News in Brief - Fri, July, 03, 2015 - 04:30 GMT

1. Greek police have used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse protesters who gathered outside an EU office in the capital Athens. Demonstrators were angry at the bloc's policies on their country. They also marched through the streets of Athens to condemn the EU.

2. A new research shows the UK approved a six-million-dollar arms shipment to Israel in the wake of its deadly war on Gaza. The findings show London also issued arms exports licenses for other countries that sell weapons to Israel. The research said Britain’s arming of Israel makes it complicit in serious human rights violations.

3. Germany has warned that it takes the recent US spying reports seriously. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman says such events strain German and American intelligence cooperation. The US ambassador has been summoned by Merkel’s chief of staff to explain the eavesdropping reports.

4. Russia has condemned the US for adopting what it calls confrontational tactics in respect to Moscow. This after the Pentagon claimed that Moscow does not respect its neighbors' sovereignty. The Pentagon has said in a report that Russia’s military actions undermine regional security directly and through proxy wars.

5. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has reiterated that the Islamic Republic will not accept any discrimination over its nuclear rights. Rouhani made the remark during a meeting with Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano. Amano is in Tehran for talks on Iran's nuclear energy program.

6. At least four civilians have been killed and more than 70 others injured after foreign-backed militants launched an attack in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The militants fired hundreds of rockets and projectiles into the western part of Aleppo. Opposition sources say five militants were also killed in clashes with the army.

7. Saudi Arabia continues its relentless airstrikes on Yemen despite international calls for an end to those raids. In the latest attacks, Saudi fighter jets targeted areas in Hudaydah, Jawf and Sa'ada provinces as well as Aden’s international airport. Earlier, three civilians were killed and ten wounded in multiple air strikes in Sa’ada.

8. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has warned about a severe shortage of funds to cover emergency humanitarian needs. It says the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip is further hampering its services. UNRWA's Director Robert Turner says his organization might close hundreds of schools because of a funding crisis.

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