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Amir Saipi zeigt im Lugano-Tor momentan super Leistungen. Mit starken Paraden und Ruhe in brenzligen Situationen hält er sein Team im Spiel und beweist: Nach langer Wartezeit ist er jetzt der Rückhalt, den die Tessiner brauchen.

Die Verhandlungen mit den USA über Zölle führen zu Spannungen im Bundesrat. Parmelin verteidigt den Deal als notwendige Realpolitik, während Keller-Sutter die Situation als schmerzhaft für die Schweiz beschreibt.

The authorities in landlocked Ethiopia have ratcheted up rhetoric over access to an Eritrean port.

The authorities in landlocked Ethiopia have ratcheted up rhetoric over access to an Eritrean port.

Ein 47-jähriger Fahrer verlor in Davos Wiesen die Kontrolle über seinen Kleinbus. Das Fahrzeug kippte nach einer Kollision mit einer Mauer auf die Seite.

Der brasilianische Ex-Präsident Jair Bolsonaro wurde in seinem Haus festgenommen. Nun werden mehr Details zu den Hintergründen seiner Verhaftung bekannt. Offenbar versuchte der 70-Jährige, seine Fussfessel mit ungewöhnlichen Mitteln zu deaktivieren.

André Corrêa do Lago, COP30 President of Brazil, during a highly charged closing plenary. Credit: UN Climate Change/Kiara Worth

By Joyce Chimbi
BELÉM, Brazil, Nov 23 2025 (IPS)

Following tense, nightlong negotiations and bitter rows between more than 190 country delegations, a “politically charged Belém package” was finally forged at COP30—so named because of the highly contentious and difficult-to-negotiate issues within the climate talks. Belém was supposed to be ‘a how’ climate conference. Decisions made at the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change would shape how the Paris Agreement moves from word to action and to what extent global climate actions can be reached. In this COP of “implementation and multilateralism in action,” politics carried the day in more ways than one.

Observers, such as Wesley Githaiga from the Civil Society, told IPS that issues touching on trade, climate finance, and fossil fuels are politically charged because of competing and conflicting national interests.

Gavel came out without a roadmap for ending fossil fuels. Credit: UN Climate Change/Kiara Worth

“Some countries bear more responsibility for the climate crises than others and have a higher financial responsibility to address climate change,” Githaiga said. “Striking a balance between the needs of vulnerable developing nations and the economic priorities of developed wealthy countries is difficult.”

Conflicting national interests escalated when COP30 was suspended for additional side consultations just one hour before the final outcome on Saturday, following an argument that broke out over procedural issues.

The Elephant in the Room: Fossil Fuels

On one hand, a few highly organized petrostates from the Arab Group of nations, including Saudi Arabia, were opposed to Colombia, which was supported by the European Union and other Latin American countries like Panama and Uruguay regarding fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are by far the largest contributors to global warming. Scientists have warned of catastrophic temperature rises of up to 2.5°C by mid-century.

Githaiga says the issue was procedural because Colombia was objecting to an already-approved text. The main point of contention was the transition away from fossil fuels. COP28 achieved a historic breakthrough by advocating for a global shift away from fossil fuels. How to transition had been the most highly contentious issue at Belém.

So contentious that COP30 ultimately decided to sidestep ‘fossil fuels’ altogether.

Despite nearly 80 developed and developing countries standing firm demanding an end to the use of planet-warming fossil fuels, there is no mention of fossil fuels in the final COP30 agreement, only an oblique reference to the ‘UAE consensus.’ Despite the demands of Brazil’s neighbors Colombia, Panama, and Uruguay for stronger language, the announcement of a voluntary roadmap outside the UN process went ahead.

Throughout the tense climate talks, observers speculated that the COP30 outcome would include text on either “phasing away” from fossil fuels or “phasing down.” The end result did not include a roadmap for abandoning oil, gas, and coal. Recognizing that the world expected more ambition, Brazilian COP30 President André Aranha Corrêa do Lago told delegates, “We know some of you had greater ambitions for some of the issues at hand.”

Despite the lack of consensus, the COP30 President announced on Saturday that the presidency would publish a “side text” on fossil fuels and forest protection due to the lack of agreement. There will be two roadmaps on these two issues. The work will be done outside of the formal negotiations headed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Brazilian COP Presidency.

Climate Finance

Nevertheless, all was not lost. According to Mohamed Adow, the Director of Power Shift Africa, the creation of a Just Transition Action Mechanism emerged as a positive development, acknowledging that the global shift away from fossil fuels will not abandon workers and frontline communities.

Adow nonetheless stressed that “developed countries have betrayed vulnerable nations by both failing to deliver science-aligned national emission reduction plans and also blocked talks on finance to help poor countries adapt to climate change caused by the global north.”

“Rich countries cannot make a genuine call for a roadmap if they continue to drive in the opposite direction themselves and refuse to pay up for the vehicles they stole from the rest of the convoy.”

Disagreements are not about climate finance in itself but about how funds will flow from the wealthy to the vulnerable, poor states. But the lack of ambition did not cut across the eight-page declaration developed at the mouth of the world largest rainforest—the Amazon.

The negotiations did succeed in their determination to deliver an economic transition, even though there are concerns that some of the climate finance agreements, such as those on adaptation, are too sweeping, too general, and lacking in specifics. COP 29 raised the annual climate finance target of developing nations from USD 100 billion to USD 300 billion. COP30 agreed to scale finance and to specifically mobilize USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for climate action.

On adaptation, Adow said, “Belém restored some integrity to the Global Goal on Adaptation, removing dangerous indicators that would have penalized poorer countries simply for being poor.”

“The slow pace of finance negotiations is worrying. The promise to triple adaptation lacks clarity on a base year and has now been delayed to 2035, leaving vulnerable countries without support to match the escalating needs frontline communities are facing. As it stands, this outcome does nothing to narrow the adaptation finance gap.”

Adow continues, “COP30 was intended to focus significantly on raising funds to assist vulnerable nations in adapting to climate change; however, European nations have undermined these discussions and removed the protections that poorer countries were seeking in Belem.”

“Europe, which colonized much of the global south and then imperiled it further through its industrialized carbon emissions, now works against even efforts to help it adapt to the climate crisis.”

Many of the countries that have submitted their National Adaptation Plans lack funding. The agreement moving forward is to double adaptation finance by 2025 and triple it by 2035. But it is not clear where this money will come from—public financing, private or wealthy nations.

On the frontlines of the climate crises, Sierra Leone challenged the emphasis on private capital to fund climate adaptation efforts, stating that the private sector is not known for its robust support of adaptation. Observers like Githaiga say instead, there is a need to triple public funding for adaptation.

“If you read the text carefully, you actually realize there is no agreement requiring countries to contribute more funds for climate activities,” he says.

Loss and Damage

On the Loss and Damage Fund, operationalization and replenishment cycles are now confirmed. A first in the history of COPs, trade was and will be discussed within the UNFCCC rather than just the World Trade Organization, in recognition of the intersection between trade and climate change.

The UN climate summit also delivered new initiatives such as the launch of the Global Implementation Accelerator and the Belém Mission to 1.5°C to drive ambition and implementation. This is about meeting the ambition gap by cutting emissions. The ‘Belem Package’ seeks to raise ambition by setting a new 1.5°C warming target to match the pace of the climate crisis. There was also a commitment to promote information integrity and counter false narratives.

Ultimately, COP30 will be remembered for increased climate activism and, more so, the visibility of Indigenous Peoples and the recognition of Afro-descendants. Importantly, it’s the recognition of the cross section between climate change and action and racial justice—although the reaction from some Indigenous peoples is that they would like to have a formal seat at the table.

Belém also raised ambitions for protecting the world’s forests, as the Forest Finance Roadmap is already backed by 36 governments, accounting for 45 percent of global forest cover and 65 percent of GDP. This roadmap seeks to close a USD 66.8 billion annual gap for tropical forest protection and restoration.

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell summed up the positives.

“So COP30 showed that climate cooperation is alive and kicking. Keeping humanity in the fight for a livable planet. And that’s despite roaring political headwinds. That while one country stepped back. 194 countries have stood firm in solidarity. Rock-solid in support of climate cooperation.

“With or without Navigation Aids, the direction of travel is clear: the shift from fossil fuels to renewables and resilience is unstoppable, and it’s gathering pace,” Stiell said at a press conference at the end of the COP.

However, many others will also remember COP30 for its lack of ambition to deliver on a 2023 promise made to the world to phase out fossil fuels. The lack of a science-based pathway to facilitate a fast, fair and funded phaseout of fossil fuels is a blemish on Belém’s climate deal.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Excerpt:

Despite nearly 80 developed and developing countries standing firm demanding an end to the use of planet-warming fossil fuels, there is no mention of fossil fuels in the final COP30 agreement, only an oblique reference to the 'UAE consensus.'

Der Verteidigungsminister will vorerst nur 30 statt 36 US-Flieger kaufen. So kann er dem vom Volk gewährten Kredit von sechs Milliarden Franken entsprechen. Später soll die Armee dann zehn weitere F-35 erhalten.

Nächste Niederlage für Kyshawn George: Der Schweizer Basketballer unterliegt mit seinen Washington Wizards trotz einer Leistungssteigerung den Chicago Bulls knapp. Zu NBA-Einsatzminuten kommt auch Yanic Konan Niederhäuser.

"A man kills a woman every 2.5 days in France," read one placard distributed by the feminist collective NousToutes

Written by Ionel Zamfir.

On 25 November each year, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women seeks to raise awareness globally about this serious social issue. On this day, the European Union is due to submit its first evaluation report on compliance with the Istanbul Convention, which it ratified in 2023. For the EU, gender-based violence remains a priority for action. The European Parliament is calling for further measures, such as making gender-based violence an ‘EU crime’.

Violence against women around the world and in the European Union

According to UN Women, one in three women in the world aged 15 and over have suffered sexual or physical violence at least once. Often, this violence was perpetrated by a current or former partner. Digital violence also affects women globally, with the most prevalent forms including misinformation and defamation, deep fakes, and digital threats against women with an active public profile.

Violence against women is defined as violence having a direct link with their gender. It includes physical, psychological and economic forms of violence and takes place both off and online. It is a severe human rights violation and, given its prevalence and role in the subordination of women, is a systemic form of discrimination against women. It has a long-lasting and damaging impact on women and on society as a whole.

The most recent EU-wide survey found that 31 % of women in the EU have suffered violence – including sexual violence and threats of violence – at least once in their lifetime. One in ten said they had been a victim during the last five years (see Figure 1). Although the number of cases of violence reported to the police is on the rise in the EU, the majority of such crimes still go unreported.

Violence against women can also take the form of trafficking. Almost two thirds of trafficking victims in the EU are women, of whom many are trafficked for sexual exploitation. Another extreme form is femicide: the murder of a woman due to her gender. Two thirds of the more than one thousand victims murdered by an intimate partner or family member in 2023, in the 17 EU countries reporting this type of data to Eurostat, were women. To address it, several Member States have adopted specific legal provisions (Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Italy, and Malta).

Figure 1 – Share of women who said they had experienced violence by any perpetrator in the five years before the survey EU action

Fighting gender-based violence is a priority of the EU’s 2020-2025 gender equality strategy. An EU directive adopted in May 2024 on combating violence against women and domestic violence criminalises female genital mutilation and forced marriage, and several forms of cyber-violence. It enhances protection, access to justice and prevention measures for all victims of gender-based violence. Other EU laws also tackle gender-based violence in their areas. For example, the directive on trafficking in human beings, after its 2024 review, makes knowingly using the services of trafficking victims a crime.

The EU took another important step to fight violence against women with the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) in 2023. Now, two years later, the EU is conducting its first report as a party to the Convention. On 25 November, the European Commission is due to submit the EU’s ‘baseline evaluation report’ on legislative and other measures that give effect to the Convention’s provisions. The Convention applies to the EU in matters falling within its ‘exclusive external competence’ (as defined in the Treaties) relating to the Union’s institutions and public administration, judicial cooperation in criminal matters, asylum and non-refoulement. It becomes binding on all Member States regarding those matters, including the five which have not yet ratified the Convention. In April 2025, the Commission published a communication outlining the evaluation procedure. Parliament’s LIBE and FEMM committees exchanged views with the Commission on 6 November.

The EU also funds numerous initiatives to combat violence against women through its Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme (2021-2027), particularly its Daphne component. For the budget period after 2027, the Commission proposes to incorporate the fight against gender-based violence in a new Agora programme with a broader focus.

European Parliament position

Parliament has called repeatedly for EU action to combat violence against women. It advocated a comprehensive directive on violence against women and played a pivotal role in the ratification of the Istanbul Convention, by asking the European Court of Justice to clarify the procedure. Parliament has also repeatedly called for a Council decision to make gender-based violence an EU crime in Article 83 TFEU.

In the current term, Parliament has worked on several relevant initiatives. The LIBE and FEMM committees are working jointly on an own-initiative report on the importance of consent-based rape legislation in the EU, which aims to reaffirm the importance of legal reform on the matter in all EU countries in line with the Istanbul Convention requirements. They are expected to adopt the report in the coming weeks.

In a resolution adopted on 13 November 2025, Parliament outlined its vision for a new EU gender equality strategy post-2025. It proposes to make gender-based violence a crime within the EU’s competence, and calls on the Commission to recognise femicide as a ‘distinct and stand-alone crime’; to address the specific needs of victims; and to give special attention, in cooperation with the Member States, to vulnerable victims and those at risk of intersectional discrimination. It also calls on the Commission to propose legislation to tackle gender-based violence at work.

In a resolution adopted in October 2025, Parliament endorsed the roadmap for women’s rights, which declares the fight against gender-based violence to be one of the principles for a gender-equal society.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is marked each year on 25 November. This year, a UN Women initiative – UNiTE campaign – will aim to mobilise various stakeholders around this issue in the run-up to the international Human Rights Day on 10 December.

Read this ‘at a glance’ note on ‘Elimination of violence against women: Two years since the EU ratified the Istanbul Convention‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Zwölf NHL-Spiele hat Roman Josi zuletzt verletzungsbedingt verpasst, in der Nacht auf Sonntag gibt er sein Comeback im Dress der Nashville Predators – und muss als Verlierer vom Eis. Andere Schweizer Söldner haben mehr Erfolg.

Schiedsrichter-Experte Urs Meier nimmt das Foul, welches zur Roten Karte gegen Luganos Bislimi führt, unter die Lupe. Für ihn hätte Gelb gereicht.

It is seen as a crucial test of support for Dodik's nationalist party, which has been in power for nearly two decades

Mis en cause dans l'enquête italienne sur les « snipers du week-end » durant le siège de Sarajevo, le président serbe Aleksandar Vučić dément toute implication et promet des poursuites contre plusieurs médias internationaux.

- Le fil de l'Info / Une - Diaporama - En premier, Une - Diaporama, Courrier des Balkans, Siège sarajevo, Vucic, Serbie, Défense, police et justice, Bosnie-Herzégovine

Mis en cause dans l'enquête italienne sur les « snipers du week-end » durant le siège de Sarajevo, le président serbe Aleksandar Vučić dément toute implication et promet des poursuites contre plusieurs médias internationaux.

- Le fil de l'Info / Une - Diaporama - En premier, Une - Diaporama, Courrier des Balkans, Siège sarajevo, Vucic, Serbie, Défense, police et justice, Bosnie-Herzégovine

Mis en cause dans l'enquête italienne sur les « snipers du week-end » durant le siège de Sarajevo, le président serbe Aleksandar Vučić dément toute implication et promet des poursuites contre plusieurs médias internationaux.

- Le fil de l'Info / Une - Diaporama - En premier, Une - Diaporama, Courrier des Balkans, Siège sarajevo, Vucic, Serbie, Défense, police et justice, Bosnie-Herzégovine

The Europeans' restraint has a "theoretical" effect because the United States doesn't need the information, according to the French security source

Overnight-Oats oder ein frisch zubereitetes Porridge haben Haferflocken ein neues Image verliehen. Warum sie das perfekte Frühstück sind, erfährst du jetzt.

Neue Dokumente enthüllen unbekannte Verbindungen des verurteilten Sexualstraftäters Jeffrey Epstein in die Schweiz. Laut der «NZZ am Sonntag» besass Epstein Konten in der Schweiz. Zudem soll es auch hierzulande zu Rekrutierungen gekommen sein.