Eurasia

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 …

The strike follows a drone attack on a coalition site at Erbil Air Base last week. Baghdad International Airport, which houses personnel of the US-led international military coalition against the Islamic State, was targeted by at least three rockets on Thursday night. No one was reported injured in the strike, …

The new deputy commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force claimed Israel will soon “collapse” as Iranian-Israeli tensions continue to rise. The new deputy commander of the elite Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened Israel on Thursday following a rare missile strike against the Jewish state that Israel …

CENTCOM commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said the United States is “prepared to assist” the Kurdish-led forces to de-escalate clashes. Fighting escalated between Syria’s Kurdish-led forces and members of a pro-regime militia in the northeastern city of Qamishli on Friday after a local community leader was shot dead returning home from …

The Czech Republic has said it wants more Russian diplomats to leave the country and neighboring Slovakia has decided to eject three Russian Embassy staff in solidarity, as tensions between Prague and Moscow escalate over Russia’s alleged role in a deadly 2014 explosion at a Czech arms depot. Newly appointed …