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Kerry announces cooperation with Russia in Syria

mar, 26/07/2016 - 15:32
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday he hoped to announce in early August details of a plan for closer military cooperation and intelligence sharing with Russia in Syria.

Speaking after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian nations intergovernmental conference in Laos, Kerry said there had been progress in negotiations.

Apparently, bilateral negotiations have yielded a bilateral plan.

Kerry’s proposal envisages Washington and Moscow sharing intelligence and coordinating air strikes against the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front; the plan will also prohibit the Syrian air force from attacking moderate rebel groups.

Kerry is defending the plan amidst deep skepticism among his own ranks. Top American military and intelligence officials, including Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford, oppose any cooperation with Russia.

 

The meeting in Laos comes in the aftermath of allegations that Russia is behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) intranet system. A private cybersecurity contractor working for the DNC suggested the hacker is linked to the FSB. Wikileaks released a trove of the e-mails secured via that cyber-security attack on Friday.

Kerry said he raised the issue of the emails with Lavrov during their meeting. Earlier, Lavrov brushed aside the accusations that Russia was involved, saying: “I don’t want to use four-letter words.”

The FBI is still investigating the intrusion at the DNC intra-system.

The post Kerry announces cooperation with Russia in Syria appeared first on New Europe.

Catégories: European Union

Sanders rallies supporters behind Clinton despite DNC’s betrayal

mar, 26/07/2016 - 14:47
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Bernie Sanders moved to resolutely endorse Hillary Clinton at the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia on Monday evening. “Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States,” the Vermont Senator said.

However, anti-unity delegates booed both Sanders and the liberal Senator Elizabeth Warren, rejecting calls to rally behind Hillary Clinton on Monday evening. Some supporters wore duct tape over their mouths and wore t-shirts emblazoned with the words “silenced.”

The rallying of the most progressive elements of the Democratic Party behind Hillary Clinton, only hours after Wikileaks revealed how the Democratic National Convention (DNC) favoured Hillary Clinton, is impressive. The leaks made abundantly clear that top Democrats were anything but neutral and undermined his campaign in more ways than one.

Already on Sunday, the party issued an apology to Bernie Sanders and the chairwoman of the DNC Debbie Wasserman Schultz was forced to resign.

Sanders accepted the apology and called on his supporters to vote for Hillary Clinton. The question is not whether the 13 million people who voted for Sanders will turn to Donald Trump; that is anything but likely. But, many of his 18-to-29 years old supporters could stay at home rather than vote Clinton.

Speaking on Monday, Sanders said that Hillary Clinton has made significant policy concessions and talked of “the most progressive platform in recent history.” He also pleaded with his supporters to consider the kind of appointments Donald Trump would make to the Supreme Court, tilting the balance of values and policies for decades to come.

Hillary Clinton has committed to an increase in the minimum wage of at least $15 an hour, while Democrats vow to close private detention centers profiting from mass deportations, and to target mass incarceration and racial profiling.

Trump keeps talking about a wall along the Mexican border and commit to limiting employment rights to gay, lesbian and transgender people.

In the coming days President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and former President Bill Clinton will take the stage to talk of a common front against Donald Trump.

A Bernie Sanders supporter holds a sign on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, 25 July 2016. The four-day convention is expected to end with Hillary Clinton formally accepting the nomination of the Democratic Party as their presidential candidate in the 2016 election. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT

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Catégories: European Union

France: Priest held hostage killed, two assailant “neutralized”

mar, 26/07/2016 - 13:06
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Two armed men took five hostages at a church in a small town near Rouen in northern France on Tuesday morning; they killed one hostage, a 92-year old priest, before they were shot dead by the police.

Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henri Brandet says another one of the hostages is critically wounded.

The two men were armed with knives and took two nuns, a priest, and at two worshipers as hostages in the French town of Rouvray, near Rouen, in Normandy, France.

President François Hollande and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve are en route to the site of the attack. The event follows the attacks in Nice on July 14, with a toll of 84 people.

The police are examining the church for explosives.

There is no official announcement as to the identity or motive of the assailants.

The post France: Priest held hostage killed, two assailant “neutralized” appeared first on New Europe.

Catégories: European Union

Man kills 19 disabled people in Japan calling for euthanasia

mar, 26/07/2016 - 12:41
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A man entered a facility for the disabled in Sagamihara, 40 km west of Tokyo, on Tuesday killing 19, nine men and ten women; 26 more were wounded, 20 of whom seriously.

This is the deadliest mass killing since the Second World War in Japan. Gun ownership is very strictly controlled and enforced in Japan, where mass killings are an extremely rare phenomenon. The last similar incident was in 2008 .

The assailant is the 26-year old man Satoshi Uematsu. He entered a police station later in afternoon carrying a bag of knives he apparently used. He told the police “it’s better that the disabled disappear” and delivered a letter in which he outlined his vision for a society in which euthanasia will be acceptable.

Uematsu is a former employee of the the Tsukui Yamayuri En (Tsukui Lily Garden) facility and had worked there since 2012. His motive for the assault remains unclear. It is not known yet whether he was fired or resigned from his post.

He entered the facility on 13.00 on Monday, breaking through a window. By 15.00 he had surrendered to the Sagaminhara police station.

The 30,000-square-meter facility can accommodate up to 160 people. As of recent, it hosted 149 people aged 19 to 75.

The post Man kills 19 disabled people in Japan calling for euthanasia appeared first on New Europe.

Catégories: European Union

Gazprom boosts fuel, energy resources savings

mar, 26/07/2016 - 12:34
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Subsidiaries of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 7.3% and water consumption by 7.8% in 2015 compared to the year before, Gazprom’s Coordinating Committee for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency said, following a meeting moderated by Vitaly Markelov, Deputy Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee and Head of the Coordinating Committee.

Energy saving and energy efficiency are key to Gazprom’s environmental activities, Gazprom said in a press release. In 2015, the Company saved 2.7 million tonnes of fuel equivalent on fuel and energy resources, including 2.255 billion cubic metres of natural gas, 260.6 million kWh of electricity, and 205,000 Gcal of heat. The total cost of the resources saved in 2015 equaled 7.8 billion rubles, exceeding the level of 2014 by over 0.6 billion rubles. In 2015, Gazprom’s Environmental Inspection Service conducted 539 environmental compliance inspections in 52 subsidiary companies and organisations of Gazprom, the press release read. In addition, 544 inspections were carried out in 29 subsidiary companies and organisations with the purpose of monitoring the efficiency of natural gas use.

The post Gazprom boosts fuel, energy resources savings appeared first on New Europe.

Catégories: European Union

Good morning, world!

mar, 26/07/2016 - 12:11
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Thomas Friedman defends that we need a Multi World in a time of crescendous competition in the Global Economy, He proposes new collaborative platforms between the different actors, with the strategic challenge of reinforcing the central competences of society and qualifying them as the unique ways of creation of value and modernity. The Multi World is facing also a unique opportunity. There is more and more a sense that the World is not flat and we effectively need new answers to the complex problems we face.

The challenge of a Multi World demands an effective Partnership Contract between all the actors (States, Universities, Companies, Civil Society), in order to build a real Strategy of Confidence in the implementation of the different policies. The focus on Innovation and Knowledge as the drivers of creating added value with international dissemination is a unique challenge that may be the answer to a new way of interaction between those who have the responsibility of thinking and those that have the responsibility of producing goods and services.

The Multi World demands for an active entrepreneurial culture and attitude – “social active classes” in the World have most of the times  an effective negative attitude towards the financial risk, the focus on innovation and the share of a culture of positive dynamic. We need  World  to have a new challenge. Europe must be able to be the real Platform of a more Entrepreneurial Society, centered in new areas of knowledge and new sectors of value. In a World  3.0 Society, the key word is Co-creation. To promote a dynamic and active creation process involving each citizen is the big challenge for the next years in Europe. 

In a complex time of uncertainty,  the Multi World must be the most complete example of positive attitude towards the future. The Talents must be the new competitive advantage of this new Distinct World pushed by the “enablers” of  Modernity, Added Value and Excellence. A very clear idea that suits the big challenge that our society really faces and that requires new answers for different questions. The act of global  participation in such a demanding society is an exercise of commitment between the individual creativity and the collective cooperation. This is the key for the right future for Europe.

It´ s time to believe in a new cycle for our World. These are in fact the “drivers of change” for the World and civil society must be able to understand this new challenge and address effective answers to the different stakeholders of the system. The challenge of the Multi World  is in a large sense giving a new opportunity  to a new ambition. The Reinvention of World is the reinvention of its people and institutions. It ´s the conviction that in fact we have a future as individuals and society.

The post Good morning, world! appeared first on New Europe.

Catégories: European Union

Germany grapples with public insecurity

mar, 26/07/2016 - 12:05
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Germany is considering the deployment of the German army following to address widespread insecurity.

Deploying soldiers to guarantee domestic security is especially controversial in Germany , given its totalitarian past. The first call for troop deployment came from Joachim Herrmann, Bavaria’s Interior Minister. Hermann is making the case that such inhibitions are historically obsolete in modern democratic Germany, he told Die Welt on Sunday; on Monday his call was echoed by the interior minister of Baden-Württemburg, Thomas Strobl.

Although both regional interior ministers come from the ranks of the senior coalition partners, the Christian Democrats, the German Interior Minister is hesitant. Thomas de Maiziere insists that internal security is first and foremost the role of the police, not the army (Bundeswehr). And the junior coalition partners, the Social Democrats, are equally reserved. The general secretary of the Social Democrats, Katarina Barley, has warned against using the general climate of fear for political ends.

Minister of Defense Von der Leyen has hinted she is considering partial deployment in the aftermath of successive terrorist attacks, especially Munich.

In recent days there has been a string of attacks that have terrorized Germany. O July 18 an 18-year old Afghan asylum seeker attacked a family of tourist from Hong Kong, killing two and wounding another two with a knife.

That incident was followed by Friday’s shooting in Munich, when an 18-years old German of Iranian origin opened fire against mostly immigrants, killing nine – among whom eight immigrants – before killing himself .

As events unfolded in Munich on Friday, before it transpired this was a lone gunman, the Ministry of Defense was ready to deploy military police.

Meanwhile, on Sunday there was a machete assault by a Syrian refugee on a bus station in  Reutlingen, near Stuttgart, killing a woman. Hours later there was  an apparently failed suicide bombing in a wine restaurant by Syrian refugee in Ansbach, near Nuremberg, in which the bomber alone died, but there were several wounded.

Political responses to this string of attacks aim mainly at reassuring the public that action is taken to limit the danger. There is talk of moving to impose further gun controls, although Germany has one of the most strict regimes of gun ownership in the world. The army would offer immediate assurances, although it is unclear how it would enhance security in German cities.

The post Germany grapples with public insecurity appeared first on New Europe.

Catégories: European Union

Polish watchdog says Nord Stream 2 undermines competition

mar, 26/07/2016 - 12:02
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Poland’s antimonopoly watchdog has reportedly said a joint venture by Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and five European companies – France’s Engie, Austria’s OMV, Royal Dutch Shell, and Germany’s Uniper and Wintershall – responsible for the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would undermine competition.

“Our prospective shareholders have to follow merger control procedures in Poland,” a Nord Stream spokesman told New Europe on July 25.

The companies involved in Nord Stream 2 said they are preparing a joint response.

Gazprom expects Poland to issue Nord Stream-2 approval on August 31.

Earlier the companies jointly applied to the Polish regulator for the approval of their joint participation in Nord Stream 2 AG. On July 19, the Polish regulator handed its statement on objections regarding the planned joint venture, according to TASS.

“Currently, the applicants are preparing a joint response to the statement. The decision of the Polish anti-monopoly regulator cannot be taken before the statutory period for the preparation of a response to the statement of objections expires,” the companies’ statement said.

Participants of the joint venture have 14 days to appeal the decision of the regulator. This period may be extended at their request for another two weeks.

The Nord Stream-2 projects includes the construction of two lines of the offshore gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic metres of gas a year from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, in addition to the existing two lines.

Poland as well as a number of Central and Eastern European states have criticised plans to build Nord Stream 2 and have urged the European Commission to block the project.

 

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Catégories: European Union

Turkey renames Bosphorus bridge after coup victims

mar, 26/07/2016 - 11:48
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Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says Istanbul’s Bosporus Bridge will be renamed “July 15th Martyrs’ Bridge” in honor of civilians who died resisting Turkey’s coup attempt.

The decision to rename the bridge across the Bosporus strait, which opened in 1973, which links Istanbul’s Asian and European sides, was taken Monday following a cabinet meeting.

Yildirim also announced that monuments to the civilians killed during the attempted coup would be built in Ankara and Istanbul.

He said that the bridge had been chosen to be renamed as it was the “first target of the coup plotters” on the night of July 15, resulting in the deaths of several civilians.

The bridge — a key strategic point linking Europe to Asia — had been blocked by armed rebel soldiers late on July 15 in one of the first signs to Istanbul residents a coup was in progress.

Backed by attack helicopters, they fired on the crowds of pro-Erdogan supporters who converged on the bridge. The rebels eventually surrendered on the bridge after being overwhelmed by sheer numbers protesting. (with AP, AFP)

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Catégories: European Union

Verhofstadt: “Parliament will block a new favourable status for UK”

mar, 26/07/2016 - 11:36
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Reacting to news coverage that British prime minister Theresa May is on her way to negotiating UK access to the single market with an additional rebate and a 7 to 10 year emergency break on EU-migration, Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament said:

“A deal with these conditions would be unthinkable. It would allow the UK to expand its already very favourable position: keeping the best parts and ridding itself of the obligations that come with it. EU Governments would be mad to agree to such a deal and I can tell you: the European Parliament will never agree to a deal that ‘de facto’ ends the free movement of people for a decade,while giving away an extra rebate in exchange for all the advantages of the internal market.

What would stop other countries from asking the same exceptional status? Do we really want eurosceptics elsewhere in Europe to invoke the British example of ‘having their cake and eating it’?  Everyone can see that this position is irresponsible because it’s not sustainable in the long run.

The only new relationship between Britain and the European Union can be one in which the UK has an associated status with less obligations but equally less rights. And if this is not feasible, the fall back position will be an ordinary trade agreement between Britain and the EU.”

Verhofstadt also points out a deeper problem with the current deal making process: “By solving our problems this way – with more and more exceptions to the rules – we only create new precedents and thus, new problems. The way the Commission is tackling the Brexit negotiations is comparable to the way it has addressed the rule of law crisis in Turkey: closing its eyes. The Commission must learn to adopt a clear stand point and – if necessary – be willing to make a clean cut, whether it be with Britain or with Turkey. The EU should not conduct accession negotiations with a government that cleansed part of the judiciary branch and basically switched off the rule of law. The negotiations with the Turkey should therefore be frozen.”

The post Verhofstadt: “Parliament will block a new favourable status for UK” appeared first on New Europe.

Catégories: European Union

After the coup, Erdogan will remove some ambassadors 

mar, 26/07/2016 - 11:26
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Turkey will remove some ambassadors from their posts in connection with a failed military coup, Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday in an interview with private broadcaster Haberturk TV.

Turkish authorities have suspended, detained or placed under investigation more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, teachers, civil servants and others since the July 15 coup attempt.

Cavusoglu also warned the US of a diplomatic crisis if it refused to extradite Fethullah Gulen, the exiled Islamic cleric accused by Turkey of masterminding the putsch from his home in rural Pennsylvania.

Gulen, 75, whose foundation runs a global network of schools, charities and media interests, has strongly denied the accusations.

Gulen denies the charge. Washington has said Ankara must first provide clear evidence of Gulen’s involvement in the attempted coup and lawyers have said any extradition process could take years.

Cavusoglu is heading to Washington this week to discuss the matter, but lawyers said the process, if launched, would take years.

The post After the coup, Erdogan will remove some ambassadors  appeared first on New Europe.

Catégories: European Union

Kenny goes to Downing Street for border talks

mar, 26/07/2016 - 11:12
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Theresa May will meet Enda Kenny for border talks.

The Irish Prime Minister is exploring his options following the British vote to leave the EU.

Kenny is the first foreign leader to meet the British Prime Minister at Downing Street no.10 after May became Prime Minister.

The prospect of a “hard border” between Northern and the Republic of Ireland has triggered talks calling for Irish unification.

Ireland is also keen for a swift economic and border settlement, given that the U.K accounts for 22% of Ireland’s exports in goods and services. However, conciliation is not the only mood. Dublin is looking to benefit for lack of certainty in London’s financial services market.

May was in Northern Ireland on Monday, where she met with the First and Deputy First Ministers Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness in Belfast. Northern Ireland is deeply divided in the aftermath of the referendum, with Republicans having voted for Remain and Unionists for Leave. Following consultation with both unionist and republican leaders, May said that no one wants a return to a “hard border” with the Republic of Ireland.

Mr. Kenny, in turn, consulted with French president Francois Hollande on the border issue. Last week Mr. Kenny asked that the EU prepares for the eventuality of a unification referendum in Ireland, making parallels with German reunification.

(BBC, Independent)

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Catégories: European Union

World’s tallest people are Dutch and Latvians, 100-year global study finds 

mar, 26/07/2016 - 11:07
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Dutch men and Latvian women are the planet’s tallest people but Iranian men and South Korean women have grown the fastest in the last century, according to the largest ever study of height around the world.

Americans, once among the world’s tallest people, have dropped from having men and women at 3rd and 4th in the global height rankings a 100 years earlier, to placing 37th and 42nd respectively in 2014.

That’s the word from researchers who analyzed a century’s worth of height data from 200 countries. Results were released in the journal eLife.

National height averages are useful as an indicator of nutrition, health care, environment and general health that people have experienced from the womb through adolescence, said Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London, who led the research. Genes also influence height.

The researchers calculated average height for 18 year olds, roughly the age when people stop growing. They drew on more than 1,400 studies that covered more than 18.6 million adults who reached that age between 1914 and 2014.

Experts said the results generally agree with what others have reported before.

The tallest men in the new analysis were Dutch, with an average height of about 6 feet (182.5 centimeters). The next nine tallest countries in order for men were Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Iceland and the Czech Republic.

Latvia topped the list for women, with an average height of 5-foot-6 (170 centimeters). Rounding out the top 10 were the Netherlands, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Slovakia, Denmark, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.

Over the century-long span of the study, the biggest gains appeared in South Korean women and Iranian men, who added 8 inches (20.2 centimeters) and 6 ½ inches (16.5 centimeters), respectively. There was little change in South Asia and some sub-Saharan African countries.

In the U.S., men gained about 2 ½ inches (6 centimeters) over the century, with about 2 inches (5 centimeters) for women. The nation is now the 37th tallest for men and 42nd for women, researchers said.

The analysis estimated that average height for U.S. 18 year olds maxed out at about 5-foot-10 (177.5 centimeters) for men in 1996, and at about 5-foot-5 (164 centimeters) for women in 1988. Since then height has stalled but not decreased significantly, said James Bentham of Imperial College London, a study author.

Most Western countries, including the Netherlands, also have hit a plateau, although the U.S. reached it early, researchers said.

The researchers didn’t investigate the causes of the U.S. stagnation. But John Komlos, a visiting professor of economics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, said there could be several reasons. He didn’t participate in the new study but has previously studied height.

Komlos suggested such factors as lack of health insurance, shortfalls in medical and prenatal care, underweight and preterm babies from teenage pregnancies, and a rise in obesity, which leads to earlier puberty and so stoppage of growth.

The shortest female population in the study is in Guatemala, at an average of 4-foot-11 (149.4 centimeters). It is followed in order by the Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal, East Timor, Madagascar, Laos, the Marshall Islands, India and Indonesia.

The shortest male population is in East Timor, at an average of 5-foot-3 (160 centimeters). It is followed by Yemen, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Nepal, Rwanda, the Marshall Islands, the Philippines and Mauritania.

Australian men in 2014 were the only non-European nationality in the top 25 tallest in the world. The nations with the tallest men in 2014 (1914 ranking in brackets): 1. Netherlands (12) 2. Belgium (33) 3. Estonia (4) 4. Latvia (13) 5. Denmark (9) 6. Bosnia and Herzegovina (19) 7. Croatia (22) 8. Serbia (30) 9. Iceland (6) 10. Czech Republic (24) The nations with the tallest women in 2014 (1914 ranking in brackets): 1. Latvia (28) 2. Netherlands (38) 3. Estonia (16) 4. Czech Republic (69)  5. Serbia (93) 6. Slovakia (26) 7. Denmark (11) 8. Lithuania (41) 9. Belarus (42) 10. Ukraine (43)

(with AP, Reuters)

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Catégories: European Union

Kerry, Lavrov meet for Syria talks

mar, 26/07/2016 - 10:54
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US Secretary of State John Kerry said progress is being made with Russia on a potential military partnership that could strengthen a faltering truce in Syria despite grave doubts expressed by the Pentagon and joint chiefs of staff.

Speaking Tuesday after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Laos, Kerry made no promises of success but said he hoped discussions with Russia could produce a tangible result in the next week to 10 days.

“My hope would be that somewhere in early August — the first week or so, somewhere in there — we would be in a position to be able stand up in front of you and tell you what we’re able to do with the hopes that it can make a difference to the lives of people in Syria and to the course of the war,” he said.

His comments followed remarks from Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Monday in which he said Kerry’s efforts with Russia have been complicated by the fact that Russia is focused mainly on supporting the Syrian government, which he said has had the effect of prolonging the civil war.

Russia’s policies so far have prolonged the five-year civil war there, Carter said, bolstering the hand of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as he battles opposition rebels in the northern city of Aleppo and elsewhere.

“We had hoped that [Moscow] would promote a political solution and transition to put an end to the civil war,” Carter said, but “they’re a long way from doing that.”

Kerry held marathon talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lavrov in Moscow earlier this month, striking an agreement on “concrete steps” to salvage a failing truce and cooperate on battling extremist groups in Syria.

Kerry has been talking to Russian officials about a proposal in which the U.S. would share intelligence and targeting information with the Russians. In exchange Moscow would use its influence with the Syrian regime to effectively ground the Syrian air force and promote a political solution to a civil war that has killed as many as a half a million people.

Kerry’s talks with Lavrov in Laos on Tuesday and with Putin in Moscow 10 days ago came after a leaked proposal showed the U.S. offering Russia a broad new military partnership against IS and the Nusra Front, which is al-Qaida’s Syrian affiliate. Several conditions would apply, including Russia committing to grounding Syria’s bombers and starting a long-sought political transition process.

U.S. defense and intelligence agencies have reportedly had strong reservations about sharing intelligence with the Russians or cooperating in a way that could reveal sensitive U.S. military methods, techniques, and procedures.

Meanwhile, Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump seemed to back the idea of closer cooperation with Russia in the battle against Islamic State and Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate Nusra Front.

“When you think about it, wouldn’t it be nice if we got along with Russia?” Trump said at a campaign rally in North Carolina. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we got together with Russia and knocked the hell out of [Islamic State]?” (with AP, Reuters)

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Catégories: European Union

A divided Church awaits Pope Francis in Poland

mar, 26/07/2016 - 10:51
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Pope Francis’ name was conspicuously absent from a letter issued by Polish bishops inviting Catholic youths to attend an international gathering to be held in Poland this week. Instead, the bishops spoke about John Paul II, who died in 2005, was made a saint in 2014.

As reported by the Reuters news agency, the bishops confirmed that Francis – and not the ghost of his predecessor – will be the centrepiece of World Youth Day events. But the omission reflects a sense of disquiet among senior clergy about his calls for a more inclusive and merciful Church, a message that contrasts with the preaching in many Polish churches.

Poland remains one of Europe’s most Catholic and conservative nations, with about 90% of citizens declaring allegiance to the Church. Its government openly calls for Christian values to be present in daily life and politics.

“I am absolutely convinced the meeting between Francis and the Polish Church will be challenging for both sides,” said Jaroslaw Makowski, a liberal Polish theologian.

“When he was invited to Poland in 2013, he was unknown… But after a few months it became clear he isn’t what was expected… but someone who wants to shake up the Church and push it off the path familiar to the Polish Church.”

The Vatican expects hundreds of thousands of young people from all continents to turn out to see the pope during his five-day visit that starts on July 27 in the southern city of Krakow, where John Paul was archbishop before he became pope in 1978.

Privately, Vatican officials said they expect Francis to wow young people in Poland just like he did at the last World Youth Day in Brazil three years ago, reported Reuters.

Poland has undergone a significant shift in its political landscape since the Eurosceptic, conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party in October ended nearly a decade of secular-minded government. The government disagrees with Francis on issues such as refugees and the environment. It opposes mandatory European Union quotas for accepting migrants and promotes coal as an energy source.

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Catégories: European Union

Sweden halves migration forecast

mar, 26/07/2016 - 10:32
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Back in April, the Swedish Migration Agency estimated more than 60,000 people would seek asylum in the country this year. Migrationsverket now believes between 30,000 and 50,000 people will seek asylum.

“There are above all two main reasons, the deal between the EU and Turkey and that the Balkan route is as good as shut,” the agency’s general director, Anders Danielsson, said in a statement on July 24.

As reported by The Local, the new predictions come just days after Sweden tightened its asylum rules, after receiving a record 163,000 applications last year. So far this year it has taken in around 2,000 people a month.

The amendments to the country’s asylum laws mean that migrants in Sweden are now granted only the minimum level of rights the European Union requires of its member states.

One of the biggest changes is the introduction of a new temporary residence permit for those offered protection in Sweden, instead of permanent permits, as the ruled had been previously.

Border controls, which are set to be in place until November, and ID checks on the Danish side of the Öresund bridge, are also credited with keeping the number of applications down, reported The Local.

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Catégories: European Union

China cracks down on original news reporting

mar, 26/07/2016 - 10:16
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Tightening its grip over the country’s web and information industries, China has ordered major online companies to stop original news reporting. A ban on several major news portals was imposed by the Cyberspace Administration of China.

As reported by Bloomberg, the agency instructed the operators of mobile and online news services to dismantle “current-affairs news” operations on July 22. From now on, they can only carry reports provided by government-controlled print or online media.

The sweeping ban gives authorities near-absolute control over online news and political discourse, in keeping with a broader crackdown on information increasingly distributed over the web and mobile devices. President Xi Jinping has stressed that Chinese media must serve the interests of the ruling Communist Party.

Willy Lam, an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Center for China Studies, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying that Xi is cementing his power base and silencing dissenters ahead of a twice-a-decade reshuffle at next year’s party congress. Lam said that he “is really tightening up his crusade to silence opponents in the media”.

According to Bloomberg, China’s online giants serve content, games and news to hundreds of millions of people across the country. Tencent’s QQ and WeChat alone host more than a billion users, combined.

The Financial Times reported that the trigger for the shutdown, according to media analysts, was coverage of flooding in northern China which, according to the official count, has left 130 dead and racked up damages of more than Rmb16bn ($2.4bn) in Hebei province alone.

Media relayed the event with videos of landslides and dead bodies floating in ditches, which have been heavily shared online. Beijing’s preferred narrative is one of army troops toughing it out to save stranded villages.

Qiao Mu, a journalism professor in Beijing, was quoted as saying that the government does not want any platforms to provide their own news. “They are only allowed to forward reports by outlets like Xinhua and the People’s Daily,” he said.

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Catégories: European Union

Turkish Airlines fires 211 after attempted coup

mar, 26/07/2016 - 10:07
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Turkey’s state-run airline, Turkish Airlines, has sacked 211 employees, including management and cabin crew, who were reportedly linked to the Islamic transnational Gulen movement after the recent failed coup.

As reported by the Independent, this is part of a purge of state institutions.

Turkish authorities have sacked, suspended or detained some 60,000 people, mainly public-sector employees, after the failed coup by a small faction in the military. They are accused of sympathising or belonging to a religious group led by Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic preacher in self-imposed exile in the United States.

More than 240 people were killed and 2,000 injured in violence surrounding the July 15 coup attempt.

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Catégories: European Union

Merkel’s refugee policies under attack

mar, 26/07/2016 - 09:58
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Germany’s populist AfD party has attacked the government’s refugee policies in the wake of several attacks that left several dead and many injured.

As reported by Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s international broadcaster, the flags fluttering over Germany’s parliament buildings on July 25 were no longer flying at half-mast. But the country was still reeling from the attacks that occurred within the space of just a few days.

On July 24, a man set off an explosive device near an open-air music festival in Ansbach, killing himself and wounding a dozen others. An Islamist motive was “likely,” authorities said. This followed a shooting rampage in a shopping centre in Munich on July 22, and an axe attack on a train in Würzburg on July 18 by a young man, which was claimed by the self-declared Islamic State.

The attackers on the train and in Ansbach were refugees, while the perpetrator of the July 23 shooting rampage was of Iranian-German descent.

According to DW, Germany is struggling to bridge the divide between those who support Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s decision to open the country’s borders to migrants a year ago and those, who are clamouring for harsher asylum laws. These include the populist, right-wing and virulently anti-migrant and anti-Islam Alternative for Germany Party (AfD).

A government spokeswoman on July 25 refused to speculate whether recent events were likely to change Merkel’s refugee policy. “The Chancellor has voiced her dismay,” said spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer, choosing her words carefully. “We need to wait for the outcome of the investigations,” she added.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere (CDU) agreed. He told reporters he did not believe that Merkel’s refugee policy had been too optimistic. He also stressed that all refugees, including the perpetrators of the attacks in Ansbach, Würzburg and Munich, routinely underwent safety checks as part of their asylum application.

Maiziere, however, said the problem was that there was no exhaustive, Europe-wide data base of radicalised potential attackers. That, he said, was “problematic”.

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Catégories: European Union

Theresa May in Northern Ireland

mar, 26/07/2016 - 09:38
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British Prime Minister Theresa May visited Northern Ireland on July 25 to meet with first and deputy first ministers, Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness. They discussed the impact of the Brexit vote.

“If you look ahead, what is going to happen when the UK leaves the European Union is that of course Northern Ireland will have a border with the Republic of Ireland, which will remain a member of the European Union,” said May during her visit to Northern Ireland, which will remain a member of the European Union. “But we’ve had a common travel area between the UK and the Republic of Ireland many years before either country was a member of the European Union.

“Nobody wants to return to the borders of the past,” she added. “What we do want to do is to find a way through this that is going to work and deliver a practical solution for everybody – as part of the work that we are doing to ensure that we make a success of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union – and that we come out of this with a deal which is in the best interests of the whole of the United Kingdom.”

As reported by the BBC, May arrived to Belfast emphasising her strong personal commitment to serving all the people of the UK. But, at Stormont Castle, she came face to face with the divisions opened up by the decision to quit the EU.

Although the UK voted to leave the European Union, 56% of people in Northern Ireland voted to remain.

In related news, the Guardian noted that the Irish government is increasingly hopeful that it will be able to retain both free movement and a customs union across the border with Northern Ireland, but the shape of any deal will depend on the kind of wider Brexit sought by May and the willingness of the rest of the EU to be flexible.

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Catégories: European Union

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