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L'église catholique de Thian dans le 1er arrondissement de Parakou, département du Borgou a été cambriolée dans la nuit du lundi 25 au mardi 26 juillet 2022.
Les voleurs ont défoncé la porte de la sacristie de l'église catholique de Thian dans le 1er arrondissement de Parakou vers 2 heures du matin dans la nuit du lundi 25 au mardi 26 juillet 2022.
Les hors-la-loi ont emporté « un appareil mégaphone d'une valeur de 90 mille francs CFA et une quantité de vin permettant de célébrer l'eucharistie », selon le Chef du Quartier de Thian, Koura Gourma Ayouba.
La police s'est rendue sur les lieux le constat.
Une enquête est ouverte.
M. M.

Occasionsautos sind gefragt wie nie. Doch der Weg zum neuen Gebrauchtwagen oder dem Verkauf des alten Autos ist mit Aufwand verbunden. Das Schweizer Start-up farie.ch bietet mit seinem Onlineshop die bequeme Lösung. Und trumpft mit Extra-Services auf.

Seit über zwei Monaten ist Stefan Ionita aus Mehren im Bundesland Rheinland-Pfalz verschwunden. Die letzte Spur: Sein Auto, das auf einem Parkplatz in Felsberg im Kanton Graubünden gefunden wurde. Stefans Mutter wendet sich an Blick und bittet um Hilfe.

Die CS stellt die Weichen neu – schon wieder. CEO Thomas Gottstein geht, für ihn übernimmt Ulrich Körner. Ob das der Bank endlich die erhoffte Kehrtwende bringt, ist allerdings fraglich. Sie hat schon diverse Personalwechsel und mehrere Strategieanpassungen hinter sich.

Die Reihe «Die Mumie» und Klamauk-Streifen wie «George of the Jungle» machten Brendan Fraser zum Star. Schicksalsschläge trieben den US-Schauspieler jedoch in den privaten und beruflichen Ruin. Dank Independent-Meisterregisseur Darren Aronofsky winkt nun ein Comeback.

Sieben Monate nach seinem letzten Weltcup-Einsatz am Lauberhorn gewährt Carlo Janka einen exklusiven Einblick in sein neues Leben.

Die Schweiz hat der Ukraine die Aufnahme und Behandlung von Verletzten angeboten. Noch ist zwar niemand eingeflogen worden. Die Spitäler bereiten sich aber bereits darauf vor.

Putin hat seinen Aussenminister Lawrow auf Afrikareise geschickt. Und so klappert er ein Land nach dem anderen ab. Aber warum? Was steckt dahinter? Russland-Experte Ulrich Schmid erklärt die ungewöhnliche Tour.

Der US-Schauspieler Tony Dow ist tot. Das einen Tag nachdem seine Ehefrau seinen Tod fälschlicherweise verkündet hatte.

View of a demonstration by social organizations in a Buenos Aires square in July. The scene occurs almost every day in the capital of Argentina, a country where poverty has held steady at around 40 percent of the population since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The possibility of a social uprising is one of the fears in the face of the deepening socioeconomic crisis. CREDIT: Daniel Gutman/IPS

By Daniel Gutman
BUENOS AIRES, Jul 27 2022 (IPS)

Darío is a locksmith in Flores, a traditional middle-class neighborhood in the Argentine capital, who will have to stop working in the next few days. “Suppliers have suspended the delivery of locks, due to a lack of merchandise or because of prices,” he laments. His case is an illustration of an economy gone mad in a country that once again finds itself on the brink of the abyss.

The problems that have been dragging on in this South American country, where the vast majority of the population has become poorer over the last four years and social unrest is on the rise, exploded this month with an exchange and financial crisis that created enormous uncertainty about what lies ahead.

The Central Bank ran out of dollars, and imports, which in large part are a source of inputs for domestic production, were restricted to the maximum. The result is fear, speculation, increased social unrest and out-of-control inflation, which is causing price references to be lost and some companies and businesses are hedging their bets with preventive increases, or they even decide not to sell.

Today, in the streets and in the media, the questions raised are whether the country is on the eve of a social outbreak and whether President Alberto Fernández, so politically isolated that he is questioned by his own government coalition, will reach the end of his term in December 2023.

At that time, Argentina will be celebrating 40 years of democracy, marked by a succession of economic crises that have left an aftermath of growing inequality and have caused distrust to spread easily in society at the first signs that things are not going well.

The crisis deepened at the beginning of the month, when the Jul. 2 resignation of then Economy Minister Martín Guzmán triggered a 50 percent drop in the parallel exchange rate — known locally as the dollar blue — the only one that can be freely acquired in a country with exchange controls, and this, in turn, further fuelled inflation, which in 2021 stood at 50 percent and this year is already expected to end above 90 percent.

“There has been a series of imbalances in Argentina’s macroeconomy for years, which means that today the government does not have the tools to deal with exchange rate and financial pressures,” Sergio Chouza, an economist who teaches at the public University of Buenos Aires (UBA), told IPS.

“In this country the value of the dollar dominates expectations about prices and as a result it is increasingly difficult to avoid a ‘spiral’ of inflation. At the same time, government bonds have collapsed and are already yielding less than those of Ukraine,” he adds.

Chouza says that the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the major contributing factors in triggering a situation that seems to have gotten out of control.

“There was an expansion of public spending, as in most of the world. But the problem is that while most countries financed it with credit, Argentina could not do so because it was already over-indebted,” the expert explains.

Homeless people who survive by picking through garbage in Buenos Aires sleep on the corner of a central street in Argentina’s capital. In 2021 the country experienced an economic recovery after the first year of the pandemic, but a rise in inflation in 2022 has aggravated the crisis once again. CREDIT: Daniel Gutman/IPS

Social protests

The square in front of the Palacio de Tribunales, in the heart of downtown Buenos Aires, is overflowing with people. The youngest protesters hold banners from social movements from poor outlying neighborhoods, but there are also entire families with small children in their arms. Traffic in the surrounding area is completely cut off as the columns of marchers continue to pour in.

It is a Thursday in July, but this is an image that can be seen practically every day in the Argentine capital, where the most vulnerable social sectors are staging a series of protests because, in the midst of the crisis, the government has suspended the expansion of the Potenciar Trabajo program.

This is the name of the National Program for Socio-productive Inclusion and Local Development, which offers a stipend from the government in exchange for four hours of work in social enterprises, such as soup kitchens or urban waste recyclers’ cooperatives.

“In our neighborhoods things have been very hard for many years, but now it’s getting worse because we can no longer afford to put food on the table,” Fernando, who preferred not to give his last name, told IPS. He is a young man from Laferrere, one of the poorest localities on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, who was a waiter in a bar before becoming unemployed in 2021. Today he does occasional construction work.

Santiago Poy, a researcher at the Observatory of Social Debt at the private Argentine Catholic University (UCA) tells IPS that, with the combination of currency devaluation and inflation since 2018, wages have lost around 20 percent of their purchasing power.

“Poverty stood at around 25 percent in 2017, climbed to 40 percent in 2019 and remained steady after that. Today there is a feeling of widespread impoverishment, despite the fact that the unemployment rate is only seven percent, because 28 percent of workers are poor,” says Poy, describing the situation in this Southern Cone country of 47.3 million people.

After the height of the pandemic in 2020, social indicators improved in 2021 but are worsening again this year and the vast social assistance network does not seem to be sufficient to curb the decline.

“Social aid is not going to solve things in Argentina, because the macroeconomy is a permanent factory of poverty,” says Poy.

One of the operations carried out last weekend by Economy Ministry personnel in supermarkets in Buenos Aires, in order to control price hikes on basic products and “dismantle speculative maneuvers,” as reported. CREDIT: Economy Ministry

The price race

“I am ashamed to set some prices at which I have to sell such basic things as bread, flour or sugar,” Fernando Savore, president of the Federation of Grocery Stores of the province of Buenos Aires, which groups 26,000 businesses in the country’s most populous region, tells IPS.

Savore says that since the beginning of the year the price hikes by suppliers have been constant, but that they skyrocketed in the first week of July, after the economy minister resigned.

“We have seen increases of more than 10 percent in food and more than 20 percent in cleaning products. I don’t think they are justified, but every time the dollar goes up, prices go up,” says Savore, who adds that grocers are hesitant to sell some products because of uncertainty about the costs of restocking them.

And in a context of overall jitters, the government unofficially leaks rumors about economic measures, which do not then materialize but fuel the sense of uncertainty.

President Fernández said that the lack of dollars would be solved if agricultural producers sold a good part of their soybean harvest, which they are currently withholding, worth 20 billion dollars.

They are obliged to export at the official exchange rate, whose gap with the parallel dollar has reached a record level of more than 150 percent, and they are apparently waiting for a devaluation.

On Jul. 25, the new economy minister, Silvina Batakis, met in Washington with the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, to assure her that this country will comply with the agreement signed with the multilateral lender this year, which includes goals to reduce the fiscal deficit and increase the Central Bank’s reserves.

But in Argentina, few people dare to predict where the crisis is heading, and how quickly it will evolve.

C’est l’un des plus dangereux et des plus séduisants des agents secrets de l’Algérie ; Rachid Thabti, la fine lame de la nationalisation des hydrocarbures en 1971. C’est un homme qui a su mettre son charme et son charisme au service de son pays. Grâce à sa liaison avec la secrétaire personnelle du chef des […]

L’article Rachid Thabti, l’homme de l’ombre de la nationalisation des hydrocarbures est apparu en premier sur .

Jonny Bairstow's devastating 90 helps England beat South Africa by 41 runs in a high-scoring first Twenty20 international in Bristol.

Herzige Nachrichten bei Anja Zeidler: Die Influencerin hat sich verlobt. Ihr Partner hat an Zeidlers 29. Geburtstag um ihre Hand angehalten.

Herzige Nachrichten bei Anja Zeidler: Die Influencerin hat sich verlobt. Ihr Partner hat an Zeidlers 29. Geburtstag um ihre Hand angehalten.

Depuis l’élection du président Tebboune, l’Algérie a entrepris une voie économique. Ayant compris que les entreprises innovantes constituent un levier important de l’économie moderne, le gouvernement algérien multiplie les initiatives en faveur de la création des startups. Trois ans après le lancement de ce vaste programme, quel est l’impact sur l’univers des startups en Algérie ? […]

L’article Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2022 : quel classement pour l’Algérie ? est apparu en premier sur .

Les établissements publics d'enseignement ne disposant pas de connexion filaire sont autorisés à l'achat de forfait internet. C'est à travers un arrêté du Ministre des Enseignements secondaire, technique et de la formation professionnelle (MESTFP).
Pour l'utilisation optimale des plateformes informatiques telles que ‘'EducMaster'', les établissements publics d'enseignement sont autorisés à inscrire l'achat de forfait internet dans leurs prévisions budgétaires.
Le Ministre des Enseignements secondaire, technique et de la formation professionnelle, Kouaro Yves Chabi, informe que l'autorisation ne concerne que les établissements publics d'enseignement ne disposant pas de connexion filaire.
Les montants indiqués dans l'arrêté

Patrouilles intensives, fouilles et contrôles d'identité, ... Les mesures sécuritaires sont renforcées aux frontières avec le Nigéria à partir du 26 juillet 2022 sur instructions du Directeur Général de la Police Républicaine (DGPR) Soumaïla Yaya.
Les unités territoriales et les unités spécialisées de la police béninoise ont été instruites, dans un message-téléphone-porté du Directeur Général de la Police Républicaine (DGPR) Soumaïla Yaya, à « prendre des dispositions nécessaires » pour « intensifier les patrouilles à hauteur des frontières avec le Nigéria ».
Les autres mesures recommandées en réaction à l'évasion de plusieurs détenus de la prison de Kuge (Abuja) au Nigéria dont des membres de groupes terroristes sont : les fouilles et contrôles.
Le DGPR invite les populations à alerter sur la présence de personne suspecte.
M. M.

The confluence of the waters with the distinct colors of the pollution of each one: darker waters reflect the urban sewage of the Arrudas River, while brown reflects erosion coming from the upper Velhas River, a natural effect or product of mining visible in the city of Belo Horizonte, in southern Brazil. CREDIT: Mario Osava/IPS

By Mario Osava
BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil, Jul 27 2022 (IPS)

Torrential water in the streets and none coming out of the taps are two disasters that plague Brazil’s metropolises, especially those located along the upper stretches of rivers, such as Belo Horizonte, capital of the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.

Floods have become routine, fuelled by the hilly topography, paved-over streams and land-surface impermeabilization in this city of 2.5 million people.

In January and February, as happens every year, torrential rains flooded the roads and swept away cars, furniture, sometimes people, and flooded houses on the valley bottoms, where the streams used to flow freely but are now buried and running in culverts under streets and avenues.

The drinking water supply has remained steady overall, but in 2015 and 2021 the city was on the verge of water rationing due to droughts that began in the previous year. However, some neighborhoods have complained about dry water taps.

About 70 percent of the water consumed in Belo Horizonte comes from the Velhas River basin, whose headwaters are some 100 kilometers south of the city. The supply depends on rainfall upstream and there are no reservoirs to accumulate water.

That is why caring for the headwaters of the rivers and streams, located in the surroundings of Ouro Preto, a historical city that was at the center of Brazil’s 18th century gold rush, and of neighboring Itabirito, is vital for Belo Horizonte.

These cities are still involved in mining, although the industry there is now dominated by iron ore. They are part of the so-called Iron Quadrangle, made up of 25 municipalities that account for the production of almost half of Brazil’s iron ore.

Iron ore mining, in addition to consuming abundant water and polluting rivers, poses a threat of major environmental and human disasters. Two tailings dams collapsed in the Quadrangle, in Mariana in 2015 and in Brumadinho in 2019, killing 19 and 270 people, respectively.

In Brumadinho, the toxic mudflow reached the Paraopeba River, which supplied 15 percent of the inhabitants of Belo Horizonte. Fortunately, three reservoirs on tributaries of the Paraopeba that were not affected are the source of water for most of the metropolitan region, comprising 34 municipalities with a total combined population of six million.

Frederico Leite, Itabirito’s environmental secretary, and his deputy Julio Carvalho, a forestry engineer, in addition to negotiating environmental measures with the mining companies, have been working on cleaning up the Itabirito River, which crosses the city, and on creating a number of small catchments disseminated around the countryside aimed at reducing erosion and retaining water in the soil.

These micro-catchments are “barraginhas” or wide pits dug on gently sloping land to slow down the runoff of rainwater that causes erosion, and “caixas secas,” smaller but deeper pits dug next to roads to collect runoff that damages roadways and clogs up streams with sediment.

Sedimentation is a major problem in the Velhas River, reducing the depth of the river and the quality of its earth-colored waters.

In Ouro Preto, Ronald Guerra, a former secretary of the environment who is an activist in the basin committees, proposes the construction of a succession of small dams to retain water and revitalize forests.

In Belo Horizonte, the battle is against floodwaters and sewage that pollute the watercourses.

“The goal is to once again be able to swim, fish and play in the Onça River by 2025,” like people did 70 years ago, dreams Itamar de Paula Santos, a community leader in the Ribeiro de Abreu neighborhood, one of the most affected by the river’s floods, since it is located on its lowest stretch.

The construction of riverside linear parks and the resettling of residents in nearby areas safe from floods are among the actions that united the city government and community leaders such as Santos and, in other neighborhoods, Maria José Zeferino and Paulo de Freitas. In addition to the environmental benefits, the parks are recreational areas and allow people healthy access to the river.

Apolo Heringer, a physician and university professor, has been fighting since the 1990s to “renaturalize” the Velhas River basin. To this end, he created the Manuelzão Project, a university project inspired by a well-known local literary character.

Its strategy is to concentrate efforts on a 30-kilometer stretch of the Arrudas and Onça streams, which cross Belo Horizonte, and the Velhas River between the mouths of the two streams.

Eighty percent of the urban pollution in the basin is concentrated there and eliminating it would allow “bringing back the fish and swimming” in the 800 kilometers of its waters.

Le Conseil des Ministres s'est réuni mercredi, le 27 juillet 2022, sous la présidence de Monsieur Patrice TALON, Président de la République, Chef de l'État, Chef du Gouvernement.

Les décisions ci-après ont été prises :
I- MESURES NORMATIVES.
Au titre de ces mesures, ont été adoptés les décrets portant :
sur la nomenclature d'activités et de produits au Bénin ;
fusion par absorption, du Laboratoire central de contrôle de la sécurité sanitaire des aliments, par l'Agence béninoise de sécurité sanitaire des aliments ;
attributions, organisation et fonctionnement de la Direction générale des douanes ;
approbation des statuts du Centre national de gestion des réserves de faune, ainsi que de l'Agence nationale d'aménagement du territoire ;
nomination de commissaires aux comptes près les hôpitaux de zone et autres entreprises publiques ;
nomination des membres du Conseil d'administration de l'Office du baccalauréat.

II- COMMUNICATIONS.
Mise en œuvre du programme de vérification de la conformité de divers produits importés ou manufacturés localement.
En dépit de l'existence de quelques standards techniques et normes communautaires, il s'observe l'importation de divers produits de qualité relative voire douteuse. A ce propos, il y a lieu de relever la défaillance des diverses agences nationales en charge du contrôle de la conformité aux normes.
C'est pour pallier cette insuffisance et garantir aux consommateurs la mise sur le marché national de produits répondant aux prescriptions et qualité exigées, que le Conseil a autorisé le recours à la société COTECNA, qui est l'un des plus importants acteurs de renommée internationale en matière de vérification de la conformité.
Son intervention permettra notamment d'identifier, pour les produits importés, les différents aléas qui pourraient advenir à l'occasion de leur transport vers le Bénin. Elle favorisera aussi la création d'emplois et la montée en compétence des acteurs locaux.
III- RENCONTRES ET MANIFESTATIONS INTERNATIONALES.
Le Conseil a autorisé :
l'organisation à Cotonou, du 29 juillet au 3 août 2022, à l'occasion des manifestations officielles de la Fête nationale, du spectacle de danses urbaine et contemporaine africaine « Hommage à Germaine ACOGNY » ;
l'organisation à Abomey, du 15 au 18 août 2022, de l'atelier de la commission permanente ‘'Villes et développement durable'' de l'Association internationale des maires francophones ;
ainsi que la participation du Bénin :
à la 17 ème rencontre des chefs de service de renseignements et de sécurité des pays membres de l'Initiative d'Accra, à Ouagadougou, au Burkina-Faso du 26 au 27 juillet 2022 ; et au 72ème comité régional de l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé pour l'Afrique, du 22 au 26 août 2022 à Lomé, au Togo.

IV- MESURES INDIVIDUELLES.
Sur proposition des ministres, ont été nommés dans les fonctions ci-après :
Au ministère des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises et de la Promotion de l'Emploi
Conseiller technique juridique : Monsieur Eric NATA
Conseiller technique à la Promotion des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises : Monsieur Aguyl M. CHABI LAFIA
Au ministère des Affaires Sociales et de la Microfinance
Directeurs départementaux des Affaires Sociales et de la Microfinance pour les départements suivants :
Donga : Madame Anice GAMBARI ADAM
Atacora : Madame Saoudatou SALIFOU ZAKARI.

Fait à Cotonou, le 27 juillet 2022,
Le Secrétaire Général du Gouvernement,

Edouard OUIN-OURO.

Sommerzeit bedeutet Reisezeit. Auch die Stars lassen es sich nicht nehmen, die Welt zu erkunden. Klick dich durch die Galerie, um zu sehen, was die Beckhams, Rita Ora, Sandro Brotz und Co. diesen Sommer vorhaben.