Dozens of people were arrested at a protest in Moscow on Wednesday against constitutional reforms that give President Vladimir Putin the option to remain in power for another 16 years, witnesses and a monitoring group said. About 500 demonstrators, many of whom wore face masks branded with the word "no", chanted calls for Putin to resign and held up banners against the reforms. Police surrounded them and began making arrests late in the evening after participants started a march down one of the city s main boulevards, with officers in riot gear forcefully rounding up protesters and placing them in vans. Over a hundred people were detained, according to the rights monitoring group OVD-info. There was no immediate confirmation from police or the government on numbers of arrests. A vote earlier this month amended Russia s constitution, handing Putin the right to run for two more presidential terms, an outcome the Kremlin described as a triumph. Opposition activists say the vote was illegitimate and that it is time for Putin, who has ruled Russia for over two decades as president or prime minister, to step down. "I came here to sign the petition against the constitutional reforms because I am a nationalist," said one 40-year old man in a black t-shirt as protesters chanted "Putin is a thief". Fourteen-year old Vasilisa said she also signed the petition because Putin "is to blame for the poverty in our country". "Gay people are killed here, women are beaten up here, and no one is ever held accountable," she said. Two Russian activists involved in the campaign against the constitutional reforms were detained last week and the homes of five others were searched, ahead of the scheduled protest, which had not been sanctioned by authorities. Mass gatherings are banned in the capital because of COVID-19 restrictions. Even in normal times, protests of more than one person require the authorities advance consent.

Libya s parliament has passed a motion authorising Egypt to intervene militarily if needed to safeguard the "national security" of both countries in light of what it termed a Turkish "occupation". The legislature backs military commander Khalifa Haftar, who fought a year-long and ultimately unsuccessful campaign to seize the western capital Tripoli from a United Nations-recognised unity government. Haftar is supported by neighbouring Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, while the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli has the backing of their regional rivals Turkey and Qatar. In a resolution passed late Monday, the legislature in the eastern city of Tobruk authorised "Egyptian armed forces to intervene to protect the national security of Libya and Egypt if they see an imminent danger to both our countries". Egypt s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi warned last month that Egypt could send troops into Libya, after the unity government pushed back Haftar s forces from around Tripoli following months of stalemate. El-Sisi explained that any intervention in Libya by Egyptian forces "would be led by the Libyan tribes," and stressed that "we only aspire for stability in Libya." He emphasised that Egypt has no ambitions in Libya, and only wishes to restore security and stability in the country. "We will not be invaders… we only want a stable, safe and developed Libya", he said. Libya has seen years of violence since the ouster of long-time leader Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed 2011 uprising, with the GNA and the parliament in the east, elected in 2014, vying for power. Haftar launched an offensive in April 2019 to seize the capital, but the GNA took advantage of Turkish military support including drones to re-impose its control over Libya s northwest. In its statement late Monday evening, the parliament said Libya and Egypt should work together "to guarantee the occupier s defeat and preserve our shared national security" in the face of "the dangers posed by the Turkish occupation".

Turkey s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) refuses a ceasefire unless the Libyan National Army s (LNA) leader Khalifa Haftar decided to withdraw his troops from central and western regions. Speaking to the Financial Times on Sunday, Cavusoglu said the GNA had the "determination" to resume its attacks on the LNA in case the latter did not retreat from the port city of Sirte and Al-Jufra, which has Libya s largest air base. Cavusoglu noted that Russia offered a ceasefire deal during talks in Istanbul last month with a “concrete date and time.” But, after consultations with the GNA, the Tripoli-based government said it has preconditions on Sirte and Al-Jufra and wants Haftar to “return to the lines” his troops held five years ago. In its report about the interview, the Financial Times stated that Cavusoglu hinted that his country may support any GNA offensive, describing its preconditions as "legitimate and reasonable". “Now it depends on the other side, they should accept these preconditions for a lasting ceasefire,” Cavusoglu stated. Last month, Egypt that is backing the LNA Commander Haftar said it has the legitimacy to intervene in Libya to protect the country s national security with the support of local tribes, stressing that Sirte and Al-Jufra are "red line" for Egyptian national security. Turkey s top diplomat went further by saying that Turkey will respond to the recent air strikes on Al-Watiya air base. He said Turkey had "trainers and technical staff" at the base, though claiming that "none were harmed." Sources told Al-Arabiya last Monday that Turkish intelligence officials were wounded during Sunday s air strikes on Al-Watiya air base, which was recently captured by the GNA and its Turkish backers. The wounded were transferred to hospitals in Tripoli and Turkey. Brigadier-General Khaled Al-Mahgoub, a leading LNA commander, told Al-Arabiya that repeat strikes on western Libya s Al-Watiya air base will take place soon. Al-Mahgoub also said that Turkish radars, military equipment and air defence systems were destroyed during the air strikes. Turkey, according to sources who spoke to Reuters in June, is negotiating the establishment of two bases — including one at Al-Watiya — with the GNA. During past weeks, local and foreign media outlets reported that Turkey is preparing to attack Al-Al-Jufra. Tripoli-based GNA is backed by Turkish troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries in its war against the LNA. Head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Rami Abdel-Rahman told Sky News Arabia on Monday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even began transferring non-Syrian mercenaries, in addition to Syrian ones, to Libya despite international condemnations and warnings. Abdel-Rahman revealed that those mercenaries were located in areas under “Turkish occupation” in Syria. Turkey informed its mercenaries that their next battle will be in Sirte, said Abdel-Rahman, adding that they are transferred to Libya by air. Turkish warships transferred other groups of mercenaries to Libya, revealed Abdel-Rahman. According to Sky News Arabia s same report, Syrian mercenaries in Libya have reached 16,000. About 5,600 of them returned to Syria. LNA spokesperson said during an interview with Sky News Arabia last Wednesday that he expects a "Turkish attack at any time." Ahmed Al-Mesmari stated that the LNA "will do everything needed to deter any aggression." "We have evidence that Turkey is moving towards a decisive battle, which is the Sirte-Jufra battle. There are no indicators on the other side that [Turkey] will accept a ceasefire and go into negotiations," Al-Mesmari asserted. The leading LNA figure noted that the Libyan army is only conducting "defensive operations to prevent manoeuvres and advancement by the enemy towards our (LNA) positions." Al-Mesmari explained that the LNA will declare a ceasefire in case other parties to the conflict show commitment to peace, stop sending terrorists to Libya and end the presence of “invaders," referring to Turkey. He emphasised that the LNA wants a peaceful settlement to the conflict. The same position was shared by the Emirati state minister for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, on Monday. “The UAE, in cooperation with its partners, calls for the return of oil production as soon as possible in Libya and stresses that the presence of guarantees that prevent the prolonging and fuelling of the conflict is important. We will continue the political and diplomatic work. The priority goes to a ceasefire and a return to the political process,” tweeted Gargash.

Hundreds of people joined a second day of protest on Sunday in the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk over the arrest of a popular governor accused of ordering the murders of several businessmen. Sergei Furgal, 50, was detained Thursday and has been ordered to remain in pre-trial custody for two months over the crimes 15 years ago. The move triggered a mass demonstration on Saturday in Khabarovsk that was joined by between 10,000 and 40,000 people, according to various estimates. On Sunday, several hundred people marched through the city centre to the local government headquarters, according to the TASS news agency. Local supporters of leading Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny put the turnout at around 2,000. Furgal won the race for Khabarovsk governor by a landslide in 2018, dealing an upset to President Vladimir Putin s United Russia party. The arrest of the former doctor came just days after Putin -- who has been in power for two decades -- won a landslide ballot on constitutional reforms that could allow him to extend his rule until 2036. Furgal, leader of the Kremlin-friendly LDPR opposition party, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Saturday s demonstrations -- which saw protesters chanting anti-Putin slogans -- were unprecedented for almost any Russian city outside Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The local government on Sunday denounced the "provocative slogans" and urged people to show "common sense", noting that all gatherings were banned under coronavirus restrictions.

The Libyan National Army s (LNA) spokesperson said during an interview with Sky News Arabia on Wednesday that he expects a "Turkish attack at any time." Ahmed Al-Mesmari stated that the LNA "will do everything needed to deter any aggression." "We have evidence that Turkey is moving towards a decisive battle, which is the Sirte-Al-Jafra battle. There are no indicators on the other side that [Turkey] will accept a ceasefire and go into negotiations," Al-Mesmari asserted. The leading LNA figure noted that the Libyan army is only conducting "defensive operations to prevent manoeuvres and advancement by the enemy towards our (LNA) positions." He emphasised that the LNA wants a peaceful settlement to the conflict. Al-Mesmari explained that the LNA will declare a ceasefire in case other parties to the conflict show commitment to peace, stop sending terrorists to Libya and end the presence of “invaders," referring to Turkey. Concerning Wednesday s UN Security Council meeting on Libya, Al-Mesmari said attending delegations and UN chief Antonio Guterres should have referred to the "obvious Turkish role" in the conflict and support for militias. “[It is] as if they don t want to make an escalation against Turkey. Turkish objectives do not serve international peace and Libyan interests. Turkey is challenging the will of the international community and the Libyans," said Al-Mesmari. The Government of National Accord (GNA), which is based in Tripoli, is backed by Turkish troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries in its war against the eastern-based LNA and its leader General Khalifa Haftar. During the past week, local and foreign media outlets reported that Turkey is preparing to attack Al-Jafra. Sources told Al-Arabiya Monday that Turkish intelligence officials were wounded during Sunday s LNA s air strikes on Al-Watiya Airbase, which was recently captured by the GNA and its Turkish backers. The wounded were transferred to hospitals in Tripoli and Turkey. Brigadier-General Khaled Al-Mahgoub, a leading LNA commander, told Al-Arabiya that repeat strikes on Al-Watiya — western Libya s most significant airbase — will take place soon. Al-Mahgoub also said that Turkish radars, military equipment and air defence systems were destroyed during the air strikes. Turkey, according to sources who spoke to Reuters in June, is negotiating the establishment of two bases — including one at Al-Watiya — with the GNA.

Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have extended authorization for cross-border humanitarian aid in Syria for a year, though Moscow swiftly proposed a more limited extension. Germany and Belgium, two of the council s non-permanent members, had drafted the resolution, which would have allowed aid to continue to pass through two points on the Turkish border without interference from Damascus. Beyond Russia and China, the other 13 council members voted to approve the draft, the diplomats said. During negotiations, Moscow had asked that the extension be limited to six months, rather than a year, and that it only be allowed at one border crossing, not two, they said. "The draft resolution has not been adopted," Germany s UN ambassador Christoph Heusgen, the acting president of the body in July, confirmed in a letter to Council members. Immediately after the vote, Russia proposed its own draft resolution. Obtained by AFP, it repeats the call for a six-month extension, underlines the improvement in the delivery of humanitarian aid under the control of the Syrian regime, and excludes one of the two entry points into Syria -- Bab al-Salam -- from the mechanism. The results of a vote on that resolution will be known on Wednesday. Authorization for cross-border humanitarian aid has existed since 2014, with periodic extensions. The latest extension expires on Friday. Tuesday s vote was the 15th time that Russia has used its veto since the start of the Syrian war in 2011, and the ninth for China. They argue that the UN authorization violates Syria s sovereignty, and that aid can increasingly be channelled through Syrian authorities. Western nations and the UN secretariat however insist that cross-border aid is the only credible option, and that relief supplies would face multiple obstacles if they had to pass through Damascus control. The veto was an "extremely negative development," one European diplomat said on condition of anonymity. "They want to strangle the population even more," the diplomat said, adding that aid "cannot reach the population from one" crossing point. "Insisting on only one crossing point is cynical and it doesn t meet the needs of the people," the source said. The Bab al-Hawa crossing point allows for shipments of humanitarian aid to the three to four million people living in the opposition-held Idlib region. The International Rescue Committee quickly condemned the veto. "Blocking access to food, health care supplies, vaccines, and ventilators is unacceptable anytime but in the year of COVID-19, it is even more reprehensible," said IRC president David Miliband in a statement. - People are suffering - After the vote, China explained that it too was in favor of maintaining the cross-border authorization. Its veto is due to the refusal of Germany and Belgium to take into account its request for a statement condemning the unilateral US sanctions imposed on Syria, Chinese diplomats said. In January, Moscow, Syria s closest ally, succeeded in having the crossing points reduced from four to two and in limiting the authorization to six months instead of a year, as had been done previously. In a report in late June, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a one-year extension of the use of the two crossing points. Guterres said that since 2014, 4,774 trucks have used the Bab al-Salam crossing and 28,574 have used Bab al-Hawa. According to a report published by the UN in Geneva on Tuesday, the humanitarian situation in Idlib province is disastrous. "Syria s economy is devastated," said Hanny Megally, one of the authors of the report. "The country has been in a nine-year conflict. People are suffering."

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday he had undergone another test for the novel coronavirus, after local media reported he had symptoms associated with the COVID-19 respiratory disease, including a fever. Bolsonaro told supporters outside the presidential palace that he had just visited the hospital and been tested for the virus, adding that an exam had shown his lungs "clean." CNN Brasil and newspaper Estado de S.Paulo reported that he had symptoms of the disease, such as a fever. The president s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bolsonaro has repeatedly played down the impact of the virus, even as Brazil has suffered one of the world s worst outbreaks, with more than 1.6 million confirmed cases and 65,000 related deaths, according to official data on Monday. The right-wing populist has often defied local guidelines to wear a mask in public, even after a judge ordered him to do so in late June. Over the weekend, Bolsonaro attended multiple events and was in close contact with the U.S. ambassador to Brazil during July 4 celebrations. The U.S. embassy in Brasilia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bolsonaro previously tested negative for the coronavirus after several aides were diagnosed following a visit to U.S. President Donald Trump s Mar-a-Lago, Florida, estate in March.

Israeli aircraft attacked Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip on Sunday night, a Palestinian security source told AFP after Israel reported three rockets fired at its territory. The Israeli occupation army said that its aircraft attacked "underground infrastructure belonging to the Hamas terror organisation" in response to the rocket fire. "Earlier tonight, three rockets were fired from the Gaza strip at Israel," it said in an English-language statement. "In response... attack helicopters and fighter jets targeted Hamas terror targets." There were no immediate reports of casualties from either side. An earlier army statement gave no indication of where the first two rockets fell, but Israeli media said they hit open ground. The Israeli occupation army said that the Iron Dome missile defence system intercepted a third rocket. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket launches from the Hamas-run strip. The Islamist organisation warned Israel in late June that its planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank amounted to a "declaration of war". Two rockets were fired the next day at the Jewish state from Gaza, triggering a punitive Israeli air raid on Hamas installations in the Palestinian enclave. On July 1, Hamas fired a volley of rockets into the sea as a warning to Israel not to go ahead with annexation, sources in the Islamist organisation told AFP. Israel s proposal to annex its settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley forms part of a broader US peace plan released in January. The proposals foresee the ultimate creation of a Palestinian state on the remaining West Bank territory and the Gaza Strip. But the plan falls far short of Palestinian aspirations, with a state on reduced territory and without east Jerusalem as its capital. Hamas and Israel have fought three wars, with the latest conflict in 2014 killing 2,251 Palestinians and 74 people on the Israeli side.

Italy on Sunday authorised charity vessel Ocean Viking to transfer 180 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean to a ship in Sicily for quarantine, the ship s operator and the government said. "We have received instructions from the Italian maritime authorities to disembark those on board in Porto Empedocle," a spokesman for the charity SOS Mediterranee told AFP, which has a correspondent on board. The Ocean Viking is now heading for the port where the migrants will be transferred to government-chartered ship the Moby Zaza for 14 days of quarantine. "I can confirm that they re authorised to move to the Moby Zaza, likely tomorrow morning," Interior Ministry spokesman Dino Martirano told AFP. They have been on the Ocean Viking for over a week, with fights and suicide attempts on board prompting the charity to declare a state of emergency on Friday. The Ocean Viking, which has been in limbo in the Mediterranean south of Sicily, has been waiting for permission from Italy or Malta to offload the migrants at a safe port. Tensions have risen in the past week, as witnessed by an AFP reporter, with the migrants increasingly desperate to reach land. Others have become distraught at not being able to telephone their families to let them know they were safe. A member of the crew, Ludovic, told AFP he had never witnessed such violence on board a rescue vessel, after a spate of fights between migrants and threats of suicide. The migrants, who include Pakistanis, North Africans, Eritreans, Nigerians and others, were picked up after fleeing Libya in four separate rescues by the Ocean Viking on June 25 and 30. The migrants include 25 children, most of whom are unaccompanied by adults, and two women, one of whom is pregnant. At times, all the members of the SOS Mediterranee rescue team have been on deck in order to calm tense situations. Some of the threats were directed at the rescuers themselves. Rumours abounded among the groups of migrants, including that the NGO is in cahoots with Italian authorities, earning money each day the migrants are kept on board. On Thursday, two migrants threw themselves into the Mediterranean, but were rescued. More than 100,000 migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean last year with more than 1,200 dying in the attempt, according to the International Organization for Migration. The arrival of summer and more favourable conditions at sea may lead to an increase of attempts to cross the Mediterranean with the hope of arriving in Europe.

The Saudi-led military coalition Thursday confirmed it has launched a major operation against Yemen s Houthis and warned it would target the rebel leadership following missile and drone attacks on the kingdom. Residents of rebel-held capital Sanaa told AFP they heard loud explosions and saw plumes of smoke Wednesday after at least a dozen air strikes on the international airport, which is close to an air force base. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels said on their Al-Masirah television that the coalition had launched 57 air strikes on Sanaa and their northern stronghold of Saada. There were no official reports of casualties, but the rebels said a woman and a girl were killed in Saada while a number of children were wounded. "The operation came in response to the threat of the Houthi militia after they launched ballistic missiles as well as drones from the occupied capital Sanaa, as well as Saada," coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki told reporters in Riyadh. "The terrorist leaders of the Houthi militia... will be pursued and held accountable. Targeting civilians and civilian facilities is a red line." The coalition strike effectively ends a unilateral ceasefire it declared in April, announced as part of efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Last month, the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed drones and ballistic missiles launched into the kingdom by the Houthis, including one fired towards Riyadh. At the venue of Maliki s press conference, Saudi officials displayed remnants of intercepted missiles and drones they said were supplied by Iran to Yemen s Houthi rebels. Iran denies arming the rebels. Yemen has been locked in conflict since the Houthis took control of Sanaa in 2014 and went on to seize much of the north. The crisis escalated when the Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year to support Yemen s internationally-recognised government. Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed and millions displaced in what the United Nations has called the world s worst humanitarian disaster. The Arab world s poorest country, already devastated by conflict and malnutrition, Yemen also faces the coronavirus pandemic that its decrepit health system is ill-equipped to handle.

When it comes to Russia, the Trump administration just can t seem to make up its mind. For the past three years, the administration has careered between President Donald Trump s attempts to curry favor and friendship with Vladimir Putin and longstanding deep-seated concerns about Putin s intentions. As Trump has repeatedly and openly cozied up to Putin, his administration has imposed harsh and meaningful sanctions and penalties on Russia. The dizzying, often contradictory, paths followed by Trump on the one hand and his hawkish but constantly changing cast of national security aides on the other have created confusion in Congress and among allies and enemies alike. To an observer, Russia is at once a mortal enemy and a misunderstood friend in U.S. eyes. Even before Trump took office questions about Russia abounded. Now, nearing the end of his first term with a difficult reelection ahead, those questions have resurfaced with a vengeance. Intelligence suggesting Russia was encouraging attacks on U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan by putting bounties on their heads has thrust the matter into the heart of the 2020 campaign. The White House says the intelligence wasn t confirmed or brought to Trump s attention, but his vast chorus of critics are skeptical and maintain the president should have been aware. The reports have alarmed even pro-Trump Republicans who see Russia as a hostile global foe meddling with nefarious intent in Afghanistan, the Middle East, Ukraine and Georgia, a waning former superpower trying to regain its Soviet-era influence by subverting democracy in Europe and the United States with disinformation and election interference. Trump s overtures to Putin have unsettled longstanding U.S. allies in Europe, including Britain, France and Germany, which have expressed concern about the U.S. commitment to the NATO alliance, which was forged to counter the Soviet threat, and robust democracy on the continent. But Trump has defended his perspective on Russia, viewing it as a misunderstood potential friend, a valued World War II ally led by a wily, benevolent authoritarian who actually may share American values, like the importance of patriotism, family and religion. Trump s approach to Russia was at center stage in the impeachment proceedings, when U.S. officials testified that the president demanded political favors from Ukraine in return for military assistance it needed to combat Russian aggression. But the issue ended up as a largely partisan exercise, with House Democrats voting to impeach Trump and Senate Republicans voting to acquit. Within the Trump administration, the national security establishment appears torn between pursuing an arguably tough approach to Russia and pleasing the president. Insiders who have raised concern about Trump s approach to Russia _ including at least one of his national security advisers, defense secretaries and secretaries of state, but especially lower-level officials who spoke out during impeachment _ have nearly all been ousted from their positions. Suspicions about Trump and Russia go back to his 2016 campaign. His appeal to Moscow to dig up his opponent s emails, his plaintive suggestions that Russia and the United States should be friends and a series of contacts between his advisers and Russians raised questions of impropriety that led to special counsel Robert Mueller s investigation. The investigation ultimately did not allege that anyone associated with the campaign illegally conspired with Russia. Mueller, along with the U.S. intelligence community, did find that Russia interfered with the election, to sow chaos and also help Trump s campaign. But Trump has cast doubt on those findings, most memorably in a 2018 appearance on stage with Putin in Helsinki. Yet despite Trump s rhetoric, his administration has plowed ahead with some of the most significant actions against Russia by any recent administration. Dozens of Russian diplomats have been expelled, diplomatic missions closed, arms control treaties the Russians sought to preserve have been abandoned, weapons have been sold to Ukraine despite the impeachment allegations and the administration is engaged in a furious battle to prevent Russia from constructing a new gas pipeline that U.S. lawmakers from both parties believe will increase Europe s already unhealthy dependence on Russian energy. At the same time, Trump has compounded the uncertainty by calling for the withdrawal or redeployment of U.S. troops from Germany, angrily deriding NATO allies for not meeting alliance defense spending commitments, and now apparently ignoring dire intelligence warnings that Russia was paying or wanted to pay elements of the Taliban to kill American forces in Afghanistan. On top of that, even after the intelligence reports on the Afghanistan bounties circulated, he s expressed interest in inviting Putin back into the G-7 group of nations over the objections of the other members. White House officials and die-hard Trump supporters have shrugged off the obvious inconsistencies, but they have been unable to staunch the swell of criticism and pointed demands for explanations as Russia, which has vexed American leaders for decades, delights in its ability to create chaos.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears determined to carry out his pledge to begin annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, possibly as soon as Wednesday. His vision of redrawing the map of the Holy Land, in line with President Donald Trump s Mideast plan, has been welcomed by Israel s religious and nationalist right wing and condemned by the Palestinians and the international community. But with opponents offering little more than condemnations, there seems little to prevent Netanyahu from embarking on a plan that could permanently alter the Mideast landscape. Here s a closer look at annexation: WHY ANNEXATION, AND WHY NOW? Israel s right wing has long favored annexing parts or all of the West Bank, saying the territory is vital for the country s security and an inseparable part of the biblical Land of Israel. But most of the world considers the West Bank, captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war, to be occupied territory, and Israel s dozens of settlements, now home to nearly 500,000 Jewish Israelis, as illegal. Surrounded by a team of settler allies, Trump has upended U.S. policy, recognizing contested Jerusalem as Israel s capital, moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing Israel s 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights and announcing that Jewish settlements are not illegal. Seeking to court hard-line voters on the campaign trail, Netanyahu last year began talking about annexation. After Trump released his Mideast plan in January envisioning permanent Israeli control over 30% of the West Bank, including all of Israel s settlements and the strategic Jordan Valley region, Netanyahu quickly jumped on board. Israel and the U.S. have formed a joint committee to map out precisely which areas Israel can keep. Netanyahu made sure that under the coalition agreement, he can bring a proposal to the new government anytime after July 1. He appears eager to move forward before the November presidential election, possibly with a limited move billed as a first stage, especially with Trump s re-election prospects in question. WHY IS THERE SO MUCH OPPOSITION? The Palestinians seek the entire West Bank as the heartland of a future independent state and believe the Trump plan would deliver a fatal blow to their fading hopes of statehood. Among the plan s components: The Palestinians would only have limited autonomy in a fraction of territory they seek. Isolated Israeli settlements deep inside Palestinian territory would remain intact, and the Israeli military would retain overall security control over the Palestinian entity. The international community has invested billions of dollars in promoting a two-state solution since the interim Oslo peace accords of the 1990s. The U.N. secretary general, the European Union and leading Arab countries have all said that Israeli annexation would violate international law and greatly undermine the prospects for Palestinian independence. WILL ANYTHING CHANGE ON THE GROUND? Not immediately. Israel has controlled the entire West Bank for more than 50 years. Palestinians will remain in their towns and villages, while Israelis will live in their newly annexed settlements. The Palestinian Authority is protesting annexation but has ruled out any kind of violent response. But over time, there is a larger risk of conflict. Netanyahu has said he opposes granting citizenship to Palestinians living on annexed lands, presumably because it would undercut Israel s Jewish majority. But failing to grant equal rights to Palestinians in annexed areas opens Israel up to charges of establishing an apartheid system that would draw heavy international condemnation. Palestinians who are not living on annexed lands could face other challenges. Moving between Palestinian population centers _ or even reaching their own properties and farmlands _ could become difficult if they have to cross through Israeli territory. Critics say that Israel could also use its sovereignty to expropriate Palestinian lands. The Palestinian Authority has already cut off its ties with Israel to protest the looming annexation. In the absence of any peace prospects, the Palestinian Authority could see its international funding dry up or decide to close. The collapse of the authority could force Israel, as an occupying power, to pick up the tab for governing the Palestinians. In the long term, it could lead to Palestinian and international calls to establish a single binational state with voting rights for all _ a scenario that could spell the end of Israel as a Jewish-majority state. WHY DOESN T THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY STOP THIS? U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said annexation would mark a ``most serious violation of international law. The EU s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has warned of ``significant consequences. Jordan and Egypt, the only Arab states at peace with Israel, have condemned the annexation plan. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, powerful Arab players with informal relations with Israel, have said warming ties will be in danger. But Israel and the U.S. appear to be banking on the international community s poor record of translating rhetoric into concrete action. Days after the UAE warned Israel against annexation, for instance, two Emirati companies reached cooperation deals with Israeli partners in the fight against the coronavirus. Thanks to the U.S. veto over U.N. Security Council decisions, international sanctions appear to be out of the question. Divisions within the EU make concerted European reaction unlikely as well. Individual countries might seek to impose limited sanctions against Israel, and the International Criminal Court in the Hague could take annexation into account as it weighs whether to launch a war crimes investigation into Israeli policies. CAN ANYTHING STOP ANNEXATION? The biggest obstacle to Netanyahu appears to be from within. U.S. officials say they are unlikely to allow Israel to move forward unless Netanyahu and his coalition partner, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, are in agreement. Gantz, a former military chief and bitter rival of Netanyahu, has said Israel should move carefully and in coordination with regional partners. Gantz laid the groundwork for further delays Monday when he said his top priority is guiding the country through the coronavirus crisis. ``Anything unrelated to the battle against the coronavirus will wait, he said. Ironically, some hard-line settler leaders have also opposed the plan, saying they cannot accept any program that envisions a Palestinian state. If the issue remains frozen, time could run out on Netanyahu. The presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, has said he opposes annexation. A Biden victory in November could mean that any Israeli annexation will be short-lived.

Iran has issued an arrest warrant and asked Interpol for help in detaining President Donald Trump and dozens of others it believes carried out the drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad, a local prosecutor reportedly said Monday. While Trump faces no danger of arrest, the charges underscore the heightened tensions between Iran and the United States since Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran s nuclear deal with world powers. Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr said Trump and more than 30 others whom Iran accuses of involvement in the Jan. 3 strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad face ``murder and terrorism charges,`` the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Alqasimehr did not identify anyone else sought other than Trump, but stressed that Iran would continue to pursue his prosecution even after his presidency ends. Interpol, based in Lyon, France, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Alqasimehr also was quoted as saying that Iran requested a ``red notice be put out for Trump and the others, which represents the highest level arrest request issued by Interpol. Local authorities end up making the arrests on behalf of the country that request it. The notices cannot force countries to arrest or extradite suspects, but can put government leaders on the spot and limit suspects travel. After receiving a request, Interpol meets by committee and discusses whether or not to share the information with its member states. Interpol has no requirement for making any of the notices public, though some do get published on its website. It is unlikely Interpol would grant Iran s request as its guideline for notices forbids it from ``undertaking any intervention or activities of a political`` nature. The U.S. killed Soleimani, who oversaw the Revolutionary Guard s expeditionary Quds Force, and others in the January strike near Baghdad International Airport. It came after months of incidents raising tensions between the two countries and ultimately saw Iran retaliate with a ballistic missile strike targeting American troops in Iraq.

Diplomatic sources from the European Union (EU) told Euronews on Friday that 54 states are on a draft list of those whose nationals will be allowed to pass EU borders after they open. The draft list, which will be reviewed every two weeks, will not include the United States, Brazil, Qatar and Russia, EU sources said. The 54 countries include: Egypt, the Vatican City, Monaco, Montenegro, Andorra, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Albania, Turkey, Kosovo, the Democratic People s Republic of Korea, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, China, Thailand, Myanmar, Mongolia, Japan, South Korea, Georgia, Bhutan, Lebanon, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, India, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Palau, New Zealand, Australia, Dominica, the Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Uruguay, Jamaica, Cuba, Guyana, Paraguay, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Canada, Angola, Tunisia, Namibia, Uganda, Mozambique, Mauritius, Zambia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Morocco and Algeria. The sources pointed out that the EU is having an internal debate over the criteria used for this decision, for some member-states argue that "data about Covid rates is not reliable." They stated that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was contacted to provide more details on this issue. The European travel ban has been in place since 17 March due to coronavirus. The sources also questioned that borders will be reopened by 1 July, as recommended to EU member-states by the European Commission earlier this month.

The spokesperson of the Libyan National Army (LNA) said on Wednesday that Turkey continues to send weapons to the northwestern city of Misrata, east of the capital Tripoli, according to Al-Arabiya news agency. Ahmed Al-Mesmari said that Turkish military cargo aircrafts are transferring weapons to the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya. There are also Turkish naval units operating near Libya s western coastal areas, he stated. "Our armed forces had military drills in western Sirte, and the troops are ready to deal with any emergency," Al-Mesmari asserted. "The armed forces men believe that this is the nation s battle to get rid of takfiris and end the Turkish invasion," he explained, adding that "the Turkish presence in Libya does not only threaten the country, but the region as a whole." He also accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of challenging the international community s willingness to reach a ceasefire in the war-torn state. Speaking to Egypt s state news agency MENA on Wednesday, the head of the Libyan parliament Aguila Saleh said that an arms embargo aimed at curbing the fighting in Libya was only implemented on the LNA while armed militias have continued to receive weapons. Saleh added that the international community has failed to stop the arrival of mercenaries and weapons into the Libyan territories. Turkey, which is fighting against the east-based LNA and its commander Khalifa Haftar, is backing the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli with troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries. Ankara, according to Reuters, is conducting talks with the GNA for a possible use of the Misrata naval base and Al-Watiya air base.

The U.N. chief called for more pressure to be applied to Yemen s warring parties to come together to arrange a cease-fire in the war that has cost more than 10,000 lives and displaced 2 million people in the world s worst humanitarian disaster. Yemeni people are ``suffering terribly and COVID-19 is worsening their situation, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press. He spoke before a closed briefing to the U.N. Security Council by U.N. special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths on Wednesday afternoon. In 2014, Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran the capital, Sanaa, and much of Yemen s north, driving the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi into exile. A U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year to try and restore Hadi s rule. The war has settled into a stalemate, compelling major regional players to seek an exit. Guterres said the United Nations has been working to bring the parties together and has been promoting ``confidence-building measures, namely in relation to the use of the airport, the harbors, the payment of salaries and at the same time the beginning of a political process. ``I m still confident that that is possible,`` the secretary-general said, ``and we need to put all pressure on the parties to the conflict and all relevant actors in order to make sure that the intense discussions that we have had in this regard lead to a positive outcome. Last month, Griffiths reported ``significant progress in negotiations toward a cease-fire, but warned of stark challenges as coronavirus spreads at an unknown rate across the Arab world s poorest nation. He urged the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis to quickly resolve differences over humanitarian and economic measures needed to move peace efforts forward and help the country counter the virus. Diplomats have stressed that a peace deal in Yemen must reconcile not only the government and the Houthis, but the south and the north as well. Guterres said the Yemenis are a generous people ``that has always had difficulties in finding unity among themselves, but it s a people that deserves this. On Monday, the Saudi-led coalition announced a breakthrough in the south. The coalition said the separatists Southern Transitional Council which is backed by the United Arab Emirates and the country s Saudi-backed internationally recognized government have agreed to a cease-fire after months of infighting. The agreement aims to close the rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against the Houthis. In addition to the ongoing war, Yemen is also facing a dire humanitarian crisis. A U.N. humanitarian appeal for Yemen this month fell $1 billion short of what aid agencies needed. Some 75% of U.N. programs for the country, covering essentially every sector, from food to health care and nutrition, have shut their doors or reduced operations. The World Food Program had to cut rations in half and U.N.-funded health services were reduced in nearly 200 hospitals nationwide. *This story was edited by Ahram Online.

The Arab League stressed on Monday the importance of a comprehensive political solution in Libya, while noting its strong opposition to foreign interventions in the conflict-hit state. In a final resolution that was issued following an online meeting of Arab foreign ministers, the Arab League emphasised the “need for restoring the Libyan nation state and its institutions’ role in serving the Libyan people, far from foreign interventions.” The resolution also includes the Arab League’s backing of the 2017 Skhirat agreement, the Berlin conference and the “outcomes of the different regional and international paths.” The document also referred to the “central role of the neighbouring countries to Libya in ending the Libyan crisis,” opposing and seeing a necessity in “stopping foreign interventions—regardless of their source and nature—that facilitate the transfer of terrorist, foreign fighters into Libya, as well as the violation of international decisions about an arms embargo,” as weapons “present a threat to the region and Libya’s neighbouring countries.” The Arab League welcomed a recent Egyptian resolution initiative, as well as all peace-seeking international efforts, expressing complete support for the United Nations’ endeavours to solve the conflict. The resolution also called on for an immediate ceasefire, to be implemented in light of the 5+5 talks in Geneva. The resolution also condemned all human rights violations in Libya and highlighted the importance of protecting all foreigners in the North African country. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said during the meeting that Cairo has constantly worked, using all diplomatic channels, to achieve a convergence of views among all the Libyan parties. Shoukry, according to ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez, also said that Egypt has been involved in all international initiatives that seek to settle the conflict. He said that Egypt, in cooperating with the UN, is invested in playing a part in making the Berlin political-economic path a successful one, in addition to the 5+5 talks, that will involve military and security arrangements. Egypt also wants Libya to restore its economic wellbeing, reform its institutions under parliamentary supervision, and activate the central bank and oil institutions in the country, within a framework of transparency and equal distribution of resources, Shoukry stated. He said that Egypt has continued to warn about the threat of spreading terrorism in Libya, emphasising that Egypt will not hesitate to take all measures to prevent the fall of Libya and its people in the hands of terrorists. He also warned against foreign interventions in Libya that back militias and transfer terrorists and foreign mercenaries from Syria to Libya, which “threatens Libyan stability and security and Arab national security.” The Arab countries have to work together to end these practices, concluded Shoukry. On Twitter, the Libyan foreign ministry announced it was downgrading its representation at the Arab ministerial meeting, criticising “double standards.” “So far, the [Arab League] session that Libya has called for since April last year has not been held, despite securing the quorum,” the ministry tweeted on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he opposed removing the towering statue of Theodore Roosevelt from outside New York City s American Museum of Natural History. The move was announced by the museum on Sunday and comes amid anti-racism protests across the United States and the world after the death of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, in police custody on May 25 in the United States. The statue shows Roosevelt on a horse, with a Native American man and an African man by his side. It stands prominently on a plinth outside the museum s main entrance, overlooking Central Park. Roosevelt, a Republican like Trump, was U.S. president from 1901-1909. Known for his exuberant and daring manner, he carried out antitrust, conservationist and "Square Deal" reforms, and, critics said, took an interventionist approach to foreign policy, including projecting U.S. naval power around the world. Many critics have said the Roosevelt statue symbolizes racial discrimination and colonial expansion. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Sunday that the city was in favor of the request from the museum to remove the statue because it "depicts black and indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior." "Ridiculous, don t do it," Trump said in a tweet on Monday. In the ongoing ant-racism demonstrations, protesters across the United States and around the world have demanded that authorities take down monuments honoring pro-slavery Confederate figures and the architects of Europe s colonies. "Simply put, the time has come to move it," the museum s president, Ellen Futter, told the New York Times. She said the museum s decision was based on the statue itself, along with its "hierarchical composition", and not on Roosevelt. Futter said the museum continues to honor Roosevelt as "a pioneering conservationist". Roosevelt s face is also one of the four presidents - along with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln - whose faces are cast in 60-foot-high granite sculptures at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. Trump has blasted the anti-racism protests, saying demonstrators have behaved badly. "The unhinged left-wing mob is trying to vandalize our history, desecrate our monuments - our beautiful monuments - tear down our statues and punish, cancel and persecute anyone who does not conform to their demands for absolute and total control. We re not conforming", the U.S. president told supporters at a rally last week.

Several police officers were hurt in clashes with residents of a high-rise apartment block in the German city of Goettingen who had been placed under quarantine over a coronavirus outbreak, authorities said on Sunday. The violence erupted on Saturday as a group of residents sought to break through a metal barrier installed to keep the 700 people living in the residential complex in to prevent possible transmission of the virus. Some flung stones, bottles and wooden slats at officers, the city s police chief Uwe Luehrig told journalists on Sunday. Residents in the complex were put under quarantine on Thursday after two of them were found to be infected with COVID-19. By Friday, 120 people in the building tested positive. Goettingen is one of several outbreak clusters that have emerged in Germany since lockdown restrictions were lifted in May, including a huge cluster at a slaughterhouse in the North-Rhine Westphalia district of Guetersloh. More than 1,300 workers out of a total of nearly 7,000 have tested positive, and the region s state premier Armin Laschet said Sunday that he "cannot rule out a blanket lockdown". Several outbreaks at slaughterhouses, not just in Germany but also in France, have put a spotlight on the working and housing conditions that the workers -- many of whom come from Romania or Bulgaria -- are put under. The German government in May banned the use of subcontractors in the meat industry in a bid to curb the controversial practice of companies using middlemen to supply workers from abroad who are more vulnerable to abuses. Although Germany has weathered the coronavirus storm better than many of its European neighbours, the slaughterhouse outbreaks have dealt a blow to its efforts to restart Europe s top economy.

Turkish forces have hit more than 500 Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq as part of an operation in the region against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the Defence Ministry said on Thursday. Turkish warplanes struck PKK targets in various regions of northern Iraq on Sunday and Tuesday in two separate raids, which Ankara said were in response to an increase in militant attacks on Turkish army bases. Ankara launched the "Claw-Tiger Operation" on Tuesday in northern Iraq s Haftanin region. A Defence Ministry statement said Turkish F-16 jets, drones and howitzers had hit and destroyed more than 500 PKK targets in 36 hours. "The Claw-Tiger Operation is going very well. God willing, by continuing with the same seriousness and determination, we will conclude the operation with success," the statement cited Defence Minister Hulusi Akar as saying. Turkey regularly attacks PKK militants, both in its mainly Kurdish southeast and in northern Iraq, where the group is based. It has also warned in recent years of a potential ground offensive against PKK bases in Iraq s Qandil mountains. The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday Turkish and Iranian military interventions in Iraq violated Iraqi sovereignty. The UAE and Ankara have strained ties, including over the Libyan crisis where the two countries back opposing sides. The PKK, designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, focused in southeast Turkey.

Syria s central bank devalued the Syrian pound on Wednesday giving in to weeks of depreciation on the black market as new US sanctions took effect. The central bank raised the official exchange rate from 704 to 1,256 Syrian pounds to the dollar, in a statement published on its social media pages. The previous rate had been in force since March. Earlier this month, the war-torn country s currency hit a record low on the black market of around 3,000 pounds to the dollar, sparking rare protests, before appreciating slightly after an apparent injection of dollars. On Wednesday, the rate on the parallel market stood at around 2,600 to 2,800 pounds to the dollar, traders told AFP. The devaluation comes as the United States prepares to implement new sanctions this week under the Caesar Act, targeting foreigners doing business with the Damascus government, as well as reconstruction of the country. Zaki Mehchy, a senior consulting fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank, said the central bank was trying to minimise the gap between the official and black market rates. "It is trying to encourage people to use the official channel instead of the black market," he said. But the pound would probably continue its slide, punctuated by short periods of appreciation, he said. Syria s economy has been battered by nine years of war, and is now reeling from the knock-on effects of a financial crisis in neighbouring Lebanon that has stemmed the flow of dollars into government-held areas. Analysts have said the recent lows on the black market are likely due to worries ahead of the introduction of new US sanctions, and the sudden fall from grace of tycoon and cousin of the president, Rami Makhlouf, which has set other top businessmen on edge. The Damascus government has long blamed the country s economic crisis on international sanctions. Last week, President Bashar al-Assad sacked his prime minister of four years after criticism of the government s handling of the crisis. Before the conflict, the exchange rate stood at 47 Syrian pounds to the dollar.