Med & South
UN urges Libyans to halt fighting, battle virus
The United Nations and nine countries on Tuesday (17 March) called on Libya's warring parties to cease hostilities to allow health authorities to fight against the new coronavirus.
Morocco shuts off Spain’s Ceuta and Melilla enclaves over virus
Morocco closed the border with Ceuta and Melilla, Spain's two North African enclaves, early on Friday (13 March) to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, officials said.
Why did Boyko Borissov’s mission in Ankara fail?
If von der Leyen’s Commission really wants to be global, it should intervene at the root of the problem instead of trying to deal with the consequences, writes Ivailo Kalfin.
EU calls extraordinary foreign ministers’ meeting on Syria conflict
EU foreign ministers are to hold an emergency meeting next week to discuss the worsening Syria conflict that is driving refugees to the bloc's borders with Turkey, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday (1 March).
UN in talks with Turkey to boost Syria aid amid offensive
The United Nations is in talks with Turkey to boost cross-border aid flows into northwest Syria and allow more evacuations of those in urgent need of medical help, such as babies in incubators, as shelling draws closer.
At EU summit, Merkel and Macron call Putin over Syria crisis
The leaders of Germany and France called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (20 February) to express their concern about the humanitarian situation in Syria’s Idlib region, expressing their readiness to meet in an effort to defuse the conflict.
UN agency calls for new safe harbour rules for migrants from Libya
The International Organization for Migration on Wednesday (19 February) called on the world community to devise a "safe disembarkation mechanism" for migrants fleeing Libya, the day after a port in the capital of the war-torn country was hit by a barrage of rocket fire.
Fatnassia refugee camp will anger both Tunisians and Europeans
Tunisia has always publically refuted reports that it “promised” Europe to accept hosting on its soil refugees from different African countries, but the EU could seize the opportunity of a war in Libya to convince Tunisia to do so, writes Mourad Teyeb.
Libya’s rival factions dig in for long conflict
Libya’s combatants are readying for a long conflict, as foreign weapons flood in, eastern factions close oil ports and rival alliances wrangle over revenues from Africa’s largest petroleum reserves.
Syrian forces seize most of Aleppo province, on eve of Turkey-Russia talks
Syrian government forces made significant advances on Sunday (16 February) in the country’s northwestern Aleppo province, seizing most of the rebel-held region, state media said, a day before a new round of talks between Turkey and Russia on the escalation in the area.
Russia tells Turkey to refrain from provocative statements on Syria
Russia's foreign ministry on Thursday (13 February) called on Turkey to refrain from making provocative statements about events in Syria amid rising tensions over the Syrian province of Idlib.
Rights court clears Spain over Melilla migrant pushbacks
Spain committed no violation when it expelled migrants trying to force their way onto EU territory by scaling fences in a North African enclave, the European Court of Human Rights ruled Thursday (13 Fenruary). The ruling, which reverses an earlier...
Commission: Yemen is the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis
Obstruction by the rebel Huthi authorities in northern Yemen has put the world's biggest humanitarian lifeline at risk, threatening millions with starvation.
UN Security Council calls for ‘lasting ceasefire’ in Libya
The UN Security Council on Wednesday (12 February) adopted a resolution calling for a "lasting ceasefire" in war-torn Libya, where a fragile truce has been in place since January.
Palestinian leader warns UN on Trump’s ‘Swiss cheese’ peace
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday (11 February) urged the UN Security Council to reject President Donald Trump's Middle East plan, saying it would splinter Palestinian lands and never bring lasting peace.
Israel summons Belgian envoy over UN invite to children rights activist
Israel has summoned a top Belgian diplomat for a "very harsh" rebuke after it invited activist Brad Parker to address the UN Security Council on Tuesday (11 February).
Greek asylum to refugees ‘not indefinite’ and reversible: minister
Greece will only grant refugee protection for three years as it struggles to integrate foreigners, the conservative government's migration minister Notis Mitarachi said in remarks published Sunday (9 February).
Morocco border clampdown thwarts Europe-bound migrants
Mustapha left his home in Guinea two years ago to make the arduous journey to Morocco, hoping to cross the fence separating the kingdom from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
Germany warns of ‘second Syria’ as EU hosts Libya PM
EU leaders met the head of Libya's UN-recognised government Wednesday (8 January) as they scramble to contain the escalating crisis there, with Germany warning the country could deteriorate into a "second Syria".
Tunisia denies joining a Turkey-led alliance in Libyan crisis
The Tunisian Presidency has denied claims that the country would join an alliance with Turkey and Algeria in light of the ongoing crisis in Libya and insisted it wanted to preserve its neutral status, without taking part in any coalitions.
Diplomacy heats up in the Mediterranean amid escalating Greece-Turkey row
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) recently signed between Turkey and Libya to demarcate maritime zones has shaken up politics in the Mediterranean, with Greece preparing a diplomatic counter-offensive.
Coal pollution in the Western Balkans is a European problem
16 coal plants in the Western Balkans pollute as much as the entire EU fleet of 250 units, causing sickness and deaths across the continent. It’s high time to take action, write Viola von Cramon and Petros Kokkalis.
Turkey-Libya Mediterranean deal is about energy and extending Ankara’s influence
Ankara’s moves in the Mediterranean Sea reflect President Erdoğan’s ambitions to make Turkey a leading country. But its unilateralism is unnecessarily aggravating tensions in the region and, as usual, leaves it to Brussels and Washington to sort it out, writes Henri J Barkey.