Africa

Der Star-Architekt Frank Gehry ist tot. Gehry wurde 96 Jahre alt.

Die Nati bekommt es an der WM 2026 mit Kanada, Katar und einem noch unbekannten europäischen Gegner zu tun. Eine mehr als machbare Gruppe.

Die Gruppen für die Fussball-Weltmeisterschaft 2026 in Kanada, Mexiko und den USA sind ausgelost. Mit Ausnahme der Playoff-Teilnehmer kennen die Nationalmannschaften ihre Gegner. Das sind die Gruppen in der Übersicht.

Kommts zur Bundesliga-Rückkehr von Urs Fischer? Der Zürcher soll mit einem Klub verhandeln, der erst vor wenigen Tagen seinen Trainer entlassen hat.

Ein übler Streit um vergünstigte Saisonabonnemente eskaliert in der Weissen Arena in Flims GR. Die St. Galler Gemeinde Gams klagt, weil ihre Einwohner keinen Einheimischen-Tarif mehr erhalten. Jetzt muss sich sogar das Bundesgericht in Lausanne mit dem Knatsch befassen.

Nun steht also zu zwei Dritteln fest, gegen wen die Schweizer Nati im kommenden Sommer an der WM spielen wird. Schon vor der Auslosung hat die Fifa mittels zwei Verkaufsphasen total zwei Millionen Tickets verkauft. So kommen Nati-Fans jetzt noch an Tickets.

Find out who has been called up for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.

La nouvelle appellation de l'aéroport de Cotonou a suscité des questions. Face à la presse ce vendredi 5 décembre 2025, le porte-parole du gouvernement, Wilfried Houngbédji, a exposé les raisons qui sous-tendent le changement de dénomination intervenu à l'issue du dernier Conseil des ministres.

Pourquoi retirer « Cardinal » ? Pourquoi supprimer « Cadjèhoun » ? La nouvelle dénomination ‘'aéroport Bernardin Gantin de Cotonou'' a suscité de nombreuses questions au sein de l'opinion. Pour le porte-parole du gouvernement, c'est la toponymie qui impose une simplification. Le titre « Cardinal » n'a pas été retiré.

« Personne n'enlèverait au Bénin d'avoir eu un cardinal. Le cardinal, c'est à tout jamais notre cardinal ». Mais, « les règles de la Toponymie expliquent que les titres, les fonctions sont surannées dans la dénomination d'une infrastructure », a indiqué Wilfried Houngbédji, vendredi 5 décembre 2025, face aux professionnels des médias.

La simplification est d' « ordre objectif », selon le porte-parole du gouvernement. « Si on donne le nom d'une personnalité à une infrastructure, c'est davantage pour mettre en avant cette personnalité plutôt que son titre et ses objectifs », a ajouté Wilfried Houngbédji. Il a rassuré en ces termes : « pour ceux qui pensent qu'on a voulu enlever le titre Cardinal, on n'a pas le pouvoir d'enlever ce titre-là à notre cardinal. Au contraire, nous allons continuer à le promouvoir en espérant que dans les années à venir, nous aurons d'autres éminents hommes d'église qui arriveraient à ce niveau de distinction ».

Il cite des exemples. Au Sénégal, on dit ‘'aéroport Léopold Sédar Senghor'', pas président-professeur Senghor. En France, on dit ‘'aéroport Charles-de-Gaulle'', pas Général Charles-de-Gaulle. Tout s'explique donc, selon le porte-parole du gouvernement qui invite les sceptiques à vérifier par eux-mêmes. « Allez sur les moteurs de recherche. Les règles de la toponymie sont là. Ce n'est pas nous qui avons inventé », a-t-il martelé.

Sur la raison du retrait de ‘'Cadjèhoun'' de la dénomination de l'aéroport de Cotonou, Wilfried Houngbédji interroge : « Cadjèhoun, c'est un quartier. Combien de personnes dans le monde le connaissent ? »

M. M.

J. D. 'Okhai Ojeikere has photographed over 2000 uniqie Nigerian hairstyles.

J. D. 'Okhai Ojeikere has photographed over 2000 uniqie Nigerian hairstyles.

Fünf Drohnen unbekannter Herkunft wurden über dem französischen Atom-U-Boot-Stützpunkt Île Longue bei Brest gesichtet. Soldaten vor Ort gaben Schüsse ab.

Der Kreml gibt sich im Ukraine-Krieg verhandlungsbereit und schiebt die Schuld für mangelnde Fortschritte bei den Gesprächen auf Brüssel und Kiew.

There is evidence of extrajudicial killings, disappearances and the concealment of bodies, 17 embassies say.

Namibia has built up large stockpiles of rhino horn after pioneering the practice of cutting them off to deter poachers.

Ex-cyclist Zeragaber Gebrehiwot, who attended the 1980 Moscow Games, is among 13 released from a notorious jail.

South Africa extend head coach Rassie Erasmus' contract until the end of the 2031 Rugby World Cup.

The US president hopes that a peace deal will pave the way for greater American investment in the resource-rich region.

Kenya becomes the first African country to secure US health funding since cuts to foreign aid by Trump.

Kenya becomes the first African country to secure US health funding since cuts to foreign aid by Trump.

The UN General Assembly in session. Credit: UN Photo/Manuel Elias

By Anwarul Chowdhury
NEW YORK, Dec 5 2025 (IPS)

From its inception, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) has been engaged in improving its working methods, mindful of, as early as in 1949, “… the increasing length of General Assembly sessions, and of the growing tendency towards protracted debates”.

Since the leadership of legendary Ambassador Samir Shihabi of Saudi Arabia as President of the General Assembly (PGA) during the 46th session in 1991 and thereafter, the Assembly’s agenda has included a dedicated item on the revitalization of the work of the Assembly and its Main Committees.

Since the 60th session in 2005, under the guidance of its articulate and forward-looking President, Ambassador Jan Eliasson of Sweden, the Assembly has established the Ad Hoc Working Group on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. Its mandate was to “to identify ways to further enhance the role, authority, effectiveness and efficiency of the General Assembly”.

Till now, more than 200 outcomes have been recorded in 30 different areas. The incumbent President of the landmark 80th session, Annalena Baerbock of Germany has now taken the initiative to move forward substantively on this perennial exercise of the world’s most universal multilateral body.

Election of a Woman as the Next Secretary-General

I would strongly suggest that her forward-looking leadership would restore the operational credibility of the United Nations by including in its revitalization exercise the role of the Secretary-General, facilitating the election of a woman as the next Secretary-General, transparency of the UN’s budgetary processes, addressing the current and future liquidity crises, and meaningful inclusivity of civil society in the Assembly’s work.

The role, functions and leadership of the Secretary-General need special attention of the Assembly as the appointing authority. The 75th PGA in 2020 Volkan Bozkir has rightly identified that “the Secretary-General is the engine and the transmission system”.

It is unfortunate that questions have been raised about the reticence of the Secretary-General in getting his hands dirty and in getting more proactively involved in and in mobilizing his senior management team towards ending the ongoing global conflicts and wars and promoting peace and reconciliation.

In a recent op-ed, a former UNICEF Deputy Executive Director and a longtime UN watcher Kul Chandra Gautam even exhorted the SG “not to hide behind the glasshouse at Turtle Bay and go beyond invisible subtle diplomacy to more visible shuttle diplomacy.”

After choosing nine men successively to be the world’s topmost diplomat, I strongly believe that the United Nations should have the sanity and sagacity of electing a woman as its next Secretary-General.

In its resolution A/79/372 adopted as recently as on 5 September this year, the Assembly in its paragraph 42(c) says that “ Noting with regret that no woman has ever held the position of Secretary-General, encourages Member States to strongly consider nominating women as candidates” and it also asserted in its paragraph 42(k) that “The Secretary General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council, in accordance with Article 97 of the Charter”.

The same resolution (79/327) committed the UNGA “ … to the continued implementation of … its resolution 76/262 of 26 April 2022 on the veto initiative, to enhance the work of the General Assembly, taking into account its role on matters related to the maintenance of international peace and security …”. In the current exercise, this area, of course, needs further attention and elaboration.

Transparency and accountability are essential in the budget processes of the UN.

Two other areas which need more scrutiny are extra budgetary resources received from Member States and consultancy practices including budgetary allocations for that by the Organization. Special attention in these areas is needed to restore the UN’s credibility and thereby effectiveness and efficiency for the benefit of the humanity as a whole.

Future financial and Liquidity crises

Tough decisions needed to avoid future financial and liquidity crises needed genuine engagement by all sides, yes, ALL sides, in particular the major “assessed” contributors.

Peacekeeping operations also face increasing liquidity pressure as the outstanding contributions for that area are reported to be $3.16 billion. These accumulations have been building up for some years. Why was no extra effort made by all sides well ahead of time to avoid the recurrent panic about the Organization’s liquidity crises?

Today’s financial and liquidity crisis is not caused by recent withholding of payments by a few major contributors for political reasons. Outstanding contributions for UN’s regular budget reached $2.27 billion last month.

At the UN, though the “process is an intergovernmental one and thereby Member States-driven”, absence of civil society involvement would seriously undermine the role and contribution of “We the Peoples …”. PGA Bozkir asserted that “civil society is the pillar of democracy, and we must, after some time, find a way that civil society is (re)presented here”.

Enhancing the UN’s credibility

Also, I am of the opinion that a formalized and mandated involvement of and genuine consultation with the civil society would enhance the UN’s credibility. The UN leadership and Member States should work diligently on that without fail for a decision by the on-going 80th session of the General Assembly.

Under the bold, upbeat and clear-sighted leadership of the incumbent PGA Annalena Baerbock whose proactive and forward-looking role has already drawn wide appreciative attention, the international community needs to wish her best of luck in this very important endeavor to revitalize the apex body of most universal multilateral entity – the UN General Assembly – in a positive way.

For that, now is the time to discuss and to decide on the urgent, focused and meaningful areas of action. The UN’s long-drawn revitalization efforts in reality should not end again in the repetitive regularity of an omnibus of redundancy.

Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury is former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations; Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN; Initiator of the UNSCR 1325 as the President of the UN Security Council in March 2000; Chairman of the UN General Assembly’s Main Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Matters and Founder of the Global Movement for The Cultural of Peace (GMCoP

IPS UN Bureau

 

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