News headlines in February 2026

The UN Secretary-General has strongly condemned the surge in violence across South Sudan, warning that civilians and aid workers are paying a devastating price as humanitarian operations are increasingly targeted.

While new digital technologies are transforming how the Holocaust is remembered and taught, experts warn that sustainability, ethics and collaboration are now as important as creativity to keep a global memory alive of Nazi Germany’s genocide that killed six million Jewish people and millions of others during the Second World War.

URBANA, Illinois, US, February 6 (IPS) - South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe are currently experiencing severe flooding. According to the World Health Organization, 1.3 million people have been affected. In addition, hundreds of people have died , infrastructure has been destroyed, access to health services has been disrupted, and the risks of water- and mosquito-borne diseases are rising.

UNITED NATIONS, February 6 (IPS) - On February 3, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its 2026 global appeal to help millions of people living in protracted conflicts and humanitarian crises access lifesaving healthcare. Following a trend of sharply declining international funding, the agency warns that it is becoming increasingly difficult to respond to emerging health threats, including pandemics and drug-resistant infections.

GENEVA, February 6 (IPS) - The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has launched a USD 400 million funding appeal for 2026 to address global human rights needs, warning that with mounting crises, the world cannot afford a human rights system in crisis.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, February 6 (IPS) - In early January, an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Venezuela followed a familiar path of paralysis. Members clashed over the US government’s abduction of Nicolás Maduro, with many warning it set a dangerous precedent, but no resolution came.

UNITED NATIONS, February 6 (IPS) - The current UN financial crisis, described as the worst in the 80-year-old history of the world body, triggers the question: is the US using its financial clout defaulting in its arrears and its assessed contributions to precipitate the collapse of the UN?

The small Pacific Ocean island of Palau is helping communities build resilience against the dangers of climate change-driven extreme weather with the establishment of a network of emergency refuges – thanks to support from the United Nations.

The UN Secretary-General on Friday strongly condemned an attack on worshippers at a mosque in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, after an explosion during prayers reportedly killed dozens and injured many more.

The global system governing nuclear disarmament is facing its most serious crisis in decades, driven by growing mistrust among major powers and the steady erosion of arms control agreements, a senior disarmament expert has warned.