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Dél-Koreával kezdett közös hadgyakorlatot az amerikai haditengerészet, melynek során ellenséges tengeralattjárók elhárítására, és Észak-Koreából érkező katonai fenyegetésre adott közös válaszra készülnek.

Ahead of the Naval Combat Systems conference (28-29 July 2015, London, UK), which will  explore the value and advantages of specific system programmes and of a variety of surface vessels’ contingent combat capability, Defence IQ interviewed Captain R. Trevor King to

This year, the Integrated Air and Missile Defence conference is branching out towards a special Eastern Europe-focused summit to be held in Warsaw this July. Senior ministers and officers from Poland, as well as the likes of Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Czech Repu

June 1, 2015 (JUBA) - Ambassador Gabriel Setlhoke shakes his head in apparent horror after touring staff offices at a public school in the South Sudan capital, Juba on Monday.

“When I went to the head teacher's office, I nearly went down on my knees after seeing the terrible conditions within which he works,” Setlhoke, the South African envoy to South Sudan, said, as MTN South Sudan donated an internet-connected computer lab, the second in a public elementary school, as part of the Group's flagship volunteer event, 21 Days of Y'ello Care.

Setlhoke said South African firms operating within South Sudan ought to use the 67 Minutes for Mandela, a minute for every year of Mandela's jail term, to improve infrastructure in the young nation's schools.

“MTN and our companies must use that 67 minutes. I think they can do something to help. I have been talking to the minister of Education, Dr. John Gai Yoh, since the time when he was the representative of the SPLM to South Africa, to find ways and projects that can improve the conditions of learning," he stressed.

Under this year's 21 Days of Y'ello Care, staff will also hold a Digital Expo at Juba University to disseminate knowledge on ICT, engage with girls and tutors in institutions of higher learning and with women in business, and donate modems and computers to participating institutions.

“This year's Y'ello Care is in line with our vision of fostering ICT through education,” Philip Besiimire, Chief Executive of MTN South Sudan, said.

“We believe the young will embrace this technology, which comes with the knowledge economy,” he added.

In South Sudan, this year's initiative follows an aggressive expansion of network coverage and capacity that saw MTN rollout 76 new sites, built by ZTE, and become the largest and fastest 3.75G data network in the country with crystal-clear voice calls and superfast Internet browsing speeds.

(ST).

June 1, 2015 (BOR) - Inadequate support and ignorance have contributed to the rising numbers of street children in South Sudan's largest state of Jonglei, an official said.

Street children in South Sudan (AP)

In a report presented to lawmakers on Monday, the state minister for gender and social welfare, Rachael Anok said majority of children on streets hailed from families of civil servants.

These children come from families where both or one of their parents serve as employees in the state government, the gender and social welfare minister disclosed.

Anok told lawmakers that they carried out a survey, which showed that these children opted for street life due to lack of proper care, ignorance and insufficient support from parents.

The ministry, in its assessment, discovered that only 44 boys aged between 6-17 years were vulnerable with no families in Bor county.

According to Anok, the 44 kids would be supported to go back to school by the government with the help from partners, adding that a separate camp for them was discouraged on legal basis.

“We made an assessment to identify the vulnerable street kids, but we came to realise that very many of them [children], had their parents here in Bor,” she told lawmakers.

“The parents of these children serve in different ministries in Jonglei,” she added.

The ministry, Anok said, advised that the children be taken to schools, further stressing that the responsibility of caring for them was in the hands of their parents.

Most street kids in Bor are known for pick-pocketing, a habit they practice for survival. Others shine shoes and wash cars for money.

With no shelter to their rescue, majority of these children sleep in old cars and abandoned houses while eating food leftovers from hotels.

Meanwhile, the Korean Child Funds pledged to construct temporary structures in Bor Leudier to enable street children access education.

(ST)

June 1, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese minister of minerals Ahmed Sadiq al-Karuri warned that some unnamed foreign organizations are actively compiling negative reports on the mining sector in Sudan especially gold as a prelude to a ban the country's exports of this precious metal.

Workers break rocks at the Wad Bushara gold mine near Abu Delelq in Gadarif State, Wad Bushara on 27 April 2013 (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

Sudan is trying to compensate for the loss in oil which constituted more than 50% of its revenues until 2011 South Sudan seceded and took with it 75% of the country's oil reserves.

The East African nation now ranks third in Africa in terms of gold production after South Africa and Ghana and aspires to reach the top spot by 2018.

Last March, a US-based think-tank group urged Washington to impose sanctions on gold produced in Sudan's conflict zones.

“After studying this regime for 25 years, it is my conclusion that the Khartoum government is most vulnerable to targeted, focused, relentless economic and financial pressure. Therein lies the greatest opportunity for American leverage to be deployed in support of peace and human rights in Sudan,” John Prendergast, the co-founder of the Enough Project, said in prepared remarks before US congress.

Prendergast urged the US congress to introduce a resolution that would “call on banks and gold refiners to red-flag Sudanese gold as high risk, and for gold industry associations to include Sudan as a high-risk country in their conflict-free audits, in order to ascertain what gold exports from Sudan are conflict-affected”.

At a speech before his ministry on Monday, al-Karuri stressed that they will continue the process of regulating traditional mining operations in order to reduce the use of mercury.

He denied that the primary goal of regulation is to collect revenues and announced that the ministry has achieved 75% of the traditional mining reform plan.

More than 1 million Sudanese work in the traditional mining sector which produces the largest chunk of the country's gold but it is still difficult to obtain credible data.

Sudan said last March, that it produced 17 tonnes of gold during the months of January and February, and that it expects to boost production during 2015 to 80 tons and 100 tons in 2016.

The revenues from gold exports totaled more than $1 billion in 2014 according to a report previously released by the ministry of minerals.

(ST)

Americas

• F-35As will take part in USMC exercises for the first time this week, with the fighter also set to drop live ordnance. The Green Flag West exercises will run to June 12, with the Marine Corps’ B model Joint Strike Fighter recently concluding trials aboard USS Wasp.

• In a separate set of exercises, NORAD will flex its interceptor muscles in the early hours on Wednesday, with a planned readiness exercise. The testing will also be a chance for officials to drill personnel and fighters from Joint Air Defense Operations Center (JADOC), as well as civilian agencies under an umbrella exercise named Falcon Virgo 15-09.

• A first group of US Navy sailors are now trained to operate General Atomics’ EMALS system aboard the Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). Following successful no-load testing in May, shipborne testing of the system is scheduled for later this year, with the government also eyeing export opportunities for the system.

• The FMU-167/B Hard Target Void Sensing Fuse (HTVSF) has passed Milestone C review, with this opening the door to Low Rate Initial Production of the Orbital ATK-manufactured system. The HTVSF is under development with the Air Force and is designed to provide advanced capabilities against hardened and buried targets through the use of in-flight cockpit programmability and multi-function and multi-delay arming technologies

• Northrop Grumman will continue to support the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) system, with the Air Force handing the firm a $111 million contract modification to provide support services and equipment to the system through to April 2017. The system uses a laser to defeat missile threats to large aircraft, an increasingly important consideration owing to the proliferation of MANPADS.

Europe

• Following the award of a twelve-month feasibility study by the UK’s Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems will examine the potential to equip the Eurofighter Typhoon with a common weapon launcher. The study is aiming to assess whether a launcher could carry three weapons, increasing the Typhoon’s firepower and comes on the heels of a contract for the fighter’s Phase 3 Capability Enhancement (P3E) package, which will see the integration of several weapons, including the Brimstone II and Storm Shadow.

• British defense firm Ultra is acquiring the Electronic Warfare business units of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in an up-to $265 million deal announced Monday. The new business will be known as Ultra Electronics Herley Industries and become part of Ultra’s Tactical & Sonar Division. The deal is a reflection of the UK company’s continuing push into the US market, with Krato’s products equipping many platforms, including the US Navy’s Growlers.

Asia

• Japan has requested four E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning and control aircraft from the US, following a decision in November to procure the aircraft along with V-22 Ospreys and Global Hawk UAVs. The Japanese already operate the E-2C version of the Hawkeye, with this potential sale worth an estimated $1.7 billion.

• India has successfully tested a Harpoon anti-ship missile, with the country having requested the Boeing-built missiles twice, in 2008 and again in July last year. Launched from a Jaguar fighter, the missiles are intended to equip the Indian Air Force’s fleets of Jaguar and Poseidon aircraft, as well as the Indian Navy’s Shishumar-class submarines.

• India and the US are also set to sign a defense framework agreement on SecDef Carter’s visit to the country this week, with a specific focus on technology transfer and joint development. The most significant area of cooperation is likely to be missile defense.

Today’s Video

• A Royal Navy frigate demonstrating the Harpoon…

June 1, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The newly elected speaker of the Sudanese parliament Ibrahim Ahmed Omer said his country is committed to promoting the principles of Shura (consultation) in all issues that affect the nation's progress towards prosperity and development.

Sudan's new parliament speaker Ibrahim Ahmed Omer June 1, 2015 (ST)

Omer, who has been elected speaker of the National Assembly by 375 votes on Monday, underscored the country's leadership awareness of the importance of the national dialogue, saying they identified the areas of deficiency which is hindering its progress.

He pointed that the national dialogue initiative launched by president Omer al-Bashir has been widely welcomed by those who are keen on Sudan's progress, demanding adherence to unity and to raise the spirit of cooperation and brotherhood.

Bashir launched the national dialogue initiative in January 2014 but it faced serious setbacks after the government refusal to create suitable atmosphere by releasing political prisoners, ensuring freedoms, and postponing elections.

The Umma Party led by former PM al-Sadiq al-Mahdi withdrew from the process in protest of al-Mahdi's arrest in May 2014.

Later on, several political parties including the Reform Now Movement (RNM) led by Ghazi Salah al-Din and the Just Peace Forum (JPF) led by al-Tayeb Mustafa and the Alliance of the Peoples' Working Forces (APWF) announced they had decided to suspend participation in the national dialogue until the requirements of a conducive environment are met.

The speaker of the parliament stressed that the National Assembly intends to continue efforts to complete the national dialogue and to engage all political forces and civil society figures to resolve the challenges facing the country particularly issues of security and peace.

He noted that the recent parliamentary and presidential elections was a necessary constitutional requirement, describing it as “bright spot” in Sudan's history.

Omer noted that 43 political parties have participated in the elections, saying that 21 of them are being represented in the parliament.

Sudan's general elections produced sweeping victory for the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and president Bashir was re-elected with 94% of the votes.

It should be recalled that the opposition boycotted the election, citing a widespread crackdown on civil society and the media, which they say created an impossible environment to fairly contest Bashir's presidency.

Omer called upon the civil society leaders to be aware of the aggression plots which targets Sudan's security and stability, praising efforts of the army and regular forces to maintain security and defend the country against various types of aggression.

He emphasized the parliament's full support for the army and the police, pointing to Sudan's participation in the Saudi-led “Decisive Storm” operation to restore the legitimate rule in Yemen.

He stressed that the Sudanese people are standing by their leadership in its efforts to support the Arab and Muslim nation.

Last April, Sudan joined the military coalition against Yemen's Huthis comprising mainly of Arab Gulf states in addition to Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.

The offensive codenamed “Operation Decisive Storm” is targeting Shiite Houthi militants allied with Iran, who have taken control of Yemen's capital Sanna since September 2014.

The head of the independent lawmakers bloc at the national assembly Abdul-Jalil Aajabin disclosed their intention to meet with president Omer Hassan al-Bashir to participate in the executive branch while finding guarantees for the bloc to work with the government in accordance with national principles.

Aajabin who was speaking at a press conference in the parliament noted that they come from marginalized areas in need of services.

His deputy Mubarak Abbas announced their agreement on fundamental principles for the nation's issues and the development of the less-developed regions in coordination with the government for what he called the big goals.

"We will not act as opposition in all issues but we will work with a strong will to pass policies," Abbas said.

MP Abu al-Gasim Burtum from Dongola constituency (2), who declined to join the independent bloc and refused to vote for any of the candidates for parliament speakership expressed surprise over the choice of Omer saying he expected the ruling party would put forward new faces.

He pointed out that he did not run for parliament to be a pressure tool but to provide services to his constituents and for the country and to covey the concerns of the citizens of his district.

(ST)

Thione Seck passera-t-il de la scène à la prison ? Arrêté la semaine dernière à son domicile la star de la musique sénégalaise devra expliquer à la justice pourquoi de très importantes sommes d'argent en faux billets ont été retrouvées chez lui.

L'organisation terroriste al-Qaïda au Maghreb islamique (Aqmi) a revendiqué les deux attaques perpétrées la semaine dernière dans la région de Tombouctou contre des casques bleus de l'ONU. C'est un porte-parole du groupe qui rendu public cette revendication.

Il y a une semaine, le directeur de la compagnie d’énergie électrique du Togo (CEET) a rendu public un programme de délestage, aussitôt mis en place. L’information a immédiatement suscité l'inquiétude auprès des petites et moyennes entreprises.

Un vent de contestation souffle au sein du PDS, le parti de l'ancien président sénégalais Abdoulaye Wade. Il y a ceux qui ont claqué la porte, comme l'ancien Premier ministre Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye - qui vient de créer son propre parti politique - et ceux qui, en interne, ont bien l'intention de poser le débat.

Lundi 1er juin, le président burkinabè était reçu à l'Elysée par son homologue français François Hollande. Au coeur de leur entretien, entre autres, il a été question des prochaines élections que doivent organiser les autorités de transition. Michel Kafando en a également profité pour remercier la France de son soutien dans ce processus.

By L.E.

A Smile – Szabadkai Nagycsaládos Egyesületből, a hajdújárási Kolibri Nagycsaládos Egyesületből és a magyarkanizsai Kuckó Nagycsaládos Egyesületből mintegy 50 személy vett részt május 31-én Magyarkanizsán a honismereti szakkör zárórendezvényén. Megtekintették a város nevezetességeit, és a Tisza-parton családi pikniket tartva töltöttek el egy napot. A szakkört a Balassi Intézet támogatta, a A cikk folytatása …

Read more here: Magyar Szó – Szabadka

    

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has a plan to kickstart the stalled peace process. Can he broker a deal before famine strikes the world’s newest nation?

Opinión - 2/6/2015
Carmen González Enríquez
No existen soluciones claras desde la UE para resolver un problema humanitario, de seguridad y económico.

The outlook for defence spending in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates – unlike that of their neighbours – remains positive, according to IHS analysis. “Despite Saudi Arabia’s heavy exposure to oil price fluctuations, there have been very few signs of any

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP: New York (ots/PRNewswire) - Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP hat heute bekanntgegeben, dass Steffen Schellschmidt der Finanzrechtspraxis als Sozius im Frankfurter Büro der Kanzlei beitritt. Schellschmidt berät Sponsoren, Emittenten und ...

Is the violent extremism that's fueling the Islamic State something new?

New York - Le secrétaire général de la Fifa et bras droit de Sepp Blatter, Jérôme Valcke, a transféré 10 millions de dollars sur des comptes gérés par l'ancien vice-président de l'organisation, Jack Warner, rapporte le New York Times lundi.