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Infrastructure has quite suddenly become the new mantra of governments around the world. Europeans and Americans are waking to the modernisation of their crumbling roads, sewerage and water systems as ways of reviving flagging economies, but in Asia infrastructure is the key to a new era of progress and prosperity.

For vibrant as Asia undoubtedly is, it still has leaden feet. It’s not hard to understand the region’s preoccupation with infrastructural development when stuck in, say, Jakarta’s or Manila’s endlessly gridlocked traffic jams. Outside the cities, rural life in much of Asia contends with road and rail communications so poor that economic development risks being seriously handicapped for many years to come.

The contrast between backward Asia and the go-getting image of ‘Asia Rising’ is stark, and the implications are inescapable. Unless Asia’s teeming mega-cities and largely undeveloped rural communities can resolve their transport and mobility problems, they are liable to start slipping backwards in terms of global economic competitiveness.

The politics of infrastructural investment are a hot topic in Asia. From India to China, and including all the smaller nations in between, the region’s transport and information-related needs by 2020 have been estimated at a gigantic $8 trillion by the Asian Development Bank. How to mobilise such an amount, and where and how to spend it were that sort of money to be available, are burning questions.

That’s why so much attention is being focused on the Beijing-backed project of an Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and also on a parallel project that has received no attention at all in most parts of the world, but is potentially a highly significant geopolitical game-changer. Plans are afoot to set up an Islamic Infrastructure Investment Bank (IIIB), probably to be headquartered in Jakarta as capital of the world’s largest Muslim nation.

High hopes are now pinned on both. The aim of the AIIB is to mobilise much more investment capital than the World Bank and its development arm, the International Finance Corporation, have so far contributed in Asia. Its supporters and propagandists say that in only a few years its capitalisation should double from $500 billion to $1 trillion.

The birth of the AIIB, no one should be in any doubt, reflects China’s undisguised impatience with Western-dominated global institutions, rules and standards that many developing countries see as skewed to favour America and Europe. The origins of the IIIB are very different, yet perhaps equally capable of catalysing change in the international banking system.

The IIIB is to be an off-shoot of the Islamic Development Bank that has been based in Jeddah for the last 40 years, and whose chief shareholders along with its Saudi Arabian hosts are Nigeria, Iran and Libya, with Malaysia and Indonesia holding smaller stakes. Although the IIIB will start with a capital base of only $1 billion, an important element of the project will be to further develop Sharia banking that adheres to Islamic principles on lending, and then harness that growing sector of financial services to Asia’s hunger for infrastructure. Once the IIIB is up and running in Jakarta, it will evidently operate in tandem with financial institutions in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, where Sharia-compliant bank assets stand at $170 billion against Jakarta’s $21 billion.

The uncertainties and unanswered questions surrounding both these proposed multilateral lending bodies are legion. To begin with, who will call the shots on the AIIB’s structure and development? China is clearly in the lead, but with almost 60 countries around the world now signed up as founding members, can Beijing claim ownership and retain sweeping executive powers? Unsurprisingly, China refused Taiwan’s candidacy, but that doesn’t mean its own role will forever go unchallenged.

And where will the AIIB be based? Hong Kong seems out of the running because the democracy protests there have irritated Beijing. Singapore is actively lobbying to play host, and its sophisticated banking industry is an undeniable lure. Even more important than location is the wider issue of lending criteria. Both the AIIB and the IIIB will have to deal with extremely sensitive political choices about priorities in the financing queue. This is already apparent at the embryonic Shanghai-based New Development Bank – better known as the BRICS bank. Launched two years ago in New Delhi by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, it is already grappling with its founders’ very different development needs.

Asian nations, too, are disparate. The ten countries in the almost 50-year-old Association of South-East Asian Nations – Asean – range from tiny, rich Singapore to sprawling Indonesia. Its fast-growing population of 250m may eventually even challenge China economically, but first, like so much of Asia, it must tackle daunting infrastructural weaknesses.

 

IMAGE CREDITS: CC / FLICKR – november-13

The post Europe’s infrastructure needs – and ambitions – are dwarfed by Asia’s appeared first on Europe’s World.

General : Should animal testing be banned? The Stop Vivisection citizens' initiative aims to repeal the European directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes and ask the European Commission to present a new proposal that does away with animal experimentation. The Parliament is holding a hearing on Monday 11 May, during which MEPs will debate the issue with experts and the initiative's organisers. Watch the discussion live online from 15.00 CET.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : Should animal testing be banned? The Stop Vivisection citizens' initiative aims to repeal the European directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes and ask the European Commission to present a new proposal that does away with animal experimentation. The Parliament is holding a hearing on Monday 11 May, during which MEPs will debate the issue with experts and the initiative's organisers. Watch the discussion live online from 15.00 CET.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Támogatás célja:  A támogatás célja a kertészeti ágazat technológiai színvonalának javítása, környezetbarát (energiatakarékos) gépek és technológiai berendezések beszerzése révén.

 Támogatható beruházás:

• Támogatás az IH közleményben közzétett GÉPKATALÓGUSBAN meghatározott kódok alapján azonosítható kertészeti gépek és technológiai berendezések (a továbbiakban: gép) beszerzésére vehető igénybe azzal, hogy a kertészeti traktorok teljesítménye 75 kW-nál nem lehet nagyobb.
• Kizárólag első üzembe helyezésű gépek, technológiai berendezések beszerzése támogatható, a beszerezni kívánt eszköznek, illetve gépnek rendelkeznie kell a magyarországi forgalomba hozatalhoz szükséges engedélyekkel; a teljesítés időpontjában kezdődő termékfelelősségi, garanciális és szavatossági jogainak érvényesítéséhez szükséges okiratokkal és a beszerezni kívánt eszköz, illetve gép gyártásától a kérelem benyújtásáig 2 évnél több nem telhet el.

Beadási idő: 2015.május 18 – tól

elektronikus űrlapkitöltő szolgáltatás segítségével előállított elektronikus űrlapon lehet benyújtani.

Támogatás mértéke:  35% vissza nem térítendő támogatás

• kisértékű beruházás: max. 5 millió Ft.
• nagyértékű beruházás: max. 50 millió Ft.

Támogatásra jogosultak:

Támogatás igénybevételére jogosult az a mezőgazdasági termelő, aki a gazdasági tevékenységek statisztikai osztályozása (TEÁOR’08) szerinti 01.1. – 01.3 és 01.5. tevékenység valamelyikét végzi:

01.1 Nem évelő növény termesztése:
01.11 Gabonaféle, hüvelyes növény, termesztés
01.12 Rizstermesztés
01.13 Zöldségféle, dinnye, gumós növény term.
01.14 Cukornádtermesztés
01.15 Dohánytermesztés
01.16 Rostnövénytermesztés
01.19 Egyéb, nem évelő növénytermesztés

 01.2 Évelőnövény termesztése:
01.21 Szőlőtermesztés
01.22 Trópusi gyümölcstermesztés
01.23 Citrusféle termesztés
01.24 Almatermésű, csonthéjas termesztés
01.25 Egyéb gyümölcs, héjas termésű term.
01.26 Olajtartalmú gyümölcstermesztés
01.27 Italgyártási növénytermesztés
01.28 Fűszer-, aroma-, narkotikus, gyógynövény termesztés
01.29 Egyéb évelőnövény termesztés

01.3 Növényi szaporítóanyag termesztés

01.5 Vegyes gazdálkodás

Valamint, az alább feltüntetett kertészeti tevékenységeket meghatározó standard fedezeti hozzájárulás (SFH) kódok alapján számított üzemmérete a támogatási kérelem benyújtási évében számított értékek alapján a 4 EUME kertészeti üzemméretet meghaladja:

• Friss zöldségfélék, dinnye, szamóca (D14A; D14B; D15)
• Virágok (D16; D17)
• Illóolaj-, gyógy- és fűszernövények (D34)
• Gyümölcsültetvények (G01A; G01B; G01C)
• Citrus-ültetvények (G02)
• Olajfa ültetvények (G03A; G03B)
• Szőlő ültetvények (G04A; G04B; G04C; G04D)
• Faiskolák (G05)
• Járható takarás (üvegház, fóliasátor) alatti ültetvények (G07)
• Gomba (I02)
• Burgonya (D10)
• Dohány (D23)

 Kötelezettségek:

• az üzemeltetési kötelezettség időtartama alatt a beruházás tárgya – kivéve a jóváhagyott kötelezettség átvállalás esetét – nem idegeníthető el és nem adható bérbe, de a jótállás alapján történő csere, amortizáció, lopás, működésképtelenné, használhatatlanná válás esetén az MVH által rendszeresített formanyomtatványon történő bejelentést követően cserélhető.
• Az ügyfél köteles az üzemeltetési kötelezettség időtartamának egésze alatt, illetve induló vállalkozás esetén a támogatási rendelet 3. § (4) bekezdésében foglalt időponttól kezdődően az üzemeltetési kötelezettség lejártáig a legalább 4 EUME kertészeti üzemméretet fenntartani.
• Az ügyfél köteles a támogatási kérelem benyújtását megelőző naptári év foglalkoztatotti átlaglétszámát – az önfoglalkoztatást is figyelembe véve – az üzemeltetési kötelezettség időtartama alatt legalább szinten tartani.

Analyse de Bernard Lugan
L'on se bat à nouveau dans le nord du Mali. Pas contre les islamistes cette fois, mais entre Touareg, dans un conflit se nourrissant d'une rivalité séculaire entre les "nobles" Iforas composant le noyau dur du MNLA (Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad) et leurs anciens tributaires Imghad du GATIA ( Groupe d'auto défense touareg Imghad et alliés) dirigés par le colonel Ag Gamou. Les premiers sont partisans d'un confédéralisme alors que les seconds obéissent au régime de Bamako qui les utilise afin d'affaiblir le MNLA; avec, semble t-il,  le soutien de la Minusma (Mission des Nations Unies au Mali). Résultat: la signature des accords de paix prévue le 15 mai à Bamako est compromise.
Explication et point de la situation.
La suite de cette analyse est réservée aux abonnés à l'Afrique Réelle. Pour la recevoir par courriel, vous devez être abonné.Pour s'abonner, cliquer ici

Afghanistan

19 kidnapped Hazara passengers released

Nineteen passengers who were kidnapped by militants from a bus in February in southern Afghanistan were released on Monday (BBC, Pajhwok, AP). The passengers on the bus — all from the minority Hazara community — were abducted while traveling home from working in Iran. Assadullah Kakar, who was one of the negotiators working to secure the release of the passengers, told BBC that the 19 passengers were released in exchange for 22 children of the families of insurgents from Uzbekistan who were being held in government prisons. However, Pajhwok Afghan News reported that the passengers were exchanged for 28 Taliban prisoners who were in government custody. It is unclear what militant group kidnapped the group of passengers; some reports say the Taliban is responsible while others suggest the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is to blame.

Taliban attack second bus in a week

A suicide bomber attacked a bus carrying Afghan government employees in Kabul on Sunday, killing three people (Reuters). The attack was the second in just a week in the same area of the capital. The bus was carrying mostly employees from the attorney general’s office who were returning home from work. Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack. Last Monday, another suicide bomber targeted a bus in the same area, killing one person and wounding 15 others.

Pakistan

Author says Pakistan knew about bin Laden raid

In a story published in the London Review of Books on Sunday, Seymour Hersh wrote that Pakistan not only knew about the U.S. raid on bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, but that they led the United States to him in the first place (LRB). Hersh contends that the idea that the Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) were not told about the raid in advance is false and that “the White House’s story might have been written by Lewis Carroll.” Hersh asserts that a former senior Pakistani intelligence officer approached the CIA’s station chief at the U.S. embassy in Islamabad in 2010 and offered to lead them to bin Laden, starting an investigation and eventual cooperation with Pakistan’s Army and the ISI (Dawn).

The White House position remains that the Pakistani Army and ISI were never informed of the U.S. mission. Others also dispute the evidence Hersh uses to support his claim. Bonus Read: “Was the bin Laden killing story a lie?” Peter Bergen (CNN).

PM, Army Chief to visit Kabul

Prime Minister Nawaz Shairf and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, along with a high-level delegation, will visit Afghanistan on Tuesday (ET, Dawn). The Express Tribune reports that three major issues will be discussed during the visit: negotiations with the Afghan Taliban, the allegations of India’s spy agency presence in Afghanistan, and Pakistani military operation Zarb-e-Azb against the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. The trip tomorrow will be Sharif’s second visit to Afghanistan and the first after the installation of the National Unity Government in Kabul.

India

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister acquitted in corruption case

Jayalalithaa Jayaram, the former chief minister of the state of Tamil Nadu and a former movie star, was cleared of all charges by the Karnataka High Court in a 19-year old corruption case. Jayalalithaa had been convicted and jailed last year for holding 530 million rupees ($8.7 million) in unaccounted cash and other assets, but she appealed, and the verdict has been overturned (The Times of India, The Hindu, NDTV). Current Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who had been hand-picked by Jayalalithaa to succeed her after her conviction, is expected to resign, paving the way for Jayalalithaa to return to her post as early as May 17. Jayalalithaa is also expected to resume leadership of the AIADMK party, which holds the third largest number of seats in the lower house of India’s parliament (Reuters). Subramanian Swamy, one of the petitioners in the case and a leader of the rival BJP, expressed surprise and announced his plans to appeal the decision.

Government seeks to protect rights of adopted daughters

The Indian government has proposed a change to the British-era Registration Act of 1908 that would protect the right to inherit property for adopted daughters. While a 2005 amendment changed the interpretation of the law to include daughters, the proposed change would make that inclusion explicit. “Since 2005, daughters have equal rights over property. This could make sure than an adopted girl is not left out as an heir. It is an important step to bring into practice the amended law of 2005,” said Ram Singh, an associate professor at the Delhi School of Economics (The Economic Times, The Times of India).

India’s lion population on the rise

India’s lion population has increased by 27 percent since 2010, according to the 2015 lion census conducted by the Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (BBC). The number of lions has gone up from 411 in 2010 to 523 in 2015, according to the census, which was conducted by 2,500 officials and volunteers. In an encouraging sign, the number of lion cubs has been increasing as well as the overall population (The Indian Express). Gir Forest in the state of Gujarat is the only home to wild Asiatic lions.

— Udit Banerjea and Emily Schneider

Edited by Peter Bergen

SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images

Guerre en Croatie : acquittement d'Ante Gotovina, la légalisation du nettoyage ethnique (1/2)
Guerre en Croatie : nettoyage ethnique et complicités occidentales (2/2)
Croatie : lors des commémorations d'Oluja, la Première ministre a « salué » les condamnés du TPI
TPIY : 24 ans de prison pour Ante Gotovina, 18 pour Mladen Markač, Ivan Čermak acquitté
Oluja : la Croatie commémore à Knin les 15 ans de la fin de la guerre

/ Croatie, Courrier des Balkans, Oluja, Politique intérieure, Défense, police et justice

Allgemeines : Mit der Europäischen Bürgerinitiative können Bürger die EU-Kommission auffordern, Regeln zu einem bestimmten Thema, in dem die EU Gesetzgebungskompetenz hat, vorzuschlagen. Die Initiative muss von mindestens einer Millionen Menschen aus 7 EU-Mitgliedstaaten unterstützt werden. Zu zwei Bürgerinitiativen - "Einer von uns" und "Recht auf Wasser" - fanden bereits Anhörungen im EU-Parlament statt. Verfolgen Sie die Anhörung am Montag (11.5.) zur Bürgerinitiative "Vivisektion stoppen" im Live-Stream.

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2015 - EP

PRAVDA.Ru journalists went onboard Russia’s most powerful nuclear submarine The might of the Russian navy is not often discussed these days. Political contacts and negotiations are definitely relevant. However, when Russia has something to boast of, this is completely different. Russia has been weakened a lot over the recent year. Yet, it is still capable of claiming to be one of the leading powers in the world

Nach den Parlamentswahlen sei Großbritannien gespalten wie noch nie, meint der...

Opinión - 11/5/2015
Ignacio Molina
David Cameron ha ganado estas elecciones en Reino Unido pero cuando la Reina de Inglaterra le renueve la petición de formar gobierno todos los desafíos seguirán ahí.

Opinión - 11/5/2015
Ignacio Molina
David Cameron ha ganado estas elecciones en Reino Unido pero cuando la Reina de Inglaterra le renueve la petición de formar gobierno todos los desafíos seguirán ahí.

GJILAN/GNJILANE, 11 May 2015 – The municipalities of Ferizaj/Uroševac, Štrpce/Shtërpcë, and Klokot/Kllokot will tomorrow sign a declaration on community dialogue and co-operation. The ceremony will be held in Ferizaj/Uroševac and is supported by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

The declaration is an expression of good will by mayors to enhance interaction and dialogue between different communities residing in their municipalities through joint projects and activities.

The Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, Mayor of Ferizaj/Uroševac municipality, Muharrem Svarqa, Deputy Mayor for Communities of Štrpce/Shtërpcë municipality, Beqir Fejzullahu, and Mayor of Klokot/Kllokot municipality, Srećko Spasić, will be speaking at the event.  

Media representatives are cordially invited to attend the event, on Tuesday 12 May 2015, starting at 14:00, at the Ferizaj/Uroševac Municipal Assembly Hall.

Related Stories

• OSCE Mission to launch project on strengthening Kosovo Police capacities to combat high-level corruption
• Unfettered and professional media key for democratic development of Kosovo, says OSCE Mission Head on World Press Freedom Day
• OSCE Mission in Kosovo organizes roundtable on preventing violent extremism and radicalism that may lead to terrorism

By Paul McLeary and Ariel Robinson

Bring in the drones. In January 2014, the United States sent 14 unarmed ScanEagle drones to Iraq as a part of a larger weapons deal to assist then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in quelling what was then seen as a rekindled Sunni rebellion in western Iraq.

We haven’t heard much about those birds since the initial announcement was made, but last week, on May 7, the Defense Department said that Iraq had completed the $10 million deal with the Washington-state based ScanEagle maker Insitu Inc. to operate the drones, along with providing enough maintenance personnel to support the “intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services program and force protection services for the government of Iraq,” at Camp Taji, just north of Baghdad.

The ScanEagle has been a workhorse for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. The five-foot long, 30-40 lb. drone is capable of staying aloft for 24 hours at a time.

In other ScanEagle news, does anyone else wonder what happened to the 12 ScanEagle and NightEagle drones that the Yemeni government bought in September 2014? Some $500 million worth of U.S. military equipment was lost earlier this year when Houthi rebels took over a series of military bases there, but we haven’t heard many details.

Standing room only. It wasn’t the greatest view, but the steps of the River Entrance at the Pentagon was a nice little spot to watch the 70 WWII-era planes fly over Washington last Friday to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. A good chunk of the press corps and a few hundred other Pentagon staffers shuffled out of the building around lunchtime to see the show, and we found ourselves standing just a few steps down from Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who was safely ensconced in the shade while we worked on a “good base tan” to start beach season.

Carter actually stood just a few feet behind a small group of reporters — we’ve discovered over the past three months that he certainly doesn’t like standing in front of us — while his chief of staff Eric Fanning (until recently the Undersecretary of the Air Force) was out in his shirtsleeves chatting up a group of Air Force officers. The scene made us a little regretful that we’re not up to date on the full list on Air Force one- and two-star generals, since there were lots of brass from the air service milling about, unencumbered by their staffs.

We also had a front row seat for the Curtis Helldiver that had to peel off and make an emergency landing at National Airport. It flew almost right over the Pentagon on its safe descent on to the runway. No one was hurt, thankfully.

Who’s on first? On Sunday, The New York Times’ Helene Cooper reported that Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz would not attend the much-hyped Gulf Cooperation Council meeting that President Barack Obama is hosting at Camp David this week, in a move being seen as a snub to the Obama administration.

Just wanted to point out that FP’s own John Hudson reported last Thursday that  “a U.S. official told Foreign Policy the White House had not yet confirmed the attendance of a number of key officials in the GCC — a union that includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar.”

The weekend’s over and it’s time once again to start getting your daily fill of the mayhem and destruction — and occasional tentative stabs at hope and understanding — that our fellow human beings inflict on one another. Too dark? Let me know at paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or on Twitter: @paulmcleary

Think Tanked

At 9:00 a.m. at the Brookings Institution, the shop’s Kenneth Pollack, senior fellow, Center for Middle East Policy talks “The future of Iraq: A conversation with Sunni leaders,” with Rafi al-Issawi, former Iraqi deputy prime minister and minister of finance, and Atheel al-Nujayfi, Governor of Ninewah Province. At 10:00 a.m. at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and retired Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright and Sean O’Keefe, former administrator of NASA, talk about “U.S. Strategy for Civil and Military Space.” And then at 10:30 a.m., The Center for Cyber & Homeland Security at the George Washington University hosts the “State of the Cybersecurity Union,” with Adm. Michael Rogers, the head of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency.

Counterterrorism

The Daily Beast’s Jamie Dettmer reports from Turkey that he’s hearing Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi “has been moved from Iraq to the Syrian city of Raqqa, the terror army’s de facto capital, amid tight security two months after sustaining serious shrapnel wounds leaving his spine damaged and his left leg immobile, say jihadist defectors.”

“Those guys are badass,” a U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber crew member recently told U.S. News & World Report’s Paul D. Shinkman about Kurdish fighters in the Syrian city of Kobani. Shinkman took a trip down to Dyess Air Force Base in Texas to talk to B-1 crews recently back from bombing runs over Syria, with one officer telling him that the Syria mission “gave us a recharge on the whole conflict, even in Afghanistan…we weren’t in a rut – we were still executing missions, but there was something different this time.”

AFP reports that “the global terrorist threat has entered a ‘new phase,’ where media-savvy Islamist extremists are successfully drawing lone wolf attackers to their cause, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security [Jeh Johnson] warned Sunday.”

This was echoed by Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) who told CNN, “the combination of those two groups [Al Qaeda and ISIL] — their appeal to the lone wolfs and we see them acting in Belgium and in France and in Canada and the United States, so the threat factors and the nature of the threats are far more complicated and far more serious today than on September 12, 2001.”

Europe

Norway’s modernization plans for its defense forces have been making waves these last few weeks. Over the weekend, Defense News’ Vago Muradian spoke with Norway’s chief of defense, Adm. Haakon Bruun-Hanse, about a recently released report detailing the Norwegian military’s capabilities and weaknesses.

In Macedonia on Sunday, eight policemen and 14 gunmen were killed in an attack that authorities say was led by five Kosovars who were members of the now-disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army, the BBC reports. More than 30 Macedonians and one Albanian were involved in the attack that left more than 37 additional officers wounded. “It’s total destruction,” one Macedonian is quoted as saying.

Last month, roughly 40 ethnic Albanians from Kosovo took over a police station, demanding the creation of an Albanian state within Macedonia. Tensions have been running high since an uprising in 2001.

Yemen

The Los Angeles Times’ Zaid Al-Alayaa and Patrick J. Mcdonnell report that Yemeni rebels have agreed to a five-day, humanitarian cease-fire proposed by the Saudis.

Nigeria

A gunmen opened fire outside the College of Administrative and Business Studies in Potiskum, Yobe state, Nigeria, the AFP reports, killing 12. The shooter blew himself up when he ran out of ammunition, but there were no additional casualties.

Egypt

Egyptian presidential spokesman Alaa Yousef said on Saturday that “Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed as firm relations between Cairo and Moscow, expressing his country’s support for Egypt,” according to Egypt’s State Information Service. During a meeting between Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the two leaders discussed bolstering their “already strong ties,” and “other issues of common concern.”  During the visit to Moscow, Sisi also met with his Vietnamese counterpart Truong Tan Sang.

The business of defense

“In the span of just a few weeks, a flurry of orders has reset the global fighter market,” writes Defense News in what’s bylined as a “staff report.” Since mid-February, Egypt, India, and Qatar all announced that they were planning to buy dozens of French-made Dassault Rafale fighter planes. In April, the United Arab Emirates said it was restarting talks with Dassault about the Rafale. Then, just last week it leaked that Kuwait was on the verge of buying up to 40 Boeing-made F/A-18 E and F Super Hornet strike fighters from the United States. “It’s a shocking amount of activity for a fighter market that often sees just one or two procurements a year globally, and one analysts say is being driven by world events,” in the Middle East, the story says.

One more thing

Finally, we know that it’s Seymour Hersh, but his new story in the London Review of Books about all of the lies behind the official narrative(s) of the bin Laden raid is a good read. Take it as you will.

 

 

Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement, which have been fighting for nearly two months, have reached a plan for a five-day ceasefire, set to begin on Tuesday. A Houthi official posted on social media that they will accept the ceasefire if it proves to be “real and serious.” The pause will allow the delivery of critical humanitarian aid, but it is unclear whether the agreement will hold as neither side has strong control of its forces. In the meantime, though, Saudi airstrikes have continued, including strikes targeting the estate of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh and more than a dozen Houthi leaders. Houthi forces have reportedly claimed responsibility for shooting down a Moroccan F-16 participating in the Saudi bombing campaign.

The United Nations has expressed its support for the planned pause in the conflict, but chafed at Saudi Arabia’s insistence on mediating humanitarian aid. U.N. policy states that the delivery of humanitarian aid should not be governed by a belligerent in a conflict. “The active engagement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is appreciated,” U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Yemen Johannes Van Der Klaauw said. “However, in all crises, the emergency relief coordinator is mandated to lead the coordination of international relief activities and emergency response.” Some humanitarian organizations said they did not think sufficient aid could be delivered in five days to alleviate crises that include medicine, food, water, and fuel shortages.

Assad Regime Arrests Intel Chief for Coup Plot

The Assad regime has placed Ali Mamlouk, head of the country’s National Security Bureau, under house arrest amid accusations that he was plotting a coup. Mamlouk was reportedly communicating with Turkish intelligence to try to arrange the return of Rifaat al-Assad, who has lived abroad since plotting to overthrow his brother Hafez in the 1980s. Last month, two other security chiefs were taken out of power in mysterious circumstances: Gen. Rafiq Shehadeh, head of military intelligence, was fired after his supporters attacked and killed Rustum Ghazaleh, the head of the Political Security Directorate. The internal conflict is said to be a reaction to overbearing Iranian influence on the regime.

Headlines

• The Saudi government confirmed that King Salman will not attend the Gulf summit hosted by President Obama at Camp David this week and will send Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his stead; other Gulf nations will also be sending diplomatic delegations instead of their monarchs.

 

• Libyan forces attacked a Turkish cargo ship carrying construction materials; Libyan officials said the ship was approaching rebel-held Derna, violating an embargo of the city, while Turkish officials say it was trying to reach Tobruk.

 

• European Union efforts to establish a quota system to distribute the burden of resettling migrants transiting the Mediterranean to Europe from North Africa have run into opposition from Slovakia and Estonia, possibly blocking its approval.

 

• Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davetoglu crossed into Syria to visit the tomb of Suleyman Shah, a figure from early Ottoman history, and said the Turkish flag “will fly over Suleyman Shah forever,” drawing criticism from the Assad regime for “a clear aggression.”

 

• An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons to three years in prison on corruption charges, reaffirming a previous ruling; Mubarak was previously acquitted of murder charges for deaths during the 2011 uprising against his rule.

-J. Dana Stuster

MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images

La Fondation pour l’innovation politique vous invite à une matinée exceptionnelle de débats le dimanche 14 juin, de 9h à 13h, au Pavillon Cambon-Capucines, à Paris 1er, autour du thème : « Valeurs d’islam, république et citoyenneté ».

Cet article PROGRAMME et INSCRIPTION : « Valeurs d’islam, république et citoyenneté » : matinée exceptionnelle de débats le dimanche 14 juin 2015 est apparu en premier sur Fondapol.

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EU Finance Ministers will meet on 12 May 2015 in Brussels to discuss ongoing work on the proposed European fund for strategic investments, the Commission's in-depth reviews of macroeconomic imbalances in the member states, as well as implementation of structural reforms.

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General : Tax rulings, EU-Russia relations, Turkey’s reform progress, boosting free trade with the US, empowering women in Africa and the current situation in Georgia are all on the Parliament's agenda when MEPs gather this week in Brussels. Political groups will also prepare for the plenary session in Strasbourg on 18-21 May. Meanwhile Parliament President Martin Schulz will be awarded the Charlemagne Prize in Aachen on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

General : Tax rulings, EU-Russia relations, Turkey’s reform progress, boosting free trade with the US, empowering women in Africa and the current situation in Georgia are all on the Parliament's agenda when MEPs gather this week in Brussels. Political groups will also prepare for the plenary session in Strasbourg on 18-21 May. Meanwhile Parliament President Martin Schulz will be awarded the Charlemagne Prize in Aachen on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

A Pázmaneum Társulás gyűjtést szervez Kárpátalja megsegítésére. A gyűjtés fő célja a nehéz helyzetben lévő családok és az egyedülálló idős emberek megsegítése Kárpátalján.

“Mindennapos gondokkal küzdenek a kárpátaljai magyarok, ezért adománygyűjtésbe kezdünk, hogy a befolyt összegből az ottani családokat, magányos embereket tudjuk segíteni. Kérjük a katolikus egyházközségeket, civil szervezeteket, vállalkozókat, hogy segítsenek kezdeményezésünkben és lakóhelyükön hirdessék meg a gyűjtést. Adományainkat a Kárpátaljai Katolikus Karitásznak juttatjuk majd el.” – írja a társulás, amely hivatalos, belügyminisztériumi engedéllyel folytatja a tevékenységét. A gyűjtés 2015. október végéig tart, amelyet egy jótékonysági koncert előz majd meg.

A pénzadományokat egy elkülönített számlaszámra várják:

16137490/5200 OTP Banka Slovensko a.s.
IBAN: SK9052000000000016137490
Pénznem: EUR
CIF: 699512
A megjegyzés rovatba írják oda: „Kárpátalja”

Bővebb információ Karaffa Attilánál a +421-905-826-os telefonszámon, illetve az info@pazmaneum.com e-mail címen kapható.