Feed aggregator

June 14, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) - Qatar on Wednesday said it has pulled out its 450 troops deployed at the disputed border line of Eritrea and Djibouti since seven years ago.

Qatar had mediated border dispute between Eritrea and Djibouti that ended a two-year long conflict under Doha peace deal signed in 2010 between the two eastern African nations.

After the peace pact was sealed, Qatar sent 450 troops to the disputed mountainous border area to oversee the implementation of the peace agreement.

"The state of Qatar has informed the government of Djibouti that it has withdrawn all of its troops deployed on the borderline," said Wednesday Qatar's ministry of foreign affairs.

The ministry said Qatar had been an "impartial diplomatic mediator" in resolving border disputes between Eritrea and Djibouti.

Qatar's decision to withdraw its troops and suspend its peacekeeping mission in Africa comes a day after Asmara's decision to cut its diplomatic ties with Doha in support of Saudi Arabia's and its allies.

Eritrea which has cordial relations with Saudi and Its allies on Monday officially announced its full support of collective actions taken against Qatar.

Also, Asmara recently developed close relations with Cairo which has troubled relations with Addis Ababa and Khartoum.

Qatar said it will continue to engage in resolving disputes and crises that might spark between "brotherly and friendly countries and will continue to be a major player in the international community".

The statement didn't mention the reasons for its decision to call off the peacekeeping mission on Eritrea-Djibouti border.

Qatar's faces a campaign by the Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates (UAE) encouraging countries in the region and across the world cut ties with the tiny state in order to isolate it.

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Doha accusing it of support to terrorist groups and becoming close to the regional arch-rival Iran.

(ST)

June 14, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - President Omer al-Bashir Wednesday has relieved the state presidential minister and director of the president's offices Taha Osman al-Hussein amid conflicting reports on the reasons behind the move.

Al-Hussein who is a security general had been appointed in June 2015 as state presidential minister and director of the president's offices at the presidential palace and the council of ministers.

On Wednesday evening, al-Bashir issued a presidential decree appointing Hatim Hassan Bakhit as state presidential minister and director of the president's offices. However, the decree didn't mention whether or not al-Hussein would retain his ministerial position.

Reliable sources told Sudan Tribune that al-Hussein, who gained a reputation as being the most influential person within the president's inner circle, was informed of his removal verbally before he was allowed to leave for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah (lesser pilgrimage).

The reasons behind the sacking of al-Hussein are not yet known, but observers point that it might be linked to Sudan's stance on the ongoing Gulf crisis or was due to internal differences with the Prime Minister Bakri Hassan Salih.

It has been purported that the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Tuesday verbally instructed the chief editors of Khartoum's newspapers not to publish any reports on the issue.

Also, unconfirmed reports say he is under arrest since Tuesday evening when he sought to travel to Saudi Arabia.

During the last couple of years, al-Hussein played a pivotal role within the presidency and appeared to be the person behind important decisions especially after al-Bashir named him as personal envoy to a number of countries including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Al-Hussein's last assignment was his participation in the Arab-American Islamic Summit in Riyadh last May where he represented al-Bashir, whose participation was vetoed by Washington.

His powers have significantly infringed on the role of the foreign ministry on several occasions.

In 2016 he conveyed al-Bashir's decision to cut ties with Iran to the deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia Mohamad bin Salman without the knowledge of the foreign ministry officials who read the news on the Saudi News Agency.

Also, following an unannounced visit to Washington last December in which he met with a number of congressmen and former President Jimmy Carter, he claimed he was the person behind the U.S. decision to ease the 19-year sanctions on Sudan.

The all-female Facebook group Female In Nigeria became a place for women to share their deepest secrets.

June 14, 2017 (WAU) – Taban Deng Gai, South Sudan's First Vice President, claimed that the return of rebel leader Riek Machar to Juba to participate in the National Dialogue was a “recipe for disaster and would impose more catastrophe in the country.”

In a speech before an extraordinary meeting of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) leaders on Monday 12 June, Gai insisted that the presence of Machar in the country always lead to death and disaster, something the people of the country do no need.

“Machar who has been exiled to South Africa should remain there and will not consent to re-join the political process to end the conflict in the country without using his army,” Gai told the IGAD leader in the Ethiopian Capital, Addis Ababa, according to the text of his statement seen by Sudan Tribune.

During the discussions of the one-day meeting, the heads of state and government decided to urgently "revitalise the full implementation of the ARCSS;" pointing to the failure of the current government in Juba to implement the peace agreement and pave the way democratic reforms.

IGAD leaders praised the national dialogue process which would lay down the ground for national reconciliation but stressed that the ending the war and improve the humanitarian situation in the country should be prioritised for the time being.

The first deputy further tried in his speech to convince the IGAD leader that Riek Machar was filing with efforts to use military action to rule the country, stating that Machar did not need the National Dialogue.

“I who was with Riek Machar know him more than anyone and with his own mindset, he is not intending to take part in any process, he wants to become the President of South Sudan even through war,” said Gai who was the SPLM-IO chief negotiator.

He went on to respond to the calls by several political officials that Machar should be allowed to return to Juba as a normal citizen.

“This is the beginning of everything. If Riek is proposed to return to Juba, tomorrow people will move to a new topic of bringing him to his former post which he left last year. I am not predicting that he should take over of my post, the reality is, Riek is fill of destroying the country,” emphasised the First Vice President.

“By the end the of the transitional period, the full integration of the army will have been completed and it would be safe for South Sudan to accept the return of Riek Machar who can then come and contest peaceful democratic elections as a civil political leader,” he said.

Gai added that it would be unwise for Riek Machar to return to South Sudan now because of his behaviour, but he was more than welcome to send delegates on his behalf.

“The unity government has no objection in principle to Machar sending a delegation to deliver his views and message to the people of South Sudan in the National Dialogue Forum,” said the First Vice President.

SPLM-IO believe that the peace agreement implementation should be discussed to fix the modalities of the ceasefire and to open humanitarian access to the civilians but also they want their share in the transitional government tasked with the enforcement of the deal and to give their leader his position of the first vice president.

(ST)

June 14, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The trial of prominent human rights defender Mudawi Ibrahim Adam Wednesday has begun in Khartoum amid a large presence from activists and foreign diplomats.

Mudawi Ibrahim

Adam, a university professor and Chair of the non-governmental organisation Sudan Social Development Organisation (SUDO) was arrested on 7 December 2016 by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).

Earlier this month, Sudan's state security prosecutor office charged Adam with six offences, some of which are punishable by death. The offences include publishing false reports, undermining the constitutional order, espionage, provoking the war against the state, stirring up sectarian hatred and running a terrorist organisation.

The judge of the Khartoum North Criminal Court Abdin Hamad Dahi on Wednesday has held a procedural session in the trial of Adam and others.

More than 30 lawyers have appeared on the defence team while the prosecution was presented by the head of the state security prosecution office Babiker Abdel-Latif and 6 other prosecutors.

The court has allowed the defence lawyer Sati al-Haj to visit Adam at the Kober prison and approved his request to transfer him to the hospital due to his health conditions.

Also, the judge has agreed with the defence and prosecution to hold a trial session every Thursday, ordering to deposit names of both teams with the court.

It is noteworthy that Hafez Idris, who has been detained since late November, is also standing trial on the same case as he faces accusations pertaining to his work as a legal assistant in monitoring human rights violations against displaced people in Darfur.

Mudawi Ibrahim

On 14 March, Ibrahim's private driver Adam al-Sheikh, and two human rights activists from the troubled Blue Nile State identified by their first names, Abdel-Mukhlis and Abdel-Hakam have been released on bail.

From December 2003 to January 2005, Mudawi had been arrested, during several months in connection with his work with the SUDO in Darfur.

CALLS TO RELEASE MUDAWI

Amnesty International on Wednesday has called for the immediate release of the Sudanese rights defender and his colleague Hafiz Idris.

“Human rights work is not a crime, so Dr Mudawi and Hafiz must be immediately and unconditionally released. Their arrest and continued incarceration is a miscarriage of justice, plain and simple,” said Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International's Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.

(ST)

A review conducted by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended that the US Navy develop a precise cost estimate for the second Ford-class ship USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79).

General Atomics (GA) has received a sole source production contract modification for advanced arresting gear (AAG) for the US Navy's third future Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80).

Global science and technology company Leidos has secured a prime contract from the US Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center to deliver professional and technical support to the Joint Staff J6 (JS J6) joint deployable analysis t…

A Terület- és Településfejlesztési Operatív Program (TOP) mintegy háromezer nyertes projektjének megvalósítása kezdődhet el a közeljövőben - mondta a Nemzetgazdasági Minisztérium (NGM) regionális fejlesztési programokért felelős helyettes államtitkára.

Oláh Gábor a TOP-os projektek Tolna megyei nyitó rendezvényén tartott sajtótájékoztatón hozzátette: az 1300 milliárd forintos keretösszegű operatív program részeként 18 megyében 800 milliárd forintra lehetett pályázni. Az első körben beadott pályázatok nyerteseivel megkötötték a támogatási szerződéseket, a Magyar Államkincstár június végéig valamennyiüknek átutalja a támogatási előleget. 

Le Parlement européen a adopté une feuille de route établissant, Etat par Etat, l'objectif de réduction des gaz à effet de serre de 30% d'ici 2030 par rapport à 1990, pour les secteurs non soumis au marché des quotas de CO2 (agriculture, bâtiment, transports). Le vote s'est tenu après un débat dans l'hémicycle sur la décision du président américain Donald Trump de retirer son pays de l'accord de Paris sur le climat.

Bonne nouvelle pour les consommateurs européens. A partir de ce jeudi 15 juin, les appels téléphoniques et les SMS ne seront plus surtaxés au sein de l’UE. La Commission européenne a fini par obliger les opérateurs de téléphonie de mettre fin aux frais d’itinérance, qui pouvaient alourdir de manière conséquente la facture des voyageurs. C’est l’aboutissement d’une réforme et d’un bras de fer avec les opérateurs de téléphonie entamés il y a plus de 10 ans.

L'UE, le FMI et les créanciers de la Grèce sont réunis ce jeudi 15 juin à Luxembourg pour un Eurogroupe destiné à relancer un troisième volet de l'aide à Athènes de 86 milliards d'euros. L'enjeu: permettre au pays de rembourser les 7 milliards d’euros d’échéances de dettes qu’il doit à ses créanciers d’ici le 20 juillet prochain. Ensuite, la question de la restructuration de la dette devrait encore être âprement discutée. Wolfgang Schäuble, ministre allemand des Finances, se déclare «confiant».

 

Várhatóan a következő egy-két hétben jelennek meg az idei Tanyafejlesztési Program pályázatai, erre a célra költségvetési forrásból 1 milliárd 225 millió forintos keret áll rendelkezésre - jelentette be a Földművelésügyi Minisztérium (FM) agrárfejlesztésért és hungarikumokért felelős helyettes államtitkára sajtótájékoztatón a Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg megyei Nyírteleken pénteken.

Dix-sept personnes, selon un bilan officiel établi ce jeudi à la mi-journée, ont trouvé la mort dans le gigantesque incendie qui a ravagé une tour d'habitation de 24 étages dans l'ouest de Londres, dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi, selon un nouveau bilan toujours provisoire. Plus de deux cents pompiers et une quarantaine de camions d'intervention ont été mobilisés pendant plusieurs heures pour combattre le sinistre, qui a détruit la Grenfell Tower, un immeuble du quartier de Kensington dans lequel vivaient autour de 600 personnes. La cause de l'incendie— n'a pas été déterminée. Mais la colère ne cesse de gronder

Since the European Parliament (EP) passed a resolution on the use of armed drones in February 2014, it has pointed several times to the need for a common EU position on the matter. It has stressed in particular the importance of ensuring compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law when using armed drones. This publication, which was requested by the EP’s Human Rights Subcommittee, includes a briefing with specific recommendations, drawn up from a legal standpoint, on the elements that a future Council decision on the use of armed drones should include. This publication also includes a report on the workshop held on 22 March 2017, at which a first draft of the briefing was presented and discussed with Members and stakeholders. The discussion at the workshop confirmed that there was broad support in Parliament for the development of common European principles governing the use of armed drones, not least in view of the emergence of new risks from non-state actors and the EU’s commitment to enhancing security and defence cooperation. While there is currently no agreement between Member States to pursue the matter at EU level, the workshop debate drew attention to the common rules on exports of armed drones and drone technology that already exist. Furthermore, progress has been made recently in agreeing a joint EU position regarding the related matter of lethal autonomous weapons.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Präsident Rohani sieht sich mit drei großen Herausforderungen konfrontiert, die seine zweite und damit letzte Amtszeit massiv belasten werden.

In response to the migration challenge, on 13 May 2015 the European Commission presented the European Agenda on Migration, with the aim of setting out a comprehensive approach for improving the management of migration in all its aspects. Several implementation packages under the Agenda have already been adopted and the measures therein are starting to be deployed; legislative proposals have also been made and are currently being discussed in Parliament and Council.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

This briefing presents a short summary of the positions taken by the European Parliament on issues related to migration and asylum in its most recent relevant Resolutions. It has been prepared for the high-level conference on migration management which takes place on 21st June 2017.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

In response to the migration challenge, on 13 May 2015 the European Commission presented the European Agenda on Migration, with the aim of setting out a comprehensive approach for improving the management of migration in all its aspects. Several implementation packages under the Agenda have already been adopted and the measures therein are starting to be deployed; legislative proposals have also been made and are currently being discussed in Parliament and Council.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

This briefing presents a short summary of the positions taken by the European Parliament on issues related to migration and asylum in its most recent relevant Resolutions. It has been prepared for the high-level conference on migration management which takes place on 21st June 2017.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP