Vertice UE: ore importanti per il futuro dell’Europa 🗞️ Rassegna del 18/07/2024

Israele

(New York Times) Israeli Airstrikes Kill Over 20, Gazans Say, and Hit Another U.N. Building

• Two Israeli strikes killed more than 20 people in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, including at a United Nations school turned shelter, according to local health officials, the latest in a string of recent bombardments that have hit U.N. buildings in the enclave.
• Paramedics found at least five bodies and eight injured people at the former school in central Gaza, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, an emergency medical service. The building, in Nuseirat, was being used to shelter people displaced by the Israeli-Hamas war. The Israeli military said it had been targeting militants operating inside the building.
• It was the sixth former U.N. school facility to be hit in 10 days, according to the main United Nations agency aiding Palestinian refugees in the area, UNRWA. Since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Israeli aircraft have struck 37,000 targets (non si riferisce al numero dei morti) in Gaza, the military said on Tuesday, offering an accounting of the strikes that have laid waste to wide swaths of the enclave. 
• In a statement, the Israeli military said that since the war began, it has killed about half of the leadership of Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades. In all, some 14,000 militants have been killed or captured, it said. The claims could not be independently confirmed. Critics have accused Israel of labeling any adolescent or adult male killed in Gaza as a Hamas member.

(Al Jazeera) Israel minister demands West Bank annexation if UN court rules against it

• Hardline Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on the prime minister to annex the occupied West Bank if the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rules Israeli settlements are illegal this week. Smotrich told reporters, “no one will move the people of Israel from their land”, the Times of Israel quoted him as saying on Monday.
• The UN’s top court is expected to deliver a non-binding ruling on the legal ramifications of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories on Friday. Fifty-two countries presented arguments at the ICJ, also known as the World Court, about the legal consequences of Israel’s actions in the occupied territories in February, after the UN General Assembly asked it in 2022 for an advisory opinion.
• “I hereby call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – if the International Court of Justice in The Hague does decide that the settlement enterprise is illegal – respond to them with a historic decision of applying sovereignty to the territories of the homeland,” said Smotrich.
• The far-right minister also promised to “thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state through massive construction, regulating settlements, building roads and other measures in the field” – all moves illegal under international law. It’s not the first time Smotrich – who lives in an illegal settlement himself – has called for the seizure of Palestinian land.
• Netanyahu’s Likud party has also pledged to “advance and develop settlement in all parts of the land of Israel – in the Galilee, Negev, Golan Heights, and Judea and Samaria” – the biblical names for the occupied West Bank.

Ucraina

Ucraina-Germania:

(Reuters) Germany to halve military aid for Ukraine despite possible Trump White House

• Germany will halve military aid for Ukraine next year, even with the possibility that Republican candidate Donald Trump could return to the White House and curb support for Kyiv.
• German aid to Ukraine will be cut to 4 billion euros ($4.35 billion) in 2025 from around 8 billion euros in 2024, according to a draft of the 2025 budget seen by Reuters.
• Germany hopes Ukraine will be able to meet the bulk of its military needs with the $50 billion in loans from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets agreed by the Group of Seven, and that funds earmarked for armaments will not be fully used.
• Alarm bells rang across Europe this week after Trump picked Senator J.D. Vance, who opposes military aid for Ukraine and warned Europe will have to rely less on the United States to defend the continent, as his candidate for vice president.
• Although military aid to Ukraine will be cut, Germany will comply with the NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on defence in 2025, with a total of 75.3 billion euros.

Ucraina-Russia:

(The Kyiv Independent) 95 Ukrainian POWs released from Russian captivity

• Another 95 Ukrainian defenders have been brought back home [thanks to the United Arab Emirates’ mediation], including service members of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the Border Guard, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 17.
• The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the release occurred as part of a prisoner exchange, as 95 Russian captives were also released. Ukraine's Prisoners of War (POW) Coordination Headquarters later confirmed the exchange.
• Arab countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia have repeatedly taken up the role of mediators in prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia.

Europa

Europa:
(EuroNews )Enormi reti di disinformazione in Francia e Germania prima delle elezioni europee

• La delegazione nazionale socialista e democratica olandese ha incaricato gli analisti della società di consulenza olandese Trollrensics di indagare sulle potenziali reti di disinformazione che influenzano l'opinione pubblica prima delle elezioni europee. La società di consulenza ha condotto indagini in Germania, Francia, Italia e Paesi Bassi, oltre a un'indagine più generale su parole e hashtag in lingua inglese legati alle elezioni.
• "Possiamo concludere con assoluta certezza che un'ampia rete coordinata di account ha influenzato il discorso pubblico sui social media in occasione delle elezioni europee in Germania e Francia", si legge nel rapporto.
• Trollrensics ha studiato 2,3 milioni di post di quasi 500mila account in questi Paesi e ne ha identificati 50mila come account che diffondevano false narrazioni. Lo studio ha rilevato che la rete di disinformazione in Germania e in Francia era particolarmente vasta. Ha promosso il partito di estrema destra Alternativa per la Germania (AfD), discorsi anti-Lgbte disinformazione sui vaccini. Analogamente anche in Francia , dove però la rete è più vasta e influente, supportando il politico di estrema destra Éric Zemmour

Commissione Europea:

(Politico): Covid-19, accolto il ricorso contro la Commissione Ue per l'acquisto poco trasparente dei vaccini

• Ursula von der Leyen’s bid for a second term as European Commission chief has been dealt a major blow after a top EU court ruled she was not transparent enough with the public about Covid-19 vaccine contracts.
• The General Court of the European Union ruled against the Commission’s decision to redact large parts of the contracts before making them available.
• One of the groups that von der Leyen has been seeking support from is the Greens, members of which brought this vaccine court case. They filed requests to access the vaccine contracts and certain related documents to understand the agreement between the Commission and Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers in 2021.
• The Commission only agreed to give partial access to certain contracts, arguing that some sections had been redacted to protect commercial interests or for privacy matters.

(Reuters): EU Parliament to decide on second term for Commission chief von der Leyen

• The vote will determine if there is continuity in the European Union's key institution at a time of external and internal challenges - including mounting support for far-right and eurosceptic political parties across the 27-nation bloc.
• With no obvious alternative candidate, von der Leyen's supporters have framed the vote as a choice between stability and chaos, as her rejection would create political deadlock.
• Von der Leyen, first woman to head the Commission, will set out her plans for a second term in a speech on Thursday morning, building on a first mandate in which she oversaw the world's biggest package of climate change policies, an 800-billion-euro EU response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 14 rounds of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. She needs support from at least 361 lawmakers in the 720-member EU Parliament, but the numbers remain tight.
• Even among critics, there is little appetite to create a leadership vacuum in Europe months ahead of November's U.S. Presidential election, where a victory for Republican Donald Trump could upend western unity on supporting Ukraine.

UK:

(Reuters) King Charles sets out new Labour government's priorities

• Britain's King Charles set out Prime Minister Keir Starmer's legislative agenda on Wednesday [...] The package of more than 35 bills will focus on growing the economy, reforming planning laws to make it easier to build homes and speeding up the delivery of major infrastructure projects, improving transport and creating jobs.
• In an introduction to the proposed legislation, Starmer announced "the era of politics as performance and self-interest above service is over". But he also had a warning for voters who might hope the new Labour government can quickly fix the problems buffeting Britain. "Rebuilding our country will not happen overnight. The challenges we face require determined, patient work and serious solutions," he wrote.

(The Guardian) UK first European country to approve lab-grown meat, starting with pet food

• Lab-grown pet food is to hit UK shelves as Britain becomes the first country in Europe to approve cultivated meat. The Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have approved the product from the company Meatly.
• It is thought there will be demand for cultivated pet food, as animal lovers face a dilemma about feeding their pets meat from slaughtered livestock.
• Research suggests the pet food industry has a climate impact similar to that of the Philippines, the 13th most populous country in the world. A study by the University of Winchester found that 50% of surveyed pet owners would feed their pets cultivated meat, while 32% would eat it themselves.
• Meatly’s production facility has been approved by the government to handle its cultivated chicken, and it plans to launch the first samples of its commercially available pet food this year. The company says it will then focus on cost reduction and starting to scale production to reach industrial volumes within the next three years. The cost reductions could be done by mixing the meat with vegetables, as is done with other pet foods containing costly animal products.

Politica internazionale

Asia e Pacifico

Filippine-Cina:

(Reuters) Exclusive: Philippines, China to set up new channels to handle South China Sea rows

• The Philippines and China have agreed to set up new lines of communication to improve their handling of maritime disputes, according to a document and a Philippine diplomatic source, as ties sour over clashes about territory in the South China Sea.
• Three communication channels would be established specifically for maritime issues, according to the source, who provided a document with highlights of an "Arrangement on Improving Philippines-China Maritime Communication Mechanisms", which was signed on July 2.
• The first channel would be used by "representatives to be designated by their leaders," with the other for respective foreign ministries at ministerial or vice-ministerial level, or their designated representatives, according to the document.
• The third would involve their respective coast guards "which will be set up once the corresponding MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the coast guards is concluded," the document said.
• Beijing maintains it has sovereignty over most of the South China Sea based on its old maps and has deployed hundreds of coast guard vessels deep into Southeast Asia to assert its claims, disrupting offshore energy and fisheries activities of other neighbours, including Malaysia and Vietnam.
• China has refused to recognise a 2016 international ruling that concluded Beijing's claims have no basis under international law.
• The United States has backed the Philippines over the clashes, condemning what it calls Chinese aggression, while underlining its "ironclad" commitment to a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty under which it must defend its former colony if attacked. China has accused the United States of interference.

Bangladesh:

(Reuters) Violence breaks out at Bangladesh anti-quota protests, government orders probe into killings

• Police in Bangladesh fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse students protesting against the government's job quota system on Wednesday, a day after violent clashes left six people dead and scores injured.
• Authorities also announced the indefinite closure of all public and private universities from Wednesday following the protests over public sector job quotas [...]
• Demonstrations intensified after Prime Minister Hasina, the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, refused to meet the protesters' demands. [...] But on Wednesday she said in an address to the nation: "I believe our students will get justice. They will not be disappointed." Announcing a judicial investigation, she assured families of those killed of her full support.
• The protests are the first significant challenge to Hasina's government since she secured a fourth consecutive term in January in an election boycotted by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Africa

Rwanda:

(Guardian)Rwanda's Paul Kagame cruises to crushing election victory

• Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, has swept to another overwhelming election victory, winning more than 99% of votes in a provisional count in the east African country’s elections that will extend his near quarter of a century in power.
• The poll on Monday was seen as a formality, with just two other candidates allowed to compete in a country that is kept under tight control by its longtime leader.
• With 79% of ballots counted, the president had secured 99.15%, the election commission said, seven hours after polls closed. Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green party secured just 0.53% of the vote, while the independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana got 0.32%.
• The electoral commission says 98% of the more than 9.5 million eligible voters took part in the elections.