The Turkish connection: How Erdoğan’s confidant helped Iran finance terror – POLITICO

Sıtkı Ayan, the businessman helping Tehran sell oil, has so far dodged US sanctions. On March 22 of 2021, several of the world’s most dangerous men descended on Beirut’s historic seaside Summerland Hotel — not to swim in the Mediterranean or explore the sumptuous resort’s “Le Beach Pop Up,” but to talk Turkey. The meeting […]

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Erdogan’s big lie: Why Turkey’s president rewrote the history of the 2016 coup – Haaretz.com

Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul’s Taksim Square mark a month since the 2016 attempted coup Credit: OSMAN ORSAL/REUTERS For five years since the dramatic, bloody coup attempt, Erdogan has claimed traditional allies abandoned Turkey in its hour of need, justifying ongoing purges and his pivot towards Russia, China and Iran. This is

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After thumbing his nose at China, Prague’s mayor has this advice for Canada. ‘Their power is overrated’ – The Star

VANCOUVER—When Prague’s Pirate Party posted a rebuttal on its Facebook page to threats of economic action against the historic city from China’s diplomats in the Czech Republic, people laughed. It was cheeky. The post featured a photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping next to a picture of Winnie-the-Pooh and a message mocking the Chinese government

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U.S. encourages Canada to hit China with sanctions over Uyghurs – The Globe and Mail

What is taking place in Xinjiang meets at least one of the UN’s criteria for genocide, said Adrian Zenz, a U.S.-based scholar and senior fellow in China studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

“It is, in my view, very shameful that Western nations, including Canada, have not yet bothered to embark on the process of determining whether Beijing’s actions in Xinjiang meet the legal definitions of crimes against humanity or genocide.”

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As Uygurs exit Indonesian jail, China-Turkey repatriation tussle brews – South China Morning Post

Indonesia jailed three Uygurs in 2015 for attempting to join an Isis-linked terrorist group and entering the country illegally.The fate of the men, who were holding fake Turkish passports during their trial, remains uncertain. Three Uygurs in Indonesia who were jailed five years ago for attempting to join a local militant group have been freed and are

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COVID-19 Spells Trouble for China in East Africa – The Diplomat

“Look,” says Kimani Ichung’wa, chairman of the Parliamentary Budget and Appropriations Committee, “our economy is beaten and we are not able to pay. We are not saying the debt is not there, but we simply want to renegotiate what we owe you and the terms of payment.”

But debt is not the only issue, nor is it all about infrastructure projects. The huge trade imbalance between China and the EAC partner states is another major stumbling block.

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Pakistan: A Nuclear Weapons Nightmare – The National Interest

Pakistan is clearly developing a robust nuclear capability that can not only deter but fight a nuclear war. It is also dealing with internal security issues that could threaten the integrity of its nuclear arsenal. Pakistan and India are clearly in the midst of a nuclear arms race that could, in relative terms, lead to absurdly high nuclear stockpiles reminiscent of the Cold War. It is clear that an arms-control agreement for the subcontinent is desperately needed.

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