Wednesday, June 02, 2010

06/02/10

* Gaza flotilla: Israel frees foreign flotilla activists Nearly all the foreign activists held by Israel after its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla are due to be deported by the end of the day.

* Iran, Hamas seek global anti-Israel bloc An international front to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip should be formed, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.

* Hamas Stopping Transfer of Aid to Gaza The Hamas government in Gaza is apparently not interested in receiving the goods that were carried by the 'humanitarian' Turkey-sponsored flotilla Israel intercepted.

* Violence mars Afghanistan peace meeting in Kabul Militants have tried to attack a national peace meeting being opened by President Hamid Karzai in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

* Turkish Funds Helped Group Test Blockade Since 2007, a small group of hard-core activists has repeatedly tried to sail cargo-laden ships into Gaza in an effort to thwart Israel’s blockade.

* Balkan hopefuls meet EU leaders in Sarajevo The prospect of Western Balkan countries one day becoming EU members is the focus of talks opening in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo.

* Israel rejects independent probe calls Israel on Tuesday night rejected international calls to end its naval blockade of Gaza and to launch an “independent” investigation into the death of at least nine activists.

* China rebuffs plans for Gates to visit Beijing US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has called off plans to visit China next week after Beijing told the Pentagon the timing was "inconvenient."

* Russia-EU summit: Is Russia part of Europe? The Russia-EU summit in Rostov-on-Don was the twenty-fifth of its kind.

* Russian warship to join NATO naval drills An amphibious assault landing ship, the Kaliningrad, will take part in the BALTOPS-2010 naval exercises in the Baltic Sea on June 7-18.