Africa

Seven men from Ghana were "burnt beyond recognition" after Islamists raided the town they were travelling through.

Seven men from Ghana were "burnt beyond recognition" after Islamists raided the town they were travelling through.

Für mehr als eine Milliarde Muslime weltweit beginnt der Fastenmonat. Während des Ramadans sollen gläubige Moslems zwischen Sonnenaufgang und Sonnenuntergang auf Essen und Trinken verzichten. Schwangere, kranke oder alte Menschen und Kinder sind ausgenommen.

Authorities say they have put in place contingency measures as a labour dispute affects travel.

The authorities say a growing number of citizens are being illegally recruited to fight elsewhere.

In the latest newsletter of the Elders, Helen Clark reflects on Davos, President Trump’s Board of Peace, and the urgency of pushing back against “might is right.”

By Helen Clark
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Feb 16 2026 (IPS)

2026 has begun on a deeply troubling note. International law, long regarded as the backbone of global peace and security, is being challenged in ever more brazen ways. Core principles of sovereignty and restraint are being flagrantly breached.

I have recently returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos, where President Trump unveiled his new Board of Peace. The UN Security Council had originally endorsed such a board to oversee the administration of Gaza ad interim. There, despite the declared ceasefire, the humanitarian situation remains critical and Palestinian civilians are still being killed by the occupying military on a near-daily basis.

But what was unveiled at Davos suggests something more worrying. There is not a single mention of Gaza in the charter of the announced board. It appeared to be positioned as an alternative to the UN Security Council.

Among the invited members of the Board of Peace are two indicted by the International Criminal Court. There is a $1 billion price tag for permanent membership of the Board. This is not a proper way to run international affairs. A Board of Peace should remain wholly and urgently focused on the continued crisis in Gaza as provided for in the Security Council’s time-limited mandate.

The framing of the Board of Peace is just one more challenge to a multilateral system whose legitimacy was already being questioned for many reasons.

The UN Charter is in its 81st year. The structures it established, particularly the Security Council, still reflect the world of 1945 rather than that of 2026. The abuse of the veto by permanent members – particularly when this shields violations of international law – has also been profoundly damaging to its credibility.

This has been evident, for example, in repeated use of the veto by Russia to block resolutions on Ukraine and by the USA to block resolutions on Israel-Palestine. Reform of the Security Council is both necessary and overdue. It has been achieved before – with meaningful change in 1965, and it must be achieved again.

At the Munich Security Conference last week, we engaged with decision-makers on how best to navigate a changing world order. I agree with Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada that recent developments signal a serious rupture of the international order we have known. Countries of all sizes must act together to reject a world governed by raw power, and to safeguard a future grounded in international law.

The Elders will speak out against any attempt to override international law with a doctrine of “might is right”. We will reaffirm and defend an international order rooted in shared values and principles.

This is a moment of choice. Either the international community allows the values that have long underpinned global cooperation to erode through division and sabotage, or it comes together to defend and renew them.

Helen Clark is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008 and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from 2009 to 2017

Source: The Elders’ monthly newsletter.

The Elders is an international non-governmental organisation of public figures noted as senior statesmen, peace activists and human rights advocates, who were brought together by former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela in 2007.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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A female merchant in Bangkok using her phone as part of her business. Digital technology is a key accelerator of trade growth. Credit: Pexels/Faheem Ahamad

By Witada Anukoonwattaka, Yann Duval, Nikita Shahu and Niccolo Sainati
BANGKOK, Thailand, Feb 16 2026 (IPS)

Trade in the Asia-Pacific region has moved into a new strategic reality. The latest Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Trends (APTIT) highlights that rapid technological change and a strategic reconfiguration of supply chains are reshaping how economies in the region trade and compete.

Rather than pursuing cost efficiency alone, firms and governments are increasingly prioritizing supply chain resilience, diversification and digital readiness. These forces are altering export performance, changing the geography of trade, and accelerating the rise of digitally driven goods and services across the region

Digital-led trade growth

Export performance reflected this adjustment. Regional export growth slowed sharply from 7.9% in 2024 to 3.3% in 2025 (Figure 1). Additionally, persistent price compression, driven by weak global demand, excess supply and falling commodity prices, pushed the region’s share of global exports down to 39%, extending a decline underway since 2021.

Across subregions, gaps widened. Growth is increasingly concentrated among economies able to capitalize on digital opportunities. South-East Asia and East and North-East Asia outperformed in merchandise trade, supported by their expanding roles in semiconductors, AI-related hardware and advanced digital equipment.

By contrast, exports contracted in South and South-West Asia, where traditional industries remain the backbone of export structures.

A similar pattern emerged in services. In 2025, services exports rose by 5.4%, led overwhelmingly by digitally deliverable services such as ICT, telecommunications, computer services, and business and financial services. These are the functions that enable multinode production, data flows and the coordination of increasingly complex supply networks.

Traditional services such as travel and transport continued to grow but at a slower pace. East and North-East Asia again led regional services’ export expansion.

A shifting geography of trade

The geography of trade is also evolving. For goods, geopolitical risk mitigation is playing a larger role in determining trade routes and partners. Intraregional merchandise trade remains significant with 53% exports and 56% imports, but its share edged down in 2025 as businesses diversified toward extra-regional markets.

Export shares to the European Union and the rest of the world increased, while the United States became a rising destination for most subregions, with the exception of those most directly affected by geopolitical tensions.

Services trade remains more global, with only about 21% of services exports occurring within the region. However, ESCAP analyses point to gradually strengthening intraregional linkages. South-East Asia, for instance, has been redirecting a growing share of its services exports toward East and North-East Asia, reflecting that intra-regional demand for digital coordination functions is increasing within the services trade networks.

Outlook for 2026: Slower growth, higher uncertainty

Looking ahead, the outlook for 2026 remains cautious. Merchandise export volume growth is projected at around 0.6%. Developed economies’ exports are expected to contract by about 1.5% due to their exposure to high-tech supply chains under geopolitical strain and weaker demand in major markets.

Developing Asian economies may show more resilience, but outcomes will hinge on China’s performance and the strength of global technological demand.

Services trade is expected to remain comparatively steady. Digitally deliverable services, especially ICT, computer and business services are likely to continue driving growth. Travel and transport may see gradual improvement, but several risk factors, including policy and regulatory uncertainty in digital trade, climate-related disruptions and increasing compliance burdens for MSMEs, cloud the outlook.

A structural shift, not a temporary distortion

Together, these developments point to a structural transformation in the region’s trade rather than a temporary cycle. On the goods side, firms are reengineering supply chains to build resilience by diversifying markets, relocating stages of production and increasing the share of intermediate goods destined for assembly closer to end markets in the European Union and the United States.

Yet this transition remains delicate: volumes have slowed, margins are compressed, and the region’s global export share continues to slip.

On the services side, digitalization is reshaping growth patterns. The strong growth of ICT, communications, computer and business services reflects the expanding role in supplying digital services, such as data management, logistics platforms and remote business services that keep modern supply chains running

For Asia and the Pacific, particularly its developing economies, future gains will depend on pairing digital transformation with practical resilience strategies. ESCAP’s analyses drawing on RDTII and RIVA point to areas that deserve policymakers’ attention: persistent digital trade regulatory complexity and increasingly dense value chain connections that allow disruptions to spread widely.

These trends underscore the importance of strengthening digital trade cooperation, as well as building resilient logistics and trade facilitation systems to keep intermediate goods moving reliably along supply chains. In this context, increasing participation by countries in the regional UN treaty on facilitation of cross-border paperless trade is a welcome development.

Witada Anukoonwattaka is Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP; Yann Duval is Chief, Trade Policy and Facilitation Section, ESCAP, Nikita Shahu is Consultant, ESCAP, Niccolo Sainati is Intern, ESCAP.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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By 9 a.m. on a Wednesday, Hawa Hussein Farah is already watching the temperature climb. Awake since 6 a.m., she has prepared her three children for school before walking them to class and heading to Suuq Mugdi, an open-air market in Garissa town, to buy the fruit she will sell. When she settles into her […]

Der Teletext, ein Schweizer Info-Dino aus den 1980ern, zieht täglich 800'000 Nutzer an. Trotz digitaler Alternativen und SRG-Sparmassnahmen bleibt er dank Übersichtlichkeit und Barrierefreiheit ein Erfolg. Doch wie lange noch?

Catia Martins (25) aus Merligen BE wurde sexuell belästigt – an ihrem Arbeitsplatz. Passiert ist der Vorfall in einem Altersheim am Thunersee, während ihrer Probezeit. Anstatt Unterstützung erhielt sie von ihren Vorgesetzten üble Vorwürfe.

In Zusammenarbeit mit blue Sport präsentiert Blick die Highlights der Partie Servette – Lausanne (3:3).

Le nouveau conseil communal de Pobè a été installé ce dimanche 15 février 2026, avec le maire et ses adjoints.

Le nouvel exécutif de la commune de Pobè a été installé ce dimanche 15 février 2026. Clément Kouchadé a été porté à la tête de la commune.

Come Zinsou Koukpo occupe désormais le poste de premier adjoint au maire, tandis qu'Ibouraima Balogoun est deuxième adjoint.

La commune de Dangbo dispose d'un nouvel exécutif communal depuis dimanche 15 février 2026, à l'issue de l'installation du maire et de ses adjoints.

Hyacinthe Jesugnon Agon a été désigné ce dimanche maire de Dangbo. Il sera épaulé par David Bogninou, premier adjoint au maire, et par Paul Togbe, deuxième adjoint.

A Boukoumbé, ce dimanche 15 février 2026, le maire et ses adjoints ont été officiellement installés par le préfet dudépartement.

Ludovic Nambi a été désigné maire de la commune de Boukoumbé. Il travaillera aux côtés de Koupetah N'tcha Kouagou, premier adjoint au maire, et de Mathias Matadona Natta, nommé deuxième adjoint.

La commune de Tchaourou a installé, dimanche 15 février 2026, son nouvel exécutif communal à l'issue des élections communales du 11 janvier 2026.

Rafiou Owotche est installé ce dimanche au poste de maire de la commune de Tchaourou. Il est secondé dans ses fonctions par Sidic Ibrahim Yarou, premier adjoint au maire, et par Sani Tchabi Salifou, désigné deuxième adjoint.

Les conseils communaux d'Akpro-Missérété, de Sinendé et Klouèkanmè issus des élections du 11 janvier dernier ont été officiellement installés dimanche 15 février 2026, consacrant l'entrée en fonction des nouveaux exécutifs.

À Akpro-Missérété, Joseph Hounkanrin a été désigné maire lors de la séance d'installation du conseil communal. Casimir Koudjo occupe le poste de premier adjoint au maire, et Barthélémy Adigbonon celui de deuxième adjoint. Le nouvel exécutif a été installé, dimanche 15 février 2026.

Dans la commune de Sinendé, les conseillers ont porté leur choix sur Issifou Yacoubou comme maire. Machoudou Koto devient premier adjoint au maire et Adam Fousseni Zakari deuxième adjoint.

À Klouèkanmè, Lonlonto Gilchriste Dayalor a été installé au poste de maire. Il sera épaulé par Honfin Gabriel Togbevi, premier adjoint, et Dieudonné Gbedjekan, deuxième adjoint au maire.
M. M.

Après les élections communales du 11 janvier dernier, le Bénin amorce une nouvelle phase de gouvernance locale avec l'installation des conseils communaux. Débutée le 14 février, l'installation s'est poursuivie ce dimanche 15 février 2026.

LES 72 MAIRES DEJA INSTALLES

1- Ségbana : Abdoul Razack Kora

2- Ouinhi : Bernard Zannou

3- Grand-Popo : Carlos Ayité

4- Toffo : Marguerite Agbanze

5- Kalalé : Garba Say Abdouwahabou

6- Zangnanado : Damase Akpoyete

7- Ouèssè : Romain Ayedoun

8- Comè : Edgar Tohouégnon

9- Covè : Auguste Aïhunhin

10- Bopa : Abel Djossou

11- Bohicon : BOKOSSA Ferdinand

12- Ouidah : Christian Houétchénou

13- Kérou : Wari Brisso Pierre

14- Allada : Gnanguenon Calixte

15- Glazoué : Agbaka Ogoutchoni Dieudonné

16- Djidja : Katakenon Martin

17- Lalo : Georges Ekpé

18- Banikoara : Bio Ali Sabi Goré

19- Kouandé : Sabi Dan Bienvenu

20- Savè : Rafiou Challa

21- Zogbodomey : Houesse Daniel

22- Aguégués : Agbokoumissi Ernest

23- Athiémé : François Assou

24- Houéyogbé : Casimir Sossa

25- Adjohoun : Félicien Hounkanrin

26- Toviklin : TCHIKPE Eskil

27- Natitingou : Ouindeyama Taté

28- Sèmè-Kpodji : SINGBO Thomas

29- Bembèrèkè : Lafia Moussa

30- Nikki : Roland Joseph Lafia

31- Za-Kpota : Marc Ahossouboko

32- Kpomassè : Kenam Mensah

33- Abomey : Franck Kpassassi

34 - Toucountouna : Saï Patricia Ponna

35- Agbangnizoun : Oscar Clétus Kouholi

36- N'dali : Daouda Saka Méré

37- Cotonou : Luc Gnancadja

38- Dassa-Zoumè : Lawin Okry Kadukpè Armand

39- Djougou : Yaya Idriss ou

40- Bassila : TASSOU ZAKARI Filikibirou

41- Lokossa : Hounza John

42- Tanguiéta : Noma Aboubakar

43- Akpro-Missérété : HOUNKANRIN Joseph

44- Sinendé : Issifou Yacoubou

45- Klouékanmè : Lonlonto G. Dayalor

46- Dangbo : Hyacinthe Agon

47- Matéri : Kassa Robert

48- Savalou : Houedo François

49- Zè : Agbatri Armando Paolo GBANDE

50- Parakou : Zakarie Zul-Kifly

51- Aplahoué : Hyppolite Natabou

52- Cobly : Gnanyati Alphonse

53- Tchaourou : Rafiou Owotchè

54- Dogbo : Ako Dodji

55- Porto-Novo : Toukourou Rachadou

56- Bantè : Fatchéhoun Daniel

57- Sô-Ava : André Todjè

58- Abomey-Calavi : Nathanaël Koty

59- Ouaké : Maharane Zacari

60- Pobè : Clément Kouchadé

61- Copargo : Idrissou Séibou

62- Boukoumbé : Ludovic Nambi

63- Avrankou : Ganhoutodé Gabriel

64- Djakotomey : Sokégbé Ulrich

65- Adjara : Germain Wanvoégbè

66- Pèrèrè : Mama Chabi Abdou Arouna

67- Kandi : Alazi Osséni Saka Zinatou

68- Malanville : Labo Goumbi Kassim

69- Tori-Bossito : Cosme Ayao Akondé

70- Péhounco : Orou Maré Koto

71- Bonou : Emmanuel Zounmènou

72- Kétou : Adégnika Angélique Titiloya

Armed men shot locals dead, set homes alight and abducted an "undetermined" number of people in Niger State.

Ghana has called on Russia to extradite the man, who is accused of recording sexual encounters without consent.

Die Schweiz rückt ins Rampenlicht: In Genf wird diese Woche an zwei Top-Treffen über die Ukraine und über den Iran verhandelt. Wir sagen, was die Gespräche so hoffnungsvoll macht.