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A delegation from Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by Chair David McAllister, will be in China on 21-23 July for high-level meetings with the Chinese authorities.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

A delegation from Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by Chair David McAllister, will be in China on 21-23 July for high-level meetings with the Chinese authorities.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

A delegation from Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by Chair David McAllister, will be in China on 21-23 July for high-level meetings with the Chinese authorities.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Map of the Strait of Hormuz. Credit: Wikimedia/Goran_tek-en

By Maximilian Malawista
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 17 2026 (IPS)

A continuation of hostilities within the Strait of Hormuz is once again threatening one of the world’s most critical supply chain arteries, posing another wave of disruption which could choke the global energy, shipping and commodity markets. With roughly a quarter of global seaborne oil trade transiting through the Strait, alongside significant flows of liquefied natural gas and fertilizers, further constraints on commercial traffic could send new cost pressures cascading through supply chains that have yet to absorb the full effects of the earlier conflict.

Unlike the initial disruption, this latest escalation is hitting an already elevated and damaged cost base. U.S. President Donald Trump had proposed a 20 percent charge on cargo transiting the Strait, a plan he abandoned on July 14th after pressure from Gulf allies. At a current crude oil price of roughly USD 85 per barrel, a 20 percent levy on all cargo would amount to an additional USD 17 per barrel, around 17 times Iran’s previously proposed USD 1 per barrel toll.

Yet, the larger challenge remains whether an assurance of safety through the Strait can really be guaranteed. While Washington has promised to safeguard commercial vessels attempting to transit, multiple vessels have been struck by Iranian forces, including the UAE-flagged supertankers Mombasa and Al Bahiyah on July 12th. Both vessels have a capacity of roughly 2 million barrels of oil, placing the potential value of a full cargo at roughly USD 171 million before insurance, maintenance and transit costs are considered.

If continued attacks deter vessels from transiting the Strait, constrained oil flows could combine with increased insurance premiums and higher transport costs, pushing additional expenses through global supply chains and eventually onto consumers.

These effects are already visible when examining vessel movements. On July 15th, a total of five transits were recorded, three inbound and two outbound, with one of those ships being Iranian-flagged outbound. Daily throughput in deadweight tonnage (DWT) stood at 130,311 DWT, or just 1.27 percent of the 10.3 million DWT pre-conflict daily average. Meanwhile, approximately 450 vessels remain waiting to transit the Strait, including 120 tankers, 180 bulk carriers and 150 other vessels.

War risk premiums, the additional fees charged to insure vessels operating within conflict zones, have skyrocketed from a 0.15 percent pre-conflict rate to 5 percent, a more than 33-fold increase. Very large crude carriers (VLCCs) can be valued from USD 130 million to more than USD 170 million, meaning a five percent premium could add an additional cost of USD 6.5 million to USD 8.75 million per voyage. For a VLCC carrying 2 million barrels, that would amount to roughly USD 7.5 million, compared with approximately USD 2.225 million under Iran’s proposed USD 1-per-barrel toll combined with pre-conflict war-risk premiums.

However, the compounding effects extend beyond oil. Data from the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Strait of Hormuz Trade Tracker shows that while crude oil shipments had begun to recover marginally, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and fertilizer-related shipments remain at a virtual standstill, with zero outbound shipments currently recorded. Renewed escalations risk further restricting already depressed commodity flows, with approximately one-third of the world’s seaborne fertilizer trade and one-fifth of global LNG transiting through the Strait.

Using a volume index in which 100 represents average volume levels, the WTO recorded a volume index of 25.69 for LNG on July 5th, following nearly four months in which shipments were recorded on only four other days. Fertilizer-related shipments showed greater resilience, recording a volume index of 97.62 on June 23rd. However, no further fertilizer-related shipments have been recorded, leaving the trade flow at a standstill for more than three weeks.

These restrictions could be particularly damaging for energy- and food-importing economies, notably developing countries that spend significant shares of national income on essential imports of energy and food. Simultaneous increases in fuel, transportation, and agricultural inputs risk creating a broader inflationary shock. Higher fertilizer costs can increase agricultural production costs, while elevated energy and shipping expenses raise the cost of transporting goods from exporters to importers, leaving consumers exposed to several layers of the same disruption.

The disruption has also carried a significant human cost. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has warned against continued commercial transit through the Strait, with IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez urging shipowners, operators, and flag States, along with all relevant authorities to “avoid exposing seafarers to unnecessary danger by transiting the Strait.” At the same time, the United States has announced that it will resume a naval blockade targeting vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports. Iran, meanwhile, has framed its control over the Strait as a national security issue and has threatened that it will remain closed “until the end of America’s evils.”

At its 137th session, the IMO Council reaffirmed that the right of transit through straits used for international navigation “should not be threatened, impeded, denied, hampered, impaired or suspended,” reiterating that any measures taken by coastal states to regulate traffic in vital shipping lanes should be done in accordance with IMO regulations under the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). The Council also stated that traffic through the Strait must “remain free of any tolls and charges, in accordance with international law, including the IMO Convention.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that “Reports on the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are very alarming for their impact on human rights far beyond the region,” describing the Strait as “a vital lifeline on which millions are reliant.”

The dangers are also being borne directly by seafarers trapped in the Persian Gulf. Of approximately 20,000 seafarers stranded by the crisis, around 11,000 have been evacuated through an IMO-supported initiative. However, evacuation operations have reportedly been paused since June 25, leaving thousands still stranded.

The economic consequences of the initial disruption were already substantial before this latest escalation. According to the World Bank, global energy prices rose by 24 percent following the conflict’s onset, with fertilizer prices projected to rise by more than 30 percent in 2026. Renewed hostilities in the Strait now threaten to compound these pressures, demonstrating how insecurity within a narrow stretch of water can transmit costs across global supply chains, from ships at sea to businesses, households and economies around the world.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk visit to the Al Afad IDP camp, in Sudan. Credit: Anthony Headley/OHCHR
 
It has been three years since the start of war in Sudan. Survivors and human rights defenders struggle to keep human rights a reality as millions of lives have been impacted by violence, displacement and silence.

By UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
GENEVA, Jul 17 2026 (IPS)

Three years into the war in Sudan, survivors and human rights defenders are struggling to respond to overwhelming needs amid widespread violence, displacement, and limited global attention. As horrific violations and abuses intensify and those documenting them become targets, calls for accountability and sustained international engagement grow more urgent.

“The violations are severe: torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence affecting women, men, and children,” said Dr. Nahid Jibrallah, founder and director of the SEEMA Centre for the Protection of Women and Children, a Sudanese civil society organization that has spent years supporting those affected by violence.

SEEMA Centre, now based in Kampala, Uganda, due to the war, provides medical, psychosocial, and legal and social assistance to Sudanese victims of torture in Uganda, as well as to their family members, with the support of the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. Through the project supported by the Fund, it expands its services to Sudan to provide critical services and support to victims of torture, leveraging its experience and expertise to document and report on violations, advocate for accountability, and provide targeted services to those affected.

The Fund is issuing a special call for emergency applications for Sudan in response to the surge in needs of survivors.

While Sudan has endured periods of conflict over decades, the current war which began in April 2023, has reshaped the country in devastating ways.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, recalled in a statement during his recent visit to Sudan, that he was shocked by accounts of extreme brutality, including atrocity crimes.

“I heard harrowing stories from survivors who witnessed the killing of their loved ones, and from women who had been subjected to gang rape and other forms of torture,” he said.

The conflict has also driven Jibrallah and her team to flee the country, so they are now working from Uganda.

“Torture is used as a weapon to control communities, including sexual abuse and also trafficking,” she said.

She said her colleagues at SEEMA Centre and other frontline groups, haven’t been spared the brunt of war. The war has created not only a humanitarian emergency, but a protection crisis for those trying to respond. She said that doctors, lawyers, health personnel, and human rights activists have been threatened, detained, tortured, and even killed for carrying out their work. The very people documenting violations and supporting survivors have become targets themselves.

The scale of suffering is unlike anything they have faced.

“Unfortunately, we cannot respond to this high level of need,” Jibrallah said. “The need is overwhelming, complicated, and spread across areas where even access is a challenge.”

“What we need is not to compromise human rights for any political agenda,” Jibrallah said. “We do not want resources to go to fuel the war or to mask human rights violations.”

UN Human Rights in Sudan

Sudan is now facing the world’s largest displacement crisis. Since the conflict began in April 2023, an estimated 14 million people have been forced from their homes, both within Sudan and across its borders.

“What makes Sudan’s crisis even more alarming is its invisibility. The world is not watching closely enough, but we are here, despite insecurity and access restrictions,” said Li Fung, UN Human Rights’ Representative in Sudan, on the staggering human cost of the Sudan conflict.

UN Human Rights has continued to monitor, document and analyze serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, despite access and security constraints. This work not only informs protection, humanitarian, and political responses today, but preserves vital evidence for future accountability and access to justice for victims and their families.

Civilians continue to endure the most horrific violations and abuses, forced displacement, trauma, and a dire humanitarian situation. Through its engagement on the ground, the Office is documenting violations, listening to survivors and communities, working with civil society and community networks, and bringing their voices to the attention of the world to press for action to end the war.

To this end, Jibrallah emphasised that documenting violations is essential and stressed the need for accountability: “It is very important to ensure accountability and to study this data, and to ensure that this will not happen again. It should be used for sustainable peace.”

IPS UN Bureau

 

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The High Representative issued a statement on behalf of the European Union on the inaugural session of the People’s Assembly in Syria.

The Council appointed Mr. Antero Lopes as head of the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX Kosovo), from 10 August 2026 to 14 June 2027.

Die Hohe Vertreterin hat eine Erklärung im Namen der Europäischen Union zum Tag der internationalen Strafjustiz abgegeben.

Le Tribunal de première instance de Cotonou a renvoyé au mercredi 22 juillet 2026, les plaidoiries et les répliques de la défense dans l'affaire Pierre Urbain Dangnivo.

Initialement prévue ce jeudi 16 juillet, la reprise des débats a finalement été renvoyée au mercredi prochain. À la suite du réquisitoire du ministère public, le mercredi 15 juillet, les avocats des accusés avaient demandé un délai supplémentaire pour préparer leur défense en raison de la requalification des faits par le parquet.

Le ministère public a requis l'abandon des poursuites contre Donatien Amoussou. Il a requis une peine de 30 ans de réclusion criminelle et une amende de 150 millions de FCFA contre Codjo Alofa, principal accusé dans la disparition de l'ancien cadre du ministère de l'Économie et des Finances et militant de l'opposition béninoise.
Le procès de l'affaire Pierre Urbain Dangnivo a repris au tribunal de première instance de première classe de Cotonou, vendredi 26 juin 2026, après plus d'une année de suspension.

Voici les Centres par département pour les épreuves orales de l'examen du Baccalauréat, session de juin 2026. Les épreuves orales se déroulent ce vendredi 17 juillet 2026.

Le ministère de la Justice et de la Législation met en garde contre des individus qui réclament de l'argent à des détenus ou à leurs proches en leur promettant une inscription sur une prétendue liste de bénéficiaires de la grâce présidentielle ou d'autres mesures d'aménagement de peine.

Des personnes se présentent aux détenus comme des magistrats ou des autorités afin de convaincre leurs victimes de verser de l'argent en échange d'une supposée intervention.

Dans un communiqué publié le 16 juillet 2026, le ministère de la Justice et de la Législation a mis en garde contre ces pratiques illégales. « Aucun paiement, sous quelque forme que ce soit, ne peut être exigé ni n'est exigé ou accepté, en lien avec une demande d'aménagement de peine, de libération conditionnelle ou de grâce présidentielle », a rappelé le ministre Yvon Détchénou.

L'examen des dossiers repose uniquement sur les critères fixés par la loi, a indiqué le Garde des sceaux.

Le ministère de la Justice et de la Législation annonce avoir donné des instructions aux procureurs de la République afin que des poursuites pénales systématiques soient engagées contre les auteurs de ces escroqueries.

M. M.

Le Bénin poursuit sa stratégie de valorisation locale du coton avec l'essor de Benin Textile Corporation (BTC), l'une des principales unités industrielles implantées dans la Zone industrielle de Glo-Djigbé (GDIZ). Grâce à une chaîne de production entièrement intégrée, l'entreprise ambitionne de produire chaque année 9 000 tonnes de tissu maille et 24 millions de pièces de vêtements, renforçant ainsi la position du pays comme futur pôle textile de référence en Afrique.

Installée sur un site de 11,4 hectares au cœur de la zone économique spéciale, BTC couvre l'ensemble du processus de transformation du coton, de la filature jusqu'à la confection de vêtements finis. Cette intégration permet à l'entreprise de maîtriser chaque étape de la production afin de garantir des standards élevés de qualité, d'efficacité et de durabilité.

L'usine fabrique une large gamme de produits textiles, notamment des fils, des tissus et des vêtements tels que des T-shirts, polos et hoodies. Le coton utilisé provient de la production locale et bénéficie de la certification Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), qui valorise un coton cultivé principalement grâce aux eaux de pluie et selon des pratiques agricoles responsables.

Une industrie textile entièrement intégrée

Le modèle industriel de BTC repose sur une chaîne de valeur complète. L'entreprise prend en charge l'approvisionnement en coton, la filature, le tricotage, la teinture, l'impression, la broderie, le contrôle qualité, la confection, l'emballage ainsi que la logistique jusqu'à la livraison des produits finis aux clients.

Pour soutenir cette capacité de production, l'usine est équipée d'infrastructures de dernière génération comprenant 32 832 broches de filature haute performance, 83 machines de tricotage et de fabrication de cols, 14 machines de teinture ainsi que 11 machines de finition. Cet important dispositif industriel permet d'assurer une production à grande échelle tout en répondant aux exigences des marchés internationaux.

À travers cet investissement, Benin Textile Corporation entend contribuer à l'ambition du Bénin de transformer localement une part croissante de sa production cotonnière, de créer davantage de valeur ajoutée sur le territoire et de développer une industrie textile compétitive. L'entreprise affiche une vision claire : devenir le leader africain de la transformation textile en bâtissant une industrie du vêtement durable, traçable et performante, tout en contribuant à l'établissement de nouveaux standards internationaux en matière de qualité et de responsabilité environnementale.

F. A. A.

Un camion-citerne transportant du gasoil s'est renversé ce jeudi 16 juillet 2026 à l'entrée de Kpakpa, dans la commune de Savalou.

Un poids lourd chargé de gasoil qui assurait la liaison entre Cotonou et le Burkina Faso, a quitté la chaussée, jeudi 16 juillet 2026, à l'entrée de Kpakpa, dans la commune de Savalou.

Le camion-citerne a terminé sa course dans un ravin, selon Bip radio.

Peu après l'accident, plusieurs personnes se sont rendues sur les lieux avec des bidons, visiblement dans l'espoir de récupérer une partie du carburant transporté par le camion.

L'accident n'a fait ni mort ni blessé, a précisé la même source.
M. M.

The High Representative issued a statement on behalf of the European Union on the inaugural session of the People’s Assembly in Syria.

The Council appointed Mr. Antero Lopes as head of the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX Kosovo), from 10 August 2026 to 14 June 2027.

A főképviselő az EU nevében nyilatkozatot adott ki a Nemzetközi Büntető Igazságszolgáltatás Napjáról.

Jérôme Kym muss in Gstaad im Achtelfinal die Segel streichen. Für Dominic Stricker geht es am Freitag weiter, der Regen macht ihm einen Strich durch die Rechnung.

Am Donnerstag sind die Unwetter in der Schweiz wieder heftiger. Besonders die Region Zürich wird dabei getroffen und Bäume knicken um. Aber auch in Frauenfeld oder im Kanton Schwyz gibt es viel Regen und Hagel.

Am Mittwoch wurde der Swiss-Flug LX14 von Zürich nach New York auf dem Rollfeld gestoppt: Einem Passagier ging es nicht gut. Polizei und Sanitäter rückten an.

La Fédération algérienne de football a rendu son verdict : Vladimir Petkovic demeure sélectionneur des Verts jusqu’au terme de son contrat, fixé à fin juillet […]

L’article Equipe d’Algérie : Petkovic maintenu, Morandi saute, Anthar Yahia nouvel adjoint est apparu en premier sur .