Author: M Barbu

EU To Meet Over Alleged Russian Links To 2014 Czech Depot Blast, As Russia Warns Of Retaliation

The Czech Republic says it has informed NATO and the European Union about Russia’s alleged involvement in a deadly ammunition depot explosion in 2014, an accusation Russia called “absurd” and a sign of Washington’s influence on Prague.

Prague expelled 18 Russian diplomats on April 17, accusing them of being spies after Czech intelligence linked Russian military agents to the blast that killed two people.

Syria Announces Presidential Elections

Syria’s parliamentary speaker on Sunday announced that the battered nation’s presidential elections will be held next month, in what yet again will be hardly a nail-biter. President Bashar Assad, who has ruled the land since his father’s death in 2000 and has for the past decade waged a bloody crackdown against dissidents and rebels, is expected to repeat his “victory” of 2014 and handily beat out any faux-challengers. Approximately half a million Syrians have died in the country’s long-running civil war, while close to 13 million have either been displaced or fled the country to become refugees. In order to participate in the May 26 elections, candidates must have lived continuously in Syria for at least ten years, and must also present the backing of at least 35 members of parliament, in which Assad’s Baath party won a large majority in last year’s hardly free and fair parliamentary elections.

Can Turkey rely on Libyan PM to guarantee its strategic interests?

Ankara’s two critical deals with Tripoli remain in limbo even though Libya’s new prime minister raised Turkish spirits during a much-hyped visit this week.

A high-profile visit by Libya’s new interim prime minister, complete with economic accords, has cheered Turkey up, but Ankara’s interests in the war-torn country remain far from guaranteed amid a flurry of rival diplomacy ahead of Libya’s elections in December.

Turkey’s ruling Islamists dogged by mounting corruption claims

Allegations of government corruption are adding to public anger as the economy continues to decline.

Turkish authorities announced Monday they are expanding an ongoing investigation into allegations of human trafficking leveled against a local municipality run by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), adding to mounting public anger over endemic corruption and a weakening economy.

2021 Elections In Albania: Citizens Against The Mafia – OpEd

On April 25, 2021, the tenth parliamentary elections since the democratic changes will take place in Albania.

Once again the elections will be a confrontation between two leading coalitions. One is gathered around the Socialist Party (PS/S&D) and Prime Minister Edi Rama and the other is the opposition group led by the Democratic Party (PD/EPP) headed by Lulzim Basha, which includes the Movement for Socialist Integration (LSI) headed by Monika Kryemadhi. Some minor political parties will also participate in the elections.

Economic Implications Of Second Karabakh War For Armenia – OpEd

The Second Karabakh War, which began on 27 September and continued for 44 days, put an end to the three-decades-old Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. As a result, Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity and forced the military forces of Armenia to leave Karabakh, the historical land of Azerbaijan.

The heavy defeat of Armenia in the Second Karabakh War and the enormous loss of military personnel created a severe political and social crisis in the country. Armenian citizens began mass protests against the government, demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister. Despite the fact that, in the following months, some progress in Armenia’s political situation was achieved, instability and war-related protests still continue. Along with political problems, the Second Karabakh War has also created economic problems for Armenia. Taking into account that even before the war Armenia had a fragile economy and was dependent on foreign aid, war-related financial problems have made the situation even worse.

Ethiopian Survivors Retell Horrors Of Last Month’s ‘Houthi Holocaust’

When Abdel Karim Ibrahim Mohammed, 23, fled the recent violence consuming Ethiopia’s Oromia region, he never imagined he would fall into the hands of Yemen’s Houthis.

In fact, like many of his compatriots desperate to escape conflict-ridden Ethiopia, he had not even heard of the Iran-backed militia, which seized control of Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2015.

Iran Says It’s Identified Suspect Behind ‘Explosion’ At Natanz Nuclear Site

Iran’s intelligence service has named a suspect in the ‘explosion’ that damaged the Natanz power plant last week. It says the culprit, identified as a man from a town near the nuclear facility, has already fled the country.

“Reza Karimi, the perpetrator of this sabotage… has been identified” by the intelligence ministry, Iranian state television announced on Saturday.

Russian Military Buildup Raises Tensions, Increases Risk Of Broader Conflict Over Ukraine – Analysis

The pieces for a major surge of fighting in the Donbas continue to fall into place, highlighting an escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine that could potentially play out on the battlefield.

Analysts are loath to predict what will happen as Russia continues a massive military buildup near Ukraine’s borders and in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula seized by Russian forces in 2014.

But while the more optimistic view is that the show of force is a bluff intended to test the West’s resolve in supporting Kyiv in the face of Moscow’s support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, the moves heighten the risks that fighting that has been contained to the Donbas since 2014 could spill over into a broader conflict.