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Proces du 13-November : ce que ces hommes opaques ont dans la tete
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Last December at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Athens
foreign ministers called on the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) to explore ways to strengthen current arms control agreements and confidence-and security building measures (CSBMs)
they asked the FSC to contribute to improving OSCE crisis management procedures and mechanisms
The FSC has set about this task with vigorous and serious discussion
it adopted a decision to launch an incremental process of regularly revising the Vienna Document 1999 while maintaining the continued functioning of the existing document until its replacement by an agreed modified version
the FSC decided to focus as a matter of priority on Chapter V
which treats prior notification of certain military activities
the OSCE participating States are finally beginning to fulfil their commitment
already enshrined in the Charter for European Security adopted at the 1999 Istanbul Summit
to “seek the timely adaptation” of the Vienna Document 1999 and other FSC documents (paragraph 30)
the political will to fulfil this commitment has been lacking in the OSCE
Now that a new impetus has been given to strengthening the Vienna Document
it seems timely to recall the basic functions and undiminished relevance of the most important security- and confidence-building document within the OSCE’s politico-military dimension of security
Ever since détente began to thaw the Cold War freeze in Europe
arms control and confidence-building agreements have played a crucial role in overcoming suspicion and distrust among States
They have provided a framework of politico-military stability and strategic reassurances
which – together with political agreements – have allowed for a historical change of paradigm from all-out confrontation through peaceful co-existence to full-scale political and security co-operation
NATO and Warsaw Pact countries negotiated the CFE Treaty
which aimed at numerical parity of land-based conventional forces in Europe at lower levels
The objective was to abolish military capabilities for launching surprise attacks or large-scale offensive operations
This necessitated not only asymmetric reductions but also the creation of a “dynamic balance of forces” providing for regional and sub-regional limitations
in order to scale down concentrations of opposing military forces at former frontlines
ensure geographical distances between them and prevent their rapid redeployment
all of the CSCE participating States felt an urgent need to prevent the periodic large-scale deployment of military forces during military exercises of the two alliances from being used for surprise attacks or large-scale military offensive operations on short notice
transparency and limitation of unusual military activities rather than geographical limitation of military holdings
Herein lie the origins of the Vienna Document
Participating States adopted the first Vienna Document in 1990
in Helsinki in 1975 and in Stockholm in 1986
The Helsinki Final Act already contained a provision which required early notification of military exercises involving 25,000 or more military personnel
At the CSBM conference held in Stockholm in 1986
further measures were agreed that still form the core of the Vienna Document’s early warning function: prior notification and observation of military exercises and unusual military activities
annual calendars and constraining provisions
The Vienna Document 1990 added important new provisions: an annual information exchange on force structures and major weapon holdings
including verification; a set of military contacts; a communication system; an annual implementation assessment meeting and a risk reduction mechanism for de-escalation in case of unusual military activities and incidents
mutual trust and co-operation established by this document served both long- and short-term goals
The transparency it provided on force structures
introduction of new equipment and defence planning made it possible to predict long-term development of military capabilities
Its requirements for prior notification of certain military activities and constraints on large-scale military exercises entailed the potential to make short-term build-up of military offensive options transparent
During the precarious transition that took place in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s
the CFE Treaty and the Vienna Document were an anchor of stability
After the collapse of the former Soviet Union
CFE rules were applied for the division of its military heritage among the successor states
which had territory in the area of application
powers in Europe refrained from exploiting the crisis for geo-strategic competition and instead
United Kingdom and United States formed the “contact group” to search for a peaceful solution
The CFE Treaty and the Vienna Document were used as blueprints for the stabilizing Article II and Article IV Agreements following the Dayton Peace Accord
All successor States joined the CSCE (OSCE) and adhered to the agreed CSBMs
It is doubtful whether such joint action would have been possible without the restrictions of military options and political ambitions secured by the provisions of these arms control and confidence-building agreements
The Vienna Document became particularly important as a tool of transparency and early warning belonging to all OSCE participating States
and it has been implemented and modified despite the continued existence of unresolved territorial disputes
which has constituted a major obstacle in the way of further progress on the adapted CFE Treaty
The changes in the OSCE area’s politico-military landscape challenged the conceptual foundations of these key arms control and confidence-building agreements
with its bipolar structure and numerical parity concept
was geared to stabilizing a bloc-to-bloc confrontation that had become obsolete
with its multi-polar structure and inclusive OSCE membership
its lack of limitations of military holdings and its non-legally binding nature
all the more as it did not require lengthy ratification processes
the Vienna Document was modified three times between 1990 and 1999
it was updated to take account of the fifteen new participating States on the territory of the former Soviet Union
Lower thresholds for observation of military exercises were defined
which to some degree reflected smaller sizes of divided and restructured forces
more detailed provisions for verification were incorporated
participating States modified the document again
adding additional parameters for prior notification and observation
political preparations for NATO’s enlargement
overshadowed by renewed crises over Kosovo and in the North Caucasus
triggered the adaptations of three major European security documents
All three were included in the Summit’s final document: the Charter for European Security (a follow-up to the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe); the Agreement on Adaptation of the CFE Treaty and the Vienna Document 1999
The Vienna Document 1999 included a chapter on regional measures
which was a response to sub-regional conflict
a new chapter on defence planning aimed to improve long-term predictability of military developments
In contrast to the frequent modifications in the 1990s
and in spite of the pledges given in Istanbul
the Vienna Document has not been updated since 1999
New threats and challenges have emerged; unresolved territorial conflicts
recurrent violence and military action have created new distrust; and further enlargement of NATO and the EU have changed the political landscape in Europe
While the general trend of force reductions in Europe has persisted
there has been a sharp increase of major weapon holdings in the Caucasus area. At force levels which would have been assessed “minor” in Cold War times
One might legitimately ask why the Vienna Document 1999 and other CSBMs have not played their expected role in early warning and conflict prevention during recent conflicts
if the Vienna Document is to keep its relevance to maintaining the culture of transparency and predictability as well as early warning and crisis prevention
The following are just a few considerations in this regard
“Prior notification and observation of certain military activities”
the threshold values for prior notification and observation of military exercises and unusual force deployments still reflect the past bloc-to-bloc confrontation
a force deployment exceeding the size of an army corps or at least a division was deemed “significant”
national military holdings have become smaller and often do not even reach these thresholds
they obviously are still too high to ensure stability
Dangerous force deployments that preceded the August 2008 war did not even require the invitation of observers
according to Vienna Document 1999 provisions
manpower and hardware involved in modern exercises normally do not exceed Vienna Document 1999 threshold values for notification
there is less transparency with respect to routine military activities
given the higher efficiency of forces through net-based and multinational operations
which can take place simultaneously on the territories of several participating States
An adaptation of the provisions of Chapter V of the Vienna Document therefore seems necessary
one could consider personnel and equipment figures equivalent to the level of a reinforced brigade for prior notification and observation
the number of evaluation visits to participating States has declined sharply
This is due to the fact that smaller States have emerged and forces have been reduced
while the Vienna Document 1999’s quota for visits – a minimum of one visit per 60 units a year – has remained unchanged
This in itself means a loss of the culture of transparency
The number of inspections is similarly low
A participating State is obliged to accept only three per calendar year
That means that after the usual run on inspections at the beginning of the year
there is no more possibility for observation of military activities during the rest of the year
since they rarely exceed the current high threshold values for required observation of certain military activities under Chapter V
Lower force levels have also led to a wider geographical distribution of units
which therefore cannot be easily visited by the rather small number of inspectors during defined time limits
Increasing the number of evaluation visits and raising the inspection quota
their reasonable distribution over the calendar year
extending the time available for evaluation and inspection and providing for a higher number of inspectors allowing for two sub-teams to work in parallel could help to improve the situation
Several valuable proposals for modifying the Vienna Document 1999
have been tabled in the FSC by participating States and are currently under consideration
As consensus is reached on individual “packages” of provisions
they will supersede the relevant sections of the current version of the document
more areas requiring modification might be tackled in line with the ground-breaking FSC decisions of 2010
Special attention might be given to crisis prevention and crisis management
The renewed determination among participating States to improve the key document on security and confidence-building across the entire OSCE area indicates a significant change of climate and a general political will to work constructively on promoting the OSCE’s politico-military security dimension
The Vienna Document 1999 is likely to become an important topic during the OSCE Summit in Astana
The Summit Declaration might take note of this positive development and encourage further deliberations and consensus building which could conceivably lead to the replacement of the current Vienna Document 1999 by an updated version - perhaps a “Vienna Document 2011”
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a privately-owned freighter broke loose from its mooring and drifted into the Caribbean Sea
the La Famille Express rests on a reef in a few feet of water
It was built in 1952 by the Russian Navy as a cargo ship
It was sold to an islander in the mid-1990s
but not before witnessing the Cuban Missile Crisis first-hand in 1962
rusting and decaying since the day it was wrecked
it serves as a visual landmark for boaters and a hidden attraction of the Turks and Caicos Islands
The ship lies about two miles off shore from the east coast of the Island
Nature took her revenge on the "Wickedest City in the World."
The watery grave of Captain Bligh's famous ship
Tropical paradise strewn with hundreds of World War II wrecks
The rusting remains are visible sticking out of the waters of the Delaware Bay
WWI hospital ship lost in a cyclone turns up on the coast of Fraser Island
A steamer run aground near Bimini lives a second life as a playground for scuba divers
nearly 160-year-old submarine abandoned in 1869 due to the ravages of decompression sickness
A freighter full of exotic animals ends a harrowing voyage impaled on uncharted rocks in the Boston Harbor
Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights
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The plan for construction and modernization of sewage treatment plants in cities and towns was considered at the Government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov
Minister of Industry and Infrastructural Development Kairbek Uskenbayev reported that in accordance with the instruction of the head of state in the period from 2023 to 2028 it is planned to build or reconstruct sewage treatment plants in 68 cities of the Republic
the work has begun on three projects in the cities of Saryagash
Next year funds are foreseen for three more projects in Aktau
funding approaches have been developed that involve international financial institutions and transfers from the national budget
17 projects are planned to be implemented during the 1st stage (2023-2026)
26 projects during the 2nd stage (2024-2027)
and 19 projects during the 3rd stage (2025-2028)
Akims of Karaganda Region Yermaganbet Bulekpayev
and Astana city Zhenis Kassymbek reported on the plans for modernization of the sewage treatment plants in terms of regions
The Prime Minister reminded that at the enlarged meeting of the government the Head of the State fairly criticised the ongoing work on construction and modernization of sewage treatment plants
in particular because of the delay of planning and funding
the degree of depreciation of a number of sewage treatment plants in the country is more than 60%
Arkalyk and others," Alikhan Smailov said
sewage facilities in major cities were built back in the 1950s-70s
so the efficiency of their work is extremely low
the volume of wastewater increases every year
and the maximum load on wastewater treatment facilities is rising
"The construction and modernization of wastewater treatment facilities is of great importance
And not only to ensure the normal life of the population
but also in terms of its impact on the environment
We need to keep each project under strict control," Alikhan Smailov said
the Prime Minister noted the need to approve each project schedule within a month and inform the Government quarterly about the progress of their implementation
to ensure the rapid development and approval of all necessary technical documentation
and within 2 months to study international experience and make proposals for the further processing of waste water treatment plants
biogas and fertilizers have been used for a long time
as well since waste produced in Shymkent is recycled to produce electricity
Such examples should be scaled," concluded Alikhan Smailov
Stay updated about the events of the Prime minister and the Government of Kazakhstan - subscribe to the official Telegram channel
Day 2 will mark the end of the first round at the Chile Open 2025
rallied from a set down to beat Juan Pablo Ficovich 2-6
Laslo Djere and Yannick Hanfmann were among the other winners on the first day of the tournament
Sebastian Baez defended his Rio Open crown over the past weekend
He's the defending champion at the Chile Open as well and awaits the winner of the match between Francisco Comesana and Felipe Meligeni Alves
With the South American clay swing coming to an end this week
players will be eager to wrap up their time here on a high
here's a look at the predictions for some of the first-round matches set for Day 2 of the Chile Open:
Gaston has fared even worse than Etcheverry and has a 1-3 record
He's yet to win a match during this clay swing and went out in the first round of the Argentina Open and the Rio Open
Etcheverry reached the final of the Chile Open in his previous appearance here in 2023
While he hasn't set the tour on fire with his results this year
he should be able to beat a slumping Gaston at the very least to begin his campaign here with a win
Jarry started the season on a promising note by reaching the last eight in Brisbane
He then lost in the first round of his next two tournaments
the Australian Open and the Argentina Open
He snapped his losing skid to reach the second round of the Rio Open
where he lost to Comesana in three tough sets
After back-to-back opening-round losses at the Australian Open and the Argentina Open, Ugo Carabelli registered his best result of the year with a semifinal finish at the Rio Open. He led Baez by a set but eventually lost the match in three sets
Both players have tallied three wins apiece this year
He reached the biggest final of his career at last year's Italian Open
that didn't turn out to be a springboard to further success
Jarry won only three more matches for the rest of 2024 after his run to the final in Rome and has added three more wins under his belt this year
Ugo Carabelli will be feeling quite confident after his semifinal run in Rio and could stun the former Chile Open champion in their very first career meeting
Navone went 1-3 during the Australian swing to start the year
He was on Davis Cup duty after that and won one of his two singles matches against Norway
He reached the quarterfinals of the Argentina Open and had one foot in the semifinals as well
Fonseca saved a couple of match points to deny Navone the win
He lost to Sebastian Baez in the second round of the Rio Open in a rematch of last year's final
He has a 5-6 record for the season as of now
Shevchenko has a 3-6 record this year. His first win came against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the United Cup
He then won his only Davis Cup match that he contested and beat Meligeni Alves in the first round of the Rio Open to notch up his third win of the year
Both are competing at the Chile Open for the first time and would love to make a winning debut
which trumps Shevchenko's 12-17 record on the surface
The Argentine often plays his best on the red dirt
and given that he has outperformed the Kazakh thus far
he will be favored to beat him in the first round here
After four consecutive first-round exits to start the year, Darderi put an end to his losing streak by beating Hugo Dellien in the first round of last week's Rio Open. He was shown the door by Francisco Cerundolo in the next round
He has arrived at the Chile Open with a 1-5 record
Faria qualified for the Australian Open last month to make his main draw debut at the Majors. He beat Pavel Kotov in his opener and then lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets in the second round
While he initially fell in the qualifying rounds of the Rio Open
Faria made the most of his second chance
He came up short against Ugo Carabelli and went down to him in straight sets
Darderi was the breakout star of last year's South American clay swing and won his maiden ATP title at the Cordoba Open
He hasn't been able to perform at the same level this year
and if he's able to maintain his form from last week
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We are a few days into the Australian Open
with the first round of matches completed already
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have advanced into the second round
A number of tennis couples are also taking part in this year's tournament
Most of them are top players and have completed their matches in the first round
we will take a look at how they have fared so far
Monfils is enjoying a rich vein of form at the age of 38, which is supposed to be the twilight of his career. He recently won the ASB Classic in Auckland. Monfils faced compatriot and 30th seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of Australian Open and prevailed in a thrilling five-setter 7-6(7)
The match lasted for more than four hours and the Frenchman will face Daniel Altmaier of Germany in the second round
Elena Svitolina, Monfils' wife and the 28th seed, beat Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-4, 6-4 in the first round. Svitolina will take on Caroline Dolehide of the United States in the second round
Another married couple, Potapova of Russia and Shevchenko of Kazakhstan, are also playing in the tournament. Potapova faced Tamara Zidansek of Czechia in the first round and won her match comfortably 6-2
She will face compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round
Shevchenko was somewhat unlucky to run into third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the first round itself
Boulter of Great Britain is the 22nd seed at this year's Australian Open. She faced Rebecca Marino of Canada in the first round and prevailed in three sets 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. Boulter will face Veronika Kudermetova of Russia in the second round
De Minaur
is also the top-ranked Australian player in the tournament
He thrashed Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands 6-1
The 25-year-old Aussie will take on Tristan Boyer of the United States in the second round
Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas are considered a power couple in tennis today
made a good start to her Australian Open campaign by beating Xinyu Wang of China 6-3
She will face Talia Gibson of Australia in the second round
However, Tsitsipas
who is also the 11th-seed and a former finalist in the tournament
was one of the major first-round casualties
He lost to Alex Michelsen of the United States 5-7
4-6 in the first round to bow out of this year's Australian Open
with three days of thrilling action already completed
Fans have flocked to Paris to experience the excitement of Roland-Garros
While all eyes are on who will emerge victorious at the fortnight's end
this year’s tournament has an added layer of intrigue
from rekindled romances to newly formed pairs and married duos
On that note, here’s a look at five couples who are not only cheering for each other but also striving to overcome every hurdle to attain Grand Slam glory at the 2024 French Open
Alexander Shevchenko and Anastasia Potapova are one of the two married couples on this list
Their bond dates back to their early childhood when they were just nine years old
They announced their engagement on Instagram in September 2023 and tied the knot two months later in Russia
Shevchenko and Potapova have gradually made names for themselves in the tennis world and are now competing at the French Open
Shevchenko advanced to the second round by defeating Aslan Karatsev and will face Corentin Moutet next
Potapova overcame Kamilla Rakhimova and will go head-to-head against Viktorija Golubic
Both of their matches are scheduled for May 29
Shevchenko and Potapova played their first-round matches simultaneously on adjacent courts
with the Russian on Court 4 and her husband on Court 5
While Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter's on-court achievements are widely appreciated
their relationship is also a constant topic of conversation
The couple celebrated their fourth anniversary in March 2024 and their bond remains strong and steady
They even competed alongside each other at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships
They reached the third round before being defeated by Joran Vliegen and Xu Yifan
While they're not playing together at Roland-Garros this year
both are focused on their singles campaigns
setting up a second-round clash with Jaume Munar on May 30 while Boulter is currently playing against Paula Badosa
Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina are the second married couple on our list
They've been one of tennis' "it" couples for quite some time
always supporting each other both on and off the court
but faced a brief break after two years of dating
and got engaged before exchanging vows in July 2021
Monfils and Svitolina, who share a daughter named Skai born in 2022
are both competing at the French Open this year
Home favorite Monfils opened his campaign with a win over Thiago Seyboth Wild and is set to face Lorenzo Musetti next on May 30
Svitolina has also reached the second round after defeating Karolina Pliskova and will face Diane Parry on the same day
Despite numerous rumors circulating about Jannik Sinner and Anna Kalinskaya possibly dating each other
Sinner and Kalinskaya are competing at the 2024 French Open and have progressed to the second round
After defeating Christopher Eubanks in his opening match
the Italian is set to meet Richard Gasquet on May 29
will face Bianca Andreescu on the same day
Following his victory over Eubanks, Sinner spoke to the media and confirmed his relationship with Kalinskaya
he chose not to delve into any further details
Jannik Sinner and Anna Kalinskaya were spotted supporting each other from the stands during their tournament openers
They also shared a delightful moment captured on camera
laughing together during the 22-year-old's practice session at Roland-Garros a few days prior
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have reunited and are competing at the 2024 French Open
where he will face Daniel Altmaier on May 30 while the Spaniard is currently competing against Katie Boulter in her tournament opener
After less than a year of dating, the couple decided to part ways at the beginning of May 2024, with Badosa sharing that the decision was mutual. However, they reconciled later that same month, with Tsitsipas expressing that being apart was "hard" for them
Tsitsipas and Badosa will also play mixed doubles together
starting their campaign against Ena Shibahara and Nathaniel Lammons on May 30
Alexander Shevchenko Image Credits: © Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
more than a handful have moved from their country of origin due to various political and off the court issues
Here are 5 tennis stars who defected and the reasons behind it
who is playing at the Rotterdam Open 2024 at the time of writing this report
Alexander Shevchenko changed his nationality from Russia to Kazakhstan
being the latest from his country to do so
He also publicly stated that he is very proud of having taken such a step
Alexander Shevchenko played in the Open Sud de France from Kazakhstan
Austria for the longest time since when he was nine years old
Shevchenko is also married to fellow Russian tennis player Anastasia Potapova
Rybakina has a younger sister and they both started with gymnastics before moving on to tennis
Alexander Bublik was born in the Gatchina town of Russia in 1996
Bublik first picked up a tennis racket when he was four
and by 2019 he was playing in the Davis Cup for Kazakhstan
The 26-year-old Bublik is the No.1 Kazakhstani tennis player at the moment
Bublik switched from Russia to Kazakhstan citing that he was looking for better financial support from the national tennis federation
Bublik felt he got from the Kazakhstani Tennis Federation what he missed out on from the Russian Tennis Federation. After his win at the Montpellier Open 2024, Alexander Bublik joined an elite club with Pete Sampras
She is a winner of three doubles titles and three doubles Challenger titles
Dzalamide moved from Russia to Georgia to participate in the Wimbledon and the Olympics
This was during the height of Russia-Ukraine war and Russians weren’t allowed to play in major tournaments
Dzalamide also felt like this was a natural move since her father is from Georgia
Varvara Gracheva didn’t move to Kazakhstan or Georgia
This was after her mom introduced her to tennis in the Russian city of Zhukovsky
but she realized that there were few training facilities and ill-equipped conditions for tennis
Varvara first moved to Germany before finally moving to Cannes and settling on the French Riviera
She received French nationality in June 2023 and represented France in 2023 Bad Homburg Open
Tanmay Roy
Tanmay Roy is a Tennis Journalist at The SportsRush
whose lifelong passion and zeal for the sport landed him this position
A writer with over 1000 articles under him
Tanmay fell in love with tennis in 2005 when Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon final after a stunning three sets
Tanmay followed the likes of the Big Three - Roger Federer
and Rafael Nadal from the mid-noughties to now
His interest was stronger than ever after the wonderful 2009 Wimbledon Final which saw Roger Federer win after a see-saw 5-set match
His favorite female tennis player is Serena Williams and Monica Seles
Tanmay's favorite match-up to date is Roger Federer vs Andy Roddick in the 2000s
the John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut first round match at the 2010 Wimbledon is the only match Tanmay would love to watch Live by going back in time
he is a huge fan of Jannik Sinner and believes the youngster has the potential to break every record
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