Monday, 17th November 2014
ROMANIA – Opposition candidate, Klaus Iohannis, has won a surprise victory in Romania’s Presidential election, defeating PM Victor-Viorel Ponta after a tight race. (BBC)
BOSNIA – Bosnia’s new Presidential triumvirate took office on Monday in a first step to forming a government the West hopes will press economic reforms to help unblock stalled efforts to join the European Union. (Reuters)
QATAR – Oil monarchies in the Gulf States reached an agreement late Sunday evening, following nine months of tumultuous negotiations, as they return to re-establish full diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain will return their respective ambassadors to Qatar after having withdrawn them in March. (ANSAmed)
Tuesday, 18th November 2014
ISRAEL – Two Palestinians armed with a meat cleaver and a gun killed four worshippers in a Jerusalem synagogue on Tuesday before being shot dead by police, the deadliest such incident in six years in the holy city. (Reuters)
TURKEY – A new party calling itself Partiye Azadiye Kurdistan (PAK – Free Kurdistan Party) stating that Kurds should have their own separate state – has submitted yesterday a petition for the establishment of the entity to the Turkish Department of Domestic Affairs. (ANSAmed)
ALGERIA – The countdown has probably begun leading up to the likely farewell from Algeria’s political and institutional scenario of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Although nothing has transpired from the tight-knit Presidential entourage over such an imminent evolution, the country is eyeing the future with concern due to the precarious health of the head of State. Bouteflika was recently treated at the cardiology department of a private clinic in Grenoble, causing widespread concern over whether the President is still capable of leading the country. (ANSAmed)
Wednesday, 19th November 2014
EGYPT – Egypt welcomed a Saudi call on Wednesday to back an agreement among Gulf Arab states that ended an eight-month dispute over Qatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood and promotion of Arab Spring revolts. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain agreed on Sunday to return their ambassadors to Doha after resolving their row with Qatar. (Reuters)
IRAQ – The President of Iraqi Kurdistan, Masoud Barzani, accused Western countries on Wednesday of not providing enough heavy weapons to help his “peshmerga” forces deliver a “decisive blow” against Islamic State militants. (Reuters)
KOSOVO – Kosovo’s two biggest parties agreed “in principle” on Wednesday to form a government, the Balkan country’s President said, signaling an end to more than five months of damaging political deadlock. (Reuters)
Thursday, 20th November 2014
EGYPT – The Muslim Brotherhood official and former local development minister under ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, Mohamed Ali Beshr, was arrested on Thursday by security officials in the governorate of Menoufeya on the Nile Delta. (ANSAmed)
TUNISIA – Tunisia has decided to close two border crossings with Libya – Ras Jedir and Dehiba – for four days starting Thursday, over fear of terror attacks ahead of Presidential elections scheduled on Sunday. (ANSAmed)
IRAN – A deadline for resolving a 12-year-old dispute over Iran’s nuclear program may be extended from Monday until March, because of sharp disagreements between Tehran and Western powers, officials close to the talks said. (Reuters)
Friday, 21st November 2014
SUDAN – Sudan has asked a joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in its western Darfur region to prepare plans to leave amid a dispute between the United Nations and Khartoum over an alleged mass rape in the area. (Reuters)
ISRAEL – Israel has rejected an appeal by the five biggest members of the European Union not to raze the homes of Palestinians who carried out lethal attacks in Jerusalem. (Reuters)
