Illegal migrants trapped in Turkey and hoping to enter the European Union are invigorating that nation’s black market for life vests, useful in crossing the Aegean Sea into Greece. Manufacturers in Izmir, a popular interim destination for refugees, are warning, however, that many black-market life vests are poorly constructed and actually serve to pull the wearer deeper into the water, not keep them afloat.
In a speech announcing the reestablishment of an American embassy in Havana, President Obama implored those in Congress who opposed his unilateral concessions to the communist Castro regime to “listen to the Cuban people” before taking a stance. Multiple reports citing Cuban nationals in Havana and throughout the island find that many are extremely apprehensive about the legitimacy a new embassy will give the Castro regime and are disappointed to see the United States support communist oppression.
Following news of reconciliation with the Cuban communist regime, Reuters is reporting that the Obama administration has been engaging in secret diplomacy with the dictatorship currently governing Venezuela, hoping to reestablish ties with socialist President Nicolás Maduro and negotiate the freedom of political prisoner Leopoldo López.
Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, may have killed up to 148 people and “at least” 97 in northeastern Borno State, specifically targeting evening prayers by Muslims in order to maximize their death toll.
The 17-year-old boy confirmed dead of the Ebola virus in Liberia, ending a 49-day Ebola-free streak for the nation, may be a second patient zero, and not the victim of the Ebola outbreak that began in February 2014 and has taken thousands of lives since then.
The Turkish government has upset Chinese diplomats after Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu expressed “deep concern” over efforts in China to eliminate the observation of the holy month of Ramadan and bans in particular on Communist Party members fasting during the day, as is traditional during the holiday.
President Obama has announced the reopening of the American Embassy in Havana this morning, following rumors that the United States had agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations with the communist dictatorship this month as part of the White House’s “normalization” program to reintegrate the Cuban regime into polite international society.
Multiple factions within the Turkish government have expressed a willingness to help the Greek government repay its debts to the European Union, from a general statement by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu that Turkey will do “whatever we can” to help Greece to the nation’s leftist party suggesting a massive loan to the Greek government in solidarity.
Multiple reports citing senior administration officials are confirming the news that the United States and Cuba will announce the opening of embassies in Havana and Washington, D.C., respectively. Cuban officials have confirmed that a letter to dictator Raúl Castro announcing the opening of the U.S. embassy has been received.
A 28-year-old Argentine agricultural engineer, recently liberated from abduction likely committed by nomadic criminal groups in Nigeria, told his family to thank soccer superstar Lionel Messi for saving his life. The athlete’s name, claims Santiago López Menéndez, was the only way he could communicate to his captors that he was Argentine and not American.
It has been a difficult week for Greece, whose as-of-yet insurmountable debt to the European Union and International Monetary Fund continues unpaid and with little hope of preventing a default.
The Liberian government announced on Monday that two separate tests had confirmed a 17-year-old boy had died of Ebola on June 28, the first Ebola death in that country in 49 days. The government has quarantined the town where the boy died and announced emergency measures to contain the disease.
As talks between Greek officials and members of the IMF and European Union approach their conclusion before a potential exit of the Hellenic nation from the eurozone, Chinese officials are suggesting they could play a role in helping Greece pay back its debts. The Greek crisis has negatively affected the Chinese economy, which has invested millions in Greece.
As Greece’s politicians work to agree on a deal with its European creditors that will keep it from default, and the Greek people struggle with newly-imposed capital controls and an increasingly dire economic situation, thousands of migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, and African countries continue to land on Greek shores, pressuring an already crippled economy.
Turkish Islamist government authorities abruptly canceled Istanbul’s annual gay pride parade on Sunday, giving organizers no time to keep attendees from congregating and falling victim to water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and other crowd control measures Turkey’s government is calling “proportional” to the threat presented.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has forced all banks in the country to shut down and limit the amount of money Greeks can withdraw from ATMs. This is in anticipation of a July 5 referendum on whether Greece should accept economic reforms in exchange for a shot at not defaulting on its $271 billion debt to the European Union and the IMF.
A Catholic church in the central Cuban city of Cienfuegos has banned female relatives of political prisoners from attending mass unless they no longer wear white, a color associated with political imprisonment in the nation. The slight to families of the abused follows the bewildering remark from Archbishop of Havana Jaime Ortega that Cuba no longer has prisoners of conscience.
On Thursday, the North Korean government culminated the celebration of “Struggle Against US Imperialism Month” with a large stadium commemoration of the anniversary of the Korean War. In addition to propaganda significantly more belligerent than its usual fare and praise for communist leader Kim Il Sung and current dictator Kim Jong Un, the nation’s museums were teeming with individuals observing the holiday.
The annual State Department report on global human rights found 2014 to be a particularly dire year for individual rights, largely due to terrorist organizations like the Islamic State and Boko Haram. Atop the list of offenders, however, were also rogue states that President Obama has made the cornerstone of his diplomatic efforts: Iran and Cuba.
Japan is considering joining the United States on surveillance flights in the South China Sea, having already participated in one this week with the Philippines. The disputed waters, which China has claimed almost entirely as its own, have seen significant construction on its reefs by the communist power in the past year, angering its neighbors.
Researchers at the University of Thessaly discovered that Greece experienced a 35% spike in suicide rates during 2010 and 2012, with unemployment and the expanding debt crisis in large part responsible for the rise.
A combined bomb and knife attack at a security checkpoint in western Xinjiang province has left at least 18 Chinese nationals dead, according to a Radio Free Asia report. The attack in the heavily Muslim-populated region, about which the Chinese government has offered sparse details, may be in retaliation for extreme religious restrictions during the holy month of Ramadan.
Nigeria suffered the latest in a string of Boko Haram-affiliated suicide bombings on Tuesday, as a 12-year-old girl detonated herself in the middle of a market in northern Yobe state, killing ten and injuring dozens.
Nearly 80% of Yemen’s civilian population is dependent on humanitarian aid for food and water, while six million are believed to be suffering “severe” hunger, and up to 8,000 people may have contracted Dengue fever. This is the dire portrait of a war-torn nation the United Nations presented this week, as fighting between Shiite Houthi rebels and supporters of Sunni President Hadi and Saudi Arabia continue to struggle for power.
Emmanuel Karenzi Karake, head of Rwanda’s intelligence agency, has been arrested in the UK on behalf of Spain for an array of crimes allegedly committed following the end of the 1994 genocide that left 800,000 dead. Rwanda is calling the arrest an “atrocity” and “unacceptable” attempt by Europe to “degrade Africa.”
