Afrique

La Direction de l'Union Progressiste le Renouveau (UP-R) a ordonné à ses maires de suspendre toute nomination de collaborateurs, dans l'attente de nouvelles directives liées à la formation des cabinets municipaux.

Par le biais d'une note circulaire en date du 25 février 2026, l'Union Progressiste le Renouveau (UP-R), parti de la mouvance, a demandé aux maires élus sous sa bannière de « surseoir à toute nomination » de membres de leurs cabinets. La note précise que cette suspension reste en vigueur « jusqu'à nouvel ordre ».

« Cette mesure conservatoire vise à garantir une organisation efficace, cordonnée et conforme à la vision de gouvernance portée par l'Union Progressiste le Renouveau », a indiqué le Secrétaire général de l'UP-R.

Gérard Gbenonchi rappelle que « des directives précises et harmonisées, tenant compte des exigences légales en vigueur ainsi que des équilibres territoriaux » seront communiquées aux maires « dans les plus brefs délais par les instances compétentes du parti ».

M.M.

On 26 February 2026, SEDE hosts the European Defence Agency (EDA)'s Defence Industry Conference from 9.30 - 16.00hrs in the EP premises, bringing together representatives from industry, EU Member States and EU institutions. The conference will provide a forum for discussion on how Europe’s defence industrial base can respond to an increasingly complex security environment.

Discussions will focus on industrial readiness, cooperation and long-term resilience, with particular attention to production capacity, interoperability and supply chain security.
The programme will include welcome addresses from the Chair of the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) and EDA leadership, followed by briefings on the Agency's engagement with industry, capability development activities and innovation initiatives. Two panel discussions will address cooperation and interoperability, and securing defence supply chains, bringing together perspectives from industry, Member States and EU institutions.
Draft agenda
Background information and overview on ongoing SEDE dossiers
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Digitalisation is reshaping economies, politics and societies worldwide, creating both opportunities for inclusion and risks of deepening inequality. While digital literacy frameworks exist, they remain fragmented and insufficiently connected to broader goals of citizenship education. Without equipping teachers and learners with the competencies to think critically, act ethically and participate constructively in digital spaces, democratic institutions and individual well-being are at risk. Building on UNESCO’s Global Citizenship Education and Digital Literacy Global frameworks, this brief argues that integrating digital literacy into citizenship education, standardising teacher training across contexts and promoting international cooperation – particularly through the G20 – are key to ensuring that all citizens become empowered, responsible and globally connected digital actors.

Digitalisation is reshaping economies, politics and societies worldwide, creating both opportunities for inclusion and risks of deepening inequality. While digital literacy frameworks exist, they remain fragmented and insufficiently connected to broader goals of citizenship education. Without equipping teachers and learners with the competencies to think critically, act ethically and participate constructively in digital spaces, democratic institutions and individual well-being are at risk. Building on UNESCO’s Global Citizenship Education and Digital Literacy Global frameworks, this brief argues that integrating digital literacy into citizenship education, standardising teacher training across contexts and promoting international cooperation – particularly through the G20 – are key to ensuring that all citizens become empowered, responsible and globally connected digital actors.

Digitalisation is reshaping economies, politics and societies worldwide, creating both opportunities for inclusion and risks of deepening inequality. While digital literacy frameworks exist, they remain fragmented and insufficiently connected to broader goals of citizenship education. Without equipping teachers and learners with the competencies to think critically, act ethically and participate constructively in digital spaces, democratic institutions and individual well-being are at risk. Building on UNESCO’s Global Citizenship Education and Digital Literacy Global frameworks, this brief argues that integrating digital literacy into citizenship education, standardising teacher training across contexts and promoting international cooperation – particularly through the G20 – are key to ensuring that all citizens become empowered, responsible and globally connected digital actors.

Dans les Balkans, la Chine déploie une stratégie d'influence plus discrète que ses grands projets d'infrastructure : bourses d'études, échanges universitaires et présence active sur les réseaux sociaux. En misant sur les jeunes générations et les expériences individuelles partagées en ligne, Pékin cherche à façonner les perceptions et à consolider son ancrage durable dans la région.

- Articles / Serbie, Croatie, Radio Slobodna Evropa, Les Chinois à l'assaut des Balkans, Albanie, Bosnie-Herzégovine, Une - Diaporama, Monténégro

La météo en Algérie connaît un nouvel épisode agité dans le sud du pays. Les services de l’Office National de la Météorologie ont lancé, ce […]

L’article Météo Algérie : vents forts, tempêtes de sable et orages dans plusieurs régions ce 26 février  est apparu en premier sur .

La BBC s'est entretenue avec des soldats russes qui ont révélé les horreurs de la vie sur le front en Ukraine.

Február végére egy havas bejegyzés kerül, januári fotókkal. A hónap közepén Kecskeméten még bőven volt hó, ilyen körülmények között éppen 12 éve fotózhattam itt.

KC-390-es földi áramforrásra és meleg levegős tömlőre csatlakoztatva. A típus üzemeltetésére és karbantartására való felkészülésről illetve a gépek érkezése óta eltelt rövid időszak repülőműszaki tapasztalatairól készült cikkem várhatóan az Aeromagazin áprilisi számában jelenik meg

[...] Bővebben!

Dans plusieurs marchés modernes de Cotonou, des étals ont été scellés pour non-paiement des redevances. Entre la mévente persistante et l'obligation de s'acquitter des frais dans les délais, de nombreux commerçants disent être à bout de souffle et appellent les autorités à revoir à la baisse les droits d'occupation.

Le constat effectué, lundi 23 février 2026, dans les marchés de Wologuèdè et de Cadjèhoun laisse transparaître une ambiance peu reluisante. Dans ce marché, les alliées sont presque vides de clients. Les vendeuses, assises derrière leurs étals, attendent désespérément des acheteurs. « La vente est très difficile. Les clients viennent au compte-gouttes. On ne vend pas comme il faut », confie l'une d'elles.

Même son de cloche à Cadjèhoun, où une dizaine d'étals de produits divers sont scellés. Des rubans rouges de balisage sont apposés sur certains étals pour non-paiement de redevances. Pour plusieurs commerçants, cette situation aggrave davantage leurs difficultés financières.

Un étal scellé dans le marché moderne de Wologuédé (Cotonou)

Depuis juin 2024, le gouvernement béninois procède à l'ouverture des infrastructures marchandes construites aux normes et standards internationaux. Les occupants y exercent leurs activités économiques dans un cadre plus moderne, sain et sécurisé.

Dans les marchés urbains de Cadjèhoun, Aïdjèdo, Gbégamey, Mènontin, Midombo, Tokplégbé, Wologuèdè, Ganhi et Hlazounto, les occupants d'étals doivent s'acquitter d'une redevance de 600 FCFA par jour, soit 18 000 FCFA par mois. Ce montant couvre également l'eau, l'électricité, la sécurité, le nettoyage et l'assurance.

Après quelques mois de gratuité, le paiement des redevances a démarré en 2025. Face à la baisse des taux de recouvrement, l'Agence nationale de gestion des marchés (ANaGeM) a renforcé les mesures disciplinaires. Par une décision en date du 28 janvier 2026, portant renforcement des mesures disciplinaires, de contrôle et de sécurisation de la collecte des redevances dans les marchés urbains et régionaux, l'ANaGeM a durci les sanctions.

L'article 2 de ladite décision stipule : « Tout étal ou espace marchand scellé pour non-paiement de redevances est strictement interdit d'exploitation, d'occupation ou d'utilisation commerciale directe ou indirecte jusqu'à la régularisation complète de la situation administrative et financière de son titulaire. Toute activité commerciale exercée sur un étal scellé est réputée d'occupation frauduleuse et constitue une infraction grave aux procédures de l'ANaGeM ».

« Si on ne vend pas, comment payer ? »

Sur le terrain, les commerçants disent comprendre la nécessité de payer les redevances, mais dénoncent un manque de flexibilité face à la réalité économique actuelle. « Si on ne vend pas, ce sera difficile pour nous de payer les redevances. C'est 18 000 FCFA et même si tu restes devoir 1 000 FCFA, ta marchandise est scellée », explique une vendeuse sous anonymat.

Un étal scéllé dans le marché moderne de Cadjèhoun (Cotonou)

« Ils avaient déjà scellé mon étal. Après avoir payé, ils ont enlevé le ruban rouge de scellés. Nous sommes même endettés. On ne vend pas. Eux-mêmes peuvent descendre pour voir si nous vendons ou pas », suggère-t-elle. Certains marchands disent espérer une amélioration dans la vente avec l'installation progressive des occupants du grand marché Dantokpa dans les nouveaux marchés.

D'autres évoquent les charges supplémentaires liées au transport. « Je quitte Abomey-Calavi pour Wologuèdè. Tu prends le transport pour venir ici, mais tu ne vas rien vendre. J'ai des produits périssables et si on scelle ma marchandise comment vais-je faire ? », s'interroge B. A, vendeuse de produits divers.

Les doléances des marchands

Face à cette situation, les occupants d'étals formulent plusieurs doléances. Ils demandent principalement une diminution des redevances ou, à défaut, une révision progressive des montants. « Nous proposons qu'ils fixent un prix plus abordable et qu'ils augmentent à la longue », suggère dame Vignon.

Pour eux, le scellement systématique n'est pas la solution. « Si on scelle ton étal, comment peux-tu vendre et trouver de l'argent pour payer ? », déplore-t-elle. En attendant une réaction des autorités, les occupants des étals continuent de lutter, chaque jour, pour concilier survie économique et obligations administratives.

By UN Women
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 26 2026 (IPS)

International Women’s Day 2026 comes at a defining moment: Women and girls have never been closer to equality, and never closer to losing it. Legal protection against domestic violence has expanded in many countries. Yet, the rights of women and girls are being rolled back in plain sight, and across the world, women still do not enjoy the same legal rights as men.

On 4 March, ahead of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), UN Women will launch a report warning that the systems meant to protect women and girls are failing, leaving millions exposed to discrimination, violence and impunity as backlash against gender equality intensifies and violations of fundamental rights rise worldwide.

From 9–19 March, the world will gather at United Nations Headquarters for CSW70 – the United Nations’ largest annual forum dedicated to gender equality and women’s rights. What happens at CSW influences laws, policies, funding and accountability across countries and generations.

This year’s focus is clear: rights, justice and action for all women and girls.

CSW70 is a defining test: whether the world choses to act together and deliver equality before the law for all women and girls or allow injustice to persist with impunity. UN Women calls on governments, partners, institutions and communities everywhere to stand up, show up and speak up for rights, justice and action – so all women and girls can live safely, speak freely and exist equally.

Meanwhile, four years into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 5,000 women and girls have been killed and 14,000 injured, with 2025 being the deadliest year yet – and the real toll likely far higher.

As the war intensifies and energy attacks cripple daily life, a third crisis is tightening its grip on women and girls: collapsing funding for women-led and women’s rights organizations, the very lifeline keeping women and girls alive, protected and supported.

As humanitarian needs surge, women’s rights and women-led organizations across Ukraine are being driven toward collapse, with deep funding cuts dismantling front-line protection systems and forcing lifesaving services for women and girls to scale back or shut down.

A new UN Women report, The Impact of Foreign Assistance Cuts on Women’s Rights and Women-Led Organizations in Ukraine, documents the scale of the funding crisis and its impact on the lives of women and girls.

One in three women’s rights and women-led organizations surveyed warn they may only survive six months or less with current funding levels. Due to cuts in 2025 and 2026, women-led organizations in Ukraine are projected to lose at least USD 52.9 million by the end of the year.

Women’s rights and women-led organizations surveyed warn they will be forced to stop life-saving services to at least 63,000 women and girls in need in 2026. Those hit first and hardest are those already most at risk: women and girls in front-line and rural areas, older women, women-headed households, and women and girls with disabilities will be cut off from protection, humanitarian aid, and recovery at a time of escalating danger.

As shown in the report developed by the Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Working Group in Ukraine – co-chaired by UN Women, NGO Girls and CARE Ukraine – the effects of the funding cuts are compounded by a growing nationwide energy crisis and an increase in attacks.

While Ukrainian women’s organizations continue to deliver on their mandates, their operational capacity, access to populations in need, and the well-being of their staff are severely impacted by energy cuts. This is especially urgent today when millions of Ukrainians are deprived of essential services, including electricity, heating and water.

“Women’s organizations in Ukraine are the first to stand with women and girls in crisis – and the force behind sustaining protection, dignity and hope. The current funding cuts are severing their life-saving operations. While UN Women continues to work with and invest in women’s organizations in Ukraine, more sustained funding is needed so that they can keep delivering essential services”.

“This is the only way women and girls can have a full and meaningful role in shaping gender-responsive recovery and building a just and lasting peace,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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The General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2012 granting Palestine the status of non-member observer State in the United Nations. Credit: UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 26 2026 (IPS)

The 193-member General Assembly, the highest-ranking policy-making body at the United Nations, is most likely to elect Palestine as its next President in an unprecedented move voting for a “non-member observer state”—a state deprived of a country to represent.

The Secretariat has received three nominations for the position of President of the General Assembly beginning mid-September. In accordance with the established regional rotation, the President of the 81st session will be elected from the Asia-Pacific Group.

The election will be held on June 2, with three nominations so far: Md. Touhid Hossain (Bangladesh), Andreas S. Kakouris (Cyprus) and Riyad Mansour (Palestine).

According to geographical rotation, it will be the turn of the Asia-Pacific Group to nominate a candidate– with the final election by the General Assembly.

The current front-runner, according to diplomatic sources, is Palestine. In virtually all UN resolutions relating to Palestine, it has continued to receive an overwhelming majority of votes in the General Assembly.

The political support for Palestine among member states has always remained constantly strong. And the election of Palestine will also defy a hostile White House.

In November 2012, the General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine to a “non-member observer state” with a majority of 138 votes in favor, 9 against, and 41 abstentions.

• Votes in Favor (138): Supported by a majority of UN member states.
• Votes Against (9): Canada, Czech Republic, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, Panama, and the United States.
• Abstentions (41): Countries that did not vote for or against.

Last December the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a draft resolution reaffirming the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, including the right to an independent State of Palestine.

The draft resolution was approved by a majority of 164 member states (out of 193), with eight countries voting against it, namely Israel, the US, Micronesia, Argentina, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Palau, and Nauru.

Nine countries abstained: Ecuador, Togo, Tonga, Panama, Fiji, Cameroon, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, and South Sudan.

Dr Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco and director of Middle Eastern Studies, told IPS a broad international consensus in support for the establishment of a viable independent Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and naming a Palestinian as the next president of the UN General Assembly would send a strong message to the Israeli government and its supporters in Washington that the State of Palestine, now recognized by 164 of the UN’s 193 states, should be treated like any other nation.

It would also underscore that Palestine is represented by the Fatah-led Palestine Authority, not by Hamas, which forcibly seized power in Gaza in 2007, he said.

“If Palestine is elected to the General Assembly presidency, the position would likely go to Riyad Mansour, a U.S.-educated diplomat who currently serves as the country’s UN ambassador”.

Mansour, he pointed out, has spent most of his life in the United States, has worked with Youth4Peace and other groups promoting peacebuilding, has no association with terrorism, and is generally considered a moderate.

“Nevertheless, his selection will likely result in an angry backlash from Washington, which opposes any formal role by anyone representing Palestine”.

In 2017, during his first term, the Trump administration blocked the appointment of former prime minister Salam Fayyad, also a well-respected moderate and reformer, from leading the U.N. political mission in Libya to try to end that country’s civil war simply because he was Palestinian, declared Dr Zunes.

Dr Ramzy Baroud, a Palestinian-American author and editor of The Palestine Chronicle, told IPS
two international campaigns are unfolding simultaneously: a US-led effort aimed at legitimizing Israel while it is still actively attempting to exterminate the Palestinian people, and a General Assembly–championed track aimed at legitimizing Palestine, Palestinian rights, and the Palestinian struggle.

The push to elect Palestine as the next UN General Assembly president — though the State of Palestine remains an observing member and lacks actual sovereignty on the ground — is taking place against this stark backdrop: one campaign normalizing and shielding a genocidal state, the other seeking to affirm the rights and political standing of a dispossessed nation, he pointed out.

“Nothing could be more immoral than Washington’s attempt to rehabilitate Israel diplomatically amid genocide. And nothing could be more just than the effort by Palestine’s allies to anchor Palestinian rights within international legitimacy” he said..

Yet a difficult question remains: while the US is gradually chipping away at Israel’s isolation, is much of the international community offering Palestinians little more than symbolic victories?, he noted.

“If the legitimization of Palestine at the General Assembly is to move beyond symbolism, it must translate into concrete recognition of Palestinian territorial rights, sovereignty, and freedom. Legitimacy must not remain rhetorical; it must become political and material,” Dr Baroud argued.

“This requires that the UN General Assembly states that support Palestine in international forums carry that support onto the ground — by isolating Israel diplomatically, severing ties, imposing sanctions, and adopting meaningful accountability measures. While some states have taken such steps, others continue to pursue a precarious “balance,” appeasing Washington and Tel Aviv while paying lip service to Palestine.”

Palestinians are winning what Richard Falk, the former UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine, has called the legitimacy war. But legitimacy as an intellectual or moral category is not enough. At this historical juncture, it must be transformed into enforceable political reality — into sovereignty, protection, and freedom on the ground, said Dr Baroud.

“We hope that the continued centering of Palestine at the UN and across global institutions strengthens the growing current of solidarity worldwide. More importantly, we hope that symbolic recognition will soon give way to decisive and tangible action,” he declared.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Many people are again leaving the region of Tigray just over three years after the civil war there ended.

Plötzlich ging nichts mehr: Nick M. (48) aus Zürich wollte fit und jung bleiben und seiner Partnerin Lust schenken. Er war sogar bereit, seine Gesundheit aufs Spiel zu setzen, in dem er sich Testosteron spritzte. Nun versucht er, davon wegzukommen.

In Zusammenarbeit mit blue Sport präsentiert Blick die Highlights der Partie FC Winterthur – FC Thun (0:3).

Zwischen zerbombten Häusern und zerstörten Leben suchen die Menschen in Syrien nach Resten von Alltag. Nach dem brutalen Bürgerkrieg und dem verheerenden Erdbeben hilft das Schweizerische Rote Kreuz Familien dabei, ihre Existenz wiederaufzubauen.

Auf der Jobnetzwerk-Plattform Linkedin gibt es zwei Nestlé-Chefs: Philipp Navratil und Laurent Freixe. Doch nur einer schmückt sich zu recht mit dem Titel. Der andere hat offenbar Mühe loszulassen, wie Recherchen zeigen.

Dschungelcamp-Teilnehmerin Ariel (22) aus Basel sucht als neue Bachelorette auf 3+ die grosse Liebe. Nach ihrer Rückkehr aus Australien erlebt sie die Schweiz nun aus einer völlig neuen Perspektive.

Seit zehn Jahren ist Gianni Infantino Präsident der Fifa. Ein Rückblick auf die bisherige Ära des Wallisers, der nicht weniger umstritten ist als sein Vorgänger Sepp Blatter.

Am Bahnhof Basel wurde für 60 Millionen Franken eine neue Passerelle gebaut. Doch sie bleibt auch nach zwei Monaten fast leer. Blick hat sich vor Ort umgesehen.