Month: May 2021

EU Suspends China Trade Deal as Tensions Grow Over Xinjiang, Hong Kong

European and Chinese leaders are urging swift ratification of the trade deal they agreed to in December, after tensions over accusations of human rights abuses in China delayed approval of the deal by European Union lawmakers.

The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) took seven years of negotiations and was finally agreed to in principle December 30, 2020, following a virtual summit between EU and Chinese leaders. Europe said it was the most ambitious trade deal China had ever undertaken with a third party.

Romania Tells Biden More NATO Forces Needed On Eastern Flank

NATO members from Eastern Europe have pushed for a larger allied military presence on the bloc’s eastern flank, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on May 10 after a virtual summit of those states that was also joined by U.S. President Joe Biden.

“The worrying situation in the Black Sea, which we discussed in detail, proved that we have to keep being vigilant,” Iohannis said in Bucharest.

Ransomware Attack That Halted US Fuel Pipeline a ‘Criminal Act,’ Biden Says

A Russia-linked cyberattack targeting the largest U.S. fuel pipeline system is a “criminal act, obviously,” President Joe Biden said Monday.

“The agencies across the government have acted quickly to mitigate any impact on our fuel supply,” the president said at the White House at the start of remarks about his economic agenda.

Unsafe and Unprofessional Interaction with IRGCN FIAC in Strait of Hormuz

On May 10, 2021, Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) fast in-shore attack craft (FIAC), a type of speedboat armed with machine guns, conducted unsafe and unprofessional maneuvers and failed to exercise due regard for the safety of U.S. forces as required under international law while operating in close proximity to U.S. naval vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

French Journalist Kidnapped in the Sahel

In April, Olivier Dubois, an experienced French journalist, was kidnapped in Gao, a Malian city on the Niger River. Though his disappearance was soon known by the Malian and French authorities, and by the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders, nobody went public with the crime, ostensibly to facilitate the victim’s quick release. Those efforts appear to have failed, and in early May a jihadi group with alleged ties al-Qaeda released a video. In it, the victims pleads with his family and the French authorities to secure his release. The French authorities are seeking to authenticate the video.

Israel attacks Gaza after Jerusalem defeat

wenty Palestinians, nine of them children, were killed in Israeli bombing attacks in the Gaza Strip on Monday night.

This came at the end of a day of violence that began in occupied East Jerusalem, where Israeli forces assaulted worshippers at the al-Aqsa mosque compound, injuring hundreds.

Scenes of brutality in Jerusalem generated outrage and solidarity among Palestinians and around the world.

Zimbabwe: la société civile dénonce les tentatives du régime de changer la Constitution

Cette semaine, les membres du Parlement, sous le contrôle du parti au pouvoir, la Zanu-PF, ont fait passer un amendement de la Constitution qui permettra au chef de l’État de contrôler un peu plus l’appareil judiciaire.

Avec une majorité au Parlement, les députés du parti au pouvoir n’ont eu aucun mal à faire passer cet amendement de la Constitution. Celui-ci va permettre au chef de l’État, Emmerson Mnangagwa, arrivé au pouvoir en 2017 après la destitution de l’ancien président Robert Mugabe, de nommer seul les principaux magistrats du pays sans aucune consultation : Cour constitutionnelle, Cour suprême, hautes courts.

RDC: comment protéger des civils avec des criminels de guerre?

La présence en Ituri et au Nord-Kivu d’officiers congolais recherchés par la justice militaire pour des crimes graves mais jamais traduits en justice, empoisonne les relations entre l’ONU et l’armée congolaise, empêchant un plein soutien aux opérations. Et ce alors que la population les accuse de ne pas faire assez pour mettre un terme aux massacres. Enquête.

Le 20 juillet 2009, le major Egide Ngoy, commandant de la base navale de Moliro, sur les bords du lac Tanganyika, fait arrêter à Moba, à près de 300 kilomètres de là, un homme qui se ferait passer pour le frère du président Joseph Kabila. Raison officielle : trafic d’influence. Il jette aussi dans le cachot des FARDC de Moba Port deux femmes. L’une d’elles, tout juste âgée de 21 ans, s’avère être l’épouse du présumé usurpateur. Le lendemain dans la soirée, le major décide de la faire venir à l’hôtel Munaka où il a établi ses quartiers. Il prétend vouloir prendre sa déposition, mais la viole, selon les dires de la jeune femme.

La torture contre les opposants en Ouganda

En Ouganda, la dernière élection présidentielle a été marquée par des violences contre les opposants. Au moins, 54 personnes auraient trouvé la mort en novembre 2020, après une énième arrestation de l’opposant Bobi Wine. Des opposants seraient soumis à la torture. Yoweri Museveni, 76 ans, dirige le pays depuis 35 ans.