Author: M Barbu

Biden, Merkel fail to resolve differences about Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (L) talks with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during a rally with fellow Democrats before voting on H.R. 1, or the People Act, on the East Steps of the US Capitol on March 08, 2019 in Washington, DC. (AFP photo)

President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel failed on Thursday to settle their dispute over Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline.

“Good friends can disagree,” Biden told reporters after two meetings with Merkel at the White House.

Biden said he expressed his long-standing concerns to Merkel about the $11 billion pipeline, which would deliver gas from the Arctic to Germany via the Baltic Sea, bypassing Ukraine and depriving it of valuable transit fees.

The project is led by Russian state energy company Gazprom and its Western partners.

US transfers convoys laden with stolen Syrian oil from Hasakah to Iraq: SANA

US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (L) talks with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during a rally with fellow Democrats before voting on H.R. 1, or the People Act, on the East Steps of the US Capitol on March 08, 2019 in Washington, DC. (AFP photo)

US military vehicles, including tanker trucks laden with stolen Syrian oil, have left the Khrab al-Jir base in the northeastern province of Hasakah for Iraq over the past 24 hours.

Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing local sources in the village of Suwaydiyah in al-Ya’rubiyah region, reported that two convoys of 70 vehicles headed towards Iraq after passing through the al-Waleed border crossing.

Libye : Russes, Syriens, Tchadiens… Où sont les mercenaires qui doivent quitter le pays ?

Lors du dernier sommet de Berlin, la communauté internationale a exigé que les quelque 20 000 mercenaires présents sur le territoire libyen quittent le pays. Mais qui sont ces combattants, d’où viennent-ils, qui les finance ?

« Toutes les forces étrangères et les mercenaires doivent être retirés de la Libye sans délai. » Les pays réunis à Berlin sous l’égide de l’ONU ont été unanimes. La nouvelle conférence du mercredi 23 juin sur la crise qui déchire le pays depuis 2011 avait pour objectif de régler la question des mercenaires présents sur le territoire libyen.

Terorism. Serviciile de informații, preocupate de Balcani

Balcanii reprezintă o miză majoră pentru Europa și pentru securitatea întregului continent. Regiunea rămâne divizată de istoria sa și de traiectorii economice foarte contrastante. Astfel, această zonă suferă de slăbiciuni care pot fi utilizate în scopul destabilizării de către mișcări radicale, în special jihadiste. O realitate ce preocupă serviciile franceze de informații, în condițiile în care Franța a fost grav lovită de atentate teroriste în ultimii ani.

The Economics of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

Over the past four years, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has tried to transform itself from a faction of the Global Jihad movement into the de facto local military and governing power in north-west (NW) Syria. This shift requires the group to seek sources of funding other than al-Qaeda and its donors; consequently, HTS has undertaken a slow but steady takeover of the economy in NW Syria, from financial services and oil and gas to internet and telecommunications. This paper lays out how that process has taken place and provides a detailed look at the economics of HTS.

The most important aid organisation you’ve never heard of

Few have heard of it. Even fewer know how it will work. But a newly launched body could revolutionise how Saudi Arabia gives hundreds of millions of dollars of emergency aid every year.

In 2014, the Gulf state was the world’s eighth largest humanitarian donor, spending more than $736 million. Yet its funding patterns have historically been highly unpredictable, hard to navigate, and – some argued – incoherent.

Fatnassia camp is a time-bomb that threatens whole of North Africa

The ongoing armed conflict in Libya is going to push thousands of people, now asylum-seekers in Libyan camps, to escape towards the Southern border regions of Tunisia, Medenine and Tataouine, writes Mourad Teyeb.

The Tunisian government has, since last January, allocated an area at the Bir Fatnassia village, near Remada, for a refugee camp that will be managed by the UNHCR. The first stage of the camp will be conceived to host 25.000 people for a six-month period.

Migrant deaths rise on both Africa/Europe routes

Migrant deaths on dangerous sea routes to Europe, in particular across the Mediterranean, soared in the first six months of the year. At least 1 146 people died attempting to reach Europe by boat from January to June according to the UN migration agency IOM (International Organisation for Migration).

Migrant deaths rise on both Africa/Europe routes

Migrant deaths on dangerous sea routes to Europe, in particular across the Mediterranean, soared in the first six months of the year. At least 1 146 people died attempting to reach Europe by boat from January to June according to the UN migration agency IOM (International Organisation for Migration).