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Statistisches Bundesamt: Wiesbaden (ots) - Im ersten Quartal 2015 haben in Deutschland insgesamt knapp 835 000 Personen Elterngeld bezogen. Das Statistische Bundesamt veröffentlicht damit erstmals Ergebnisse zu aktuellen Leistungsbezügen aus der Bestandsstatistik zum ...

Copal Amba: Frankfurt am Main (ots) - Juni 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- An die Redaktion: Weitere Informationen über diese Mitteilung finden Sie beim Herunterscrollen. Heute veröffentlichte Performance Financial seine Research-Berichte über die Wacker Neuson (ISIN: ...

Copal Amba: Frankfurt am Main (ots) - Juni 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- An die Redaktion: Weitere Informationen über diese Mitteilung finden Sie beim Herunterscrollen. Heute veröffentlichte Performance Financial seine Research-Berichte über die Cadence Design ...

There’s of course nothing wrong with the commemoration of historical battles. Quite the contrary: each time I took students to the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy, they got a better idea of why European integration might actually be a good idea. And most of the four-year-long commemorative flow on World War I is produced, if not always in perfect taste, at least with mostly good intentions.

The bicentenary of Waterloo, however, seems to produce the kind of re-enactment and narrative that leaves a sour aftertaste. The very name of the battle is already too closely linked to the Napoleonic epic, and commemoration almost inevitably drifts into the realm of myth and legend. All over the 19th century literature, music, art and historiography have patiently and steadily built the Napoleonic myth of ‘the Great Man’ – whether despised as megalomaniac tyrant or glorified as hero – and it’s difficult to emancipate from this heavy cultural conditioning.

Waterloo has been the object of works by the most prominent novelists and poets of the 19th century. As early as 1815, some months only after the actual event, William Wordsworth, Clemens Brentano and Casimir Delavigne already had made it the topic of their poetry, Lord Byron followed one year later. In the 1830s and 1840s, Balzac, Stendhal, Grabbe, Chateaubriand, Thackeray and Victor Hugo also gave in to the morbid fascination of a battle that had left a minimum of 47,000 dead on a single day.

Emile Erckmann and Alexandra Chatrian.

The best antidote to any temptation of nostalgic glorification of historical warfare, however, can be found in the very credible account of a fictitious French conscript named Joseph Bertha created by Emile Erckmann (1822–1899) and Alexandre Chatrian (1826–1890) from Alsace-Lorraine. Published in 1864 (and quickly sold in over 1.5 million copies to a mostly rural public), their Waterloo takes the form of a ‘flashback’, in which an old man recollects his memories, emotions and lessons from fifty years ago.

The anti-militarist and anti-nationalist attitudes expressed by the protagonist, who is drawn by force into a war he does neither understand not approve, are a remarkable counterpoint to the zeitgeist of a late 19th century rather characterised by jingoism and revanchism. And the utter realism of his account of battle – clearly based on extensive research by the authors – made even Emile Zola refer with admiration to the authors’ ‘extreme power of description’.

Joseph Bertha as old man. Illustration to the Erckmann-Chatrian novel by Riou (1833-1900).

What is particularly convincing in Joseph Bertha’s narration is the fact that he must admit that as young man he had not been insensitive to ideas of ‘grandeur’ et ‘gloire’, rather easily manipulated by demagogic nationalist brainwash, and even prone to a certain admiration for ‘L’Empereur’. Fifty years later, however, his judgement is unambiguous:

‘I know well that these things are called “glory”, but people would be well advised not to glorify individuals of this kind…’

Erckmann’s and Chatrian’s seemingly ‘naïve’ novel of 1864 is a more than interesting companion through the commemorative frenzy of 2015. It is a stunning account of the reality of war at an age where there were no photographs or amateur videos. And it is a most welcome reminder that ‘greatness’ or ‘glory’ are dangerous and altogether meaningless categories, both for individuals and entire nations. In the Europe of the 21st century they sound hollow and empty, and it’s good to know that they already did for some enlightened Europeans a hundred and fifty years ago.

Albrecht Sonntag, EU-Asia Institute, ESSCA School of Management.

The post An antidote to any nostalgia of ‘grandeur’ or ‘glory’ appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

Key Points Colombian Navy commissions second locally designed and built landing craft utility vessel Development is part of the navy's force development plan for recapitalising its fleet The Colombian Navy has commissioned a new landing craft utility (LCU) vessel, ARC Golfo de Urabá (pennant

China has signed a preliminary contract with an African country for the first sale of its low-cost Chengdu/Guizhou FTC-2000 supersonic trainer. First revealed as a private initiative by Guizhou Aircraft Industries Corporation at the 2001 Zhuhai Airshow, the FTC-2000 combines the engine, empennage,

Heute kommen die Euro-Finanzminister in Luxemburg zu ihrer letzten planmäßigen Sitzung vor dem Ende des Hilfsprogramms für das vom Staatsbankrott bedrohte Griechenland zusammen. Trotz immer dringlicherer Mahnungen von allen Seiten gibt es derzeit keine Aussicht auf eine Lösung.

Az uniós források felhasználásával a 2020 utáni fejlesztési időszak növekedési alapjait kell megteremteni – hangsúlyozta Csepreghy Nándor, a Miniszterelnökség fejlesztéspolitikai kommunikációért felelős helyettes államtitkára szerdán a Napi Gazdaság konferenciáján, Budapesten.

Hozzátette: 2020 után várhatóan csökken az uniós fejlesztési forrás, ezért a jelenlegi lehetőségekkel úgy kell élni, hogy az Európai Unió felzárkóztatási támogatása nélkül is legyen gazdasági növekedési potenciál Magyarországon.

Csepreghy Nándor felidézte, hogy Magyarország a 2014-2020-as időszakban rendelkezésre álló, 12 ezermilliárd forint uniós fejlesztési forrás 60 százalékát gazdaságfejlesztésre, 40 százalékát közcélú beruházásra használja.

A Gazdaságfejlesztési és Innovációs Operatív Programban (GINOP) a tervek szerint az idén júliusban újabb jelentős pályázati kiírások jelennek meg – mondta Karsai Tamás, Nemzetgazdasági Minisztérium (NGM) gazdaságfejlesztési programok végrehajtásáért felelős helyettes államtitkára. Felidézte, hogy a GINOP-ban meghaladja a 2 ezermilliárd forintot a vissza nem térítendő támogatások kerete, és további 729 milliárd forint visszatérítendő támogatást nyújtó pénzügyi eszközök állnak rendelkezésre 2014-2020 között.

Tájékoztatása szerint 2015-ben a vissza nem térítendő gazdaságfejlesztési uniós forrásokból a tervezetthez képest előbbre hozzák a vállalati kutatás-fejlesztésre vonatkozó kiírást, és júliusban megjelennek majd újabb területekre is, köztük az iparjogra, épületenergetikára vonatkozó felhívások is. Ugyanakkor szerinte a visszatérítendő támogatást tartalmazó pénzügyi eszközöknél idén a közvetítő cégek kiválasztása zárulhat le, és jövő évtől indulhat meg ezen támogatások kihelyezése. Karsai Tamás arról is beszélt, hogy az idén a GINOP-ban a kkv-k számára kapacitás bővítésére 65 milliárd forint, illetve 10 milliárd keretre írtak ki pályázatot, korábban már megjelent a felhívás a kkv-k külpiacra jutását segítő 150 millió forint keretre.

A Miniszterelnökség helyettes államtitkára kiemelte, hogy a 2014-2020-as időszak fejlesztési forrásainak felhasználásakor fontos szempont a munkahelyteremtés, illetve a gazdaságfejlesztés, ugyanakkor a két tényezőt  a korábbi pályázati rendszerekkel ellentétben most külön célszerű kezelni.

Ennek alátámasztására példaként említette a helyettes államtitkár, hogy a munkahely-teremtési szempontot a mezőgazdaságban, illetve a turizmusban célszerű szem előtt tartani a kkv-k támogatásakor, mert itt rendelkezésre áll a szabad munkaerő-kapacitás, ugyanakkor vannak olyan területek – ilyen a gépipar egy része, az informatika, a gyógyszergyártás és az innovációs rendszer – ahol inkább a gazdasági növekedésben betöltött  szerep a szempont.

Csepreghy Nándor felhívta a figyelmet arra, hogy a mostani fejlesztési időszakban az innovációra 750 milliárd forint, háromszor annyi forrás áll rendelkezésre, mint 2007 és 2013 között. A megnövekedett innovációs források felhasználásával a magyar gazdaság modernebb, versenyképesebb lehet versenytársainál – jelentette ki.

Kitért arra is, hogy az államot is versenyképessé kell tenni a jogszabályi környezet alakításával, például az e-ügyintézés bevezetésében a fejlesztéspolitikai intézményrendszer élen jár, illetve az idén az őszi-téli időszakban életbe lépő új közbeszerzési törvény az uniós versenyjogi szabályokat is betartva – más uniós tagállamokban hasonlóan – segíti a hazai vállalkozásokat az uniós források felhasználásában.

Krisán László, a Kavosz Zrt. vezérigazgatója arra hívta fel a figyelmet, hogy felmérésük szerint 2015 első negyedévében az üzleti bizalom szintje növekvő tendenciát mutat, a kkv-k 80 százaléka tervez fejlesztést, és a kkv-k 24 százaléka 5 millió forint, 40 százaléka 5 millió és 20 millió forint, 17 százaléka 20 millió és 50 millió forint közötti támogatást kérne fejlesztéséhez.

A Kavosz vezérigazgatója is azt hangsúlyozta, hogy az uniós források felhasználását értékteremtésre, termelés fejlesztésre kell felhasználni, hogy 2020 után is maradjon fejlődési lehetőség. Felhívta a figyelmet a korábban népszerű kombinált mikrohitel szükségességére, amely egyaránt tartalmazott vissza nem térítendő támogatást és kedvező kamatozású hitelt.

MTI

Les eurodéputés refusent que la nourriture provenant d'animaux clonés ou de leurs descendants soit autorisée dans l’UE. Une ligne nettement plus ferme que celle de la Commission. 

Wegen des bevorstehenden Vertragverletzungsverfahrens der EU-Kommission gegen die deutsche Pkw-Maut wird Bundesverkehrsminister Alexander Dobrindt die Einführung der Maut voraussichtlich verschieben.

Die Ausschüsse für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Landwirtschaft des EU-Parlaments haben gemeinsam für ein EU-weites Klonverbot gestimmt. Auch die Einfuhr von Klontieren, ihren Nachfahren, ihrem Vermehrungsmaterial sowie von Nahrungs- und Futtermitteln aus Klontieren soll verboten werden.

5 vor 12 traf Österreichs Bundeskanzler Werner Faymann noch schnell Mittwoch nachmittags in Athen mit dem griechischen Premierminister Alexis Tspiras zusammen. Was im Vorfeld als Versuch einer Vermittlung verkauft wurde, war in Summe gesehen nicht mehr als ein Höflichkeitsbesuch.

North America

• General Dynamics NASSCO has delivered a third Mobile Landing Platform to the Navy, following the start of construction in 2013. The USNS Lewis B. Puller was initially floated in November, with the new vessel the first Afloat Forward Staging Base variant.

• The Navy and Raytheon have completed operational testing of the AIM-9X Block II air-to-air missile, including live-firings. The Air Force similarly tested the missile from an F-22 last month, with those tests including the downing of aerial drones.

• The General Atomics-manufactured EMALS system recently installed aboard PCU Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) has delayed further dead-load testing on Wednesday owing to components failing to communicate properly with one another. Successful dead-load testing – shooting heavy weights off the edge of the ship to test the system’s capacity – took place earlier this month, with the company recently being awarded a $3.35 billion contract for an additional EMALS system for CVN-79. The glitch, although not thought to be serious, was instead embarrassing, given that press were watching on board.

South America

• Russia will deliver nine helicopters to Peru next month, following a $400 million contract for the 24 Mi-171Sh helicopters in December 2013 and a first batch delivery at the tail-end of last year. Previous reports from March indicated that the number of helicopters still to be delivered stood at fifteen, with the Russian manufacturer also reportedly set to open a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) center in the South American country to support its new helicopter fleet. Russia has also been angling to provide an upgrade program for Peru’s T-55 tanks.

Europe

• Lockheed Martin and French defense officials are reportedly in discussions regarding a potential procurement of C-130J aircraft. The country’s defense ministry augmented its procurement budget last month to cover the potential purchase, with reports from earlier this year [French] stating that the country was in negotiations with Lockheed Martin regarding a deal estimated to be worth $670 million; however the French procurement agency DGA subsequently refuted these claims.

• French firm Thales and Textron AirLand announced Wednesday that they have successfully integrated the former’s I-Master radar onto the latter’s low-cost light attack Scorpion jet. The radar also scored export success to Jordan this week, following a 2014 contract to equip the country’s fleet of AC-235 aircraft. The Scorpion has recently been pushed at India, with other possible customers spread globally, including several African and Asian states.

• The Scorpion is also reportedly set to head to the United Kingdom’s naval aviation service, the Fleet Air Arm, for trials and flight demonstrations. These will take place over a period of ten days, with the jets also scheduled to undergo demonstrations at defense firm QinetiQ’s pilot training center. QinetiQ provides pilot training services to the UK Armed Forces, as well as to civilians.

Middle East

• Lockheed Martin has been contracted to supply ten Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods to the Royal Jordanian Air Force, with the country currently engaged in airstrikes against Daesh in Iraq and Syria. The company was awarded a $485 million contract by the US Air Force in March, with a portion of this allocated for Foreign Military Sales. Jordan become the sixteenth Sniper ATP customer in 2013.

Asia

• Pakistan is planning on inducting the JF-17 Block II into its air force next year, with work reportedly having started already. The jointly-developed Chinese/Pakistani JF-17 recently bagged its first export customer, with Myanmar previously expressing interest in the fighter.

• Indian firm OIS-Advanced Technology has reported signed a Memorandum of Understanding with France’s LH Aviation to produce open an assembly line for LH-D Tactical UAV in India.

• An Australian E-7A Wedgetail has successfully refuelled from a KC-30A tanker during trials earlier this month. The RAAF Wedgetail AWACS fleet recently gained Full Operational Capability.

Today’s Video

• The Scorpion jet… Cheap and effective?

Die Lufthansa und vier weitere große Luftfahrtkonzerne aus Europa fordern die EU-Kommission zu neuer Gesetzgebung auf: Die Zahl der Streiks des Bodenpersonals soll so verringert werden. Die EU solle zudem "alle unzumutbaren Steuern" für die Luftfahrt aufheben. EurActiv Brüssel berichtet.

Le Directeur exécutif du Fonds des Nations Unies pour l'enfance (UNICEF), Anthony Lake, a appelé « au nom de l'humanité et de la décence commune » à mettre un terme à l'escalade de la violence contre les enfants au Soudan du Sud, où des garçons auraient été castrés et saignés à mort et des filles d'à peine huit ans violées et mises à mort.

Le Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unis a réitéré jeudi son soutien envers l'Accord pour la paix et la réconciliation au Mali signé en mai dernier à Bamako par le gouvernement malien et une partie des groupes armés, ceux dits de la Plateforme.

The international community is experiencing a dramatic shift in the situation facing the world’s refugees as a global surge in war, conflict and persecution has caused a record number of people to flee their homes in search of safety, the United Nations refugee agency reported today.

Un mois de jeûne débute jeudi 18 juin pour les musulmans. Un rite de plus en plus suivi depuis une quinzaine d’années.

June 17, 2015 (WAU) - Leader of the newly established People's Liberal Party (PLP) in South Sudan, Peter Mayen Majongdit, said a power-sharing proposal revealed by the East African regional bloc (IGAD) to end the 18-month long civil war in the country needed to be renegotiated by the parties in an inclusive process.

People's Liberal Party (PLP) leader Peter Mayen Majongdit (ST)

The draft power-sharing deal gave president Salva Kiir's government 53% of executive power at the national level while 33% went to the armed opposition faction led by former vice president, Riek Machar, and 14% to be equally divided between the former political detainees led by former secretary general of the ruling (SPLM) party and the other political parties.

In greater Upper Nile region reforms are to be effected with the reverse of giving the rebel faction 53% in charge of the three states of Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei in the oil-rich region. The government in that region will get 33% and former detainees plus other political parties to equally share the remaining 14%.

Majongdit however said the draft deal was unfairly distributed, questioning why should only 10 individuals of former detainees be given a share in the 14% with the other political parties while majority of these individuals were already members of the national parliament or ruling party's political bureau.

“Why should the former political detainees share 14%,” he inquired.

He was referring to the notion that the 10 membership of the former detainees, sometimes known as G10, were just individuals without declared constituencies as far as the war is concerned. Critics also describe them as “opportunists” who were only hoping for an opportunity to sneak into the leadership of the country by portraying themselves as neutral “good boys” in the eyes of the international community while they were partly responsible for the current crisis.

According to Majongdit, he argued that the former detainees were either members of the SPLM highest political executive and legislative organs which should share from the 53% taken by the government because there were cadres of the SPLM if the Arusha agreement was to be incorporated into IGAD proposal.

He further warned that other opposition political parties might reject the participation in a transitional government of national unity if not allocated proper percentage.

“That means it will not be called government of national unity in the absence of opposition parties,” he said.

Majongdit, whose party base is in Warrap state from where he hails, further revealed that his political party may not take part in the transitional government and shall only focus on preparations for the upcoming general elections at the end of interim period.

“PLP shall be aspiring for country's leadership when the time is due, through election, so it has no interest to be part of government which they shall soon challenge. Our priorities are peace for now,” he said, adding that the preparations may not be easy.

He said there was need for institutions such as election commission to be independent from government's influence.

He also stressed the need for the peace talks to be inclusive, rather than bilateral between the warring parties so that issues were also widened beyond the mere power-sharing to include ensuring that accountability was addressed.

He also called on IGAD and the warring parties to extend power-sharing deal in the other two greater regions of Bahr el Ghazal and Equatoria, saying these regions equally needed reforms and the change should therefore not be benefiting only Upper Nile region.

The opposition leader, who hails from Warrap state like president Salva Kiir, was kidnapped this year, severely beaten and detained for several days by security operatives. He said as a condition for his release he was warned not to talk much about the shortfalls in the country's leadership or risk disappearance. He however said he defied such threats against his constitutional right.

PLP was formed earlier this year with the aim to create liberal democratic society with human values, according to its statement. Since its formation the party chairperson has been actively engaged in the country's political affairs winning public attraction.

(ST)

June 17, 2015 (RUMBEK) - Traders in Rumbek, capital of Lakes state, have gone on strike following the killing of Sudanese trader last Sunday by unknown gunmen. The shops in Rumbek market have remained closed for three days in protest of endangered traders.

SPLA soldiers deploy to guard SPLM meeting in Rumbek, Lakes state, October 29, 2012 (ST)

Head of traders union, Alfred Makur Acuoth, confirmed to Sudan Tribune markets were closed and that traders were demanding safety and for local tax to be reduced by the state government.

Acuoth said traders were experiencing losses in life and in materials due to rampant insecurity while the state government was levying more taxes from them, saying the strike aimed to address the grievances.

“Yes we close market for three days and it will continue till clear message would come from state government – we are losing life and properties – we need protection and tax to be easy on our goods – we gain nothing in all our goods – we are being killed and being harassed,” lamented Acuoth.

Also the exchange rate of US dollars, he said, had increased from 1,000SSP to 1,500SSP per $100 in Rumbek market, making it difficult to import goods from the neighbouring countries as South Sudanese pounds has either not been recognized by the exporting countries or it has become almost worthless.

South Sudanese pound' exchange rate against the US dollar in 2005 was only 2SSP per $1 when the new local currency was introduced, becoming the strongest currency in Africa at the time. Now it has rapidly depreciated by nearly 1000% in the black market, especially after the 2013 crisis in the country.

Acuoth also said Rumbek town, Lakes state's capital, has become more synonymous with insecurity, adding traders were always in danger from unknown gunmen. He called upon state government to provide security and to reduce local tax.

He also called on the state government to ensure US dollars were in circulation in the state in order to ease importation of goods from neighboring countries.

“Let state government make dollar available for us as well as roads to be secure from robberies,” he added.

Lakes state has been in turmoil for years due to rampant insecurity caused by inter-sectional fighting and revenge killings between ethnic Dinka rival clans, coupled with robberies in towns and along the roads.

A rebellion is also in the making as Brigadier General Khamis Abdel Latif, allied to the former vice president, Riek Machar, has been mobilising, recruiting and training youth from the area to begin military activities against the state government.

(ST)