Rescuers and local residents try to save the wounded from debris at an attacked girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran's southern province of Hormozgan, 28 February, 2026. (Keystone/Xinhua/Mehr News Agency)

🇮🇷On the defendants’ bench in Geneva, Iran defends itself and strikes back. The Islamic Republic faced scrutiny on Monday at the Human Rights Council, where two damning reports were presented on the bloody repression of protests earlier this year. At the same time, the US bombing of a primary school in the south of the country, also drew sharp condemnation.

👎US rejects WTO reform proposal before Cameroon meeting. The new US trade ambassador, Joseph Barloon, said in a statement before a meeting in Geneva last week that he could not accept a draft plan for reform discussions, citing ambiguous language in the text expected to be adopted at the conference next week.

🏥WHO releases $2 million in emergency funds to Lebanon, Iraq and Syria. The sum announced on Sunday is meant to support the health response in the countries affected by the Israeli-US war against Iran as hundreds of thousands of people flee hostilities.

🗳️Michelle Bachelet, running for UN chief, says global cooperation can save humanity. Speaking at an event at New York University last week, the former Chilean president and UN human rights chief said a renewed commitment to multilateralism would help the UN to better tackle global challenges and pledged to “serve all member states with impartiality, determination and respect” if elected as UN secretary general.

💵HNPW and the politics of pooled funds. Washington's $2 billion cash injection into the UN relief office's pooled funds is challenging its premise of funding grassroots humanitarian action.