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The remains of the former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who died in 1975, have been transferred to a different site under strict security measures in a move ordered by the Socialist government. They were exhumed from a major monument near Madrid and reburied in a normal cemetery. A triumph over history?

The parliamentary elections in Poland have given the PiS the majority it needs to govern the country alone, but it lost its majority in the upper house, the Senate. Now it has announced that it wants a recount of votes in six districts where it lost. Is Poland's ruling party attacking yet another pillar of democracy?

The right-wing populist Sweden Democrats have made strong gains. Current surveys put them almost neck and neck with Prime Minister Stefan Löfvan's Social Democrats, with both parties polling at around 25 percent. Swedish media feel they know what is behind this shift in electoral support.

Hívja fel a figyelmet a Tanügyi Szabad Szakszervezetek Szövetsége. A szakszervezet szerint a kezdeményezés hasznos lehet, de csak akkor, ha más kiegészítő intézkedésekkel, például az osztályok számának növelésével és az Iskola utáni iskola program országos szintű kiterjesztésével társul. Meglátásuk szerint a törvény kihirdetését követően egy sürgősségi kormányrendelettel ki kell tolni a jogszabály hatályba lépésének időpontját. A szenátus plenáris ülése, döntéshozó testületként, elfogadott hétfőn egy joszabálytervezetet, amelynek célja a heti maximális óraszám életkor szerinti szabályozása az iskolákban.

Aláírta tegnap este Laura Codruţa Kövesi európai főügyészi kinevezését az Európai Parlament részéről David Sassoli elnök, az Európai Unió Tanácsának részéről pedig az európai ügyekért felelős finn miniszter. Az Európai Unió Tanácsa október 14-én formálisan is jóváhagyta Laura Codruţa Kövesi, a román korrupcióellenes ügyosztály volt vezetőjének kinevezését európai főügyésszé. A Tanács prioritása, hogy az Európai Ügyészség 2020 novemberében megkezdje működését. Laura Codruţa Kövesi mint első európai főügyész hétéves mandátumot kap.

Un propriétaire avait harcelé le locataire d'un atelier de carrosserie. Le Tribunal fédéral lui a donné tort en confirmant le jugement de la justice fribourgeoise.

Les autorités chaux-de-fonnières veulent transformer un parc public en parking. Une initiative populaire qui s'y oppose a été déposée.

Les robes noirs ont entamé leur marche à Alger centre pour plaider la libération des détenus d’opinion et du système judiciaire « libérez les otages, libérez la justice » scandent les avocats.

The post Les avocats entament leur marche à Alger centre appeared first on .

US-Forscher haben Ratten beigebracht, Mini-Autos zu steuern. Es zeigte sich, dass das Stresslevel der Nager sank, während sie die Fahrzeuge lenkten, schrieben die Wissenschaftler der Universität von Richmond in der Fachzeitschrift "Behavioural Brain Research".

Un chauffeur de taxi a roulé sur une cinquantaine de mètres alors que qu'un confrère se trouvait sur le capot. Le Tribunal fédéral rejette son recours.

This week (22/23 October), EDA hosted the third PESCO workshop related to the European Secure Software Defined Radio (ESSOR) project which aims to develop common technologies for European military radios. 

The adoption of these technologies as a standard will guarantee the interoperability of EU forces in the framework of joint operations, regardless which radio platforms are used. The ESSOR project will provide a secure military communications system, improving voice and data communication between Member States’ Armed Forces on a variety of platforms. In addition, it will deliver guidelines related to the validation and verification of waveform portability and platform re-configurability, setting up a common security basis to increase interoperability between the forces. By ensuring that military radios are fully accessible, shared and used by all Member States, the effectiveness of joint operations can be increased substantially. 

To that end, the Member States participating in the ESSOR project - Belgium, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal (with Estonia and Ireland as observers) - have moved forward to implement a common architecture analysis of software radios in Europe. 

The ESSOR project activities are currently performed by the consortium A4ESSOR through a contract managed by OCCAr.  A4ESSOR is a joint-venture of the following companies: Thales (FR), Leonardo (IT), Indra (SP), Radmor (PL), Bittium (FI) and soon Rohde & Schwarz (DE). 

The ESSOR PESCO project presents exceptional technological characteristics: it is based on the state-of-the-art technology in the radio field, and it aims at developing the most advanced concepts and solutions for communications applicable to several waveform layers. It builds a complete set of capabilities which will satisfy the most demanding, modern and future communication requirements. 
 

EDA supports development of ESSOR CONOPS 

Earlier this month (11 October), the 2nd ESSOR workshop on the development of a “concept of operations” (CONOPS) had already taken place at the Agency. It allowed the project Members States to gain insight into the process and methodology which are compliant with NATO Architecture Framework version 4. The CONOPS aims at describing the operational needs, visions and expectations of the operational users (from tactical level to component command) on the new waveforms to be developed in the context of the PESCO ESSOR project. It analyses operational scenarios using vignettes and identifies categories of architectural information which are further developed into operational requirements and technical requirements. A questionnaire is being distributed to operational staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force to gather inputs on the role of software defined radio to ensure interoperability among military communication and information systems in a future pervasive interconnected battlefield. 
 

Background

PESCO, the Permanent Structured Cooperation set up in December 2017, allows the 25 participating Member States to jointly plan, develop and invest in shared capability projects, and enhance the operational readiness and contribution of their armed forces. The aim is to jointly develop a coherent full spectrum force package and make the capabilities available to Member States for national and multinational (EU CSDP, NATO, UN, etc.) missions and operations. 

For more information on PESCO visit the website https://pesco.europa.eu/. 

 

Britain will have to propose an EU commissioner if it still is a member of the EU after 31 October, European Commission president-elect Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday. The UK is likely to get an extension to the Brexit deadline, and under EU law, all member states have to propose a commissioner. The new commission will come into office with at least one month delay, on 1 December.

ENTWURF EINES BERICHTS über die Umsetzung der Gemeinsamen Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik – Jahresbericht
Ausschuss für auswärtige Angelegenheiten
David McAllister

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2019 - EP

By James Reinl
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 24 2019 (IPS)

A partnership between United Nations and African Union (AU) agencies will help African economies insure themselves against the droughts and other extreme weather events that plague the continent, organisers say.

The AU’s African Risk Capacity (ARC) and the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) stuck a deal in Bonn, Germany, this week to raise money for the safeguard scheme and advance policies that help countries adapt to weather threats.

Organisers say that 45 million people across Africa cannot put enough food on their tables, especially in the south and east of the continent, where punishing dry spells have cut harvest yields and pushed up prices of staples.

“Reducing the impacts of drought and other natural disasters by helping member states improve climate resilience through innovative mitigation and risk financing instruments are key to our mandate,” Mohamed Beavogui, ARC’s director general, said in a statement on Wednesday. 

“The agreement signed today with UNCCD will create a functional synergy in our efforts to help countries better understand their risk profiles, improve knowledge and strengthen capacities for climate adaptation and food security.” 

Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the UNCCD, described a new financial vehicle called the eXtreme Climate Facility (XCF) that would raise money for AU members to access to alleviate their parched agricultural sectors.

The XCF will be “an important tool to help African countries to cope effectively with the impacts of drought”, said Thiaw, formerly a Mauritanian official and deputy chief of the U.N. Environment Programme.

Drought-ravaged countries can apply to the fund for help adapting to drought and other weather calamities, organisers said. Payouts will be corruption-proof and provided as “climate change catastrophe bonds”.

“The message is clear. We will see an increasing number of droughts with unprecedented severity, which are exacerbated by climate change. No country or region, rich or poor, is immune to the vagaries of drought,” said Thiaw.

“The UNCCD is helping 35 of Africa’s 57 countries to create the mechanisms they need to take early action to avert drought disasters. Today, Africa is ramping up pre-emptive actions as a unified front against future drought and climate-induced disasters in the region.”

The inking of an agreement between the two agencies came amid a week of growing concerns over harsh dry spells across Africa that are reducing harvests, killing wildlife and worsening security for millions of people.

On Wednesday, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a study group, released a report saying that three decades of conflict in Somalia — together with crippling droughts and flooding — were strengthening the hands of militants and weakening the government’s power. 

In the Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe, at least 55 elephants have died from starvation since September, officials said on Monday. The locations of their carcasses — near water holes — suggested they had traveled long distances to drink.

On October 15, aid agency Concern Worldwide, which co-compiles the Global Hunger Index, said hunger levels in the turbulent Central African Republic were “extremely alarming”, while levels in Chad, Madagascar, and Zambia were “alarming”.

“Today marks the beginning of a unified front against drought and climate-induced disasters in the African region,” Thiaw said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Our key aims are to support the establishment and implementation of national drought plans and mobilise innovative financial instruments to better mitigate the risks of extreme climate situations.”

According to the UNCCD, droughts already bad and they are getting worse. By 2025, some 1.8 billion people will experience serious water shortages, and two-thirds of the world will be “water-stressed”, the UNCCD says. 

Though droughts are complex and develop slowly, they cause more deaths than other types of disasters, the UNCCD warns. By 2045, droughts will have forced as many as 135 million people from their homes.

But there is hope. By managing water sources, forests, livestock and farming, soil erosion can be reduced and degraded land can be revived, a process that can also help tackle climate change. 

Related Articles

• Displaced by the Desert: An expanding Sahara leaves Broken Families and Violence in its Wake
• Q&A: Holistic Land Management – Only a Movement can Prevent Desertification
• Money Grows on Trees–Don’t Uproot Them

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