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Carlo Janka ist der einzige Schweizer, der in diesem Jahrtausend den Gesamtweltcup gewinnen konnte. Bernhard Russi spricht über die grosse Karriere von Carlo Janka und die Lücke, die er im Ski-Zirkus hinterlässt.

Eine Kirchengängerin erklärt, weshalb es bei Jesus kein Corona gibt. Backen will gelernt sein. Und jetzt kann man getrost über SRF motzen – das und mehr in der neusten Ausgabe von Tele Zappin.

The EU's role in an anti–jihadist defence and security mission in the Sahel region is under increasing threat as relations with the military government in Mali continue to decline over delayed elections and the presence of Russian mercenaries, EU officials conceded on Thursday.

Credit: Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament/Henry Kenyon

By Daryl G. Kimball
WASHINGTON DC, Jan 13 2022 (IPS)

On Jan. 3, the leaders of the five nuclear-armed members of the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) issued a rare joint statement on preventing nuclear war in which they affirmed, for the first time, the 1985 Reagan-Gorbachev maxim that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.”

The U.S., Chinese, French, Russian, and UK effort was designed in part to create a positive atmosphere for the 10th NPT review conference, which has been delayed again by the pandemic. It also clearly aims to address global concerns about the rising danger of nuclear conflict among states and signals a potential for further cooperation to address this existential threat.

The question now is, do they have the will and the skill to translate their laudable intentions into action before it is too late?

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price hailed the statement as “extraordinary.” A more sober reading shows that it falls woefully short of committing the five to the policies and actions necessary to prevent nuclear war.

In fact, the statement illustrates how their blind faith in deterrence theories, which hinge on a credible threat of using nuclear weapons, perpetuates conditions that could lead to nuclear catastrophe.

The statement asserts that “nuclear weapons—for as long as they continue to exist—should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war.” Yet, such broad language suggests they might use nuclear weapons to “defend” themselves against a wide range of threats, including non-nuclear threats.

Given the indiscriminate and horrific effects of nuclear weapons use, such policies are dangerous, immoral, and legally unjustifiable.

At the very least, if the leaders of these states are serious about averting nuclear war, they should formally adopt no-first-use policies or, as U.S. President Joe Biden promised in 2020, declare that the sole purpose of nuclear weapons is to deter or possibly respond to a nuclear attack.

Even this approach perpetuates circumstances that could lead to nuclear war by accident or miscalculation. The only way to ensure nuclear weapons are never used is “to do away with them entirely,” as President Ronald Reagan argued in 1984, and sooner rather than later.

But on disarmament, the statement only expressed a “desire to work with all states to create a security environment more conducive to progress on disarmament with the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all.” This vague, caveated promise rings hollow after years of stalled disarmament progress and an accelerating global nuclear arms race.

A year ago, Russia and the United States extended the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, but they have not begun negotiations on a follow-on agreement. Meanwhile, both spend billions of dollars annually to maintain and upgrade their nuclear forces, which far exceed any rational concept of what it takes to deter a nuclear attack.

China is on pace to double or triple the size of its land-based strategic missile force in the coming years. Worse still, despite past promises “to engage in the process leading to the total elimination of nuclear weapons,” Chinese leaders are rebuffing calls to engage in arms control talks with the United States and others. The United Kingdom, meanwhile, announced last year it would increase its deployed strategic warhead ceiling.

Fresh statements by the five NPT nuclear-armed states reaffirming their “intention” to fulfill their NPT disarmament obligations are hardly credible in the absence of time-bound commitments to specific disarmament actions.

At the same time, the five, led by France, have criticized the good faith efforts by the majority of NPT non-nuclear-weapon states-parties to advance the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Contrary to claims by the nuclear-armed states, the TPNW reinforces the NPT and the norm against possessing, testing, and using nuclear weapons.

Rather than engage TPNW leaders on their substantive concerns, U.S. officials are pressuring influential states, including Sweden, Germany, and Japan, not to attend the first meeting of TPNW states-parties as observers. Such bullying will only reinforce enthusiasm for the TPNW and undermine U.S. credibility on nuclear matters.

The leaders of the nuclear five, especially Biden, can and must do better. Before the NPT review conference later this year, Russia and the United States should commit to conclude by 2025 negotiations on further verifiable cuts in strategic and nonstrategic nuclear forces and on constraints on long-range missile defenses.

China, France, and the UK should agree to join nuclear arms control talks no later than 2025 and to freeze their stockpiles as Washington and Moscow negotiate deeper cuts in theirs.

Instead of belittling the TPNW, the five states need to get their own houses in order. Concrete action on disarmament is overdue. It will help create a more stable and peaceful international security environment and facilitate the transformative move from unsustainable and dangerous deterrence doctrines toward a world free of the fear of nuclear Armageddon.

Source: Arms Control Today

Daryl G. Kimball is Executive Director of the Arms Control Association, Washington DC.

 

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Lövöldözés volt hétfőn Bajcson (Komáromi járás). Figyelmeztető lövéseket kellett leadniuk a rendőröknek, hogy jobb belátásra bírjanak egy férfit (47), aki a Perbete és Bajcs közötti úton a megengedett maximális sebesség duplájával hajtott (181 km/ó), majd sem autóval sem futva nem volt hajlandó megállni nekik.

Tavaly éves szinten körülbelül 4 százalékkal bővült a szlovákiai autógyártás, és a legyártott gépkocsik száma meghaladta az egymilliót.

Grosses Glück für Beat Feuz im Super-G von Wengen. Der Schweizer Stürzt beinahe, kann sich aber noch Retten. Im Klassement wird er zurück gespült, aber zum Glück verletzt sich der Kugelblitz nicht bei der Aktion.

Különös jelenetet dokumentáltak a délnyugat-ausztráliai Bremer-öbölben. Kardszárnyú delfinek szabadítottak ki egy halászfelszerelésbe gabalyodott hosszúszárnyú bálnát.

Ihr angeblicher Ex-Freund Joe Francis schiesst scharf gegen Paris Hilton. Er behauptet, der TV-Star sei auf ihn losgegangen.

Russland hat vor der Grenze zur Ukraine Soldaten stationiert. Die Situation ist angespannt. Boxlegende Vitali Klitschko, Bürgermeister von Kiew, befürchtet einen Einmarsch und bereitet sich auf das Schlimmste vor.

Viele wissen nicht, woher der beliebte Schaumwein eigentlich kommt. Dabei entsteht Prosecco nur eine Stunde von Venedig entfernt.

Fossiles Gas sollte von der europäischen Liste nachhaltiger Investitionen gestrichen werden, so eine Gruppe von Klima-Investoren mit einem Vermögen von 50 Billionen Euro.

Die nächsten Schritte der Schweiz in der Europa-Politik und die Lage in der Ukraine sind bei einem Treffen von Bundespräsident Cassis mit seinem österreichischen Amtskollegen Van der Bellen in Wien Thema gewesen. Beide betonten die Bedeutung des Multilateralismus.

Er ist einer der ganz grossen Schweizer Ski-Athleten aller Zeiten. Nun hat Carlo Janka (35) entschieden, seine Skis in den Keller zu stellen. Die Medienkonferenz gibts ab 15.30 Uhr live auf Blick TV.

Werden in der Schweiz Tierversuche untersagt, würde gemäss Hochschulen und Forschungskreisen «die hohe Qualität der Gesundheitsversorgung auf dem Spiel stehen». Sie lehnen die Volksinitiative für ein Verbot von Tier- und Menschenversuchen deshalb ab.

The EU on Thursday (13 January) blocked the merger of two South Korean ship-making giants over concerns the deal would restrict the supply of large liquefied gas carriers, posing a threat to Europe's energy security.

Written by Stefano Spinaci (1st edition).

Green bonds are committed to financing or re-financing investments, projects, expenditure or assets helping to address climate and environmental issues. Both governments and companies use them to finance the transition to a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

Since the EIB inaugurated the green bond market in 2007 with its Climate Awareness Bond, the market has grown very fast, but it still represents only about 3 to 3.5 % of overall bond issuance. The green bond market needs to grow more quickly to achieve the targets in the Paris Agreement.

The Commission’s proposal aims to establish an official EU standard for green bonds aligned with the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities, based on a registration system and supervisory framework for external reviewers of European green bonds.

The proposal is currently being examined by the co-legislators. Within the European Parliament, the file has been assigned to the ECON committee. In the Council, the working party on financial services is meeting to discuss the dossier.

Versions

• January 2022: European green bonds: A standard for Europe, open to the world (1st edition)

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on European green bonds Committee responsible:Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON)COM(2021) 391
6.7.2021Rapporteur:Paul Tang (S&D, The Netherlands)2021/0191(COD)Shadow rapporteurs:Christophe Hansen (EPP, Luxembourg)
Gilles Boyer (Renew, France)
Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, The Netherlands)
Gunnar Beck (ID, Germany)
Andżelika Anna Możdżanowska (ECR, Poland)
José Gusmão (The Left, Portugal)Ordinary legislative procedure (COD)
(Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’) Next steps expected: Consideration of draft report in committee

Marco Odermatt reitet weiterhin auf einer Welle des Erfolgs. Im Super-G von Wengen beweist er sein Können und gewinnt sensationell. Die Siegfahrt gibt es im Video.

Die Einreise-Affäre könnte für Novak Djokovic ein juristisches Nachspiel haben. Denn die Weltnummer 1 hat in den letzten Wochen an mehreren Orten gegen Gesetze und Regeln verstossen. Ein konkreter Entscheid steht aber weiterhin aus – alles dazu im Fokus auf Blick TV.

Fossil gas should be excluded from Europe’s list of sustainable investments, according to a group of climate investors with €50 trillion worth of assets. The group added it was still considering whether to consider nuclear as a sustainable investment.