation

Ahead of the 28 December polls, Secretary-General António Guterres called on all Central Africans to participate peacefully in the vote and urged authorities to ensure that the elections are conducted in a “peaceful, orderly, inclusive and credible manner,” according to a statement issued on Wednesday by his spokesperson. He also appealed to all political actors […]

Continue Reading

South Sudan: ‘All the conditions for a human catastrophe are present’

Briefing journalists based at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, Anita Kiki Gbeho, Officer in Charge of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said Jonglei has become a ‘flashpoint’ for fighting, with civilians caught in the crossfire. With over 200,000 people displaced by the conflict this month, the senior official – who also […]

Continue Reading

UN renews ceasefire push in Sudan

The appeal follows a peace initiative presented by Sudan’s Transitional Prime Minister during a Security Council meeting earlier this week. UN Secretary-General António Guterres “takes note of the peace initiative”, his spokesperson said on Friday, stressing that “the pursuit of lasting and inclusive peace is essential as the conflict enters a new year.” He called […]

Continue Reading

UN watchdog warns Ukraine war remains world’s biggest threat to nuclear safety

Addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors, Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency remains focused on preventing a nuclear accident as fighting continues to endanger critical infrastructure. “The conflict in Ukraine is about to enter its fifth year,” Mr. Grossi said. “It continues to pose the world’s biggest threat to nuclear […]

Continue Reading

Sexual violence against children ‘entrenched, systemic and widespread’ across DR Congo, UNICEF warns

The surge is unfolding against the backdrop of escalating conflict in eastern DRC, where renewed fighting has triggered mass displacement, eroded protection systems and deepened an already severe humanitarian crisis – placing children at heightened risk of abuse, exploitation and lasting trauma. UNICEF has repeatedly called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and unhindered humanitarian […]

Continue Reading

Keeping people warm amid hostilities and harsh winter weather in Ukraine

Russian forces continue to attack Ukraine’s energy grid, leaving families without electricity and heating as temperatures plummet to -20° Celsius.  Since 2022, the Government has established so-called “Invincibility Points” – located in tents or public buildings such as schools and libraries – where people can go to escape the cold, charge electronic devices and receive basic support.   Additional initiatives have also been launched, including mobile heating points operated by the State Emergency Services and Ukraine Red Cross Society. Humanitarian partners have supported these […]

Continue Reading

Reaching a child in Darfur is ‘hard-won and fragile’, says UNICEF

Briefing journalists in Geneva on Friday, Eva Hinds, the UN child agency’s Chief of Communications, described a humanitarian response that is fragile, painstaking and essential, following her return from a 10-day mission to Darfur. For nearly three years, rival militaries who were former allies have been battling for control of the shattered country, engaged in […]

Continue Reading