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Former Army Green Beret Pleads Guilty to Russian Espionage Conspiracy

A former Army Green Beret pleaded guilty today to conspiring with Russian intelligence operatives to provide them with United States national defense information. According to court documents, from December 1996 to January 2011, Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins, 45, of Gainesville, a former member of the U.S. Army, conspired with agents …

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Qatar calls UAE and Bahrain's normalization with Israel 'sovereign decision'

Qatar’s foreign minister also stressed a “united front” of Arab states on the Israel-Palestine issue and discussed Qatar’s relations with Israel. Qatar’s foreign minister said at a Monday forum that the Gulf state does not have a position on its neighbors the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain normalizing relations …

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Iraqi armed factions form Sharia Youth group

Several Shiite armed groups, which in recent months have targeted the US presence in Iraq, are setting up youth groups to prepare the next generation. Little-known armed groups — possibly linked to pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah — have in recent months targeted “vice” in Baghdad by attacking shops selling alcohol while …

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Rockets fall in Baghdad after Pentagon announces Iraq troop reduction

One child was killed and at least five other people were injured, the Iraqi military said. Five people were injured and a child was killed after a barrage of rockets landed in Baghdad on Tuesday evening, shortly after the Pentagon announced the United States would pull another 500 troops from …

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Hungary and Poland Play ‘Who Blinks First?’ with the EU

Hungary and Poland have plunged Europe into another untimely crisis by vetoing the budget as they look to water down the rule-of-law mechanism governing the distribution of EU funds. Hungary and Poland blocked the €1.82 trillion budget-and-recovery package during a meeting of EU ambassadors (COREPER) on Monday, saying they could …

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Week in Review: Between Continuity and Change

With the region facing two important elections – in Moldova and Bosnia – and still digesting the implications of the US election, our selection of articles this week ponders the possibilities of continuity or change in more than one way.

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