News headlines
Colombia: Fleeing the thunder of violence in Catatumbo
- UN News

Around 80,000 people in northeastern Colombia are suffering the devastating consequences of an armed conflict that escalated on 15 January of this year. Caught in the crossfire between armed groups, thousands have been forced to flee with nothing but the clothes on their backs while others remain trapped in their homes.
Security Council urges Rwanda to stop supporting M23 in eastern DR Congo
- UN News

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Friday that strongly condemned the ongoing offensive and advance of M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Nearly 148,000 in Gaza receive cash aid
- UN News

Aid operations in the Gaza Strip continue to reach people from north to south with critical assistance, including cash, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Friday.
DR Congo crisis: Occupation blocks UN mission from protecting civilians
- UN News

The continued occupation of North Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by the M23 armed group has “severely constrained” the UN stabilisation force’s ability to protect civilians and carry out lifesaving operations, the mission chief Bintou Keita told reporters on Friday.
Urgent appeal launched as DR Congo crisis fuels mass displacement to Burundi
- UN News

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has launched a $40.4 million appeal to address the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and its impact on neighbouring countries, particularly Burundi, where thousands are arriving daily in desperate conditions.
Full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has sown ‘psychological terror’, warns top aid coordinator
- UN News

In the nearly three years since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the country’s people have endured continuous attacks, “psychological terror…displacement and hardship”, top UN aid coordinator Matthias Schmale said on Friday.
Blamed for Causing Droughts: Zimbabwe’s LGBTQI Community Faces Climate Crisis Head-on
- Inter Press Service

MUTARE, Zimbabwe, Feb 20 (IPS) - Wrongfully accused of
causing droughts,
a group of LGBTQI people in Zimbabwe involved themselves in climate-smart agriculture and are now showing the way to mitigate climate change in a country recently devastated by El Niño-induced drought.Takudzwa Saruwaka is hoeing weeds in a cowpea field in eastern Zimbabwe one morning in February, trying to beat torrential rains threatening from the gray clouds above.Science Under Threat: How Researchers Can Fight Back
- Inter Press Service

URBANA, Illinois, US, Feb 20 (IPS) - Scientists like me across the U.S. are distressed following the many policy changes, funding elimination, and firings that have happened since President Trump took office. More than ever, scientists must unite in solidarity and share the negative impact these extreme measures will have on science, U.S. science funding agencies and people’s lives. Speaking up can take many forms, from posting your thoughts on social media to writing opinion pieces or op-eds.
Social Media in the Global South Needs More Protections
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 20 (IPS) - In the western world, numerous studies over the past two decades have shown that the rise of social media in popularity has been linked to negative mental health symptoms, especially among young people. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and TikTok have been criticized for fostering competitive and toxic environments, which contribute to higher rates of anxiety, cyber-bullying, depression, disordered eating, and low self-esteem. While the use of social media in the Global South has skyrocketed in the late 2010s, the ramifications on people in those regions has received much less coverage in mainstream media.
The Arab States Must Stop Trump – and Netanyahu – in Their Tracks
- Inter Press Service

NEW YORK, Feb 20 (IPS) - When the Arab states convene an emergency session in Egypt to address Trump’s/Netanyahu’s plans to take over Gaza and exile the Palestinians, they must warn Trump that acting on this plan will usher in a catastrophic conflagration that could engulf the entire Middle East.
Global Issues