Barack Obama

As I sat down to write this piece, the so-called “Operation Protective Edge” by the Israeli army had killed at least 425 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The majority of these casualties were civilians, including more than a 100 children, according to the figures by The New York Times. In return, some 13 Israeli soldiers were killed in addition to two Israeli civilians.

France could renounce the sale of a second Mistral-class amphibious warship if EU leaders adopt tougher sanctions against Russia.

President Francois Hollande also announced it depended on "Russia's attitude" to the conflict in Ukraine whether the deal would be carried out, Bloomberg reported.

A cold wind blowing between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Barack Obama has been hindering direct communication between the two leaders for some time, Erdoğan has said.

A train carrying the remains of 280 people killed in the Malaysian plane disaster was finally allowed to leave a rebel-held region in eastern Ukraine as the militants declared a truce July 22 around the crash site.

US Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Cairo early Monday for crisis talks on Gaza, following President Barack Obama's call for an "immediate ceasefire" between Israelis and Palestinians.
      

The U.N. Security Council called for an "immediate ceasefire" as Israel pressed on with a blistering assault on Gaza on July 21 taking the Palestinian death toll above 500.

U.S. President Barack Obama echoed the call in a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early July 21, as Secretary of State John Kerry headed to the region to join true efforts.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned as “anti-Semitic” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s criticism of the latest military operation in Gaza, Israeli newspaper Hareetz reported on July 20.

As Palestine becomes a presidential campaign issue for all three candidates in Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has criticized U.S. President Barack Obama for stressing Israel's "right to self-defence" about its military operation in Gaza.

US President Barack Obama has discussed new sanctions against Russia in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Ukraine accused Russia on July 19 of assisting separatist rebels in destroying evidence at the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines plane shot down with 298 people onboard.