Feed aggregator

This article gives you insight into the latest development news across the biggest airborne ISR programmes currently underway in the United States. Including progress on the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS), delays to the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne

Brazil and Peru are both embarking on major Amazon surveillance and protection programmes, involving systems and subsystems that will eventually begin to integrate on a national and cross-border basis. With billions of dollars being spent over the coming years on assets ranging from sa

The market for new submarines is forecast to exceed $100 billion over the next ten years. A total of 451 submarines are in service worldwide –excluding midget/mini submarines (56) – with the fleets of the U.S.A. (72), Russia  (57) and China (62) amounting to 43 percent

With technology rapidly advancing, the design and operation of the modern fighter aircraft has become simpler on the surface, and yet – in many other ways – more complex. From outfitting platforms for multi-mission capabilities to implementing a more agile logistics chain,

Es gibt eine Partei im Land, die primär mit ihrer Anständigkeit punkten will: die BDP. Doch das reicht nicht, um sich in den Wahlen zu empfehlen.

September 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The national dialogue commission known as 7 +7 has indicated that it is open to holding a preparatory dialogue meeting in Addis Ababa which was requested by the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) but under certain conditions.

3rd meeting of the national dialogue national assembly in Khartoum on Thursday 20 August 2015 (Photo - SUNA)

Last August, AUPSC invited the government and the opposition to a meeting at the AU headquarters in preparation for a comprehensive national dialogue but the government vehemently refuses to hold any round of dialogue abroad.

President Omer al-Bashir affirmed this position during a town hall with Sudanese expatriates in China last Friday saying there is no way dialogue will be moved out of Sudan. He assured that the government will provide sufficient guarantees for rebels to participate.

This position is shared also by the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) of Hassan al-Turabi which has grown closer to the ruling party since last year and after declaring its inability to topple the regime.

But today, the supreme coordinating mechanism of the National Dialogue said it agreed to such a conference but with the presence of rebels only and stressed that discussions then will be confined to guarantees that can be offered to them to join the dialogue inside Sudan.

A member of the mechanism by the name of Osman Abu al-Magd read a statement on this new position and expressed disappointment that rebels have not responded positively to the dialogue invitation since it was initiated in January 2014.

He said the mechanism appreciates the efforts of the AU High-Level mechanism headed by Thabo Mbeki towards achieving peace and stability in Sudan and its support for dialogue.

Abu al-Magd called on the AU to intensify its efforts in support of dialogue especially with the armed movements.

The relationship between Khartoum and the AU became strained after the AUPSC organized a hearing for the opposition "Sudan Call" forces on August 24th which led the former to condemn the move and describe it as "outrageous initiative” declaring its refusal for any foreign involvement in the process.

The AUPSC also issued a decision demanding that the government and rebels declare a ceasefire in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Bashir launched the national dialogue initiative more than a year and a half 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 after the government refusal to create suitable atmosphere by releasing political prisoners, ensuring freedoms, and postponement of elections.

This prompted several parties and groups to withdraw from the process such as the heavyweight National Umma Party (NUP) led by al-Sadiq al-Mahdi.

In a related issue, the government sponsored Sudanese Media Centre (SMC) website reported that dissidents from the Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) decided to participate in the national dialogue convention due to start in October.

The Vice chairman of the Leadership Council of the defecting group Adam Saleh Abakr told SMC that they categorically reject the AUPSC decision on pre-dialogue meeting in Addis Ababa.

Abakr disclosed that their efforts on persuading their peers to join the national dialogue have come a long way and will end with the participation of heavyweight figures soon.

(ST)

En Grèce, la crise migratoire rend la situation sur l'île de Lesbos très tendue. Dimanche 6 septembre, la police a réprimé une rixe entre réfugiés. Des renforts ont été envoyés tandis que le ministre de l'Immigration du gouvernement transitoire était sur place pour trouver des solutions. C'est sur cette île qu'arrive la moitié des 230 000 réfugiés qui ont débarqué sur les côtes grecques depuis le début de l’année. Les autorités sont dépassées par les événements.

Les groupes armés pro-gouvernementaux du Gatia ont commencé ce week-end leur retrait d’Anéfis, localité de la région de Kidal prise le mois dernier des mains des rebelles de la Coordination des mouvements de l’Azawad, qui pour protester contre cette violation de l'accord d'Alger, ont suspendu leur participation au processus de paix.

Une importante attaque des rebelles kurdes du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) a causé la mort de soldats turcs dimanche 6 septembre au soir, dans le sud-est du pays, a annoncé l'armée. D'autres ont été blessés. Le bilan est encore incertain. L'armée de l'air a mené des frappes en représailles. 

Argentina's defence minister Agustin Rossi and Bolivian president Evo Morales announced on 5 September that the two countries had signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) that would see Bolivia acquire a variety of defence systems from its South American neighbour. Under the LoI, the two countries are

Key Points Progressive announcements since June have indicated more cuts, and there are now signs that sectors previously exempt from cuts, such as healthcare, may also be affected. Cuts in social spending are likely to erode support for the government and undermine the relative social peace

Key Points Companies face low strike risks in Mexico compared with elsewhere in Latin America, but day-to-day labour relations are still difficult. There were 8,110 labour disputes taken to court in January-July 2015. Unions have amassed considerable political and economic power in exchange for

EVENT On 4 and 5 September 2015 fighting was reported between Tajik security forces and armed militants in the vicinity of Dushanbe and Dushanbe International Airport, with at least 22 fatalities. According to Tajikistan's interior ministry, on 4 September nine policemen died in gun attacks in the

EVENT On 6 September 2015, an anti-government rally in central Chisinau involved between 40,000 and 100,000 people, according to the respective estimates of the Interior Ministry and the event's organisers. The protest was organised by Dignity and Truth (Demnitate si Adevar: DA), a non-party

Iraq's newly arrived F-16 fighter aircraft have carried out attacks on the Islamic State, Minister of Defence Khalid al-Ubaydi announced on 6 September. To accompany the announcement, the Iraqi Ministry of Defence released footage shot by airborne targeting or surveillance systems showing

Key Points US government contracts Willard Marine to supply patrol boats to the Philippines Donation will bolster the Philippine National Police's maritime law enforcement capabilities The Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group will take delivery of four new patrol vessels from US boat

The Polish government is considering procuring its submarine replacement in collaboration with another NATO country, such as the Netherlands or Norway, Deputy Defence Minister Czeslaw Mroczek told Polish media. Speaking to the PAP press agency on 6 September, Mroczek said that such a teaming would

EVENT Over 10,000 people gathered in Shinjuku, Tokyo, yesterday (6 September) to protest against the security bills currently being discussed in the Diet. On the previous Sunday (30 August) over 30,000 people gathered outside the Diet, Chiyoda ward, and in approximately 200 other locations around

EVENT On 6 September 2015, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the previous week was the first since the signing of Minsk II ceasefire agreement on 12 February 2015 in which a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine had been implemented. Ceasefire violations along the line of contact (LoC) in Donetsk

THREE police officers were killed in a small-arms attack at a junction near the airport in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe early on 4 September, Asia-Plus reported. No group or individual immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, although unnamed police and security forces - cited in media