The opening of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council at the UN in Geneva, 23 February 2026. (KeystoneValentin Flauraud)

💥Mixed condemnations over US, Israel and Iran strikes at UN rights council expose geopolitical standoff. Two days after US and Israeli strikes on Iran ignited a widening confrontation, members of the UN rights body aired grievances and geopolitical mistrust, revealing sharp divisions as Tehran retaliates across the region.

🏥Tehran hospital evacuated after explosions nearby, WHO says. The UN Health agency said it was also working to verify reports of three other health centres hit since the start of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran last Saturday.

✈️Russia-Ukraine talks planned for Abu Dhabi this week may change venue, Zelenskyy says. Switzerland and Turkey are being considered as alternatives to host the US-brokered negotiations as the escalating war in the Middle East disrupts plans for the meeting.

🏛️Israel's Supreme Court allows aid groups facing govt ban to keep working in Gaza. A group of organisations, including MSF and Oxfam, had been given until 1 March to hand over sensitive staff information to the Israeli government or leave Gaza.

🌾UN food chief Cindy McCain to step down over health concerns. The US national at the helm of the World Food Programme, who suffered a minor stroke last year, announced last week she would be leaving the organisation in three months.