MIDDLE EAST

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday appealed for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, and called on the global leaders to do everything they can to stop the escalating violence in Gaza. “It is now more urgent than ever to try to find common ground for a return to calm and a ceasefire understanding”, he said at an emergency …

Syrian President Bashar Assad’s decreed amnesty last month seems nothing more than a false promise of freedom, analysts say. On June 9th, after winning a controversial Presidential election held in only regime-controlled areas, Assad issued the amnesty which should have freed the near 100,000 prisoners human rights groups say have been detained since the rebellion against the Assad regime began …

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to ramp up the Israeli campaign against Hamas which has cost 43 Palestinian lives so far. Wednesday, the second day of “Operation Protective Edge”, saw the deaths of 21 Palestinians, including 15 women and children, caused by Israeli strikes, setting the overall death toll for the past two days at 43, emergency …

How can a man bearing the title ‘Middle East Peace Envoy’ agree to advise the blood-drenched Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi, who seized power in a military coup last year after presiding over the slaughter of 2,500 protesters and the incarceration of more than 20,000 others? The shocking announcement comes only days after Tony Blair attempted in vain to promote …

On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki accused the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq of harboring militants, further increasing tensions despite a call for unity against the extremist offensive that started a month ago, overrunning five provinces to the west and north of Baghdad and displacing thousands. The ongoing offensive continues to heap pressure on Maliki as he prepares for …

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 20 members of extremist group Islamic State (IS) were killed in Wednesday by Syrian air force raids against the group’s bastion in the city of Raqa. Syrian rebels struck and killed 14 people in overnight strikes in the village ofKhatab in the province of Hama, the Observatory and state media said. “At …

On Wednesday, Egypt urged Hamas and Israel to stop their escalating conflict in Gaza. It did play down the idea that it would mediate a truce between the two parties. Egypt has been a signatory of a peace treaty with Israel since 1979, and has, in the past, played a crucial role in negotiating peace between Israel and Hamas. However, …

IRAQ: More than 1,000 killed in Iraq violence in June 500,000 existing refugee population in Iraq 300,000 additional refugees throughout June as fighting between Islamist militants and the government continued (Sources: http://online.wsj.com/articles/refugee-numbers-in-iraq-rise-by-300-000-amid-fighting-1402665943, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/iraq-turmoil/iraq-violence-killed-more-1-000-june-united-nations-n139116, http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=48117) SYRIA: 1.1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon 35 percent of Lebanon’s population are Syrian refugees 30,000 people, including Lebanese, without access to safe drinking water 20 percent unemployment rate in Lebanon, compared to 10 percent last year …

Elite government forces, supported by the Hezbollah converged in the city of Aleppo on Tuesday as rebels boosted their own forces in preparation for a major showdown, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The monitor’s director Rami Abdel Rahman said that it was likely that government forces will lay siege to rebel-controlled parts of Aleppo; rebels, fighting to depose …

On Tuesday, Turkey urged Israel to “immediately” stop its assault on the Gaza Strip, following its lethal air campaign on Gaza. “We are calling on Israel to immediately halt its attacks on Gaza”, the Turkish foreign ministry said in its statement. It also urged the international community, particularly the United Nations, to get involved and warn Israel to relinquish its …