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Les derniers médias indépendants de Serbie sont menacés. Via Telekom Srbija, le régime a pris le contrôle du groupe United Medias, auxquels appartiennent notamment la télévision N1 et le quotidien Danas. Pour les mettre au pas.

- Articles / Vucic, Médias indépendants, Serbie, Courrier des Balkans, Médias, Politique

Les derniers médias indépendants de Serbie sont menacés. Via Telekom Srbija, le régime a pris le contrôle du groupe United Medias, auxquels appartiennent notamment la télévision N1 et le quotidien Danas. Pour les mettre au pas.

- Articles / Vucic, Médias indépendants, Serbie, Courrier des Balkans, Médias, Politique

CHRONIQUE. Le cyberharcelement contre la premiere dame, aujourd'hui en proces, est bien plus qu'un fait divers. C'est un coup porte a nos valeurs communes.

Le procès de dix personnes jugées pour cyberharcèlement à l'encontre de Brigitte Macron, cible depuis 2021 d’une rumeur affirmant qu’elle serait une femme transgenre, a débuté lundi. Retour sur la genèse de cette théorie complotiste et sa propagation planétaire.

A Community Health Worker in a door-to-door campaign to vaccinate people in communities in Nanyamba village, Mtwara Region, in southeastern Tanzania. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS

By Kizito Makoye
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, Oct 28 2025 (IPS)

When COVID-19 hit Tanzania in 2020, Alfred Kisena’s life was torn apart. The 51-year-old teacher still remembers the night he learned that his wife, Maria, had succumbed to the virus at a hospital in Dar es Salaam. He wasn’t allowed to see her in her final moments.

“The doctors said it was too dangerous, and the virus was contagious,” Kisena said, gazing at a faded photo of her hanging on the wall.

Maria’s burial took place in eerie isolation. Municipal workers dressed in white protective gear lowered her body into a tomb at Ununio Cemetery on the city’s outskirts.

“Saying goodbye to a loved one is sacred, but I didn’t get a chance,” he said.

Across Tanzania, many families endured the same pain—losing loved ones and being denied the rituals that give meaning to loss. The government imposed strict measures: banning gatherings, restricting hospital visits, and prohibiting traditional burial rites. Schools shut down, and for three months, Kisena’s five children stayed home, their education abruptly halted.

“I was not working, so it was hard to meet the needs of my family,” he said. “We survived on the little savings I had.”

Five years later, as the scars of that crisis linger, Tanzania is charting a new path toward resilience. Earlier this month, the government launched its first-ever Pandemic Fund Project, aimed at strengthening the country’s capacity to prevent and respond to health crises.

Supported by a USD25 million grant from the global Pandemic Fund and USD13.7 million in co-financing, the initiative marks a shift from reactive crisis management to proactive preparedness. It unites local and international partners—including WHO, UNICEF, and FAO—under a “One Health” framework that recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.

Learning from the Past

The memories of COVID-19 and the more recent Marburg outbreak remain vivid. When the pandemic first struck, Tanzania’s laboratories were under-equipped, surveillance systems were weak, and community health workers were overwhelmed.

Tanzania’s Deputy Prime Minister, Doto Biteko, said during the launch that the lessons from those crises shaped the country’s new determination.

“For the past 20 years, the world has battled multiple health emergencies, and Tanzania is no exception,” he said. “We have seen how pandemics disrupt lives and economies. Strengthening our capacity to prepare and respond is not optional—it is a necessity.”

That necessity has only grown as Tanzania faces rising risks of zoonotic diseases linked to deforestation, wildlife trade, and climate change. The new project aims to address these vulnerabilities by upgrading laboratories, expanding disease surveillance, and training health workers across the country.

The Human Frontlines

In southern Kisarawe District, 38-year-old community health worker Ana Msechu walks along dusty roads with a backpack containing medicine, gloves, and health records.

“Sometimes I walk for three hours just to reach one family,” Msechu said. “During the pandemic, people stopped trusting us. They thought we were bringing the disease.”

With no protective gear or transport allowance, Msechu faced villagers’ suspicion head-on. At the height of the pandemic, she lost a colleague to the virus. Yet she continued, delivering messages about hygiene and vaccination.

“Sometimes we didn’t even have masks—we used pieces of cloth instead,” she recalled.

The new initiative, she believes, could change that. Implementing partners plan to supply personal protective equipment (PPE), digital tools for data collection, and regular training sessions.

“If we get proper support and respect, we can save many lives before diseases spread,” she said.

“Community health workers are the backbone of resilience,” said Patricia Safi Lombo, UNICEF’s Deputy Representative to Tanzania. “They are the first point of contact for families and play a critical role in delivering life-saving information and services.”

UNICEF’s role will focus on risk communication and community engagement—ensuring that people in rural and urban areas understand preventive measures, recognize early symptoms, and trust the health system.

Between Fear and Duty

Hamisi Mjema, a health volunteer in Kilosa District, remembers how fear became his biggest enemy.

When the Marburg virus hit last year, his job was to trace suspected cases and educate families about isolation.

“I was insulted many times, and some families wouldn’t even let me into their homes,” he said.

Without transport or communication tools, Hamisi walked from one remote village to another with his bicycle, often relying on farmers to share their phone airtime so he could report cases to district health officials.

Under the new initiative, local health officers say community health workers will receive field kits, digital disease-reporting tools, and risk communication materials in local languages.

“It will make our work safer and faster,” he said. “When we detect something early, the whole country benefits.”

Fighting Misinformation

In a lakeside village in Kigoma, volunteer health educator Fatuma Mfaume recalls how rumors once spread faster than the virus itself.

“People were afraid,” she said. “They said vaccines would make women barren. Others believed doctors were poisoning us.”

Armed with a megaphone, Mfaume moved through villages trying to dispel falsehoods—often facing insults. But her persistence paid off. Slowly, women began bringing their children for immunization again.

With the new project, she hopes community workers like her will gain formal recognition and training in communication skills.

“Many of us work without pay,” Mfaume said. “If this project can train us properly and give us materials, we can fight not just disease but fear and lies too.”

Animal-Borne Threats

At the same time, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is strengthening animal health systems, recognizing that most pandemics originate from animals.

“By improving coordination between veterinary and public health services, Tanzania is taking vital steps to prevent zoonotic diseases before they spill over to humans,” said Stella Kiambi, FAO’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases Team Lead.

These measures include upgrading veterinary laboratories, improving disease surveillance in livestock markets, and training field officers to detect early signs of outbreaks.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is also supporting efforts to strengthen human health systems—from expanding testing capacity to developing rapid response teams.

“This project marks a bold step forward in health security,” said Dr. Galbert Fedjo, WHO Health Systems Coordinator. “It advances a One Health approach that links human, animal, and environmental health.”

Rebuilding Trust and Hope

For Priya Basu, Executive Head of the Pandemic Fund, Tanzania’s project represents “an important step in strengthening the country’s preparedness to prevent and respond to future health threats.”

Across Africa, the Fund—established in 2022—has supported 47 projects in 75 countries with USD 885 million in grants, catalyzing more than USD 6 billion in additional financing.

According to the World Bank, every USD 1 invested in pandemic preparedness can save up to USD 20 in economic losses during an outbreak.

For Tanzania—a nation that lost thousands of lives and suffered deep economic shocks during COVID-19—the stakes couldn’t be higher.

“Preparedness is about saving lives and livelihoods,” said Dr. Ali Mzige, a public health expert. “It’s about making sure families don’t suffer when a pandemic strikes.”

For Kisena, the government’s new initiative is a quiet promise that the lessons of loss have not been forgotten.

“Maria’s death taught me how precious life is,” he said. “If this project can protect even one family from that kind of pain, then it will mean her death was not in vain.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Le ministre d'Etat chargé de l'économie et des finances, Romuald Wadagni, candidat des forces politiques de la mouvance présidentielle à l'élection présidentielle d'avril 2026 au Bénin, a décroché de gros financements pour soutenir l'agriculture, renforcer la formation professionnelle et améliorer l'accès à l'eau potable. C'était en marge des travaux des Assemblées annuelles de la Banque mondiale et du Fonds monétaire international (FMI).

Présent à Washington les 23 et 24 octobre 2025, dans le cadre des Assemblées annuelles de la Banque mondiale et du Fonds monétaire international, le ministre d'Etat chargé de l'économie et des finances a signé en marge des travaux, plusieurs accords de financement. D'un montant total de 74,5 milliards de francs CFA, ces accords ont été signés avec le Fonds OFID, la Banque ouest africaine de développement (BOAD), et le Fonds Koweïtien. Le but visé est de soutenir l'agriculture, renforcer la formation professionnelle et améliorer l'accès à l'eau potable. Une avancée pour la sécurité alimentaire, la formation technique et l'accès aux services essentiels.
Selon une publication des services de communication du gouvernement, plus d'une trentaine de communes vont bénéficier de ces financements. Il s'agit entre autres, de Karimama, Malanville, Banikoara, Kandi, Péhunco, Parakou, Tchaourou, N'Dali, Nikki, Pèrèrè, Ouaké, Djougou, Ouèssè, Bantè, Glazoué, Dassa, Aplahoué, Toviklin, Bopa, Houéyogbé, Bohicon, Agbangnizoun, Toffo, Allada, Kpomassè, Sô-Ava, Akpro-Missérété, Bassila, Athiémé, Bohicon et Natitingou.

F. A. A.

Privacy rights group noyb, which has filed the complaint in Austria, wants criminal liability or even jail time for the AI company's leadership if they travel to the EU

Can the EU be sustainable and continue to grow? Can Europe remain competitive without being sustainable? For the new president of Eurima, an upcoming EU Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) is a chance to show that competitiveness and decarbonisation work best together.

Revue de presse kinoise du mardi 28 octobre 2025.

Deux sujets dominent la presse kinoise ce mardi. Le premier concerne le lancement de la Semaine nationale du climat, et le second, la destitution du gouverneur de la province de la Tshopo à la suite d’une motion de défiance.

Lofty aims accompanied the setting up of this university. Right-wing activism has sullied its image.

Saisie par requête en date à Cotonou du 23 octobre 2025, enregistrée à son secrétariat, le 25 octobre 2025, à dix (10) heuresvingt (20) minutes, sous le numéro 2196/450/REC-25, par laquelle monsieur Bonaventure Jude LODJOU, forme un recours en vue de la validation du parrainage du député Michel François OloutoyéSODJINOU au profit du parti politique « Les Démocrates » ;
Saisie par une deuxième requête en date à Cotonou du 25
octobre 2025, enregistrée à son secrétariat, à seize (16) heures trente-trois (33) minutes, à la même date, sous le numéro 2197/451/REC-25, par laquelle monsieur Habibou WOROUCOUBOU, député à l'Assemblée nationale, introduit un recours « aux fins de dénonciation du retrait abusif de la fiche deparrainage, obstruction à la vision et à la ligne du parti en vue de sa participation à l'élection présidentielle » ;

Saisie par une troisième requête en date à Cotonou du 24
octobre 2025, enregistrée à son secrétariat, le 25 octobre 2025, à dix- neuf (19) heures vingt-six (26) minutes, sous le numéro 2198/452/REC-25, par laquelle messieurs Vignilé Renaud Léandre N'doufou AGBODJO, avocat au barreau du Bénin, et Bonaventure Jude LODJOU, juriste, forment un recours en vue de la validation de lacandidature du duo du parti politique « Les Démocrates » à l'électionprésidentielle de 2026 ;

Sur plusieurs autres recours , La Cour a rendu le 27 Octobre 2025 la décision E P 2 5 - 0 0 7 dont la teneur suit :

EN CONSÉQUENCE,

Article 1er : Ordonne la jonction des recours enregistrés sous les numéros 2196/450/REC-25, 2197/451/REC-25, 2198/452/REC-25 et 2199/453/REC-25 sous le 2196/450/REC-25.

Article 2 : Se déclare compétente pour examiner le recours formé par monsieur Bonaventure Jude LODJOU.

Article 3 : Déclare irrecevable le recours formé par messieurs Vignilé Renaud Léandre N'doufou AGBODJO et Bonaventure Jude LODJOU.

Article 4 : Déclare irrecevable les recours de messieurs Habibou WOROUCOUBOU et Karim GOUNDI.

Article 5 : Dit que la Cour se saisit d'office.

Article 6 : Dit qu'il y a autorité de la chose jugée en ce qui concerne la violation de certains droits fondamentaux par l'ordonnance du président du tribunal de première instance de première classe de Cotonou.

Article 7 : Dit que la Commission Électorale Nationale Autonome n'as violé, ni le code électoral, ni la Constitution.

Article 8 : Arrête la liste définitive des duos de candidats à l'élection présidentielle du 12 avril 2026, sous réserve de l'examen médical, prescrit par la Constitution, comme suit :

D u o 1 :

– monsieur Kossi Mbueke Romuald WADAGNI, candidat à la présidence de la République.

– madame Mariam CHABI TALATA, candidate à la vice-présidence de la République.

Duo 2 :
– monsieur Paul HOUNKPE, candidat à la présidence de la
République.
– monsieur Rock Judicaël HOUNWANOU, candidat à la vice-
présidence de la République.

La présente décision sera notifiée à messieurs Vignilé Renaud
Leandre N'doufou AGBODJO, Bonaventure Jude LODJOU, Habibou WOROUCOUBOU, Karim GOUNDI, a maitre Francis DAKO, maitre Victorien FADE, maître Hermann YENONFAN, au président de la Commission Électorale Nationale Autonome et publiée au Journal officiel.

Ont siégé à Cotonou, le vingt-sept octobre deux mille vingt-cinq

Lire l'intégralité de la décision

Shakib al Hasan’s continued association with the much-reviled Sheikh Hasina prompted the interim government to ban him from playing for the country.

The Indonesia-EU Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, signed last month, appears to mark a dilution of long-held principles.

This UNICEF-supported nutrition site focuses on delivering lifesaving interventions for the prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition among children under five and pregnant and lactating women. Credit: UNICEF/Ahmed Mohamdeen Elfatih

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 28 2025 (IPS)

In recent weeks, Sudan’s humanitarian crisis has deteriorated considerably, as escalating hostilities, mass displacement, disease outbreaks, and a widespread lack of access to basic, essential services continue to endanger civilians across the country. The situation has been further compounded by a sharp increase in attacks on healthcare facilities throughout October, which has severely weakened the country’s already fragile health system and deprived thousands of people of lifesaving care.

On October 23, several United Nations (UN) agencies—including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme (WFP)—issued a joint statement highlighting the rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan and calling for urgent, coordinated international action. According to the organizations, over 900 days of protracted conflict and the collapse of lifesaving services have “pushed millions to the brink of survival”, with women and children being disproportionately affected.

“This is one of the worst protection crises we’ve seen in decades,” said Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner at UNHCR. “Millions are displaced inside and outside of the country and returning families have little support with the absence of other options. I spoke with families who recently fled El Fasher with horrific stories of being forced to leave everything behind, taking treacherous routes at great risk. It’s a dynamic environment and support is needed everywhere.”

An estimated 30 million people in Sudan are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, including nearly 15 million children. The conflict has forced more than 9.6 million people to flee their homes, making Sudan the largest internal displacement crisis in the world. At the same time, approximately 2.6 million people have returned to areas of active conflict—such as Khartoum, where around one million have returned—only to find their homes and livelihood destroyed and essential services virtually wiped out.

According to IOM, Khartoum currently hosts nearly 900,000 refugees, while Tawila shelters more than 600,000—many of whom lack adequate housing or access to protection services. Aid organizations have expressed growing concern over rising anti-foreigner sentiment, stressing that protection assistance remains “lifesaving for hundreds of thousands” of displaced individuals facing heightened risks of violence and discrimination.

“This scale of return to Khartoum is both a sign of resilience and a warning,” said Ugochi Daniels, IOM’s Deputy Director General for Operations. “I met people coming back to a city still scarred by conflict, where homes are damaged and basic services are barely functioning. Their determination to rebuild is remarkable, but life remains incredibly fragile.”

After three years of conflict, Sudan’s education system has been among the hardest hit, with an estimated 14 out of 17 million school-aged children without access to schooling. Additionally, hunger levels remain catastrophic, with famine having been confirmed in parts of Sudan last year. Children continue to face heightened risks of malnutrition and thousands are projected to be at an “imminent risk of death” if nutritional support is not secured soon.

“It was a really grave moment when famine was first confirmed in parts of Sudan, and given the scale and growing intensity of the crisis, we have all been investing significant effort in enhancing our operational capacity to meet the huge and growing needs,” said WFP Assistant Executive Director Valerie Guarnieri. About 25 million people in Sudan, or half its population, face acute food insecurity. WFP has been able to support 4 million people in recent months, including 85 percent of the population living in famine or famine-risk areas. Yet Guarnieri warned on Friday that they have “reached the limits, not of our capacity, but of our resources.”

For over 16 months, El Fasher has experienced heightened levels of insecurity, with over 260,000 civilians, including roughly 130,000 children, trapped under siege and cut off from food, water, and healthcare. On October 20, UN sources reported that a siege in one of the most densely populated areas of El Fasher led to intense shelling and the displacement of more than 109,000 people across 127 sites. The UN has also received numerous reports of extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and forced recruitment.

October has been particularly volatile for Sudan’s already fragile healthcare system, with a surge in attacks targeting medical facilities in the Kordofan and Darfur states. On October 5, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out two drone strikes on hospitals in El Obeid City, North Kordofan.

Two days later, the RSF conducted an artillery shelling in the maternity ward of the Saudi Hospital for Women and Maternity in El Fasher’s Al Daraja neighborhood—the last functioning medical facility in the city. Thirteen civilians, including several children, were killed, and sixteen others were injured, among them a female doctor and a nurse. The hospital sustained significant damage to much of its medical equipment.

Additionally, Sudanese families continue to struggle with aggressive outbreaks of cholera, dengue, malaria, and measles, which have been exacerbated by non-functional healthcare systems and destroyed water systems. According to updated figures from UNHCR, the Darfur and Kordofan regions have been among the hardest hit by cholera. In North Darfur’s Tawila locality alone, more than 6,000 infections and 11 deaths have been recorded since May—most within displacement shelters. In South Darfur, UNHCR has documented 3,229 confirmed cases and 177 deaths since late August.

“What I witnessed in Darfur and elsewhere this week is a stark reminder of what is at stake: children facing hunger, disease, and the collapse of essential services,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director. “Entire communities are surviving in conditions that defy dignity. Children are malnourished, exposed to violence, and at risk of dying from preventable diseases. Families are doing everything they can to survive, showing extraordinary resolve in the face of unimaginable hardship.”

The 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan calls for USD 4.2 billion, but remains severely underfunded, with only 25 percent of the required amount secured so far. Despite these gaps, aid groups have been able to reach over 13.5 million people this year, including those in the most crisis-afflicted regions, such as Darfur, Khartoum, and Al Jazira. The UN stresses the need for continued humanitarian cooperation and increased donor support, as funding shortfalls are projected to force several key humanitarian agencies to scale back or suspend critical operations, putting millions of lives at risk.

UN officials also made the call for development investment to rebuild critical infrastructure and services in health, sanitation and energy. “Sudan urgently needs to rebuild and rehabilitate its key infrastructure, restore access to public services, and provide direct support to vulnerable returnees, IDPs, and the communities that host them,” Daniels said on October 24.

“We can’t wait for longstanding peace to take hold. Development actors are needed now to come in for bigger rehabilitation and construction and investment, so that people can rebuild their lives with dignity,” Clements said. She remarked that development actors would be critical in devastated areas like Khartoum where at present, more than a million people have returned and require basic services. “It’s that kind of reconstruction, rehabilitation, bringing back basic services, where development actors have a much larger role to play than humanitarian actors like ourselves.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Red tape is hampering hospital adoption of proven AI diagnostic, David Labajo says

“It is prudent of us to be planning,” said the EU's top General Seán Clancy

EU states clash with Commission over how far tobacco rules should go

“The properties form part of one of the channels for hybrid influence operations,” Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen said