East Ukraine danger increasing, warns UN
Civilians in eastern Ukraine are facing increasing hardships, with wrecked infrastructure and limited access to power and water supplies, the UN says. UN humanitarian chief John Ging said ‘immediate action’ was needed to halt the conflict and prevent the situation from putting more people in danger. At a UN Security Council meeting Russia blamed Ukraine for the hardships, but the UK said it was Russia's fault. More than 1,500 people are believed to have been killed since April. The crisis erupted when well-armed pro-Russian gunmen took over various cities and attempted to break away from Ukraine. They have been slowly beaten back and the fighting is now focused on the two rebel strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk. Heavy fighting once again erupted on Tuesday in a suburb of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk. Mr Ging told an emergency meeting of the Security Council that the lack of a political solution in Ukraine would only lead to more people being killed.
Turkey: Presidential elections begin
Turkish citizens go to the polls on August 10 to vote for the 12th president of the Republic of Turkey - the first time the country's president will be elected by popular vote. The presidential post has previously been elected by assembly lawmakers. The public campaign for the position will continue up until August 9. The first votes have begun to be lodged by Turkish nationals living overseas. Forty two Turkish land, airport and harbour customs offices launched their polling services for Turks residing abroad but staying in Turkey at the time of voting at midnight on Friday and will remain open until 5 p.m. on August 10 - the day voters choose their first directly elected president. Should none of the candidates take more than 50 per cent of the vote, a second round will take place on 24 August.
France ready to offer asylum to Iraqi Christians
France has said it is ready to welcome Christians fleeing the area of Iraq controlled by Islamic State group's fighters, saying it is ‘outraged’ by their persecution. Islamic State fighters seized large swathes of northern Iraq last month, prompting hundreds of Christian families in Mosul to flee a city which has hosted the faith since its earliest years. ‘France is outraged by these abuses that it condemns with the utmost firmness,’ Laurent Fabius, France's foreign minister, and Bernard Cazeneuve, the interior minister, said in a joint statement on Monday. ‘The ultimatum given to these communities in Mosul by ISIL is the latest tragic example of the terrible threat that jihadist groups in Iraq, but also in Syria and elsewhere, pose to these populations that are historically an integral part of this region,’ they added, referring to the Islamic State's former name of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Turkey: Presidential elections begin
Turkish citizens go to the polls on August 10 to vote for the 12th president of the Republic of Turkey - the first time the country's president will be elected by popular vote. The presidential post has previously been elected by assembly lawmakers. The public campaign for the position will continue up until August 9. The first votes have begun to be lodged by Turkish nationals living overseas. Forty two Turkish land, airport and harbour customs offices launched their polling services for Turks residing abroad but staying in Turkey at the time of voting at midnight on Friday and will remain open until 5 p.m. on August 10 - the day voters choose their first directly elected president. Should none of the candidates take more than 50 per cent of the vote, a second round will take place on 24 August.
