Cyprus-Gaza humanitarian aid corridor opens

Open Arms, the ship of the same name as the Spanish charity that owns it, transporting 200 tons of aid (flour, rice and protein), set sail on Tuesday from Larnaca, Cyprus, for the famine-stricken Palestinian people in Gaza, as part of an initiative to open a humanitarian corridor. Cyprus, the EU member-state closest to the crisis, carried out the naval supply mission after months of preparations. Located just 320 km northwest of Gaza, Cyprus is keeping a close eye on the spillover effects of the Middle East instability, including an increase in migrant inflows from Lebanon. [Reuters]