June, 2022

• 3 June

  The Long Arm of Authoritarianism

  

  How Dictators Reach Across Borders to Shut Down Dissent Last year was a particularly dangerous time to be a Belarusian political dissident—not just in Belarus, but anywhere in the world. In 2021, after months of violently cracking down on peaceful opposition protests at home, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko began exporting …

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• 3 June

  Could Turkey-Israel rapprochement lead to gas agreement?

  

  The Cyprus conflict stands as a major stumbling block before potential plans to carry Israeli gas to Europe via Turkey. The visit to Tel Aviv on May 26 by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and the news that Turkey and Israel are planning to re-establish formal diplomatic and economic relations …

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• 3 June

  Can Sudan replace Ukraine as breadbasket for MENA region?

  

  Despite Sudan’s agricultural and animal resources, political instability is hindering the country’s potential to benefit itself and the region. Sudan’s Minister of Trade and Supply Amal Saleh Saad says her country can secure food for the Arab world and compensate for the shortages of Ukrainian and Russian wheat caused by …

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• 3 June

  OPEC+ alliance agrees to production increase

  

  Pressure on Saudi Arabia, Russia and other major oil producers has boosted production amid high prices. An alliance of major oil exporters announced a big increase in production today. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies agreed to boost production by 648,000 barrels a day for July …

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• 3 June

  Saudi crown prince balances Turkey visit with stops in Greece and Cyprus

  

  Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to visit Turkey as part of a regional tour shows that the kingdom has no intention to upset Greece and Cyprus while mending fences with Turkey. A forthcoming visit by the Saudi crown prince could have made Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan all smiles — had …

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• 3 June

  Turkey calls on German and French envoys to protest against Kurdish militant events

  

  Turkey summoned the German and French ambassadors to Ankara to protest against events organised by Kurdish militants in their countries. The envoys were told of Turkey’s discomfort with the events organised by the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU, state-run …

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• 3 June

  Germany sentences five Tajiks to jail over ISIS plots

  

  A German court on Tuesday convicted five Tajik men for their membership of an ISIS cell that planned terrorist attacks in Germany and abroad. The men, aged 25 to 34, were given jail terms of between three years and eight months to nine-and-a-half years, a court in Duesseldorf said. They …

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• 3 June

  EU Slaps Sanctions on al-Qaida-linked Group

  

  The member states of the European Union on Monday agreed to impose terrorism-related sanctions against an al-Qaida-affiliated armed insurgent group and two of its leaders. The European Council, which oversees the 27-member bloc’s political direction, identified Hurras al-Din, a Syria-based al-Qaida affiliate, its leader, Faruq al-Suri, and its religious leader, …

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• 3 June

  Russia’s war on global food security

  

  Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine is also a war on global food security. In February 2022, Russia blockaded all of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, through which all its bulk exports were being shipped. The ports remain closed, with no opening in sight. David Beasley, the executive director of …

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• 3 June

  Denmark to join EU defence policy after historic vote

  

  Denmark will join the European Union’s defence policy after a referendum on Wednesday (1 June), final results showed, signalling the latest shift among Nordic countries to deepen defence ties in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Denmark is the only EU member that is not part of the bloc’s defence …

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