News headlines in January 2026

NEW YORK, January 12 (IPS) - We’re living in an age where the world is loudly proclaiming the death of empire, yet reproducing its structures. This is not nostalgia for colonial postcards — it’s a reinvention of foreign policy, international governance and global economic power that resembles colonial logic far more than it does meaningful cooperation.

BORDEAUX, France, January 12 (IPS) - Before military aid is appropriated, troops deployed, or bombs dropped, the United States lays the groundwork for its political violence by first stripping adversaries of their humanity. Diplomacy is sidelined, legal restraints are treated as inconveniences, and profit is valued over human life. This machinery of dehumanization, imposed around the world for decades and honed in Gaza the past three years, has now returned home, turned inward against Americans by the elected officials and systems meant to protect them.

CHENNAI, India, January 12 (IPS) - Despite early warnings reportedly reaching communities before the cyclones (Ditwah and Senyar) struck coastal regions in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia late in November 2025, over 1,500 people lost their lives and hundreds went missing even as millions were impacted by these disasters, which caused massive destruction. Scientists say that these disasters reflect a changing climate system, which is making cyclones more hazardous than what we considered “typical” in the past.

Top finance experts are meeting at UN Geneva this week to push for a radical shake up in the way economic growth is gauged, in response to concerns that GDP measurements provide little insight about progress on key sustainability targets that are vital to our survival.

The UN Secretary-General is shocked by reports of violence and excessive use of force by Iranian authorities against protesters across the country, urging restraint and the immediate restoration of communications as unrest enters its third week.

They ask heartbreaking questions: “What will happen to us?” “Is it true they will deport us?” “We don’t want to go back. How can I live in Afghanistan?” The words of Sumaiya, who staffs a helpline for refugees and asylum-seekers living in Pakistan but facing the eventuality of having to return to neighbouring Afghanistan.

When her family moved from Somalia to London in the 1980s, Safia Jama watched women in her community help her mother navigate a new life in the UK — booking doctor’s appointments, enrolling children in school, and learning how to access everyday services in a new country.

Sudan’s protracted conflict has spiralled into one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with hunger, displacement and the collapse of basic services exacting a daily toll on civilians.

The UN-mandated independent human rights fact-finding mission on Iran has urged authorities to immediately restore internet access and halt the violent crackdown of the ongoing, nationwide protest.

When it comes to protecting women and girls from gender-based violence, change happens when they are “at the heart of every decision,” according to Erin Kenny, Global Coordinator of the Spotlight Initiative a United Nations–European Union partnership aimed at tackling all forms of abuse against women and girls.