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Sei einiger Zeit war es ungewöhnlich ruhig um Durek Verrett, den Ehemann von Prinzessin Märtha Louise von Norwegen. Jetzt äussert sich der selbsternannte Sex-Schamane erstmals zum Epstein-Skandal rund um seine Schwägerin Kronprinzessin Mette-Marit.

Uganda has some of the strictest anti-homosexual laws in the world.

A delegation of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), led by Committee Chair David McAllister (EPP, Germany), visited Podgorica and Tirana from 16 to 18 February.
The visit enabled AFET MEPs to evaluate the state of play of accession negotiations and outstanding reform priorities in each country and reaffirm Parliament's commitment to supporting both countries on their European paths.
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

A delegation of nine Members from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by Marta Temido, (S&D, Portugal), visited Belgrade on 23 January. During the visit MEPs met with representatives of the government and the National Assembly, political parties from both the majority and the opposition, as well as with representatives of media, civil society, think tanks, academia and students.
The delegation visit took place as a follow-up to EP resolution on Serbia adopted on 22 October 2025, asking ''to assess, on the ground, the state of democracy, the ongoing protests, attacks on demonstrators and repression targeting students, academics, educators and public-sector employees''.
Press release
Mission report
Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Par Christophe Solioz
2026, année Kosovel. La Slovénie commémore le 100e anniversaire de la mort de ce poète voyageant aux frontières de l'indicible, la poésie pour seule patrie. Découverte en compagnie du poète et écrivain Marc Alyn (1937-2025) et des livres de Srečko Kosovel : Ouvert. Pensées et poèmes choisis et le livre culte Les indicibles traduit fin 2025 en français.
Étoile filante d'une poésie fulgurante, Srečko Kosovel (1904-1926) vécut pour l'essentiel non loin de Trieste, au (…)

- Lire et écrire les Balkans. Out of the box • le blog de Christophe Solioz / Slovénie, Culture et éducation

Die Elefantenkuh Indi im Zoo Zürich erwartet nach 19 Monaten Trächtigkeit Nachwuchs. Das Elefantenbaby wird zwischen Ende April und Anfang Juni erwartet. Vater ist der 21-jährige Elefantenbulle Thai, Indi gilt als erfahrene Mutter.

Die Ukraine greift eine Raketen-Fabrik in Wotkinsk, 1300 Kilometer östlich der Ukraine, mit FP-5 «Flamingo» Marschflugkörpern an. Der «Flamingo» ist über zwölf Meter lang und wurde 2025 erstmals der Öffentlichkeit vorgestellt.

Während seiner Ehe mit Melinda French Gates hatte Microsoft-Gründer Bill Gates offenbar Affären mit zwei Russinnen. Dies soll er laut dem «Wall Street Journal» zugegeben haben. Er betont: «Ich habe nichts Illegales gemacht.»

Telex.hu: A Tisza Párt a teljes szavazókorú népességben 11 százalékponttal vezet a Fidesz előtt, a választani tudó biztos szavazók körében pedig már a 20 százalékpontot is elérte az előnye, 55-35 az állás – írja a HVG a Medián kutatása alapján. A pártot választani tudók körében 13 százalékpont a különbség. Míg a Tisza szimpatizánsai közül szinte mindenki (97%) biztosra állítja, hogy részt fog venni az áprilisi választásokon, addig a fideszesek csak 85%-a biztos a részvételében.

Der Titel der amerikanischen Eishockeymannschaft hat für den Verteidiger Zach Werenski einen ganz besonderen Wert. Im Jahr 2024 verlor er seinen Freund Johnny Gaudreau, der in Mailand hätte spielen können. Werenski hat Gaudreau nicht vergessen.

Russland reaktiviert alte Panzer aus Sowjetzeiten. Wegen massiver Verluste und erschöpfter Ressourcen sollen die alten Maschinen modernisiert und wieder einsatzfähig gemacht werden. Bis 2036 könnten es laut Berichten 2000 neue Panzer sein.

Cover photo of the new UNESCO report, Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity. Credit: Diana Ejaita/UNESCO

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 25 2026 (IPS)

As generative artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly expands across nearly every sector of society, those that work in cultural and creative industries are expected to bear some of the greatest losses. With AI-generated content projected to dominate global markets in the coming years, combined with a lack of strong regulatory frameworks to protect intellectual property and AI’s ability to produce content quickly at a low cost, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warns that generative AI may become a major driver of inequality, threatening the livelihoods of millions of cultural workers around the world.

“It is no longer sufficient to simply celebrate the potential of digital tools,” said Lodovico Folin-Calabi, Director of the UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels and UNESCO Representation to the European Union.“We must critically examine how these technologies are deployed, who is designing them, and whose voices are represented or excluded in their development.”

On February 18, UNESCO released the latest edition of its flagship report, Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity, examining how digital transformation and emerging technologies are reshaping the global cultural landscape. Drawing on data from more than 120 countries, the report highlights the growing impact of artificial intelligence, changing global trade dynamics, and increasing pressures on artistic freedom. UNESCO calls on governments, international institutions, and technology platforms to strengthen policy frameworks to prevent widening inequalities and protect the rights and livelihoods of creators, presenting a roadmap of more than 8,100 policy measures.

The report emphasizes that while emerging digital technologies offer new opportunities for innovation and provide artists with tools to expand their reach and streamline creative production, they have also deepened existing inequalities and made economic success increasingly uncertain. It projects that generative AI could lead to global revenue losses of up to 24 percent for music creators and 21 percent for audiovisual creators by 2028. These losses are compounded by artists’ growing reliance on digital income streams, which now account for nearly 35 percent of their earnings—marking a 17 percent increase from 2018.

As digital technologies become more integral to artists’ livelihoods, the rise of AI-generated content, increased risks of intellectual property infringement, and ongoing market volatility may make it even more difficult for cultural workers to remain sustainable. In recent years, streaming platforms and content curation systems have shifted to prioritize specific forms of content from popular creators, leaving smaller, lesser-known creators with far fewer opportunities for exposure or success.

“I think emerging artists struggle more than established artists with the rise of AI,” said Kiersten Beh, a traditional illustrator based in New Jersey. “Senior artists—especially freelance ones—already know how to promote themselves and get their work out there, and many of them have built strong relationships with clients over time. I fear that as an emerging artist, I don’t have these connections yet and instead find myself competing with AI directly.”

The report also underscores persistent gaps in how countries protect artists and their work. Only 61 percent of the countries surveyed were found to have adequate frameworks in place to safeguard artistic freedom and prevent intellectual property infringement from AI.

While approximately 85 percent of countries included cultural and creative sectors in their national development plans, just 56 percent outlined specific cultural objectives, highlighting a clear disconnect between broad commitments and concrete action. Furthermore, only 37 percent of the countries surveyed reported having measures to support cultural workers operating in environments entrenched in political instability, prolonged conflict, or displacement.

“We, international organizations, states, artists, and humanity in general, must stand together in ensuring that AI does not limit the rights of everyone who wants to be involved in artistic creativity,” said Alexandra Xanthaki, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights. “This includes not only artists, but anyone who wants to take part in artistic life.”

These challenges are particularly pronounced in the Global South, where artists face heightened risks tied to technological barriers and widening digital divides. The report notes that essential digital skills are held by approximately 67 percent of people in developed countries, compared with just 28 percent in developing nations. Additionally, only 48 percent of surveyed countries have developed systems to track the consumption of digital cultural content.

Colombian independent expert Viviana Rangel emphasized these imbalances when speaking to UNESCO in October 2025. “Our region doesn’t produce this kind of technology–it consumes it. This places us in a more vulnerable position against the unintended effects of these technologies in the cultural field,” she said, adding that AI systems often sideline the perspectives and inputs of artists in the Global South.

Meanwhile, support for vulnerable artists remains significantly inconsistent and underfunded, leaving many exposed to emerging risks such as digital surveillance and algorithmic bias. Direct public funding for cultural sectors remains strikingly low – below 0.6 percent of the global GDP – and is projected to decline further in the coming years.

Additionally, progress toward ensuring universal support for cultural workers remains uneven, with a pronounced gender gap affecting female artists. Although the share of women leading cultural institutions worldwide has increased from 31 percent in 2017 to 46 percent in 2024, significant disparities persist: women hold 64 percent of leadership roles in developed countries, compared to just 30 percent in developing nations. Moreover, entrenched policy frameworks continue to position women primarily as cultural consumers rather than recognizing and supporting them as creators and leaders.

Achieving a sustainable future for artists and cultural workers in the age of AI will require more than technological adaptation–it demands equitable policy reform and coordinated global action. Through its latest report, UNESCO calls for renewed investment, a more balanced market, and stronger collaborative measures between governments, institutions, and industry leaders to safeguard artistic freedom and ensure that creative work remains a viable livelihood. The agency further stresses that creativity must continue to serve as a vital source of economic opportunity, cultural diversity, and social cohesion in a rapidly digitizing world.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Haftungsausschluss : Die Verdolmetschung der Debatten soll die Kommunikation erleichtern, sie stellt jedoch keine authentische Aufzeichnung der Debatten dar. Authentisch sind nur die Originalfassungen der Reden bzw. ihre überprüften schriftlichen Übersetzungen.
Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2026 - EP

Result of the General Assembly vote on the draft resolution "Support for lasting peace in Ukraine" adopted during the emergency special session. 24 February 2026 Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UN is marked the day with high-level debate and renewed calls to end the war - including in the General Assembly which passed a resolution reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Credit: UN Photo/Manuel Elías

By Philippe Leclerc
GENEVA, Feb 25 2026 (IPS)

After surviving the harshest winter in a decade, millions of displaced Ukrainians are confronting a growing crisis marked by hardship and ongoing attacks as peace prospects remain distant.

Inside Ukraine, repeated attacks on housing, energy systems and essential services throughout the winter left millions without heating or electricity for prolonged periods. While temperatures are slowly rising, the damage remains. An estimated 10.8 million people inside the country need humanitarian assistance in 2026, and 3.7 million are internally displaced.

At the same time, 5.9 million Ukrainians remain refugees abroad. Across Europe, host countries have provided protection and opportunities at an unprecedented scale, giving refugees access to education, healthcare and employment. This has helped millions regain stability and contribute to host communities.

As the war continues, however, more is needed to support refugees from a displacement crisis with no clear end. Alongside Temporary Protection, States should explore options for alternative arrangements for longer stay. These can bring stability for the most vulnerable in particular, for whom return may not be immediately possible even after the war.

Evidence shows that meaningful inclusion delivers results and refugees significantly boost host country economies. In Poland, analysis by UNHCR and Deloitte showed that Ukrainian refugees’ net impact amounted to 2.7 per cent of the Polish GDP, in 2024. With increased language training and wider recognition of credentials, access to decent work and self-reliance can improve for refugees across the region.

Inside Ukraine, communities continue to repair homes, restore services and rebuild livelihoods, with the support of UNHCR and NGO partners. But after four years of war, resilience has limits. Sustained humanitarian assistance remains essential, alongside scaled-up recovery and reconstruction support to prevent further displacement and enable safe conditions for return.

When conditions allow, gradual and voluntary returns will be critical for Ukraine’s recovery. UNHCR is working with the Government and partners to restore people’s documents, support rehabilitation of social infrastructure and repair war-damaged homes. UNHCR also works with partners to analyse refugees’ intentions, forecast return movements and support Ukraine’s recovery planning.

Since the start of the full-scale war, UNHCR and partners have supported 10 million people with emergency aid, protection services and psychosocial support. In 2026, UNHCR plans to assist a further 2 million people inside the country, subject to sufficient funding. Across the region, UNHCR and partners are supporting 1.7 million refugees and the States hosting them, with a focus on inclusion and self-reliance.

As winter fades, the humanitarian crisis does not. We must support the people of Ukraine with humanitarian relief and recovery inside the country, and with safety and self-reliance abroad.

Philippe Leclerc is UNHCR’s Regional Director for Europe and Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Ukraine Situation

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Der Solothurner Gemeinderat hat ein Paket mit verschiedenen Sicherheitsmassnahmen verabschiedet. Die Stadt setzt auf eine Kombination aus Polizeipräsenz, sozialer Unterstützung und Zusammenarbeit mit Kanton, SBB und Region.

Das Konjunkturbarometer des Deutschen Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW Berlin) macht im Februar einen Sprung auf 101,6 Punkte. Damit liegt das Barometer fast sieben Punkte über dem Januar-Wert und erstmals seit knapp drei Jahren wieder über der neutralen 100-Punkte-Marke, die ein ...

Zwei mutmassliche Diebe sind am Dienstagabend in Brugg AG gefasst worden. Sie waren kurz zuvor von einer Überwachungskamera eines Einfamilienhauses dabei gefilmt worden, wie sie sich an einem parkierten Auto zu schaffen machten.

Steve Rosenberg rend compte des conséquences économiques de la guerre menée par la Russie et de la manière dont les gens font face à la situation.

Felújítják az érsekújvári Majzon teret. A Közbeszerzési Hivatal (ÚVO) közlönyében leírtak szerint a projekt célja a vízmegtartó rendszerek kiépítése, és zöldfelületek kialakítása.

Auf die Olympia-Schlussfeier vom vergangenen Sonntag folgen keine Woche später die nächsten Speedrennen im Weltcup. Zuletzt war es Lara Gut-Behrami, die in Soldeu überzeugte, nun jedoch verletzt fehlt. Kann eine Schweizerin die Lücke füllen?