Maduro supporters rally in Caracas a month after US abduction

Thousands of backers of Venezuela’s former leader Nicolas Maduro, who was ousted in a deadly US military operation, marched in Caracas on Tuesday to demand his freedom.

About 200 US servicemen were in Caracas to capture Maduro — Hegseth

About two hundred US military were in downtown Caracas during the US operation for kidnapping President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said.

US Speaker wants polls in Venezuela in ‘short order’

US House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for elections in Venezuela after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a vote in the country would be premature.

Syrian "Militants" Enslaving Alawite Women in Idlib amid Surge in Militant Violence

Dozens of young Alawite women have reportedly been abducted and enslaved by militants in Syria's Idlib governorate since December, following the takeover of Damascus by the former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), according to a report by The Cradle.

Ukrainians turning to Russia for help in EU child custody cases

Ukrainian families have been asking Russian diplomats for assistance in getting back their children who have been away from them in the European Union as Ukrainian embassies refuse to help them, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing.

Many Feared Dead After Gunmen Attack Passenger Train in Nigeria - Tasnim News Agency

(Tasnim) – Several people have been injured and more are feared dead or kidnapped after gunmen attacked passengers on a train travelling between Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, and the northern city of Kaduna, entering carriages and opening fire before soldiers arrived at the scene.

Syria's Arab Tribes Give Pro-American Forces and SDF One Month to Leave Eastern Syria

On 11 August, sheikhs and elders of the Arab Al-Uqaydat tribe met in the Syrian Deir ez-Zor province, agreeing that the US-led coalition is responsible for murdering tribal sheikhs in the province, and demanding that the region be cleared of SDF forces, local control returned to the Syrians, and stating: “leave the Arab region to the Arabs”.

La Russie accuse Kiev d'avoir enlevé deux soldats russes en Crimée

Le ministère russe de la Défense a accusé lundi soir les services secrets ukrainiens d'avoir enlevé deux de ses soldats en Crimée, péninsule annexée par la Russie, Kiev les considérant pour sa part comme des "déserteurs" de l'armée ukrainienne.

Nearly 8,000 families abducted by ISIL from Mosul vicinity: UN rights office

 Credible reports suggest that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) has been forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes in sub-districts around Mosul, including nearly 8,000 families the group abducted, since the operations to restore Iraqi Government control over Mosul began on 17 October, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said today.

No army statement yet on the fate of cement workers kidnapped by ISIS

Military sources denied Friday releasing any statement on the whereabouts and fate of the cement workers kidnapped by ISIS.

ISIS massacres 175 kidnapped cement factory workers in northeast Damascus

The Syrian army reported on Friday that the Islamic State group has executed 175 of the 300 cement factory workers kidnapped on Thursday northeast of Damascus.

400 Syrian civilians abducted by so-called Islamic State group

The self-styled Islamic State group abducted at least 400 civilians when they attacked government-held areas in the Syrian city of Deir al-Zor yesterday, according to a monitoring group.

EU urges "immediate release" of Estonian policeman held by Russia

Brussels: The European Union on Thursday called for the "immediate release" of an Estonian policeman detained by Russia and charged with espionage, in a case that has fuelled tensions between Moscow and Tallinn.

"We are concerned by the abduction on September 5 of Estonian police officer Eston Kohver by the Russian security services on Estonian territory," a spokesperson for the EU`s diplomatic service said in a statement.

Estonia seeks Russia's explanation after alleged abduction of security official (media)

Estonian authorities responded intensively to its claimed abduction of an Estonian security officer by unknown personnel near Russian border earlier Friday.

Estonian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador to Estonia, Yuri Merzlyakov, to give an explanation on the incident, according to a report by the official Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR).

"This is a very galling incident. We expect full assistance and cooperation from Russia in resolving the incident and bringing the Estonian citizen back to Estonia," the report quoted Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet as saying.

Human rights group sees "growing proof" of abductions, torture in Ukraine. "There is also evidence of a "smaller number" of abuses by pro-Kiev forces"

BERLIN - Armed separatist groups and pro-Kiev forces have abducted, then beaten and tortured activists, protesters and journalists in eastern Ukraine in the last three months, Amnesty International said in a report published on Friday.
No thorough or reliable data is available on the number of abductions, the rights group said. But figures from Ukraine's interior ministry show there were almost 500 abductions between April and June, and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission for Ukraine reported 222 cases in that time, it said.

Israel Moves Troops Toward Gaza as Tensions Soar

Israel began moving troop reinforcements to its border with the Gaza Strip on Thursday, defense officials said, raising the possibility of an expanded military operation in the Palestinian territory in response to intensifying rocket barrages.

The movement of tanks and artillery forces came after another night of heavy rocket fire, including barrages that struck two homes in the southern border town of Sderot. Israel's last major operation in Gaza, a territory controlled by the Hamas militant group, took place in late 2012.

The rocket fire comes at a time of heightened tensions following the abduction and killing of three Israeli teens in the West Bank. 

Deputy PM and FM Venizelos’ statement regarding the abduction and murder of a Palestinian teenager in Eastern Jerusalem.(Hellenic MFA)

Hellenic MFA, Thursday, 03 July 2014

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Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos made the following statement regarding the abduction and murder of a Palestinian teenager in Eastern Jerusalem:

“The abduction and murder of an innocent Palestinian teenager, in retaliation for the recent murder of three Israeli youths, is a heinous and absurd act that is beyond human understanding.

We express our deep condolences to the family and to the Palestinian people.

Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Venizelos’ statement regarding the murder of the three Israeli teenagers in Hebron

Hellenic MFA, Tuesday, 01 July 2014:

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos made the following statement regarding the murder of the three Israeli teenagers who had been abducted in the West Bank:

“We condemn in the most unequivocal manner the atrocious murder of the three Israeli teenagers who were abducted on 12 June, in the West Bank, and were found yesterday, near Hebron. There is nothing that can justify or legitimize blind violence against innocent civilians.

Arab countries call on UN Security Council to condemn Israel

Several representative of Arab and Muslim countries called on the UN Security Council to condemn Israel's actions in the West Bank on Thursday for the second time since the three teens went missing nearly two weeks ago.
Israel's Ambassador Ron Prosor responded that "rather than denouncing this appalling attack, the Arab nations have the audacity to stand before you today and criticize Israel."

Abbas reiterates opposition to kidnapping of Israeli youths

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday night reiterated his opposition to the kidnapping of the three Israeli youths in the West Bank and said he was working to return them to their families.
Abbas told a conference of Arab journalists in Ramallah that the kidnapping was "unjustified and unacceptable."
He said that the Israelis should view the Palestinians in the same way "and that we are human beings like them."