World News in Brief: Madagascar hunger crisis, Colombia aid appeal, Cuba fuel shortages

Between 31 January and 10 February, tropical cyclones Fytia and Gezani struck the island nation, causing widespread destruction. WFP assessments indicate that 1.57 million people in Madagascar are currently food insecure, including 84,000 facing emergency conditions. That figure could rise to 1.8 million in the coming months. “Families are telling us they have lost everything. […]

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Guterres deplores Israel’s move to resume land registration in the West Bank

The development follows an Israeli cabinet decision from May 2025 and applies to Area C of the West Bank, which encompasses some 60 per cent of the territory.  This will mark the first time since the 1967 occupation that Israel will begin registering land as state property following approval announced by the cabinet on Sunday.  […]

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Two years of the Digital Services Act ensuring safer online spaces

  Two years ago, the Digital Services Act (DSA) entered into force. The DSA protects your fundamental rights online by regulating online services such as social media platforms, marketplaces, app stores, and online travel and accommodation services. Its goal has been to ensure a safer digital space by addressing issues like addictive design, illegal content, […]

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Making a splash: bringing ocean learning into every classroom

Around 40% of the EU’s population lives within 50 kilometres of the coast, and large parts of the continent’s economy, climate resilience and wellbeing depend on healthy oceans and seas. Yet despite this close connection, understanding of how the ocean works – and how human activity impacts it – remains limited. “You have people living […]

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Reverend Jesse Jackson, Titan of the US Civil Rights Movement, Dies at 84

CHICAGO — The Reverend Jesse Jackson, a towering figure of the American Civil Rights Movement whose career spanned more than six decades of activism and two historic runs for the presidency, died Tuesday. He was 84. His family confirmed his passing in a poignant statement, honoring a man whose “unwavering belief in justice, equality, and […]

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In his Munich speech, Marco Rubio balanced loyalty to Trump with reassurances to Europe

When the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, delivered a speech at Europe’s biggest security conference in the German city of Munich on February 14, leaders from across the continent were relieved by its content. In contrast to the previous year, when US vice-president J.D. Vance had launched a scathing attack on European-style democracy, Rubio’s […]

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UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The 2030 Ambition and Bridging the Gap Between Global Goals and Ground-Level Reality

In 2015, the world pivoted toward a collective vision of the future. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—a suite of 17 interconnected objectives—were adopted by all 193 Member States as a “blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.” Now, passing the ten-year mark since their inception, the narrative of the SDGs […]

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Joint statement on the 2nd anniversary of Alexei Navalny`s death

On the second commemoration of Alexei Navalny’s death in a Russian penal colony, we once again express our deepest condolences to his family. We underline that the Russian authorities remain solely responsible. The February 3rd judgement by the European Court of Human Rights furthermore underlined that Russia bears responsibility for the inhuman and degrading treatment […]

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As conditions worsen in Ukraine, refugees struggle to return

“More people are killed and injured each year. Millions have only a few hours of electricity per day. Hundreds of thousands are suffering without heating in freezing temperatures,” said Danielle Bell, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU). In 2025, the total number of civilian casualties was 31 per cent higher […]

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UN chief urges renewed push to complete decolonization as 17 territories remain

Since 1945, more than 80 former colonies comprising some 750 million people have gained independence. However, 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories remain on the UN list, home to nearly two million people. They range from Western Sahara in Africa to small island territories in the Caribbean and Pacific. A core subject for the UN Opening the 2026 […]

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