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Robert Fico és Orbán Viktor arról tárgyal, hogy a Smer csatlakozna az Európai Parlamentben a Patrióták Európáért (PfE) frakcióhoz, miután az Európai Szocialisták Pártja (PES) egyhangú szavazással végérvényesen kizárta soraiból.

Hogyan kapcsolódik össze egy honfoglalás kori vitéz élete egy amerikai fiataléval? Erről szól Szomolai Tibor hatodik regénye, a Vérvonal. Az író könyvbemutatóját nemrégiben tartották a komáromi Zichy-pontban, ahol az archeogenetika világában is elmerülhettünk.

By CIVICUS
Oct 24 2025 (IPS)

 
CIVICUS speaks about the disappearance of Turkmen activists Abdulla Orusov and Alisher Sahatov with human rights defender Diana Dadasheva from the civil movement DAYANÇ/Turkmenistan and with Gülala Hasanova, wife of Alisher Sahatov.

On 24 July, Turkmen activists Abdulla Orusov and Alisher Sahatov were abducted in Edirne, Turkey, after being labelled a ‘threat to public order.’ Despite applying for international protection, they were unlawfully deported to Turkmenistan. Orusov and Sahatov, prominent voices in the diaspora through their YouTube channel Erkin Garaýyş, are now being detained, starved and denied a fair trial, while authorities are deliberately delaying proceedings to exclude them from an upcoming amnesty. Their cases highlight the growing risks faced abroad by Turkmen activists, who are being targeted beyond their country’s borders. The international community must push to secure their immediate release and end such abuses.

What happened to Abdulla Orusov and Alisher Sahatov?

Abdulla Orusov and Alisher Sahatov are Turkmen civil activists and bloggers who reported on human rights violations, corruption, migrant issues and social hardships faced by people in Turkmenistan. They were among the few who dared to speak when most were forced into silence.

Last April, Turkish police came to their home under the pretext of checking their documents. Acting on Turkmenistan’s request, they detained both men on false terrorism charges, claiming they posed a threat to Turkey’s national security. They were taken to a deportation centre in Sinop and later transferred to Edirne.

The Turkish Supreme Court ruled that returning them to Turkmenistan would put their lives in danger and ordered an end to the deportation process. But on 24 July, immediately after their release, they disappeared. Reliable sources told us they had been secretly flown to Turkmenistan on a cargo plane, under the supervision of Officer Amangeldiyev Amangeldy, who was later awarded a medal for the operation.

To this day, we don’t know where they or in what condition. Their abduction is a serious crime and a blatant violation of international law.

Are there other examples of such human rights violations?

Over recent years, many Turkmen activists who were brave enough to speak up have disappeared in Turkey and Russia, including Malikberdy Allamyradov, Azat Isakov, Rovshen Klychev, Farhad Meymankuliev and Merdan Mukhammedov. Activist Umida Bekjanova is currently detained in a Turkish deportation centre and we fear she may face the same fate.

Turkmen authorities are carrying out a systematic campaign to eliminate independent civic voices. In today’s Turkmenistan, anyone who refuses to stay silent risks being branded a terrorist or enemy of the state. These labels have become tools of repression, used to justify abductions, fabricate criminal charges and force people to return to Turkmenistan.

What risks do Abdulla, Alisher and other activists face after being forcibly returned?

Their lives are in danger. We receive reports of torture, starvation, humiliation and psychological abuse. They are held in isolation, denied legal defence and a fair trial.

In Turkmenistan, there are no independent courts, lawyers or free media. People disappear into secret prisons for years, cut off from their families and the world. We don’t know where they are or if they are still alive. For their relatives and loved ones, this means endless waiting and despair, a slow, silent form of torture.

How has this affected your families?

Having my husband abducted has destroyed our lives. I am raising four children who ask every day when their father will return. We live in pain and fear, under constant surveillance and threats.

Being a Turkmen activist means facing harsh living conditions. Some, like Diana, live without documents or means of subsistence or social protection, caring for small children under the constant fear of being abducted.

Still, we refuse to stay silent; if we did, others would disappear too. Together with the DAYANÇ/Turkmenistan Human Rights Platform, we have declared a hunger strike until Abdullah and Alisher return home safely. We have also launched a campaign ‘If I Disappear – Don’t Stay Silent’ where we publicly name those who will be responsible if we too disappear. This is how we protect ourselves and our loved ones, because today it’s Abdulla and Alisher but tomorrow it could be any of us.

What do you expect from the international community?

The international community must act urgently to secure the release of Abdulla, Alisher and other disappeared activists. They must also demand Turkmenistan put an end to the criminal practice of labelling people as terrorists for simply speaking the truth.

But statements aren’t enough. We need real action. We call for an independent investigation into illegal deportations and abductions, and for those responsible for abductions, torture and repression, in Turkmenistan and Turkey, to be held accountable for their actions. We also demand the creation of a ‘Green Corridor’ for at-risk activists and families and the issuance of emergency documentation and financial support for migrants left without legal status and vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking and recruitment by criminal networks or extremist groups.

The world has no right to remain silent or look away. The international community must stand with Turkmen activists deprived of their basic rights to identity, movement and freedom of expression. Their silence only empowers the perpetrators and fuels impunity. Every moment of inaction breaks another life. The international community must act now.

GET IN TOUCH
Twitter/Diana Dadasheva
Twitter/Gülala Hasanova

SEE ALSO
Forced loyalty, fear, and censorship: Turkmenistan’s relentless assault on civic freedoms CIVICUS Monitor 26.Jun.2025
Turkmenistan: tyranny mutates into dynasty CIVICUS Lens 18.Mar.2022
Turkmenistan: ‘There is nothing resembling real civil society – and no conditions for it to emerge’ CIVICUS Lens | Interview with Farid Tukhbatullin 10.Mar.2022

 

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We don’t know the degree to which the Chinese have infiltrated Brussels’ European institutions

In Neuseeland kommt es zu einem kuriosen Vorfall. Ein 13-jähriger Bub verschluckt Dutzende Magnete, die er auf Temu bestellt hatte. Wegen anhaltender Schmerzen muss er zum Arzt – und schliesslich operiert werden.

Einsamkeit trifft auf professionell inszenierte Liebe: Romance Scams sind raffinierter denn je. In dieser Folge erfährst du, wie du dich schützt, bevor das Herz das Portemonnaie öffnet.

Toyota startet eine Elektro-Offensive mit mehreren vollelektrischen Modellen. Der neue C-HR+ basiert auf dem beliebten C-HR. Mit verschiedenen Antriebsoptionen und bis zu 343 PS zielt Toyota auf das wichtige SUV-Segment.

Der Schweizer Fussballverband hat Bussen wegen Fanvorfällen im Cup-Spiel Aarau – Young Boys verhängt. Bei weiteren Verstössen droht YB eine Kurvensperre im nächsten Cup-Heimspiel.

Losoncon elfogtak egy 39 éves férfit, akit vagyon elleni bűncselekmények miatt köröztek. Az autóban nagyobb összegű készpénzt is találtak.

Keine Lohnobergrenze für Schweizer Banker in Sicht. Die Ständeratskommission macht einen Rückzieher und lehnt selbst eine abgeschwächte Version der Motion ab. Der Entscheid fiel mit 8 zu 2 Stimmen deutlich aus.

Am Freitag ist es auf der A15, im Balmenraintunnel, zu einem Verkehrsunfall mit fünf beteiligten Autos gekommen. Dabei wurden vier Personen eher leicht und eine 56-jährige Frau schwer verletzt. Die Autostrasse A15 war für die Dauer der Unfallaufnahme gesperrt.

Time2Graze will use Sentinel-2 satellite data to track pasture biomass and support farmers and land managers to make informed decisions about grazing management, resource allocation, and sustainable land use.

By Lindsey Sloat
LANCASTER, PA, Oct 24 2025 (IPS)

Thousands of years ago, we looked to the stars for guidance — constellations like Taurus and the Pleiades signalled the changing of the seasons and the best times to plant, harvest and move animals.

Today, we may soon turn skyward once again, but this time to satellites that reveal in near-real-time when and where grasses are most nutritious and digestible. Feeding livestock at these peak moments not only boosts growth but also cuts methane, since animals release the most methane during digestion, a process known as enteric fermentation.

Globally, enteric fermentation from livestock accounts for nearly one third of methane emissions generated from human activities. This matters because methane has 86 times the heat-trapping power of CO2 over a 20-year period; yet it breaks down much faster. This means that methane reduction is one of the fastest ways to slow down the rate of global temperature rise.

Smarter grazing is a major opportunity. Farmers already rotate herds so pastures can recover but often rely on guesswork. When cattle graze younger, more digestible grasses, they produce less methane per unit of milk or meat. Yet in many regions, farms capture only 40 to 60 percent of their pasture’s potential. Unlocking this potential would improve productivity and cut emissions.

Two thirds of all agricultural land worldwide is devoted to livestock grazing, so even small efficiency gains can have a big impact. A 10 percent improvement in feed digestibility, for example, can reduce methane emissions per unit of feed or product by 12 to 20 percent.

Closing this pasture productivity gap by optimizing grazing would not just significantly reduce methane emissions, but also improve livestock keepers’ livelihoods, because increases in livestock productivity translate into more milk and more meat per animal.

The newly launched Time2Graze project, funded by the Global Methane Hub and in partnership with Land & Carbon Lab’s Global Pasture Watch research consortium, will apply Sentinel-2 satellite data and modelling to track pasture biomass.

This near-real-time data, combined with rancher observations and digital decision support tools, will provide important information for farmers and land managers, helping them to make informed decisions about grazing management, resource allocation, and sustainable land use.

This new data will offer free, open, up-to-date information that will be available on Google Earth Engine and other platforms to guide when and where animals should graze to consume the most abundant and digestible forage. To ensure usefulness to livestock farming and pastoralism, Time2Graze partners will conduct on-farm trials at more than 100 sites across eight countries in Latin America and Africa.

Alongside other livestock sector advances — improved feed additives, manure management, and animal health and genetics included — digital and data-enabled livestock management is essential to delivering climate solutions at the necessary speed and scale. Within the food system, these advances sit alongside improvements to rice production, reducing food loss and waste, and shifting high-meat diets toward plants.

Livestock management data innovations arrive at a pivotal moment in the development of international policies around methane emissions. More than 150 countries have signed the Global Methane Pledge, committing to cut methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Livestock enteric fermentation is the single largest source they must tackle. Likewise, the UN COP28 climate talks’ Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems and many countries’ climate strategies, or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), now emphasize methane mitigation and climate-smart agriculture as cornerstones of their strategies.

Yet, climate finance dedicated to global livestock systems languishes at just 0.01 percent of total spend, equivalent to a US$181 billion funding gap, lagging far behind the ambition demonstrated by these international initiatives.

Innovations in satellite-based grassland and forage monitoring are emerging as powerful tools to cut methane while improving productivity. Governments, climate finance institutions, and development banks should prioritize and expand support for these kinds of solutions to accelerate their impact across the livestock sector.

Redirecting a fraction of agricultural subsidies and climate finance toward such efficiency gains could not only unlock rapid, measurable methane reductions, but also additional co-benefits, such as reducing deforestation and ecosystem conversion, safeguarding future food security, and strengthening rural livelihoods. Realizing this potential will depend not only on data, but also on farmer adoption, political will, and the ability to scale solutions across diverse grazing systems.

For generations, the stars helped farmers decide when to move their animals. Today, satellites can do the same, but with far greater precision. With more investment and adoption, these new guides can help agriculture deliver on its climate promises.

Lindsey Sloat, Research Associate, Land & Carbon Lab and World Resources Institute

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Cameroon opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary is adamant that he's the winner of the presidential election.

Der ultrarechte Publizist und einstige Wahlkampfstratege von US-Präsident Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, geht von einer dritten Amtszeit des Republikaners aus.

Written by Clare Ferguson and Katarzyna Sochacka.

The October II plenary session featured a formal address by Sergey Tihanovski and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, laureates of the 2020 Sakharov Prize, just after the announcement of the award of this year’s prize to imprisoned journalists, Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli. Members also debated the European Commission’s 2026 work programme and the preparations for the European Council meeting of 23 October 2025. Members held debates, inter alia, on the rule of law in Malta; intimidation of journalists; International Day for the Eradication of Poverty; policing’s central role in the EU’s internal security strategy; allegations of espionage by the Hungarian government; polarisation and repression in Serbia; combating violence against women and girls; and the anniversary of the DANA floods in Spain. Parliament also discussed the need for united support of Ukraine and for a just and durable peace; the use of Russian frozen assets; and ending energy imports from Russia.

Sakharov Price for Freedom of Thought

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Sergey Tihanovski – recently freed after five years of imprisonment for his political views and his defence of democracy in Belarus – made a formal address to Parliament. The 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was awarded to the Belarusian democratic opposition, led by Tsikhanouskaya following her husband’s imprisonment. Members debated the current situation in Belarus, where human rights have deteriorated since the fraudulent 2020 presidential elections.

2026 EU budget

Parliament debated and adopted amendments to the Council’s position on the draft EU budget for 2026. The EU borrowed heavily to support recovery after the COVID‑19 pandemic, and now needs to finance the repayments for the Next Generation EU instrument. At the same time, funding is urgently needed for the EU’s new competitiveness, research and defence priorities. The Committee on Budgets (BUDG) proposed to increase the 2026 budget for these priorities. The vote sets Parliament’s position for conciliation talks.

Discharge for the 2023 budget

In its role in ensuring the EU budget is spent according to the rules, Parliament again refused to grant budget discharge for 2023 to the European Council and the Council, criticising the Council’s continued refusal to cooperate. As for the postponed discharge for the EU Asylum Agency (EUAA), Members granted discharge to the agency for its 2023 accounts. while nevertheless noting criticism of its financial and general management and concerns about accountability at the agency

COP30 climate change conference in Brazil

In advance of the COP30 climate change conference in Brazil, Parliament adopted a resolution urging the parties to reaffirm their commitment to limit global warming to 1.5°C and a maximum of 2°C. To maintain this ambition, it recommends more frequent stocktakes. It regretted that the Council failed to agree an EU nationally determined contribution (NDC) before the deadline set by the United Nations.

Statute and funding of European political parties and foundations

Members adopted a provisional agreement on revising the rules regarding the statute and funding of European political parties and political foundations. Lengthy negotiations resulted in a text that reinforces safeguards against foreign interference and ensures financial stability, improving transparency and visibility.

New GDPR rules for cross-border cases

Members also adopted a provisional agreement on additional procedural rules for treating cross-border enforcement of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The text retains the proposed early-scoping exercise to speed consensus between supervisory authorities on cross-border GDPR cases, and new rules on hearing parties to the procedure. To settle issues quickly, an early resolution procedure and a simple cooperation procedure are also introduced.

European forests

Members voted on Parliament’s position on a proposed forest monitoring law and to renew the standing EU expert group on forests and forestry. Parliament’s ENVI and Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) Committees, jointly, proposed to reject the proposed increased monitoring of forests and forestry activity, on the grounds that it duplicates existing systems and would increase red tape. However, the committees supported the continuation of the expert group, but would nevertheless clarify its role.

Driving licences and Union-wide effect of driving disqualifications

To reduce reckless driving and impunity from disqualification for offences committed in other Member States, Members adopted a provisional agreement on EU-wide enforcement of driving disqualifications. The text aims at disqualifying drivers across the EU for drink-driving, speeding, drug-impaired driving, and conduct causing death or serious injury. The revised Driving Licences Directive would enable digital driving licences and an EU-wide accompanied driving scheme for young drivers. All professional drivers will have to undergo a medical check to obtain or renew a licence.

Soil monitoring and resilience

Healthy soils are the basis of most agricultural production, as well as providing carbon storage, yet EU soils are in poor condition. Parliament approved the agreement reached by the co-legislators on a proposed soil monitoring law that should ensure the good health of this essential element for life in the EU therefore stands. The new law would allow EU countries to support those who work on the land, with flexibility to take account of local conditions. It also addresses contamination, notably pollutants such as pesticides and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and requests a public register of contaminated sites within 10 years.

Microplastic pollution from plastic pellet loses

Microplastic pollution has reached much of our environment, from the sea to our own bodies. Parliament approved the agreement reached between the co-legislators on proposed action to halt the loss of plastic pellets that contribute to this pollution, especially at sea. Parliament’s negotiators have succeeded in imposing pictograms and warning statements when handling plastic pellets, and the agreement sets penalties for endangering people’s health.

Opening of trilogue negotiations

A decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations on phasing out Russian natural gas imports and improving monitoring of potential energy dependencies was approved without vote. A second decision, from the Legal Affairs (JURI) Committee on corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements, was rejected by Parliament, and will be placed on the agenda of the November I part-session.

Read this ‘at a glance note’ on ‘Plenary round-up – October II 2025‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Újabb nyugdíjast vertek át a csalók Pozsonyban, 30 000 eurót csaltak ki a 78 éves nőtől. Fantomkép alapján keresik a tettest.

Les robinets d'Akpakpa sont à sec. L'eau, source de vie, devient un luxe pour les habitants de ce quartier de Cotonou confrontés depuis quelque temps à une pénurie persistante.

Au quartier Akpakpa à Cotonou, le désarroi est palpable. Les habitants font face à des coupures d'eau de plus en plus fréquentes. « Nous souffrons. L'eau est souvent coupée dans le quartier. Parfois, elle ne revient qu'à des heures tardives, vers 2 heures du matin. Pour pallier le manque, nous faisons des réserves », confie un conducteur de taxi-moto, communément appelé zémidjan.

Un peu plus loin, un travailleur du secteur informel avoue s'être adapté à son quotidien. « En période de coupure, je préfère ne pas me doucher le soir. Je garde l'eau pour le matin », confie-t-il.

Cette situation impacte fortement les activités économiques locales, notamment les restauratrices. Faute d'eau, elles peinent à poursuivre leurs activités. Prudence, vendeuse d'Atassi (riz aux haricots), témoigne : « quand nos réserves sont épuisées, on ne peut plus cuisiner. Parfois, on utilise l'eau du puits. On n'a pas le choix ».

Même constat du côté des élèves. Maelis, en classe de CM2, raconte : « La coupure d'eau me dérange beaucoup. Parfois, je ne peux pas me laver le matin avant d'aller à l'école. Quand il n'y a plus d'eau, mes parents achètent des packs de “pure water” (l'eau en sachet) pour qu'on se débrouille. Et quand tout est fini, on va puiser l'eau du puits chez les voisins ».

Pour d'autres, cette solution de secours devient un poids financier. « Acheter des packs d'eau revient trop cher. À la longue, mieux vaut encore consommer l'eau du puits », confie Jean (nom d'emprunt).

Entre réserves improvisées et recours à des sources d'eau de qualité douteuse, les habitants d'Akpakpa tirent la sonnette d'alarme. Tous espèrent un retour rapide à une distribution d'eau potable stable et continue.

Marina HOUENOU (Stagiaire)

Beim ersten Spiel unter Trainer-Rückkehrer Patrick Rahmen trifft Winterthur am Samstagabend auf den FCL (20.30 Uhr). Eine Knacknuss ist bereits die Festlegung der Startelf. Mehr dazu gibts hier im Winti-Inside.

Burgenromantik, Bierkultur, Bilderbuchlandschaften – Deutschland ist eines der schönsten Länder Europas. Doch einige der bekanntesten Sehenswürdigkeiten entpuppen sich als Enttäuschung. Reiseredaktor Christian Bauer stellt überbewertete Orte vor – plus Alternativen.

La Commission européenne a fait savoir qu’elle était disposée à renégocier l’accord mondial sur la neutralité carbone dans le transport maritime après le blocage des États-Unis à l’Organisation maritime internationale (OMI) la semaine dernière.

The post Transport maritime : l’UE prête à renégocier l’accord sur la neutralité carbone après le blocage américain à l’OMI appeared first on Euractiv FR.