News headlines in February 2026

DELHI, February 5 (IPS) - Melanie Brown has been fishing salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska, for more than 30 years. An Indigenous fisherwoman and a coordinating committee member of the World Forum of Fisher Peoples, she speaks about the sea with deep care and lived knowledge.

KATHMANDU, Nepal, February 5 (IPS) - Will trade be enough to navigate the current waves of chaos and disorder that are underpinning the ongoing rifts among competing powerful and hegemon nations and the rest?

CIVICUS discusses the situation following the US intervention in Venezuela with Guillermo Miguelena Palacios, director of the Venezuelan Progressive Institute, a think tank that promotes spaces for dialogue and democratic leadership.

UNITED NATIONS, February 4 (IPS) - In recent weeks, Yemen’s humanitarian crisis has sharply worsened, as escalating food insecurity and brutal clashes between armed actors have prompted United Nations (UN) officials to warn that the country is approaching a critical breaking point. Intensified violence has increasingly obstructed lifesaving humanitarian operations, while deepening economic and political instability continues to erode access to essential services. As a result, millions of Yemenis now face the growing risk of being left without the support they need to survive, with children being the hardest-hit.

MYANMAR & THAILAND, February 4 (IPS) - Five years of conflict since the military seized power have reduced Myanmar to a failed state and taken a huge toll of lives lost and destroyed. But with all sides seeking total victory, there is no end in sight.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the expiration of the New START treaty represents a “grave moment” for international peace and security, as binding limits on US and Russian strategic nuclear weapons fall away amid heightened global tensions.

The UN on Wednesday announced the list of experts nominated to the General Assembly to serve on a new Independent International Scientific Panel tasked with assessing how AI is transforming lives worldwide.

As World Cancer Day is marked on Wednesday, thousands of patients in Gaza face worsening illness, untreated pain and closed crossings – despite the limited opening of the vital route through Rafah this week.

The terrorist group ISIL continues to adapt and demonstrate resilience despite sustained counter-terrorism efforts, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday.

South Sudan is buckling under a fresh wave of violence and displacement, after attacks and looting halted a major UN food convoy in restive Upper Nile state and clashes continue to spread in neighbouring Jonglei.