Add source Login
COP30 summit kicks off in Belem, Brazil

COP30 summit kicks off in Belem, Brazil

The 30th United Nations climate change conference, commonly known as COP30, opened Monday in Belem, Brazil, with the aim of putting the fight against climate change back in the center of international priorities, according to local authorities, reported Xinhua. At the opening ceremony, COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev called to meet the goals of the climate summit held last year in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago thanked Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for appointing him and reiterated that COP30 must present solutions. Despite recent setbacks, the living conditions of populations around the world can and must continue to improve, Correa do Lago emphasized. "Science, education, culture are the path that we have to follow," he said. Multilateralism is definitely the way forward in the fight against climate change, he said. A series of topics, including climate adaptation, just transition, and implementation of the Paris Agreement's global balance, are expected to be discussed at the event. Delegations of over 190 countries and regions have registered to participate in the conference, which runs through Nov. 21, according to the COP30 presidency.

Germany's Sahra Wagenknecht to step down as chair of BSW party

Germany's Sahra Wagenknecht to step down as chair of BSW party

German political firebrand Sahra Wagenknecht announced on Monday that she would step down as leader of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) party, reported dpa. She said she would hand the party leadership over to the current co-chair Amira Mohamed Ali and European lawmaker Fabio De Masi. Wagenknecht said she intends to continue to play a key role by establishing and leading a core values commission within the party. If the BSW one day enters the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, she also wants to become its parliamentary leader. The party also plans to rename itself, though will continue to use the abbreviation BSW. The leadership has proposed calling the party the Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason, while leaders of the party's state branch in Rhineland-Palatinate suggested the abbreviation BSW should stand for Citizens Create Change, or Bürger schaffen Wandel in German. Wagenknecht founded the party in early 2024 after splitting from The Left Party, and is by far its most recognizable face. The party, which combines economically left-wing policies with nationalist and anti-migration stances, as well as staunch opposition to aid for Ukraine, has positioned itself as a populist alternative to Germany's traditional parties. Languishing in the polls at 3-4% nationwide after failing to enter the Bundestag in the February elections, the BSW now faces an uphill battle. It has set itself the goal of entering state parliaments across the eastern states in regional elections scheduled for next year. The party's top issue remains opposition to increased military spending and aid to Ukraine, but it also stands for higher pensions, a higher wealth tax and a strict migration policy.

Germany gives long prison sentences in child pornography trial

Germany gives long prison sentences in child pornography trial

A year after a nationwide raid against one of the largest child pornography platforms on the darknet, a court in the western German city of Mönchengladbach on Monday sentenced the operators. The five men received prison terms ranging from five and a half to eleven and a half years, in one case with subsequent preventive detention, the regional court announced. They were active as moderators or administrators on a platform called "Alice in Wonderland," in which users from all over the world exchanged photos and videos showing severe sexual abuse of girls, including babies. The defendants come from the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Bavaria. Accused of gang-related distribution of child pornography, four were sentenced almost in accordance with prosecutors' demands for up to 13 years behind bars. A 46-year-old man from Munich was also ordered to be held in preventive detention because he was classified as a dangerous repeat offender with a high probability of reoffending. The sentences against four defendants are not yet final, while the fifth has accepted the sentence. All five admitted the charges during the trial. In their closing arguments, defence lawyers for the five defendants acknowledged that their clients had committed "the worst crimes." However, they argued that their confessions should be taken into account. Investigators first tracked down the perpetrators in 2019. They came across a user from Duisburg who handed over his login details for the child pornography forum to the officers. After several years of investigation, the authorities struck at the end of September 2024, arresting the defendants and shutting down the platform. Extensive evidence was seized during the raid in six German states.

Finnish industry orders rise, output slips in September

Finnish industry orders rise, output slips in September

Finland's industrial performance showed a mixed trend in September, with new manufacturing orders edging higher even as output declined, reported Xinhua, quoting official data on Monday. Statistics Finland said new manufacturing orders rose 8.6 percent year-on-year in the first nine months of 2025, while orders in September alone increased 0.9 percent from a year earlier. The metal industry led the monthly gains with a 5.0 percent rise, followed by paper and paperboard products with 3.7 percent, while the chemical industry dropped 29.0 percent. The agency said demand has remained resilient this year, particularly in metal and paper-related industries. However, production conditions softened toward the end of the third quarter. It added that monthly data can fluctuate significantly as large contracts are recorded in the reference month. On the output side, seasonally adjusted industrial production in September fell 0.5 percent from August and, when adjusted for working days, was 1.8 percent lower than a year earlier. Manufacturing output declined 0.4 percent month-on-month and 2.3 percent year-on-year. Across sectors, output in mining and quarrying grew 12.1 percent from August, while the chemical industry increased by 2.2 percent. Most other main industries saw declines, with the forest industry leading the fall by 4.3 percent. Commenting on the figures, economist Roope Ohlsbom of the Federation of Finnish Enterprises told the Finnish News Agency (STT) that "growth of orders would probably have been better without the impact of the fluctuating U.S. tariff policies." He added that uncertainty has eased since the spring and "continued growth can be expected." Finland's industrial and construction sectors are expected to drive the country's economic growth in the coming years, according to a recent sectoral forecast by ETLA Economic Research of Finland. The institute also cautioned that export prospects remain uncertain amid global trade tensions and potential new U.S. import tariffs. In its broader economic outlook published earlier, ETLA projected Finland's gross domestic product to grow by 0.8 percent in 2025, 1.4 percent in 2026, and 1.2 percent in 2027.

Majority Finns worry about microplastics in food

Majority Finns worry about microplastics in food

As many as 51% of Finnish people consider microplastics found in food the greatest food safety concern, according to the 2025 Eurobarometer. The survey gauging the opinions of EU citizens also showed that 90% Finnish respondents report having at least heard of the issue and concern about microplastics has grown by 11 percentage points compared to the previous survey conducted three years ago, said Finnish Food Authority in a press release on Monday referring to the survey. The survey, commissioned by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), also revealed that antibiotic residues in meat (40%), environmental pollutants in fish, meat or dairy products (37%), and pesticide residues in food (36%) are also prominent food safety concerns among Finnish respondents. These responses are in line with the EU average, where the top food-related concerns are pesticide residues (39%), antibiotic residues in meat (36%), and food additives (35%). While concern over these issues has slightly decreased since the last survey, concern about microplastics (33%) has increased by 4 percentage points across the EU. According to the Eurobarometer, a clear majority of Finns (88%) are interested in food safety. Food safety ranks as the fourth most important factor (47%) influencing food choices, following cost (61%), origin of the food (54%), and nutrient content (53%). The most common reason for not being concerned about food safety, according to 56% of Finnish respondents, was that they take for granted that food sold is safe. The importance of cost has also increased—by 4 percentage points in Finland and 6 percentage points across the EU—making it the most important factor in food choices in 20 EU Member States. The Eurobarometer also explored where EU citizens get their information about food risks. Finns and Swedes showed the highest trust in national authorities (95 %) as sources of food risk information. In Finland, the main source of information about food risks is newspapers (53%), both in print and online. This is followed by internet search engine (45%) and television (44%). According to the survey, 91% of Finnish respondents and 79% of EU citizens are aware that food safety is ensured through common regulations. Furthermore, 72% of Finnish respondents and 68% of EU citizens know that the EU has a separate authority that provides scientific advice on food safety. EFSA conducts the Eurobarometer on food safety every three years. This years survey was carried out in all 27 EU Member States and seven candidate countries, with 26,370 EU citizens and just over 1,000 Finns interviewed.