French parliament to vote on Palestinian state

PARIS (AP) - France's National Assembly will vote this month on a largely symbolic resolution in favor of recognizing a Palestinian state, hoping it could help end the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, officials said Wednesday.

Approval by the lower and more powerful chamber of parliament would send a signal to President Francois Hollande's Socialist government, which has the final say. Hollande supported "international recognition" of a Palestinian state on the campaign trail two years ago, and parliamentary leaders have recently consulted Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on the matter.

The National Assembly will vote on the resolution Nov. 28.

Sale of French Warships to Russia on hold

France said on Thursday that the conditions were not yet met to deliver the first of two controversial Mistral warships to Russia, contradicting reports that Russia had received an invitation to take delivery next month.

British drones carry out first first strikes against Isil in Iraq

Ministry of Defence says RAF Reaper drone fires missile at Isil forces laying homemade bombs north of Baghdad

An MQ-9 Reaper on a training mission Photo: GETTY

Britain has launched its first drone strikes against Isil fighters in Iraq.

The Ministry of Defence said an RAF Reaper drone had fired a Hellfire missile at Isil forces laying homemade bombs north of Baghdad.

The air strike near Bayji over the weekend came as RAF Tornado jets based at Akrotiri in southern Cyprus also continued to hit targets belonging to Isil, who are also known as Isis or Islamic State.

A pair of Tornado GR4s flying near Al Anbar, west of Baghdad on Sunday fired a Brimstone missile at a “shipping container used by the terrorists to store equipment to support extortion and control of the local population”.

Russia's 'close military encounters' with Europe documented

Russia's actions in Ukraine and Nato's response has led to an escalation of military tension across Europe

The growing strains between Russia and the West prompted by the Ukraine crisis are now sending ripples of military tension across Europe.

Nato has responded to Russia's incursions into Ukraine by stepping up its ties with Kiev and bolstering air patrols and exercises with its eastern and central European members.

Russia in turn has decided to pursue a more active, many might say a more aggressive, military policy of its own, returning to the sorts of flights and activities from the Cold War years that were used to regularly test out Nato defences.

The European Leadership Network, a London-based think tank, has produced a detailed study of this more assertive Russian activity.

East Ukraine Artillery Fire

Intense artillery fire broke out in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk early on Sunday, in what was the worst fighting the region has seen since a fragile ceasefire agreement came into effect in September.

Catalans Symbolic Vote

Hundreds of thousands of Catalans are expected to back independence from Spain on Sunday in a symbolic referendum on secession being held across the northeastern region, despite opposition from Madrid.

The “consultation of citizens” follows a legal block by the central government against a more formal, albeit still non-binding ballot which regional leaders had been pushing for.
Pro-independence organisations have campaigned vigorously for a big turnout from the wealthy region’s 7.5 million people, and more than 40,000 volunteers will help set up informal voting stations on Sunday.

Ukrainian Rebel President

Pro-Russian rebels elected a separatist leadership in eastern Ukraine on Sunday in a vote President Petro Poroshenko called “a farce”.

Mining electrician-turned-rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko won over 81 percent of the vote, according to the exit polls of an election that has worsened a standoff between Russia and the West.
The United States and European Union have already denounced it as illegitimate, but Russia has said it would recognise the result, deepening a crisis that began with the popular overthrow of a Moscow-backed president in February.