Eurasia

The departure of a UK government minister does little to promote a serious discussion about a painful episode. On 20 April Prime Minister Boris Johnson sacked Johnny Mercer from his position as Minister for Defence People and Veterans. Mercer had repeatedly criticised the decision not to extend protections to Northern …

Revelations that Russia’s intelligence agents were responsible for setting off deadly explosions at a Czech arms depot back in 2014 offer Prague an opportunity to hit back at Moscow’s egregious behaviour. But the Czechs would need to be supported in this endeavour. The coronavirus pandemic continues to throttle international travel. …

For the second consecutive day, the Turkish forces have imposed a curfew in the city of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), which is under their control, against the backdrop of bloody fighting between Turkish-backed armed opposition groups. The city of Sere Kaniye, on the Syrian-Turkish border, in northeastern Syria, witnessed intensive …

Syria and Russia have said that the US and its allies’ occupation of Syrian territories — which support terrorist organizations and plunder natural resources — leave huge damages to the Syrian economy. A joint statement by the Syrian and Russian coordination committees on the return of Syrian refugees called on …

Qamishli has seen a return of cautious calm after successful Russian efforts to broker a truce between clashing groups, writes Baladi News. Cautious calm prevails in the city of Qamishli in Hassakeh, after two days of clashes and tension between the Kurdish internal security forces “Asayish” and the pro-government National …

The ripple effects emanating from the death of Chadian President Idriss Déby on April 20 are only beginning to be apparent. Most immediately, the future of Chad has been thrown into question. Déby reportedly died while on the frontlines fighting rebel forces, just days after cementing his continued grip on …

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also recommended Egypt, Iraq and Turkey be added to the State Department’s special watchlist for religious freedom offenders. Religious groups remain under threat across Syria, a US watchdog group said Wednesday, calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to designate the war-torn …

Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia exchange accusations over the stalled talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, at a time when all parties are on alert to see whether Addis Ababa will proceed with the dam’s filling in the absence of an agreement. Ethiopia recently accused both Egypt and Sudan of …

The US special envoy for Yemen gave an update to Congress on the Biden administration’s efforts to engage with Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi forces in the war-torn country. The US special envoy for Yemen, Timothy Lenderking, testified before Congress today on the war in Yemen. He specifically addressed US …

Russia and Iran are back to promoting the International North-South Transport Corridor as an alternative future option to the Suez Canal after a giant container ship went aground in the canal last month, disrupting global trade traffic for a week. The disruption of global traffic in the Suez Canal in …