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Der nordkoreanische Machthaber Kim Jong-un hat seine Teilnahme an der chinesischen Gedenkfeier zum 70. Jahrestag des Sieges im Zweiten Weltkrieg im September 2015 abgesagt. Da er schon seine Reise zu den Moskauer Festlichkeiten im Mai nicht angetreten hatte, lässt das erste Treffen mit Chinas Präsident Xi Jinping weiter auf sich warten, und das, obwohl dieser schon zwei Jahre im Amt ist. Offenbar haben die chinesisch-nordkoreanischen Beziehungen, die sich seit dem dritten Nukleartest vom 12. Februar 2013 kontinuierlich verschlechterten, einen historischen Tiefpunkt erreicht. Irritiert sind viele chinesische Beobachter zudem von den brutalen innenpolitischen Säuberungen in Nordkorea. So wurde im Dezember 2013 der langjährige China-Verbindungsmann Jang Song-thaek binnen drei Tagen seines Amtes enthoben und zum Tode verurteilt. Verteidigungsminister Hyon Yong-chol wurde im April 2015 abgesetzt und hingerichtet – ein Schicksal, das auch zahlreiche andere Vertreter der nordkoreanischen Führungselite ereilte. Diese Ereignisse wurden vom chinesischen Außenministerium eher vorsichtig als »innenpolitische Angelegenheiten Nordkoreas« bezeichnet oder oftmals – selbst bei direkter Nachfrage – nicht weiter kommentiert. Chinesische Wissenschaftler hingegen äußern in Fachzeitschriften zurückhaltende Kritik an Chinas Nordkoreapolitik. Der Blick in diese Medien macht deutlich, dass viele Experten eine härtere Linie in der chinesischen Außenpolitik gegenüber Nordkorea befürworten.

Un jihadiste proche de Mokhtar Belmokhtar, du groupe islamiste Al Marabitoune, a revendiqué mardi l'attaque d'un hôtel de Sévaré, dans le centre du Mali, qui a fait au moins 13 morts vendredi.

En juillet 2015, le colonel Olivier a pris la relève du capitaine de vaisseau Yann, devenant ainsi le numéro 2 des opérations du CJTF-OIR1. Ils nous expliquent le quotidien du NR, le représentant national français au Koweït pour l’opération Chammal et adjoint opération à l’état-major de la coalition pour l’opération Inherent Resolve.

VIENNA, 11 August 2015 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today condemned the recent killing of journalist Rasim Aliyev in Azerbaijan, following a letter she wrote to the President of Azerbaijan, calling on the authorities to ensure journalists’ safety and reverse the rapidly deteriorating media freedom situation in the country.

According to reports, Aliyev, a freelance reporter and chairman of the media monitoring group the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety in Azerbaijan, was brutally beaten by a group of people in Baku on 8 August. He suffered multiple injuries and died in hospital on 9 August.

“This latest tragic incident once again proves it is high time that the authorities heed the warnings of international organizations and the calls of civil society to engage in meaningful dialogue and stop denying the seriousness of the situation,” Mijatović wrote in a letter today to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

The Representative noted President Aliyev’s condemnation of the act and his calling for an investigation. Mijatović said she raised the issue of intimidation and imprisonment of journalists and members of the media in Azerbaijan numerous times during the past year, including the issue of impunity from prosecution of assailants.

“Unfortunately, almost nothing has been done,” Mijatović wrote in her letter to the President. “The latest tragic death of Rasim Aliyev is the ultimate reminder to all of us that the vicious circle has to be broken and something has to be done.”

More than ten members of the media, including journalists, bloggers and social media activists, are in prison or in pre-trial detention today in Azerbaijan. They include:

• Khadija Ismayilova, a reporter for Radio Azadliq, on charges of inciting a person to commit suicide, illegal business dealings and abuse of power;
• Rasul Jafarov, a free expression and free media advocate and human rights defender, on charges of embezzlement, illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion, abuse of power;
• Seymur Hazi, a columnist for the newspaper Azadliq, on a charge of hooliganism;
• Omar Mamedov and Abdul Abilov, bloggers, on charges of illegal storage and sale of drugs;
• Parviz Hashimli, a journalist, on charges of smuggling and illegal storage and sale of firearms;
• Nijat Aliyev, editor-in-chief of the azadxeber.az news website, on various charges, including drug possession and inciting hatred;
• Rashad Ramazanov, an independent blogger, on charges of illegal storage and sale of drugs.

The Representative also pointed to the fact that the perpetrators are still at large in the cases of Elmar Huseynov, the founder and editor of the independent weekly news magazine Monitor who was killed in 2005, and Rafiq Taghi, writer and newspaper columnist who died after being stabbed by an attacker in 2011.

The Representative reiterated her offer to assist Azerbaijan in much-needed improvements to media freedom and safety of journalists.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.

Related Stories

• OSCE Representative says excessive court measures against television station in Georgia may pose a threat to media pluralism
• Charges against journalists covering events in Ferguson, USA, should be dropped, OSCE media freedom representative says
• OSCE media freedom representative condemns attack on journalist, calls on authorities in Skopje for swift investigation

Un centre spécialisé dans le sprint existe en Côte d'Ivoire, à Yamoussoukro. Le pays compte bien y former une nouvelle génération de champions ivoiriens. Reportage.

Viele Medien hatten die Geschichte schon weitergereicht, als Journalisten mit besseren Dubai-Kenntnissen auffiel, dass der Vorfall sich 1996 ereignet…

A mai napon, 2015. augusztus 11-én, kedden helyi idő szerint 9 óra 38 perckor lezuhant az Amerikai Légierő egyik F-16-osa Németországban, Creussen település (Bajorország) közelében. A vadászbombázó egy erdőbe zuhant, pilótája katapultált, könnyebb sérülésekkel kórházba szállították.

The car is important for our personal mobility; it gives you freedom and independence. In rural areas and small towns a car is necessary to be able to get around, whereas people living in cities often do not own a car as their mobility is orientated towards walking, biking or public transport within the urban environment. The following blog post explores how our choice of place to live influences our personal mobility, especially the difference between car owners and users of public transport, and our orientation towards the urban or rural.  Many of the observations are based on my personal experience as a non-car owner, which are linked to my research interests in mobility and politics of sustainable mobility.

Currently, new students across Europe are moving away from home and looking for accommodation near their universities. Roskilde University (RUC) is located 24 min by train from Copenhagen central station, although there are halls of residence available next to RUC most students prefer to live in Copenhagen because the capital offers lots of opportunities e.g. cafes, bars and shops. Some students even think the train journey from Copenhagen to RUC is too long or too expensive instead their personal mobility is orientated towards their local neighbourhood instead of their place of education.  (Please note most RUC students do come to university, my comments refer to a small minority). After graduation, some RUC students move to Roskilde[i] to live with their families because the town gives them a better quality of life compared to central Copenhagen. Throughout our lives we have different life style preferences, different use of infrastructure changes together with these stages and the choices we make about which life style we want.

Living in Roskilde; I have always seen myself as having a broad mobility horizon, yet not owning a car does limit my mobility.  I often take the train to Copenhagen to use cultural opportunities available in the capital and to visit friends. Crucially the public infrastructure mainly feed traffic between the capital and surrounding towns instead of connecting urban and rural areas. Consequently, I have neglected exploring the rural area west of Roskilde[ii], partly because it is not well connected by public transport – typical 1 bus per hour or 1 bus every 2 hour. Interestingly, when I was living in Leeds (the UK) I would often take the bus to Ilkley and go hiking in the Ilkley moors[iii], something I have missed whilst living in Roskilde for the past 3 years.  Thus I have certain mobility biases, which are shaped by my interests, social network and lack of car-ownership!

This spring a friend invited me to a fruit wine festival in Falster, which is a 2 hour drive from Roskilde. The farm can only be reached by car. In Australia, the USA or Germany people travel for several hours to watch a football match or visit friends/family. The size of Denmark makes it possible to reach most corners within a 5 hour drive, but in most countries non-car owners are restricted by availability of public transport, which mainly connects the territorial core and urban areas because it is not economic sustainable to run public transport is rural areas. Hence, due to my non-car ownership I had missed out tasting some amazing apple ciders!

It can be challenging to visit a friend if you do not have a car, unless the friend lives in an urban area with good access to public transport. It takes 24 min by car from Roskilde to visit a friend, who lives 26 km away in a small town in the rural area of Zealand (the same distance to Copenhagen city centre) yet by public transport it takes either 45 min or 1h 14 min depending on which route you take, just as there is only one connection an hour and only during the day.  It can take just as long to reach friends living in suburbs near Copenhagen, yet there are more connections, which makes it more accessible. Interestingly, the main climbing wall in Copenhagen is located on Refshaleøen, which is an island in central Copenhagen, yet there is limited public transport after 6pm. By comparison the climbing club in Hvalsø, south west of Roskilde, is accessible by hourly train from Roskilde. Thus, urban areas have pockets which are inaccessible by public transport.

The above three examples tie into the ongoing Danish political debate about rural versus urban (udkantsdanmark), which essentially is about the economic core versus economic periphery. The debate has mainly focused on housing market and investment in transport infrastructure. Our choice of living is structured by our work place, income, social network, children’s day care facilities and accessible infrastructure. Yet we have agency to choose where we live, our preference for a rural, village, town, suburban or city life style influence our choice of place to call home. Importantly, an urban/city dweller can still enjoy nature and a rural dweller still enjoys the cultural attractions of the city. Life is not static, as a student you have different preferences compared to a family, a single person or a pensioner, so it is natural to move between city, suburban and rural living. Indeed I know several people who have made the transition between city and rural lives successfully. Each type of life style and stage in your life require access to infrastructure, and our patterns of mobility will be affected by our choice of place to live. Here the question of car ownership and availability of public transport is important for us as individuals, yet our personal mobility is also influenced by political priorities in relation to investment in road infrastructure versus public transport.

(I would like to thank fellow kayaking enthusiast E.B. for inspiration and challenging my urban non-car ownership life style)

[i] http://www.visitroskilde.dk/roskilde-lejre/turist and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roskilde

[ii] Skjoldungelandet (Sagnlandet, Boserup skov og Bognæs), several local microbreweries

[iii] http://www.ilkleymoor.org/

The post Personal mobility – life without a car appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

A Bruxelles, lors d’une conférence de presse ce 11 août en fin de matinée, la Commission européenne a évoqué un accord technique autour du troisième plan d’aide à la Grèce mais prévient qu’il n’y a pas encore d'accord politique. A Athènes, on assure avoir reçu « un financement d'environ 85 milliards d'euros » sur trois ans en échange d'une liste d'ajustements budgétaires et de réformes diverses.

Un détachement de 15 spécialistes de la section d'intervention NRBC (nucléaire radiologique bactériologique et chimique) de l'escadron de sécurité incendie et sauvetage de la base aérienne 120 de Cazaux a participé, du 13 au 31 juillet 2015, à l'exercice NRBC « Precise Response 2015 » organisé sur le site de Suffield au Canada. 

KYIV, 11 August 2015 – Ambassador Vaidotas Verba, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, and Kalman Mizsei, Head of the EU Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine), signed a memorandum of co-operation to support Ukraine in the fields of security and justice sector reform.

The document formalizes agreements to support Ukraine in ensuring legislative and governance reforms are transparent and inclusive; judicial reforms are in line with international standards and best practice; and that police reforms are comprehensive and enjoy public support.

To that end the two sides, among other things, agreed to regularly exchange information; organize joint events, including training courses and information campaigns; and to co-operate in developing and implementing programs for sustainable institutional and capacity building in security and justice sector reform.

“Jointly we can do more to help Ukrainians in building a professional and human rights-oriented law enforcement system, and transparent and effective justice,” said Ambassador Vaidotas Verba, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. “The OSCE’s experience in developing educational and training capacities in those areas reinforce the EUAM’s expertise in providing a strategic advice for reforms and institutional development.”

“For us, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine is a natural partner. Our partnership has been built on the positive experience of work from the past year”, said Kalman Mizsei, the Head of EUAM. “Our joint efforts will work towards building up the sustainable Ukrainian security services delivering the rule of law and law enforcement, enhancing their legitimacy in all areas and communities of Ukraine and thus in increasing public confidence and trust, in full respect for human rights,” added the Head of EUAM.

Background

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine was established in 1999 to plan, implement and monitor projects to help the country enhance its security and stability, develop its legislation, institutions, and practices in line with democratic standards. The goal is to support the country in adapting legislation, structures, and processes to the requirements of a modern democracy built on a secure environment for its people. The projects are planned in response to requests by Ukrainian partners, including governmental and non-governmental institutions.

EUAM is an unarmed, non-executive civilian mission with an initial mandate of two years. The Mission aims to strengthen and support the reform of the civilian security sector in Ukraine and thus contributes to the planning and implementation of those reforms. EUAM was deployed in Ukraine by the deсision of the EU Council on  July 22, 2014 on the invitation of the Ukrainian government to support, advise and mentor the relevant Ukrainian state agencies on civilian security sector reform, including rule of law and law enforcement.

Related Stories

• Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 19:30 (Kyiv time), 9 August 2015
• Spot Report by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM): OSCE vehicles in Donetsk city damaged by fire
• Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 19:30 (Kyiv time), 7 August 2015

A kecskeméti repülőbázis pilótái 2015. augusztus 3-6. között, minden nap este 6 órától hajnali 1 óráig éjszakai repüléseket hajtottak végre kiképzési repülés céljából, melyek során éjszaka is fejlesztették képességeiket. A képességek fenntartásán túl az ilyen jellegű feladatok végrehajtása azért is fontos, mert a jövőben több nemzetközi szerepvállalása is lesz a Magyar Légierőnek.

Júniusban 50.

A szabadkai CMH irodában még várják azoknak a pályázók jelentkezését, akik a Magyarország Emberi Erőforrások Minisztériuma és a Balassi Intézet három közösen meghirdetett pályázatára.

Entre Grèce et Macédoine, les réfugiés s'organisent pour échapper aux mafias
Sud de la Serbie : violences, racket et arbitraire pour les migrants
Macédoine : des migrants toujours plus nombreux
Amnesty International : les migrants piégés dans le no-man's land des Balkans
Macédoine : avec les migrants, un soir de ramadan à la mosquée de Kumanovo
Turquie : naufrage sur le Bosphore, au moins 24 migrants morts noyés

/ #OpenEurope, Populations et minorités, Société, Grèce, Courrier des Balkans, Migrants Balkans, Grèce immigration

Bulgarie : haro sur les travailleurs précaires
Riches et pauvres en Bulgarie : le retour de la lutte des classes
Salaire minimum dans l'UE : Bulgarie, Roumanie et Slovénie en net progrès, la Grèce en recul
Économie : les revenus des Bulgares sont en baisse

/ Economie, Novinite, Bulgarie, Société, Social