Governments scramble to bring citizens home during travel chaos caused by Iran war  AP News

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) reported that only ten local governments have announced competitions for co-financing media content projects in public information, after the legal deadline expired, leaving many without such opportunities.

The airline and tourism industries were looking for clues and struggling to contain the fallout from the escalating U.S.-Israeli war on Iran as governments worked on bringing tens...

Experts warn that governments must act drastically now.

A suspected CIA-funded publication in Asia recently asked where all the Chinese wolf warriors have gone. It was referring to those supposedly rude envoys who harangued the governments of their host countries and foreign ministry spokespeople who confronted foreign reporters at news conferences. Well, Beijing reined them in long ago. But US President Donald Trump has unleashed his own. Open hostility towards host countries and their peoples seems to be a job requirement in Washington for a US...

Local governments in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province are set to continue functioning beyond their official expiry date, with a committee considering the stance of nominated members.

Several EU governments are resisting accelerated accession talks with Ukraine, citing concerns over reforms, governance and corruption.

AIRA LABS, an AI firm endorsed by Leni Robredo, has launched its AI 'Command Center' in Naga, Philippines, aiming to enable local governments to operate on real-time data.

The rapid rollout of datacenters across the US is creating a divide between municipal governments and residents Wilmington, Ohio, resident Quintin Koger Kidd was so concerned last June with his local public officials’ alleged misdoings – open meeting violations and other discrepancies – that he filed a complaint in court to have the mayor and city council members removed from their posts. When Koger Kidd later heard that the city supported plans by Amazon Web Services to build a $4bn datacent...

Ahead of China’s annual legislative meetings – typically a window into Beijing’s top-level policy agenda – this is the fifth entry in a series examining the complex economic recalibration driving China’s growth philosophy and its wide-ranging implications for local governments, financial investors and private enterprises. Chinese government and industry officials are likely to discuss plans to control domestic electric-vehicle (EV) makers’ output, while encouraging them to prioritise...

Piotr Krzystek, President of Szczecin, states that local government finances are unstable, as algorithms used by the finance minister are often adjusted to the state budget's capabilities, making local governments heavily reliant on state transfers rather than their own income.

Speakers at SRMIST-The Hindu webinar call for need to preserve Constitution’s basic essence, reforming Governor’s role, and safeguarding free speech

The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, the Provincial Secretariat in Vojvodina, and 120 local self-governments have announced 135 competitions for project co-financing of media content, according to the Unified Information System database.

Some others have stopped short of declaring a clear stance, except for a few governments such as Spain, Brazil, China and Russia. The post What world leaders are saying about US, Israel’s war with Iran  appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.

The president of the Red Cross has urged the governments of Kabul and Islamabad to exercise restraint amidst ongoing tensions.

The move is aimed at retaining human resources amid unabated population outflow to bigger cities.

Geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions have pushed global trade back into the spotlight, as governments rethink how dependent they are on foreign goods. The post 10 happiest countries in the world appeared first on Vanguard News.

The chairman of the Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region argues for empowering local governments to restore public trust in the state, noting a probable increase in the shadow economy.

A Polish court has ruled that local governments can legally impose restrictions, including limits on operating hours for restaurant gardens, within cultural parks to mitigate noise and protect the cultural landscape.

Copper has become scarce and expensive due to high demand from electric vehicles, data centers, and ammunition production, leading to increased theft and discussions among governments about creating emergency stockpiles.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to immediately cease hostilities and begin diplomatic talks to resolve their disputes.

Katsina State’s commissioner confirms local governments have 100% autonomy, citing increased federal allocations from recent reforms for improved finances. Read More: https://punchng.com/katsina-lgs-operate-100-autonomy-says-commissioner/

An article argues that governments often use exceptional individual success stories to create a false sense that the system is functioning well, when in reality, these stories distract from broader systemic problems.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has urged businesses and governments to prepare for significant job disruption caused by artificial intelligence, emphasizing the need to address potential job losses proactively.

British Instagram will notify parents of any suicide searches by their teenage children. More specifically, as pressure on governments to follow...

Instagram said it would notify parents if their teenager repeatedly searches for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period, as pressure grows for governments to follow Australia’s ban on the use of social media for under 16s. Britain said in January it was considering restrictions to protect children online, after Australia’s move […]

US President Donald Trump is seeking the extradition of two drug lords from the governments of Colombia and Venezuela.

The costs associated with excessive alcohol consumption in Poland could reach over 100 billion PLN by 2026, according to 'Rzeczpospolita' estimates. More local governments are implementing measures to combat this issue, with varying results across cities.

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Polish local governments face numerous challenges including security, funding, education, healthcare, demographic changes, and energy transition, prompting questions about reform.

MEP Michael Gahler suggests that if Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is not re-elected, the governments of Slovakia and the Czech Republic, led by Fico and Babis, would be less likely to oppose the European Union's policy toward Ukraine.

Many schools and kindergartens across Poland are facing liquidation due to a decreasing number of students, with local governments expected to make final decisions by the end of February, despite protests from parents.

Following the violent death of a right-wing extremist, the French government announced its determination to dissolve violent groups, also in response to concerns from foreign governments.

A new race to secure critical minerals is unfolding across the global economy.

Former Minister of State for Science and Technology and the Abia State Renewed Hope Ambassador, Chief Henry Ikoh, has said that far-reaching economic reforms introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have ended the era when state governments borrowed to pay workers’ salaries. The post Under Tinubu, govs no longer borrow to pay salaries — Ex-Minister Ikoh appeared first on Vanguard News.

An article discusses the concept of privatizing governance and whether cities can exist without traditional governments.

Donald Trump's suggestion to send an American hospital ship to Greenland, following a US submarine crew member's evacuation, has reportedly angered the Greenlandic and Danish governments.

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The program for the XI European Congress of Local Governments in Mikołajki, Poland, has been announced, featuring over 250 events including plenary sessions, discussion panels, and workshops. A key topic is whether renewable energy presents an opportunity or a source of social tension for municipalities.

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Palantir cofounder and CEO Alex Karp Francois Mori/AP Palantir made an announcement Tuesday, saying it relocated its headquarters to Florida from Colorado. The software company, which generates much revenue from defense contracts, did not give a reason for the move. When founder-led firms change headquarters, it often reflects "worldview as much as strategy," said one expert. When a company moves its headquarters, it's making a statement — whether leadership spells it out or not. That's the case with Palantir's surprise announcement Tuesday that it has relocated its home base to Florida from Colorado. The defense-tech contractor disclosed the change in a one-sentence press release citing a new address just outside Miami. Palantir, led by cofounder and CEO Alex Karp, didn't provide a reason or say what it means for employees. The lack of details has left many observers speculating on the motive. "This seems like a pretty obvious attempt to put both Karp and Palantir in friendlier territory," said Jo-Ellen Pozner, a management and entrepreneurship professor at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business. Though Karp backed Kamala Harris' 2024 campaign, he has more recently praised the Trump administration's immigration and national security policies. On a November earnings call, Karp called for tougher border policies and highlighted Palantir's work with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Israel. Palantir, which relies heavily on government contracts, has also faced protests in Colorado in recent years. Colorado is a blue state, Florida is red. "Not only will the company receive a more welcoming reception and more eager labor pool in Florida, but Karp and his top deputies will probably be more comfortable spending time there than they do in Colorado," said Pozner. Palantir didn't respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about the reason for the headquarters shake-up or the move's impact on employees. Palantir was founded in California's Silicon Valley region in 2003 and moved to Colorado in 2020. At the time, Karp cited an "increasing intolerance and monoculture" in Silicon Valley. Karp owns property in Colorado. Some leadership experts point to Florida's more tax-friendly policies as a reason why Palantir has a new ZIP code. "To me, this is dollars and cents," said Zack Kass, a former OpenAI executive who now advises companies and governments on leading in today's AI-centric business world. "If building a better company meant Karp moving the business to Alaska, he'd probably do it." A number of finance and tech heavyweights have planted flags in Florida in recent years, including Citadel, Thiel Capital, and Thoma Bravo. In January, venture capitalist David Sacks proclaimed that Miami will soon replace New York City as America's financial capital. "I'm grateful for the leadership of the state of Florida," said Citadel's Ken Griffin at the America Business Forum in Miami in November. "This is a great place to call home." Not everyone agrees, though, as others have noted that Miami's social scene hollows out in the summer and the city lacks a major university to pipe in tech talent. Whatever the incentives are behind Palantir's change of address, headquarters moves in general are rarely about real estate, said Jeff LeBlanc, a management professor at Bentley University. Instead, they often speak to the kind of identity leaders want for their companies. "In a world where so much work is hybrid or distributed, the HQ is often more symbolic than operational," he said. "Geography communicates. It says something about who you want to attract, who you align with, and what kind of company you believe you are." LeBlanc pointed Elon Musk's decision to move some of his companies' headquarters from California to Texas for political reasons as an example. In 2024, the billionaire lashed out at California for being the first state to outlaw schools from having to notify parents if a child changes their name, pronouns, or gender identity at school, calling the move the "final straw." "Particularly in founder-led companies, those moves often reflect worldview as much as strategy," LeBlanc said. "Geography has become part of executive messaging." Read the original article on Business Insider

“Why did you start driving inDrive?” It’s my go-to icebreaker with drivers in Pakistan. Lately, the answers have been unsettlingly similar. “I used to work in the development sector,” one man told me. “Then I lost my job.” I’ve heard that line — or a version of it — too many times to dismiss as coincidence. Since the United States pulled the plug on its aid apparatus, the fallout has been immediate. On the surface, the shutdown of USAID is being framed as just another abrupt policy reversal — a bureaucratic casualty in an era of disruption. But look closer, and it reveals something far more profound: the cumulative weight of domestic and international tensions that have been simmering, both within and beyond the US for decades. Cycles of aid, cycles of distrust The first source of strain lies beyond US borders. From its inception as a Cold War instrument, American foreign aid has been shaped by an enduring tension between its declared objectives of development and altruism and its underlying strategic and political calculations. This duality has long been apparent to the recipient elites and the broader public alike. During the Cold War, many governments acquiesced, in part because Western donors faced little competition and alternative sources of assistance were scarce. That landscape has since changed. As non-traditional donors, most notably China and the Gulf states, have expanded their presence, and as domestic political incentives within recipient countries have shifted, scepticism toward USAID has become more explicit and politically salient. In countries such as Pakistan, where mistrust of American intentions runs deep, US assistance is often perceived less as generosity than as intrusion. What is now framed as a backlash against American aid is better understood as the culmination of a long-simmering tension and a legacy of mutual misperceptions between donor and recipient. Pakistan’s experience with US foreign aid agency illustrates this dynamic with particular clarity. American assistance to Pakistan has never been linear or predictable; instead, it has unfolded in cycles closely attuned to Washington’s shifting strategic priorities. During the Cold War, aid was channelled primarily through a security-alliance framework aimed at containing the Soviet bloc, with economic assistance tightly coupled to military cooperation. These flows declined sharply after the 1965 war, reinforcing perceptions of US aid as conditional, transactional, and reversible. Another peak in this equation followed in the 1980s, when General Ziaul Haq aligned Pakistan with the US in opposing Soviet expansion in Afghanistan. Yet with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the subsequent imposition of US sanctions on Pakistan’s nuclear programme under the Pressler Amendment, assistance once again contracted. It was only after 9/11 that the aid surged anew, this time framed around counterterrorism and stabilisation. Even at its height, however, much of this assistance remained shaped by security imperatives, short funding horizons, and heavy reliance on contractors, rather than long-term institution-building. For many Pakistanis, therefore, the shutdown of USAID feels less like an abrupt rupture than the latest turn in a familiar cycle of engagement and disengagement. The second factor is bureaucratic pathologisation. Like many large organisations, aid agencies are susceptible to institutional dysfunction, and USAID has been no exception. In practice, particularly in contexts such as Pakistan, as commissioner on the Afghanistan War Commission Andrew Wilder has noted, its programmes increasingly came to be structured through a security lens rather than a development one. Key decisions were made in Washington, filtered through multiple layers of contractors, and ultimately deployed on the ground with limited scope for local input. At the same time, bureaucratic incentives privileged projects with easily quantifiable indicators, favouring what could be measured over what was substantively effective. These patterns were neither accidental nor new, nor are they unique to the US. Over time, however, they eroded both the legitimacy and the perceived effectiveness of USAID, among recipients abroad and critics at home. These institutional dynamics had tangible consequences on the ground. In Pakistan, USAID funding became heavily concentrated in sectors aligned with stabilisation and security objectives — such as service delivery in so-called “fragile” districts or rapid-impact infrastructure — often at the expense of slower, politically unglamorous investments in local institutional capacity. NGOs and development professionals structured entire career paths around USAID project cycles, only to see those opportunities vanish when priorities shifted or funding was abruptly frozen. The result was a hollowing out of local expertise and institutional memory. When aid was withdrawn, it left behind far fewer durable institutions than its scale and visibility might have led one to expect. The mismatch between stated development objectives and the underlying security logic was further compounded by an overreliance on quantifiable metrics to demonstrate impact. This tendency was reinforced by a development ecosystem shaped by the overproduction of economists and political scientists trained as methodological specialists rather than regional experts. Programmes designed in Washington often prioritised what could be easily counted — number of schools built, clinics refurbished, trainings delivered, or kilometres of roads completed — over whether such interventions meaningfully strengthened local institutions. In Pakistan, this logic was especially evident in sectors such as education, health, and local governance, where projects were assessed primarily through output indicators rather than sustainability or local ownership. Multiple layers of contractors further diluted accountability and blurred responsibility once funding cycles ended. Over time, this produced a paradox: USAID became both omnipresent and poorly understood — associated with large budgets and extensive reporting, but yielding limited and uneven institutional impact. That credibility gap left the agency especially exposed when domestic political support in the US began to erode. The third major factor behind the dismantling of the aid lies in the domestic backlash within the US against international cooperation. Opposition to foreign aid, multilateralism, and international institutions long predates Donald Trump, reflecting decades of polarisation over globalisation and America’s role in the world. By the time Trump entered office, hostility toward international engagement was already deeply embedded in US politics. In this context, shuttering a highly visible aid agency became a potent domestic signal; it becomes a way to demonstrate responsiveness to voters who view global commitments as costly, wasteful, or illegitimate. Dismantling USAID was therefore less a recalibration of foreign policy than an act of domestic political theatre. The US government’s official justification for shutting down USAID frames the move as a response to “China’s exploitative aid model” and a means of advancing American “strategic interests in key regions around the world”. It is true that China has dramatically expanded its development footprint and largely operates outside the traditional Western aid framework. But that explanation doesn’t hold up to deeper scrutiny. If Washington were genuinely seeking to compete with Beijing in the development arena, the more coherent response would have been reform and reinvestment, not withdrawal. Moreover, Chinese and US aid are not direct substitutes. They target different sectors, rely on distinct instruments, and frequently operate alongside one another in the same countries — Pakistan among them — without displacing each other. In Pakistan, Chinese assistance has concentrated on large-scale infrastructure and energy projects, while USAID has focused primarily on education and health. Chinese aid typically flows through bilateral, government-to-government channels, whereas US assistance has often bypassed the Pakistani state, working instead through NGOs and contractors. China’s rise may well be sharpening anxieties in Washington, but it does not, on its own, explain why the US would choose to erode its own institutional capacity in response. A looming domino effect The shutdown of USAID, then, should not be understood as a one-off policy blunder or an idiosyncratic choice tied to a single administration. Rather, it reflects the convergence of long-accumulating tensions: between the professed ideals and strategic deployment of aid abroad; between development objectives and bureaucratic practices within aid agencies; between international commitments and domestic political incentives at home. USAID’s collapse is best understood not as the cause of these pressures, but as their most visible manifestation. The consequences of this decision extend well beyond the fate of a single agency. They reveal the fragility of the broader international aid regime, which ultimately depends on the willingness of a small number of leading powers to absorb the political and financial costs of institutionalised cooperation. When that willingness erodes, institutions lose both credibility and purpose and eventually collapse. Signs of this erosion are already evident, as other major donors, including the United Kingdom and Germany, begin to scale back their own aid commitments. What is at stake, then, is not merely the dismantling of USAID, but the gradual unravelling of an international aid regime built on mutual trust and a sustained commitment to lifting the world’s poorest out of poverty.

China's Debt Model Creates Danger Of Stagnation Authored by Daniel Lacalle, The latest social financing figures from China show an economy that is increasingly relying on government debt while private demand for credit remains weak. The strength of the Chinese technology sector and its exporting companies gives enough room for leverage. However, behind the weak private sector credit demand lies an evident economic slowdown that the Chinese government acknowledges, challenging consumption patterns, a significant overcapacity problem, and the depth of the housing crisis. The current economic model, focused on delivering 5% real economic growth, requires larger doses of debt to achieve smaller increments of growth, especially productive sector growth. The government has focused on reducing debt and overcapacity imbalances while reorienting its exports and financial system to lessen dependence on the US dollar; however, the main challenge for the Chinese economy remains boosting consumer demand, despite rate cuts and easing financial conditions. To understand the intensity of debt of the Chinese model, we must go to the year 2000 and see the acceleration in the flow of debt, not just the current stock. At that time, real GDP growth was around 8–9%, so each percentage point of growth came with roughly 13–16 points of debt‑to‑GDP. Government debt was very low, at around 25% of GDP, and most leverage sat in the state-owned corporate sector with modest household debt. China was able to deliver near‑double‑digit growth with a total non‑financial debt ratio barely above 120% of GDP. By 2023, non‑financial sector debt had risen to about 285% of GDP, more than doubling its level of 2000. Chinese think‑tanks and official commentators put the “macro leverage ratio” closer to 300% of GDP by 2025, according to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The macro leverage ratio rose by 11.8 percentage points to 302.3 percent in 2025, exceeding the 10.1-point increase reported in 2024. Over the same period, the trend of real GDP growth has slowed to roughly 4–5%, so each percentage point of growth now requires around 60–75 points of debt‑to‑GDP, more than three times the debt per point of growth required in 2000. Furthermore, it comes mostly from government debt. In January 2026, aggregate social financing jumped by 7.22 trillion yuan, significantly higher than in the same month of 2025 and above market expectations, consistent with 5% annual GDP growth and a larger composition of the public sector in the mix. Outstanding social financing reached 449.11 trillion yuan at the end of January, rising 8.2% year‑on‑year, while money supply (M2) rose by 9%.​ New yuan bank loans were 4.7 trillion yuan, about 420 billion less than a year earlier and significantly below consensus, showing the weak private‑sector credit demand and the prudent approach of Chinese customers and businesses to debt addition. RMB loans outstanding stood at 276.62 trillion yuan, up only 6.1% year‑on‑year, clearly below the pace of overall financing and money growth. The driver of credit growth in China is no longer households and private firms but the government and state-owned companies. The real estate problem has impacted Chinese families in numerous ways. Not only did most of them see the value of their homes decline, but many families invested in the attractive yields of real estate developers’ commercial paper, which led to large losses and even the wipe-out of savings for many. Additionally, despite the excess in supply of houses, prices have not fallen enough to warrant enough appetite for new mortgages, as affordability remains an issue and the traditional prudence of Chinese citizens when it comes to consuming and borrowing adds to the challenge. Beijing plans to issue 4.4 trillion yuan in local government special‑purpose bonds in 2025, 500 billion more than in 2024, looking to boost government investment and a “proactive fiscal policy,” knowing that raising taxes would be exceedingly negative for growth and consumption. Local governments are expected to issue more than 10 trillion yuan in bonds in 2025, including refinancing, general bonds, and new special bonds. The Chinese government knows that it can manage more debt but also sees the weak investment and household spending and acknowledges that large tax increases would be counterproductive.  However, to prevent future debt-driven stagnation, a focus on productivity is necessary. The official budget sets a deficit of 4% for 2025. However, once all budget items are consolidated, including government funds, special bonds, and off‑budget vehicles, this true fiscal deficit in 2025 is closer to 9%, up from 7.7% in 2024, according to Rhodium Group and JP Morgan. China increasingly relies on hidden or almost fiscal borrowing to support growth. With outstanding social financing now around 449 trillion yuan and real growth around 4–5%, each incremental point of GDP is increasingly linked with a much larger stock of debt than a decade ago. This rising credit intensity of growth may prevent a significant slowdown but may create a significant fiscal challenge in the future. The Chinese model demands high growth and low taxes; any change to the fiscal system will be negative. For years, local governments relied on the sale of land for property development to collect tax receipts. Thus, the drag from real estate is evident in the economy and in fiscal sustainability. Real estate development investment fell 13.9% year‑on‑year in the first three quarters of 2025, with residential investment down 12.9%, the steepest drop since 2021, according to official figures. Property investment and sales both posted double‑digit declines in 2024, and forecasters expect real estate investment to fall another 11% and sales to drop 7.5% in 2025, according to Reuters, with further declines in 2026 before stabilizing only in 2027… if it happens as fast as consensus estimates. The property sector, once a key engine for economic growth and tax receipts, absorbs new credit to stabilize its accounts without boosting growth or creating a multiplier effect. Additionally, China’s industrial capacity utilization remained at 74.9% at the end of 2025, well below the 78.4% peak reached in 2021. Overcapacity is clear in steel, autos, legacy chips, and parts of sectors like green tech, where expansion has surpassed domestic and external demand. Thus, the purchasing managers’ indices show weak new orders and foreign demand, while bankruptcies and insolvencies have risen, although not to levels that would indicate a financial crisis.​ The Chinese economy needs to reopen, improve investor and legal security and allow the housing slump to materialize fully to see the type of productive economic growth it needs to avoid much larger increases in debt. Otherwise, the risk of stagnation will likely be elevated as population growth stalls, overcapacity remains, and the stock of unsold property becomes a larger liability.   Tyler Durden Mon, 02/16/2026 - 22:25

How and on what basis the continent’s governments can secure financing should not be based on external discretion

Governments are instructing local authorities to enhance safety measures nationwide in preparation for the upcoming Lunar New Year festival. The focus is on ensuring public safety during the holiday period.

Eat The Rich: California Democrats Trigger Reverse Gold Rush With Wealth Tax Authored by Jonathan Turley, This month, the anniversary of the California Gold Rush came and passed with little mention … for good reason. When James W. Marshall found gold at Sutter’s Mill, millions traveled great distances to seek their fortune in the “Golden State.” Now, 178 years later, California has engineered an inverse Gold Rush, virtually chasing wealth from the state. Rather than covered wagons going West, there is a line of U-Hauls going anywhere other than California. From boondoggle projects to reparations, California politicians continue to rack up new spending projects despite a soaring deficit and shrinking tax base. Rather than exercise a modicum of fiscal restraint, Democrats are pushing through a tax that takes five percent of the wealth of any billionaires left in the state. I have long criticized the tax as perfectly moronic for a state with the highest tax burden and one of the highest flight rates of top taxpayers. In my new book, “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution,” I discuss the reversal of fortunes in California and other blue states as politicians unleash new “eat the rich” campaigns before the midterm elections. The problem, of course, is that billionaires are mobile, as is their wealth. Liberals expect billionaires to stay put in a type of voluntary canned hunt.  They are not. Billionaires are joining the growing exodus from the state, taking their companies, investments, and jobs with them. The latest billionaire to be chased off may be Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is reportedly heading for Florida. The growing departures have triggered outrage among many on the left, who are in disbelief that billionaires will just not stand still to be fleeced. Former New York Magazine editor Kara Swisher captured that rage in a recent posting, declaring “you made…all your money in California, you ungrateful piece of s***, you could figure out a way to pay more taxes, and we deserve the taxes from you, given you made your wealth here . . . so why don’t we just do shock and awe at this point, because you don’t seem to be availing yourself to thinking that you owe your state something more.” By some estimates, California has already cost over a trillion dollars in lost investments and business. That is no small achievement. Here’s a mind teaser: How can you burn a trillion dollars (which would create a stack some 67,866 miles high) without taking years and destroying the environment? California politicians have a solution: Have people take it out of the state in a reverse gold rush. In addition to saying that they want to grab 5 percent of the wealth of these billionaires, California Democrats are planning to base wealth calculations on the voting shares of corporate executives. Often, particularly with start-ups, entrepreneurs have greater voting shares than actual ownership. However, they will be taxed as if voting shares amounted to actual wealth. In other words, California is moving to nuke the entrepreneurs who created the Silicon Valley boom. Emmanuel Saez, the U.C. Berkeley economist who helped design the tax, insists that they may not want to stay, but they will still be tapped. They are planning to trap the wealthy fleeing the state retroactively: “The tax is based on residence as of Jan. 1, 2026, sharply limiting their ability to flee the state to avoid paying. Despite billionaires’ threats to leave, I think extremely few will have been able to change residence by Jan. 1, given the complexity of doing so.” The effort to retroactively impose such a tax is legally controversial and will face years of challenges. In my view, this is unconstitutional, but admittedly it is a murky area. Regardless of the outcome, a wealth tax will affect a wide range of other wealthy taxpayers. If Democrats can get a retroactive wealth tax to be upheld, it is doubtful that they will stop with billionaires. Why should other top taxpayers stick around to find out where the next cull will fall in the tax brackets? Recently, Gavin Newsom boasted, “California isn’t just keeping pace with the world — we’re setting the pace.” That is undeniably true if the measure is the record number of U-Hauls fleeing the state — more than any other state. Indeed, the only thing harder to find than a wealthy taxpayer in California appears to be a U-Haul. According to U-Haul’s data, the state is again leading blue states in the exodus. The Washington Post noted recently that “California came in last. Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey rounded out the bottom five. Of the bottom 10, seven voted blue in the last election.” Conversely, “nine of the top 10 growth states voted red in the last presidential election,” with Texas again leading the growth states. The Post put it succinctly, “People want to live in pro-growth, low-tax states, while the biggest losers tend to be places with big governments and high taxes.” The problem is that, while the economics are horrific, the politics remain irresistible. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who represents part of Silicon Valley, recently mocked billionaires rushing to escape the state. Laughing at his own constituents, Khanna quipped, “I will miss them very much.” You will not be alone as California becomes known as the La Brea Tar Pit of taxation. They are on the verge of converting the state motto from “Eureka” to “Welcome to Hotel California, you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.” Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.” Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 20:15

Developed countries are cautioned against "Brazilification," a scenario where high interest rates wreak havoc when governments are heavily indebted.

As airlines resumed limited flights out of hubs including Dubai and Riyadh, governments also chartered planes to bring home citizens

Allan Leighton was CEO of the supermarket in the 1990s and said governments engaged and supported firms more then

An analysis of how India's Congress governments responded to significant international events, including the killings of Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi, and attacks on diplomats.

An article discusses the persistent issue of market fires in Nigeria, exploring their causes and proposing actionable solutions for governments and traders to prevent these costly disasters.

They win only if governments want just enough weapons—but not too many

Experts warn of similarities with 2022, when electricity prices went up by more than 40% due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The US-Israel strikes on Iran risk a repeat of the 2022 energy shock that forced power bills up by more than 40%, sent Australian businesses to the wall and forced governments to spend billions on power bill subsidies. The stark warning from experts follow news that Qatar, the third-largest liquefied natur...

A new report emphasizes that governments, regulators, and the tech industry must assume greater responsibility for online safety, rather than solely burdening children, parents, or caregivers.

Etihad Airways and Emirates, based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, say they would operate some flights from the country.

Friedrich Merz is publicly departing from a core conviction of German governments, dismantling the legacy of Baerbock's foreign policy, a move he has prepared for months.

Following Iranian strikes, governments across the Middle East and Europe have called for restraint, warning that further escalation could destabilize global energy markets and highlighting Dubai's vulnerability.

The governments of the Gulf countries condemned yesterday Sunday the 'unjustified' strikes they received from Iran, stressing that they reserve the 'right to respond' to them.

Stephen Lecce discusses Ontario's position as a reliable global partner, emphasizing the importance of governments' determination to accelerate mine development for the world's clean energy future.

When your favorite team has been playing at the same location for more than 50 years, it’s hard not to get emotional at the idea of losing them to a neighboring territory. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the Chicago Bears’ fan base has been dealing with as the future of their beloved franchise continues to be used as a political pawn between the state governments of Indiana and Illinois.

Spanish political leaders Feijóo (PP) and Abascal (Vox) are vying for the rural vote during ongoing regional coalition negotiations, with Feijóo criticizing Vox's reluctance to form governments.

An economic structural crisis in Baden-Württemberg is shaking the political landscape, potentially benefiting the AfD in the upcoming state election and increasing pressure for reform on state and federal governments.

The agreement creates a basis for the development of joint projects that will include solar, wind, and hydropower plants, hybrid and battery facilities, as well as the modernization and development of energy…

Fourteen members of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) have resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC). The post 14 out of 21…

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) reports that media project funding competitions have been announced in 20 local self-governments, including Belgrade, which allocated 85,000,000 dinars.

Bauska and Preiļi municipalities in Latvia are considering appealing to the Constitutional Court and organizing protests against a ministry's decision to partially suspend their territorial plans, which could impact other local governments and planned projects.

The United States government is one of the largest Bitcoin holders on Earth—not because Congress voted to create a strategic reserve, but because federal agents have spent a decade seizing cryptocurrency from criminals. Drug dealers, hackers, ransomware operators, and money launderers accumulated Bitcoin through illicit activity. Law enforcement tracked them down and confiscated their digital […]

Kostas Loukas, Microsoft's regional manager for the public sector in Southern Europe, suggests that a sudden and complete technological decoupling is unlikely, in an interview discussing the company's engagement with national governments.

An article discusses the significant security risks associated with Okada (motorcycle taxi) riders in Nigeria, which governments are perceived to be overlooking.

Governments are warning about growing cyber threats to elections, including the potential for bots to target electoral processes, amidst rapid developments in artificial intelligence and digital platforms.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó signed a joint natural gas declaration with Ukraine and the United States in Washington, where he discussed gas supply security with American and several Eastern European governments.

Opposition revelations, broadcast live, highlighted alleged misconduct by Mitsotakis' governments that allowed a criminal organization to plunder European subsidies, while Lazaridis found no scandal.

Columnist Dejan Ilić suggests that by calling elections in 10 local self-governments simultaneously, the authorities aim to demonstrate control, urging students and the opposition to show their capabilities.

A Polish report estimates that excessive alcohol consumption could cost over 100 billion PLN by 2026, prompting more local governments to implement measures to combat the problem, with varying success across cities.

A BJP-led Joint Committee will meet opposition-ruled governments in West Bengal, Telangana, and Karnataka to review a controversial bill concerning jailed Chief Ministers and ministers, amidst concerns over major lapses flagged by opposition lawmakers.

The XI European Congress of Local Governments in Mikołajki features over 250 events, including discussions on cyber threats to critical local systems and securing municipal services.

Federal and provincial governments in Pakistan have reached an agreement on a joint strategy to establish peace and stability across the country, following a key meeting on law and order.

The Union of Cyprus Journalists (UCJ) has called on the governments of Greece and Cyprus to work together to stop Deutsche Welle from shutting down its Greek-language service, after the German public broadcaster announced it would axe the programme after 62 years of continuous operation. Greek is the only one of DW’s 32 broadcast languages […]

A report highlights concerns that global crime syndicates are expanding their influence and capabilities to a point where they are outgrowing governments.

The 11th European Congress of Local Governments in Mikołajki, Poland, is underway, featuring over 250 events and discussions on topics such as digital competencies and the role of universities in the age of artificial intelligence.

The Gujarat High Court has issued notices to the Central and state governments in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the misuse of artificial intelligence to create deepfakes and synthetically generated content targeting Constitutional authorities.

This institutional design may explain why several European governments have stayed out. The United Kingdom, France, and Germany have declined to participate. The Vatican has formally refused.

A discussion highlights the need for African governments to adopt, adapt, and indigenize Artificial Intelligence rather than simply copying existing models, emphasizing AI's impact on democracy, peace, and economy.

Approximately 20 governments, including Brazil, Saudi Arabia, France, and Spain, have strongly condemned Israel's recent measures to strengthen its control over the occupied West Bank, calling it 'de facto annexation'.

Polish local governments are grappling with significant challenges including security, funding for investments, education, healthcare, demographic changes, and energy transformation, leading to increasing calls for reform regarding their size and structure.

The body of EU governments has adopted tougher asylum rules, allowing member state authorities to more easily reject asylum applications from certain non-EU countries.

An article discusses the state of democracy in West Africa, focusing on the question of political legitimacy and the breakdown of public trust in civilian governments' administrative abilities.

The Milan final was a social antivirus. It's not just about the soft power of governments. There is one belonging to the Games, and it still works.

Arab and Muslim governments have condemned remarks made by the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who suggested Israel would be justified in taking over a vast stretch of the Middle East on Bibli

Journalist Jovana S. Polić stated that the offensive against the media is a sign of the current regime's end, drawing parallels from the history of authoritarian governments.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez proclaimed that 'Spain is doing better than ever and the opposition lies as always,' defending his government's continuity and predicting an end to PP-Vox governments in Castilla y León.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has convened a meeting of the Energy Security Council, as Kyiv accuses the Hungarian and Slovak governments of blackmailing Ukraine.

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced its rejection of ultimatums issued by the Hungarian and Slovak governments.

Governments worldwide are facing challenges in their efforts to boost declining birth rates, with one analysis pointing to a 'unlucky truth about love' and changing societal dynamics.

Matt Taibbi: Epstein Files Are "Uniquely Destructive" To Both Political Parties Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance This week I interviewed Matt Taibbi at a moment when, as he put it, “this is a pretty weird time.” He had just learned that his outlet, Racket News, had been investigated by the British government using what he described as “human intelligence sources and all kinds of crazy stuff.” “It’s been pretty weird,” he told me. What struck him most was how normalized this kind of pressure has become. Governments, he said, now routinely “hire out private intelligence firms and private PR firms to devise strategies to undermine negative press.” If you’re doing adversarial reporting, he added, “you’ll get swept up in this. So you probably have been, you just don’t know it.” From there, we moved into the Epstein story, which has become a political third rail. I asked him whether bipartisan silence around certain issues should worry people. Taibbi said most of what happens in Washington is already bipartisan; the public just doesn’t see it. “The thing that we call the news,” he said, is “a sliver of disagreement” between parties. The rest—“98% of the business that’s done there”—happens with quiet agreement. On the Epstein files, he argued that both parties miscalculated. The Trump camp, he said, built expectations around full transparency and then stumbled. “Dumping tons of stuff out without any context tends to have a lot of unintended consequences,” he said. The result has been politically damaging across the board. He also pushed back on some of the public narrative. The fascination with Epstein, he said, rests on three assumptions: that Epstein worked for intelligence, that he ran a vast trafficking ring, and that the two were connected through political blackmail. “There’s an abundance of evidence” of serious sexual crimes, he acknowledged. But on the intelligence-blackmail theory, “there’s nothing that puts it all together and says that’s what was happening. It could, but it’s just not there yet.” What he does see is a slow-burn release strategy. “You’ll notice that they never fully release everything,” he told me. “It’s like Zeno’s paradox. We’re never going to get all the way to the wall with this.” Each new tranche fuels public demand and media frenzy, with the promise that the next batch might contain the “kill shot” that takes down someone powerful. We then shifted to New York politics and the rise of Zohran Mamdani. Taibbi sees his early proposals—like raising property taxes—as predictable. If state-level backing doesn’t materialize, he suggested, the Democratic Party may distance itself. “The Democratic Party has decided not to back this horse,” he said. In his view, the party faces a structural dilemma: a base that is moving left out of economic frustration, and a national electoral map that may not tolerate that shift. He connected that frustration to student debt and monetary policy. When I brought up inflation and deficit spending, he traced the arc back to post-2008 policies and the explosion of quantitative easing. “All you’re doing is accelerating inequality on the one hand,” he said, “and you’re raising the debt burden for everybody else.” The result, he argued, is a generation that feels locked out of homeownership and upward mobility. On immigration and recent ICE enforcement actions, Taibbi resisted simple partisanship. He said he found neighborhood sweeps and masked agents “scary,” comparing aspects of the approach to “an enhanced federal version of stop and frisk.” At the same time, he criticized the ideological shift that made even basic border enforcement seem taboo. “It’s not like having borders is inherently xenophobic,” he said. “It’s just a part of governance. Part of being a nation.” At the end of the conversation, Taibbi outlined changes at Racket News. He said he had “basically fired” himself as editor-in-chief and brought in new leadership to refocus on document-based investigations. The site, he told me, is doubling down on FOIA-driven reporting and digging into stories like expansive FBI investigations and the British controversy now touching his own outlet. The through line of our discussion was less about left versus right than about institutions under strain—media, parties, law enforcement, and financial systems alike. Taibbi’s core warning was that much of what truly matters happens in the bipartisan shadows, while the public argues over the sliver that makes it onto cable news. (WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH MATT HERE).  Tyler Durden Fri, 02/20/2026 - 10:00

The US government is reportedly planning to launch a website, freedom.gov, to display content banned by foreign governments, including alleged hate speech and terrorist propaganda. This initiative, led by Undersecretary Sarah Rogers, could strain relations with European allies and be perceived as an attempt to undermine national laws, despite past US efforts to promote free information access globally.

Under South African law, it is illegal for citizens to provide military assistance to foreign governments

Nairobi Water has announced a 26-hour water shutdown impacting several major estates, coinciding with a new Sh80 billion partnership between national and county governments.

Vinod Khosla says stock prices aren't the way to evaluate AI bubbles. Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images Vinod Khosla says the rise of AI might warrant steeper taxes on capital and none for most workers. The billionaire VC wrote on X that AI displacing workers could shrink the labor part of the economy. Khosla wrote that some popular tax breaks were "special interest goodies" and not "true capitalism." If artificial intelligence eliminates millions of jobs, it might make sense to scrap income taxes for the vast majority of Americans and target capital instead, Vinod Khosla says. "AI will transform economies and need a rethink of capitalism & equity," the billionaire venture capitalist wrote in an X post on Monday. "Labor portion of economy (vs capital) will decline sharply. Should we eliminate preferential treatment of capital gains tax and equalize to ordinary income?" Khosla — who cofounded Sun Microsystems and made the first VC investment in OpenAI — was making the point that AI replacing labor on a grand scale might warrant greater taxes on assets such as stocks and real estate. The veteran financier, who founded Khosla Ventures after leaving Kleiner Perkins, attached a video highlighting some of the jobs that could be taken by AI, from accountants and therapists to truck drivers and chip designers. AI will transform economies and need a rethink of capitalism & equity. Labor portion of economy (vs capital) will decline sharply. Should we eliminate preferential treatment of capital gains tax and equalize to ordinary income? 40% of capital gains taxes are paid by those with… pic.twitter.com/7oSA9xj5Ko — Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) February 16, 2026 Khosla said in a follow-up post that ramping up taxes on capital would generate so much revenue that the government could scrap taxes for most of the roughly 150 million US taxpayers. "Could easily eliminate bottom 125 million taxpayers from the tax rolls and be revenue neutral at the same time with a capital gains tax equal to ordinary income and a few other tweaks," he wrote. He added that tax breaks such as carrying over tax losses and tax-free borrowing against unrealized gains — which he called a "true abuse!" — are "special interest goodies inserted by lobbyists and campaign contributions, not true capitalism." Khosla didn't address common critiques of higher taxes, including that they can discourage entrepreneurship and investment, that collecting them can be tricky, and that wealthy people may leave the country to avoid them. Khosla has previously underscored that the advent of AI may require sweeping policy changes. He estimated in late 2024 that in 25 years' time, AI could be doing 80% of the work in 80% of all jobs, and universal basic income might be needed to compensate for job destruction. "As AI reduces the need for human labor, UBI could become crucial, with governments playing a key role in regulating AI's impact and ensuring equitable wealth distribution," he wrote on his firm's website. Khosla isn't alone in predicting AI will change the fabric of society. Elon Musk suggested late last year that work could become "optional" and money might become "irrelevant" if advances in AI and robotics generate abundant resources for all. Moreover, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO recently said that retirement savings may not be needed in 10 or 20 years, as everyone might have "whatever stuff they want." However, skeptics such as Michael Burry of "The Big Short" fame have cautioned the AI boom is a speculative bubble, tech companies are overinvesting in microchips and data centers that will quickly become obsolete, and true AI is further away than many think. Read the original article on Business Insider

Local governments across South Korea are scrambling to find new uses for shuttered schools amid a declining student population, while a parallel movement is unfolding on social media, where individuals are taking the initiative to renovate and reimagine closed campuses. According to the Ministry of Education, the cumulative number of shuttered schools surpassed 4,000 in 2025, with South Jeolla Province recording the highest number at 854. In contrast, only seven schools have closed in Seoul sinc

Governments are increasingly implementing progressive tax systems that disproportionately tax wealthier individuals, making tax systems more progressive than commonly perceived.

Three years after Tempe, Nikos Plakias opens his home for the first time and speaks to Protothema — “Unfortunately, they painted the train blue, red, green,” “I will neither bring down nor raise governments." The post Nikos Plakias speaks to Protothema: The pressure, xylene, Karystianou, and the last photo of the girls from inside the train appeared first on ProtoThema English.

Following events in Caracas, leftist governments in Cuba and Nicaragua are facing the possibility of political upheaval.

Five European governments claim Russian dissident Aleksei A. Navalny was poisoned with a frog toxin, challenging Russia's account of his death in prison two years ago.

Governments in democratic nations are increasingly using authoritarian methods to muzzle journalism, leading to reduced scrutiny and a rise in corruption.

The Roche Africa Press Day has opened in Nairobi with a bold call to reframe how governments, partners and the media understand the true value of health.

World Obesity Federation says half a billion children will be overweight and calls on governments to act to create healthier environments Without drastic action more than 220 million children could…

Ukraine's attempt to fast-track its European Union membership as part of a potential peace agreement has met with strong opposition from EU governments.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has backed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's call for a renewed discourse on the relationship between the central and state governments in India.

The number of Hungarian municipalities restricting new residents has doubled in two months, with 228 local governments introducing bans and restrictions to protect local identity.

In poll-bound Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has targeted the Congress party, accusing them of acting like BJP governments in the north following a demolition incident in Telangana.

Local governments in Poland are quickly establishing energy communities, with a significant increase in applications for cooperative registration, indicating a boom in the sector.

While few governments explicitly name a 'Ministry of Resilience,' many have similar structural arrangements, prompting a discussion on the meaning and necessity of such a portfolio.

President Nikos Christodoulides on Sunday said he ha already spoken to heads of state in the region and in Europe for Cyprus to play a humanitarian role in the region. He said the island has already been sounded out by the governments of Japan and China to potentially help evacuate its nationals from the area. […]

TACLOBAN CITY — Alarmed by a renewed spike in cases of adolescent pregnancies, the regional office of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD-8) is calling for urgent and sustained action from families, schools, and local governments, warning that teenage pregnancies and birth in Eastern Visayas are not just a health concern but a looming

Zoran Gavrilović of BIROD-ija states that local self-government units holding elections show a low degree of institutionalization in the fight against corruption, acting as corrupt feuds supporting the Serbian president.

An Auckland community leader expresses frustration over repeatedly advising the government on combating youth offending, following a Ministry of Justice report highlighting that Pacific youngsters are more likely to be remanded into custody.

Economic nationalism is making a strong comeback on the global stage, with tariffs being just the visible aspect of a deeper shift towards 'economic state strategy' by nations and governments, signaling a new cold war.

Mayors of smaller Czech towns and municipalities are concerned about the state's plan to close hundreds of building authorities as part of a new building law amendment. The Association of Local Governments warns this could lead to a collapse of construction proceedings.

New road construction, street renovations, or sidewalk projects frequently involve interaction with green spaces, sometimes necessitating tree removal, which local governments typically compensate with new plantings.

Recruitment networks have reportedly lured 1,780 Africans from 36 countries into fighting for Russia in Ukraine, often under false pretenses of work. The growing scandal is prompting African governments to act and demand the return of their citizens.

Security experts have warned that Western governments are poorly equipped to counter a new frontier of online disinformation.

European governments and companies are preparing for a scenario where they might need to operate without services from major US tech companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, highlighting Europe's disadvantage due to a lack of its own large-scale digital infrastructure.

Developing countries like India cannot allow over speculation by lower strata of the economy. Hence, more and more regulations will come from governments, regulators and exchanges — to curb over speculation till the time perception of the lower strata of society doing over speculation continues, says NSE’s CEO Ashish Kumar Chauhan

Commercial electricity imports from Slovakia and Hungary to Ukraine are ongoing, despite political rhetoric from representatives of their respective governments.

A meeting between two drug traffickers in the Amazon jungle region of Putumayo has become a new leverage point for Donald Trump in pressuring the governments of Colombia and Venezuela. A Serbian cocaine smuggler is reportedly at the center of this diplomatic dispute, with Trump seeking his immediate extradition.

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) announced that calls for project co-financing of media content production in public information have been launched in an additional 20 local self-governments.

Murderous governments and armed groups always considered reporters like Marie Colvin a nuisance – now they see them as legitimate targets A friend wrote to me last week to tell me that my name appeared in the Epstein files. “But it’s for a good cause,” he wrote. “Nothing sinister.” In 2012, shortly after my friend and colleague Marie Colvin was killed in Homs, Syria, I met with the now-disgraced Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen. Rød-Larsen was a renowned fixer who had negotiated the 1993 O...

By calling elections in 10 local self-governments at the same time, the government probably wants to show that it can control local elections in a larger number of places, as

Excessive alcohol consumption could cost Poland over 100 billion zlotys by 2026, prompting more local governments to combat the problem.

Former Portuguese Prime Minister Passos Coelho is being criticized for his comments on the state's emergency response failures, with critics pointing to his responsibility for the populist impulse that led to the implosion of civil governments in 2011.

Significant changes are expected for one of the EU's largest investment policies, cohesion policy, after 2027, with concerns among local governments about centralization and its integration with the common agricultural policy.

Residents want local governments to end contracts that let ICE train on their gun ranges  AP News

The government’s move to exclude the disgraced former prince from the succession line will rely on 14 governments

A group of EU member states is threatening to take the European Commission to the EU Court of Justice over a framework agreement that enhances the European Parliament's role in the legislative process, testing the balance of power within the Union.

Police in Uganda said on Tuesday they had arrested two young women they accuse of involvement in same-sex acts after they were seen “openly kissing” in violation of the country’s stringent anti-homosexuality law. The East African country enacted the Anti-Homosexuality Act in 2023, defying pressure from Western governments as well as local and international rights […]

Spain's PP party, led by Feijóo, has presented a ten-point plan for potential agreements with Vox in regional governments, including economic and social measures, as well as 'red lines' such as respect for the Constitution and the Crown.

Upcoming elections in 10 Serbian local self-governments are viewed as a trial run for both the ruling SNS party and the opposition/student movements, preceding parliamentary elections.

An opinion piece argues that governments have an urgent responsibility to defend Western culture and values against deconstructivist and 'identity inquisition' trends.

Argentina's ultra-right government, led by Milei, is celebrating the approval of a labor reform law that allows 12-hour workdays, makes dismissals cheaper, and reduces the power of unions, a reform resisted by previous right-wing governments.

Rajaji's great-grandson has stated that previous Congress governments distorted history and praised Prime Minister Modi for 'breaking the Macaulay mindset'.

School was canceled in several Mexican states and local and foreign governments alike warned their citizens to stay inside, as widespread violence erupted following the army's killing of the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

In Milan, the site of the Winter Olympic Games, the mayor is taking steps to help migrants while the national governments seeks to discourage immigration.

Governments globally are increasingly preparing legislation aimed at restricting children and adolescents' access to social media platforms.

Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) and the Meerut Metro, asserting that the world, which once hesitated to deal with past Indian governments, now has faith in India.

Philippe Bolopion, Human Rights Watch director, warns that AI could accelerate autocratic governments' ability to control and surveil populations, and that a US shift on the global stage could strengthen authoritarianism.

The Berlinale film festival's closing ceremony was marked by multiple award winners condemning Israel's actions in Gaza, describing them as 'genocide', and criticizing the US and German governments.

The United States is reportedly using its diplomatic network to pressure European governments that are resistant to its policies, described as 'Wolves with an American accent'.

The UN human rights agency on Friday called on governments to clamp down on scam centres, which have mushroomed in Southeast Asia and where hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked into forced labour. The agency released a report documenting torture, sexual abuse, forced abortions, food deprivation, solitary confinement and other abuses. “The litany of abuse is staggering and at the same time heartbreaking,” UN Human Rights high commissioner Volker Turk said, calling on governments...

WITH a spate of terrorist attacks occurring in the country, a national-level response is required to address the issue. The latest atrocity has occurred in Bajaur, where a suicide bomber reportedly belonging to the banned TTP attacked a checkpost in Bajaur on Monday. At least 12 people were martyred in the incident — 11 security personnel and one minor girl. Meanwhile, on the same day, a motorcycle rigged with explosives was blown up outside a police station in Bannu, causing two fatalities. Furthermore, law enforcers said on Wednesday that terrorists attacked a police station and a customs office in Dera Ismail Khan, martyring a policeman and a customs officer. They added that the terrorists also fired at passenger buses in the area. Several acts of deadly violence have occurred in this area over the past few weeks. Following the Bajaur attack, the prime minister commented that “under the vision of Azm-i-Istehkam, security forces are gaining major success in the fight against terrorism”. While that may be so, Pakistan continues to pay a high price as it loses security personnel and civilians in frequent terrorist attacks. For example, apart from the latest violence in KP, an imambargah in Islamabad was attacked earlier this month causing major casualties, while only days before the atrocity in the capital terrorists had launched coordinated attacks in Balochistan. Unless the state takes a fresh approach towards terrorism, we may see the same high levels of violence in the current year as we did in 2025. Last year was said to be the bloodiest in over a decade. The threats may be varied — separatist terrorists in Balochistan, religiously inspired elements in KP — but the response must ensure that all violent elements are neutralised, and the state is able to establish peace in the disturbed areas. There has been some welcome recent cooperation between the KP government — which remains the hardest hit province — and the centre in the field of counterterrorism; such efforts must be intensified. A whole-of-nation approach is needed, applying kinetic measures where required, conducting intel-based operations as well as sociopolitical interventions as needed, to defeat terrorism. The federal and provincial governments, lawmakers and the security apparatus, along with CT experts, must put their heads together to arrive at a solution that can bring lasting peace to Pakistan. Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2026

Bank of America has released an analysis detailing the performance metrics of leading social media platforms.

Big business shrugs off Supreme Court ban on electoral bonds to donate millions when in trouble, or needing approvals.

Governments are embracing the wrong solution to rising mental health issues.

IT has been a worrying week for the PTI as the news about Imran Khan’s health became public and dominated news headlines and private conversations. From the sketchy information that came out initially, it appeared that he had some problem with his eye and has lost up to 85 per cent of his vision in that eye. This was reported by lawyer Salman Safdar, after his court-appointed visit to Khan at Adiala jail, though there had been news reports about the matter earlier. According to Safdar, the percentage was communicated to Khan by the doctors who examined him. The government’s earlier reaction appeared a bit inexplicable. It took the government days to confirm the problem, after it had been reported in the media. And then it did nothing while the Supreme Court woke up to take notice, sending Safdar to the jail. Over the weekend, there were reports that a team of doctors had been sent to the jail to examine him, while his family and personal doctors continued to wait for access. As the family and party refused to accept the government’s decision of giving access to only certain individuals (rather than the family being allowed to choose the person) the examination was carried out at the jail by doctors without any relative present. The party is trying to build up pressure through protests and sit-ins, which seems to cause no sleepless nights to the government. This is so despite reports that KP is cut off from the rest of the country. The PTI is getting criticised for this though it is hard to understand why the federal government is ignoring it. To return to Adiala, this is a good time for a reminder that health issues, especially of imprisoned political prisoners, should not be downplayed or treated lightly. For this reason, the government should provide all help possible to Khan; this includes allowing his family and personal doctors access to him, so they can take decisions on his health, instead of the government making the call on which experts should conduct the examination and which family members can be present. This reeks of callousness. The reports of Khan’s ill health have added fuel to the talk of a probable deal. However, there is a political angle to this entire crisis. The reports of Khan’s ill health have added fuel to the talk of a probable deal or ‘dheel’, as it seems to share some parallels with the platelets issue which allowed Nawaz Sharif to be freed and flown to London. In fact, the question being asked again and again in Islamabad is if this is Platelets 2, implying that some backroom deal is being worked out. It is important to point out that the rumours did not just emerge as a result of health worries but also because of the events of the past couple of weeks where the cooperation between the federal and provincial governments improved. Once this happened, the allegations of drugs and other criminal activities directed at Chief Minister Sohail Afridi gave way to praise for his cooperation with Islamabad. So once the reports of the illness emerged, it simply lent credence to rumours that something was cooking. At the moment, it is hard for those of us who live away from Constitution Avenue to comment on these rumours with any authority. And beca­u­­se I would like to feel better about my ignorance, perhaps some of those living on Constitution Avenue may also be as ill-informed as the rest of us mortals. Despite this, there is much support for the idea of a deal. For many within the PTI think it would provide respite to Khan and others and allow them to bide their time for a return to power (as in the case of other politicians in the past). On the government side, it is seen as a way to bring some stability to the situation, allowing the focus to remain on the economy. But all of this ignores a larger issue, beyond the comfort of those in power and in the opposition. In other words, beyond the level of high politics, where the players tend to be the establishment, the parties and individuals, what will this deal bring to dissatisfied people who have been feeding into the popularity and stature of Khan? Indeed, it is this anger which has resurrected Khan and the PTI each time a fatal blow has been struck in the direction of the party in what is ‘high politics’. Be it the forcible exits from the PTI of the more well-known faces or the decision to deprive the party of its symbol — popular support for it has ensured that none of these steps proved sufficient. So it is perhaps worth asking what the impact of such a ‘deal’ would be. Suppose the deal does disillusion the supporters of Khan and undermines his popularity in a way similar to Nawaz Sharif and the PML-N. (The economy and its poor performance landed the second blow on N’s popularity.) And then what options will be left for the people to still stay engaged in electoral politics. Will they opt for other, smaller political parties? Or will they look around for more radical options? The point here is that the establishment needs to realise that it not going to be enough to win over politicians to its side; this is not what will make the system more stable. For the system to be more stable, it is not enough to quieten politicians such as Sharif or Khan and then revel in the decline of their popularity. For real stability, the anger of the people will have to be understood and then addressed through a more equitable economic system and by giving them a voice. Instead of focusing on high politics, it might help if for once attention were paid to the level at which people operate and exist. After all, electoral politics in Balochistan was tamed some time ago, but stability continues to be elusive. The writer is a journalist. Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2026

A British Army Colonel has issued a stark warning, stating there is 'no prospect' of European governments preventing a potential civil war.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that EU governments are currently not ready to provide Ukraine with a specific date for its membership in the bloc.

The French and German governments have sponsored a Sh7.2 billion program aimed at modernizing and boosting Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Kenya.