The European Union and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) have signed an agreement that will see the implementation of the Safe Seas Africa (SSA) programme to enforce maritime security in Africa. The signing ceremony took place in Mauritius on Thursday afternoon and representatives from other IOC countries joined virtually. In Seychelles this was done at the Regional Fusion and Law Enforcement Centre for Safety and Security at Sea (REFLECS 3) at the Ex-Coast Guard base. The agreement was signed by the EU Ambassador to Mauritius and Seychelles, Oskar Benedikt, and the Secretary General of the IOC, Velayoundom Marimoutou. In his statement, Marimoutou said, «The SSA programme offers an opportunity to establish this architecture as the main maritime safety system in the area, while at the same time strengthening national strengthening national capacities, deepening regional coordination and expanding collaboration with other collaboration with other players in this field in Africa and the Indian Ocean.» The Safe Seas Africa programme component implemented by the IOC will help consolidate and amplify the achievements of the Maritime Security (MASE) programme. The programme is financed by the European Union through a regional maritime safety architecture covering the entire western Indian Ocean, which was set up in 2018. The EU Ambassador said, «The European Union plays a crucial role as a partner with the Indian Ocean in strengthening maritime security in this region. Illegal acts on the high seas pose serious threats to development, peace and stability in the region.» «Recent acts of piracy, drug trafficking, overfishing and other illegal acts are the challenges that need to be addressed. It is in this context that the European Union has made a commitment to the IOC to prepare the guidelines for the Safe Seas Africa programme and the actions that will be implemented in the region,» he added. The programme will include joint maritime security efforts across the Gulf of Guinea, the western Indian Ocean, and the western Pacific Ocean, with interconnecting architectures and mechanisms. Two procedures that have led to regional agreements on the exchange of maritime information and the coordination of state action at sea form the foundation of the regional maritime safety architecture. These agreements, signed in 2018 by the five member states of the IOC, as well as Djibouti and Kenya, have led to the creation of the Maritime Information Fusion Centre (MIFRC) based in Madagascar and the Regional Operations Coordination Centre (ROCC) based in the Seychelles. The President of the IOC, Sylvestre Radegonde, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Seychelles, said that the Regional Operational Coordination Centre is a powerful symbol. «The SSA programme will enable us to implement the decisions of the 36th, 37th, and 38th IOC Ministerial Councils, as well as to develop our national strategies and internal mechanisms to achieve the sufficient maritime capacity to carry out actions at sea,» he added. Several members of the international community are collaborating with the maritime security architecture for information exchange and operations at sea.

Journalist Zeyad Masroor Khan poignantly chronicles his boyhood in the heart of Aligarh's Hindu-Muslim tensions. Weaving together personal trauma, oral histories, and astute social commentary, Khan's story illuminates the human toll of communal violence while ultimately finding resilience and hope for change

Tejashwi Yadav attacks CM Nitish Kumar and JD(U) for corruption, citing a bridge collapse and administrative failures. Highlights continuous crime, inefficiency, corruption during his 18-month tenure. It took 6 to 8 months just to bring money. Criticizes Bihar's issues: unemployment, poverty, inflation, paper leaks. Describes JD(U)'s tenure as a double engine of corruption and crime.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Labour Party's Keir Starmer, who is set to become the next UK prime minister after a decisive victory in the general elections. The UK Labour Party has secured over 400 out of the 650 seats in parliament, according to exit polls. PM Modi praised outgoing UK PM Rishi Sunak, stating, «admirable leadership» and «active contribution to deepen India-UK bilateral ties.» Posined to be UK PM, ​Starmer has sought to mend the strained relationship between Labour and India.

Mikhail Razvozhayev urged city residents and guests to remain calm, observe security measures and stay in temporary shelters or safe places

Rodion Miroshnik stated that the number of civilian deaths and injuries as the result of Ukrainian attacks is growing

According to Vladimir Kupriyanyuk, Belarus has not and will not «raise tensions in any way» despite a difficult situation on the border with Ukraine

The daily volume of transactions in 2024 will be determined based on the volumes of purchases or sales of foreign currency announced by the Russian Ministry of Finance on the third working day of each month

Vladimir Kupriyanyuk said such actions not only pursue reconnaissance purposes, but also are part of attempts to get explosives and other capabilities into Belarus to support potential sabotage activities

With a rally in Wisconsin and an interview on ABC, Biden hopes to begin turning the tide after days of criticism of his recent debate performance.

The former president wants the platform to endorse leaving the issue to the states rather than a federal ban in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s demise.

To allocate seats in collegiate bodies, such as parliaments, a method is needed to translate votes proportionally into whole seats. The d'Hondt method is a mathematical formula that is used widely in proportional representation systems, although it leads to less proportional results than other seat allocation systems, such as the Hare-Niemeyer or Sainte-Laguë/Schepers methods. Moreover, the d'Hondt method tends to favour the electoral lists that win the most votes, to the detriment of those with fewer votes. However, it is effective in facilitating majority formation and therefore in securing parliamentary operability. The d'Hondt method is used by 15 EU Member States for elections to the European Parliament. It is also used within Parliament as the formula for distributing the chairs of the parliamentary committees and delegations among the political groups, and among the national delegations within some political groups. This proportional distribution of leadership positions within Parliament prevents the dominance of political life by just one or two large political groups, ensuring that smaller political groups also have a say in setting the political agenda. Some argue, however, that this approach limits the impact of election results on the political direction of decision-making within Parliament; they would call instead for a 'winner-takes-all' strategy. Many national parliaments in the EU also distribute committee chairs and other posts proportionally among political groups, either using the d'Hondt method or through more informal means. Others apply a 'winner-takes-more' approach, reserving only certain committee chair posts with particular relevance to government scrutiny for opposition groups. In the US House of Representatives, all committee chairs are selected from the majority party. This updates a 2019 briefing, which itself updated a 2016 briefing by Eva-Maria Poptcheva. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

This paper provides a review/summary of 10 papers prepared by external experts, which examine and recommend initiatives for financing the EU's growth model amidst global challenges. These papers were requested by the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) of the European Parliament. They may feed into the policy debate on how to frame a forthcoming new European competitiveness deal as agreed by the European Council. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Follow MailOnline's live election coverage as the Tories are expected to be slashed from the 365 secured less than five years ago to just 131 - their worst performance in modern political history.

It is not for the first time that the Kiev regime «clearly demonstrates its complete disregard for the safety of peaceful nuclear facilities,» Mikhail Ulyanov said

The regulator will use bank reports and information from over-the-counter trading to determine the dollar and euro exchange rates to the ruble

C'est un phénomène qui est monnaie courante dans la ville minière de Moanda. Les usagers se retrouvent privés d'eau courante au motif de soldes impayés qui s'apparente à une mesquinerie au regard des montants. L'eau, c'est la vie ! Elle est une source dont on ne peut se passer. Pourtant, il semblerait que sous d'autres cieux on la confisquerait pour des raisons assez loquaces. Les quelques riverains du quartier commercial dans la ville de Moanda se sont levés ce matin avec une (...) - LIBRE PROPOS

Les premières journées scientifiques et professionnelles sur l'Entrepreneuriat ont été officiellement ouvertes ce jeudi 04 juillet 2024 au sein de l'Université internationale de Libreville. Elles ont été officiellement lancées par le Pr Hervé Ndoum Essingone, ministre en charge de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche scientifique, en présence du Délégué Spécial de la commune d'Owendo, des Recteurs et des directeurs des universités et des grandes Ecoles . Les premières journées (...) - SOCIETE / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

Le Ministère de l'Intérieur et de la Sécurité a organisé du 3 au 4 juillet 2024, pour l'ensemble des communes et départements du pays. C'est un séminaire de renforcement des capacités des Délégués Spéciaux qui vient à point nommé. Il permet de donner plus d'outils aux participants, des éléments qui leur permettent la bonne gestion des collectivités dont ils ont la responsabilité. Un séminaire de renforcement des capacités des Délégués Spéciaux est organisé sous la direction du ministère (...) - SOCIETE / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

Parents who steal a moment of calm by handing over a smartphone or tablet to a fussy toddler could set off a cycle of poor anger management and other problems, according to a recent study. 

Amidst debate and discussion about what to do with art that reflects an imperialist history, the University of Manitoba is working to decolonize its art collection by replacing problematic paintings and sculptures with contemporary Indigenous art.

The federal government now says Birju Dattani, the new head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, did disclose the alias he used to make controversial social media posts — after it initially claimed that information was never shared before he was hired.

The Canadian telecommunications industry wants stiffer penalties for copper wire thieves, who they say are repeatedly causing outages that can leave thousands of customers without service when they cut the wire off telephone poles to sell for scrap metal.

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The Governor of Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Powes Parkop, is expected to lead a delegation to Port Vila for the signing of a Sister City Agreement with the Port Vila City Council (PVCC), coinciding with the country’s…

Despite its bad reputation of crashed landing, crashed take off and engine failure that caused one of their aircraft to drown, Air Taxi recently award winning recognition, as the TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Award 2024.

The island of Santo is on course to becoming fully powered by renewable energy by 2027, through the expansion of its hydroelectric capabilities, with a new hydro plant to be established downstream from the existing one, through the support of…

All 100 stalls for the main Independence Day celebration in Port Vila have been sold out shortly after the prices were announced.

[Thomson Reuters Foundation] The #EndSARS protests in Nigeria, #FeesMustFall protests in South Africa and now the #RejectFinanceBill2024 protests in Kenya all have one thing in common - the organising, chanting and marching were led by young people.

[The Herald] President Mnangagwa has reiterated his position that he does not have any intentions of running for a third term, stressing that both the national and Zanu PF constitutions provide for two-term limits, something he would adhere to.

[allAfrica]

[New Times] President Paul Kagame, on July 4, said Rwanda will not be absent where there is a need for humanitarian action, noting that Rwandans know very well the value of peace.