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Saturday, 29 July

20:29

Turkish drone strike kills four PKK fighters, say Kurdish officials "IndyWatch Feed War"

Turkish drone strike kills four PKK fighters, say Kurdish officials

Blow to Kurdish group near Iraq's Sulaymaniyah comes after four killed in attack on Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria

MEE and agencies Sat, 07/29/2023 - 11:29

Kurdish groups accuse Iraq and the Kurdish authorities there of turning a blind eye to Turkish armed strikes (AFP)

A drone strike in northern Iraq killed four members of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), with officials of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) blaming the Turkish army for the incident.

The strike occurred near the city of Sulaymaniyah, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, and came a day after the Turkish army killed four members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in neighbouring Syria.

A KRG statement confirmed a strike occurred at 8pm local time on Friday and said: "Four PKK fighters were killed and wounded when a Turkish army drone targeted their vehicle near the village of Rangina."

Turkey has classified the PKK, an armed group based in northern Iraq, as a terrorist organisation, with members of the SDF viewed by Turkish authorities as an "offshoot" of the organisation.

The Turkish army rarely comments on strikes it makes against the PKK but regularly targets the group's bases in the mountains of the Kurdistan region.

17:35

Colorado Man Arrested for Attempting to Join ISIS "IndyWatch Feed War"

Davin Daniel Meyer, 18, of Castle Rock, Colo., was charged for attempting to provide material support for ISIS.
According to court documents, Meyer pledged an oath of allegiance to the leader of ISIS.
Meyer intended to travel to serve as a fighter for ISIS in Iraq. He was arrested as he attempted to board a flight to Turkey. Read More

The post Colorado Man Arrested for Attempting to Join ISIS appeared first on The Clarion Project.

02:51

Saudi Arabia expanding e-visa system to 12 countries including Turkey, Lebanon and Pakistan "IndyWatch Feed War"

Saudi Arabia expanding e-visa system to 12 countries including Turkey, Lebanon and Pakistan

Under the new system, travellers arriving in Saudi Arabia will no longer require a visa sticker on their passports

MEE staff Fri, 07/28/2023 - 17:51

A woman holds her passport while sitting in a waiting room before boarding a Pakistan International Airlines plane, on 13 September 2021 (AFP)

The government of Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday the expansion of it's e-visa system to include 12 more countries, making it a total of 19 countries.

Under the new system, travellers arriving in Saudi Arabia will no longer require a visa sticker on their passports.

Saudi Arabia will now use a printed e-visa with a QR code instead of visa stickers, the kingdoms General Authority of Civil Aviation announced. This code will encompass all the necessary data and details about travellers.

The e-visa will also serve as the new format for labour, visit, and residency visas. The timetable for phasing out visa stickers in visitor passports will occur from 24 July to 4 September.

The countries include Pakistan; Yemen; Sudan; Uganda; Lebanon; Nepal; Turkey; Sri Lanka; Kenya; Morrocco; Thailand; and Vietnam.

Friday, 28 July

23:59

U.S. Activists to Join Protests Against U.S. Nuclear Weapons Deployed in The Netherlands and Germany "IndyWatch Feed War"

By NukeWatch, July 28, 2023

LUCK, Wisconsin A delegation of U.S. peace activists will travel to The Netherlands and Germany this August to join international nuclear weapons protests focused on removing the U.S. nuclear weapons still stationed at the Netherlands Volkel Air Base, 85 miles south of Amsterdam, and at Germanys Bchel Air Force Base, southeast of Cologne. The group of 11 anti-nuclear activists hail from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, and New York.

Both the Volkel and Bchel Air Bases each maintainapproximately 15-to-20 U.S. hydrogen bombs known as B61s* as part of NATOs so-called nuclear sharing program in which foreign fighter jets and their pilots routinely rehearse attacks on Russia using the U.S. H-bombs. Alarmingly, in the midst of the ongoing war in Ukraine, operation Air Defender 2023, NATOslargest-ever nuclear attack exercise, ran from June 14 to 23 in the skies over Germany. War planes involved in the practice included U.S. F-35s, F-15s and F-16s from the U.S., Turkey and Greece; Eurofighters from Spain and the U.K.; German Tornadoes; U.S.and Finnish F/A-18s; Hungarian Gripens; and U.S. A-10 ground-attack jets, according to CNN. The A-10 jets fire the controversially toxic and radioactive shells known as depleted uranium munitions.

Coordinated by the Amsterdam Catholic Worker community, Peace Camp Volkel runs from August 4 to 10 and is focused on climate and a future without nuclear weapons. Participants from around Europe and the United States will conduct nonviolence trainings, and blockades, go-in actions, and other protests. On 10 August, the U.S. activists will travel from Volkel to Kail, Germany for four days of protest actions directed at the Bchel Air Force Base, which like Volkel is now undergoing major construction in preparation for the delivery of replacement weapons, the new B61-12 gravity bomb, now in production in the United States.

Most of the U.S. delegates to the two peace camps have worked for years in anti-war and disarmament campaigns, and several have been imprisoned in the United States for nonviolent actions taken against the war system. Ellen Grady, from Ithaca, New York and a member of the delegation said, We have to take some responsibility for these U.S. nuclear weapons stationed in Europe, because they threaten genocidal violence and they destabilize the reckless and expanding war in Ukraine.

The eleven U.S. participants are: JACKIE ALLEN, of Hartford, Con...

19:59

Egypt-Turkey on the Verge of Resuming Relations "IndyWatch Feed Asia"

The reopening of ambassadorial relations between Cairo and Ankara is simply one of Egypts new diplomatic orientation, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisis new course of constructing a multipolar world, which Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed and has actively promoted. Cairo has selected Amr Al-Hamami as its ambassador to Ankara ahead of the annual declaration on diplomatic []

Egypt-Turkey on the Verge of Resuming Relations New Eastern Outlook.

07:58

Military Situation In Syria On July 27, 2023 (Map Update) "IndyWatch Feed War"

Click to see full-size image

On July 27, the Russian Ministry of Defense recorded 1 case of hostilities and ceasefire violations in the Aleppo region in the past 24 hours;
On July 27, the Turkish Army sent a convoy of 15 units of military equipment, vehicles and tanks, to Idlib region via Kafr Lusin crossing;
On July 26, the SNA military police arrested three people in the town of Tal Abyad.

02:07

Russia Will Not Renew International Grain Deal; Some Context "IndyWatch Feed War"

By Ted Snider | The Libertarian Institute | July 27, 2023

Like the war that necessitated it, Russias decision not to renew the United Nations and Turkish-brokered grain deal is bad for the world but not wholly unprovoked.

The deal allowed Ukraine safe passage for its grain laden ships through the mined and blockaded Black Sea ports so it could continue to export its agriculture to the world.

On July 17, Russia announced its decision not to renew the deal.

It has repeatedly been reported that Russias decision is retaliation for Ukraines recent sabotage of the Kerch Strait bridge that links Crimea to the Russian mainland. But President Vladimir Putin had announced the distinct possibility of suspending the agreement prior to the attack on the bridge.

During a July 13 question period, in a response to a journalist, Putin said, prior to the attack on the bridge, We can suspend our participation in this deal.

Putin gave two reasons for suspending the deal after having extended this so-called deal many times. The first is that, though it was Russia that suspended the deal, it was the West that broke it. As for the conditions under which we agreed to ensure the safe export of Ukrainian grain, yes, there were clauses in this agreement with the United Nations, according to which Russian interests had to be taken into account as well, Putin said. Not a single clause related to what is in the interests of the Russian Federation has been fulfilled.

Announcing the decision not to renew the deal four days later, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated that charge; Unfortunately, the part of the Black Sea agreement that concerns Russia has not yet been fulfilled. As a result, it has been terminated. However, he added that As soon as the Russian part [of the deal] is fulfilled, the Russian side will immediately return to the implementation of this deal. Putin made a similar pledge in his answer to the journalist. One option, he said, is not first the extension and then the honouring of promises, but first the honouring of promises and then our participation. What do I mean? We can suspend our participation in this deal, and if everybody once again says that all the promises made to us will be fulfilled, let them fulfil themand we will immediately join this deal. Again.

George Beebe of the Quincy Institute has...

01:01

US Senator Bob Menendez says he still opposes Turkey F-16 sale "IndyWatch Feed War"

US Senator Bob Menendez says he still opposes Turkey F-16 sale

Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Bob Menendez, a noted Turkey critic, is able to put a hold on US arms sales

MEE staff Thu, 07/27/2023 - 16:01

A Turkish F-16 fighter plane takes off at the Air Defender Exercise 2023 in the military airport of Jagel, northern Germany, on 9 June 2023.

A Turkish F-16 fighter plane takes off from the military airport of Jagel, northern Germany, on 9 June 2023 (AFP)

Bob Menendez, chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has said he has not changed his opposition to the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, weeks after the Biden administration said it would support the arms deal.

There is "nothing new", Senator Menendez told Reuters on Wednesday. "We continue to raise our concerns."

During a confirmation hearing for Biden's nominee to be assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, Menendez further discussed his opposition to the deal, citing Turkey's relations with Greece.

"How does it work for us to have one Nato ally be belligerent to another and someone sell them F-16s?" he asked.

After weapons sales are approved by the administration, there is an informal review process in Congress and the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees are able to put "holds" on the deals, stopping them over issues, including human rights concerns.

...

Thursday, 27 July

20:03

Turkey: After being vilified in elections, Syrian refugees are being deported en masse "IndyWatch Feed War"

Turkey: After being vilified in elections, Syrian refugees are being deported en masse

At least 950 Syrian refugees have been deported to northern Syria since the start of the month, with many claiming they were forced to sign documents consenting to their 'voluntary' return

MEE correspondent Thu, 07/27/2023 - 11:03

Syrian refugees who were suddenly deported from Turkey, load up their luggage and board buses headed towards various areas across Syria (AFP/File photo)

When Khaled Ahmed* went to Istanbul's Presidency for Migration Management to update his address, he had no idea the routine visit would escalate to where it did.

A verbal altercation ensued between him and a government employee, resulting in him being handcuffed, arrested and taken to a prison in another part of the country.

After spending nearly a month in detention in the southern Turkish city of Kilis, where the 53-year-old claims he was "beaten on the face and the legs by a young Turkish policeman," he was reportedly forced to sign a document consenting to his "voluntary" return to northwest Syria.

Now staying at a friend's house in the Syrian city of Azaz, some 10 km from the Turkish border, Ahmed says he fears if he will ever see his wife and children again.

"I have been worki...

14:00

Russia Decides Not To Renew Grain Deal: Some Context "IndyWatch Feed War"

Like the war that necessitated it, Russias decision not to renew the UN-Turkish brokered grain deal is bad for the world but not entirely unprovoked. The deal allowed Ukraine safe passage for its grain laden ships through the mined and blockaded Black Sea ports so it could export its grain to the world. On July Continue reading "Russia Decides Not To Renew Grain Deal: Some Context"

The post Russia Decides Not To Renew Grain Deal: Some Context appeared first on Antiwar.com Original.

09:18

Pan-African News Wire "IndyWatch Feed Africa"

Food Insecurity in Africa and the Politics of NATO Expansion

Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin said he was suspending Moscows participation in the Black Sea grain deal

By Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Thursday July 20, 2023

Geostrategic Analysis

United Nations affiliated humanitarian and development agencies are reporting that many countries across the African continent are experiencing food insecurity.

This phenomenon is related to at least three major factors: the sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation led by the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU); an inflationary spiral triggered by the impact of the pandemic; along with the worsening aspects of climate change.

The Russian special military operation in Ukraine has prompted the western countries to attempt a complete economic blockade of Moscow. Having failed to cripple the Russian economy during the first few months after the intervention on February 24, 2022, the administration of President Joe Biden has been unable to articulate a clear path to victory in Ukraine.

Parallel efforts by the U.S. State Department center around exerting political and economic pressure on AU member-states. The continental organization subscribes to a Nonaligned foreign policy which has been developing since the Bandung Conference of 1955 through the founding of a formal organization in Belgrade, Yugoslavia during 1961.

Since the majority of African governments have not responded enthusiastically to the calls by Biden to condemn Russia and join in the sanctions-regime, the White House and Congress have threatened to tighten their grip over the national economies in Africa. The Republic of South Africa has been accused by the U.S. ambassador in Pretoria of shipping arms to Russia.

Meanwhile, the Black Sea grain deal which was suggested by the AU delegation that met Putin in Sochi during July 2022 and finalized with the assistance of Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, provided the potential for the reopening of trade in agricultural commodities pro...

06:04

West Torpedoed Ukraine Peace Because We Want War With Russia RFK Jr. "IndyWatch Feed War"

By Ilya Tsukanov Sputnik 26.07.2023

There is no chance of Russia losing the proxy war with NATO in Ukraine, the West fomented the conflict and a peace agreement is needed immediately to prevent further bloodshed, Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said.

Russias not gonna lose this war. Russia cant afford this itd be like us losing a war to Mexico. They are not gonna lose the war, Kennedy said, speaking at a televised town hall Tuesday night.

Go look at what Russia did in Stalingrad in order to preserve its territorial integrity. Russias been invaded three times through the Ukraine. The last time, Hitler killed one out of every seven Russians. Theyre 400 miles from Moscow. We already have Aegis missile systems within 12 minutes of Moscow. We wouldnt tolerate that if the Russians did it [like] in 1962 when they put them in Cuba, the candidate added, referencing the Cuban Missile Crisis, during which time his late uncle, John F. Kennedy, was president.

US Sabotaged Peace

The more disturbing thing, Kennedy said, is that on two occasions the Russians tried to sign a peace agreement with [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky, and both times the West sabotaged it.

The candidate pointed to the 2015 Minsk Agreements, which Zelensky expressed interest in before being talked out of it by the US in 2019, and the 2022 draft peace deal reached after talks in Belarus and Turkiye.

In 2019, France Germany and Russia all agreed to the Minsk Accords. That year, Zelensky ran for president. He was a comedian. He had no political experience. Why did he win? Because he ran on one issue: signing the Minsk Accords. As soon has he got in there, Victoria Nuland and the White House told him he couldnt do it, Kennedy recalled.

Then, in February 2022, he noted, Russia sent 40,000 troops in. Thats not enough to conquer the country. Clearly, [Putin] wanted somebody to come to the negotiating table. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul, hammering out a draft peace deal. After that, Putin in good faith began withdrawing troops from Ukraine. What happened? We sent Boris Johnson over there to torpedo it. Because we dont want peace, we want war with Russia, RFK Jr. stressed.

Road to Perdition

The Democratic politician also pointed out that the current crisis has its origins in the end of the Cold War.

We promised in 1992, the Russian leadership said Were gonna withdraw 400,000 troops from East Germany and were gonna allow you to reunite Germany under NATO, which...

04:44

Military Situation In Syria On July 26, 2023 (Map Update) "IndyWatch Feed War"

Click to see full-size image

On July 26, the Russian Ministry of Defense recorded no cases of hostilities and ceasefire violations in the Idlib region in the past 24 hours;
On July 26, artillery of Turkish-backed forces shelled SDF positions near Tal Tamar;
On July 26, Alexander Lavrentiev Russias Presidential Envoy for Syria met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus;
On July 25, HTS arrested 13 people from the village of Batabo on charges of being members of armed cells affiliated with hostile parties;
On July 25, the US Air Forces condemned in a statement the unprofessional behavior of a Russian fighter jet harassing a US drone two days earlier over Syria.

20:31

The International in Support the Troops "IndyWatch Feed National"

The second commentary in our ongoing symposium on Katharine Millars Support the Troops: Military Obligation, Gender, and the Making of Political Community. Pinar Bilgin is a professor of International Relations at Bilkent University, Ankara. She is the author of The International in Security, Security in the International (Routledge, 2016) and Regional Security in the Middle East: A Critical Perspective, 2^nd ed. (Routledge, 2019). www.pinarbilgin.me

Support has emerged as the new service following a moment of disconnect with the troops in the UK and the US, we learn from Kate Millars book, Support the Troops. How about other parts of the world that apparently experienced no such disconnect? Support the Troops makes no claim to explain what happens outside the US and UK cases. But I wonder if, by missing aspects of the international, were missing a part of the condition of possibility of all this? In what follows, I will consider the international that has allowed for support to emerge as the new service in some parts of the world, even as others continue to serve and support in some other parts of the world.

Millar acknowledges that StT discoursesalmost uniformlyfail to engage with the international in that Iraqi, Pakistani, and Afghan civilians killed by the wars are rarely mentioned (175). But then, inter-state wars do not exhaust the international. The author also considers the colonial background. These states the US, UK, and others with pervasive support the troops practices, notably Canada and Australiaare also unified by their status as colonial states, she notes (177). Indeed, following Tarak Barkawis argument in Soldiers of Empire, colonial military relations have shaped post-colonial military relations. Yet again, post-/colonial relations do not exhaust the international.

The international in Support the Troops can also be located in post-World War II relations between Europe and non-Europe. When I write Europe, I refer to Western Europe and North America as the geographies that are put at the centre by those who are carriers of this particular w...

03:31

'Olive oil has become gold': Middle East demand skyrockets amid European drought "IndyWatch Feed War"

'Olive oil has become gold': Middle East demand skyrockets amid European drought

Middle East producers 'swimming in olive oil' sense opportunity as Europe's crops wither in heat wave

Sean Mathews Tue, 07/25/2023 - 18:31

A Jordanian man tastes freshly-pressed olive oil at an automatic press in Mahis, west of the capital Amman, on 20 November 2020 (AFP)

The Middle East has a sizzling new commodity: olive oil.

In Tunisia, the price for a kilo of extra virgin is up more than 100 percent from a year ago and demand for bulk olive oil in Turkey is so high that the government just rolled out a tax of $.20 cents for every kilo exported abroad.

The market is so tight that even small producers like Lebanon are seeing unprecedented demand for their olive oil. Earlier this month, a Spanish company arrived in the crisis-wracked Mediterranean country and bought up all the local wholesale reserves, prompting worries about shortages for Lebanons own branded label exports.

If I had a big order today coming from the US or Europe, I wouldnt be able to fill it. The Spanish have emptied Lebanon out of olive oil, Christian Kamel, a project director with Fair Trade Lebanon, told Middle East Eye.

Soaring temperatures in southern Europe are causing prices to skyrocket. Spain - where half of the worlds olive oil is made - is suffering an acute drought. It...