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America should spy on foreign companies to help its own.

A failing peace process leads to only one outcome.

Megfutotta a pályát, most pedig szakmai visszapillantást nyújt róla. Garzó Ferenc Rómában és Bukarestben volt a Magyar Távirati Iroda tudósítója. A Tortoma kiadó gondozásában jelent meg Magánhírügyeim – egy obsitos krónikás „szemtanúságai” című kötete. A több mint 50 éves sajtómúlttal rendelkező szerző tegnap a Tetőterasz vendége volt. Házigazda: Rostás-Péter István

Articolul Szemlélni, látni, láttatni apare prima dată în Kolozsvári Rádió Románia.

Der Einkaufstourismus boomt: In Jestetten an der Grenze zu Schaffhausen und dem Kanton Zürich verstopfen Schweizer Einkaufstouristen am Wochenende Parkplätze und Strassen. Die Gemeinde profitiert wirtschaftlich, doch vielen Einheimischen wird der Ansturm zu viel.

Günstige Preise locken zahlreiche Schweizer zum Einkaufen ins grenznahe Jestetten. Einige kommen fünf- bis sechsmal pro Monat. Während die Geschäfte profitieren, brauchen Einheimische am Wochenende extreme Geduld beim eigenen Einkauf.

Ore containing copper, cobalt, and nickel, critical minerals that power the use of emerging technologies. Credit: Unsplash/Paul-Alain Hunt

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 8 2026 (IPS)

The demand for critical minerals is accelerating as world powers scramble to stay on top of emerging technologies. Meanwhile, the environment and frontline communities are paying a steep price.

Such was the basis of the discussion held by the Oakland Institute on September 30, during their webinar: ‘How War and AI Fuel the Critical Minerals Race‘. The event convened experts and frontline activists to examine how artificial intelligence (AI) drives mineral extraction, transforms war technologies, and affects communities entrenched in protracted conflict.

Building on the Institute’s July report, RUSH: Global Scramble for Minerals Wages War on People and Planet, the event highlighted the correlation between rising military spending and the proliferation of AI systems. Panelists stressed that as the demand for critical minerals reaches new peaks, frontline communities bear the brunt of adverse environmental and social impacts.

Anuradha Mittal, founder and Executive Director of the Oakland Institute, noted that military operations account for less than 10 percent of total critical mineral use. Despite this, she warned that the global AI “boom” and increasing competition between world powers over strategic supply chains could trigger a sharp rise in extraction.

Expanding data centers will demand increasingly higher quantities of critical minerals, including copper, gallium, indium, palladium, magnesium, tungsten, germanium, and tantalum. Mittal projected that by 2030, data centers could require an additional 512,000 tons of copper, alongside a 37 percent increase in germanium and an 85 percent increase in gallium by 2033.

She highlighted the United States military-industrial complex as a specific area of concern, describing it as an “AI-first warfighting force.” Under the Trump administration’s proposed 2027 defense budget, military spending would reach a record high of 1.5 trillion USD, nearly twice that of 2023. As the U.S. races to counter China’s dominance across global supply chains, extraction, and processing, the Trump administration has enacted rapid measures to secure minerals internationally.

“Since 2025, the (Trump) administration claims to have signed 38 mineral agreements with countries ranging from Ukraine, India, the DRC, the Philippines, UAE, Australia, Argentina, and Saudi Arabia…Competition with China is bolstering this strategy,” said Mittal. “The Department of War has allocated 75 billion USD to AI-driven programs and another 9 billion to data centers, while the Pentagon requested 13.4 billion dollars in 2026 for autonomous systems. This has driven the U.S. to start stockpiling minerals as strategic assets.”

Other panelists detailed how the impacts of the critical minerals race extend far beyond the global scramble for resources. Frontline communities are not only subjected to environmental degradation, but those in conflict zones are routinely exploited by tech and defense corporations as testing sites for novel military technologies before they are introduced to global markets.

Leila, representing the U.S.-based and Palestinian-led advocacy group Adalah Justice Project (AJP), warned that Gaza has served as an “enormous blueprint for AI-powered war,” noting that Israeli companies have historically used the enclave to test emerging technologies relating to surveillance.

“We have facial recognition drones, different kinds of spyware companies that can hack into phones, and all kinds of AI-assisted targeting programs that, of course, we really learned about through the last couple of years in the genocide,” said Leila. “These tools were developed and tested by Israeli companies in real time, and then sold to the world as sort of ‘battle-proven.’”

Leila also stressed the urgency of the Deadly Merger, a legislative proposal in the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to expand the integration of the U.S. and Israel’s military technology, intelligence, and surveillance systems. AJP posits that the Merger could intensify violence against Palestinians, drive heightened surveillance in the U.S., and impose a “new techno-fascist world order.”

Katerina Canyon, Executive Director of Peace Economy Project—a non-profit organization that advocates for the redirection of military spending toward human needs—introduced the concept of a “peace economy”, where critical resources are used to strengthen healthcare and social infrastructure rather than fund military operations.

Canyon stated that rare earths, lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and other critical minerals are not only necessities for the proliferation of AI but also are cornerstone resources for the green energy transition. She emphasized that a peace economy must prioritize an equitable environment for civilians over military defensives.

“For nearly fifty years, our organization has challenged militarism and asked what would happen if public resources were directed toward human needs rather than preparation for war,” said Canyon. “My core argument is simple: critical minerals are not politically neutral. The same mineral can become part of a wind turbine, an electric bus, a medical device, or a missile guidance system. Geology does not make that distinction; policy does, government budgets do, procurement decisions do, and industrial strategy does.”

“So the real question is not simply whether we need critical minerals; it is what kind of economy are we building around them,” she continued. “A peace economy starts with a different definition of security. One centered on whether people have safe communities, have healthcare, clean energy, transportation, housing, and a livable environment.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

 

 

 

Für eine neue Veloroute in Zürich-Schwamendingen sollen öffentliche Parkplätze verschwinden. Der Automobil Club der Schweiz spricht von einem «Kahlschlag» – und hat Einsprache eingereicht.

Bei einem Unfall auf der Hauptstrasse zwischen Laufenburg und Eiken ist am Mittwoch ein 59-jähriger Töfffahrer ums Leben gekommen. Ein 30-jähriger Autofahrer war auf die Gegenfahrbahn geraten; die Ursache ist unklar.

Ein Rechenzentrum des russischen Techkonzerns Yandex ist laut Reuters in der Nacht auf Donnerstag in der Region Rjasan von Drohnen getroffen worden. Yandex bestätigte die vollständige Einstellung des Betriebs. Einzelne Dienste könnten ausfallen.

In Russland ist auf einem Industriegelände nach einem Drohnenangriff ein Brand ausgebrochen.

Ghana rsquo;s Parliamentary Minority says the US Embassy rsquo;s Fraud Prevention Unit flagged four applicants included in the National Sports Authority rsquo;s (NSA) visa arrangements for the 2026 FIFA World Cup over discrepancies concerning their positions and links to the authority.

Die neusten Meldungen.

Az elmúlt időszakban több ügy is felhívta a figyelmet az alternatív és komplementer gyógyítás szabályozására és az e területen felmerülő visszaélések lehetőségére. Például egy spirituális terapeuta ellen büntetőeljárás indult, miután több nő szexuális bántalmazással kapcsolatos feljelentést tett. A bukaresti rendőrség pedig tegnap öt helyszínen tartott házkutatást egy csalásgyanús ügyben. A nyomozás szerint egészségügyi központként bemutatkozó […]

Articolul Szabályokkal a „sámánok” ellen apare prima dată în Kolozsvári Rádió Románia.

Az év eleje óta 7 551 agrárvállalkozás összesen 51,92 milliárd hrivnya hitelt vont be az állami „Elérhető hitelek 5–7–9%” program keretében – közölte az Ukrán Agrárpolitikai és Élelmezésügyi Minisztérium.

A tárca szerint a kedvezményes finanszírozás fontos szerepet játszik az agrárágazat működésének és fejlesztésének támogatásában a jelenlegi nehéz makrogazdasági körülmények között.

A programot legnagyobb arányban Odessza megye mezőgazdasági termelői vették igénybe: 934 agrárvállalkozás összesen 7,23 milliárd hrivnya hitelhez jutott.

Jelentős hitelösszegeket vonzottak be Kijev, Vinnicja, Kirovohrad és Harkiv megye gazdálkodói is.

Összességében az év kezdete óta 13 104 agrárvállalkozás több mint 121,46 milliárd hrivnya hitelhez jutott az agrárágazatot támogató különböző finanszírozási programok keretében.

Összehasonlításképpen: 2025-ben 15 574 agrárgazdaság összesen 131,47 milliárd hrivnya banki hitelt vett fel fejlesztési célokra. Az „Elérhető hitelek 5–7–9%” program keretében tavaly 7978 gazdaság jutott kedvezményes finanszírozáshoz, összesen 53,76 milliárd hrivnya értékben.

Kárpátalja.ma

The post Több mint 7500 agrárvállalkozás vett igénybe kedvezményes hitelt Ukrajnában appeared first on Kárpátalja.ma.

Nun ermittelt die Bundesanwaltschaft.

Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) presidential candidate George Afriyie has questioned the implementation of Kurt Okraku rsquo;s manifesto promises on Colts football and grassroots development. Afriyie, who lost to Okraku in the 2019 GFA presidential election, challenged the GFA president to account for the number of game centres an .

WDR Westdeutscher Rundfunk: Köln (ots) - Am Donnerstagvormittag (8.10.2026) ist die Mausfigur des Westdeutschen Rundfunks in der Kölner Innenstadt wegen kleinerer Bauarbeiten für kurze Zeit von ihrem Platz vor dem 1LIVE Gebäude entfernt worden. Das hat alles seine ...

RTLZWEI: München (ots) - - Donnerstag, 8. Oktober 2026: "Das Leben des Brian" (20:15 Uhr) - Freitag, 9. Oktober 2026: "Die Unfassbaren - Now You See Me" (20:15 Uhr) - Am Wochenende: "Die Wolke" und "The Sixth Sense", jeweils um 20:15 Uhr Die ...

10'000 Schritte, möglichst viele verbrannte Kalorien und ein hartes Workout: Beim Sport machen wir uns oft unnötig Druck. Dabei gibt es laut Expertin nicht das eine perfekte Training. Entscheidend ist, was zu unserem Körper passt.

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 8 2026 (IPS)

The seven candidates, still in the running for the post of UN Secretary-General (SG), have so far faced a barrage of questions, mostly from delegates and the news media.

But some of the more politically-sensitive and heavily-loaded questions, have been avoided — either intentionally or by accident– primarily because the answers could trigger a veto from the P-5.

Do you subscribe to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies at the UN? If so, will you help implement this policy, which excludes gender empowerment, and is strongly advocated by the Trump administration?

The US has dismissed climate change as a “hoax”. Where do you stand on global warming and climate change? Any reaction to the US view?

As Secretary-General, what will be your leadership philosophy?

The ICC has determined that the Israeli Prime minister is a war criminal and is accused of committing genocide in Gaza. Do you agree? If not, what are your thoughts?

Do you consider Taiwan an integral part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)? And, as Secretary-General, will you initiate negotiations to prevent a possible new military conflict in the region?

Is the Russian invasion of Ukraine a violation of the UN charter? And is Russia responsible for war crimes in Ukraine?

Thomas G. Weiss, Presidential Professor Emeritus, Political Science, Director Emeritus, Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, the CUNY Graduate Center, told Inter Press Service (IPS) the absence of probing questions from governments is easier to understand than from journalists who should be shedding light on and exposing the relative degree of spinelessness in candidates.

“The last two SGs demonstrate that what passes for acceptable among the P5 is not what the UN requires. The planet requires boldness and a willingness to speak truth to power. Alas, what gets a candidate elected and what is required are two different things,’ he pointed out.

Mandeep S. Tiwana, Secretary-General CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organizations (CSOs) and activists, told IPS practically speaking, in order to successfully navigate the present political minefield, it could be considered wise for candidates to steer clear of questions they deem contentious.

But what does that say about the process for the appointment of the next Secretary General? he asked.

“The United Nations is supposed to be the conscience of the world. So, in principle answering a question on the value of diversity and equity or calling out the reality of complicity in genocide and war crimes by powerful states should not be so hard for someone who aspires to be the leader of the world body”.

Unfortunately, traditions have taken hold where senior UN officials see themselves more as bureaucrats beholden to the representatives of states – some of whom don’t even conduct free and fair elections – rather than as servants of the peoples of the world in whose name the UN was established, said Tiwana.

“The UN draws its legitimacy from its founding values. It is our hope that whoever is appointed will break the mold. Crucially, it is time for a woman to head the UN and govern it with feminist leadership values of consensus building, courage, power-sharing and radical inclusion. At the same time, they should be able to hear and feel deeply for victims of the very violations the UN was established to prevent,” declared Tiwana.

Richard Gowan, Director for Global Issues and Institutions, and a longtime UN watcher at the Brussels-based Crisis Group told IPS there is an old saying that “politicians campaign in poetry but govern in prose.”

But aspiring UN Secretaries-General don’t even get to campaign poetically. They have to tread extremely carefully to avoid offending the veto powers. This leads them to make lowest common denominator statements and avoid hard topics, he said.

“That means these races are disappointing for UN watchers and boring for journalists. However, at the end of the day the world’s top diplomat must be diplomatic, so the race is all about showing who can be most tactful not most brilliant”.

It is worth saying that even the best UN leaders did not say much that was exciting during the campaign phase. Dag Hammarskjold, U. Thant and Kofi Annan all took office without making waves.

Hammarskjold, he pointed out, was famously prone to periods of introspective silence even once he was in office. So, I don’t think that out-spokeness is necessarily a decisive criterion in this race, he declared.

Meanwhile, the seven official candidates running to succeed António Guterres as the next UN Secretary-General (starting January 1, 2027) are listed below, alongside former candidate Michelle Bachelet who withdrew from the race:

IPS UN Bureau Report