Saudi Arabia Forms Multinational Red Sea Defence Alliance as U.S.-Iran War Threatens Global Shipping By Maximilian Malawista Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/08/saudi-arabia-forms-multinational-red-sea-defence-alliance-as-u-s-iran-war-threatens-global-shipping/ UNITED NATIONS, Aug 3 2026 (IPS) - As the United States and Iran continue to escalate with military strikes across both fronts, the conflict took a new turn with Saudi Arabia becoming militarily involved on July 29, following coordinated airstrikes with U.S. Central Command according to the Saudi Ministry of Defence. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Female Genital Mutilation: Winning the Argument, Losing the Funding By Inés M. Pousadela Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/08/female-genital-mutilation-winning-the-argument-losing-the-funding/ MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Aug 3 2026 (IPS) - Last August, a one-month-old girl in The Gambia bled to death after being subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that had been illegal in the country since 2015. FGM is a human rights violation, whatever the appeals to faith or tradition made in its defence, but now the Gambian Supreme Court is being asked to strike the country’s ban down. This is the second attempt in two years to make FGM legal again. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

U.S.-Iran War Escalates Amid Growing Fears of Regional Instability and Rises In Arbitrary Executions By Oritro Karim Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/08/u-s-iran-war-escalates-amid-growing-fears-of-regional-instability-and-rises-in-arbitrary-executions/ UNITED NATIONS, Aug 3 2026 (IPS) - Over the past several weeks, the humanitarian landscape in the Middle East has deteriorated significantly, exacerbated by escalating security concerns and serious human rights violations. In late July, the United Nations (UN) highlighted a sharp uptick in hostilities between the United States and Iran, alongside growing concerns over wider regional instability. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Trade Liberalisation Never Lifted All Boats By Jomo Kwame Sundaram Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/08/trade-liberalisation-never-lifted-all-boats/ KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug 4 2026 (IPS) - President Trump has blamed trade liberalisation advocated by globalists for US deindustrialisation. Instead, his own weaponisation of economic policies, instruments and institutions purport to ‘make America great again’ (MAGA). Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

After Restoring Stability, Argentina Needs to Turn Hard-Won Gains into Lasting Prosperity By Kristalina Georgieva Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/08/after-restoring-stability-argentina-needs-to-turn-hard-won-gains-into-lasting-prosperity/ WASHINGTON DC, Aug 4 2026 (IPS) - My first meeting in Buenos Aires began with an unexpected gift. Economy Minister Luis Caputo presented me with an Argentine national team jersey bearing my name and the number 10—Lionel Messi’s iconic number. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Climate Change Makes Sacred Ice Vanish in Kashmir, Locals Fear Loss of Livelihoods By Umar Manzoor Shah Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/08/climate-change-makes-sacred-ice-vanish-in-kashmir-locals-fear-loss-of-livelihoods/ SRINAGAR, India, Aug 4 2026 (IPS) - Every summer, before dawn breaks over the Himalayas, Bashir Ahmad leads his horses onto the narrow mountain trail that winds toward the Amarnath cave shrine. For decades, the annual Hindu pilgrimage has been the most important season of the year for his family. The money earned over two months pays for food, school fees, winter supplies, and the upkeep of his animals through the long snowbound months. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Green transition: Pay the Least, Benefit the Most By Michał Podolski Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/08/green-transition-pay-the-least-benefit-the-most/ BANGKOK, Thailand, Aug 5 2026 (IPS) - Inaction and maintaining the status quo of fossil fuel dependence carry significant costs. The recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, for instance, caused enormous losses to the global economy, with many Asia-Pacific countries bearing disproportionately larger adverse impacts. Had these economies had a more diversified energy mix, they would have benefited from such resilience under current circumstances. Environmentalnews analysis Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -