Author: M Barbu

Wagging the Bitcoin Dog

On Wednesday, thousands of Salvadorans celebrated the 200th anniversary of the country’s independence by marching in protest against President Nayib Bukele’s administration. President Bukele’s decision to make Bitcoin an officially recognized currency in El Salvador succeeded in getting a lot of attention. And that was precisely the point. The boldness of the plan, its bungled rollout, and its embrace of “the new” no matter the predictable disruptions associated with insisting that Bitcoin be widely accepted as legal tender, meant that some of the attention that should have been paid to Bukele’s anti-democratic efforts was diverted. Bukele is playing a massive game of wag the dog, but instead of doing so with a foreign invasion, his administration is doing the same through its strategic embrace of Bitcoin.

How Corporations Won the War on Terror

The costs and consequences of America’s twenty-first-century wars have by now been well-documented — a staggering $8 trillion in expenditures and more than 380,000 civilian deaths, as calculated by Brown University’s Costs of War project. The question of who has benefited most from such an orgy of military spending has, unfortunately, received far less attention.

La ministre française des Armées affirme que la France maintiendra sa présence militaire au Mali

La France va maintenir sa présence militaire au Mali, a confié à la presse la ministre française des Armées, Florence Parly, à l’issue d’une rencontre, lundi à Bamako, avec son homologue malien Sadio Camara.

“La France ne quittera pas le Mali et reste déterminée dans la lutte contre le terrorisme”, a déclaré la ministre française en inscrivant sa visite dans le cadre du renforcement de la coopération militaire entre les deux pays.

Mali : une implication de Wagner affecterait ”sérieusement” les relations de l’UE avec Bamako (Josep Borrell)

-Le Chef de la diplomation de l’Union européenne s’exprimait en marge de l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies à New York.

Une implication du groupe privé russe Wagner au Mali affecterait « sérieusement » les relations entre l’Union européenne et Bamako, a indiqué lundi, Josep Borrell, chef de la diplomatie européenne.

Josep Borrell s’exprimait en marge de l’Assemblée générale des Nations unies à New York.

IS Attacks in Syrian Desert Kill Pro-Regime Militia Fighters

IS group launched attacks in the Syrian Desert region over the weekend, resulting in the deaths of several Syrian regime militia fighters, according to al-Araby al-Jadeed.

The Islamic State (IS) group launched attacks in the Syrian Desert region over the weekend, resulting in the deaths of several Syrian regime militia fighters. An activist in the eastern Deir-ez-Zour region, Abu Omar al-Bukamali, told The New Arab’s sister site al-Araby al-Jadeed that two members of the Russian-backed Liwaa al-Quds militia were killed on Sunday in an IS attack that targeted a military vehicle in the Syrian Desert (Al-Badia) – also known as the Syrian steppe -, which covers the southeast of the country.

Drone Targets Car in Idleb Amidst Rumors of Guardians of Religion Leaders Assassination

A drone targeted a car at the entrance to the city of Binnish in the Idleb countryside amidst rumors of “the assassination of leaders of the Guardians of Religion Organization.”

On Monday, an Al-Souria Net correspondent in Idleb reported that military surveillance “monitored a reconnaissance flight coinciding with the drone strike on the car, east of Binnish.”

The Haqqani Network And India’s Afghan Dilemma – Analysis

The Haqqani network derives its name from Jalaluddin Haqqani, who first fought against the Soviet army in Afghanistan, and later against the United States (US) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces. Following the death of Jalaluddin, the leadership of the group was assumed by his son, Sirajuddin, who is set to head the Interior Ministry, perhaps the most important ministerial position in the newly announced Afghan cabinet. India’s diplomatic presence in Afghan cities, whenever it is restored, will be under the direct watch of the Sirajuddin-led ministry. Obviously, this is far from comfortable for New Delhi.

Russian Mercenaries Accused Of Killing Beina Youth President, 3 Others In Central African Republic

Shortly after the disappearance of four youths, their families launched a search for them before discovering their corpses.

Beina Town in the Gamboula sub-prefecture to the west of the Central African Republic has been thrown into shock and anger following the discovery of the lifeless bodies of the President of the youth movement in the town and three other youths who disappeared since Monday, Sept. 13.

Sudan Leaders Say They Thwarted Coup Attempt by Loyalists of Former Dictator

Government officials blamed the bid on supporters of longtime ruler Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who was overthrown in 2019 by a military takeover prompted by widespread popular protests.

Sudanese authorities said they thwarted an attempted coup by loyalists of the deposed dictator Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Tuesday, the latest sign of instability in an African nation battling persistent economic hardship under a fragile transitional government.

Terrorisme en Côte d’Ivoire : pourquoi la surveillance a encore été renforcée dans le Nord

Le crash, dans la nuit du 10 au 11 septembre, d’un hélicoptère d’attaque MI 24 est survenu alors que l’armée ivoirienne craignait une attaque jihadiste dans le nord du pays.

Selon nos informations, les autorités ivoiriennes ont été prévenues début septembre par plusieurs partenaires, notamment les services de renseignements burkinabè, d’un risque important d’attaque jihadiste sur leur territoire. Des mouvements suspects avaient notamment été détectés près de la forêt de Diéfoula, dans le sud-est du Burkina. Des armes (munitions, roquettes, matériel pour fabriquer des engins explosifs) avaient aussi été acheminées sur place.