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Macedonia welcomed to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation with standing ovation
The former Yugoslav republic finally agreed previous year to change its name to North Macedonia, to distinguish it from the ancient northern Greek province of Macedonia. "Your accession will bring more stability to the Western Balkans". Russian Federation says that by taking in Balkan members, the alliance is undermining security in the region. [Full Article...]
Saudi Arabia transferred American-made weapons to militants in Yemen
Bolstering the already overwhelming case for cutting off US military support for Saudi Arabia's years-long assault on Yemen, a " bombshell " CNN investigation published late Monday found that the Saudis have sold or freely "passed on" American weapons to al-Qaeda fighters and other militia groups that have helped create the world's worst humanitarian crisis . [Full Article...]
Trump won't commit to releasing Mueller report
Trump told the New York Times in a wide-ranging interview that outgoing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein assured his attorneys that he was "not a subject" or "target" in the investigation. Nunberg said that prosecutors wanted to know "what did Roger and Trump discuss in their phone calls". Mueller, who was appointed in May 2017, is looking into the alleged Russian interference in the 201... [Full Article...]
Russian Navy receives new weapon to blind enemy
The new weapon is called visual and optical noise system 5P-42 "Filin", the Russian agency ria.ru reports citing the holding company "Roselectronika", which produces the weapon system. Admiral Gorshkov and Admiral Kasatonov have two Filin weapons each. The Russian Navy has fitted the chilling new technology to its warships the Admiral Gorshkov and Admiral Kasatonov - which are part of Ru... [Full Article...]
Taliban reject Trump's suggestion of lingering U.S. counter-terrorism presence
And when he addressed the Senate Armed Services Committee, Votel warned that an ISIS resurgence is possible. Angus King, I-Maine, asked. "We were not, I was not consulted ", Votel responded. Following the president's announcement in December 2018 of plans to withdraw USA troops, the United States met with representatives of the Taliban for peace talks. [Full Article...]
Jehovah’s Witness member jailed for extremism
While it is a far cry from the mass deportation of Jehovah's Witnesses to Siberia in Soviet times, the growing number of believers here have faced raids, arrests and bans by local courts in the past decade. He speaks Russian and says he is a fan of Russian culture. "This verdict reveals just how fragile religious freedom has become in Russia", Gillies said. [Full Article...]
Prosecutors subpoena Trump inaugural committee for documents
As the Wall Street Journal reported last December, federal prosecutors in NY are investigating the inaugural committee over suspicions that a portion of the $107 million it raised was misspent. Tom Barrack, the inaugural committee's chairman, also declined to comment. The newspaper reported late past year that federal prosecutors are investigating whether committee donors made contribution... [Full Article...]
Still time for Brexit solution, says Merkel
However, she reiterated that the withdrawal agreement had been painstakingly negotiated and "we do not want to reopen" it. Merkel also stressed the importance of "fairness" and "reciprocity" in trade agreements at the start of her two-day trip to Japan accompanied by a large business delegation. [Full Article...]