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Im polnischen Parlament wird die umstrittene Reform des obersten Gerichtshofes diskutiert. Die Opposition und Rechtsexperten halten die Änderungen für verfassungswidrig.

The post Polnisches Parlament debattiert über umstrittene Justizreformen appeared first on EURACTIV.de.

Noha az Európai Unió (EU) továbbra sem szakít eddig követett migrációs politikájával, több tagország politikusai nyilatkoznak annak szükségességéről. Erről beszélt a miniszterelnök belbiztonsági főtanácsadója az M1 aktuális csatorna kedd esti műsorában.

Bakondi György kiemelte: egyre többen ismerik fel az ellenőrizetlen tömeges illegális migráció veszélyeit, például azt, hogy a bevándorlás az európai társadalmakban visszafordíthatatlan folyamatokat indíthat el. A lakosság nyomására egyre több nemzeti kormánynál jelentős változás figyelhető meg a migrációs politikában – mondta a főtanácsadó, példaként említve az osztrák belügyminiszter nyilatkozatát.

Wolfgang Sobotka osztrák belügyminiszter a Bild című lapnak azt mondta, hogy a migrációs válság leküzdéséhez le kell zárni a földközi-tengeri migrációs útvonalat, vagyis fel kell számolni az Észak-Afrikából kiinduló embercsempészetet.

Bakondi György reagált arra is, hogy az ENSZ támogatását fejezte ki az EU külügyminisztereinek határozatához, amelynek értelmében az emberkereskedelem elleni harc jegyében korlátozzák a felfújható csónakok és csónakmotorok exportját Líbiába.

Fontosnak nevezte az embercsempészés elleni harcot, de úgy vélekedett, ennél határozottabb rendvédelmi intézkedésekre van szükség Európa külső határainak megvédésére.

July 18, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir and the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Tuesday have discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries besides recent developments in the region.

FILE - Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir shaking hands with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (Riyadh newspaper)

Al-Bashir arrived in Jeddah on Tuesday for the second leg of his Arab Gulf tour that also took him to the UAE.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the two leaders “reviewed relations between the two brotherly countries and developments in the region”.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to work together to promote cooperation to serve the common interests of the two countries.

The meeting was attended by Governor of Makkah Region Prince Khaled Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz and the Minister of State and Member of the Council of Ministers, Prince Mansour bin Mteib bin Abdul Aziz from the Saudi side.

It was also attended by the Minister of State Fadl Abdallah Fadl, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour, Minister of State, Director of the Office of President Hatim Hassan Bakhit, and Sudan's Ambassador to the Kingdom Abdel-Basit Al-Sanousi from the Sudanese side.

Last month, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt severed ties with Qatar accusing it of supporting Islamist terrorist groups and arch-foe Iran. But Doha vehemently denies the charges.

Sudan is among the Arab states that refused to take part in the ongoing diplomatic crisis and declared its support for the Kuwaiti efforts to settle the rift.

(ST)

July 18, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - President Omer al-Bashir agreed to a Saudi request to continue positive engagement with the US administration and its official agencies for the permanent lift of economic sanctions on Khartoum, announced he Sudanese government Tuesday.

Last week, the Sudanese president decided to suspend the participation of his government in a joint committee on the permanent revocation of sanctions In response to a decision by President Donald Trump to postpone his decision on the embargo for three months.

At the time, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour minimised the decision saying it does not mean the suspension of bilateral communications between the different agencies in the two countries.

In a joint statement read by the Sudanese foreign minister at the end of his visit to Riyadh where he met with the Kind Salman and the Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, al-Bashir publically cancelled his previous decision and accepted that his government officials resume the bilateral meeting on the sanctions.

"In response to the request of Saudi leadership, the President agreed to continue to communicate positively with the U.S. Administration and its official agencies in the coming period, in order to ensure the permanent lift of sanctions on Sudan, in addition to removing Sudan from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and resolving all existing problems between the two countries," says the joint communiqué.

On 12 July, Washington said it needs to discuss with Khartoum the human rights situation and religious freedom in the east African country, besides its commitment to UN sanctions on South Korea.

The three matters were not part of the five-track framework negotiated between the two countries last year but the Administration was under huge pressure from 53 Congressmen and activists.

The statement further said that al-Bashir thanked the Saudi leadership for the efforts exerted to improve relations between the Sudan and the United States.

"The two sides stressed the importance of fighting terrorism and extremism and combat its financing because it represents a threat to peaceful societies around the world. They also reiterate their commitment to all international resolutions in this regard. "

The Saudi Arabia pledged in the past to support the lift of economic sanctions on Sudan.

There were reports saying that Riyadh supported the delay of permanent lift due to Khartoum refusal to cut relations with Qatar. But the Sudanese foreign ministry denied these reports.

(ST)

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On 19 - 21 July, the Informal EPSCO Meeting takes place at the Tallinn Creative Hub (Kultuurikatel). The main theme of the meeting on Wednesday 19 July is work-life balance, focusing on new forms of work, different family types and men's participation in sharing care responsibilities. On Thursday 20 July and Friday 21 July, the main topics are digital innovation in health, including free movement of data and alcohol policy in the EU.

Download this video here.

Amazon a déposé une marque aux Etats-Unis sous le slogan "We do the prep. You be the chef". Derrière cet intitulé, une véritable stratégie de conquête du marché de l'alimentaire se profile pour la firme de Jeff Bezos qui vient de racheter la grande chaîne de supermarchés bios Whole Food Market.

July 18, 2017 (KWAJOK) – A least 18 people were killed and more than 30 wounded in clashes involving the Apuk and Aguok communities of South Sudan's Gogrial state, an official disclosed.

Map of South Sudan showing Warrap state in red

“Some of our people are now moving to the side of the former Western Bahr el Ghazal and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states for fear of their lives,” said the state information minister, Ariech Mayar Ariech.

Ariech, however, said tension remained high as some group of youth suspected to be from the Aguok community attacked the Apuk, burning down villages and forcing residents to flee their homes.

“We need the intervention of many troops to have the state special forces that are now at the places of the clashes,” he added.

Tonj state governor, Akech Tong Aleu and his Gogrial state counterpart, Gregory Deng Kuac have reportedly camped in Gogrial state as they try to persuade the youth to stop fighting.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Tuesday convened an emergency meeting of the national security committee, a day after a state of emergency was declared in parts of the country.

The meeting followed the communal clashes in four states. The state of emergency covered parts of Aweil East, Wau, Gogrial and Jonglei states.

(ST)

Selon un sondage publié ce mercredi, les Français estiment que Macron sera globalement "efficace pour redresser le pays" mais qu'il favorisera surtout les entreprises.

Le Sénat a validé cette nuit les modifications apportées au projet de loi par sa commission des Lois en mettant en avant la défense des libertés publiques.

July 18, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudan has reported an outbreak of fall armyworm pest in its Equatoria region, including Magwi, Yei and Juba, Northern Bahr el Gazal and in parts of Jonglei states.

Central Equatoria farmer, Regina Awate, in a field after a visit by the state Minister of Agriculture after the launch of a community seed and agricultural project in Yei County. (Source: Alfred Poverty Taban)

Fall armyworm is reportedly a new pest in Africa, preferring maize plants, but feeds on sorghum, millet and vegetables, among others.

However, as maize and sorghum are staple foods in the war-torn nation, there are fears the emergence of the deadly crop pest is likely to put an increasing number of people at risk of hunger.

“It is nearly impossible to eliminate this pest from South Sudan – now that it is here, it will stay. Following its initial detection in Magwi Country, it is spread to nearly all areas of the country at an alarming rate,” said Serge Tissot, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) representative in South Sudan.

“Given FAO's experience with the pest in other countries in Africa, we can say this could be a significant blow to prospects of agricultural recovery,” he added.

In the wake of the outbreak of the pest, FAO in close partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security are continuing with assessment of fall armyworm infestation across the country.

“The results of these assessments will give a more accurate picture of where the pest is found, and extent of crop yield losses incurred in the affected areas,” said Tissot, adding “It is likely that it will spread both geographically and in intensity unless farmers learn to manage it.”

The fall armyworm arrival is an additional challenge for South Sudan which currently faces an unprecedented food crisis. More than 80% of the population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods.

“Experiences that have been shared in three regional technical meetings on fall armyworm convened by FAO point out difficulties that farmers are facing in controlling the pest,” said Lawrence Kedi, a FAO Agriculture officer.

“The range of options available for immediate response are limited as the knowledge of control interventions are low, and costs are high, leaving them out of reach for the majority of farmers in South Sudan,” he added.

The fall armyworm pest, experts say, has developed resistance to several pesticides and this reportedly calls for more coordinated research on the pest to understand how it adapts to the local environments and training of farmers in how to manage it.

South Sudan has a wealth of untapped agricultural resources. With 30 million hectares of arable land across six agro-ecological zones, the East African nation is capable of producing an array of agricultural products, from cereals to oil seeds, horticulture, and specialty products such as Shea butter and Gum Arabic.

However, despite the huge agricultural potential it possessed, only about 5% of the country's land is cultivated. Moreover, South Sudan also offers abundant water resources in the Nile basin, and forestry assets are plentiful, with tens of thousands of hectares of teak and other high-value hardwoods available for sustainable harvesting.

(ST)

(B2) Le SEAE poursuit la réorganisation de ses délégations. La décision d'ouvrir une délégation de plein exercice en Mongolie, à Oulan-Bator a été confirmée par la Commission européenne fin juin. Jusqu'à présent, il n'y avait qu'un "office technique" dépendant de la délégation de l'Union européenne en Chine, l'ambassadeur de l'UE en Chine, Hans Dietmar Schweisgut, […]

La "procédure accélérée" n'est pas anodine: elle touche au coeur de la logique démocratique. L'envers du droit par Anne Levade.

Le Secrétaire général de l'ONU, António Guterres, a plaidé mercredi devant le Conseil de sécurité pour un renforcement des capacités africaines dans les domaines de la paix et de la sécurité.

L'environnement est une source d'opportunité pour tous et partout. Tel est le message qu'Ibrahim Thiaw, le Directeur exécutif adjoint du Programme des Nations Unies pour l'environnement (PNUE), a souhaité transmettre lors de son passage à New York.

Dans le cadre de son changement de mode opérationnel, la Mission des Nations Unies en République démocratique du Congo (MONUSCO) fermera à partir du 31 juillet cinq bases fixes dans les territoires de Walikale, Masisi et Lubero dans la province du Nord Kivu, a annoncé mercredi le Représentant spécial du Secrétaire général pour ce pays, Maman Sidikou.

Briefing the Security Council on their strengthened collaboration, top officials from the African Union (AU) and the United Nations today highlighted their joint work on peace and security in the Gambia, Somalia and South Sudan, as well as other African countries, and urged adequate, timely and predictable funding.

Singer Angélique Kidjo and eight of Benin&#39s other music artists are urging parents to not marry off their young daughters in a new music video created by the United Nations Children&#39s Fund (UNICEF).

July 18, 2017 (KAMPALA) – South Sudan government has admitted that it blocked access to the Paris-based Sudan Tribune website over its “hostile” news coverage.

“If they [Sudan Tribune website] have been disseminating hostile messages towards us then we have the authority to close them,” information minister Michael Makuei Lueth told Bloomberg Tuesday.

“So many countries have been closing down, even giving total blackout to such media houses which create hostility,” he added.

Multiple sources, however, confirmed that two other news websites were inaccessible on Monday after authorities directed internet providers to block them.

However, the Sudan Tribune and other banned websites remain reachable for our readers in South Sudan when they use Tor Browser or install applications like Fire Onion, Orfox and Tor nado on their smartphones.

The move comes barely two weeks after authorities arrested the head of the state-owned television, Adil Faris Mayat after the station failed to broadcast President Salva Kiir's Independence Day speech.

Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called for the immediate release of Mayat, who has reportedly been held incommunicado since 10 July.

“We call for this journalist's immediate release,” said Cléa Kahn-Sriber, the head of RSF's Africa desk, adding “Frequent arbitrary measures of this kind by the security services and the accompanying impunity are killing media freedom in South Sudan and are holding back a return to peace and national reconciliation.”

After South Sudan obtained independence in 2011, a civil war broke out in 2013 and the ensuing political and security crisis has not spared the media. News outlets have been suspended, newspaper issues have been seized, and journalists have been detained arbitrarily, tortured, harassed, forced to censor themselves or forced to flee abroad.

The war-torn East African nation has fallen 20 places in RSF's World Press Freedom Index since 2015 and is now ranked 145th out of 180 countries.

(ST)

Americas

• The US Army has awarded LOC Performance a $49.1 million contract modification to an existing order for Bradley Fighting Vehicle modification kits and installation. Under the terms of the deal, LOC will produce and supply 276 additional Bradley Engineering Change Proposal 1 kits and two sets of spare parts, which will be used to upgrade Bradley Fighting Vehicles weight-bearing systems and underbelly armor. Work will be conducted at Plymouth, Minn. with a completion date scheduled for April 30, 2019. The Engineering Change Proposal 1 installs heavy load-bearing tracks, torsion bars to restore ground clearance and improved underbelly armor on the Bradleys. This in turn improves the vehicle’s capability to handle the stress placed on its chassis caused by the installation of armor upgrades and Bradley Urban Survivability Kits.

• Lockheed Martin will deliver Patriot Advanced Capability-3 anti-ballistic missile systems to several international customers after receiving a $130.3 million contract from the US Army. The order calls for the delivery of 35 missile segment enhancements, 100 launcher modifications kits, parts, software, and missile round trainers. Recipients of the systems include Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Untied Arab Emirates, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan. Work will primarily take place at the company’s Grand Prairie, Texas facility, as well as other sites across the US, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2020.

Africa

• The Nigerian armed forces have began to receive deliveries of 4×4 armored personnel carriers from the Streit Group. Its first batch of 25 vehicles included the firm’s Spartan APCs and Typhoon 4×4 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles. It’s expected that a total of 177 vehicles will be delivered. The Spartan provides protection against both ballistic and blast threats with crew compartment protection of CEN Level BR6 armor. The Typhoon 4×4 MRAP features a V-shaped armored hull as well as blast protection to STANAG 4569 Level 3. Nigeria will use the vehicles to better tackle the ongoing insurgency by the jihadist group Boko Haram in the country’s north and east.

Middle East & North Africa

• Israel has increased the scope of its Leonardo Aermacchi M-346 “Lavi” advanced jet trainers after the successful upgrade of the aircraft’s software. Additional external fuel tanks have already been added to the trainers with future enhancements to include the addition of live bombs which will allow for the advanced training of air-to-surface strike missions. The aircraft are also being employed to support advanced training involving “fourth-generation” fighters.

• Turkish F-16 Block 30 fighters are scheduled to get structural and avionic upgrades aimed at increasing the fleet’s combat capabilities. A total of 35 aircraft will undergo the modernization, 25 of which will be upgraded jointly by Tusas Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and manufacturer Lockheed Martin, while the remaining ten will be upgraded at a Turkish Air Force support and maintenance unit in Eskisehir in Central Anatolia. Deliveries of the modernized aircraft will begin in 2018 and completed by the end of 2023. This is likely to be the last Turkish F-16 upgrade program as the fighters will be eventually phased out in favor of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Europe

• Swedish truck manufacturer Volvo has two interested buyers for its armored vehicles unit, Renault Trucks Defense (RTD), in a deal estimated to be worth $573 million. The interested parties expected to submit offers by the July 24 deadline include French-German tank maker KNDS and Belgian group CMI. Sources close to the deal added that private equity groups which initially expressed interest in RTD are not expected to take part in the auction, which is organized by Rothschild. Volvo’s decision to shed RTD from its portfolio comes as the firm looks to dump non-core assets as part of efforts to streamline a group that has been built on a series of large acquisitions. It has already sold its aerospace unit and external IT operations as well as a large real estate portfolio.

Asia Pacific

• Indian officials have commenced negotiations to buy ex-French Air Force Jaguar strike fighters. The aircraft had been offered to New Delhi by France about six months ago, and the issue is expected to be discussed during a meeting between both countries’ air force chiefs in India this week. While it remains unknown how much France wants in exchange for the warplanes, Indian officials said that they are actively considering acquiring them after proper refurbishment.

• India’s Dassault Rafale fighters on order from France will be equipped with Israeli firm Rafael’s Litening targeting pod. Yuval Miller, head of the Israeli company’s air and C4I systems division said that the pods, produced to the latest 4I island will be manufactured in India in partnership with a local firm. The Indian air force already uses the Rafael-produced pod on several types of combat aircraft, having acquired the system in the Litening III standard. Rafael also is to supply its advanced 4I version of the system for use by the Aeronautical Development Agency’s Tejas light combat aircraft.

Today’s Video

• MiG-35 at MAKS 2017:

La transparence avance... en toute discrétion. Depuis le 1er juillet, dans le cadre de la loi Sapin 2 sur la lutte contre la corruption, les lobbyistes sont tenus de montrer patte blanche. En s'inscrivant,...