Move is part of coordinated effort with European Central Bank and others to head off potential economic crisis due to coronavirus. The US Federal Reserve stepped in on Sunday to prop up the US economy in the face of the escalating Covid-19 crisis. In its most dramatic move since the 2008 financial crisis the Fed announced it is cutting its benchmark interest rate to near zero and said it would buy $700bn in Treasury and mortgage-backed securities as it attempts to head off a severe slowdown. Source The Guardian
The strike on US military base at Erbil airport with the use of a drone is a cunning test by Iran and its allied militias in Iraq of the willingness of the US to step up its response after such assaults, analysts say.
The drone attack which late Wednesday hit a previously safe area far from the reach of the pro-Iranian militias’ missiles, is also seen as a test of the Kurds, and specifically whether they themselves will respond to the strike. Source The Arab Weekly
The police and firefighters fell into an ambush this Tuesday evening in Épinay-sur-Seine (Seine-Saint-Denis). Many individuals attacked them. The officials responded with tear gas in particular. Source Actu17
Denmark has become the first European nation to revoke the residency permits of Syrian refugees, insisting that some parts of the war-torn country are safe to return to.
At least 189 Syrians have had applications for renewal of temporary residency status denied since last summer, a move the Danish authorities said was justified because of a report that found the security situation in some parts of Syria had “improved significantly”. Source The Guardian