Classic Layout

BIRN Fact-Check: Is the Bosnian Serb Report on the Sarajevo Siege Accurate?

A report funded by the government of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity claims Serbs were subjected to ethnic cleansing in wartime Sarajevo, but its allegations differ from facts established by courts about crimes during the siege. The allegations in the report published this month by the Commission for Investigating the …

Read More »

Amid A Czech Spy Scandal, A Meltdown Of Moscow’s Atomic Ambitions? – Analysis

It’s one of Russia’s major exports, a source of symbolic pride and commercial revenue: atomic energy, in the form of civilian technology to build and maintain nuclear reactors around the world. State-owned company Rosatom is the driver of that policy, with ambitions for nearly $15 billion in revenues from outside …

Read More »

Can ASEAN Use Its New Economic Clout To Tame Aggressive China? – OpEd

After 30 years of close relations with ASEAN countries, China now feels that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is heavily dependent on it. With a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of US$3.11 trillion and a population of 673 million people, the fast-growing ASEAN region is a lucrative market …

Read More »

Cryptocurrencies And Coinbase: Between Flying High, Volatility And Regulation – OpEd

Last week was a heady one in the digital currency space. Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange/trading platform, listed on the Nasdaq. It was unusual in several aspects. For one, the exchange chose a direct listing, which unlike an initial public offering (IPO) does not entail issuance of new shares and …

Read More »

Africa Sees ‘Dramatic Increase In Jihadist Groups,’ Says Global Religious Freedom Report

Aid to the Church in Need published a religious freedom report Tuesday documenting a “dramatic increase” in the presence of jihadist groups, some aligned with the Islamic State, in Sub-Saharan and Eastern Africa. “Over the last two years, jihadist groups have consolidated their presence in Sub-Saharan Africa and the region …

Read More »

New Oil Price Surge Caps Year Of Recovery Since ‘Black Monday’

Oil prices resumed their surge on global markets on Tuesday as traders shrugged off the memory of “Black Monday” 2020, when some crude prices went into negative territory at the start of the pandemic recession. Brent crude, the global benchmark, went above $68 a barrel for the first time in …

Read More »

Mali: Killings, ‘Disappearances’ in Military Operations

Malian soldiers have allegedly killed at least 34 villagers, forcibly disappeared at least 16 people, and severely mistreated detainees during counterterrorism operations in Mali’s central Mopti region, Human Rights Watch said today. Mali’s transitional government should conduct credible and impartial investigations into these incidents. All were committed since the transitional …

Read More »

Swedish Suit Says Strongman Savagely Struck Syrians With Sarin

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad was sued on Tuesday for using chemical weapons against his own countrymen during Syria’s long-running civil war. Four NGOs in Sweden filed the criminal complaint against the Russian-backed strongman and his Damascus cohorts, expressing hope that an “investigation into these crimes will eventually result in trials …

Read More »

Summit on Afghan Quagmire Delayed After Taliban Pull Out

The much-anticipated Istanbul summit, scheduled for next week between Taliban officials and representatives of over 20 countries and international bodies, has been postponed due to the Taliban’s refusal to attend, Turkey confirmed on Tuesday. “We thought that it would be beneficial to postpone it,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said. “We …

Read More »

Russia briefly withdraws from bases in north Aleppo, leaving SDF to face Turkey by itself

Russia briefly withdrew its forces and its military equipment from two bases in Tal Rifaat, only to return to them in the wake of understandings with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that control the area and fear the advances of the Turkish-backed opposition. Russian forces withdrew April 13 from two …

Read More »