Friday, July 4, 2014
ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE EXPECTED
A truce between Israel and Hamas appeared to be on the cards this morning, after Egypt intelligence officials held negotiations with both sides, The Times of Israel reports. Despite the imminence of a possible ceasefire, more rockets were fired at Israel and IDF continued to fire artillery in Gaza, according to The Jerusalem Post. This comes as the family of Mohammed Abu Khdair, the 16 year-old Palestinian who was kidnapped and killed two days ago, is hoping to hold the boy’s funeral today, after the first Friday prayers of the Ramadan month, provided that the police release the body.
IRAQ’S KURDS PUSH FOR INDEPENDENCE VOTE
As Iraqi and U.S. officials have warned that ISIS fighters are preparing for an assault of Baghdad, the autonomous region of Kurdistan, in northern Iraq is moving closer to independence. According to The Guardian, the region’s president Massoud Barzani, who met with John Kerry last week, told the local Parliament: “The time has come to determine our fate and we should not wait for other people to determine it for us.” This increases the possibility of a partition of Iraq into three states. Sydney Morning Herald writer Chris Zappone reminds us that on top of the ISIS leader and self-proclaimed “Caliphate” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden have voiced their support to that idea. Meanwhile, AFP reports that a group of 46 Indian nurses trapped in the middle of the war were close to being freed.
UKRAINE, GRIM DETAILS
A reportage published on The Kyiv Post describes up close the human effects of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, where more than 200 civilians, including at least 15 children, have been killed in the past three months. Quoting rebel fighters, it reports allegations that Kiev fighter jets carried out airstrikes over a village near Luhansk, leaving behind destroyed houses and “bodies of residents scattered around the area.”
SNAPSHOT
Compassion in World Farming and the NSPCA held a protest in front of DEFRA, The UK’s Department For Food, Environment and Rural Affairs, asking to ban all live exports out of the country.
CHINA AND SOUTH KOREA TO BOOST TRADE TIES
South Korea’s Park Geun-hye and China’s Xi Jinping have pledged to sign a bilateral free trade agreement by the end of this year in a bid to reinforce cooperation and economic ties between the two countries, the Financial Times reports. The move, which will also reinforce China’s currency, is expected to boost the annual Seoul-Beijing trade volume from $229 billion to $300 billion, Bloomberg explains.
Xi Jinping, who is currently visiting South Korea, also took a jab at the two countries’ Japanese rival, describing early 20th century conflicts against South Korea and China as “barbarous wars of aggression.”
WORLDCRUNCH-TO-GO
In Hoek von Holland, a seaside town in the Netherlands, a highly gifted 11-year-old boy has created a private war zone in his everyday environment to help him maintain mental order. What should his parents do? Süddeutsche Zeitung’s Lorenz Wagner asks: “The retreat from the kindergarten war zone was a success. Neither the teacher nor his enemy — Mirco, Timon’s 10-year-old brother, chewing strawberry gum and armed with what is supposed to be a fully automatic carbine — had been able to capture him. Then there was Lidianne, his 6-year-old sister, who wears braids and holds a stuffed tiger wearing an army scarf under her arm.”
Read the full article, The Curious Case Of A Gifted Boy Comforted By War Games.
FIFA OFFICIAL LINKED TO $100M TICKET SCAM
The Brazilian police have arrested 11 people as part of an investigation in a $100 million World Cup ticket scam, and said a top FIFA executive is involved in the scandal. The allegations are the latest in a series of affairs that have damaged the image of the global soccer authority. Meanwhile, two people were killed and 22 injured in the host city of Belo Horizonte when an overpass bridge collapsed. According to Brazilian newspaper O Globo, the unfinished construction was initially supposed to have been ready for the World Cup.
ITALY: IMMIGRATION POLICY MUST BE EUROPEAN PRIORITY
As Italy takes the rotating presidency of the European Union, the head of the Italian Navy has spoken out about the need for all of Europe to focus on the influx of illegal immigrants and refugees setting out for the continent.
MY GRAND-PÈRE’S WORLD
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NSA TRACKS WEB USERS CONCERNED WITH PRIVACY
An investigation by Germany’s state broadcasters NDR and WDR revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency is tracking any web user who “has taken an interest in several well-known privacy software systems.” This includes Tor, a privacy-focused web browser primarily funded by Washington and used around the world by users who wish to remain anonymous on the web. Edward Snowden’s name is not mentioned, suggesting that the leaked documents, which include the source code of the NSA project “Xkeyscore,” come from a different source inside the organization.
BBQ 1
It’s the Fourth of July holiday in the U.S., which means flags, fireworks and hot dogs on the barbecue. Lots and lots of hot dogs. Find out how many with today’s By The Numbers installment.
BBQ 2
A Texas grill is just one way to have a barbecue. Check our Mondo of 7 barbecue traditions around the world.
