EU Council grants full Schengen membership to Bulgaria, Romania from January 1 The #EU Council agreed to fully integrate #Bulgaria and #Romania in the #Schengen Area from January 1, 18 years after they joined the bloc. "EU member states have decided to remove checks on persons at the internal land borders with and between Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January 2025," the council said in a statement. In March, Bulgaria and Romania joined the Schengen area partially, as passport control was lifted at air and sea borders. The final approval for the admission of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen must be given by EU leaders at an EU summit taking place from December 19-20 in Brussels, but this is a mere formality, as interior and justice ministers endorsed this decision in the EU Council at the direction of country leaders. Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007, but their admission to Schengen was postponed pending resolution of some issues in such areas as the fight against corruption. However, the process dragged on and was paused after the start of the EU immigration crisis in 2015. The Schengen Area was created in 1985 by #Belgium, #France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Germany. Its borders do not coincide with the borders of the European Union, although each group now includes 27 countries. Non-EU members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are Schengen members. But EU members Ireland and Cyprus do not have Schengen membership, while Bulgaria and Romania will only fully join in January.

New rebellion erupts against Assad in the Daraa province #Assad soldiers are either disarmed by the crowds or fleeing their positions. New rebellion erupts against Assad in the Daraa province in southern Syria, right next to the borders with #Jordan and #Israel. In addition, Tensions in #Damascus are rising: footage of #Assad's presidential guard forces on the rooftops of houses in the al-Maliki neighborhood to defend against #drones. #Syria

The presidents of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have officially signed a charter to establish a confederation. During the first summit of the Alliance of Sahel States (#ASS), leaders from #Burkina Faso, #Mali, and #Niger convened with the main goal of approving a draft document to form the AGS confederation, as reported by the Nigerian Press Agency (NAP). This summit, which took place in Niamey, was presided over by Niger's leader, Abdurahmane Tchiani. Attending the summit were Presidents Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso and Assimi Goita of Mali. On Saturday, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Niger's military leader, declared that the citizens of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have "irrevocably turned their backs" on the West African bloc, ECOWAS.

UAE offers the USA to fight Houthis from Somaliland Arab diplomats reported that the United Arab Emirates proposed to the United States to use the #Somaliland region to deal with the campaign against the #Houthis in the Red Sea instead of American aircraft carriers, which require huge budgets and a large number of personnel. According to the report, Tahnun bin Zayed, the national security adviser and head of the UAE's foreign intelligence service, met with Jake Sullivan and other American officials in early June, when bin Zayed visited Washington. The proposal comes following the refusal of the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council to allow American and Western military bases in the Gulf countries to carry out attacks on the Houthis. US officials have opened a channel of communication with Somaliland officials overseen by Abu Dhabi, as the emirate seeks to strengthen its influence in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region, and join the United States to defend the Red Sea against attacks by the Houthis and Somali pirates. Observers say such moves would anger the government in #Mogadishu and other countries in the region.

Iranian ship ignores distress call from ship struck by Houthis "This continued malign and reckless behavior by the #Iranian-backed #Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," said U.S. Central Command. There are Good Samaritans, and then, as the Iranian warship IRIN Jamaran demonstrated on Saturday, there are Bad Samaritans. The Iranian frigate was some eight nautical miles from the M/V Verbena—a Ukrainian-owned and Polish-operated cargo carrier flagged in Palau—that was struck with two missiles by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists on June 13. On Saturday, the crew issued a distress call and said it was abandoning ship. “M/V Anna Meta responded to render assistance. Anna Meta has recovered the mariners and is transporting them to safety. The crew abandoned ship due to continued fires and an inability to control them,” stated U.S. Central Command. “The Iranian frigate IRIN Jamaran was eight nautical miles from M/V Verbena and did not respond to the distress call,” CENTCOM said. “This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.” “CENTCOM will continue to act with partners to hold the Houthis accountable and degrade their military capabilities,” it added. “The Islamic Republic of Iran and its terrorist proxies in Yemen, the Houthis, are literally pirates,” wrote Israel Nitzan, former acting consul general of Israel in New York. “They pose a threat to international commerce, peace and security. They must be stopped.”

Amid US pressure for reform, entire PA government submits its resignation to Abbas PM Shtayyeh sends letter to Palestinian Authority president, says new ‘political arrangements’ required for postwar Gaza; Hamas: Must be national consensus Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Monday he was resigning to allow for the formation of a broad consensus among Palestinians about political arrangements after the conclusion of Israel’s war against terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The move comes amid growing US pressure on PA President Mahmoud Abbas to shake up the Authority, which would allow it to take a greater role in ruling postwar Gaza. International efforts have intensified to stop the fighting in Gaza and begin work on a political structure to govern the enclave after the war. Shtayyeh said he put the resignation to Abbas last Tuesday and was now formalizing it in writing. His resignation must still be accepted by Abbas, who may ask him to stay on as caretaker until a permanent replacement is appointed.

CENTCOM intercepts Iranian weapons shipment intended for Houthis A U.S. Coast Guard cutter, forward deployed to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, seized advanced conventional weapons and other lethal aid originating in Iran and bound to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen from a vessel in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 28. The U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr (WPC 1147), assigned to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, located the vessel and boarded it in the Arabian Sea. The boarding team discovered over 200 packages that contained medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater/surface vehicle (UUV/USV) components, military-grade communication and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other military components. The direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of such aid violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216 (as extended and renewed by resolutions 2675 and 2707). “This is yet another example of Iran’s malign activity in the region, ” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander. “Their continued supply of advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis is in direct violation of international law and continues to undermine the safety of international shipping and the free flow of commerce.”

Killing of #Christians - #Sahel and Somalia: The Epicenter of Violence In the Sahel region, a staggering 11,643 fatalities were linked to Islamic violence in 2023, marking a record high for any of the five African theaters. This represents a nearly threefold increase from the levels seen in 2020, highlighting the deteriorating security situation in the region. Violence against civilians in the Sahel accounts for 35 percent of all Islamic-related events, the highest percentage across the continent. However, it’s important to note that the actual numbers may be higher due to underreporting, attributed to shrinking media coverage in the wake of political instability in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The report underscores that a significant portion of the surge in fatalities can be attributed to the Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) coalition, particularly the Macina Liberation Front (FLM) and Ansaroul Islam. This Muslim coalition was associated with a 67-percent spike in reported deaths, making it a major driver of violence in the Sahel. - RAIR Foundation

Burkina Faso notifies ECOWAS of its withdrawal from organization Burkina Faso has officially notified the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of its decision to drop out of the bloc, Reuters quoted the country's Foreign Ministry as saying. Mali and Niger had also previously sent similar notifications to ECOWAS. On January 28, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS, a regional organization of 15 countries. On Monday, the Foreign Ministry of Nigeria, which holds the ECOWAS presidency, said the military authorities of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali acted in "bad faith" by making the joint decision to withdraw from the organization. On Tuesday, the African Union urged the three countries to open a dialogue with ECOWAS' representatives. Last September, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger signed a charter to create a collective defense organization called the Alliance of Sahel States (ASS). The founding document noted that violation of the sovereignty or territorial integrity of one or more parties to the charter will be considered an aggressive act against all three parties and will require their assistance, individually or collectively, up to and including the use of military force.

Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger announce their withdrawal from ECOWAS Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have decided to Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Reuters reported. According to the news agency, the joint statement to this effect was read out live on Niger’s national television.