May 17, 2022

*) Rescue mission under way at Azovstal as hundreds evacuated Ukrainian authorities said a rescue mission to extract the last defenders of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol was under way, after hundreds of soldiers were evacuated earlier. More than 260 fighters were evacuated through humanitarian corridors to areas under Russian and Moscow-backed separatists' control. Ukraine's defence ministry said a further "exchange procedure" would take place later and that all necessary rescue measures are being taken by the state. *) Erdogan: Türkiye will not greenlight NATO membership of Sweden, Finland President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Türkiye will not greenlight NATO membership for Sweden and Finland. He said the two countries have failed to take a clear stance against terrorism. In a joint news conference with his Algerian counterpart in Ankara, Erdogan said "We will not say ‘yes’” to those who impose sanctions on Türkiye. Erdogan added that Swedish and Finnish delegations should not bother coming to Ankara to convince Türkiye to approve their NATO bid. *) Libya's rival PM Bashagha leaves Tripoli after clashes Libya's rival prime minister Fathi Bashagha has left the capital Tripoli, hours after his attempt to enter the city triggered clashes. Bashagha had entered Tripoli overnight accompanied by allied militias in the hope of taking over government. But his attempt was met with opposition by forces aligned with Abdulhamid Dbeibah, who was appointed through a UN-backed process last year. *) Rashida Tlaib brings resolution in US House to recognise Palestinian Nakba US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has introduced a resolution to the US House of Representatives to recognise the Palestinian Nakba or catastrophe in Arabic. Nakba refers to the invasion of Palestinian lands by the Zionist militias on 15 May 1948, which led to the expulsion of at least 750,000 people from their homes. Tlaib added that the Palestinian people since then have been living "under oppression and violent racism and tha