Deal sealed in US Congress
President Barack Obama secured a landmark foreign policy victory over opposition from Republicans and the government of Israel after Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski became the 34th vote in favor of the Iran nuclear deal on Wednesday. Her backing gave supporters the margin they needed to uphold an expected Obama veto of a congressional resolution of disapproval that Republicans hope to pass later this month.
The United Nations said it reached agreement with Yemen's government and Saudi-led military coalition on increasing the flow of much-needed goods like food and fuel to Yemen. The impoverished Arab country relies on imports for about 90% of its supplies, but it has been brought to the brink of famine as months of fighting have held up commercial imports and aid deliveries. A Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition has been launching airstrikes against Shiite Houthi rebels since March.
Hungary blocks refugees from boarding trains
Thousands of migrants near Budapest’s main international train station were blocked from seeking asylum in Germany and other European nations for a second day on Wednesday. Hungary’s police said they intend to reinforce their positions outside the terminal. Tens of thousands of refugees from Africa, the Middle East and Asia have risked life and limb this year to reach the EU by taking perilous trips over the so-called Balkan land route. The United Nations says more than 2,400 people have died already this year attempting to reach mainland Europe in boats that cross the Mediterranean Sea from Turkey and North Africa.
Turkish workers abducted in Baghdad
Masked gunmen in military uniforms kidnapped 17 Turkish workers and their Iraqi translator from Baghdad on Wednesday. "The incident evoked the memory of last summer when Islamic State militants seized dozens of Turkish diplomats in the northern city of Mosul, but in Wednesday’s case it was far more likely that the abductions were the work of a criminal gang or a militia seeking ransom," officials said. Turkish officials in Ankara said that the two countries were working closely to resolve the matter.
Gaza could be uninhabitable by 2020: UN
Gaza will be uninhabitable by 2020 if current economic trends continue, a new United Nations report revealed on Wednesday. A complete blockade and three consecutive wars in the past six years have resulted in a detrimental economic stalemate in the Palestinian enclave, a report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development said. “As many as 247 factories and 300 commercial centers were fully or partially destroyed," it said. "Serious damage was inflicted on Gaza’s sole power plant. The agricultural sector alone suffered $550 million in losses.”
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President Barack Obama secured a landmark foreign policy victory over opposition from Republicans and the government of Israel after Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski became the 34th vote in favor of the Iran nuclear deal on Wednesday. Her backing gave supporters the margin they needed to uphold an expected Obama veto of a congressional resolution of disapproval that Republicans hope to pass later this month.
UN says deal reached on increasing supplies to Yemen
The United Nations said it reached agreement with Yemen's government and Saudi-led military coalition on increasing the flow of much-needed goods like food and fuel to Yemen. The impoverished Arab country relies on imports for about 90% of its supplies, but it has been brought to the brink of famine as months of fighting have held up commercial imports and aid deliveries. A Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition has been launching airstrikes against Shiite Houthi rebels since March.
Hungary blocks refugees from boarding trains
Thousands of migrants near Budapest’s main international train station were blocked from seeking asylum in Germany and other European nations for a second day on Wednesday. Hungary’s police said they intend to reinforce their positions outside the terminal. Tens of thousands of refugees from Africa, the Middle East and Asia have risked life and limb this year to reach the EU by taking perilous trips over the so-called Balkan land route. The United Nations says more than 2,400 people have died already this year attempting to reach mainland Europe in boats that cross the Mediterranean Sea from Turkey and North Africa.
Turkish workers abducted in Baghdad
Masked gunmen in military uniforms kidnapped 17 Turkish workers and their Iraqi translator from Baghdad on Wednesday. "The incident evoked the memory of last summer when Islamic State militants seized dozens of Turkish diplomats in the northern city of Mosul, but in Wednesday’s case it was far more likely that the abductions were the work of a criminal gang or a militia seeking ransom," officials said. Turkish officials in Ankara said that the two countries were working closely to resolve the matter.
Gaza could be uninhabitable by 2020: UN
Gaza will be uninhabitable by 2020 if current economic trends continue, a new United Nations report revealed on Wednesday. A complete blockade and three consecutive wars in the past six years have resulted in a detrimental economic stalemate in the Palestinian enclave, a report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development said. “As many as 247 factories and 300 commercial centers were fully or partially destroyed," it said. "Serious damage was inflicted on Gaza’s sole power plant. The agricultural sector alone suffered $550 million in losses.”
