Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would be under a lot more pressure without the diplomatic and military support he’s getting, in varying doses, from Iran, Russia and China. It’s easy to see why the Russians might support their longtime friend, who’s spent billions of dollars importing Russian weapons and who provides …
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In the 19th Century Afghanistan was seen as a major prize for the superpowers of that time, Britain and Russia. It was known as ‘The Great Game’ and involved the two nations attempting to gain influence over Afghanistan and surrounding Central Asian countries by bribes, intimidation or military conquest. The …
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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Russia and Greece have signed a deal to build an extension of a prospective gas pipeline that would carry Russian gas to Europe through Turkey. Russia has promised Greece hundreds of millions of dollars in transit payments yearly if it agreed to build the pipeline. The …
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JERUSALEM – The former South African president who helped end apartheid says sanctions against Israel would be “counterproductive.” F.W. de Klerk told Israel Radio Sunday that comparisons between apartheid South Africa and Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians are “odious,” and that he prefers “dialogue and negotiation as a way to …
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BOGOTA, Colombia – U.S. prosecutors unsealed indictments against 17 alleged leaders of Colombia’s largest cocaine-trafficking organization in a move seeking to shore up bilateral cooperation in the drug war. The charges against members of the so-called Usuga clan were announced Tuesday by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Miami-based U.S. …
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BERLIN – A U.S. Marine Corps commander says a unit equipped with tanks, light armored vehicles and artillery will be sent to Bulgaria this fall as part of American plans to help reassure NATO allies worried by Russia’s involvement in Ukraine. Brig. Gen. Norman Cooling, deputy commander of U.S. Marine …
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BOGOTA, Colombia – A United Nations envoy is urging restraint amid a tense standoff on the front lines of Colombia’s conflict between security forces and farmers who expelled police allegedly under pressure from leftist rebels. Hundreds of riot police were deployed Saturday to the rural hamlet of El Mango in …
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MADRID – Authorities in eastern Spain say at least four people, including a baby girl, have died in a gas canister blast that ripped through a house. A Civil Guard spokesman said the blast occurred Tuesday morning at a house in a rural area outside the eastern town of Villajoyosa. …
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BEIRUT – Syria’s main Kurdish party warned Turkey on Wednesday that any military intervention would threaten international peace and said the country’s main Kurdish militia is ready to face any “aggression.” The statement by the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, comes as Turkish media is abuzz with talk of a …
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BERLIN – A man is in hot water after allegedly stealing a bicycle, pitching it through a Berlin restaurant window, then entering and quaffing half a bottle of Tabasco sauce — telling authorities he was thirsty. Police spokesman Jens Berger said Tuesday the 34-year-old was intoxicated, but it wasn’t clear …
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