Eurasia

NATO talks with Finland, Sweden falter but will continue

NATO envoys failed to reach a consensus Wednesday on whether to start membership talks with Finland and Sweden, diplomats said, as Turkey renewed its objections to the two Nordic countries joining. The envoys met at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels after Finland and Sweden’s ambassadors submitted written applications to join the …

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Interrogation, uncertainty for surrendering Mariupol troops

Nearly 1,000 last-ditch Ukrainian fighters who had held out inside Mariupol’s pulverized steel plant have surrendered, Russia said Wednesday, as the battle that turned the city into a worldwide symbol of defiance and suffering drew toward a close. Meanwhile, the first captured Russian soldier to be put on trial by …

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Will Russia Complete Iran’s Rasht–Astara Railway?

The Russo-Ukrainian war has had a direct impact on the status of the various China–Central Asia–Russia–Europe transit corridors that traverse Eurasia. The Northern Corridor branch of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in particular, has faced serious challenges and limitations, forcing a halt to the so-called “New Eurasian Land Bridge” …

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Will Turkey’s veto card against Sweden and Finland’s NATO bid work?

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s statement on May 13 that Turkey would not consider Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership favorably, has exposed the conflict that has been going on behind closed doors since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The plan to make Sweden and Finland, which are members of the European …

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Γιατί η Τουρκία δεν θέλει την ένταξη Φινλανδίας και Σουηδίας στο ΝΑΤΟ

Μέχρι σήμερα η Τουρκία προσπαθεί να εκμεταλλευθεί όπως μπορεί τη συμμετοχή της στο ΝΑΤΟ, δίχως η ίδια να προσφέρει ό,τι απαιτείται για τους συμμάχους, υποσκάπτοντας μάλιστα τη συνοχή του συνασπισμού, με τη συμπεριφορά της απέναντι στην Ελλάδα. Τώρα, η Άγκυρα αισθάνεται πως η παρασιτική της σχέση με το ΝΑΤΟ μπορεί …

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Clashes break out in Tripoli, drive rival Libyan PM away

An attempt by one of Libya’s rival prime ministers to seat his government in the capital of Tripoli triggered clashes Tuesday between competing militias, forcing the newly appointed premier to leave the city. The development underscored the fragility of the situation in the war-wracked country while the two rival prime …

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Violence erupts in Jerusalem following Palestinian funeral

Israeli police fired tear gas and rubber bullets Monday as they tried to disperse crowds of stone-throwing Palestinian demonstrators following the funeral of a young Palestinian man who died from injuries sustained during confrontations with police last month. Dozens of people were reported wounded. Hundreds of mourners joined the funeral …

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Hezbollah, allies lose majority in Lebanon’s parliament

Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group and its allies lost their parliamentary majority, final elections results showed Tuesday, while more than a dozen independent newcomers gained seats. The outcome signaled a shift in a country devastated by an ongoing financial meltdown and soaring poverty. Formal results for Sunday’s elections showed no clear …

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A neo-Nazi idea to spark a race war inspired the Buffalo killings

The weekend’s mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, was not merely a random act of hate. It was the product of a violent strategy, formulated in obscure neo-Nazi magazines and disseminated on the internet’s darkest corners, that aims to bring about the destruction of American society. This idea is called …

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Taliban Dissolve Government Departments Over Budget Crisis

The Taliban have dissolved Afghanistan’s Human Rights Commission, and four other government departments, citing a budget crisis. The cuts were announced on Monday, days after the Taliban announced their first annual national budget. Afghanistan’s budget deficit for this year is $501 million. At the time of the announcement, Taliban officials …

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