Monday, July 7 2014
EUROPE
Cecilia Malmstrom,the EU Home Affairs Commissioner said that Europe had accepted fewer than 100,000 Syrian refugees, and all EU countries should engage in their resettlement. Furtheromre, she affirmed that “Europe must offer a legal alternative to migrants who risk their life to reach the continent by sea”. (Al Arabiya)
SYRIA
The Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said that U.S. container ship Cape Ray has began neutralizing the Syrian chemical weapons in the Mediterranean Sea. (Ansamed)
EGYPT
The Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced on Monday that the Islamist militants are ravaging the Middle East in name of religion and “this matter concerns not just the Arab world. It concerns the entire world”. (Reuters)
UKRAINE
The Ukraine forces have retaken two cities from pro-Russian rebels in eastern of Ukraine. (Euronews)
Tuesday, July 8 2014
GERMANY
The United States requested to Germany’s authorities to enhanced security measures at its airports since the Nusra Front and Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula are believed to be working together to develop bombs. (Reuters)
ISRAEL/GAZA STRIP
At least 15 Palestinians were killed and left dozens more wounded in Israel’s bombardment in Gaza Strip as part of a new offensive called “Operation Protective Edge”.
The Israeli army said more than a hundred rockets had been launched from Gaza by Hamas in the last 24 hours. (The Independent)
FRANCE/RUSSIA
France’s foreign minister, Laurent Fabius speaking to parliament’s foreign affairs committee about the Iran’s nuclear program has said that differences in approach between some of the world powers and Russia had appeared in the last few days. (Reuters)
Wednesday, July 9 2014
ISRAEL/ GAZA STRIP
The Prime Ministerof Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed to increase “the assault on Hamas and the terrorist organizations in Gaza.”
At least 47 people have been killed in the military and political confrontation between Hamas and Israel. (The Independent)
GERMANY
The German Police had conducted searches in connection with a second spying case. This person worked in the Defense Ministry’s political department on developing international arms cooperation. But there were no reports of a new arrest. (The New York Times)
IRAQ
The Islamic State militants seize chemical weapons site in north-west of Baghdad. There were stored 2,500 degraded chemical rockets with deadly nerve agent sarin or their remnants. (The Guardian)
Near the mainly Shi’ite Muslim village of Khamissiya, a town south of Baghdad, the Iraqi security forces found 53 corpses, blindfolded and handcuffed. It is not immediately clear who the victims were or why they were killed. (Al Arabiya)
SYRIA
Syria’s Western-backed opposition, the National Coalition, elected the new president Hadi al-Bahra, the coalition’s chief negotiator at the Geneva peace talks. He was elected with 62 votes. (Al Akhbar)
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced that the Swedish-Italian Staffan de Mistura will replace Lakhdar Brahimi as the international mediator seeking an end to Syria’s conflict. (Ansamed)
Thursday, July 10 2014
GERMANY
The German government has ordered the CIA station chief in Berlin to leave the country, after two reported cases of suspected US spying. The chancellor Angela Merkel said “Spying on allies … is a waste of energy… We have so many problems, we should focus on the important things.” (Reuters)
UN/LIBYA
Samir Ghattas, spokesman for the U.N. Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said that more than 200 foreign staff from its mission in Libya were being temporarily relocated.The measure was taken for the staff safety. (Al Akhbar)
FRANCE/GERMANY/RUSSIA
French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Putin a new ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and“the concrete measures to control the Russia-Ukraine border”. (Reuters)
EGYPT
The Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah border crossing to Gaza to receive injured Palestinians. (ANSA)
IRAQ
The Kurdish leaders are boycotting cabinet meetings in Baghdad in protest at Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki after he says the Kurdish capital, Erbil, is a centre for the ISIS. (BBC)
Friday, July 11 2014
UKRAINE
At least 23 soldiers were killed in a rocket strike in Lugansk, the east Ukrainian region. The last 24-hour appeared to be the deadliest on government troops since the Ukrainian military ended a unilateral ceasefire on June 30. (The Guardian)
IRAQ
Kurdish forces took control of two oilfields near Kirkuk, expelling Arab workers and replacing them with Kurdish personnel, the oil ministry said. Kurdish forces took control of nearby Kirkuk a month ago. (Al Arabiya)
ISRAEL/GAZA STRIP
“No amount of international pressure will prevent Israel from continuing its operation in the Gaza Strip,” said the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Haaretz)
Navi Pillay, the UN’s human rights chief, expressed alarm at Israel’s military operations and has called for an investigation into Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
“We have received deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes,” she said. (The Guardian)