EU ministers have discussed how to make labour standards compatible with modern technological conditions and workplace culture, such as telework and AI-led staff oversight, without losing competitiveness.
The law in question, called the Quality Jobs Act, covers a wide range of work protection measures, such as common standards for being able to ‘go home’ and disconnect from remote work, and limits to AI role in recruitment or its scrutiny of workers’ performance.
Technological innovation should “benefit both workers and businesses,” said Portuguese labour minister Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho, addressing the ministers’ council on Monday (19 October) in Luxembourg.
Human oversight is essential, especially where AI systems decide on recruitment or workers’ assessment, she said.
Next to innovation, labour rules needed to ensure “fair and transparent practices, respect for human workers’ rights … and effective social dialog,” said Roxana Mînzatu, the EU commissioner for employment.
“This revolutionary technology has to be regulated” so that it “delivers for all,” Isabelle Schömann, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) deputy general secretary had also said during a conference organised by the centre-left S&D group in the European Parliament on 14 October, commenting on the need for the Quality Jobs Act to curb AI.
The draft Quality Jobs Act that the European Commission plans to present in December aims to update the long out of date 1989 and 1990 health and safety workplace rules.
It would also protect subcontractors and create standards for working in heatwaves, becoming more frequent with climate change.
EU legislators need to ensure minimum standards so that “neither jobs nor businesses are jeopardised” with extreme weather, Yolanda Díaz Pérez, the Spanish labour minister, said ahead of Monday’s debate.
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O Secretário de Estado das Florestas, Rui Ladeira, participa, nos próximos dias 20 e 21 de outubro, nas sessões de entrega de maquinaria em Santiago do Cacém, Aljezur e Évora, no âmbito do Programa de Mecanização para a Gestão de Combustível, financiado pelo Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência (PRR).
Dia 20 de outubro, em Santiago do Cacém, serão assinados os protocolos de cedência de maquinaria entre o Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas (ICNF) e os municípios de Aljustrel, Almodôvar, Barrancos, Castro Verde, Cuba, Ferreira do Alentejo, Grândola, Mértola, Ourique, Santiago do Cacém, Serpa e Vidigueira, tendo em vista a disponibilização de 12 tratores, um por município, reforçando a capacidade para a realização de operações de gestão de combustível e prevenção de incêndios rurais.
Já no dia 21 de outubro, da parte da manhã, em Aljezur, serão assinados protocolos com os municípios de Alcoutim, Aljezur, Olhão, Portimão e Tavira, para a cedência de 5 tratores; e da parte da tarde, em Évora, serão firmados os protocolos com os municípios de Alandroal, Arraiolos, Borba, Évora, Redondo, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Viana do Alentejo e Vila Viçosa, tendo em vista a cedência de 8 tratores.
Ao todo, a nível nacional, o ICNF informa que serão entregues 150 tratores a municípios, num investimento total que ronda os 27,5 milhões de euros.
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh has attacked Shabana Mahmood's migrant crackdown, saying making foreign nationals wait threatens "integration", deepening the split within Andy Burnham’s Cabinet about border controls.
The post Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh Attacks Mahmood’s Migrant Crackdown appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Andy Burnham has announced "big changes" to welfare to get one million NEETs back into work – but only once he's "rebuilt the education system". Sounds expensive, says Mary Gilleece. It’s clearly never going to happen.
The post Andy Burnham Will Never Cut Welfare appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
On Sunday, teleSUR President Patricia Villegas participated in the closing session of the Global South Academic Forum, held in Shanghai, where she defended South-South cooperation to strengthen communications sovereignty.
RELATED:
Global South Media Center: 4 Outlets Launch Bold New Platform in China
During her presentation, the Colombian journalist argued that power in the international arena is also exercised through digital infrastructure, undersea cables and algorithms that determine the global circulation of news.
Villegas warned that the digital environment is not neutral but instead reflects power relations that prioritize content with immediate impact at the expense of the peoples’ memory and identity.
She also urged Latin America and the Caribbean to engage more decisively in Global South initiatives to narrow the gap between existing knowledge and strategic decision-making.
teleSUR President highlighted the partnership with China as a key channel for diversifying the capacity of developing nations to produce their own content.
Villegas pointed to concrete advances, including the teleSUR+ platform, created in July 2026 to distribute material produced by creators from the Global South, and the joint bureau operated in Beijing with Prensa Latina and Brasil de Fato.
On the sidelines of the 2026 Global South Academic Forum in Shanghai, I held discussions with the forum’s organising committee, led by Prof. Lu Xinyu, Chair of the Global South Academic Forum, about China’s experience in rural revitalisation, poverty reduction, and community… pic.twitter.com/xnoslb0ouk
— Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang (@NJOAgyemang) October 19, 2026
U.S. Blockade Affects Cuban News Agency
During the same panel on communication and governance, Prensa Latina Vice President Alejandro Gomez denounced the severe obstacles facing the Cuban news agency as a result of the U.S. blockade.
Gomez explained that unilateral restrictions limit the acquisition of fuel for electricity generation and the purchase of basic medical supplies for Cuba’s children.
He said the financial blockade directly affects the work of the agency’s foreign bureaus through the arbitrary closure of bank accounts and restrictions on transfers. These coercive measures hinder the objective reporting of the Cuban reality and the provision of communications services across several continents.
The international forum brought together more than 200 delegates in the Chinese metropolis to discuss modernization, governance, and social mobilization from the perspective of developing countries.
Speakers agreed that content exchange, journalism training and the fight against disinformation are essential to democratizing the global media landscape.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: teleSUR
Downing Street delivered a rare rebuke to a senior member of Donald Trump’s administration
Asked why the Lib Dems were opposed to a third runway at Heathrow when they professed to be in favour of growth, Cooper said she did not accept that a third runway would produce all the benefits its supporters claimed.
She explained:
On Heathrow, it is clear from looking at all of the economic analysis of airport growth over the last few years that many of the promises made by all sorts of different airport companies simply haven’t come to bear.
The promise of higher wage jobs hasn’t been substantiated. Often it’s lower paid jobs, and often not as many as they’ve claimed.
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© Photograph: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
© Photograph: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
© Photograph: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Letter from 150 scientists, MPs and activists calls for action to protect lower-income and minority-ethnic communities
The government must hold an inquiry into the unequal impacts of air pollution, 150 scientists, MPs and activists have urged.
Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that across England, lower-income areas have persistently higher levels of air pollution than wealthier areas.
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© Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian
© Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian
© Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian
‘Sovereignty without the ability to act on it is not autonomy,’ paper by Institute for Public Policy Research says
Britain cannot deal effectively with geopolitical crises such as Russian aggression and political turmoil in the US without rejoining the EU, according to an influential thinktank.
The Institute for Public Policy Research has become the latest organisation close to the Labour party to call for the UK to re-enter the bloc, after Andy Burnham said he wanted to examine all possible options.
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© Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
© Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
© Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
Passengers urged to ‘share the carriage, not the noise’ as guidance sets out £100 penalties for nuisance behaviour
Andy Burnham has announced a crackdown on “headphone dodgers” who play loud music on public transport, as he extends his promise to give voters “breathing space” in the confines of a train carriage.
The prime minister will unveil a campaign against nuisance behaviour on public transport on Monday, alongside guidance allowing local transport authorities to levy fines of up to £100 for non-compliance.
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© Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/AFP/Getty Images
Exclusive: Former health secretary says upfront investment in support is needed ‘if we are going to end the Neet crisis’
Ministers should cut welfare spending to fund more employment support if it wants to end the youth Neet crisis, the author of a government-led review has said.
Alan Milburn, the Tony Blair-era health secretary, told the Guardian he believed ministers should reduce benefits payments to help pay for more employment support, opening a potentially contentious debate within the Labour party over welfare cuts.
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© Photograph: Jeff Moore/PA
© Photograph: Jeff Moore/PA
© Photograph: Jeff Moore/PA
Global South Media Center launches in China with teleSUR, Prensa Latina, Brasil de Fato and Pan Africa TV to strengthen Southern media cooperation.
Related: China Deploys Liaoning Carrier Strike Group to Western Pacific for Military Drills
The Global South Media Center was established in China on Sunday as a new platform for cooperation among media organizations from Latin America, Africa and Asia.
The initiative, known by its Spanish acronym CMPSur, was created by four media outlets with correspondents in China: teleSUR, Cuba’s Prensa Latina, Brazil’s Brasil de Fato and Ghana’s Pan Africa TV.
The launch took place during the Global South Academic Forum, held in Shanghai on October 17 and 18 under the theme “Global South Political Parties: Governance and Modernization.”
The forum brought together political leaders, academics, researchers and media representatives from Asia, Africa, Latin America and other developing regions.
Jeff Xiong, secretary general of the Global South Academic Forum, said the new media center seeks to strengthen joint journalistic production and build narratives from the perspective of the peoples of the South.
The platform aims to deepen links between China and other Global South countries while challenging the dominant communication frameworks of the Global North.
Xiong highlighted the role of the Global South Academic Forum in creating the conditions for multinational cooperation. He also expressed hope that additional media organizations from developing countries would join the initiative.
The Global South Media Center plans to expand the circulation of stories about China among audiences in Africa, Asia and Latin America through collaboration among outlets from different regions.
The initiative reflects a growing effort by Southern media to coordinate reporting, share content and develop common perspectives on development, governance and international relations.
The center will not replace the editorial independence of its founding organizations. Instead, it is expected to provide a framework for exchanging material, coordinating coverage and promoting joint productions.
The creation of the platform comes at a time when media organizations in developing countries face increasing pressure from concentrated technology platforms, algorithmic distribution and dependence on foreign digital infrastructure.
The Global South Academic Forum has become a space for discussing those challenges alongside broader questions of governance, development and international cooperation.
Global South Academic Forum | UNESCO—Media development and information
The Global South Media Center was announced during a panel on communication, party governance and social mobilization.
Participants discussed how media organizations can respond to the expansion of artificial intelligence and growing technological inequalities between developed and developing countries.
Alejandro Gómez, vice president of Prensa Latina, defended technological sovereignty and informational independence as essential conditions for Southern media.
He said developing countries must build their own capacities rather than relying exclusively on infrastructure and platforms controlled by external actors.
Gómez proposed the creation of a permanent training mechanism in artificial intelligence for journalists and media organizations in the Global South.
The initiative would be developed in cooperation with Chinese institutions and other specialized organizations. It could include training in AI-assisted reporting, data verification, digital security, content production and responsible use of new technologies.
The Prensa Latina executive also emphasized the need for Southern media to produce their own narratives about international transformations.
He argued that dominant global media frameworks often condition coverage of countries such as Cuba and limit the visibility of perspectives from developing nations.
The proposal reflects a broader concern that artificial intelligence may reinforce existing inequalities if Southern countries do not participate in the design, regulation and use of these technologies.
AI tools can help journalists analyze information, translate content, identify trends and improve audience engagement. However, they can also reproduce biases, amplify misinformation and concentrate power in companies that control the underlying models.
For media organizations in the Global South, the challenge is to use new technologies without becoming dependent on foreign platforms or losing control over editorial decisions.
The Global South Media Center could therefore play a role in training, research and the development of shared technological standards.
teleSUR President Patricia Villegas also defended South-South cooperation as a means of strengthening communication sovereignty.
She said media organizations in the South must reduce their dependence on digital infrastructures and technological platforms controlled by external actors.
Villegas warned about the influence of algorithms on the circulation of content. She argued that platforms can determine which stories reach audiences and which voices remain marginal.
The teleSUR president called for greater collaboration among Southern media, including the exchange of productions and the transfer of technological capacities.
She highlighted China’s role as a strategic partner for expanding communication cooperation and strengthening the ability of developing countries to produce and distribute their own content.
Villegas also referred to the creation of teleSUR+ in July 2026. The collaborative platform brings together audiovisual material, texts and photographs produced by media organizations and creators from the Global South.
She also mentioned the Global South correspondent network in Beijing, which includes Brasil de Fato, Prensa Latina and Brazil’s TVT, with the planned incorporation of an African media outlet.
The correspondent network provides a practical model for the new media center. It allows participating outlets to share reporting, coordinate coverage and reduce the costs of maintaining international bureaus.
UNESCO—Global Media and Information Literacy | International Federation of Journalists
The Global South Media Center represents an effort to build a more coordinated voice for developing countries in the international information system.
Media organizations from the South often face unequal access to technology, advertising revenue, satellite capacity, distribution networks and international audiences.
Many outlets rely on platforms owned or controlled by companies based in the Global North. Those platforms can shape visibility through algorithms, moderation policies and commercial priorities.
The new center seeks to address that imbalance by promoting cooperation among media with shared interests in sovereignty, development and multilateralism.
The initiative also responds to the need for greater representation of Southern perspectives in coverage of China, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Mainstream media in the Global North have often presented developing countries through narratives focused on crisis, instability or dependence. Southern media organizations argue that those narratives ignore local experiences, historical context and the diversity of development models.
The Global South Media Center aims to provide alternative coverage that reflects the voices of communities, governments and social movements in the South.
The platform could support reporting on infrastructure, public health, education, food sovereignty, climate adaptation, digital governance and regional integration.
It could also promote stories about cooperation among developing countries, including China’s role in infrastructure, technology and trade.
The center’s creation is part of a wider effort to strengthen South-South cooperation in communication.
The Global South Academic Forum has promoted exchanges among academics, institutional representatives and media organizations on governance, development, international cooperation and the role of developing countries in global affairs.
The forum’s discussions have included state capacity, social mobilization, institutional innovation and the use of party organizations to strengthen governance.
Those themes are closely connected to the media agenda. Communication is not only a technical issue; it is also part of how societies organize political participation and respond to global challenges.
The panel in Shanghai emphasized that media organizations must prepare for the impact of artificial intelligence while defending editorial independence and public interest journalism.
Participants argued that technological innovation should not replace journalists but should support their work by improving research, verification and audience access.
The Global South Media Center could therefore become a space for developing ethical guidelines on AI, protecting journalists’ rights and promoting responsible use of new technologies.
The launch of the Global South Media Center has geopolitical significance because communication has become a central arena of global competition.
Countries and media organizations increasingly compete to shape narratives about development, security, technology and international cooperation.
China’s role in the initiative reflects its growing engagement with Africa, Asia and Latin America. Beijing has expanded partnerships in infrastructure, trade, education and digital technology through initiatives such as the Belt and Road Forum and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
For Southern media, cooperation with China offers access to training, technology and new distribution channels. It also allows them to diversify their sources of information and reduce dependence on traditional Western media networks.
For China, the platform provides an opportunity to strengthen its image among Global South audiences and present its development experience through media organizations from the region.
The initiative does not eliminate political differences among participating countries. Media organizations in the Global South have different political systems, editorial traditions and national interests.
However, the center reflects a shared concern about technological dependence and the unequal distribution of global communication power.
The platform could also influence debates about digital sovereignty, data governance and the regulation of artificial intelligence.
Developing countries have increasingly argued that international standards should address the concentration of technological power and protect the right of nations to control their own digital infrastructure.
The Global South Media Center may become part of that broader discussion by promoting training, content exchange and cooperation among media organizations.
Its success will depend on whether participating outlets can sustain joint projects, develop shared standards and expand the initiative beyond its founding members.
The launch of the Global South Media Center marks an attempt to build a stronger communication network for countries seeking greater influence over the global information order.
SEO Title: Global South Media Center: 4 Outlets Launch Bold New Platform in China
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The CEO of one of France's largest supermarket chains, and one of the world's largest retailers, said that 50 of its stores were targeted by rioters on Saturday.
Alexandre Bompard, who leads Carrefour, France's version of Walmart, took to X on Sunday to condemn the riots and commend his employees as France reels from widespread civil unrest and looting.
"Nothing can justify such violence," Bompard said on X in French. "Those who attack the work tools of courageous entrepreneurs and their teams in this way must face an uncompromising response."
"The Republic must protect its shopkeepers!" he added.
Riots swept across France on Saturday after initially peaceful demonstrations against the high cost of living and deteriorating school conditions turned violent. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on X that 600 police officers were injured in the fracas and more than 2,000 people were arrested.
Photos and videos from Paris and other French cities show massive demonstrations, burning cars, and wrecked storefronts.
Remon Haazen/Getty Images
In his X post, Bompard called the violence "unacceptable." He said that, in addition to Carrefour's stores, about 1,500 other shops were damaged in the riots.
"The cost of the repairs will amount to more than 10 million euros, and our shopkeepers need an acceleration of compensation procedures, as in the case of natural disasters," he said.
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