Yearly Archives: 2015

France to refund Russia if Mistral will not be delivered

French President Francois Hollande says France will refund payments made by Russia for two Mistral amphibious-assault ships if the warships are not delivered because of Moscow’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Hollande said in Paris after talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on April 22 that he will discuss the …

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Biden, Poroshenko discuss Ukraine situation

Vice President Joe Biden spoke on Monday with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko about the situation in the east and Ukraine’s reform agenda, the Office of the Vice President announced. Biden informed Poroshenko that the United States will provide the government of Ukraine with an additional 17.7 million dollars in humanitarian …

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Some Kenya security officials could face charges after Garissa attack

Nine Kenyan security officials from Garissa have been suspended and could face charges of criminal negligence over the massacre at the town’s university earlier this month, the government announced on Tuesday. Militants from Somalia’s al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab rebels attacked the university in the northeastern town of Garissa on April 2, lining …

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UN to push for Western Sahara negotiations

The UN Security Council is set to push for more intensive negotiations to settle the decades-old dispute over Western Sahara, at the centre of tensions between Morocco and African countries. A draft resolution under discussion this week extends the mandate of the MINURSO peace mission for a year and calls …

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Saudi-led coalition ends air strikes in Yemen, enters political phase

A Saudi-led coalition declared an end April 21 to four weeks of air strikes in Yemen, saying it had eliminated the threat posed by Iran-backed rebels, as Washington welcomed the move and urged talks to end the crisis. Despite the claims of success in a campaign launched by Sunni Arab …

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French Defense Minister says security of Europe and Mideast are related

French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian stressed Monday the interrelation between the security and stability of Europe, on one hand, and that of the Middle East and the Arab region on the other. The situations in the Arab region impact not only on the French nationals in the region …

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SHIFTING SANDS IN THE MIDDLE EAST: A CLOSER LOOK AT DAESH

The recent Mediterranean migrant boat disasters, which highlighted the dimensions of the people-smuggling originating from war-torn Libya and aiming to Europe, as well as the savage killings’ video released at the same time by DAESH[1], also in Libya, shed a new light over the new activities of this terrorist group. …

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UN convoy attacked in Somalia, seven killed

At least seven people were killed in an attack on a UN vehicle in Garowe, the capital of Puntland in northeastern Somalia, on Monday. Four UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) staff members were among the dead and four other staff members were in serious condition, the agency said in a statement.

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US paratroopers start training Ukrainian forces

US paratroopers on Monday began training Ukrainian government forces who will fight pro-Russian separatists in the east, angering Moscow as the deadly conflict rumbles on in the ex-Soviet country. Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko welcomed troops from the US 173rd Airborne Brigade in a rain-soaked ceremony at a military base in …

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