The global coronavirus pandemic has done little to stop adversaries, especially China, from targeting the United States and making gains at the country’s expense, according to a newly unveiled U.S. intelligence assessment. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) issued the declassified 27-page report Tuesday, a day before …
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April, 2021
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15 April
Greek PM agrees to talks with Libya on maritime zones
Greece and Libya have agreed to hold talks on marking out their maritime zones in the Mediterranean, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday, after a meeting with the president of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Menfi.
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15 April
Senior Iran official confirms ‘thousands of centrifuges damaged and destroyed’
Admission of scale of damage at Natanz casts doubts on Tehran’s ability to ramp up uranium enrichment to 60%, as threatened; Israeli report says whole plant still out of commission A senior Iranian official confirmed Tuesday that the blast at the Natanz nuclear facility, which Tehran blames on Israel, destroyed …
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15 April
Iran’s Rouhani says 60% enrichment is response to Israel’s ‘nuclear terrorism’
Iranian envoy to UN atomic agency says Islamic Republic will start enriching at previously unseen levels by next week Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Tehran’s decision to boost uranium enrichment to 60 percent was a response to Israel’s “nuclear terrorism,” three days after an attack on its Natanz …
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15 April
Russia’s Naval Base in Sudan Opens a Long-Sought Gateway to the Red Sea
Following Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s approval last month of a new naval base to be built on Sudan’s Red Sea coast, official Kremlin statements have billed the facility as a logistics center that will be defensive in nature—for principal use as a resupply station for Russian warships. In spite …
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15 April
Behind China’s Military Build-Up, an Effort to Project Power Globally
China is expanding its amphibious military capabilities with an aim to “project power far from home,” Reuters reported this week, posing a challenge to America’s naval dominance. For decades, China’s main aspiration for its military was to secure its borders and dominate its coastal waters. But recent evidence suggests that …
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15 April
Will Either Macron or Erdogan Back Down in the Eastern Mediterranean?
French President Emmanuel Macron has clearly decided to up the ante in a standoff with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, where France is backing Greece and Cyprus in their dispute with Ankara over natural gas reserves and maritime boundaries. First, Macron ordered a temporary reinforcement of French aerial and naval …
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15 April
Turkey’s Challenge to the Regional Status Quo Begins in the Eastern Mediterranean
On July 24, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined thousands of worshippers in the streets around the historic Hagia Sophia in Istanbul for a doubly symbolic moment. Surrounded by a swarm of politicians, soldiers, security forces and imams, the Turkish leader made his way into the giant, former Byzantine cathedral …
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15 April
Germany Says Russia Seeking To ‘Provoke’ With Troop Buildup At Ukraine’s Border
Germany has accused Russia of seeking provocation with its troop buildup in the occupied Crimean Peninsula and along the border with Ukraine, while rejecting Moscow’s claim that it was responding to threats from NATO. “My impression is that the Russian side is trying everything to provoke a reaction,” German Defense …
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15 April
Incident At Natanz Complicates Attempts To Revive Iranian Nuclear Deal
An alleged act of sabotage against a key Iranian nuclear site appears to have complicated newly launched negotiations aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. Two days after the attack — which Iran has blamed on Israel –Tehran announced it will start enriching uranium at 60 percent purity, higher than …
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