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South Africa bowler Kagiso Rabada has taken his 300th Test wicket - and here's how he compares to other all-time greats.

Security officials privately admit the country could have been used as a 'testing ground' for future Russian activities.

Hochrangige Europaabgeordnete aller Fraktionen im Energieausschuss des EU-Parlaments kritisierten in einem Schreiben, das Euractiv vorliegt, ihre Vorsitzenden. Diese hatten entschieden, dass sich die Anhörungen der Kommissare zeitlich überschneiden können.

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On 18 October, the Office for Human Rights and Rights of National Minorities of Croatia, the OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-operation for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, and the UN Global Compact Network Croatia marked EU Anti-Trafficking Day with a pivotal roundtable discussion in Zagreb on supply chains and human rights. The event, titled 'Sustainable Supply Chains: Promoting Human Rights and Social Responsibility', was a landmark occasion that brought together the public and private sectors to discuss human rights in global supply chains, with a particular focus on combating human trafficking for labour exploitation in the context of the new EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

Convening 30 participants from diverse backgrounds, including representatives from businesses, government agencies, international organizations, academia, and civil society, the roundtable was a testament to the widespread interest in the topic. Their collective engagement in discussions on preventing human rights abuses and ensuring environmental sustainability in supply chains underscored the broad commitment to this critical issue.

“In order to enhance awareness of the phenomenon of labour exploitation and to formulate an appropriate response to the emerging situation, the Government of the Republic of Croatia is committed to strengthening the collaboration between the private and public sectors through joint initiatives and the involvement of the private sector in shaping public policies,” said Alen Tahiri, National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator of Croatia. “Public-private partnerships are crucial for identifying and mitigating the risks of labour exploitation.”

Additionally, the CSDDD requires the Croatian government to amend several national laws, making this event a timely opportunity to discuss the challenges faced not only by businesses required to comply, but also by governments that must implement these changes.

According to the UN Global Compact Croatia Network, the roundtable discussion is just the beginning, serving as a platform for ongoing co-operation between the public and private sectors on human rights issues.

Vali Marszalek, Board Chair of the UN Global Compact Network Croatia and ESG Director for the Adria Region at Forvis Mazars, emphasized that while companies are currently focused on sustainability reporting, a crucial shift towards evaluating business behaviour is needed. “With the new directive in effect, businesses must scrutinize their operations and entire chains of activity, recognizing that they cannot distance themselves from negative impacts,” she said.

Boris Topić, National Anti-Trafficking Officer at the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, underscored that “the OSCE is walking the talk when it comes to ethical supply chains and has implemented several measures in its own operations and procurement processes. We are excited to see the next steps that Croatia will take as a joint effort from the public and private sectors toward the implementation of the CSDDD, and we stand ready to support Croatia in this endeavor.”

Discussions underscored Croatia's ongoing commitment to high human rights standards, including efforts against trafficking and labour exploitation. By sharing insights and best practices, the roundtable fostered collaborative efforts to enhance compliance and enforcement of due diligence legislation, reinforcing the importance of responsible business conduct for the benefit of all employees in the country.

Le régulateur irlandais des médias a publié lundi 21 octobre un « code de la sécurité en ligne » qui imposera à partir du mois prochain un contrôle plus strict de leur contenu aux plateformes de partage de vidéos ayant leur siège européen en Irlande.

Handelsspannungen mit den USA dürften unabhängig vom Ausgang der US-Präsidentschaftswahlen im November anhalten, warnten europäische Entscheidungsträger. Sollte sich die USA wirtschaftlich weiter isolieren, könne dies der schwächelnden EU-Wirtschaft zunehmend schaden.

Monday, 21 October

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Monday, 21 October

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Monday, 21 October

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Monday, 21 October

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

La demande de transport aérien est repartie à la hausse après la pandémie de Covid-19 et se heurte à nouveau aux limites de la capacité aéroportuaire dans de nombreuses villes, tout en posant des doutes sur la capacité de décarbonation du secteur dans l'Union européenne.

La Commission européenne a dressé une liste de plusieurs projets de défense qui pourraient devenir des projets d’intérêt européen commun et bénéficier d’une enveloppe financière de 500 milliards d’euros.

Ein Vorbereitungsdokument für den designierten Energiekommissar Dan Jørgensen deutet darauf hin, dass die Atomkraft weiterhin Teil der EU-Energiestrategie bleibt. Doch die Atomkraftbefürworter im EU-Parlament werden bei der kommenden Anhörung wachsam sein.

L’économiste en chef du Fonds monétaire international (FMI) a averti que l’augmentation constante du nombre de véhicules électriques en provenance de Chine, associée à une baisse de la demande de moteurs à combustion interne, divise l’Europe entre les pays qui en bénéficient et ceux qui n’en profitent pas.

Das Vereinigte Königreich, Italien und Japan haben sich darauf geeinigt, ihr Kampfjetprojekt zur Herstellung der nächsten Generation zu beschleunigen. Das Vorhaben steht in Konkurrenz zu einem Kampfjet, der von Deutschland, Frankreich und Spanien entwickelt wird.

Le gagnant sera choisi parmi les signataires d'une pétition lancée par le groupe de soutien à Trump du milliardaire de la tech.

VIENNA, 23 October 2024 – The Economic and Environmental Dimension Implementation Meeting (EEDIM), held annually to review the implementation of the commitments undertaken by OSCE participating States through various Ministerial Council decisions, will take pace in Vienna on 29 October.

The EEDIM provides a platform to enhance dialogue and co-operation on key thematic areas within the second dimension of the OSCE. The focus of this year’s EEDIM is on water management, exploring its various roles within the OSCE framework. Discussions will highlight best practices in good governance, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and the sustainable management and conservation of water resources, including environmental protection and disaster risk reduction, across the OSCE area.

The opening session of the meeting on taking stock of the implementation of water management commitments will take place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. CET and will be livestreamed on https://www.osce.org/live

For more information about EEDIM, please click here 

CHISINAU, 21 October 2024 – Moldova’s 20 October presidential election and constitutional referendum were well-managed, and contestants campaigned freely in an environment characterized by concerns over illicit foreign interference and active disinformation efforts. While this affected the integrity of the process, additionally, campaign conditions did not allow for a level playing field among contestants, international observers said in a preliminary statement released today.

The election administration worked professionally and demonstrated impartiality in their decision-making. In a competitive but only minimally visible campaign, voters were offered a variety of political alternatives among presidential candidates, who were registered in an inclusive process. However, the manner in which the presidential election and referendum campaigns were conducted simultaneously, and media coverage that favoured the incumbent and the government, did not provide fully equal opportunities. Misuse of public resources in the campaign was noted, the statement says.

“Moldova deserves credit for implementing a number of reforms to increase public confidence in the electoral system, in the context heavy Russian propaganda. From implementing cybersecurity measures to ensuring a high degree of women’s participation, there is much to celebrate in this election,” said Lucie Potůčková, Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observers. “There are, however, some areas for improvement. The overlapping period between candidate registration and the campaign, for example, has created an uneven playing field, which is something we would like to see improved.”

The campaigns took place in the context of the government addressing national security threats resulting from the war caused by the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine. Law enforcement authorities, many international actors and civil society organizations have proclaimed that Moldova is the target of an ongoing “hybrid war” directed from abroad that includes illicit financing of political actors, disinformation campaigns, and cyberattacks.

"Yesterday marked a pivotal moment for Moldova, despite Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine and intensive Kremlin-backed interference in the electoral processes,” said Petra Bayr, Head of the delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. “We commend the country's leadership for boldly consulting the population on this fundamental choice, and stand ready to support Moldova in further strengthening its inclusive and open society. Success will depend on further democratic reforms and the ability to combat disinformation and external interference, ensuring Moldova's democratic process remains legitimate and transparent."

“We welcome the results of the referendum,”  said Michael Gahler, Head of the delegation from the European Parliament. “Despite the unprecedented massive, malign and illicit Russian interference, especially through vote buying, hybrid attacks and disinformation, the people of the Republic of Moldova chose a future in the EU. We commend the competent Moldovan authorities for holding a well-managed and efficient election under these extraordinary circumstances. We call on all stakeholders to resist any interference, in order not to allow it to distort the results of the second round of the presidential election and the 2025 parliamentary elections.”

While the revised legal framework for the presidential election provides an adequate basis for holding democratic elections, frequent amendments, introduced shortly prior to the election and without sufficient consultation, diminished the coherence of election legislation and potentially affected legal certainty. The legal framework for the referendum, which was on the question of enabling the parliament to integrate EU rights and obligations into national law without further constitutional reform, has certain shortcomings, including insufficient safeguards against the misuse of public resources and, as such, is not fully in line with international standards and OSCE commitments. While there are no international standards prohibiting the concurrent holding of the two contests, doing so without adjusting campaign regulations contributed to an unlevel playing field for presidential contestants.

“The substantial number of international observers that deployed to observe the elections serve as a testament to the international community’s steadfast support for Moldova’s democratic path,” said Johan Büser, Head of the delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. “In the context of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, pro-Russian actors have directed foreign interference and disinformation campaigns, while traditional views on minorities and LGBT rights were sometimes framed as reasons to vote ‘No’ on the EU referendum.”

Election day was calm and well-organized, and the voting process was assessed overwhelmingly positively by the observers, with only a few procedural problems noted. The vote count and tabulation were assessed positively, overall.

“The electoral authorities have been transparent and professional in their work, and this was reflected in our overwhelmingly positive assessment of election day,” said Urszula Gacek, head of the election observation mission from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. “Our observation over the last several weeks shows that the conditions did not provide the contestants with a level playing field. The recommendations we will make based on our observation will be aimed at addressing this and other areas in need of improvement, to increase the resilience of and citizens’ confidence in electoral processes in the country.”

Recent changes created a robust legal framework for campaign finances, but oversight was diminished due to the limited capacity and resources of the electoral authorities. Campaign donation and expenditure limits apply separately to election and referendum participants, meaning political parties and election blocs participating in both contests had the ability to spend more.

During the campaign, radio and television political coverage was tightly regulated to ensure fairness, accuracy and impartiality, but ODIHR media monitoring showed that the incumbent received the most coverage overall in news and editorial programmes in both her official capacity and as a candidate, without clear distinction between the two. Coverage of the referendum in all newscasts was very limited. In line with electoral media laws, candidates were granted sufficient free airtime.

The effectiveness of the resolution of election disputes was limited in the handling of some cases. Although the dispute resolution deadlines comply with international good practice, the Central Election Commission and the appellate court did not always comply with legal deadlines. As most of the Commission’s decisions on inadmissibility were upheld upon judicial review, some important campaign-related issues were not examined on their merits.

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The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission), in cooperation with the Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office of Hercegovina Neretva Canton (HNC), organized a training for the police officials of the HNC Ministry of Interior on “Good and Pro-active Investigations”. The training aimed to enhance the quality of criminal investigations and foster stronger cooperation, coordination and communication between police officials and prosecutors.

The training, which brought together 30 police officials from the three police administrations in HNC, delivered through three core components: a) the role of the police in proactive investigations and evidence collection; b) duties and responsibilities of police investigators in ensuring the legality of evidence; and c) a practical case-study focusing on building knowledge and skills concerning responses to prosecutorial instructions and court orders during investigations. This practical component was designed to enable police officials to engage in hands-on exercises, learning from both exemplary and deficient practices in crime scene investigations.

The Mission is committed to supporting the professional development of law enforcement agencies across the country, with the aim of improving the overall quality of investigations and ensuring that police actions align with relevant domestic and international standards and are delivered in such a way to ensure effective responses to crime in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Avec le décompte des voix des Moldaves à l’étranger, le résultat du référendum penche en faveur de l’inscription de l’adhésion à l’Union européenne (UE) comme objectif dans la constitution moldave — bien qu’avec une faible marge.