News LInks - January 30, 2026

30 January 2026

UN

UN Faces Financial Collapse - Secretary-General António Guterres warned the UN faces "imminent financial collapse" and could run out of cash by July due to unpaid contributions and budget rules requiring return of unspent funds. Outstanding dues hit a record $1.568 billion with only 76.7% of assessed contributions collected, as the US—the largest contributor providing 22% of budgets—refused mandatory payments to regular and peacekeeping budgets after withdrawing from 66 international bodies including 31 UN agencies. Click here for the article

Yemen

UN Suspends Work in Northern Yemen - Houthi forces removed critical telecommunications equipment and vehicles from at least six unstaffed UN offices in Sanaa, threatening the minimum infrastructure needed to implement humanitarian programs. The World Food Programme stopped operations in northern Yemen with 365 employees to have contracts terminated by end of March, while Houthis have blocked UN Humanitarian Air Service flights to Sanaa for over a month and detained 73 UN colleagues since 2021. Click here for the article

Gaza 

MSF Refuses Staff Data Sharing - Médecins Sans Frontières announced it will not share Palestinian and international staff information with Israeli authorities despite facing expulsion, citing inability to secure assurances for staff safety in a context where 1,700 health workers have been killed since October 2023 including 15 MSF colleagues. MSF provided 800,000 consultations, assisted in one in three births, and supported one in five hospital beds in Gaza in 2025—services that cannot be easily replaced as nearly 500 people have been killed since the ceasefire began. Click here for the article

US Suppressed Warnings - US Embassy officials in Jerusalem blocked at least five internal USAID cables from circulation in early 2024 that described northern Gaza as an "Apocalyptic Wasteland" with widespread death, starvation, and human remains in public spaces, despite the cables being cleared by USAID and State Department's Office of Palestinian Affairs. Ambassador Jack Lew and deputy Stephanie Hallett blocked distribution due to concerns about "balance" and sensitivity during ceasefire negotiations, functioning as bureaucratic gatekeeping that shaped what information senior policymakers formally received amid domestic political pressure over Biden's Israel support. Click here for the article

Rafah Crossing Reopening - Israel announced the Rafah border crossing will reopen Sunday for "limited movement of people" with tight Israeli control including prior security clearance and European Union mission supervision, two years after closure of Gaza's only land link to the world not routed through Israel. Exit and entry will be permitted only after security screening at a corridor under Israeli army control, while Hamas called for immediate transition to ceasefire's second phase including entry of Palestinian technocratic committee to administer Gaza. Click here for the article

South Sudan - 

Humanitarian Blockade - The government is blocking all humanitarian flights to opposition-held areas of Lankien, Pieri and Akobo in Jonglei state since December 2025, leaving at least 23 critically ill patients in urgent need of referrals with lives at immediate risk as MSF was forced to evacuate staff. MSF is the only health provider serving about 250,000 people in Lankien and Pieri and another 112,000 in Akobo, meaning almost 400,000 people will be left without any healthcare if access is not restored. Click here for the article

USA 

Maternal Mortality Underestimated - New research found the mortality risk from pregnancy is 44 to 70 times higher than from abortion—three times higher than previously estimated—with an annual average of 32.3 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018-2021 compared to 8.8-14.5 in 1998-2005. The study underscores that abortion bans force pregnant people to take on substantially increased health risks including hemorrhage and high blood pressure, with the highest maternal death rate of 43.9 occurring in 2021. Click here for the article