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Le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies aux droits de l’homme (HCDH) a exhorté vendredi les autorités du Soudan à garantir la protection et les droits de Noura Hussein Hammad Daoud, condamnée à mort par un tribunal soudanais la semaine dernière.

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period; it recorded explosions assessed as impacts of multiple launch rocket system rounds near the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS). The Mission heard an explosion less than 300m from its forward patrol base in Svitlodarsk. The SMM observed fresh damage caused by shelling in residential areas of Mykolaivka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and it was also restricted at a checkpoint near Debaltseve, as well as near Izvaryne and Sievernyi at the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Luhansk city. The Mission continued to facilitate access to the Donetsk Filtration Station for Voda Donbassa water company employees to keep the station operational and heard ceasefire violations in the area despite security guarantees. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to high-voltage power lines near Almazna and to a water pipeline in Obozne. In Kyiv, the Mission monitored a gathering near the venue of a pre-announced public discussion organized by a non-governmental organization. In Kherson, the SMM monitored a court hearing for the editor-in-chief of RIA Novosti Ukraine. In Lviv, the Mission observed three gatherings in front of the Regional Council building.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including more explosions (about 900), compared with the previous reporting period (about 460 explosions). Most of the ceasefire violations were recorded in the area between Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk) and Debaltseve (non-government-controlled, 58km north-east of Donetsk).

On the evening and night of 16-17 May, while in Svitlodarsk the SMM heard about 50 explosions assessed as outgoing artillery rounds 3-6km east, south-east and west; 370 undetermined explosions (mostly assessed as artillery rounds) and about 860 shots and bursts of heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 3-10km at directions ranging from east-north-east to south-west; and about 60 undetermined explosions 3-6km at directions ranging from north-north-west to north-east.

On the morning of 17 May, while at the same location, the SMM heard an explosion assessed as an airburst of a probable artillery or mortar round about 200-300m from its forward patrol base on the south-eastern edge of the town. SMM staff members immediately took cover in the base’s shelter. The SMM informed representatives of the Ukrainian Armed Forces as well as members of the armed formations of the incident and urged cessation of further fire.

On the evening of 16 May, while in Debaltseve, the SMM heard four explosions assessed as outgoing mortar rounds 5-8km north-north-west and about 240 undetermined explosions 5-10km north-north-west.

On the evening of 16 May, the SMM camera at Oktiabr mine (non-government-controlled, 9km north-west of Donetsk) recorded, over a two-minute period, 21 muzzle flashes assessed as a salvo of outgoing multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) (BM-21 Grad, 122mm) rounds as well as their subsequent projectiles in flight from south-east to north-west 5-10km north-west. During the same period of time, the SMM in Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north of Donetsk) recorded 26 projectiles in flight from south to north assessed as rounds of MLRS (BM-21), all 3-3.5km south-east. Immediately thereafter, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS) (15km north of Donetsk) recorded 25 explosions assessed as impacts of rounds of MLRS (BM-21), followed by two projectiles in flight from south-east and north-west, all 2-4km west-south-west. (The SMM assessed that the three cameras above recorded the same instance.)

During the day on 17 May, positioned on the western edge of Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk) for about six hours, the SMM heard 20 undetermined explosions and about 260 shots and bursts of small-arms fire, all 1-4km south-west, west-south-west and west. 

On the evening and night of 16-17 May, while in Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM heard about 90 undetermined explosions and about 60 shots and bursts of automatic-grenade-launcher, heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 2-10km at directions ranging from south-west to north-west. During the day on 17 May, while at the same location, the SMM heard about ten undetermined explosions and about 20 shots and bursts of automatic-grenade-launcher, heavy-machine-gun and small-arms fire, all 1-4km at directions ranging from south to west.

On the evening of 16 May, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Pyshchevyk (government-controlled, 25km north-east of Mariupol) recorded 18 projectiles in flight from west to east, followed by eight projectiles from east to west, all 1-3km south.

The following morning, while in Mariupol city centre (government-controlled, 102km south of Donetsk), the SMM heard 15 undetermined explosions at undetermined distances and directions.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including, however, fewer explosions (15), compared with the previous reporting period (about 130 explosions).

During the day on 17 May, positioned in Muratove (government-controlled, 51km north-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard six undetermined explosions 5-7km south.

Positioned in Almazna (non-government-controlled, 55km west of Luhansk), the SMM heard about 200 shots of small-arms fire 1-1.5km east-south-east, assessed as probable live-fire training inside the security zone, in violation of the decision of the Trilateral Contact Group as of 3 March 2016 that prohibits the conduct of live-fire training (exercises) in the security zone.

Positioned in Malomykolaivka (non-government controlled, 36km south-west of Luhansk), the SMM heard six undetermined explosions 10-20km north-north-west.

The SMM observed fresh damage caused by shelling in residential areas of Mykolaivka (government-controlled, 40km south of Donetsk). On 17 May, the SMM saw a fresh crater in the yard of a one-storey house at 17 Shyiana Street, assessed as caused by a round of an anti-tank guided missile fired from a northerly direction. The Mission also saw that four windows on the south- and west-facing sides of the house were broken (assessed as caused by the wave of an explosion), that the east-facing part of the concrete base of a wooden fence, 50m west of the house, was cracked, and that one of the slats of the fence of an adjacent house was cleaved in half. The owner of the house told the SMM that she had heard an explosion at around 12:30 on 16 May.

The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) and Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), as foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016. The SMM’s access remained restricted, but the Mission was able to partially monitor them.*

On the evening and night of 16-17 May, the SMM camera in Zolote recorded six projectiles in vertical flight, followed by an illumination flare in vertical flight, all 1-4km south-east and south (unable to assess whether inside or outside the disengagement area). The same camera subsequently recorded, in sequence, 11 undetermined explosions, five projectiles in flight and a burst from north to south, three projectiles from north-west to south-east, a projectile in flight from north to south and 15 tracer rounds in flight, a projectile and a burst from north-north-west to south-south-east, as well as two undetermined explosions, all 1-7km at directions ranging from east-north-east to south-south-west (all assessed as outside the disengagement area).

In the early morning of 17 May, while on the eastern edge of Stanytsia Luhanska, the SMM heard three explosions assessed as outgoing artillery rounds 2-5km north-west (assessed as outside the disengagement area). During the day, positioned on the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge (15km north-east of Luhansk), the SMM heard a shot fired 1-1.2km north-east (assessed as outside the disengagement area).

During the day on 17 May, positioned near the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas, the SMM observed calm situations.

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons in implementation of the Memorandum and the Package of Measures and its Addendum.

In violation of withdrawal lines in a non-government-controlled area, on 16 May, the SMM saw two tanks (T-64) loaded on transporter trailers heading south-west on road T1301 in Luhansk city.

Beyond the respective withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites in non-government-controlled areas, on 16 May, an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted 21 tanks (T-64), seven mortars (2B9 Vasilek, 82mm) and three anti-tank guns (MT-12 Rapira, 100mm) near Myrne (28km south-west of Luhansk); 11 tanks (T-72) near Shymshynivka (27km south-west of Luhansk) and 24 tanks (T-64) near Kruhlyk (31km south-west of Luhansk). Aerial imagery revealed the presence on 15 May of 33 tanks (type undetermined), 12 towed howitzers (or mortars) and two surface-to-air missile systems (type undetermined) near Buhaivka (37km south-west of Luhansk) (see SMM Daily Report of 15 March 2018).

The SMM observed weapons that could not be verified as withdrawn, as their storage did not comply with the criteria set out in the 16 October 2015 notification from the SMM to the signatories of the Package of Measures on effective monitoring and verification of the withdrawal of heavy weapons. In government‑controlled areas, the SMM observed five towed howitzers (2A65 Msta-B, 152mm) and four anti-tank guns (MT-12) for the first time and noted that 46 towed howitzers (38 2A65 and eight 2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm) and 45 anti-tank guns (42 MT-12 and three D-48, 85mm) were again missing.

The SMM revisited a heavy weapons permanent storage site in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region and noted that two MLRS (BM-21) were again missing. At the same site, it also observed an additional weapon.

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles and an anti-aircraft gun[2] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, on 16 May, the SMM saw an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (BTR-80), an armoured recovery vehicle (BREM-Ch) and four infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) (two BMP-1 and two BMP variant) near Popasna, and an anti-aircraft gun (ZU-23, 23mm) near Serednoteple (28km north of Luhansk). The same day, an SMM mini-UAV spotted an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) in Makarove (19km north-east of Luhansk) and three IFVs (BMP-2) near Artema (26km north of Luhansk).

In a non-government-controlled area, on 17 May, an SMM mini-UAV spotted four IFVs (three BMP-1 and one BMP-2) near Lobacheve (13km east of Luhansk).

The SMM continued to observe anti-tank mines. On 16 May, an SMM mini-UAV spotted at least 25 anti-tank mines (TM-62) in a field on the southern edge of Avdiivka (see SMM Daily Report of 17 May 2018). 

The SMM continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the DFS to keep the station operational. On 17 May, positioned in areas near the DFS, the SMM heard undetermined explosions as well as small-arms fire (see ceasefire violation section above), despite explicit security guarantees.

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repair works to high-voltage power lines near Almazna and the water pipeline in Obozne (non-government-controlled, 18km north of Luhansk). Positioned near Almazna, the SMM heard small-arms fire (see ceasefire violation section above), despite explicit security guarantees.

The SMM visited two border areas outside of government control. While at a border crossing point near Izvaryne (52km south-east of Luhansk) for 15 minutes, the SMM saw 52 cars (21 with Ukrainian, 17 with Russian Federation and two with Georgian licence plates, and 12 with “LPR” plates), a bus with Ukrainian licence plates and five covered cargo trucks (two with Russian Federation and two with Belarussian licence plates, and one with “LPR” plates) in a queue to exit Ukraine.  A member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.* While at a border crossing point near Sievernyi (50km south-east of Luhansk) for 15 minutes, the SMM saw 11 cars (seven with Ukrainian licence plates and four with “LPR” plates) stationary in a nearby parking lot. A member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area.*

In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a gathering near the venue of a pre-announced public discussion organized by a non-governmental organization (NGO), following an incident on 10 May when the same discussion was prevented from taking place by a group of people. (See SMM Daily Report 12 May 2018.) On the evening of 16 May, the SMM saw a group of at least 65 people (all men, aged 18-30), including at least three wearing C14 (Sich) insignia, in front of the Peremoha Space meeting centre at 62 Tarasa Shevchenka Boulevard, where the public discussion was taking place. It noted that some of them were also present at the incident site on 10 May. The SMM heard the group of people expressing their opposition to homosexuality and chanting “Glory to Ukraine, Glory to the nation”. About 85 police officers, including 40 in riot gear, were present both inside and outside the centre. After the public discussion, some of the participants and a representative of the NGO told the SMM that most of the participants had left through the back door of the centre under police escort. The SMM did not observe any incidents.

In Kherson, the SMM monitored a court hearing for Kyrylo Vyshynskyi, the recently arrested editor-in-chief of RIA Novosti Ukraine. (See SMM Daily Report 16 May 2018.) At Kherson City Court (6/29 Maiakovskoho Street), the public prosecutor accused Vyshynskyi of assisting a foreign state in its activities against Ukraine, as per Article 111 of the Criminal Code (high treason) in relation to materials published online by RIA Novosti Ukraine. After hearing the arguments of prosecution and defence, the judge remanded Vyshynskyi to custody for 60 days without bail. (In Kyiv, the SMM saw that the office of the RIA Novosti Ukraine (16 Shota Rustaveli Street) was closed; it also attempted to contact its employees without success.)

In Lviv, the SMM monitored three public gatherings in front of the Regional Council building at 16 Vynnychenka Street. The first gathering comprised around 30 people (mostly women, aged 45-60) whom the SMM heard expressing discontent with what they said were plans of closing a hospital in Lviv. The second one comprised around 50 members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (mostly men, aged 40-60) whom the SMM heard expressing support for coalminers from the Lviv region. The third gathering comprised around 200 people who said they were veterans (all men, aged 50-70), some of whom were carrying the Ukrainian national flags. The SMM saw about 35 law enforcement officers present nearby. Throughout the gatherings, it observed a calm situation.

The SMM continued monitoring in Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Chernivtsi.

*Restrictions of SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate

The SMM’s monitoring and freedom of movement are restricted by security hazards and threats, including risks posed by mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and other impediments – which vary from day to day. The SMM’s mandate provides for safe and secure access throughout Ukraine. All signatories of the Package of Measures have agreed on the need for this safe and secure access, that restriction of the SMM’s freedom of movement constitutes a violation, and on the need for rapid response to these violations. They have also agreed that the Joint Centre for Control and Co‑ordination (JCCC) should contribute to such response and co-ordinate mine clearance. Nonetheless, the armed formations in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions frequently deny the SMM access to areas adjacent to Ukraine’s border outside control of the Government (see below). The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April 2017 near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations.

Denial of access:

• At a checkpoint near Debaltseve, armed members of the armed formations denied the SMM passage through the checkpoint.
• At the border crossing point near Izvaryne, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area, saying that it could not be present in the “service zone”.
• At the border crossing point near Sievernyi, a member of the armed formations told the SMM to leave the area, saying that it could not be present in the “service zone”.

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• The SMM was prevented from accessing parts of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, with the exception of the main road, due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.[3]
• The SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads in the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM by phone that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.[3]
• The SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads south of the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. An armed member of the armed formations positioned on the southern side of the Zolote disengagement area told the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed.

[1] Please see the annexed table for a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations as well as a map of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions marked with locations featured in this report. The SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Marinka was not operational during the reporting period.

[2] This hardware is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.

[3] The SMM informed Ukrainian Armed Forces officers of the JCCC. Russian Federation Armed Forces officers of the JCCC have withdrawn from the JCCC as of 18 December 2017.

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The Arctic sea ice experiences seasonal variation and reaches its minimum in September each year.NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, CC BY 2.0

By Swati Mandloi
May 18 2018 (Eco-Business)

As climate change disrupts the Arctic, a myriad of changes are predicted that will affect everywhere on Earth, even countries that have historically been sheltered from the wrath of nature, such as Singapore, as the melting polar ice raises sea levels.

Yet the changing Arctic landscape presents many Asian nations with opportunities to benefit from its wealth of natural resources.

Mikaa Mered, professor at the Free Institute of International Relations Studies (ILERI) pointed out at a recent event in Singapore that mining and oil and gas exploration have been ongoing in the Arctic for more than a hundred years, but what’s new is “the magnitude of potential” that the region holds for development in the future.

A recurring view during the event, called Connecting the Arctic & Asia through Climate Actions and Sustainable Development and held at the French Embassy, was that as the Arctic ice sheets disappear, trade routes connecting northern nations become increasingly feasible.

The opening of sea routes north of Russia will reduce the distance between the east-west route that passes through the Suez Canal by 40 per cent. And shipping times from Europe, through Eurasia, to Asia will be reduced by nine to 13 days, and save 40 per cent of the shipping cost.

Some have suggested that the melting ice threatens shipping ports such as Singapore, since vessels heading from Europe to north-east Asia will be able skip the city-state and sail directly to China, Japan and South Korea. But experts have suggested that Singapore will not be significantly affected, and will benefit from new business opportunities in ship building, developing ports and other infrastructure technology as the region opens up.

“The Arctic is globalising”, Mered said. While countries in the Arctic circle—which include United States, Canada, Russia, Finland, and Sweden—jostle for geo-political influence over the region, Asian nations like Japan, Singapore and China seek to exploit the region for economic reasons, he noted.

Nations with access to the Arctic sea will be able to shorten their sea transport routes because of the melting ice. Image: Arctic Council via Wikimedia Commons

The cost of opportunity

But development in the Arctic brings with it costs. Dr Philip Andrews-Speed, senior principal fellow at the Energy Study Institute, National University of Singapore, warned that the degrading quality of Arctic ice and the melting of the permafrost is predicted to create a positive feedback loop that will increase the rate of rising sea levels as the global temperature increases. The irony is that, although reductions in sea ice will provide better access to northern sea routes, the melting permafrost will make transport on land more difficult.

“Our connection with the Arctic is not just material, it is biological,” said Philips, referring to the sharp decline in biodiversity predicted in the Arctic as a result of the landscape’s changing topography. Pollution is also a problem that threatens the region’s iconic species, such the Polar bear, Arctic fox, Prairie pigeon, and Narwhal.

“Despite many challenges, development in the Arctic will continue whether you want to save it or not. What really matters is whether we will see business as usual or new practices emerge. That’s the big question,” Mikaa Mered said. The development of renewable energy in the polar regions was one way to enable economic growth and offer an alternative to fossil fuel extraction, he said.

Mered added that territories like Iceland, Russia, and Alaska have great potential for geothermal, wood/biomass, and wind energy, respectively, and should be urged to develop sources of clean energy. A similar view was expressed by Dr Philip: “Energy is the big thing, which is why energy strategies are key to dealing with this [climate risk] problem in most countries.”

The biggest barrier to sustainable development in the Arctic is making alternative low-carbon practices economically competitive, and progressively cheaper, in a fossil fuel- dominated market, said Mered. He told Eco-Business that to compete with the conventional industries, economic and policy incentives were needed to boost renewables.

But fighting climate change isn’t the only challenge. Resilience needs to be built against climate risks, Mered said. Equally important, he added, are the partnerships between private and public institutions to remove barriers to achieving sustainable development in the Arctic.

This story was originally published by Eco-Business

The post How will development in the Arctic affect Asia? appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

Climate change is melting the Arctic, but its thawing presents economic opportunities for Asia. Can development come without the destruction of this unique ecosystem?

The post How will development in the Arctic affect Asia? appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Vetiver grass, stored in floating bamboo holders, is being planted by IOM and partners to reduce soil erosion in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps. Credit: IOM/Fiona MacGregor

By International Organization for Migration
COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, May 18 2018 (IOM)

Over two million vetiver grass plants have been distributed by IOM, the UN Migration Agency, in the past two weeks to reduce soil erosion and the risk of landslides in southern Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps, where hundreds of thousands of people are at risk from impending monsoon rains.

A further two million plants will be given to local and international NGOs for distribution before the end of May, following the initial success of the project, which has local vetiver suppliers struggling to keep up with demand.

The grass costs just over USD 1.50 for a bundle of 200 plants. But the project, which in total could help stabilize land equivalent to almost 150 football fields, is expected to have a significant impact on improving living conditions in the hillside camps and will help to prevent life-threatening soil erosion.

Violence in Myanmar has sent almost 700,000 people fleeing over the border into Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, since last August. The new arrivals, desperate for space to build shelters for their families, cleared the vegetation from vast swathes of the region, leaving them living on bare, sandy slopes extremely vulnerable to landslides during the monsoon and cyclone seasons.

Around 200,000 people have been recognised as being at high risk from landslides and floods in the coming monsoon months, and the entire refugee population is extremely vulnerable to related dangers, including restricted access to vital services and waterborne diseases. While grass alone is not sufficient to stabilize the steepest slopes, the vetiver plants offer an opportunity to protect large areas of the camps from erosion.

As well as providing a grass delivery pipeline for partner agencies across the camps, IOM has directly planted 2,750 bundlesthrough cash for work programmes with Rohingya refugees and members of local host communities.

IOM has also produced a series of simple illustrations to help the refugees, many of whom are illiterate, to understand how best to plant and care for the plants.

“We drew on Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology studies to learn lessons from other projects involving vetiver grass and apply them here. The illustrations helped share that knowledge with people in a very practical way,” said IOM Site Development Coordinator Megan Genat.

The newly planted vetiver requires watering twice a day and community volunteers, participants in cash for work projects, and individual refugee families have all been enthusiastically caring for the freshly planted grass in different parts of the camps.

“It’s been really encouraging to see everyone getting involved. The project has also helped in raising public awareness of the risks of soil erosion. We will be following up with a fuller analysis of the impact next month, but initial reports from our partners indicate it has been going very well and is proving popular with the refugee community,” added Genat.

The Cox’s Bazar district, which is now sheltering almost a million Rohingya refugees, is prone to some of the heaviest monsoon conditions in the entire country, and is also vulnerable to cyclones from the Bay of Bengal. The monsoon proper is due to hit next month, but early rains and storms have already damaged scores of shelters and caused several small landslides in the camps.

The vetiver project is one of a wide range of practical initiatives that IOM site management teams are working on to help safeguard people and improve living conditions ahead of the monsoon.

“Across the camps we are constructing roads and access routes, improving drainage, building bridges, and preparing ground before the rains hit. We are also working with other agencies and the Bangladesh authorities to support resilience and disaster preparedness training for refugees and the host community, so we can all be ready to respond to emergencies when they occur,” said Manuel Pereira, IOM’s Emergency Coordinator in Cox’s Bazar.

But he warned that with early rains and storm already causing damage in the camps and the full monsoon due to start next month, urgent funding is required to allow more to be done to protect the Rohingya refugees. Less than a quarter of IOM’s USD 182 million appeal to support the refugees through year end has been secured.

“From medical staff to engineers, IOM teams are working round the clock to save lives in the camps and protect people as much as possible ahead of monsoon. If we have to delay projects, lives will be lost. We need funding now to be able to act before disaster strikes,” said Pereira.

The post Grass Planting Reduces Soil Erosion, Risk of Landslides in Rohingya Refugee Camps appeared first on Inter Press Service.

The Facebook CEO will brief MEPs on data protection - but only behind closed doors. Meanwhile EU leaders are scratching their heads on how to deal with US president Trump's erratic decisions on trade and the Iran deal.

A napokban zajlott a pozsonyi IDEB védelmi ipari kiállítás. A LégierőBlogger nem színlel meglepetést azzal kapcsolatban, hogy a szlovák fővárosban néhány óra alatt is okosabbá válhat az ember a Magyar Honvédség jövőjével kapcsolatban, mint idehaza...

Az Embraer is jelen volt Pozsonyban, és a brazil cég érdekes tájékoztatást adott a LégierőBloggernek KC-390-as program alakulásáról (a minapi eseményüket nem feszegettem...), illetve olyan részletekről, mint a típus inherens légiutántöltési képessége, illetve "C2 node"-ként történő alkalmazása. Ja, és egy példányt haza is hozhattam :-)

Ez pedig már a szlovák Konstrukta Defence (DMD Group), a ZTS Speciál illetve a cseh CSG Group és a Tatra Trucks együttműködésében elkészült Eva önjáró (8x8) ágyútarack, melynek lelke az a tüzérségi platform, ami a PESCO ezirányú, szlovák vezetésű projektjének tárgyát képezi. A törekvésben Magyarország megfigyelőként van jelen, és egyes hírek szerint a már testet öltött, prototípus-stádiumban lévő eszköz a magyar tüzérségi modernizációs-helyreállítási elképzelésekben is vezető helyet foglal el.

Az Eva adattáblája. Értelemszerűen a megrendelő által preferált alváz is a tüzérségi rész alá kerülhet.

A tűzvezető rendszer munkaállomása az anyósülés előtt, a kabinban.

A cseh Retia RL-3DM telepíthető/mobil lokátor-dizájnjához egyesek annak ellenére reményeket fűznek, hogy a prágai döntéshozók korábban az izraeli licenszmegoldás felé mozdultak el.  Az egyik ilyen reménykedő a HM Arzenál, amelynek a terveiben konkrétan szó van erről az egyelőre kézzel nem fogható lokátortípusról.

A Fagot/Konkursz/Metisz-M felváltási célú MBDA-ajánlat tárgya, az MMP indítójának makettje az európai rakétacég standján.

...és közben arra is, hogy hol tartanak már most a szlovákok:

 

Az FMS útján beszerzett egyik eperjesi UH-60M Black Hawk, a 7640-es. Minden létező túlélőképességi berendezés hiányzik róla, de ha valamikor lesz rajta, akkor vélhetően a standard US Army ASE exportváltozata valószínűsíthető.

A harcjárművek felváltásának programja előrehaladott stádiumban van. A 81 darabos szlovák BOV 8x8-as követelmény próbaszakaszában lévő Patria AMV 8x8 XP SK álcahálóval.

A szlovák haderőnek szánt finn jószág adattáblája.

Egy pillantás felülről.

A hazai fejlesztésű és gyártású TURRA 30 távvzérelt fegyvertorony, hazai gyártású 2A42 harminc milliméteres ágyúval, modern szenzorokkal és izraeli Spike rakétaindítókkal.

Hátulról is látni a hajócsavarokat, a lefelé, rámpaként nyíló deszantajtót, illetve a rakétaindító elhelyezkedését. Potenciálisan a torony jobb oldalára is kerülhet egy konténer.

A zsolnai különlegesek Iveco LMV-je, távvezérelt fegyvertoronnyal, lézer-besugárzásjelzőkkel, ködvetőkkel, lövésdetektorral, illetve C-IED antennákkal.

Szintén álcahálóba csomagolták ezt a BPsV ISTAR felderítő járművet, mely a BVP-1 (csehszlovák BMP-1) alapú BPzV Svatava korszerűsítése...

...az AMV-nál már tárgyalt TURRA 30 toronnyal, illetve annak a 9M113 Konkursz indítására alkalmas változatával. A tetőn jól látható a SDIO lézerbesugárzásjelző izraeli szenzora. Megjegyzés: míg a fenti álcahálós példányon rajta vannak a megnövekedett súlyt kompenzáló úszótestek, erről itt hiányoznak.

BPsVI adattáblája...

...amelyből ugyan nem derül ki, de Gyűrösi Miroszláv cikkéből tudhatjuk, hogy a jármű felderítőkészletébe az Innocon Micro Falcon drónja is beletartozik.

Nemcsak a fejlesztések tanulságosak, hanem az is, amit a szlovákok megőriztek. Ilyen a láncos gyalogsági harcjármű (IFV) kategória képviselője, a nagytapolcsányi 1. gépesített dandár fő fegyverzetét alkotó BVP-2 (BMP-2)...

...a tüzérség, benne a Rozsnyóban állomásozó RM-70/85 Modular sorozatvetőkkel...

...illetve a nagymihályi Zuzanákkal. Mindkét rendszer NATO-kompatibilis muníciók felhasználására alkalmas, már hosszú ideje.

Folytathatnánk azzal, hogy a szlovákok megőrizték a MANPADS kategóriát, a 9K38 Igla formájában. A NATO-kompatibilis IFF interrogátorral kiegészített fegyverrel az egyik nyitrai légvédelmi lövész itt éppen  tüzelőállásába igyekszik.

Így néz ki egy szlovák katonai rendész, kezében H&K UMP9-essel.

Zord

A napokban zajlott a pozsonyi IDEB védelmi ipari kiállítás. A LégierőBlogger nem színlel meglepetést azzal kapcsolatban, hogy a szlovák fővárosban néhány óra alatt is okosabbá válhat az ember a Magyar Honvédség jövőjével kapcsolatban, mint idehaza...

Az Embraer is jelen volt Pozsonyban, és a brazil cég érdekes tájékoztatást adott a LégierőBloggernek KC-390-as program alakulásáról (a minapi eseményüket nem feszegettem...), illetve olyan részletekről, mint a típus inherens légiutántöltési képessége, illetve "C2 node"-ként történő alkalmazása. Ja, és egy példányt haza is hozhattam :-)

Ez pedig már az Konstrukta Defence, a DMP és a ZTS Speciál együttműködésében elkészült Eva önjáró (8x8) ágyútarack, melynek lelke az a tüzérségi platform, ami a PESCO ezirányú, szlovák vezetésű projektjének tárgyát képezi. A törekvésben Magyarország megfigyelőként van jelen, és egyes hírek szerint a már testet öltött, prototípus-stádiumban lévő eszköz a magyar tüzérségi modernizációs-helyreállítási elképzelésekben is vezető helyet foglal el.

Zord

Most refugee-related services are outsourced to the private sector and NGOs, which are not adequately monitored and evaluated. When governments and EU institutions provide funding for refugee projects, they should scrutinise the NGOs and private players they work with.

An EU-Azerbaijan trade and political agreement will be ready for ratification next year, says Javanshir Feyziyev, co-chair of the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC).

Szombaton ismét megrendezésre kerül a veszprémi honvédelmi nap az lhsn.hu és a Laczkó Dezső Múzeum közös munkálkodásának eredményeként: a fő attrakció ezúttal is a restaurálás alatt álló ex-NDK-s Mi-24D (projekt 110161) lesz. 

A rendezvény előestéjén az lhsn gyűjteménye értékes darabbal gazdagodott: az egykori 87. ezred táblájával, amiért köszönet a szentkirályi repülőtér üzemeltetőjének és Groszvald Attilának mondanak. A szerzemény szombaton a látogatók számára is megtekinthető lesz.

A honvédelmi nap plakátjának egyik...

...és másik oldala.

Zord

The EU should embrace the new plant breeding techniques as the best chance to supply enough food for the EU's population, according to mainstream EU farmers. But organic farmers oppose this and a lot may depend on a European court ruling due before the summer.

Greece and Italy have a duty to better control migration into Europe, said Boyko Borisov, whose country holds the EU presidency.

L’Agence des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés (HCR) s’inquiète de la nouvelle vague de déplacement de civils centrafricains vers le nord de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), où 7.000 réfugiés centrafricains sont arrivés en moins d’une semaine.

The Commission couldn’t have picked a more smoggy week in Brussels to unveil new emissions cuts and hit national capitals with air quality legal cases.

Karen Gainer

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Police Academy of Montenegro held a three-day seminar on the management of contemporary security systems, police leadership qualities, from 14 to 16 May 2018 in Podgorica.

The Contemporary Security Management course is designed to provide relevant training on modern-day practices to run a security department efficiently and effectively. It addresses vital themes such as leadership in management, employee relations, risk management, terrorism, information security, access control, investigations, substance abuse, workplace violence, and emergency management.

The seminar was delivered by experts from the Centre for Strategic Prognosis (CSP) in Belgrade. The curriculum was developed co-operatively with experts from the Police Academy and tailored to address the results of a training needs assessment of the Montenegrin Security Sector Agencies.

Eleven senior officials of the Internal Affairs Ministry and the Police Directorate, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Defence Ministry, the Institute for Execution of Criminal Sanctions, the Maritime Safety Administration, Customs Administration and National Security Agency were introduced to the management of the systems in light of the changing geopolitics and balance of global powers in the world today.

Professor Violeta Rašković Talović, Dean of the Faculty for Diplomacy and Security and Director of the CSP, talked about globalization and challenges posed by the emerging “Fourth world”. Contemporary security problems of small countries, changing alliances and rivalries of great powers within the Balkan and EU discussed were also discussed.

Security topics such as High-Tech crime and private intelligence were elaborated by Ivan Petrović, professor at the Faculty for Diplomacy and Security Migrations.   

The fundamental session of the seminar was the discussion on psychological aspects of leadership as elaborated by the psychologist Slobodan Spasić. His presentation encompassed communication techniques, social engineering, and the psychology of manipulation and principles of sanctioning.

Participants emphasized the significance of security system management and the importance of maintaining it on the agenda of the Montenegrin Police Academy and security sector institutions in the forthcoming period.  

Sharing experiences in the field of in-service training and the training of legal professionals was the focus of an international conference organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan in co-operation with the Lawyer’s Training Centre of the Ministry of Justice on 17 and 18 May in Tashkent and Samarkand.

Around 50 national and international experts from the judicial, law-enforcement and educational sectors participated in the first day of the event in Tashkent. The second day of the conference, held in Samarkand, brought together over 150 legal professionals from the Samarkand region for further presentations by international experts.                  

Over the course of two days, participants were familiarized with the experiences of different countries across the OSCE region in improving the skills of legal professionals. They engaged in in-depth discussions on how to achieve the highest level of professionalism in the legal sector. Specific topics in this regard were the use of modern technologies and other innovations when training legal professionals and the development of feedback mechanisms, models for which were presented by experts from Belgium, Turkey, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Germany.

In his opening speech in Samarkand, Juergen Becker, Senior Project Officer at the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, stated: “The importance of training legal professionals cannot be overstated. An effective judiciary system benefits a society in all its aspects. It establishes trust of a society in the state and is a very important factor in the social, economic and political stability of a country.”

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan has been supporting the Lawyer’s Training Centre in Uzbekistan since 2009. This partnership intensified after the introduction of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s reform agenda and the signing of the decree “On the Strategy of Actions to Further Develop Uzbekistan in Five Priority Areas in 2017-2021”. The strategy specifically highlights the need to further strengthen legality in the judicial and legal system.“The on-going reforms require the establishment of a quality-based new system to train legal professionals, in particular in the most required and specialized fields, the introduction of innovative forms of training in the field of jurisprudence as well as providing opportunities for internships at leading foreign institutions,” noted the Director of the Lawyer’s Training Centre, Mirzatillo Tillabaev.

The conference was conducted within the framework of the Project Co-ordinator’s project Support to the Lawyer’s Training Centre under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan – Phase IV.

EU justice chief Vera Jourova will push for a new data access agreement with the United States when she meets with her American counterpart next week, amid growing transatlantic tensions over issues including the Iran nuclear agreement and trade.

Agriculture is one of the sectors most affected by climate change. However, it also contributes to the release of gases like ammonia and greenhouse gases (GHGs), affecting the quality of air and biodiversity.

2018. március 30-ától folyamatosan tüntetések zajlanak a Gázai övezet határánál. A tüntetéssorozat kezdetének időpontja szimbolikus, 1976-ban ezen a napon tüntetések zajlottak Izrael-szerte. 1976-ban a kiváltó ok az volt, hogy márciusban 2000 hektár földet koboztak el palesztinoktól, az akkori tüntetések során 6 palesztin életét vesztette. Az idei tüntetéshullám elnevezése „March of Return”, azaz „Visszatérés Menete”. Az eddigi sérültek száma több mint 2700.

A tüntetők fő követelése, hogy a palesztin menekültek és első generációs leszármazottaik, akik a térséget sújtó háborúk miatt kényszerültek elhagyni otthonaikat, visszatérhessenek lakhelyükre. A világban összesen 5 millió főre tehető számuk. Egyharmaduk a környező országokban felállított menekülttáborokban él. A róluk való gondoskodással nem az ENSZ Menekültügyi Főbiztossága (UNHCR), hanem az ENSZ Segély és Munkaügyi Hivatala a Közel-keleti Palesztin Menekülteknek hivatala (UNRWA) foglalkozik.

Az erőszak a tetőfokát hétfőn, május 14-én érte el. A dátum ismét szimbolikus, egyrészt 1948-ban ezen a napon kiáltották ki Izrael Állam függetlenségét, azóta a Függetlenség Napjaként ünneplik. Palesztin oldalon ez a nap a „Nakba”-ként ismert (katasztrófa), nemzeti gyásznap. Ezen a napon megemlékeznek hazájuk elvesztéséről, és arról a 700.000 emberről, aki az 1948-as háború következtében vált menekültté. Másrészt, idén ezen a napon nyílt meg hivatalosan az USA Jeruzsálembe áthelyezett nagykövetsége, ami kifejezi azt, hogy az USA hivatalosan is Jeruzsálemet ismeri el a zsidó állam fővárosaként. A nemzetközi közösség ugyanis csak Tel-Avivot ismeri el fővárosként, és Kelet-Jeruzsálemet Izrael által megszállt területnek tekinti. Jeruzsálem fővárosként való elismerése Donald Trump egyik fő kampányígérete volt 2016-ban. Egy korábban Twitterre posztolt videóban arra hívta fel a figyelmet az elnök, hogy elődjeivel – Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama – ellentétben ezt az ígéretet a gyakorlatban is megvalósítja.

A halálos áldozatok száma hétfő óta elérte a 60-at. Az áldozatok közt van egy 8 hónapos csecsemő, aki belélegzett könnygáz miatt vesztette életét. Danny Danon, Izrael ENSZ-képviselője azt nyilatkozta, hogy a Hamasz a nemzetközi publikumot provokálja, és ők lőnek le ártatlan tüntetőket. Az izraeli hatóságok éles lőszert használnak. Az IDF közölte május 15-én, kedden, hogy a Hamasz által tervezett terrorcselekményt akadályoztak meg. A közlemény szerint a terroristák megpróbáltak átszivárogni a Gázai övezet határán keresztül Izraelbe, de tűzharcba keveredtek az izraeli katonákkal. Ebben az összecsapásban 8 állítólagos terroristával végeztek izraeli katonák. Az áldozatok közül 24 az IDF szerint bizonyítottan terrorista háttérrel rendelkezik.

Az erőszak nemzetközi felháborodást keltett. António Guterres, az ENSZ Főtitkára szerint aggasztó az erőszak eszkalálódása, és mindkét oldalnak fékeznie kell magát a további emberélet-veszteségek elkerülése érdekében. Szokásosan Izrael mellett áll az Egyesült Államok. Raj Shah, a Fehér Ház sajtótitkárának helyettese hétfőn megjegyezte, hogy a tüntetések halálos áldozataiért a Hamasz a felelős, és az így kapott médiafigyelmet igyekszik kihasználni. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Londonba látogatott, hétfőtől számítva 3 napot tölt Nagy-Britannia fővárosában. Hétfőn a Királyi Külügyi Intézetben tartott beszédében azt mondta, hogy a nagykövetség áthelyezésével az USA elvesztette a közel-keleti közvetítő szerepét. A Bloombergnek adott interjúban az áldozatokért pedig kizárólag Trumpot és Netanjahut nevezte meg felelősként. Erre Twitteren válaszolt Benjamin Netanjahu, aki a Hamasz fő támogatójának nevezte Erdoğant. A török elnök nem sokkal később szintén Twitteren „apartheid-államnak” nevezte Izraelt, ami több mint hatvan éve ártatlan emberek földjét tartja megszállva.

Az ENSZ Biztonsági Tanácsa kedden, május 15-én tárgyalt az ügyről. Az ülés előtt Kuvait fogalmazott meg határozatot, amelyet azonban az Egyesült Államok képviselője, Nikki Haley megvétózott. A határozat nyílt és független vizsgálatot sürgetett, illetve elítélte a békésen tüntető palesztinok gyilkolását. Továbbá felhívta a tagok figyelmét, hogy ne nyissanak diplomáciai missziót Jeruzsálemben. Az ENSZ-ben megfigyelőként résztvevő Palesztina képviselője, Riyad Mansour szerint az izraeli megszállás a konfliktus fő okozója, és minél előbbi lépést sürgetett a civilek gyilkolása ellen. Emberiség elleni bűntettnek nevezte éles lőszer használatát tüntető civilek ellen. Nikki Haley szerint Izrael törvényes és visszafogott magatartást tanúsított.

In Brüssel begehen Christen, Muslime und Juden gemeinsam den muslimischen Fastenmonat