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Le ministre du Commerce extérieur, Julien Palu a jugé, lundi 30 décembre, injustifiée l’exclusion du café et des cacaos congolais du marché de l’Union européenne. Il a ainsi réagi au cours du briefing de presse qu’il a coanimé avec son collègue de la Communication et Médias, Patrick Muyaya, à Kinshasa.

Emmanuel Macron a présenté, mardi soir, ses vœux aux Français pour 2025 dans la traditionnelle allocution télévisée de la Saint-Sylvestre, espérant tourner la page d'une année difficile, marquée par sa dissolution ratée et la perte d'une grande part de son influence.

Un enfant d’environ huit ans a été happé par un crocodile, dimanche 29 décembre, à Kanyatsi, dans le territoire de Beni au Nord-Kivu.

Selon la nouvelle société civile du secteur de Ruwenzori, la victime et sa mère étaient à la recherche de l’eau à la rivière Semuliki.

LA CHRONIQUE DE SOPHIE COIGNARD. Reparation d'un oubli ou gage de perennite, l'annonce de cette nouvelle instance montre combien l'executif est sans boussole.

Supplies of Russian gas via Ukraine are due to stop from the early hours of 1 January, as Kyiv has refused to negotiate a new transit deal.

The post Russian gas flows via Ukraine for last day as transit deal crumbles appeared first on Euractiv.

Environ 450 enfants orphelins issus de quatre communautés tribales de l’Ituri sont initiés à la culture de la paix et de cohabitation pacifique, dans le cadre d’une retraite de deux jours, organisée depuis le lundi 30 décembre par l’ONG Bacone Of Hope à Bogoro.

Selon le coordonnateur de cette ONG, Arali Bagamba, l’objectif de cette activité est de combattre la haine tribale qui est souvent à l’origine de cycles des violences dans cette province.

L'actualité est souvent maussade, oui, mais il y a aussi des raisons d'espérer. Progrès médicaux, avancées dans les droits humains, découvertes… France 24 a sélectionné dix bonnes nouvelles qui nous ont mis du baume au cœur en 2024.

À partir de mercredi, le vaccin contre les méningocoques – toutes souches confondues – devra être administré à tous les nourrissons de manière obligatoire pour les protéger contre la méningite, une malade grave dont on observe une hausse des cas, notamment depuis l'après-Covid.

In recent years, Iran's security forces have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals, mostly on charges related to espionage and security.

The post Iran confirms arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala appeared first on Euractiv.

The Treasury Department said it was working with the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI to assess the hack's impact.

The post US Treasury says Chinese hackers stole documents in ‘major incident’ appeared first on Euractiv.

Investigators said the Eagle S broke the undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia, and damaged four fibre optic lines by dragging its anchor across the seabed for dozens of kilometres.

The post Owner seeks release of oil tanker seized in Finland cable probe appeared first on Euractiv.

The prospect of presidential and parliamentary elections in Romania in November and December had triggered a spending surge that was expected to push the 2024 budget deficit to 8.6% of GDP.

The post Romania’s new government hikes taxes, caps public sector wages and pensions appeared first on Euractiv.

La coordination de la société civile de l’Ituri a appelé, lundi 30 décembre, les miliciens à cesser les violences perpétrées depuis 7 ans et à adhérer au Programme de désarmement, démobilisation et réinsertion communautaire et stabilisation (PDDRCS).

Le coordonnateur de cette organisation citoyenne, Dieudonné Lossa a lancé cet appel dans son message de vœux à la population, à partir de la ville de Bunia, chef-lieu de l’Ituri :

A US official said the $3.4 billion in budget funding brings the total in US budget aid to Ukraine to just over $30 billion since Russia's invasion in February 2022.

The post US announces $5.9 billion in military and budget aid to Ukraine appeared first on Euractiv.

The Royal Australian Air Force received its seventy-second—and probably last—F-35A Lightning stealth fighter jet, completing its fifth-generation fighter jet fleet for the time being.

Australian F-35s

In December, the Australian military received its seventy-second F-35A stealth fighter jet, completing the roster of the third operational squadron.

“The delivery of the final F-35A Lightning II aircraft is a practical demonstration of the Air Force’s ability to deliver highly effective air power as part of an integrated and focused force, in line with the National Defence Strategy,” chief of air force, Air Marshal Stephen Chappell, said in a press statement.

With the delivery of the last F-35, the Royal Australian Air Force becomes the strongest in the southeastern Pacific and one of the most powerful in the entire Indo-Pacific area of operations.

“Australians should be proud that our Air Force is flying the most advanced multi-role fighter in the world,” he added.

Now, the Royal Australian Air Force flies three types of fighter jets: the F-35A Lightning II, the F/A-18F Super Hornet, and the EA-18G Growler.

The F-35 is a fifth-generation stealth aircraft and the most advanced fighter jet in the skies today. The “A” version Australia is operating is the conventional take-off iteration—the F-35 has two other versions, B and C, with different landing and take-off capabilities.

The F/A-18 Super Hornet is an agile and capable fourth-generation fighter jet. Australia has twenty-four of those aircraft.

The third type of aircraft in service, the EA-18G Growler, is a variation of the F/A-18 Hornet/Super Hornet that specializes in electronic warfare—tracking and destroying enemy air defenses. Australia has twelve EA-18G aircraft.

“The F-35A aircraft fleet, in conjunction with the EA-18G Growler and F/A-18F Super Hornets, are the cornerstone of Australia’s air defence and strike capability, as outlined in the 2024 National Defence Strategy,” the Australian Air Force states about its fleet.

How Many F-35s?

Initially, the Royal Australian Air Force had planned for the procurement of 100 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter jets. Indeed, if you take a look at Lockheed Martin’s publicly released data on F-35 orders, it lists Australia with an order of 100 aircraft. However, earlier in 2024, the Australian military decided not to procure a fourth squadron of F-35A, thus limiting its order to seventy-two stealth aircraft. It is unclear whether Canberra will exercise its right to a fourth F-35 squadron down the line.

The reason for not procuring additional F-35 was dual: first, Canberra decided to upgrade its F/A-18F Super Hornet fleet to allow the fourth-generation aircraft to be competitive in a near-peer environment and fly well into the 2030s; and second, the F-35A proved to be a bigger success than Australian officials expected.

“We’ve decided to keep the Super Hornets in service for two reasons: one, they’re doing great work, and secondly, the Joint Strike Fighter is even more capable than we initially thought,” Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said in April.

“We can delay the replacement of the Super Hornet, which frees up funding to invest in more long-range missiles, for example,” the Australian defense official added.

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MA from Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

Image: moh_bagusov2 / Shutterstock.com

Why the Chinese military struggles to take advantage of new technology.

Trump must gain more leverage to bring Putin to the negotiating table.

Americas Performance Drone Works (PDW) has received more than $15.3 million in contracts to deliver its proprietary C100 small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) to the US Army. The drones will support the force’s posture across high-profile theaters, according to the Alabama-based company, with most to be distributed across the Indo-Pacific, European, and Central Command areas of responsibility. The “game-changing” capabilities are expected to provide medium-range reconnaissance and tactical air support. Raytheon has been awarded a $401.2 million full-rate production contract by the US Navy for 131 Block V Tomahawk missiles. As part of the contract, 26 missiles will be delivered to the US Army, 16 to the US Marine Corps, 11 to Australia, and 78 to Japan. Work will be performed in various locations across the US, with expected completion by March 2028. Middle East & Africa Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar has purchased Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace, reflecting Baykar’s growing global ambitions while marking a timely rescue for the troubled Italian aircraft producer. The deal, which was announced on Friday by Italy’s industry ministry, follows six years of Italian state management at Piaggio after it went into receivership in 2018. Europe Austria is to purchase 12 Italian Leonardo M-346FA jets to serve in both […]