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Exigence, dépassement de soi, exemplarité… L’armée de Terre est réputée pour ses qualités qu’elle utilise au quotidien dans l’exercice du commandement. Forts de ce savoir-faire reconnu, les étudiants de l’école de commerce Toulouse Business School (TBS) ne s’y sont pas trompés : ils ont dernièrement participé à un stage d’aguerrissement de trois jours avec pour instructeurs les sapeurs parachutistes.

Cette estimation, la première pour la période estivale, était scrutée par les économistes, qui prédisaient un coup de frein plus net de la croissance en cas de victoire du « out » au référendum sur la sortie britannique de l’Union européenne.

Le gouvernement kényan a ordonné un couvre-feu de deux mois qui entre en vigueur dès jeudi dans le comté de Mandera (nord-est), théâtre mardi d’une attaque meurtrière perpétrée par les islamistes somaliens shebab, a-t-on appris de source officielle.

Le couvre-feu « est effectif du 27 octobre au 27 décembre, de 18H30 à 06H30 », indique le décret signé mercredi par le ministre de l’Intérieur Joseph Nkaissery et rendu public jeudi.

Mardi, une attaque à l’explosif revendiquée par les shebab avait fait 12 morts – 11 hommes et une femme – dans un petit hôtel de Mandera.

Le nord-est du Kenya, frontalier de la Somalie, est confronté depuis environ trois mois à une recrudescence d’attaques attribuées aux shebab.

Mandera avait déjà été touchée le 6 octobre, lorsqu’un commando islamiste avait tué six personnes dans un complexe résidentiel abritant des employés du secteur du bâtiment. Deux postes de police ont également été attaqués dans la région, le 22 septembre à Liboï et en juillet à Diff, dans le comté voisin de Wajir.

Le gouverneur du comté de Mandera, Ali Roba, avait demandé mardi au gouvernement de renforcer la sécurité dans la zone en dépêchant des renforts policiers.

Affiliés à Al-Qaïda, les shebab ont juré la perte du gouvernement somalien, soutenu à bout de bras par la communauté internationale, et protégé par l’Amisom, la force de l’Union africaine.

Depuis son intervention militaire dans le sud de la Somalie en 2011 pour lutter contre les shebab, le Kenya a été la cible de plusieurs attentats meurtriers, notamment ceux du centre commercial Westgate à Nairobi (septembre 2013 – 67 mort) et de l’université de Garissa, dans l’est (avril 2015 – 148 victimes).

Séance plénière : L’UE a besoin d’une politique mieux coordonnée en matière de volontariat, pour donner aux volontaires un statut légal clair et faciliter leur participation, ont déclaré les députés dans une résolution adoptée jeudi. Près de 100 millions de citoyens européens ont pris part à des actions de volontariat dans l’éducation, la culture, les événements sportifs, humanitaires et dans l’aide au développement.

Source : © Union européenne, 2016 - PE

The European Court of Human Rights rejected a complaint from 67 Bosnians who accused Belgrade of not properly investigating their alleged torture in detention camps in Serbia during and after the Bosnian war.

OPINION on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of a Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Uzbekistan, of the other part, amending the Agreement in order to extend the provisions of the Agreement to bilateral trade in textiles, taking account of the expiry of the bilateral textiles Agreement
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Elmar Brok

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

OPINION on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of a Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement establishing a partnership between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Uzbekistan, of the other part, amending the Agreement in order to extend the provisions of the Agreement to bilateral trade in textiles, taking account of the expiry of the bilateral textiles Agreement
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Elmar Brok

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Justin Trudeau, Premier ministre canadien, a finalement décidé de ne pas se rendre à Bruxelles aujourd'hui pour la signature de l'accord de libre-échange UE-Canada. Cette décision est due à l'absence de compromis entre parlements régionaux belges et gouvernement fédéral belge... qui viennent de s'entendre pour signer le CETA, à la surprise générale.

Séance plénière : L'opération iraquienne pour libérer Mossoul du groupe djihadiste "État islamique" (EI) a été soutenue par les députés jeudi. Ils ont appelé les autorités irakiennes à prendre toutes les mesures nécessaires pour protéger les civils, les hôpitaux et les écoles, à mesure qu'elles progressent vers Mossoul. Les atrocités et le génocide contre les chrétiens, les Yézidis et d'autres minorités perpétrés par le groupe EI doivent être portés à la Cour pénale internationale, ont ajouté les députés.

Source : © Union européenne, 2016 - PE

À Dakar, Weebi ("simple" en pulaar) propose aux petits commerçants de remiser leur antique livre de compte au placard pour le remplacer par une tablette électronique. À la clé : la simplification de la gestion mais aussi la collecte des données sur les échanges réalisées quotidiennement dans la capitale sénégalaise.

Cet article La start-up africaine de la semaine : une tablette électronique conçue pour les boutiquiers dakarois est apparu en premier sur JeuneAfrique.com.

Allgemeines : EU-Parlamentspräsident Martin Schulz und die Fraktionsvorsitzenden haben am 27. Oktober entschieden, dass in diesem Jahr die jesidischen Menschenrechtsaktivistinnen Nadia Murad Basee Taha und Lamiya Aji Bashar mit dem Sacharow-Preis für geistige Freiheit ausgezeichnet werden. Die Preisverleihungszeremonie findet am 14. Dezember in Straßburg statt.

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2016 - EP

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) shows the way to Rodrigo Duterte at a signing ceremony. (Associated Press)

In the past week China has seen potentially groundbreaking developments in internal and external politics. The visit of incendiary Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte could signal a shift in regional alliances. And the ruling Communist Party has looked to solidify its grip on power and support by showing its commitment to cracking down on government corruption.

On a state visit to Beijing on Oct. 20, 2016, President Duterte of the Philippines grabbed a lot of headlines on the international stage by declaring “a separation from the United States.” He also “repeatedly sought to distance the Philippines from the United States, a treaty ally.” Based on this and previous statements, some believe that Duterte intends to diminish his country’s long-standing military cooperation with the U.S.

But despite Duterte’s bluster, the extent to which he will actually go in breaking ties with one of its most important military partners is unknown (Jane Perlez of the New York Times characterized the Philippine army on its own as “underequipped and poorly trained”). For more on the potential military impact of Duterte’s threats and potential explanation for why he made them, you can read Gary Sands’ recent FPA blog post here.

In addition to rankling some officials in the U.S., Duterte’s visit could also signal a closer alliance between the Philippines and China. Such a shift could have major repercussions on the power balance in east Asia. On the same day as his “separation” comments, Duterte and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping agreed to resume negotiations over the disputed South China Sea. This prospect opens the door for de-escalation of hostilities in the hotly contested waterway, as well as a warming of relations between the 2 countries. But…very few details were offered on when the talks would start or what they would encompass.

Xi and Duterte did announce last Thursday that they would establish a joint coast guard committee on maritime cooperation. This could be an extremely important development as Chinese Coast Guard ships have been blocking Philippine boats from a key fishing area of the South China Sea after China claimed the area in 2012. China also pledged to assist the Philippines in developing aquaculture and commercial fish processing, issues previously highlighted by Duterte.

Beyond the South China Sea, Chinese leader Xi agreed to increase infrastructure investment in the Philippines by $24 billion, lift embargoes on certain food imports, and remove a travel advisory to try to encourage tourism exchange.

What’s more, other countries in the region are eyeing Duterte’s overtures towards China. As a result, some analysts believe neighboring Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam may begin to draw closer alliances with China. On Oct. 24, 2016, Perlez notes that “China may have started a strategic realignment in Southeast Asia by bringing an important American ally [the Philippines] to its side.”

However it is important to remember that Duterte’s shocking apparent success on his China visit does not ensure real cooperation.  According to Trinh Nguyen, an economist specializing in the Asian Pacific region at Natixis Bank, “Pledges do not necessarily translate into realized foreign direct investment for the Philippines.” Certainly both sides saw the opportunity to gain political points at home and abroad on Duterte’s visit. Thus it appears the real-world, measurable impact of newly positive China-Philippines remains to be seen.

While China seeks new partnerships with its neighbors, the ruling Communist Party is renewing its efforts to stomp out political corruption at home. As Premier Xi begins a second five-year term, he has taken steps to show the Chinese people that graft and other illegal acts by government officials are not acceptable. The state-controlled TV station is even currently airing a documentary series showing disgraced former officials lamenting their bad choices and repenting their misdeeds. “I became possessed and lost my head,” says Bai Enpei, a former Communist Party secretary convicted of taking bribes of nearly $38 million.

The show details the lavish lifestyle of these officials—one of whom detailed his courtship by business executives with dinners featuring crocodile meat—as well as their falls from grace. Xi is presented as the hero swooping in to clean up the immoral acts, the only clean (literally and figuratively) party leader seen in the documentary.

Tighter control over the party will be reinforced this week at the Central Committee annual meeting. Premier Xi is expected to introduce new regulations regarding “comprehensive and strict management” of party affairs. This should expand on the power and influence of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the anti-corruption task force headed by one of Xi’s closest allies. This group has recently begun to act with larger impunity as they aim to reinforce loyalty to the party and to Xi. It has the power to detain government officials in secret without needing court approval.

Are more countries in Asia setting in motion a shift in alliances away from the west and towards China? It is really too early to tell. But it will be important to monitor developments, and to see how far Duterte is really willing to go in alienating the Philippines from the U.S. All of his shocking commentary may end up being much ado about nothing. And while reducing corruption is never bad, the methods employed by the Chinese government are concerning.

Both situations will be worth watching.

The post Welcoming Neighbors and Cleaning its House: China’s Interesting Week appeared first on Foreign Policy Blogs.

Plenáris ülés : „Bocsássák szabadon a meggyőző bizonyíték nélkül fogva tartott újságírókat” - sürgetik a képviselők egy csütörtökön elfogadott állásfoglalásban. A júliusi puccskísérlet óta legalább 99 újságírót, írót tartóztattak le, 330 sajtóigazolványt vontak be, 100 médiaorgánumot került bezárásra, miközben 2300-an vesztették el a munkájukat.

Forrás : © Európai Unió, 2016 - EP

Trump tweeted out this picture of Hillary Clinton, surrounded by money and accompanied by a Jewish star.

Donald Trump is a master gaslighter. He takes things said about him and tries to convince us that the flaw in question actually applies not to him but rather to his opponents or detractors.

When he was caught on tape bragging about disrespecting women (and worse)—he told the world that no one (NO ONE!) has more respect for women than he does.

He distanced himself from his role as a leader in the Obama birther movement, (a role which he claimed previously he is proud to have served) only to later claim it was Hillary Clinton who had started the movement in the first place (she did not).

In the last debate of this presidential cycle, Clinton referred to Trump as a puppet for Putin. He disagreed but—because this is Donald Trump—he also responded, “you’re the puppet.” Which makes no sense—the interaction came after Trump pointed at Clinton and stated, “Putin, from everything I see, has no respect for this person”—but this is 2016. So anything goes.

This election cycle is full of additional examples. If something nasty or distasteful is said about Trump, he will happily turn it around to make a similar claim against his accusers. “I know you are, but what am I.”

Trump has also surrounded himself with staff and advisers just as adept at such manipulation. Kellyanne Conway, Chris Christie, Newt Gingrich, Mike Pence and Rudy Giuliani, each in their own way, can take any claim about Trump and readily turn it around on the Clintons, the media, the liberals, or whoever else might be deemed relevant to the conversation.

This week, David Friedman, a Trump Israel adviser, made headlines when he dismissed the idea that anti-Semitism existed amongst Trump’s supporters. He insisted though that there IS actually “anti-Semitic sentiment among Clinton’s supporters.” That’s some Trump-level gaslighting right there!

Are there anti-Semitic Clinton supporters? Of course. When you are talking about tens of millions of people, there are going to be those who hate the Jews. It’s just a way of the world sadly.

But they and their bile are not embraced or welcomed by any respectable person in the Clinton campaign or the Democratic party.

Trump, on the other hand, retweets statements by known anti-Semites to his millions of Twitter followers!

Blatantly anti-Semitic tweets and accounts have been promoted by a top Trump foreign policy advisor, a senior advisor, one of his sons, and of course Trump himself.

And that is just some of the abject anti-Semitism coming from the candidate and his senior advisors… on Twitter. His campaign is of course much bigger than a single social media platform.

Recently Trump stated, “Hillary Clinton meets in secret with international banks to plot the destruction of U.S. sovereignty to enrich these global financial powers, her special interest friends and her donors.”

Per Cheryl Greenberg in the Washington Post: “These are old canards straight out of the phony ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion,’ conspiracy theories about wealthy, international Jewish bankers plotting to destroy the nation and take over the world, controlling politicians with their wealth or through the power of the media that they dominate.”

There are some who wonder if Trump actually realizes that language like this is anti-Semitic. After all, his daughter converted to Judaism; she and Trump’s son-in-law are observant Jews and are raising Jewish children. Trump not understanding the weight of his words is horrifying in its own right for a man who could become president. But his ignorance (if given the benefit of the doubt that he is not actually an anti-Semite himself) also raises questions about who he has empowered to run his campaign.

Trump appointed Stephen Bannon, the former chairman of Breitbart News, to serve as CEO and to help run the final months of the campaign. This is a man with a troubling record. Bannon’s wife stated in court that, when choosing a school for their twin daughters, her husband  “said that he doesn’t like the way they raise their kids to be ‘whiny brats’ and that he didn’t want the girls going to school with Jews.” As recently as a few weeks ago, Beitbart News published an article that was an openly anti-Semitic attack against a Washington Post columnist.

Although he has (clumsily) stated he does not want it, Trump has the support of David Duke and numerous other white supremacist organizations.

He has retweeted Mussolini.

When Trump supports got mad at a reporter for writing an unflattering article about Melania, someone created a photoshopped image that made it look like the journalist was in a concentration camp and the image was widely shared within Trump supporter online communities. When asked about it, Trump could (and should!) have outright condemned it. Instead, he shrugged it off. “You’ll have to talk to them about it.” When Melania was asked for comment, she responded: “I don’t control my fans. But I don’t agree with what they’re doing. I understand what you mean, but there are people out there who maybe went too far. [The journalist] provoked them.”

Trump’s primary slogan of course is Make America Great Again. But he also routinely promises to put “America First.” America First was a WWII-era “isolationist, defeatist, anti-Semitic national organization that urged the US to appease Adolf Hitler.”

Trump supporters have even co-opted a cartoon frog named Pepe, imbuing it with horribly racist and anti-Semitic connotations. If you see this particular cartoon frog on social media, be warned. There’s an anti-Semite on the other end of that account.

This week, Trump and Pence addressed a crowd in Israel via video to try and get out the vote amongst the several hundred thousand American Jews currently living in Israel. The event was hosted by Republicans Overseas – Israel. They sold tickets to the event, highlighting a video from Trump. Trump’s remarks, clocking in at just 59 seconds, opened with him saying “I love Israel” and closed with him saying that “together, we will make America and Israel safe again.”

In the past, Israelis have tended to prefer Republican presidents: supporting Romney over Obama 57% to 22% and McCain over Obama 46.4% to 34%.

But not this time: Clinton is currently trouncing Trump amongst Israelis by an almost 2-1 margin.

Clearly Israelis do not believe he is the one to “make Israel safe again.” American Jews obviously feel the same way as they currently support Clinton over Trump by a 3-1 ratio.

In a few more weeks we will definitively see how the rest of the country feels. Regardless of what happens on Nov. 8th though, it’s pretty clear the Trump campaign has emboldened anti-Semitism in America, regardless of David Friedman’s gaslighting on the matter.

In the meantime, watch out for Pepe. And follow me on Twitter @jlemonsk.

The post Anti-Semitism in the Trump Campaign appeared first on Foreign Policy Blogs.

Általános : A jazidi közösség jogaiért küzdő Nádia Murád és Lámia Adzsi Bassár kapják az EP emberi jogi díját, a Szaharov-díjat 2016-ban – döntött az EP elnöke és a frakcióvezetők. Nadia Murád és Lámia Adzsi Bassár az észak-iraki Kocsó faluból származnak, ahol 2014 nyarán mészárlást hajtott végre az Iszlám Állam, a nőket és gyermekeket elhurcolták és szexuális munkára kényszerítették. Murád és Adzsi Bassár kiszabadultak a dzsihádista szervezet fogságából és azóta az áldozatok megsegítéséért dolgoznak.

Forrás : © Európai Unió, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The EU needs a better coordinated policy on volunteering, to give volunteers a proper legal status and help them join programmes, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday. Almost 100 million EU citizens have taken part as volunteers in education, culture or arts, sport events, humanitarian and development aid work. Young people should take advantage of volunteering schemes to develop skills and acquire experience that helps them to find jobs afterwards, stresses the text.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The EU needs a better coordinated policy on volunteering, to give volunteers a proper legal status and help them join programmes, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday. Almost 100 million EU citizens have taken part as volunteers in education, culture or arts, sport events, humanitarian and development aid work. Young people should take advantage of volunteering schemes to develop skills and acquire experience that helps them to find jobs afterwards, stresses the text.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The EU needs a better coordinated policy on volunteering, to give volunteers a proper legal status and help them join programmes, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday. Almost 100 million EU citizens have taken part as volunteers in education, culture or arts, sport events, humanitarian and development aid work. Young people should take advantage of volunteering schemes to develop skills and acquire experience that helps them to find jobs afterwards, stresses the text.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Plenary sessions : The EU needs a better coordinated policy on volunteering, to give volunteers a proper legal status and help them join programmes, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday. Almost 100 million EU citizens have taken part as volunteers in education, culture or arts, sport events, humanitarian and development aid work. Young people should take advantage of volunteering schemes to develop skills and acquire experience that helps them to find jobs afterwards, stresses the text.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP