BBC: Gaza Ceasefire Plan In Balance As US Says Hamas Proposed 'Changes'

“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told Hamas that it is "time for the haggling to stop", after its leaders proposed "numerous changes" to a plan for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. He told reporters in Doha that some of the changes were "workable" and others were not, but that the US and mediators Qatar and Egypt would "try to close this deal". Hamas said on Tuesday that it was ready to "deal positively" with the process but stressed the need for Israel to agree to a permanent ceasefire and full withdrawal from Gaza. The Israeli government did not comment, but an anonymous official said the Palestinian armed group’s response amounted to a rejection. Israel’s prime minister has not yet publicly endorsed the proposal, which US President Joe Biden said had been offered by the country when he outlined it 12 days ago.”

Associated Press: Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Launch Boat-Borne Bomb Attack Against Greek-Owned Ship In Red Sea

“Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a boat-borne bomb attack against a commercial ship in the Red Sea on Wednesday, authorities said, the latest escalation despite a U.S.-led campaign trying to protect the vital waterway. The use of a boat loaded with explosives raised the specter of 2000’s USS Cole attack, a suicide assault by al-Qaida on the warship when it was at port in Aden, killing 17 on board. Associated Press journalists saw the Cole in the Red Sea on Wednesday, now taking part in the U.S. campaign while visiting one of her sister ships, the USS Laboon. Yemen’s military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack, identifying the vessel targeted as the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Tutor. He described the attack as using a “drone boat,” as well as drones and ballistic missiles.”

CEP Mentions

Fermanagh Herald: Fermanagh Man Quits As Senior Tory Adviser

“... Mr Acheson is a former prison officer and civil servant who is a visiting professor at Staffordshire University and a senior adviser at the Counter Extremism Project. He was also an executive director of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The Enniskillen man was commissioned by Mr Gove, as Levelling Up Secretary, to conduct an independent review into extremism in British prisons.”

WTOP: The Hunt: Foreign Nationals With Alleged Links To ISIS Arrested In The US

“There have been a number of warnings from FBI director Chris Wray that the terrorism picture in the U.S. is worsening. The arrest of foreign nationals with alleged links to terror organizations here in the U.S. may prove his point. In this week’s edition of “The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent JJ Green,” Dr. Hans Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, says this is a huge warning that shouldn’t be ignored.”

United States

NBC: Man With Gun, Body Armor And Writings That Said 'You Gonna Learn Today' Is Arrested In NYC Officials Say

“An armed man with body armor, knives and suspicious writings that included the words "You gonna learn today" was arrested Wednesday in New York City. Police took the man into custody around 4:30 a.m. during a traffic stop in Queens, four law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News. His identity has not been released. Details about the man's intentions, where he was going or why he had the weapons remain unclear. Investigators are looking into whether he has a history of emotional issues and whether he was trying to self-radicalize in the name of terrorism. It's also not clear why police conducted a traffic stop. The man was apparently armed with a gun, body armor, knives and other weapons, the law enforcement officials said. He also had writings, one of which said: "You gonna learn today."”

Associated Press: Kentucky Man Convicted Of Training With Islamic State Group In Syria

“A Kentucky man has been convicted in federal court of leaving the U.S. to train and fight with the Islamic State group in Syria a decade ago. A jury in Bowling Green convicted Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic, 34, of multiple counts of supporting and receiving military-type training from the Islamic State group, which the U.S. has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. The jury returned the verdict on Tuesday, according to a media release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Ramic left the U.S. and traveled to Turkey with two other men in 2014, then traveled to the Turkey-Syrian border, and crossed into Syria to join the Islamic State group, according to the Justice Department. Ramic, a dual U.S.-Bosnian citizen, attended a training camp, joined a fighting unit made up of Bosnian foreign fighters and then participated in an Islamic State group offensive in Kobane, Syria, according to the Justice Department.”

The New York Times: Blinken Calls Hamas Changes To Cease-Fire Proposal Unworkable

“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Wednesday that he would continue to press urgently for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip despite a counterproposal from Hamas that he said included unacceptable demands. After more than eight months of war in Gaza, the proposed cease-fire deal follows an outline made public last month by President Biden and has the endorsement of the United Nations Security Council. But Israel and Hamas still appear to be far from reaching a deal. “In the days ahead, we are going to push on an urgent basis,” Mr. Blinken said, “to try and close this deal.” Speaking at a news conference in Doha, Qatar, alongside Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who serves as both Qatar’s prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, Mr. Blinken said that “a deal was on the table that was virtually identical” to one that Hamas put forward on May 6.”

Afghanistan

Voice Of America: Afghan Girls Endure 1,000 Days Without School Under Taliban Rule

“The Taliban's ban on educating girls over the age of 12 in Afghanistan reached 1,000 days Thursday amid global outrage and demands for the immediate resumption of children's learning. The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, denounced it as a "sad and sobering milestone" and noted that "1,000 days out-of-school amounts to 3 billion learning hours lost." The statement quoted Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director, as warning the male-only Taliban government that no country can progress if half of its population is left behind. "For 1.5 million girls, this systematic exclusion is not only a blatant violation of their right to education but also results in dwindling opportunities and deteriorating mental health," Russell said. "As we mark this grim milestone, I urge the de facto authorities to allow all children to resume learning immediately," she added.”

Yemen

Reuters: U.S. Envoy To Yemen Demands Houthis Free Detained International Staff

“The United States' ambassador to Yemen on Thursday called on Yemen's Houthi group to immediately release the detained staff of international organisations including employees of the U.S. embassy in Sanaa. The Iran-aligned Houthis detained 11 United Nations personnel in Yemen last week, according to U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. On Thursday, the U.S. ambassador condemned the detentions and called them "shocking". "The Houthis owe all of these Yemenis thanks, not false accusations and imprisonment. The people of Yemen deserve better than fanciful Houthi lies meant to bolster their abusive and autocratic rule," ambassador Steven Fagin said in a statement. The staff members - all Yemenis - were swept up by armed Houthi intelligence officials in a series of raids that also resulted in the detention of three employees of the U.S.-funded pro-democracy group National Democratic Institute (NDI) and three employees of a local human rights group.”

Lebanon

Associated Press: Hezbollah Vows To Intensify Attacks Against Israel After Senior Military Commander Is Killed

“Hezbollah vowed Wednesday to intensify its attacks along the Lebanon-Israel border to avenge the killing of its most senior military commander by Israel since the latest round of violence began eight months ago. “Our response after the martyrdom of Abu Taleb will be to intensify our operations in severity, strength, quantity and quality,” senior Hezbollah official Hachem Saffieddine said during a funeral ceremony for Taleb Sami Abdullah. “Let the enemy wait for us in the battlefield.” Earlier Wednesday, Hezbollah fired a massive barrage of rockets into northern Israel, further escalating tensions as the fate of an internationally backed plan for a cease-fire in Gaza hung in the balance. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed ally of the Palestinian Hamas group, has traded fire with Israel nearly every day since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, and says it will only stop if there is a truce in Gaza. That has raised fears of a regional conflagration.”

Middle East

Reuters: Israeli Forces Thrust Deeper Into Rafah As Diplomacy Falters

“Israeli tanks advanced deeper into the western area of Rafah, amid one of the worst nights of bombardment from air, ground, and sea, forcing many families to flee their homes and tents under darkness, residents said on Thursday. Residents said the Israeli forces thrust towards the Al-Mawasi area of Rafah near the beach, which is designated as a humanitarian area in all announcements and maps published by the Israeli army since it began its Rafah offensive in May. The Israeli military denied in a statement it had launched any strikes inside the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone. Israel said its assault aimed to wipe out Hamas' last intact combat units in Rafah, a city which had sheltered more than a million people before the latest advance began. Most of those people have now moved north towards Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip.”

BBC: Gaza Ceasefire Plan In Balance As US Says Hamas Proposed 'Changes'

“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told Hamas that it is "time for the haggling to stop", after its leaders proposed "numerous changes" to a plan for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. He told reporters in Doha that some of the changes were "workable" and others were not, but that the US and mediators Qatar and Egypt would "try to close this deal". Hamas said on Tuesday that it was ready to "deal positively" with the process but stressed the need for Israel to agree to a permanent ceasefire and full withdrawal from Gaza. The Israeli government did not comment, but an anonymous official said the Palestinian armed group’s response amounted to a rejection. Israel’s prime minister has not yet publicly endorsed the proposal, which US President Joe Biden said had been offered by the country when he outlined it 12 days ago.”

France

DW: France: Macron Calls On Voters To Reject 'Extremism'

“French President Emmanuel Macron urged "all those who say no to extremism" to support him in the snap legislative elections he called in the wake of the European elections, which saw the far-right make major gains across France. "I have the wish that, come the moment, those men and women of sound mind who are able to say no to extremism, come together," he told a press conference in Paris on Wednesday. He called on centrist movements to unite to combat an extreme-right which he said preaches "exclusion" and an extreme-left which he accused of "antisemitism" and "anti-parliamentarianism." After a crushing defeat in the European elections further damaged his domestic authority having already lost his parliamentary majority, Macron surprised supporters and opponents alike by calling new elections for the end of June and start of July.”

Germany

The Athletic: Euro 2024 Security: How Is Germany Combating Hooliganism And ‘Hot Red’ Terrorist Threat?

“Germany is readying itself for a huge security operation as football fans prepare to visit for Euro 2024. From the hosts’ opener against Scotland tomorrow night (Friday) in Munich to the final on July 14 in Berlin, 2.7million fans will attend games across 10 stadiums, together with a further 12million in fan zones, as well as the 24 teams based across various locations. With organisers responsible for their safety, Germany has beefed up its security plans; a complex assignment given geopolitical tensions between Ukraine and Russia, and Israel and Palestine, along with the threat of cyberattacks, hooliganism and terrorism. It all means Germany is on high alert. But how do they plan to combat these multiple threats in the coming month?”