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Soltész Miklós, Magyarország Miniszterelnökségének egyházi és nemzetiségi kapcsolatokért felelős államtitkára tegnap délután a csíksomlyói kegytemplom előtt tartott sajtótájékoztatóján jelentette be a döntést. Beszédében felhívta a figyelmet arra, hogy egy az esemény hatalmas lehetőség és nagy lehetőség a magyarság összefogására és az itt élő nemzetek egymásra találására. Ferenc pápa május 31. és június 2. között látogat Romániába és Bukarest mellett ellátogat Jászvásárra, Balázsfalvára és Csíksomlyóra is. A csíksomlyói szentmisére június 1-jén kerül sor.

A felszólító levél szerint ugyanis a közösségi jog tiltja, hogy az EU tagállamok csökkentsék a joghatóságuk alatt biztosított személyeknek járó pénzbeli juttatásokat csak azért, mert ők vagy a családtagjaik másik tagállamban laknak. Az EB szerint ez a fajta megkülönböztetés sérti az állampolgársághoz tartozó jogokat, és az egyenlő bánásmód elvét. Ausztria parlamentje tavaly októberben fogadta el azt a törvényt, amely szerint idén január 1-jétől a gyermek származási országának életszínvonalához mérten csökkentik a családtámogatás összegét.  A bécsi kormány eljárását Románia is ellenezte, Teodor Meleşcanu külügyminiszter bejelentette, hogy Bukarest várhatóan az Európai Unió Bíróságához fordul az osztrák törvény miatt. Az intézkedés mintegy 14 ezer romániai gyermeket érint.

A tegnap közölt felszólítás szerint Romániának mihamarább vissza kell fizetnie a más tagállamokból vásárolt gépkocsik forgalomba írásából származó jogtalanul birtokolt összegeket. Egy másik levélben pedig arra hívja fel a figyelmet,hogy Románia és Észtorság nem iktatta saját jogrendjébe az elektromos és elektronikus hulladékok kezeléséről szóló Európai Uniós irányelvet. Ezen kívül az ország késik a Közösségi Vámkódex vámtartozásra vonatkozó előírásainak, valamint a nyugdíjjogosultságok hordozhatóságáról szóló irányelv alkalmazásával ami által plusz nyugdíjhoz juthatnának a mobilis munkavállalók. A közbeszerzéssel kapcsolatban az Európai Bizottság 15 tagállamot, köztük Romániát, az Egyesült Királyságot, Németországot, és Magyarországot is  arra szólította fel, hogy igazítsa nemzeti közbeszerzési és koncessziós szabályait az uniós joghoz. Abban az esetben, ha az országok két hónapos határidővel nem teszik jóvá a fenti mulasztásokat, az Európai Bizottság úgynevezett indokolással ellátott véleményt fogalmaz meg. Ezt követően pedig szükség esetén az Európai Bíróság elé kerülhet az ügy.

A deep-rooted code of honour made Albania one of the few places where Jews could hope to survive the Holocaust.

Montenegro’s ruling party, 30 years in power, has been hit by illegal financing claims by a now-fugitive businessman.

Officials warn that the pay demands of teachers, surgeons, municipal staff and others could bankrupt Kosovo – but some experts say the Prime Minister has set a disastrous example.

Progress towards concluding the Macedonia-Greece dispute has been down to the Macedonians themselves and the US and far less the EU, which nevertheless seems keen to claim the credit.

Bundesaußenminister Heiko Maas fragt, was der UN-Sicherheitsrat gegen systematische Vergewaltigungen in Krisenregionen unternehmen kann. Und fordert: mehr.

Le Calame - La scène politique mauritanienne a été marquée la semaine dernière par un véritable remue-ménage. Des députés de l’UPR ont...

While the formation of a new government ends Sweden's fourth-month paralysis, it doesn't resolve the challenge from radical-right populists in Sweden. A key question remains: will treating populists like pariahs undercut the appeal of their, often anti-rights, politics?

Az amerikai szenátus hírszerzési bizottsága csütörtökön büntetés terhe mellett beidézte Donald Trump elnök volt személyes ügyvédjét, Michael Cohent.

Bei einem "No Deal" und einer Abriegelung der britischen Gewässer würden betroffene EU-Fischer Unterstützung erhalten.

The EU should lead the international community in ensuring that the Yemen Peace Deal is not allowed to collapse, argues Mohammed Issa Abushahab. H.E. Ambassador Mohammed Issa Abushahab, is the UAE’s Ambassador to the EU. The adoption of the Stockholm...

Congressman Juan Guaidó of the Popular Will party, president of the National Assembly since Jan. 5, was sworn in on Jan. 23 before a crowd as Venezuela's interim president. Credit: NationalAssembly

By Humberto Márquez
CARACAS, Jan 25 2019 (IPS)

Venezuela entered a new and astonishing arena of political confrontation, with two presidents, Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó, leading the forces vying for power, while Venezuelans once again are taking to the streets to demonstrate their weariness at the crisis, which has left them exhausted.

Both sides “have sharply raised the stakes, they’re not giving in and the internal and international factors that traditionally operate as mediators show signs of having taken sides,” Carlos Romero, former director of postgraduate studies in political science at Venezuela’s Simón Bolívar and Central Universities, told IPS.

Guaidó, 35, who was appointed president of the single-chamber National Legislative Assembly on Jan. 5, was sworn in on Jan. 23 before a crowd of supporters in Caracas – while hundreds of thousands marched in 50 other cities – as “interim president of the Republic”, to put an end to Maduro’s alleged “usurping” of power, create a transitional government and organise new elections.

“I don’t want a ‘bono’ (stipend) anymore, I don’t want Clap (bags of food at subsidised prices), what I want is for Nicolás to leave”, along with shouts of “Freedom!” and insults against the president were the most frequently chants by people from practically all social strata, who have been hit hard by the crisis, including annual hyperinflation of 1.7 million percent, according to the National Assembly in the absence of official statistics.

The United States, Brazil, Canada and a dozen other countries in the Americas immediately recognisedGuaidó, to which Maduro responded by denouncing that “the imperialist government of the United States is directing an operation to, through a coup d’état, impose a puppet government” in Venezuela.

In response, Maduro cut off diplomatic ties with Washington and gave all U.S. diplomats 72 hours to leave the country.

The United States, through Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, ignored Maduro’s measure and announced that it would keep its diplomats in Caracas as requested by Guaidó, the president they recognise.

U.S. President Donald Trump also called for stronger measures.

For a century, Venezuela has been a supplier of oil to the United States, currently the destination of 47 percent of its exports, while it imports not only U.S. manufactured products, but also inputs such as components to make gasoline. But the flow of trade has not appeared in the breakup equation.

The “Guaidó phenomenon” achieved what seemed unthinkable just a few weeks ago: reviving the mass “open councils” in the streets, which led to the huge opposition marches on Jan. 23.

That is a key date in Venezuela because on that day in 1958 a civil-military uprising put an end to the almost 10-year dictatorship of General Marcos Pérez Jiménez (1914-2001).

Maduro, 56, in power since 2013, was re-elected on May 20, 2018 in controversial elections in which the majority of the opposition – much of which was disqualified – did not participate, and whose results were not recognised by many governments in the Americas and Europe.

General Vladimir Padrino, minister of defense and head of the high command of the Bolivarian National Armed Force of Venezuela, ratified his support for President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 24. Credit: Miraflores Palace

The president took office on Jan. 10 for a new six-year term. That same day, a majority of governments in the Americas and the European Union (EU) said they did not recognise his government.

The heir to Hugo Chávez, who governed the country between 1999 and 2013, the year of his death, also received the backing of hundreds of supporters on Jan. 23, who crowded around the Miraflores Presidential Palace.

He was also backed by the commanders of the Bolivarian National Armed Force, who on Jan. 24 reiterated their loyalty to Maduro in a series of statements.

Guaidó’s proclamation “is shameful and aberrant,” and part of “a criminal plan that reached the limits of extreme danger,” because “a coup d’état is being carried out against democracy and the constitution,” declared General Vladimir Padrino, defense minister and head of the military high command.

Today in Venezuela “three scenarios have opened up. The first is that President Maduro withstands the pressure from the opposition, from the population in the streets and from the international community, and that the mass movement against him peters out,” Romero said.

The second is that the street protests and international pressure sustain the duality of power, which translates into the elimination of Maduro’s government, either by him stepping down or by an act of force, and new elections are called,” the analyst added.

“And the third is that a third actor enters the scene, which could be international, from the armed forces, or some other factor that intervenes to stop the confrontation if it gets out of hand in the country,” Romero said.

Luis Salamanca, also a professor of political science at the Central University of Venezuela, told IPS: “There can’t be two presidents at the same time in the same territory. That puts the ball in Maduro’s court, and he will have to pull his strings to stop and perhaps arrest Guaidó, but to do that he would have to assess the political costs.”

The crowds returned to the streets of Caracas and dozens of other Venezuelan cities to express discontent over the economic crisis and call for change in the country’s leadership. Credit: National Assembly

Guaidó, for his part, “must have calculated the risks of taking the bull by the horns in the middle of the square. There may be arrests that reach not only him but other members of the Assembly,” Salamanca said.

Parliament was declared “in contempt” two years ago by the government-appointed Supreme Court of Justice. Since then, the other branches of power, all in the hands of government allies, have ignored its decisions, while in 2017 a National Constituent Assembly was elected, also without an opposition presence, which has assumed part of the legislature’s functions.

International factors

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on Jan. 24 for “a transparent and independent investigation” into “the incidents in Venezuela,” because in the context of the protests of Jan. 21-23, at least 26 people were shot dead, according to local media, and dozens were injured and arrested.

On Jan. 18,Guterres had already said his organisation”is willing to use its good offices” to promote a political solution”, since only the U.N. “can solve and provide answers to Venezuela’s problems.”

Washington, Ottawa and the Lima Group (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Peru) recognisedGuaidó. Ecuador did as well.

Meanwhile, Uruguay and Mexico distanced themselves to insist on the need for a new “urgent and transparent” dialogue between the parties. Bolivia, Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Suriname were the countries in the region that supported Maduro.

Although the EU did not recognise Maduro’s election and second term, it has not given Guaidó recognition either, although some of its members have done so or have ratified their support for him as president of the legislature.

However, the bloc insists on the need for new elections, with guarantees, in order to return to a state of law in Venezuela.

Two other major global players, China and Russia, have expressed their support for Maduro.

What will happen if, for example, the United States refuses to withdraw its diplomats from Caracas and Maduro’s government imprisons Guaidó?

The new scenario could take one of many directions, while underneath the surface of a situation where the country has two presidents are years of weariness and crisis that has undermined the quality of life of Venezuelans, with growing numbers of people going to sleep hungry every night, and millions forced to emigrate.

The post In Venezuela, Two Presidents Vie for Power appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Americas

The Air Force tapped Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. with a $80.6 million contract modification for C-20/C-35 fleet sustainment. The company is an American subsidiary of General Dynamics that designs, develops, manufactures, markets and services business jet aircraft. The C-20 aircraft are military modifications of the commercial Gulfstream aircraft. The C-20 provides distinguished visitor (DV) airlift for military and government officials. It supports the long range/low passenger load DV airlift niche, offering worldwide access while including a communications suite which supports worldwide secure voice and data communications for the DV and staff. Smilar to the C-20, the C-37A is the military version of the civilian Gulfstram V and is used primarily for transporting government and Defense Department officials and their staffs. The two aircraft are used by the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. The contract modifies a previous award under the terms of a firm-fixed-price contract with a five-year option period in support of the C-37 and C-20 aircraft. Work is scheduled to be completed by end of January 2020.

General Atomics won a $19.7 million contract to manufacture, test, and deliver Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems (EMALS) spare parts to support the US Navy’s CVN-78 aircraft carrier prior to the Advanced Arresting Gear and EMALS material support dates. The CVN-78, dubbed the USS Gerald R. Ford is the lead ship of its class and the first aircraft carrier design in 40 years. The aircraft is expected to leave on its first deployment in 2022. The CVN-78 is the world’s largest aircraft carrier, and the largest warship ever constructed in terms of displacement. The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, developed by General Atomics, launches carrier-based aircraft rather than the conventional steam piston. It was developed especially for the Navy’s Gerald R. Ford aircraft carriers. Work is expected to be completed in January 2023.

Middle East & Africa

The first of 16 Airbus Helicopter H125 training platforms arrived Qatar, Jane’s reports. The Ministry of Defense ordered the platforms in 2018. Footage released on January 23rd shows two helicopters painted in the livery of the Qatar Armed Forces Academy. The H125 is a single-engine light utility helicopter formally known as the Eurocopter AS350 Ecureuil. Ordered to replace the secondary training role of the Aerospatiale SA 342L Gazelle that has been in service since 1983, the H125 has been procured as part of a wider deal that also includes 28 NHIndustries NH90 helicopters.

Europe

A Su-27 fighter jet of Russian Aerospace Forces intercepted a Swedish Gulfstream reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea. The Su-27 is a twin-engine super maneuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi, a major Russian aircraft manufacturer. It was designed for air superiority missions, and subsequent variants are able to perform almost all aerial warfare operations. The Russian military regularly make public how often Russian fighter jets intercept or accompany foreign military aircraft near Russian borders. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian fighter jet approached the object at a safe distance, identified it as a Gulfstream reconnaissance plane from the Swedish Air Force that was conducting a flight with its transponder switched off. Afterwards the Swedish plane flew away from the Russian state border, while the Su-27 jet returned to its base.

The Swedish Armed Forces awarded German Defense Contractor Rheinmetall a contract for vehicles to transport Patriot missile systems. Under the contract, Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles will supply 40 high-mobility trucks including 16 tractor trucks and 24 transport vehicles. Deliveries will begin in the first quarter of 2021. The contract is for the HX2 family of vehicles. These trucks are versatile and can be operated in rugged terrain. The vehicles’ flexible design allows the integration of additional force protection solutions for improved crew protection. Previously, the Swedish Procurement Agency, FWV, made orders HX-model logistic corps vehicles, making it one of the most widely used military trucks in the world.

Asia-Pacific

On 23 January, Trade Unions representing about 400,000 of workers employed by state-owned defense enterprises in India started a three-day strike against the privatization of the country’s Defense Industry. The All India Defense Employees Federation (AIDEF), the Indian National Defense Workers’ Federation (INDWF), and Bharatiya Pratiraksha Mazdoor Sangh (BPMS) take part in the protests. The strike mainly affects the state-run Ordnance Factory Board, naval dockyards as well as the Defense Research and Development Organization.

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Seit Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilien an der Macht ist, hat sich das Leben der Homosexuellen im Land verschlechtert. Ein Abgeordneter ist nun ins Ausland geflohen und will sein Mandat niederlegen.

A spat between Italy and France has reignited a debate over French involvement in its former African colonies.

Le ministre russe des Affaires étrangères, Serguei Lavrov, s’est dit, jeudi à Alger, « prêt » à examiner avec son homologue algérien la possibilité d’une suppression de visas pour les détenteurs de passeports ordinaires.

« Nous sommes prêts à examiner cette question avec nos amis algériens », a-t-il répondu à une journaliste russe qui l’interrogeait sur cette éventualité lors d’une conférence de presse commune avec son homologue algérien, Abdelkader Messahel.

« Nous sommes pour la création de conditions favorables pour nos citoyens et ceux des pays partenaires », a-t-il encore soutenu à l’issue d’entretiens avec le chef de la diplomatie algérienne.

En février 2018, les deux ministres ont signé, à Moscou, un accord sur la suppression de visa pour les détenteurs de passeports diplomatiques et de services en vue de « faciliter les échanges de délégations entre les deux pays ».

Interrogé sur la possibilité d’organiser, dans un avenir proche, une rencontre au sommet entre les deux pays, le ministre a assuré que « les contacts vont se poursuivre à tous les niveaux », soulignant que le « calendrier précis » sera « établi au fur et à mesure ».

« Sûrement après l’élection présidentielle qui se tiendra prochainement en Algérie », a-t-il ajouté à ce sujet. Le chef de la diplomatie russe est arrivé mercredi soir à Alger pour une visite de deux jours, à l’invitation de son homologue algérien, Abdelkader Messahel.

Cette visite s’inscrit dans le cadre du dialogue politique régulier et de la concertation permanente entre les deux pays instaurés depuis la signature de la déclaration commune sur le Partenariat stratégique entre l’Algérie et la Russie en 2001.

La visite du ministre russe des Affaires étrangères se situe dans un contexte de développement continu du dialogue politique et de la coopération en les deux pays, et intervient également à la veille de la 9ème session de la Commission mixte économique algéro-russe.

The post Suppression de visas entre l’Algérie et la Russie : Lavrov « prêt » à examiner la question appeared first on .

Für 1,35 Franken bekommt man bei Coop und Migros 500 ml Coci. Im April ist damit Schluss. Dann gibts für das gleiche Geld 50 ml weniger Getränk. Der Konsumentenschutz kritisiert die «versteckte Preiserhöhung».

Die 39-jährige US-Sängerin Pink wird mit einem Stern auf dem «Walk of Fame» geehrt. Am 5. Februar soll die dreifache Grammy-Preisträgerin die Plakette mit ihrem Namen auf dem Hollywood Boulevard enthüllen.