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Estonia summoned Russia's ambassador in Tallinn Wednesday to complain about violation of its airspace by a Russian helicopter Tuesday. "Estonia considers this an extremely serious and regrettable incident that is completely unacceptable," its foreign ministry said. It made a similar complaint in June, amid mounting Russian assertiveness in the Baltic region, which has also put Nordic countries and Poland on high alert of a potential military clash with Nato armies.

An EU embargo on Russian coal imports came into effect at midnight on Thursday, as part of sanctions designed to starve Moscow of fossil-fuel revenue.

The Belgian parliament's recent decision to ratify its prisoner-exchange treaty with Iran is a grave mistake, and one which exemplifies the many downfalls of dealing with Iran's human-rights abuses on a case-by-case basis.

Die bilateralen Beziehungen zwischen Serbien und Ungarn seien noch nie so erfolgreich gewesen, betonte die serbische Premierministerin Ana Brnabic bei einem Treffen mit dem ungarischen Botschafter in Serbien, Attila Pinter, am Mittwoch (10. August).

Kosovo prime minister Albin Kurti has warned of possible armed conflict with Serbia, following heightened border tensions with Belgrade over the past month.

Oncle AGBAYA

On vous l'avait bien dit, mon Neveu Patou dirige un pays de pagailleurs avec des pagailleurs partout ! David Coffi AZA mon petit Neveu est fâché contre l'Eglise Catholique au Benin, qui devient trop imaginative et gourmande dans le commerce spirituel d'intermédiaire rétribué des transactions entre les ouailles et Dieu, dont ils vivent tous les deux. Même si l'enturbanné Coffi AZA et les siens fractionnent Dieu en une multitude d'Entités Supérieures, et que l'Eglise Romaine, elle un peu plus paresseuse, ne divise Dieu qu'en trois en Un...
Toujours est-il que la concurrence des Goliath en soutane, devient déloyale aux yeux du David Coffi AZA, furieux du manque à gagner pour lui et les siens, et il les soupçonne de vouloir désormais s'adonner dans l'Eglise par exemple, au culte du Gou ou du Heviosso pour les catholiques morts accidentés ou foudroyés ; après déjà les nombreuses autres cérémonies et pratiques catholiques de plus en plus païennes, mais rentables des morts , et la dernière trouvaille d'un petit curé exalté de Gbedagba qui a annoncé sur les réseaux sociaux, bouffer dorénavant le dabali du culte des jumeaux, en poussant l'imposture jusqu'au traditionnel tour mendiant des Ahoonon ( mère des jumeaux) au marché ...
Vous, mes Neveux et Nièces hilares, qui faites remarquer qu'après ou avant tout, votre cousin Coffi AZA devrait déjà ne plus s'appeler David, sinon sa dépouille un jour finira sur un autel, sous la fumée d'un encensoir et les gouttes du goupillon d'un prêtre en soutane avant le cimetière, vous êtes tous des pagailleurs !

Votre Oncle AGBAYA

Serbie : gorgée d'aides publiques, Fiat ferme « temporairement » son usine de Kragujevac
Fiat en Serbie : ciao, Kragujevac ?
Serbie : « La grève à l'usine Fiat de Kragujevac est un nouveau type de combat »

/ Radio Slobodna Evropa, Serbie, Economie, Société

Serbie : gorgée d'aides publiques, Fiat ferme « temporairement » son usine de Kragujevac
Fiat en Serbie : ciao, Kragujevac ?
Serbie : « La grève à l'usine Fiat de Kragujevac est un nouveau type de combat »

/ Radio Slobodna Evropa, Serbie, Economie, Société

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrives in Naypyitaw on Aug. 3. Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation MFA

By Jan Servaes
BRUSSELS, Aug 11 2022 (IPS)

On August 3rd residents of the Myanmar capital Naypyitaw were suddenly awakened by the sound of military helicopters in the air. The helicopters hovered over the city all day. The way to the regime’s foreign ministry was also blocked for hours.

Although they did not know the reason, it suggested that someone important was coming to Naypyitaw. They had no idea who the visiting dignitary was because all communications were also disrupted. But Russian media reported that their country’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, was on his way to Naypyitaw.

Lavrov’s visit comes as the junta has sparked renewed international outrage with the recent executions of four opponents, including a former lawmaker and a prominent human rights activist, in the country’s first use of the death penalty in decades. Lavrov previously visited Naypyitaw in 2013.

Prime Minister Min Aung Hlaing has been to Russia several times since 2013, most recently in July. However, he has not yet met the country’s president, Vladimir Putin.

The international response to Myanmar’s coup d’état and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a toxic convergence between the two “pariah” nations, Sebastian Strangio concludes in The Diplomat on August 5th.

“A true and loyal friend”

The regime’s foreign minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, devised a working lunch for the Russian launch at the Aureum Palace Hotel, owned by U Teza, the chairman of Htoo Group of Companies, one of the main brokers of arms transactions between the military of Myanmar and Russia.

After the meeting, the regime said “to support both sides in the multilateral arena on mutual trust and understanding.” Wunna Maung Lwin expressed “deep appreciation to the Russian Federation, a true friend of Myanmar, for its consistent support to Myanmar, both bilaterally and multilaterally.”

Afterwards, Lavrov met the regime leader Min Aunging in the presidential residence, which has been renamed the “Office of State Administration Council (SAC)” since last year’s coup. Min Aung Hlaing stated that Russia and Myanmar had established diplomatic relations in 1948 and plan to celebrate their Diamond Jubilee next year.

Lavrov commended Myanmar as a “friendly and long-term partner”, adding that the two countries “have a very solid foundation for building cooperation in a wide range of areas”. Lavrov said the Russian government was in “solidarity in dealing with the situation in the country”. He also wished the State Administrative Committee (SAC) success in the elections it plans to organize in August 2023 in order to officially legitimize the takeover.

Calling Russia a “true and loyal friend” is not wrong. In fact, Russia (along with China) has been loyal in supporting the regime in the UN Security Council. As permanent members of the council, these two key nations have used their veto-right to avoid targeting the Myanmar regime.

However, in his comments, Lavrov, made no mention of the junta’s daily air raids on civilians. After all, these advanced fighter jets and helicopters are Russian-made.

Reporting on the meeting between Lavrov and Min Aung Hlaing, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar wrote of the two nations’ ambitions to become “permanent friendly countries and permanent allies” who will help each other to “manage their internal affairs without outside interference.”

It may sound cynical, “as Myanmar is looking more like Syria or South Sudan every day”, the meeting between Lavrov and Min Aung Hlaing was more like a handshake of “partners in crime.”

Lavrov left for Cambodia on Wednesday afternoon to attend the meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Myanmar’s foreign minister has been banned for failing to implement the April 2021 5-point-consensus plan.

ASEAN Special Envoy Prak Sokhonn, who has made two trips to Myanmar since the coup, tempered expectations for major near-term progress: “I don’t think even Superman can solve the Myanmar problem.”

Russia is the main arms supplier to the junta

To this day, Russia is the major arms supplier to Myanmar’s military. Russia has been accused by human rights groups of selling to the regime many of the weapons it has used to attack civilians since last year’s coup. Moscow has supplied fighter jets, helicopters and air defense systems to Myanmar and it is no secret that regime leaders prefer military equipment from Russia to China.

Moscow has so far seen Naypyitaw primarily as a military and technical partner, with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu leading efforts to position Russia as the main supplier of advanced weapons to Myanmar. Russia has also provided postgraduate education to at least 7,000 Myanmar officers since 2001.

In addition to military ties, Shoigu also sees benefits in securing a highly committed partner where South and Southeast Asia meet, in addition to Russia’s long-standing partnerships with India and Vietnam. Until recently, the two countries’ economic and non-military trade relations have remained modest, but appear to be deepening.

Moscow now also wants to expand diplomatic, economic, trade and security ties with Myanmar. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the junta was one of the first to support the Kremlin. The junta’s spokesman said Russia was still a powerful nation that plays a role in preserving the balance of power for world peace.

In recent months, the two countries have established direct banking and financing channels to support increased bilateral trade, including Myanmar’s purchase of Russian energy products.

Indeed, in the wake of the coup, major oil and gas multinationals – including Total, Chevron, Petronas, Woodside and Eneos – have announced their withdrawal from Myanmar, and the regime is eager to find replacements to develop and exploit new and existing gas fields.

Russia’s Rosneft, which has been conducting limited onshore oil and gas exploration in Myanmar for a decade, said in April 2021 it planned to drill test wells.

A hug or stranglehold?

As an International Crisis Group (ICG) briefing published on Aug. 4 noted, the Myanmar coup and the war between Russia and Ukraine have pushed the two sides into a strong mutual embrace.

Russia has relentlessly supported the junta since it took power; it was one of the few countries to send representatives to the March 2021 Armed Forces Day parade — which coincided with a violent crackdown on anti-coup protesters — and has continued its arms deliveries to Myanmar.

At the same time, the SAC has expressed strong support for Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. Even though Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations, who has pledged his support to the democratic resistance, has voted in favor of resolutions condemning Moscow’s aggression.

The day after the invasion, a junta spokesman said the invasion was “justified for the permanence of their country’s sovereignty”. As late as July, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing went to Moscow, where he spoke with Russian officials about deeper defense cooperation and possible cooperation on energy projects.

“Faced with tougher international sanctions and diplomatic isolation, the two countries are actively exploring ways to strengthen their security and economic ties,” the ICG briefing said. This toxic convergence is inevitable: increasingly isolated from the West, Myanmar’s military regime in Moscow has sought advanced weapon systems and technical training for military officers that may soon be hard-pressed to obtain elsewhere. curb heavy dependence on ‘neighbouring country’ China, which has also chosen to recognize the SAC government.

For Russia, closer relations with Myanmar offer an opportunity to ramp up arms sales, while undermining Western efforts to form a global coalition to counter Russian adventurism in Ukraine. Given their mutually besieged state, the ICG notes, Myanmar and Russia are “likely to ignore the potential long-term downsides of their growing relationship in favor of short-term benefits.”

No way back?

The regime in Myanmar is isolated and faces sanctions and convictions at home and abroad. It has also struggled in the past year to crush the armed resistance. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has also been confronted with Western sanctions and has been conducting a long and costly military campaign there. As both countries become more heavily sanctioned and diplomatically isolated, the importance of their relations with each other has grown.

Min Aung Hlaing has clearly chosen to wreak utter destruction. He has sent government leaders to prisons, including deposed state adviser Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Last month, he ordered the execution of prominent activists, including a lawmaker. There seems to be no turning back for the regime.

Jan Servaes was UNESCO-Chair in Communication for Sustainable Social Change at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He taught ‘international communication’ in Australia, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, the US, Netherlands and Thailand, in addition to short-term projects at about 120 universities in 55 countries. He is editor of the 2020 Handbook on Communication for Development and Social Change
https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-981-10-7035-8

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Szerdán érkezett Magyarországra az első PzH2000 típusú önjáró löveg, amely a páncélos erő újjáépítésének fontos eszköze – jelentette ki a honvédelmi miniszter.

Szalay-Bobrovniczky Kristóf azt mondta, hogy egy modern hadsereg elképzelhetetlen erős, ütőképes tüzérség nélkül. Hangsúlyozta: elkötelezettek amellett, hogy a Magyar Honvédség egyik legfontosabb szárazföldi fegyvernemét, a tüzérséget helyreállítsák.

A magyar kormány – mint kiemelte – Közép-Európa legjelentősebb haderőfejlesztési programját hajtja végre. “Mi továbbra is a béke pártján állunk, de a békéhez erő kell” – fogalmazott a honvédelmi miniszter, aki szerint ezért is fontos, hogy ezekben az órákban érkezik Magyarországra az első PzH2000 típusú önjáró löveg, amely az önjáró tüzérség modern technikai alapokon történő újraépítésének fontos eszköze.

 

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Einer Person, von der angenommen wird, dass sie in betrügerischen Geschäften im Zusammenhang mit einer umstrittenen Müllverbrennungsanlage verwickelt war, wurden EU-Gelder ausgezahlt. Dies hat Bedenken über den tatsächlichen Zweck der von der EU ausgezahlten Finanzmittel geweckt. Eine Untersuchung des albanischen...

A képviselők támogatják a fogyasztási hitelekre vonatkozó uniós szabályok frissítését, hogy védjék a fogyasztókat az új digitális buktatókkal és a nehéz gazdasági helyzettel szemben.

Forrás : © Európai Unió, 2022 - EP

MEPs support updating EU rules on consumer credit to protect consumers faced by new digital options and the difficult economic situation.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

MEPs support updating EU rules on consumer credit to protect consumers faced by new digital options and the difficult economic situation.

Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

Das EP befürwortet aktualisierte Vorschriften für Verbraucherkredite. So sollen die Verbraucher angesichts der neuen digitalen Möglichkeiten und der wirtschaftlichen Lage geschützt werden.

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2022 - EP

A román hatóságok Bukarestben őrizetbe vettek egy férfit, akit felelősnek tartanak a 39 vietnami bevándorló 2019-es Angliában bekövetkezett haláláért – közölte a román rendőrség.

A 48 éves férfi ellen – akinek állampolgárságát nem közölték – a brit hatóságok adtak ki nemzetközi körözést. A férfit azzal gyanúsítják, hogy másokkal együtt ő szervezte azoknak a vietnami bevándorlóknak az útját, akik holttestét 2019. október 23-án találták meg a délkelet-angliai Thurrock ipari parkjában egy kamion rakterében. Az áldozatok megfulladtak a légmentesen lezárt hűtőkonténerben. A brit hatóságok a férfit gondatlanságból elkövetett emberöléssel és tiltott határátlépést segítő összeesküvéssel gyanúsítják.

A román rendőrség közölte: a férfit kihallgatta a bukaresti táblabírósági ügyészség nyomozója, és kezdeményezte előzetes letartóztatását.

A hűtőkonténerben 15 és 44 év közötti vietnami bevándorlók, férfiak, nők és gyermekek vesztették életüket. A hűtőkonténer a belgiumi Zeebrugge kikötőjéből érkezett Purfleet konténertermináljába, ahonnan egy Bulgáriában bejegyzett nyerges vontató vette át. A brit hatóságok akkor azt közölték, hogy az ügy mögött egy globális hálózat áll, amely jelentős számú illegális bevándorló Nagy-Britanniába csempészését szervezi.

 

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Sweden overtook France as Europe's largest net power exporter in the first half of 2022, as deep-rooted problems reduced French nuclear availability to historic lows, Energy analysts EnAppSys said on Wednesday (10 August).

Eighty-five-year-old former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Wednesday (10 August) he will run for a Senate seat at next month's election, seeking national office again after a nine-year absence.

In decidedly undiplomatic language, Brazil's economy minister has renewed a spat with France over deforestation in the Amazon, telling the European nation it is becoming "irrelevant" and risks being told where to stick its criticism.

The US Justice Department said Wednesday (10 August) it had uncovered an Iranian plot to kill former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, and announced charges against a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.