Eurasia

Turkish army ready to cross into Iraq — general

ANKARA (AP) — Turkey’s military, building up troops on the Iraqi border, said Thursday it was ready to launch a cross-border offensive to fight Kurdish fighters — pressuring the government to support the idea which could strain ties with Washington and lead to tensions with Iraqi Kurds.

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Russian Energy: Grabbing the Ring

Consolidation is the catchphrase in the Russian energy industry. The government is aggressively taking back centralized control over the entire sector, and has already completed the reintegration of one-time powerhouses such as Yukos and Sibneft into state structures. The pace of this centralization is about to quicken as power struggles …

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Turkish Parliament again passes constitutional amendments

ANKARA, Turkey — Following a veto by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the constitutional amendment to hold direct presidential elections was approved by Parliament again Monday (May 28th), after hours of debate. As required, a second round of voting will be held on Thursday. If adopted, Sezer must either approve the …

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