Politics and Security
Wednesday, January 6, 2016 - 08:15
Russia appears to be practicing a bit of "divide-and-conquer" politics in Central Asia, and state-owned Gazprom is spearheading the campaign.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015 - 09:01
Fifteen months ago, when 43 rural college students disappeared at the hands of local police and cartel thugs, Iguala became the symbol of Mexico's narco-brutality. Now, federal police are in charge of security, the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party controls city hall - and Mayor Esteban Albarran Mendoza wants to move forward.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015 - 08:53
The findings are striking: Within five years, from 2009 to 2013, more than $220 million was sent across the ocean and into schools, synagogues and playgrounds dotting the hills of Judea and Samaria. Millions of tax-subsidized dollars have gone to Jewish settlements in Hebron, helping to sustain a grim reality in the segregated part of the city, where Palestinian movement is sharply restricted and their economic life has been suffocated.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015 - 08:48
As Yemen’s warring factions struggle to negotiate, a quieter desperation plays out in the Saudi capital, where wounded fighters beg for handouts and seek the attention of Yemen’s ousted leaders hosted in five-star exile.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015 - 08:14
Although the United States’ once-close relationship with Kyrgyzstan has faded as Russia reasserts its dominance in Central Asia, the Americans still seem keen to forge a new working relationship.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015 - 08:12
With the signing of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between the European Union and Kazakhstan on December 21 in Astana, the EU has elevated its relations with Central Asia’s largest economy.
Monday, December 21, 2015 - 08:09
The Russian Defense Ministry has announced that more military hardware has been deployed to reinforce its air base in Armenia.
Monday, December 21, 2015 - 08:07
Last Friday, after years of diplomatic wrangling over the course of two administrations, the Republic of Georgia received a report from the European Union allowing its citizens visa-free travel within the European Union sometime soon. Nevertheless, some news media earlier this year suggested that Georgia was turning toward Russia rather than the E.U.
Monday, December 21, 2015 - 07:55
Nigeria's military has announced a reprieve for 66 soldiers who had been sentenced to death for refusing to fight Boko Haram. The soldiers, who were to be killed by a firing squad, will each serve 10 years in prison. They were convicted by court martial over their refusal to drive down a road at night after dozens of colleagues died in a Boko Haram ambush.
Monday, December 21, 2015 - 07:50
Burundi's government said Sunday it would not agree to the deployment of African Union (AU) peacekeepers, warning that they would be seen as "an invasion force". The announcement came a day after the 54-member bloc said it would send a 5,000-strong force to halt spiralling violence in the tiny central African country as fears grow that it is rapidly sliding towards civil war.