Middle East
As Lebanon burns, Europeans struggle to toughen stance towards Israel
As Europeans scramble to find a unified response to the escalating tensions in the Middle East, the failure to publish a joint statement on Lebanon has yet again laid bare disagreements between EU member states vis-à-vis Israel.
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Iran says attack on Israel is over as fears grow of wider conflict
Est. 6minIran said early on Wednesday (2 October) that its missile attack on Israel was over barring further provocation, while Israel and the US promised to retaliate against Tehran as fears of a wider war intensified.
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Israel vows response to Iran missile attack as fears of conflict escalation rise
Est. 5minIran fired ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday (1 October) in retaliation for Israel's campaign against Tehran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, drawing vows of a sharp response from both Israel and the United States.
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Israel launches ground raids in south Lebanon, ignoring US, EU calls for restraint
Est. 6minIsrael's military said its troops began limited ground raids against Hezbollah targets in the border area of southern Lebanon early on Tuesday (1 October), as a ground invasion by its troops appeared to be getting under way despite Western calls for restraint.
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Nasrallah’s killing reveals depth of Israel’s penetration of Hezbollah
Est. 9minIsrael killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a powerful airstrike in Beirut on Friday (27 September), dealing a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group as it reels from an escalating campaign of Israeli attacks.
Israel kills Hezbollah leader Nasrallah in airstrike
Est. 6minIsrael killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a powerful airstrike in Beirut, dealing a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group as it reels from an escalating campaign of Israeli attacks. The Israeli military said on Saturday it had eliminated Nasrallah in the strike on …
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New international coalition seeks two-state solution in Israel-Palestine conflict
Est. 4minA new international coalition to seek a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict has gained traction on Thursday (26 September) despite Israel's absence from the talks.
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Bulgarian politician dumped for siding with Turkey
Est. 3minThe leader of Bulgaria's ethnic Turkish party has been ousted from his post and expelled from the party yesterday (24 December), officially for declaring support for Turkey in its row with Moscow over the downing of a Russian warplane.
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EU leaders silent on growing risk of an ISIS chemical attack
Est. 5minPlans to address the risk of a terrorist attack with non-conventional weapons are not part of the EU summit on 17-18 December, despite the growing risk of a such an attack by ISIS on European soil, according to analysts and EU institutions.
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Dutch Presidency to take over task of shaping EU’s border force
Est. 5minUnable to decide on establishing a “European Border and Coast Guard”, EU leaders on Thursday (18 December) tasked the incoming Dutch Presidency to move forward with the divisive issue.
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Fearing escalation, NATO reins in Turkey
Est. 6minNATO plans to send air defence support to Turkey partly to minimise the risk of Ankara shooting down another Russian warplane, while assuaging its fears of a spillover from the conflict in Syria, senior alliance sources say.
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‘Like-minded countries’ hold mini-summit with Turkey
Est. 4minGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel will explore new possible ways to admit Syrian refugees to Europe at a mini-summit with Turkey, and several EU leaders of the ‘like-minded countries’ today (17 December), as she struggles to control a migrant crisis that has split the 28-nation bloc.
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Brussels unveils controversial plan for EU border force
Est. 6minThe European Commission unveiled plans Tuesday (15 December) for a new border and coastguard force that can intervene even without the host country's consent, saying it had to restore security threatened by the migration crisis.
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Frontex cannot say if Turkey stemmed refugee flow
Est. 3minEU leaders will meet tomorrow (17 December) for a 2-day summit with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu, and make further overtures to his country. However, at this stage it is impossible to say if Turkey’s commitment to halt the influx of refugees has made a difference.
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Journalists criticise the EU’s rapprochement with Turkey
Est. 8minIn their effort to stem the refugee crisis, the EU has betrayed Turkish journalists and ordinary citizens, who have courageously stood up to the authoritarian plans of the government, journalistic organisations said yesterday (15 December).
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Merkel receives support from coalition allies
Est. 3minThe leader of Angela Merkel's Bavarian allies hailed her "first class" leadership on Tuesday (15 December), seeking to draw a line under a coalition dispute that blew up last month when he publicly denounced her handling of Germany's refugee crisis.
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EU warms to Turkey, Serbia membership bids
Est. 4minThe European Union revived Turkey's membership bid on Monday (14 Dcember) and opened accession talks with Serbia, showing how a migration crisis and Russia's presence in the Balkans has prompted the EU to rethink plans to stop expanding.
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Russia warns Turkey following Aegean incident
Est. 2minRussia on Sunday (13 December) warned Turkey to stop staging what it called provocations against its forces in or near Syria, after one of its warships fired warning shots at a Turkish vessel in the Aegean to avoid a collision.
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Greek parliament to recognise Palestine amid opposition concerns
Est. 3minThe Syriza-led Greek parliament will vote on 22 December to recognise the Palestinian state, triggering nervous reactions among centre-right opposition parties. EURACTIV Greece reports.
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Poland receives first LNG delivery from Qatar
Est. 4minPoland is finishing preparations for liquefied natural gas deliveries which should go into fully commercial regime next year. EURACTIV Czech Republic reports.
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Sigmar Gabriel hopes for decisive victory in leadership election
Est. 4minRefugees will dominate the three day meeting of the SPD in Berlin. Party leader Sigmar Gabriel is almost certainly going to be re-elected, but the nature of his victory will be all-important. EURACTIV's partner Tagesspiegel reports.
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Davutoglu accuses Russia of attempting ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Syria
Est. 4minTurkey's premier accused Russia yesterday (9 December) of "ethnic cleansing" in northern Syria, saying Moscow was trying to drive out the local Turkmen and Sunni Muslim populations for military purposes.
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Qatar Airways CEO voices doubt about proposed EU air traffic accords
Est. 3minThe head of Qatar Airways on Wednesday cast doubt on proposed European Union air traffic agreements that might limit Gulf carriers from flying to European destinations because of what some see as unfair subsidies.
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EU states urge action against ISIS trade in antiques
Est. 2minGermany, Italy and France called yesterday (8 December) for the European Union to crack down on the illegal trade in antiquities used to bankroll attacks by the Islamic State group.
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US passes bill to keep away ‘foreign fighters’
Est. 3minThe US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly yesterday (8 December) to tighten restrictions on travel to the United States by citizens of 38 nations who are allowed to enter the country without obtaining a visa.