The rapid increase of migrant inflows from Turkey has forced Mayor of Lesvos, Spyros Galinos, to send a plea of help to Parliament President Nikos Voutsis. “The steady increase in refugee flows has created a suffocating situation both within Hospitality Centers and in the surrounding areas. I have repeatedly warned that there is an urgent need to decongest all reception centers, otherwise we are in danger of experiencing the crisis of the 2015 summer months again,” Galinos notes in his letter. Source Greek Reporter
A spokesperson for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, the Dutch military service that carries out police tasks, reports this to the ANP news agency. There will be mobile checks at the border between Belgium and the Netherlands, but not at those with Germany. Source De Tijd
China has welcomed Russian troops to hold joint strategic drills for the first time next week on the territory of the People’s Republic as part of growing ties between Beijing and Moscow. Source Newsweek
Two rockets launched from Lebanon on Wednesday struck Israel, which responded with artillery fire amid heightened regional tensions over an alleged Iranian attack on an oil tanker in the Gulf last week. Israel’s Magen David Adom national ambulance service said there were no casualties on the Israeli side of the hilly frontier, where the rockets ignited a brush fire. Source Reuters
