Almost no job growth in America in 2025
The Bureau of Labor Statistics revised 2025 employment data and found that the labor market added only 181,000 jobs in 2025, far fewer than the 1.46 million jobs added in 2024. The BLS released the final benchmark revision, which shows the revised preliminary count down by a total of 898,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis for the period April 2024 to March 2025.
The U.S. economy added 130,000 jobs in January, significantly more than the 55,000 expected by economists, and the unemployment rate dropped to 4.3 percent. Health care jobs led the way in January, adding 82,000 positions, while social assistance increased by 42,000 as those two categories accounted for nearly all of the net job creation.
Iran ready for nuclear deal when talks resume
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that the country is ready to consider reaching a nuclear deal with the United States if Washington wants to discuss lifting sanctions. After Tehran and Washington resumed discussions in Oman earlier this month, Takht-Ravanchi confirmed that a second round of nuclear talks would take place in Geneva on Tuesday, describing the preliminary talks as “more or less in a positive direction.”
Iran's nuclear chief said the country could agree to reduce its most enriched uranium in exchange for all financial sanctions being lifted, although Tehran has repeatedly refused to link the issue to other questions, including over its missile arsenal. President Donald Trump has said he wants to reach a deal with Iran to curb its nuclear program while building up U.S. military forces in the Middle East and threatening military action if the two sides cannot agree on the terms of the deal.
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National Assembly moves to move presidential elections to 2027 to avoid Ramadan
Nigeria's National Assembly will reconvene on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, for an emergency session to review the date set for the 2027 presidential election, with lawmakers expected to move the presidential election to February 13, 2027. The resolution, proposed by the House Committee on Constitution Review under Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, emerged from wide-ranging consultations across six geopolitical zones and is aimed at addressing concerns raised regarding the 2027 election being held during Ramadan.
While major opposition parties supported the initiative, the ruling All Progressives Congress rejected it, warning of dire consequences. INEC had initially scheduled Saturday, February 20, 2027 for the Presidential and National Assembly elections and Saturday, March 6, 2027 for the Governorship and Assembly elections.
Kenya cuts pump prices by 2.3 percent
Kenya's Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority cut the price of super petrol in Nairobi by four shillings and 24 cents per liter to 178.26 shillings, while diesel dropped 3.93 shillings to 166.54 shillings and kerosene dropped one shilling to 152.78 shillings. This reduction is mainly attributed to the reduction in the landed cost of imported refined petroleum products, with the average landed cost of super petrol falling by 2.69 per cent in January 2026.
The exchange rate remained relatively stable, with the US dollar trading at an average of 129.27 shillings in January 2026 compared to 129.28 shillings in December 2025. The revised rates came into effect from midnight of February 15 and will remain in force till March 14, 2026.
Dangote Refinery increases domestic fuel production by 57 percent
Nigeria has sharply cut fuel imports after increasing domestic refining capacity by 57 percent in the past three months, with domestic production set to reach 40.1 million liters per day or 57.5 percent of total volume in January 2026. This marks a sharp increase from just 17.1 million liters per day in October 2025, with PMS imports by oil marketers and NNPCL falling to 25.8 million liters per day in January.
The Dangote refinery contributed significantly to this progress, increasing output by 25 per cent from December's 32 million litres, although operating at an average 61.27 per cent capacity utilisation. State-owned refineries lagged behind with the closure of Port Harcourt and both the Warri and Kaduna refineries ceased to operate.
