SproutNews: March 2016 Bulletin
Before I begin, I would like to apologise for the lack of a February bulletin. I am currently entering my GCSEs and I am afraid I didn't have time to write one up. I will try my hardest to get a monthly bulletin up and to keep you all updated on the goings on in the World. Cheers.
Hello and Welcome to SproutNews. Coming up:
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a surprise move, has made the decision to pull his troops out of Syria. Russia's campaign in the country has been continuing for nearly 6 months.
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The Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam has been surrounded and wounded in an anti-terror raid in Brussels, local media has said.
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European Leaders and Turkey have finalised and announced a deal to attempt to halt the mass movement of migrants into Europe.
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President Putin by Global Panorama via Flickr
Russia To Withdraw From Syria
The Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the majority of his troops to withdraw from Syria in a surprise move. Russia's campaign in the country has been underway for nearly six months. Russia initially entered the Syrian conflict five months ago most likely due to the fact that the Saudis, Turks, Qatari's and the Americans had stepped up and co-ordinated their support for the rebel groups in Syria, opposing President Bashar al-Assad's government. The rebel groups themselves had also co-ordinated and started joining together, posing a real threat to President Assad's government.
President Putin said he felt that Russia's mission in the country had been completed.
Whilst the majority of Russia's forces are pulling out of the country, some will remain, with the naval base at Tartus and the Hmeimim Airbus in the Latakia province of Syria remaining in service.
Some are treating this move with suspicion; they feel it may be theatre by Putin. Others feel it may be a tactic to force al-Assad to come to a political conclusion to the war in Syria, which has so far killed over 250,000 people.
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Eiffel tower by Philippe Rouzet via Flickr
Paris Attacks: Terrorist Found In Belgium
The Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam has reportedly been surrounded and wounded in a Police anti-terror raid in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek. A police source told the BBC that the police had Abdeslam was wounded in the leg and arrested in the raid.
Abdeslam was one of the 10 strong ISIS team that carried out the brutal Paris attacks on the evening of November 13th last year. He is widely seen as the logistics master behind the attacks, as it was he who rented the cars used in the attacks and dropped off the suicide bombers who would later bomb the Stade de France.
If Abdeslam is alive, it could be a huge advancement into the investigation currently underway. Abdeslam could provide valuable information into how ISIS planned and co-ordinated the attacks, which left 130 dead.
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Turkey & EU Reach Migrant Deal
EU leaders and Turkey have announced a deal that will attempt to halt the movement of migrants into Europe. The European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted that there was an unanimous agreement between Turkey and the 28 EU leaders. The scheme entails that from Midnight last Sunday, any migrants arriving in Greece will be sent back to Turkey if their asylum claim is rejected. In return for this, EU countries will re-settle thousands of Syrian migrants living in Turkey.
The deal will also bring financial aid to Turkey and faster EU membership. The Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said it was a "historic day". The British Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the deal, saying it could "significantly" reduce the number of migrants crossing the eastern Mediterranean in order to enter Greece by boat.
A source within the EU told the BBC that up to 72,00 migrants living in Turkey would be resettled within the EU as part of the agreement. They also added that if the numbers that are returned to Turkey are greater, then the mechanism will be abandoned.
The figures starting from January 2015 show that since then a million migrants and refugees have entered the EU by boat, travelling from Turkey to Greece. Tens of thousands are now however stranded in Greece, as their route further north has been blocked.
The Greek Interior Minister Panagiotis Jouroublis compared the conditions at the Idomeni migrant camp, which is on Greece's border with Macedonia, to a Nazi concentration camp.
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That's my round-up of Today's Top Headlines. To keep up with the news and more, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news.
Simdude101 (TheSprout Correspondent)
Did you find this article useful and informative? Do you think you can see a way it can be improved? Let me know in the comments below and I will take any suggestions into consideration for April's Bulletin.
All news stories were sourced from the BBC.
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