On September 21, 2020, a South Korean civil servant got lost near Yeonpyeongdo and was later found dead. South Korean Defense Ministry stated during the September 24th briefing that the civil servant’s body was burned using flammable oil by the North Korean naval guards. Earlier in 2010, North Korea shelled the same area, killing 2 marines and 2 civilians.
Cuba and the US are big players in the field of health diplomacy as they have been at the front in numerous global health crises and natural disasters. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Cuba has sent more than fifty medical teams to twenty countries across the world.
Despite the mounting evidence of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s arrant enmity against the West and the regime’s adoption of regional insecurity as a de facto state policy, the Washington establishment remains hesitant to call a spade a spade and punish Ankara for the mayhem it has generated in all directions, counter to the U.S. regional interests. No less worrisome is the influence of the “blame America first” apologists in Washington who exonerate Turkey and go as far as to accuse the U.S. of the deteriorated relationship with the country that is an ally only in name.
For nearly two months, Belarusians have been taking to the streets to protest the results of the fraudulent presidential election of August 9. According to Ales Bialiatski of the Human Rights Center “Viasna,” close to 12,000 people have been detained since the night of the election. As of September 1, UN experts have received reports of 450 documented cases of torture and ill-treatment in detention. International human rights organizations raised concerns over the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades by riot police.
Following the meeting of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka with Vladimir Putin on September 14 in Sochi, one might get the impression that the Russian leader fully supported his counterpart amid the ongoing mass protests in Belarus. In particular, Putin confirmed his commitment to provide Minsk with a $1.5 billion loan and reiterated his recognition of Lukashenka as the legitimate president of Belarus. In turn, the Belarusian president again tried to demonstrate his loyalty to Moscow and to the ideas of the “allied states” of Belarus and Russia.
The Uighurs are a largely Muslim ethnic group based mainly in the Xinjiang autonomous region in northwestern China. Over 10 million Uighurs live in Xinjiang, which is about 45 percent of the region’s population of 24 million, and less than 1 percent of China’s total population. Uighur communities can also be found in Central Asia, particularly in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The Uighur language is a part of the Turkic group of Altaic languages and shares similarities with Uzbek, Mongolian, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz languages. Faith is an important part of Uighurs’ culture and identity, as most of them practice a moderate form of Sunni Islam.
Thousands of people took to the streets in Minsk and at least 30 other Belarusian cities following the presidential election on August 9. According to the country’s Central Election Commission, the incumbent Belarusian President
Taiwan, initially deemed defenseless against the novel coronavirus, is now winning the global fight against the pandemic. Among industrialized countries, Taiwan is a leader in containing the virus’ spread through… read more →
The U.S.-Russia relations are arguably at their lowest point since the Cold War. Back in 2016, Donald Trump pledged to improve bilateral relations with Russia, however, little substantial progress has… read more →
Introduction Turkey is a significant regional player whose posturing cannot be overlooked in the context of the Syrian civil war. Turkey and Syria both share a border, having had a… read more →