United Nations

Cuba's power grid collapses repeatedly as US oil blockade cuts fuel supply

Condemning the blockade and warning of humanitarian collapse

Cuba's national power grid collapsed for the fourth time in March on March 21, leaving more than 10 million people without electricity. The failure at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camagüey province triggered a cascading collapse across the entire system, which was restored by March 23.

Updated May 30

End of nuclear arms control era

Rule Changes

Urging negotiations for successor framework

For fifty-three years, binding agreements constrained the world's two largest nuclear arsenals. That era ended on February 5, 2026, when the New START treaty expired at midnight without a successor. The United States and Russia now face no legal limits on their roughly 10,700 nuclear warheads, after President Trump rejected a Russian extension offer and directed work on a new pact including China.

Updated May 27

Angus Deaton: How Billions Were Lifted from Poverty

Built World

Sets global development goals including SDG 1 (No Poverty)

In 1820, more than 80% of the world's population lived in extreme poverty. By 2019, that figure had fallen to 8.9% at the then-$2.15/day line, a decline of roughly 0.35 percentage points per year sustained over two centuries.

Updated May 22

Trump's board of peace: a $1 billion seat at a new world order

Rule Changes

Potential competitor to Board of Peace for conflict resolution

The United Nations has been the primary venue for international conflict resolution since 1945. On January 22, 2026, President Trump launched an alternative: the Board of Peace, a body he chairs for life where permanent membership costs $1 billion and he holds sole veto power.

Updated May 22

Global humanitarian funding collapses as UN slashes 2026 appeal

Money Moves

Facing structural financial strain and arrears while coordinating global humanitarian response

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cut its 2026 humanitarian appeal to roughly $33 billion in December 2025, down from the $47 billion requested for 2025. Governments had provided only about $15 billion in 2025 — the lowest level of support in a decade. Three weeks later, the United States pledged $2 billion to OCHA-managed funds, providing roughly two-thirds of the funding needed to reach 87 million people in the most catastrophic need.

Updated May 10