News headlines in 2026, page 19

UNITED NATIONS, January 8 (IPS) - As Sudan approaches 1,000 days of civil war, late December and early January saw a brutal escalation of violence, with drone strikes hitting areas at the center of the country’s deepening hunger crisis.

MOSCOW, January 8 (IPS) - Squeezed between import substitution and dependency syndrome, a condition characterized by a set of associated economic symptoms—that is rules and regulations—majority of African countries are shifting from United States and Europe to an incoherent alternative bilateral partnerships with Russia, China and the Global South.

KARACHI, Pakistan, January 8 (IPS) - As 2026 dawns, women in Pakistan are left grappling with a stark reality: rape and marital rape continue to be misinterpreted by judges in the country’s highest courts.

An independent human rights expert has urged the international community to reject the electoral process organised by Myanmar’s military government, after the first round of voting revealed widespread coercion, exclusion and violence.

Despite harsh winter conditions and continuing access constraints, the UN and partners are maintaining large-scale humanitarian operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, with a focus on shelter, water, health and education.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres continues to be gravely alarmed by escalating hostilities in Aleppo, Syria, and mounting reports of civilian casualties, his Spokesperson said on Thursday.

Several parts of Ukraine were hit by a new wave of Russian strikes between Wednesday and Thursday morning.

Progress continues to be made towards eliminating remnants of the chemical weapons programme in Syria that was developed under the Assad regime, the UN Security Council heard on Thursday.

Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed regret over the decision by the United States to withdraw from a number of UN entities, while underscoring that the system will continue to deliver on all its mandates.

The global economy has shown resilience amid turbulence during the past year, including shifting trade policies – yet growth remains subdued and far below pre-pandemic levels, the UN said in a landmark report published on Thursday.