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MEP Marina Kaljurand (S&D) has questioned whether the European Commission should include a commissioner dedicated to animals, despite the proven benefits of pet ownership.

La compagnie maritime nationale, Algérie Ferries, a précédemment annoncé l’ajout de 23 nouvelles traversées pour ce mois de mars et avril pour renforcer son programme […]

L’article Algérie Ferries modifie son programme de traversées vers l’Espagne est apparu en premier sur .

Our democracies need a sustainable media sector, Věra Jourová, European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency, told participants of the recent Stars4Media conference in Brussels.

Le ministère algérien de l’Énergie et l’entreprise publique russe spécialisée dans l’énergie nucléaire, Rosatom, ont signé, mardi 26 mars 2024 à Sotchi (Russie), un mémorandum […]

L’article Nucléaire civil : l’Algérie et la Russie font un grand pas en avant est apparu en premier sur .

La plupart des habitants du pays pensent que le monde évolue de manière négative. Faut-il s’en inquiéter? Pas forcément, selon un psychologue.

En ce mois béni du Ramadan, l’Imsakia revêt une importance capitale pour les musulmans du monde entier, y compris ceux d’Algérie. Ce précieux document fournit […]

L’article Horaires de l’imsak et de l’iftar du jeudi 18 Ramadan (28 mars 2024) est apparu en premier sur .

Le ministre des Transports, Mohamed El Habib Zehana, a présenté un bilan détaillé de son département devant la commission des Transports et des télécommunications de […]

L’article Air Algérie : le PDG promet de revoir à la baisse les prix des billets est apparu en premier sur .

SÉOUL, 27 mars 2024 — LG Magna e-Powertrain (LG Magna), la coentreprise de LG Electronics (LG) et Magna International (Magna), annonce avoir reçu le système de […]

L’article LG Magna obtient la certification du système de gestion de la cybersécurité est apparu en premier sur .

Alger, le 27 mars 2024 – Le ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche scientifique, Kamel Baddari, a annoncé, ce mardi, le lancement de […]

L’article Inchighalati, Incubateur numérique : les nouveautés du MESRS pour les étudiants algériens est apparu en premier sur .

25 esztendeje, hogy a jugoszláv 250. Légvédelmi Rakétadandár 3. osztálya, Dani Zoltán alezredes vezetésével lelőtte az első - és tárgyi bizonyítékokkal álátámasztottan máig egyetlen - "lopakodó" kialakítású harci repülőgépet, az Amerikai Légierő 49. Vadászezredének Vega 31 hívójellel repülő F-117-esét.

Az incidens különleges helyet foglalt el a légi hadviselés, illetve annak technikatörténetében. Ma azonban már azt is megkockáztathatjuk, hogy a geopolitikai katalizátor címét retrospektíve kiérdemlő 1999-es háború egyik legismertebb mozzanataként szimbolikus jelentőségre tett szert a globalista intervencionizmus (ember)kísérletével akár esélytelenül is szembehelyezkedők-szegülők, szuverenisták számára - Szerbia határain innen és azon túl is. De ha eddig nem is merünk elmenni az értékelésben, arra mindenképpen jó példának tekinthető, hogy egy-egy kiemelkedő haditett, hadtörténeti pillanat miként mutathat jócskán túl önmagán, egy közösség tudatának évezredes kőfalába beépülve, legendává válva.  

Zord

Étonné par un récent arrêt du Tribunal fédéral, un élu centriste est prêt à relancer le débat sur le suicide assisté. Sous la Coupole, les réactions fusent.

(B2) Les actions continuent en mer Rouge où les flottes française, allemand et américaine œuvrent de concert pour abattre ou détourner les drones et missiles balistiques ennemis. Ils ont réussi cependant à toucher un navire chinois sans que la marine US puisse intervenir à temps pour interrompre son action

Une autre action à bord d'un hélicoptère

L’hélicoptère de bord Sea Lynx Mk.88A de la frégate allemande Hessen (F-221) qui participe à l'opération européenne EUNAVFOR Aspides) a repéré et détruit avec succès un drone marin Houthi en mer Rouge. C'était jeudi (21 mars) au matin. Une action légèrement différente de celle de l'hélicoptère français (lire : un drone houthi détruit abattu par un hélicoptère de la marine), puisqu'il s'agit ici de détruire un drone sur l'eau. Ce qui démontre cependant que c'est désormais un mode opératoire partagé du moins par les Européens dans les actions contre les drones, et plus économique que les missiles.

Trois missiles balistiques détruits

Le même jour, vers midi (locales), la frégate française Alsace (D-656) « engage et abat », selon les termes consacrés, trois missiles balistiques (ASBM) lancés par les Houthis en mer Rouge. Ce grâce à des missiles Aster 30 lancés depuis la frégate. NB : une première utilisation en réel pour une frégate française. Des Aster 15 (d'autodéfense) avaient déjà été utilisés pour abattre des drones par la frégate Languedoc.

Un dhow à l'abordage ?

A peu près à la même heure, un navire marchand signale une petite embarcation à proximité. Quatre personnes à bord. Le dhow s'approche à moins d'un nautique. L'équipe de sécurité du navire tire des coups de semonce et la petite embarcation a riposté. La petite embarcation quitte alors la zone.

Nouveau tir de missiles balistiques

Le lendemain, vendredi 22 mars, les Houthis tirent pas moins quatre missiles balistiques depuis la terre en direction de la mer Rouge. Aucun blessé ni dommage signalé.

Drones détournés de leur usage

Samedi (23 mars), au petit matin entre 6h50 et 9h50 (heure locale), les forces américaines, notamment le destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64), repèrent six drones en vol au sud de la mer Rouge. « Cinq se crashent ainsi dans les flots, en mer. Le sixième repart vers l'intérieur des terres, vers les zones du Yémen contrôlées par les Houthis » selon le commandement américain US CentCom.

NB : Une sorte retour à l'envoyeur... Le mode d'action n'est pas précisé. A priori, on peut présumer que des moyens de lutte électronique ont été utilisés pour stopper l'effet de ces drones.

Un navire chinois touché en mer Rouge

Le même jour, samedi (23 mars), dans la nuit, une première vague de tir de quatre missiles balistiques (ASBM) est effectuée par les Houthis en direction du MV Huang PU, selon le commandement US CentCom. Mais ce pétrolier panaméen battant pavillon chinois et exploité par des Chinois n'est pas atteint. Dans l'après midi, nouveau tir, à 23 milles marins à l'ouest de Mukha, le port yéménite de mer Rouge. Le navire lance un appel de détresse. Un incendie s'est déclaré à bord. Mais il est éteint en 30 minutes par l'équipage. Le navire et l'équipage se déclarent sains et saufs, « ne demandent pas d'aide », et continuent sa route jusqu'au prochain port d'escale.

NB : trois éléments sont intéressants à noter. 1° Les Houthis avaient précédemment déclaré qu'ils ne viseraient pas de navire chinois ont, apparemment, visé un navire clairement identifié comme chinois. 2° La flotte US comme européenne pourtant active dans la région n'a pas réussi à intervenir et détruire le missile. 3° Les Chinois n'ont pas tenu à requérir à une aide d'un navire militaire de la zone, ce qui peut s'expliquer soit par l'aspect mineur des dégâts (un feu de 30 minutes tout de même !), soit par la volonté de ne pas retarder son trajet... ou de ne pas voir un oeil inquisiteur à bord. Les relations militaires Chine-USA n'étant pas au beau fixe.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Mis à jour : précision sur le drone détruit par l'hélicoptère allemand (un drone marin)

Le Conseil fédéral veut mieux réguler les espèces protégées en Suisse, et propose une révision de la loi en ce sens, avec une procédure de consultation ouverte jusqu’à début juillet.

Action Festival convened at Tokyo's National Stadium on March 24, drawing approximately 66,000 attendees. Credit: Yukie Asagiri, INPS Japan

By Katsuhiro Asagiri
TOKYO, Japan, Mar 27 2024 (IPS)

In a significant precursor to the United Nations Summit of the Future slated for September, the “Future Action Festival” convened at Tokyo’s National Stadium on March 24, drawing a crowd of approximately 66,000 attendees and reaching over half a million viewers via live streaming. The event, a collaborative effort by youth and citizen groups, aimed to foster a deeper understanding and proactive stance among young people on nuclear disarmament and climate change solutions.

The festival featured interactive quizzes displayed on large screens, offering attendees a collective learning experience about the complex global crises currently challenging the international community. Additionally, a panel discussion with Kaoru Nemoto, director of the United Nations Information Center, and other youth representatives delved into nuclear weapons and climate change, facilitating a deeper exploration of these pressing issues. Adding to the event’s poignancy, performances included one by the “A-bombed Piano,” a relic from Hiroshima that endured the atomic bombing, and others that highlighted the value of peace through music and dances, reinforcing the call for action and solidarity as agents of change.

A panel discussion with Kaoru Nemoto, director of the United Nations Information Center, and other youth representatives including Yuki Tokuda, co-founder of GeNuine(Extreme right) delved into nuclear weapons and climate change. Credit: Yukie Asagiri, INPS Japan

Central to the festival’s impact were the insights shared by a participant of the panel discussion like Yuki Tokuda, co-founder of GeNuine, who shared her insights from a “youth awareness survey” conducted before the event. “The survey revealed that over 80% of young respondents felt their voices were not being heard,” she explained. “This suggests a systemic issue, not merely a matter of personal perception, which is discouraging the younger generation from engaging with vital issues.”

Despite this, the massive turnout at the festival offered a glimmer of hope. “The presence of 66,000 like-minded individuals here today signals that change is possible. Together, we can reshape the system and forge a future that aligns with our aspirations,” Tokuda remarked, emphasizing the power of collective action and the importance of carrying forward the momentum generated by the festival.

Equally compelling was the narrative shared by Yuki Tominaga, who captivated the audience with her dance performance at the event. “I have always been deeply inspired by my late grandmother’s life as a storyteller sharing her experiences of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima.” Tominaga shared. “My grandmother would begin her account with her own experiences of the bombing but then expand her narrative to include her visits to places like India and Pakistan, countries with nuclear arsenals, and regions afflicted by poverty and conflict where landmines remain a deadly legacy. She emphasized that the tragedy of Hiroshima is an ongoing story, urging us to spread the message of peace to future generations.”

Yuki Tominaga, a third generation Hibakusha from Hiroshima, continues her grandmothers legacy while using her passin for dance as a medium to communicate about peace and Hiroshima bombing. Credit: Yukie Asagiri, INPS Japan

Reflecting on her grandmother’s profound impact, Tominaga continued, “I once doubted my ability to continue her legacy; her words seemed irreplaceable. But she encouraged me, saying, ‘Do what you’re able to spread peace.’ That inspired me to use my passion for dance as a medium to communicate about peace and the Hiroshima bombing. I aim to serve as a conduit between the survivors of the atomic bomb and today’s youth, making peace discussions engaging and accessible through dance.”

The “Youth Attitude Survey,” which garnered responses from 119,925 individuals across Japan, revealed a striking consensus: over 90% of young people expressed a desire to contribute to a better society. Yet, they also acknowledged feeling marginalized from the decision-making processes. The survey illuminated young people’s readiness to transform their awareness into action, despite prevailing sentiments of exclusion.

This enthusiasm and potential for change have not gone unnoticed by the international community. High-profile supporters, including Felipe Paullier, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, Orlando Bloom, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and Melissa Parke, Executive Director of ICAN, have all voiced their encouragement, recognizing young people’s crucial role in driving global advancements in sustainability and peace.

The upcoming UN Summit of the Future offers a pivotal platform for youth engagement, with the “Joint Statement” released by the festival’s Organizing Committee—encompassing key areas like climate crisis resolution, nuclear disarmament, youth participation in decision-making, and UN reform—serving as a testament to the collective will to influence global policies. Tshilidzi Marwala, the Rector of the United Nations University and UN Under-Secretary-General acknowledged the vital importance of young voices in shaping the summit’s agenda, urging them to be “a beacon of hope and a driving force for change.”

As the world gears up for the UN Summit of the Future, the Future Action Festival stands as a powerful reminder of the impact of youth-led initiatives and collective action in addressing the world’s most pressing challenges. Through education, advocacy, and direct engagement, the festival not only spotlighted the urgent need for action on nuclear disarmament and the climate crisis but also showcased the potential of an informed, engaged, and motivated youth to effect meaningful global change.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Families as they tried to escape from Baghouz, the last Syrian town under the control of the Islamic State to fall. The IS leaders escaped, leaving behind almost 25,000 of their followers. Credit: Jewan Abdi/ IPS

By Jewan Abdi
HASSAKE, Syria, Mar 27 2024 (IPS)

Rozena, a 31-year-old woman from Guyana, says she travelled to Turkey in 2015 to join an NGO which helped Syrian refugees. That’s all she’ll reveal when asked how and why she ended up living in the so-called Islamic State for four years.

IPS spoke to her inside the small tent where she has spent the last five years with her two children at Roj camp. At 780 km northeast of Damascus, it holds around 3,000 individuals with alleged links to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (IS).

“If we don't help these children, I cannot imagine how their lives will be in the future. And this is not only the Kurdish administration’s responsibility”

Natascha Rée Mikkelsen

This transnational Jihadist group managed to set up an unrecognised quasi-state. By the end of 2015, the self-proclaimed caliphate ruled an area with an estimated population of 12 million people living under an extreme interpretation of Islamic Law.

After an intense conflict mainly with Kurdish forces backed by Washington, IS lost control of all its Middle Eastern territories in the Spring of 2019. Rozana and her two children were then captured in Baghouz, the last village under the Islamists´ rule to fall.

Since then, a tent where a few toys and books are stored in a separate corner has been the closest thing to a home for her and her children.

“This is no childhood for them,” says Rozena. “They’re missing the most basic things: from fresh air to clean water, not to mention a proper school…”

Some, however, have managed to escape from the camp since it was established. “I know people who have paid up to 15,000 USD but I don’t have such an amount. My only chance to leave this place with my two kids is to be repatriated”, says Rozena.

But Guyana is one of the countries that refuses to repatriate its nationals. Rozana says she’s tried “absolutely everything” with her government, but that there’s been no reaction so far. “My kids are certainly not a threat, and neither am I,” she insists.

She also fears that they might get radicalised inside the camp. “Half of the people here still stick to IS’s radical ideology. I can teach my kids the best I can, but they will learn other things from playing with other kids,” explains the captive.

 

Children born in the Islamic caliphate somewhere in the Syrian desert. Most of them remain in precarious prison camps in northeastern Syria. Credit: Jewan Abdi / IPS

 

Radicalisation

Although some Syrian citizens have been taken to court in Syria’s northeast for alleged links with IS, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) lacks international recognition and, hence, is unable to try foreign individuals.

Figures shared with IPS by the AANES point to over 31,000 children from families once linked with IS still under their custody. Many are born out of forced marriages or rape. Most of them languish in Al Hol camp, in the outskirts of Hassake.

At 655 Km northeast of Damascus, it’s a vast area for thousands of makeshift tents battered by the relentless rains during winter and burning sunshine during summer.

In conversation with IPS, Al Hol camp director Jihan Hanan says there are people from 50 different nationalities. But the kids pose a major source of concern.

“We have only two schools for them, but not all the children are attending these centres, especially the ones from 12 to 18 years old. They´re the most vulnerable here in the camp and many radicalised women trying to brainwash them,” explains Hanan.

She also points to “deadly attacks” in the past. “We had to conduct special security operations. Today the attacks are limited to thefts and threats, and they target NGOs too,” adds the official.

According to her, IS sleeping cells inside the camp are posing a major threat. “They are the most dangerous groups, and they are always approaching the children to recruit them,” she warns.

 

The foreigners’ section of the Al Hol camp. Women and children wait to go to the hospital, shop or receive help. The Kurdish administration separated foreign Islamic State families from Syrians and Iraqis. Credit: Jewan Abdi / IPS

 

A taste of home

Repatriation to their countries of origin is seemingly the only way out for many. US State Department sources point to more than 3,500 repatriated to 14 countries as of 2023.

A 2022 study conducted by Human Rights Watch gathering the experiences of more than 100 children revealed that most of them are attending school, with many excelling in their studies. 82 percent of survey respondents described the child’s emotional and psychological well-being as “very good” or “quite good.”

“Notwithstanding the ordeals they survived both under IS and subsequently in captivity in the northeast Syrian camps, many are reintegrating successfully in their new communities,” concludes the report.

Sweden is one of the countries that has repatriated most of their citizens in 2022. But policies changed after the arrival to power of a new government allied with the far right, in September 2022.

 

Aerial view of the Al Hol camp, in northeastern Syria, 655 kilometres from Damascus. It hosts more than 50,000 people, of which almost 30,000 are children of dozens of different nationalities. Credit: Jewan Abdi / IPS

 

“These people chose to go there to join IS, one of the cruellest terrorist organisations we have seen, so there’s no obligation on the part of Sweden and the Swedish government to act for these people to come home,” the Swedish foreign affair minister Tobias Billström said in an interview with Swedish TV4 on March 13.

But not everyone agrees. Repatriate The Children is a Swedish NGO working and advocating to send children home. “It’s a purely political decision to leave these children there and not repatriate them,” RTC co-founder and spokesperson Natascha Rée Mikkelsen tells IPS over the phone from Copenhagen.

“They have already experienced things that no child should see, like war, unsafety, no proper education or no access to proper health care. By leaving them stranded in this environment, the risk of being part of IS ideology remains high,” adds the human rights advocate.

“If we don’t help these children, I cannot imagine how their lives will be in the future. And this is not only the Kurdish administration’s responsibility,” stresses Mikkelsen, who also labels the constant Turkish airstrikes as “one of the region’s main destabilising factors.”

The AANES has repeatedly stated that they lack the resources to cater for these thousands of families. Top United Nations officials have also called on governments to repatriate their nationals from the camps.

“Every country should take care of their citizens, especially the women and the children,” Abdulkarim Omar, the representative of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria to Europe, tells IPS over the phone from Brussels.

“We believe it is going to be a long process, that’s why we urge the countries to help us, especially with their citizens,” adds the Kurdish official, who also highlights the need to improve the conditions of alleged IS prisoners under Kurdish custody.

When asked about the possibility of the outside world ignoring the problem, Omar is blunt: “If no action is taken in the short term, we are soon to face a whole new generation of terrorists that will be a threat to all the world.”

 

565429 Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Katya Andrusz

The 2023 parliamentary elections in Poland were competitive and voters had a wide choice of political alternatives, but the ruling party was given a clear advantage through its undue influence over the use of state resources and the public media. Contestants campaigned freely, but intolerant, xenophobic and misogynistic rhetoric were widespread. The election administration worked efficiently, but its decision-making processes were not transparent. Election day was calm, and voters enthusiastically turned out in large numbers. The process was well managed in the limited number of polling stations visited.

These are some of the main conclusions from the final report on the 15 October 2023 parliamentary elections published today by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The report offers 27 recommendations to improve the conduct of elections and to support efforts to bring them further in line with OSCE commitments, as well as other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.

Key recommendations include:

• Ensuring that changes to the electoral legal framework are made well in advance of elections, allowing for sufficient public consultation and adequate time for effective implementation;

• Announcing the National Election Commission’s sessions in advance and opening them to the media, citizen and international observers, as well as the public;

• Amending the electoral legal framework to explicitly prohibit the abuse of state resources in election campaigns, as well as limiting the announcement of new state spending during the campaign period;

• Publishing all political party and campaign finance reports and ensuring they are timely, comprehensive and easy to understand, with interim reporting requirements before election day;

• Regulating campaigning by third parties, including setting requirements for registration, financing and disclosure of third-party campaigners;

• Selecting public broadcaster managers through an inclusive, competitive and transparent process;

ODIHR deployed a Limited Election Observation Mission for these elections from 4 September to 22 October 2023. All 57 countries across the OSCE region have formally committed to follow up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations. In The ODIHR Electoral Recommendations Database tracks the extent to which recommendations are implemented by states across the OSCE region.

Elisabeth Baume-Schneider propose d’augmenter les cotisations salariales et la TVA. Mais elle aura du mal à convaincre le parlement.

The European Central Bank’s hesitation to cut rates before further signs of slowing wage growth reflects a “hawkish bias” that could lead to weak growth becoming entrenched across the eurozone economy, the head of Bruegel think tank warned on Wednesday (27 March).

La journée du lundi 1er avril 2024 est déclarée fériée, chômée et payée sur toute l'étendue du territoire national. Le ministre du travail et de la fonction publique informe le public à travers un communiqué en date de mercredi 27 mars 2024.

Pas de boulot pour les travailleurs béninois le 1er avril 2024, lundi de Pâques. Conformément aux dispositions de la loi N°90-019- du 27 juillet 1990 fixant les fêtes légales en République du Bénin, cette journée est déclarée fériée, chômée et payée sur toute l'étendue du territoire national.
Le ministre du travail et de la fonction publique informe le public à travers un communiqué en date du mercredi 27 mars 2024.
Selon le communiqué signé du directeur de cabinet, Victorin Honvoh, le ministre souhaite au nom du gouvernement, une bonne fête à tous.

Die Ratifizierung von CETA, dem Handelsabkommen zwischen der EU und Kanada, wurde letzte Woche vom französischen Senat abgelehnt. Die französische Regierung bestätigte nun, dass die entsprechende Abstimmung in der Nationalversammlung nicht mehr vor den Europawahlen stattfinden werde.