Eurasia Press & News
The Jordanian government bypassed parliament and approved a controversial agreement signed between Jordan and the United States that regulates the status of US forces present in the kingdom, which raised much controversy. On Jan. 31, Jordan and the United States signed a defense cooperation agreement. It was approved by the …
Read More »UN’s Libya welcomes prisoner release as start of ‘nationwide reconciliation’
The UN mission in Libya hailed the release of more than 100 prisoners loyal to renegade commander Khalifa Hifter, calling the initiative the start of a “nationwide reconciliation.” In a ceremony attended by members of Libya’s transitional government, 107 detainees were released from prison in the western city of Zawiya …
Read More »Yemen’s Houthis claim drone attack on Riyadh
The Saudi-led coalition also said it destroyed one of the Houthis’ ballistic missiles in Yemen. The Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed they targeted Saudi capital of Riyadh on Thursday with four armed drones, the latest reported attack in their stepped-up cross-border campaign against the kingdom. Saudi Arabia hasn’t confirmed the …
Read More »Iranian foreign minister meets Afghan president
The meeting follows the hosting of a Taliban delegation by Iran earlier this year. Iran is critical of the US military presence in Afghanistan, and the Biden administration has not committed to the May deadline to remove American troops from the country. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met Afghan …
Read More »US pushes for progress on Nile dam talks
The United States is once again trying to help the Nile dam negotiations resume, this time leaning harder on the African Union. US special envoy for Sudan Donald Booth embarked on a regional tour March 27 to revive the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) negotiations between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia …
Read More »France reopens Libya embassy after 7-year closure
Most diplomats and other foreigners left the North African country after repeated attacks and kidnappings. France has reopened its embassy in Libya after a seven-year closure as insecurity swept the country following its 2011 revolution in another sign of a gradual return of stability.
Read More »China’s Threat to Free Speech in Europe
The current standoff is, in essence, about the future of free speech in Europe. If notoriously feckless European officials fail to stand firm in the face of mounting Chinese pressure, Europeans who dare publicly to criticize the CCP in the future can expect to pay an increasingly high personal cost …
Read More »Chinese Business In Central Asia: How Crony Capitalism Is Eroding Justice
China’s economic influence in Central Asia has gained a new character after President Xi Jinping came to power. In almost all economic activities there is a growing Chinese presence, and these actors range from large multinational firms to small businesses. In a region with weak states and institutions, these players …
Read More »Hedging American Risks In Afghanistan – Analysis
With the May 1 deadline for an expected United States (US) military withdrawal from Afghanistan a little less than a month away, multiple avenues of diplomacy have been launched as the administration of President Joe Biden in Washington DC navigates the future of the US involvement in the 20-year-long war …
Read More »Ukrainians held hostage by PKK militants in Iraqi Kurdistan over arms trafficking scam
Al-Monitor sheds light on how two Ukrainian men were taken hostage by a Kurdish militant group that was scammed by Ukrainian crooks in a million dollar plus arms trafficking deal. On a recent morning in Schevchenko Park in central Kyiv, Ukraine, a tall man wearing dark sunglasses, a black crew …
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