WARSAW -- Poland has received a first payment of 5 billion euros (5.53 billion U.S. dollars) from the REPowerEU plan, the country's Minister for Funds and Regional Policy Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz announced on Thursday.

The funding comes as part of Poland's National Reconstruction Plan (KPO), for which it is due to receive a total of 59.8 billion euros from the European Union (EU). (Poland-EU-Fund)

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DAMASCUS -- A fresh Israeli missile attack targeted the outskirts of the Syrian capital of Damascus on Thursday night, triggering a response from the Syrian air defense system, reported the Syrian state-owned TV.

The Syrian army said in a statement that the "Israeli enemy" carried out an aerial attack from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, targeting some points in the southern region, without elaborating on the targeted sites. (Israel-Syria-Missile Attack)

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CAIRO -- Egypt has put forth a framework of proposed steps toward ending the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip to relevant parties, Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) said Thursday.

Diaa Rashwan, chairman of the SIS, said in a statement that the framework, which includes "three successive and linked stages, ending with a ceasefire," was drafted after Egypt listened to the views of "all parties concerned with it." (Egypt-Gaza-Ceasefire Proposal)

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BERLIN -- After weeks of heavy rainfall, the flood situation in many parts of Germany remains serious in the run-up to New Year's Eve. Several districts have declared the preliminary stage of a disaster alert.

Cities and municipalities along the rivers Elbe and Weser in eastern and northern Germany continue to be affected by high water and flooding. After a dyke burst in Lilienthal near Bremen on Wednesday, many residents had to be evacuated and there are fears of further dyke failures in nearby towns. (Germany-Flood) Enditem

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