Historical complex to be ready for worship as of July 24 at Friday prayer, once preparations concluded, says Erdogan. After completing all preparations, Turkey will open Hagia Sophia for worship on July 24 at Friday prayer, the Turkish president said on Friday. Source Anadolu Agency
Turkey’s highest administrative court annulled on Friday a 1934 decree to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia landmark from a mosque into a museum, Cumhuriyet reported. Source Ahval
Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, acquired by Turkey about a year ago, will be deployed in Libya, blocking the airspace of this country from the appearance of any drones and airplanes in the sky, learned BulgarianMilitary.com citing Turkish Daily Sabah. Source bulgarian military
Egypt’s Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources on Tuesday criticized Ethiopia’s recent move to begin filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), saying it contradicts the current path of negotiations Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are set on. Source Egyptindependent
Increasing tensions between France and Turkey were posing a threat to the cohesion of the NATO alliance, experts have warned.
Paris’ recent decision to suspend its involvement in the NATO Sea Guardian maritime security operation in the eastern Mediterranean following an incident between a French frigate and Turkish vessels, has highlighted the organization’s difficulties in maintaining order and harmony among its members. Source Arab News
The French government said Wednesday it was girding for a possible surge in coronavirus cases in coming months but would not respond to any new outbreak with another nationwide lockdown. Source France24
The municipality of Amsterdam is investigating the costs of having all its 15,000 civil servants undergo ‘privilege training’. For example, staff must become aware of their privileged position. This is stated in the 2019 Work Plan on Discrimination against Labor Market Discrimination. Source AD
Two police officers who were out of service were severely beaten this Monday evening in Courrières, near Lens (Pas-de-Calais). They were seriously injured. A resting prison guard was also hit. Source Actu17
Some Ford employees have been pressing the company to abandon the police vehicle market, while others suggest selling vehicles only to law enforcement agencies that have undergone reforms. Source NBC News
China will invest $400 billion in Iran energy and infrastructure but nothing in strategic pact allows for a Chinese troop presence or island handover. Two of the United States’ top “strategic threats” are getting more and more real within the scope of the New Silk Roads, the leading 21st-century project of economic integration across Eurasia. America’s Deep State will not be amused. Source Asian Times
The coronavirus state of emergency may be extended beyond July 31, Premier Giuseppe Conte said Friday. “Reasonably, there are the conditions to continue the state of emergency for the coronavirus after July 31,” Conte said. “The state of emergency serves to keep the virus under control. “Nothing has been decided yet, but reasonably we will go in this direction”. Source Ansa.it
Suspected informant said to have held a mid-level position with the visitor service until late 2019. A man suspected of espionage on Egypt’s behalf worked in German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s press office until December 2019, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced Thursday. Source I24
The Egyptian Army carried out a military drill near the Libyan border called “Hasm 2020”, the military said on Thursday. Source Arab News
Historical complex to be ready for worship as of July 24 at Friday prayer, once preparations concluded, says Erdogan. After completing all preparations, Turkey will open Hagia Sophia for worship on July 24 at Friday prayer, the Turkish president said on Friday. Source Anadolu Agency
Turkey’s highest administrative court annulled on Friday a 1934 decree to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia landmark from a mosque into a museum, Cumhuriyet reported. Source Ahval
Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, acquired by Turkey about a year ago, will be deployed in Libya, blocking the airspace of this country from the appearance of any drones and airplanes in the sky, learned BulgarianMilitary.com citing Turkish Daily Sabah. Source bulgarian military
Egypt’s Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources on Tuesday criticized Ethiopia’s recent move to begin filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), saying it contradicts the current path of negotiations Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are set on. Source Egyptindependent
The French government said Wednesday it was girding for a possible surge in coronavirus cases in coming months but would not respond to any new outbreak with another nationwide lockdown. Source France24
The US economy added a record 4.8 million jobs last month as the nation continued an economic rebound that’s now threatened by a surge in coronavirus infections, new data show. Source New York Post
Shell, one of the world’s largest oil companies, has warned that the low price of oil could reduce the value of its assets by up to $22bn (£17.9bn). It said it expects oil to change hands at $60 per barrel in the long term and to be priced at $35 this year and $40 next year. Source BBC
The number of laid-off workers seeking U.S. unemployment aid barely fell last week, and the reopening of small businesses has leveled off — evidence that the job market’s gains may have stalled just as a surge in coronavirus cases is endangering an economic recovery. Source Fox
The Italian government has signed off on approximately $7 billion in loan guarantees for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in an effort to shore up a key piece of the country’s manufacturing sector amid the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Source Detroit Free Pers
More than 20,000 municipal employees across all city agencies could lose their jobs to create $1 billion in cuts needed to balance the budget with the Big Apple’s coronavirus-starved coffers, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday. Source New York Post
The European Central Bank is ready to cooperate with German “institutions” to resolve a legal dispute that jeopardises the participation of the euro zone’s biggest economy in the ECB’s hallmark stimulus programme, the bank’s vice president said.
The ECB is ready to provide the German central bank the necessary information to resolve the issue and the ECB it is willing to engage German institutions if this did not threaten its independence, Germany’s Der Spiegel quoted Luis de Guindos as saying on Monday. Source Reuters
The Finnish telecom group Nokia announced on Monday that it intends to cut 1,233 jobs from its operations in France. Unions and politicians have spoken out against the plan, calling for the government to step up and protect the workers. Source RFI
The European Central Bank has handed out 1.31 trillion euros ($1.46 trillion) in long-term, ultra-cheap credit to hundreds of banks as part of its emergency support aimed at cushioning the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on businesses and worker. The ECB said Thursday that 742 banks across the 19 countries that use the euro currency took up the credit offer, which can carry a negative interest rate of as low as minus 1.0% so long as banks keep up their lending to businesses. That means banks are getting paid by the ECB to borrow the money, an offer that many found hard to refuse. Source Lethbridgenews
Gefira tracks the global players in Europe, the USA, Russia and China and anticipates the consequences of their policies
Gefira No. 9 is now available at a discount. 160 euros for 10 issues a year plus access to our archives.
Europe's geopolitical situation resembles that of 1913.
The enlargement of the European Union to the east, Germany's Ostpolitik, economic power and its reluctance to align its policy with France's and Italy's make the break-up of the Union unavoidable. While Germany is gaining a status of a financial superstar, German society is starting to disintegrate.
Nobody dares to ask, but the ECB board is bracing itself for the upcoming break-up of the euro. The Gefira team explains why France or Italy will leave the euro and we investigate how the ECB is preparing for the looming euro collapse.
