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Amendments to the EU Passenger Name Record data (EU PNR) proposal will be discussed in the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee on Thursday 4 June from 11.15 to 12.15. Of the 836 amendments tabled, 47 were presented by rapporteur Timothy Kirkhope (ECR, UK) in his draft report and 789 by MEPs from various political groups.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Des modifications à la proposition sur les données des dossiers passagers (données PNR) de l'UE seront discutées par la commission des libertés civiles, de la justice et des affaires intérieures jeudi 4 juin de 11h15 à 12h15. Sur les 836 amendements déposés, 47 ont été présentés par le rapporteur Timothy Kirkhope (ECR, UK) dans son projet de rapport et 789 par les députés de différents groupes politiques.
Commission des libertés civiles, de la justice et des affaires intérieures

Source : © Union européenne, 2015 - PE

Amendments to the EU Passenger Name Record data (EU PNR) proposal will be discussed in the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee on Thursday 4 June from 11.15 to 12.15. Of the 836 amendments tabled, 47 were presented by rapporteur Timothy Kirkhope (ECR, UK) in his draft report and 789 by MEPs from various political groups.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Amendments to the EU Passenger Name Record data (EU PNR) proposal will be discussed in the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee on Thursday 4 June from 11.15 to 12.15. Of the 836 amendments tabled, 47 were presented by rapporteur Timothy Kirkhope (ECR, UK) in his draft report and 789 by MEPs from various political groups.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Length of video : 31'
You may manually download this video in WMV (240Mb) format

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Kedden kiszállították azt a huszonhét kis és huszonegy nagy hatótávolságú jégelhárító rakétát, amelyet a magyarkanizsai önkormányzat vásárolt a község jégvédelmének biztosítása érdekében.

Join a Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16 during aerial combat against a U.S. F-15.

At the end of March 2015, 125th Fighter Wing, Florida Air National Guard, from Jacksonsville, Florida, deployed to Leewuwarden air base with 12 F-15C Eagle as part of the first Air National Guard TSP (Theater Security Package) in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

From Apr. 13 to 24, the F-15s and supporting personnel (belonging to units from Florida, Oregon, California, Massachusetts and various bases throughout Europe grouped, regardless of their origin, in the 159th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron) took part in Frisian Flag 2015 one of the largest exercises in central Europe.

The footage in this post was filmed from the cockpit of a Dutch F-16 during a FF 2015 mission.

It shows the RNlAF “Viper” depart from Leeuwarden, join and refuel from an American KC-135 tanker launched from RAF Mildenhall, UK, over the North Sea, and engage a U.S. F-15 in a 1 vs 1 dogfight.

Watch the F-16’s pilot, wearing a JHMCS (Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System) maneuver under high g-loads to try to get a shot on the Eagle. The JHMCS, used also by the American F-15 pilots, is a multi-role system that enhances pilot situational awareness and provides head-out control of aircraft targeting systems and sensors. It can be used in an air-to-air role, combined with the AIM-9X missile, as High-Off-BoreSight (HOBS) system, to cue onboard weapons against enemy aircraft merely by pointing their heads at the targets to guide the weapons.

H/T to Giuliano Ranieri for the heads-up

 

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This report is provided for the media and the general public.

The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements”. Its monitoring was restricted by third parties and significant caution regarding security considerations. The SMM observed continuing ceasefire violations at and around Donetsk airport. The SMM observed the exhumation of human remains in “LPR”-controlled Raivka and Zhovte.

In Minsk the SMM Deputy Chief Monitor chaired the Trilateral Contact Group's Working Group on Security. The participants intensively discussed security issues. The Working Group established consensus on a number of issues, including on unconditional support by all sides to the SMM’s freedom of movement.

The SMM observed continuous ceasefire violations at and around Donetsk airport[1] (“Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”)-controlled, 12km north-west of Donetsk). On 2 June, while at the JCCC observation point at the Donetsk central railway station (“DPR”-controlled, 8km north-west of Donetsk city centre) the SMM heard a total of 126 explosions. Between 12:19 and 13:01hrs, the SMM heard 64 distant explosions, barely audible, from the south-south-west. Between 13:26 and 17:15hrs the SMM heard a total of 62 explosions and 20 bursts of small arms fire.

In line with current security considerations, the SMM did not visit the area of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol). The mayor of Shyrokyne informed the SMM that two civilians had been injured as a result of shelling in the village on 2 June.

Based on information received from the “DPR”, the SMM monitored three sites in Donetsk city’s Kirovskyi district (“DPR”-controlled, 6.2km south-west of Donetsk city centre) where it observed fresh impacts on each site. On the first site the SMM observed an impact on the north side of the building on its second floor. On the second site, the SMM, based on an impact analysis, its angle and diameter, estimated that an artillery round of a calibre of at least 122mm incoming from the north-north-west, had penetrated the asphalt but did not detonate. On the third site, the SMM observed a crater which, based on its angle, it estimated to be from an unspecified artillery piece incoming from the same north-north-west direction. Local residents said to the SMM that on 1 June they heard approximately ten mostly incoming explosions between 19:00 and 19:30hrs.

At the JCCC headquarters in Soledar (government-controlled, 77km north-north-east of Donetsk), the Ukrainian Armed Forces Major-General, head of the Ukrainian side to the JCCC informed the SMM that on 1 June the situation had significantly deteriorated and eight Ukrainian Armed Forces servicepersons were wounded in action. The Russian Federation Armed Forces Colonel-General, senior representative of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to the JCCC was absent. The SMM was presented with two log files, compiled independently by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Russian Federation Armed Forces officers at the JCCC; both contained 76 violations, but with significantly different attributions.

The SMM visited the Uspenka (“DPR”-controlled, 97km southeast of Donetsk) border crossing point between Ukraine and the Russian Federation where it observed 108 civilian vehicles waiting to cross into the Russian Federation. The SMM interviewed three outbound travellers from Horlivka (“DPR”-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk), who all stated that they were leaving to seek work in the Russian Federation.

The SMM monitored the exhumation of bodies, presumed to be from government armed forces in “Lugansk People’s Republic” (“LPR”)-controlled territories in the vicinity of Raivka and Zhovte (“LPR”-controlled, 18km and 19km north-west of Luhansk). The exhumation was conducted by the Afghan War Veterans Association and two “LPR” “police investigators”. At a site near Raivka the excavation team exhumed one body dressed in what appeared to be Ukrainian Armed Forces uniform. At another site near Zhovte, the team found human remains including bones, as well as a boot and pieces of a uniform. The SMM later observed the body found at Raivka being transferred past the last “LPR”-controlled checkpoint near government-controlled Shchastia (20km north-west of Luhansk) and subsequently observed it being transported away in a refrigerated truck under escort by Ukrainian Armed Forces. The exhumation will resume on 3 June.

The SMM met the “deputy chief of police” in “LPR”-controlled Rovenky (55km south of Luhansk), who said to the SMM that there were currently 160 “police officers” covering Rovenky and the villages of the district. He said that crime rates were below pre-conflict levels but added that cases related to domestic violence and neglect of children was common.

The SMM observed a live-fire exercise in the vicinity of Trokhizbenka (government-controlled, 33km north-west of Luhansk, 1km north of the contact line) during which it identified the use of a 125mm T64 main battle tank gun, 82mm mortars, and weapons of more than 100mm calibre, anti-tank guided missiles, anti-tank grenade launchers, 30mm guns, and small arms. All the weapons were stationary and the fire was directed away from the contact line.

The SMM visited seven Ukrainian Armed Forces heavy weapons holding areas, all in compliance with the Minsk withdrawal lines, and noted that on some locations some of the heavy weapons previously recorded were missing; two multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS, 122mm BM-21 Grad) on one site and five MLRS (122mm BM-21 Grad) on another.

Despite claims that heavy weapons have been withdrawn, the SMM unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) observed one main battle tank (MBT) in “DPR”-controlled areas and two MBTs in government-controlled areas.

The SMM met with chiefs of police in Bereznehuvate and Kazanka districts (74km and 130km north of Kherson). Both characterized the overall situation in the districts as calm noting that the most common crime in the area was street crimes such as assaults and robberies, which are related to poverty and high unemployment. They also expressed concerns about unclear criteria of the application of the law on lustration, which may cause the loss of qualified professionals from the system, e.g. through early retirement.

On 1 June, the SMM monitored a protest in Lviv against soaring utility prices. The event was organized by the non-governmental organization Autonomous Resistance and gathered approximately 60 people, mostly young men. Protesters met at the city centre and marched towards the regional administration building waving banners reading “Gas plus 280 per cent salaries minus 300 per cent” and chanting “Power to the Millions, not to Millionaires”. Some 50 police were present at the event which ended peacefully.

The SMM monitored in front of the Lviv regional administration building, a demonstration of some 150 people, mostly women between 30 and 60 and former staff of the Lviv Regional Perinatal Centre which had been shut down in 2013 for renovations which are still not completed. The protestors denounced the lack of progress, which they believe was linked to funds misappropriation. According to the protestors, 500 staff remained unemployed as a result. The SMM observed that officials from the Lviv Regional Administration met with protesters promising a quick resolution on the issue. Ten police officers were present at the event which ended peacefully.

In Kyiv the SMM observed a protest attended by 20 people, mostly young women, demanding action against corruption. Some participants wore T-shirts with slogans stating that corruption was an endemic problem and banners threatening to start another “Maidan”. The SMM observed the presence of ten police officers, 20 National Guards as well as twenty buses of National Guards on standby in the vicinity. The demonstration ended peacefully.

The SMM also observed a gathering of about 200 elderly people, mostly women, at Kyiv’s Independence Square (Maidan), protesting against corruption and lack of reforms. Only regular traffic police were in the vicinity and the event ended peacefully.

The SMM continued to monitor the situation in Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Odessa, Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk.

* Restrictions on SMM monitoring: access and freedom of movement

The SMM is restrained in fulfilling its monitoring functions by restrictions imposed by third parties and security considerations including the lack of information on whereabouts of landmines.

The security situation in Donbas is fluid and unpredictable and the ceasefire does not hold everywhere.

• The SMM was stopped at a Ukrainian Armed Forces checkpoint near Volnovakha (government-controlled, 35km south-west of Donetsk) on road H20 and was asked for the nationality of the patrol leader. The SMM was allowed to proceed after the SMM patrol leader presented her identity card and the SMM vehicles were inspected.  
• In Andriivka (government-controlled, 57km south of Donetsk) the SMM attempted to visit a fuel depot, which could potentially be used for military purposes, but entry was denied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The SMM observed several mine signs in the vicinity of this depot.
• The SMM UAV experienced temporary jamming in the area between the “DPR”-controlled villages of Sakhanka and Zaichenko (24 and 25km east of Mariupol).

For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table.

 

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À la tête d'Oragroup (l'ex-Financial Bank), Patrick Mestrallet poursuit sa stratégie d'expansion et se félicite des résultats obtenus, tout en surveillant le redressement du réseau des BRS, racheté en 2013.

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Together with the Russian Navy, one of the country’s top scientific institutes has developed a series of cutting-edge new military hardware and technology.

On Friday 5 June, the Kyiv History Museum will host the opening of the “Amber – Jewel of the Baltic Sea” exhibition dedicated to the distribution of amber around the Baltic Sea coast, the Amber Roads and the cultures involved.

Incumbent Defense Minister Raimonds Vejonis of the Green Party is now the sole candidate to become Latvia's next president, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported Wednesday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused prominent international media institutions like the New York Times, CNN and the BBC of trying to weaken the country and then disintegrate it in line with instructions issued to them by what he called “the superior mind.”

BSTDB eyes possible allocation of a loan.

Az újvidéki rendőrség közleménye szerint egy kiskorú lány apja fizikailag bántalmazta titeli polgártársát, mert az állítólag fogdosta a lányát. A titeli Svetozar Miletić Általános Iskola szakszervezete is reagált a hírre, mely szerint az iskola egyik ügyvezető igazgatóját, Vojislav Đurđevacot verték meg hétfőn az iskolában a tanulók szeme láttára.

A kislány szülei vasárnap feljelentetést tettek a molesztáló férfi ellen. Az ügyészség bűnvádi eljárást is indított, de hétfőn a kislány apja tettlegesen bántalmazta az ügyvezető igazgatót.

Đurđevac betegszabadságon van a bántalmazást követően, az iskola szakszervezete pedig szerdán úgy döntött, az ügyvezető igazgató bántalmazása miatt beláthatatlan időre beszüntetik a tanítást. Közleményük szerint az iskola nem biztonságos, mert a tettlegességre az iskola épületében került sor, tanítási idő alatt és a diákok szeme láttára.

 

So far we have invested $70m into the skills development in Azerbaijan.

Picorés parmi les nombreux amendements déposés dans le cadre de l'actualisation de la LPM..., cet amendement présenté par les députés de Rugy et Auroi qui concerne les fameuses APNM (associations professionnelles nationales de militaires).

Ces APNM constitue l'un des rares points de véritable contentieux. On mesurera d'ailleurs ici (CR de la séance du mercredi 27 mai 2015) les divergences entre le ministre de la Défense, la présidente de la commission, des membres de la commission etc.

Le texte "de Rugy/Auroi" propose l'insertion dans l'article 7 de l'alinéa suivant: "Ne peuvent siéger au Conseil supérieur de la fonction militaire que des associations professionnelles nationales de militaires ou leurs unions et fédérations reconnues représentatives au moins des trois armées".

Explication: "le risque est grand de voir siéger au sein de ce conseil des associations dont l’objectif est de de promouvoir les intérêts de certaines catégories de militaires, selon des logiques d’armée, de grade, de sexe, ou de territoire. Or, le CSFM doit rester une instance interarmées nationale de dialogue entre les militaires et promouvoir les interactions entre les différentes communautés militaires. A ce titre, il doit également garantir une représentation équitable et proportionnelle de tous les militaires, sans distinction de grade ni d’armes".

Exit donc la tentation corporatiste ("Il s'agit d'éviter une pente naturelle" selon F. de Rugy) et l'apparition d'APNM issues de armées/corps/catégories spécifiques et restreintes à ces armées/corps/catégories. Ce qui devraient réjouir les chefs d'état-major et le CEMAT qui sont hostiles à toute logique corporatiste.

Cet amendement signifie-t-il l'abandon de l'idée émise par Patricia Adam (lire ici) d’intégrer, dans un délai de 5 ans, "les associations professionnelles nationales de militaires non seulement au Conseil supérieur de la fonction militaire, mais aussi aux 7 conseils de la fonction militaire (CFM) des armées et formations rattachées pour lesquelles ces associations seraient reconnues représentatives"? Ce que la commission des lois soutenait aussi (elle a adopté un amendement dans ce sens. Voir ici).

Le flou persiste encore sur ce point.

Flou aussi sur les intentions finales du ministre de la Défense qui pourrait revenir, jeudi lors de la discussion devant les députés, sur l'amendement "de Rugy" ou d'autres amendements. Le 27 mai, Jean-Yves Le Drian avait ainsi déclaré: "Je fais mienne la préoccupation d’éviter le corporatisme et d’encourager la pluridisciplinarité, mais j’y répondrai par décret. Selon mon hypothèse de travail actuelle, une association pourrait siéger au CSFM dès lors qu’elle représente au moins deux armées et deux services : cela me paraît suffire pour éviter le risque dont nous parlons. À ce stade, je suggère donc le retrait de l’amendement, étant entendu que je pourrai réitérer, en séance, mes engagements quant au décret."

 

 

Ausztrál kutatók 2000 éves, nagyon ritka természetes tengeri gyöngyre leltek, miközben egy part menti őslakoslelőhelyet térképeztek fel.
Nyugat-Ausztrália északi, Kimberley-partvidékén kutakodtak, amikor a felszín alatt megtalálták az egyedülálló gyöngyszemet – magyarázta Kat Szabo, a Wollongong Egyetem kutatója.

Kifejtette, a gyöngyök igen ritkák a természetben, és annak ellenére, hogy már rengeteg kagylólelőhelyet megtaláltak, korábban sosem került elő természetes gyöngy. Elmondása szerint a lelőhely miatt különösen figyelemre méltó a lelet, mivel a Kimberley-part a gyöngyhalászat szinonimája, a legutóbbi évszázad nagy részében is az volt.

A rózsaszín-arany színezetű gyöngy majdnem gömb formájú, öt milliméteres átmérővel. A közel tökéletes gömbforma miatt mikro CT-t használtak korának megállapításához, és bebizonyították, hogy valóban természetes körülmények között született, nem pedig a modern gyöngykagylófarmokon.

A gyöngyöket előállító osztrigákat a bennszülött kultúrákban az esőkeltő szertartásokban használják, héjukat több mint 1500 kilométerre, a központi sivatagos régióban is fellelték már. A régészeknek tudomásuk volt eme szertartásokról, de azt nem tudták, milyen messzire nyúlik vissza történetük az időben.

A gyöngyöt Perthben múzeumban állítják majd ki, a kutatás részleteit az Australian Archaeology folyóirat közölte.