Agrégateur de flux

Une exposition de l'artiste danois Olafur Eliasson se tient dans le palais et les jardins du Château de Versailles jusqu'au 30 octobre.

Americas

• Boeing plans to test its new Chinook rotor blades this October. If successful, the heavy-lift helicopter will gain an extra 2,000lb for its maximum take-off weight. Using honeycomb composite rotor blades, good news from Boeing could see it form part of the CH-47 Block II upgrades the Army is pursuing, and be open to funding previously denied by the Department of Defense (DoD).

• The ongoing debacle over Canada’s exit from the F-35 program may see Lockheed Martin shift contracts associated with the fighter away from Canadian contractors. Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s election promise to not order the next generation fighter, and government plans to purchase F/A-18 Super Hornets as an interim solution, has resulted in Ottawa not placing any orders for the fighter despite being an original partner nation in the project. With the F-35 supply chain contracts tied to the number of aircraft purchased by partner nations, Canadian companies may see work shifted to other partner nations who have seemingly been pestering Lockheed to do so. To date, Canadian firms account for about $1 billion of the project’s development and production work.

Middle East North Africa

• Two US senators are looking to limit sales of munitions to Saudi Arabia in protest of the Gulf kingdom’s conduct during its military intervention in Yemen. Senators Chris Murphy and Rand Paul, both members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would bar US sales of air-to-ground munitions until Saudi Arabia promises to take precautions to limit civilian casualties and combat terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda alongside Houthi rebels. In November, the State Department cleared a $1.29 billion sale of 10,000 advance air-to-ground munitions to Saudi Arabia.

Africa

• Ammunition destined for use by German forces serving in Mali has gone missing. The crate, containing 880 pieces of ammunition, went missing on a commercial Air France flight transporting troops and weapons from Berlin to Bamoko via Paris on May 28. Berlin police have been notified of the incident. Germany is taking part in the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and also has 200 soldiers in the country as part of a European mission to train Malian troops.

Europe

• BAE Systems is confident that ongoing talks with the UK government could lead to the launch of a fourth flight trial for the Taranis unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator. The first three flight trials took place in Australia between August 2013 and late 2015. Work on the Taranis program was feeding into the Anglo-French Future Combat Air Systems (FCAS) which involves efforts from BAE Systems, Dassault, Rolls-Royce, Safran, Leonardo, and Thales.

• Ongoing bilateral talks between Germany and France to develop a joint next generation artillery are being conducted alongside discussions for a planned replacement of their Leopard and Leclerc heavy tanks. French weapons systems manufacturer Nexter has teamed up with German counter-part Krauss-Maffei Wegmann to form a joint venture, which has been named KNDS, or KMW and Nexter Defense Systems. It’s believed that any new artillery or tank programs will most likely be launched between 2025 and 2030.

Asia Pacific

• As many as five South East Asian nations are in talks to purchase the BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missile. News of the interest was reported by Reuters after seeing an undated note from the Indian government to BrahMos Aerospace ordering the manufacturer to accelerate talks to sell the missile to Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Chile, and Brazil. The note also mentions 11 other countries in which to carry out further talks including Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

• Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) plans to purchase two refurbished C-130Ks from UK firm Marshall Aerospace has raised some controversy over costs and previous history with the company. The former RAF aircraft were apparently sold to Marshall as scrap metal for $2.5 million each. A deal to modernize and resell the aircraft to the SLAF, however, is coming at a combined price tag of $35 million. According to an expert within the service, buying the plane in its original condition and having a refurbishing company bring the aircraft back to flying status would cost only an extra $6 to 7 million each.

Today’s Video

• GoPro footage of Kazakhstan Air Force EC-145 2-ship flying demo:

American Bell AH-1W Super Cobra Attack Helicopter

A monthly agricultural auction in England draws bidders from around the world. But why do two old Massey Ferguson tractors remain so popular?

Rheinmetall Air Defence will showcase its new remotely controlled, autonomous, network-capable air defence system, Oerlikon Revolver Gun Mk3 at Eurosatory 2016.

A series of ten Project 12418 missile boats are being licence-built at the Ba Son Shipyard for the Vietnamese Navy.

Battelle and Halyard Health have been contracted by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) to co-develop a medical device that can help reduce the loss of tissue in severely injured limbs.

The UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed a further £642m of funding for the Successor submarine programme, bringing the total spend so far to £3.9bn. With the programme’s assessment phase totalling £3.9bn and opposition remaining strong, how feasible…

Germany-based ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has received a service order worth €40m from Peruvian naval shipyard SIMA to support extensive modernisation work on the Peruvian Navy's four HDW 209/1200 (Type 209/1200) class submarines.

The US Navy's newest Pathfinder class oceanographic survey ship, USNS Maury (T-AGS 66), has successfully concluded its first voyage.

June 12, 2016 (JUBA) - South Sudanese minister of general education and instruction, Deng Deng Yai, has described education as the best weapon for liberation from poverty and ignorance.

US embassy chargé ambassador Charles Twining and education minister John Gai attend the BRAC launch (Photo courtesy of USAID)

He said South Sudan would have instilled nationalism and embrace democracy if its populations were educated.

“The best tool and weapon for liberation from poverty, hunger, ignorance in South Sudan is education. As a country and as people, we need to invest more in the development of an educational system that promotes harmony, instil nationalism and promote values of democracy, peaceful coexistence, tolerance and cultural diversity,” Yai said.

“This can be found through education. An educated society prospers,” he further explained when asked to comment on the purpose for organizing annual school competition.

Deng said he would like to leave behind a legacy after retiring from public service as someone who established vibrant educational system by ensuring during his tenure that more teachers, specifically those involved in inspection are trained and empowered to carry out their inspectorate work with relevant knowledge.

He made the remarks in line with the ongoing preparations for inter-school competitions that will involve teams from all the states of the country.

All the schools earmarked to participate in the inter-school competition slated to take place in Juba, will converge in Yambio town, Western Equatoria. Preparations, Yai said, are being undertaken.

A supervisory committee headed by him has been formed and another technical committee comprising the undersecretary at the ministry of general education and the ministry of youth and sports has also been assembled to study and recommend what needs to be done before competitions take place.

(ST)

June 12, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's dialogue body known as 7+7 committee has said that the national dialogue's general assembly would be held on August 6th.

Sudanese Information Minister Ahmed al-Balal Osman speaks during a press conference in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 9, 2013. ( Photo AFP/ASHRAF SHAZLY)

The announcement came after a meeting between the 7+7 committee and President Omer al-Bashir on Sunday.

Member of the 7+7 committee,Information Minister and Government Spokesperson Ahmed Bilal Osman told reporters following the meeting that the national dialogue “came to an end and we are waiting for the general assembly to approve the recommendations which would pave the way for the great shift in Sudan”.

He added that the period which precedes the general assembly's meeting would witness intensive contacts with those interested in joining the dialogue besides the opposition holdout groups inside Sudan and abroad.

Launched on 10 October 2015 for three months, the dialogue process was initially expected to wind up on 10th January.

The opposition groups refuse to join the process and call on the government to implement a number of confidence building measures aimed to create a suitable atmosphere for dialogue. But the government refuses their claims.

Osman pointed that the 7+7 committee would conduct large contacts with the Sudanese people and the opposition holdout parties to get them acquainted with the recommendations of the dialogue conference.

He added that the meeting discussed the 7+7 committee's final report on the first and second phases of the dialogue which included 900 recommendations on the six issues of the dialogue, saying the conferees have agreed on 97% of these recommendations.

It is noteworthy that the national dialogue conference has discussed six main issues including the national identity, freedoms and rights, national economy, foreign relations, governance and implementation of the outcome of the dialogue.

For his part, member of the 7+7 committee Bishara Gumaa Aror said the national dialogue has accommodated all views of the opposition holdout groups, disclosing ongoing contacts to convince the latter to join the dialogue.

He stressed that no preparatory meeting would take place outside Sudan, saying the 7+7 could hold consultative meetings with the opposition holdout abroad.

In September 2014, the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) endorsed a roadmap aiming to facilitate the national dialogue. It provides to hold a national dialogue preparatory meeting in Addis to agree on issues related to the process.

Sudanese Information Minister Ahmed al-Balal Osman speaks during a press conference in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 9, 2013. ( Photo AFP/ASHRAF SHAZLY)

However, the Sudanese government refuses to take part in the pre-dialogue meeting, expressing readiness to meet the rebels to discuss the conditions and guarantees related to their participation in the internal process.

Bashir launched the national dialogue initiative two and a half years ago in which he urged opposition parties and rebels alike to join the dialogue table to discuss all the pressing issues.

But the initiative faced serious setbacks in wake of the government's refusal to create suitable atmosphere in the country leading several major participants to pull out.

(ST)

June 12, 2016 (JUBA) – Rival South Sudanese forces clashed on Saturday in Central Equatoria state, situated south of the national capital, Juba.

South Sudanese SPLA soldiers in Pageri in Eastern Equatoria state on August 20, 2015 (Photo AFP/Samir Bol)

The deadly clashes, between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those loyal to First Vice President, Riek Machar, left at least 21 soldiers dead and dozen others wounded on both sides, according to military sources.

“SPLA and SPLA-IO forces clashed on Saturday. The fighting occurred in Kansuk payam of Keji Keji county. Our forces were attacked in the area by the SPLA forces,” a senior military officer of the SPLA-IO told Sudan Tribune on Sunday.

He blamed the forces loyal to President Kiir for allegedly attacking their military base around Keji Keji in Kansuk area.

The source, who is also a member of the military committee responsible for the security arrangements per the August 2015 peace agreement, also claimed that the SPLA-IO forces defeated the SPLA forces in self-defence.

“We managed to chase them [SPLA forces] back into Keji Keji town,” he said.

He further claimed that at least 20 soldiers from the rival SPLA forces were killed, one tank and a number of military vehicles were either destroyed or captured.

SPLA-IO forces in Equatoria region have not been cantoned and processes to do so have not been implemented.

The latest fighting is the first deadliest clashes in the region after formation of the transitional government of national unity which brought together rival leaders who fought for two years.

Sources in the capital, Juba, said the situation on Sunday was calm, but tense after the Saturday clashes in Keji Keji.

(ST)

June 12, 2016 (NYALA) - Unidentified gunmen Saturday have stormed Silik pharmacy in downtown Nyala, capital of South Darfur state and stole cash money before fleeing.

A Sudanese military tank is stationed near a security facility in South Darfur capital Nyala on 4 July 2013 (Photo: Getty Images)

A pharmacist working for Silik pharmacy by the name of Madiha told Sudan Tribune that masked men broke into the pharmacy at 9:30 pm (local time) and threatened the pharmacist at gunpoint after they handcuffed him.

She pointed that the gunmen stole sums of money from the cabinet besides the mobile phone of the pharmacist.

Meanwhile, residents of Hai al-Jebel neighbourhood in the eastern part of Nyala have heard sounds of intense gunshots on Saturday night and there were reports of clashes between the police and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

However, no official statement has been issued on the incident which caused fear and panic among the residents.

A number of residents have expressed concern over the return of the lawlessness situation which prevailed in Nyala before imposing the emergency situation, pointing that the looting of a pharmacy in downtown is a serious indicator that the state could return to the previous situation.

Since July 2014, the governor of South Darfur Adam Mahmoud Jar al-Nabi, declared an indefinite emergency situation in the state, including a curfew from 7pm to 7am (local time) in Nyala.

The decision also banned riding of motorcycles by more than one person, holding weapons while wearing civilian clothes, vehicles driving around without license plates, and wearing a kadamool (a turban which covers the face).

(ST)

La Belgique entame ce lundi 13 juin son Euro par un match de tous les dangers face à l'Italie. La seconde nation au classement de la FIFA suit depuis le début des années 2000 les traces de l'équipe de France «black, blanc, beur» en intégrant des joueurs d'origine congolaise. Sur les traces des frères Mpanza, Jordan et Romelu Lokaku, Vincent Company, Michy Batshuayi, Christian Benteke font partie de la meilleure équipe européenne au classement FIFA. Dans le quartier congolais de Matonge à Bruxelles, la communauté congolaise suit avec passion cet Euro très africain et soutient à fond son équipe, les Diables rouges. 

Londres a finalement réagi dimanche en fin de journée après les violences survenues à Marseille entre supporters anglais et russes avant et à la fin de la rencontre Angleterre-Russie. Dans un bref communiqué, le gouvernement britannique s’est dit « profondément préoccupé » par ces incidents tout en évitant néanmoins de pointer du doigt le comportement de ses propres fans.

Die Linksregierung von Premierminister António Costa ist stabiler als erwartet. Doch ihre Reformen belasten den Haushalt und bremsen Wachstumsimpulse.

Ein unerwarteter Sieg der Oppositionspartei PAN über die Partei von Präsident Enrique Peña Nieto lässt das Rennen um die Präsidentschaft offener werden.

(Own report) - With tensions rising between China and western powers, the German chancellor is using her current visit in Beijing to enhance Sino-German economic cooperation. German investments in the People's Republic of China had increased to around 60 billion Euros in 2014 - tendency still rising - surpassed only by investments in the USA and a few EU countries. Business representatives are campaigning in favor of stronger German participation in a Chinese trillion-dollar project. This project named the "New Silk Road," is aimed at bolstering ties between Eastern Asia and Europe. The project, also on the agenda of today's German-Chinese government consultations, has two components, overland and maritime transport routes. Trade by train from Chongqing to Duisburg and by ship through the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean will be enhanced. While German companies hope for lucrative business deals, strategists warn that the New Silk Road could enhance Beijing's global influence - and ultimately break the western powers' global dominance.