UNSC to meet on Syria +++ More protests on Gaza border to Israel +++ Congo donor conference in Geneva

14. Mai 2018, 02:00

UNSC to meet on Syria

The United Nations Security Council will meet later today at Russia’s request to discuss the latest crisis in Syria and the possibility of air strikes on Syria by the United States and its allies. US President Donald Trump has indicated there may be air attacks in retaliation for the alleged use by Syrian forces of chemical weapons on civilians in the town of Douma which fell to Syrian forces earlier this week. A spokeswoman for French President Emmanuel Macron, Valerie Lecasble, said France held the Syrian government accountable for chlorine gas attacks on the people of Douma: “The president of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, has stated that these actions were carried out by the Syrian regime. For humanitarian reasons, we must all ensure that chemical weapons are not used.”

More protests on Gaza border to Israel

For the third Friday in a row, Palestinians from the Gaza Strip are holding protests at five locations on the border with Israel. Today four Palestinians were wounded by gunfire from Israeli soldiers across the border. 34 Palestinians have been killed since the protests began last month. Human rights organizations have criticized Israel for reacting too harshly against the demonstrators. Israel has accused the Hamas movement which governs Gaza of using the protests as a cover to infiltrate the border. The Palestinians are demanding an end to the blockade of Gaza and for the right to return to their previous homes in modern-day Israel.

Congo donor conference in Geneva

The United Nations and the European Union are co-hosting a donors conference today in Geneva for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, hoping to raise 1.7 billion dollars to help over 13 million people at risk in the DRC, the site of a long-running war between the government of President Joseph Kabila and various rebel groups. Jan Egeland is the UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. He says the humanitarian crisis in the Congo is much worse than previously thought: “When I came to the DRC I was not prepared for the scale of the suffering, frankly. This is up there with Yemen and Syria in the terms of people in desperate need.” The DRC’s government is boycotting the Geneva conference, saying it hurts the country’s international image.

Presidential election in Montenegro

Montenegro holds a presidential election this weekend. The front-runner if former president and prime minister Milo Djukanovic who has said Montenegro seeks good ties with both the West as well as with Russia. Ties between Podgorica and Moscow are strained after Montenegro joined the NATO alliance last year. Montenegro also joined sanctions against Russia after it annexed the Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

The weather

The afternoon will be sunny and warm in the east. Elsewhere it will be partly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Highs today are ranging from 14 to 24 degrees.

Übersicht

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