Tag: Syria

Sunday Smack

Summer is here!!! Have I mentioned already how summer is my favorite time of the year? I love the kind of heat waves that seem to make everyone else around me suffer. I’m sorry, I just do. And now, one of those heat waves is approaching Hungary, so this is my time! I know, I am always told I should move to some distant part of the world where tempretures and moisture are constantly through the roof. My hair would be a mess all the time, but I would be happy! 🙂 Do you have any suggestions where I should…

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Sunday Smack

June is my favorite month of the year! With the longest daylight hours, the hot weather (which I hope will arrive in Hungary soon), all the great outdoor events – concerts and festivals, and so on. Reading outdoors until like 9 p.m. on long June nights used to be my favorite thing in the world! I have great expectations for this month and also some good ideas and plans for this blog that I hope you’ll like! Until then, here’s what I have today: On world affairs: GuĂ©henno: lifting European arms embargo on Syrian rebels ‘backfired’ Yes, the decision did…

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EU ends arms ban on Syria rebels

EU ends arms ban on Syria rebels European Union foreign ministers have agreed not to renew the union’s arms embargo on the Syrian opposition, due to expire on Saturday. But there was no immediate decision to send arms to Syrian rebels and all other sanctions remained in force, the EU foreign policy chief said.

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Sunday Smack

A busy week behind us again, unfortunately with more bad news than good. Even the weather took a worrying turn in many parts of the world. Starting with the hurricane in Oklahoma to all the extreme weather issues across Western Europe these days. Can we blame it on climate change or not? Of course I’ll leave this discussion to those who are experts of the topic while I’ll remain on more familiar grounds. On world affairs: Will We Witness the End of Peacekeeping in the Golan Heights? Recent exchanges of fire between Syria and Israel question the future of a not properly armed…

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Sunday Smack

It’s Pentecostal weekend, which also means a long weekend in a few countries: no work tomorrow in Hungary too, yay! This was a busy week in global issues and happenings, although nowhere as much as in US politics. I tried to collect only the most interesting articles and posts and cut the ones you read everywhere. I hope you’ll like these! On world affairs: Could UN Peacekeepers Be Involved in a Syria Ceasefire? After recent diplomatic developments and the planned summit on Syria, will UN peacekeepers be the right solution in this crisis? General Assembly ‘strongly’ condemns Syrian human rights…

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‘Outraged’ by rising death toll in Syria, General Assembly demands halt to all violence

‘Outraged’ by rising death toll in Syria, General Assembly demands halt to all violence Yet another (the fifth) non-binding resolution from the UN General Assembly on Syria, still none from the Security Council. Adopted by a vote of 107 in favour to 12 against, with 59 abstentions, the Assembly text expressed the body’s outrage at the “rapidly increasing death toll” in Syria, which the UN estimates to be in the tens of thousands. The resolution also strongly condemns the Syrian Government’s increased use of heavy weapons, and also condemns ongoing “widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights and fundamental…

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reuters: Infographic: Syria’s casualties after two years of civil war 

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Sunday Smack

Once again, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms who are celebrating this weekend! I hope you had a great week and an even greater weekend! Here’s what I have in store for you today: On world affairs: UN chemical weapons chief: time is running out to get to the scene of the crime in Syria Amidst controversial claims whether chemical weapons usage occured and by which side in Syria, here is a deeper look at the personnel of the UN inspection team. Israel’s Three Gambles I left out this issue altogether last week, because all the articles I read then…

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STATEMENT BY THE INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC

Geneva, 6 May 2013 – The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic wishes to clarify that it has not reached conclusive findings as to the use of chemical weapons in Syria by any parties to the conflict.  As a result, the Commission is not in a position to further comment on the allegations at this time. The Chair of the Commission of Inquiry, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, reminds all parties to the conflict that the use of chemical weapons is prohibited in all circumstances under customary international humanitarian law.  In line with its mandate, the Commission is…

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U.N. official: There are strong suspicions Syrian rebels used sarin gas

U.N. official: There are strong suspicions Syrian rebels used sarin gas Carla Del Ponte told an Italian-Swiss TV station that the findings come after interviews with doctors and Syrian victims now in neighboring countries.

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