Three soldiers were killed on May 8 in an explosion in the Nusaybin district of the southeastern province of Mardin, where operations by security forces are being carried out against outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants. Source: Hurriyet Daily
Author: Guest Write
Twelve PKK terrorists have been killed in counter-terrorism operations in Turkey’s southeast. 8 terrorists were killed in Nusaybin, 2 in the neighboring Sirnak province, and 2 in the Tunceli province. Source: AA
Reporting incidents from the previous day, the Turkish General Staff said four terrorists were killed in Nusaybin, Mardin province, and four across neighboring Sirnak province. Source: AA
Three rocket projectiles, fired from Syria, killed one and injured 10 others in Turkey’s southeastern border province of Kilis on Sunday evening, said Turkish officials. Source: AA
At least 20 PKK terrorists were killed in four separate counter-terrorism operations in four southeastern Turkish provinces Sunday, the military announced on its official website Monday. Source: AA
30 Sinai Province militants were killed in airstrikes conducted by the Egyptian Air Force on Monday south of Sheikh Zuweid city. Source: Daily News Egypt
Around 30 Daesh militants were killed in a coalition airstrike in the early hours of Monday in Syria, near Turkey’s southern Kilis province. Source: AA
A top Greek court ruled on Wednesday (18 April) that migrants landing on Greek islands should no longer be held there while asylum claims are assessed, a decision raising alarm among EU officials in Brussels. Source: Euractiv
The German government has committed to accepting refugees under a program to resettle people considered particularly vulnerable. Controls of Germany’s border to Austria look set to be extended for another six months. Source: Deutsche Welle
President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called snap elections for June 24, saying economic challenges and the war in Syria meant Turkey must switch quickly to the powerful executive presidency that goes into effect after the vote. Source: Reuters
The French parliament votes Friday on a tough immigration bill that has sparked rumblings of revolt within President Emmanuel Macron’s party, with several MPs openly challenging his plans to speed up deportations of failed asylum-seekers. Source: The Local
Asylum seekers will be forced to hand over their mobile phones and up to 840 euros ($1,040) in cash to the authorities, under measures approved by the Austrian cabinet on Wednesday. Source: The Local
Several hundred Syrians who have lived for years as refugees in Lebanon left for their home country on Wednesday in a rare case of a mass return of those who left the country since the Syrian civil war began in 2011. Source Reuters
Russia’s state communications regulator on Tuesday said it had blocked IP addresses owned by Google and Amazon, saying they were being used by the Telegram messaging service which Moscow moved to ban this week. Source: CNBC
U.S. Secretary of State nominee and CIA Director Mike Pompeo made a secret visit to North Korea over the Easter weekend and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Source: Reuters
The recommendation to open membership talks with the Balkan nations comes amid waning enthusiasm for the bloc. The two countries will be required to carry out sweeping reforms to secure their entry to the club. Source: Deutsche Welle
Around 6,000 gathered in Armenia’s capital on Monday (16 April) in protest at what the opposition calls a power grab by former president Serzh Sargsyan and several people were injured in scuffles with police. Source: Euractiv
Syrian state-run media reported that the country’s air defences shot down missiles over the central region of Homs early on Tuesday, as chemical weapons experts waited to visit the site of a suspected chemical attack near Damascus. Source: France24
Global debt hit its highest levels ever and governments should take actions to reduce their indebtedness while the going is still good, the International Monetary Fund said. Source: CNBC
Talks between Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) and Iraq on a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure contract have reached an impasse, Iraqi officials and two industry sources said, in a potential setback to the oil major’s ambitions to expand in the country. Source: Reuters
Since 2015, when oil hovered around 35 and 40 dollars a barrel, the Gefira team has explained to their paid subscribers that oil will be back at 100 dollars by 2020.
Oil futures jumped more than 2 percent on Wednesday on a decline in U.S. crude inventories and after sources signaled top exporter Saudi Arabia wants to see the crude price closer to $100 a barrel. Source Reuters
India’s cash machines are running dry, leaving policy makers and bankers scrambling to assuage the public and prevent perception about the nation’s fraud-hit financial system from worsening. Source: Bloomberg
Eni plans “billions” of investments in Algeria over the next three years, the company’s CEO said on Tuesday, as the Italian energy firm said it had agreed to extend its partnership with Algerian state firm Sonatrach. Source: Oil Price
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has suggested that international loans should be contracted based on gold instead of U.S. dollars in order to prevent exchange rate pressure on economies. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
China’s economy grew at a slightly faster-than-expected pace of 6.8 percent in the first quarter, buoyed by strong consumer demand, healthy exports and robust property investment. Source: Reuters
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives are restricting her room for maneuver on euro zone reform, documents seen by Reuters show, which could further frustrate French President Emmanuel Macron who visits Berlin later this week. “I know that Macron is pushing Merkel and she is not moving in the way he thinks she should be moving,” said a person close to the French president, adding that he may have to adopt a more confrontational tone with Germany. Source Reuters
Japan and China held their first high-level economic dialogue in almost eight years on Monday against a backdrop of trade threats from the U.S. Source: Bloomberg
Denmark has decided to link the permit for the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline with Russia’s guarantees for the continuation of gas transit to Europe via Ukraine. Source Ukrinform
Nord Stream 2 AG today received the second permit required for the construction and operation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Finnish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), thereby completing the permitting procedure in Finland. Source Oil Voice
