tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242044112024-02-02T15:50:26.253+07:00BCFESBatak Center For European StudiesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-31080400160574101722020-12-20T07:38:00.001+07:002020-12-20T07:38:49.678+07:00Fraxinetum: An Islamic Frontier State in Tenth Century ProvenceFraxinetum: An Islamic Frontier <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>The primary focus of this article is a reconsideration of Fraxinetum as an Islamic frontier state in tenth-century Provence. <div><br></div><div>Traditional scholarship about Fraxinetum has interpreted the Muslim presence in Provence within the context of piracy. The interpretation of Fraxinetum as a pirate base centers largely on the interpretation of primary documents and the replication of the arguments of the Latin chroniclers within modern scholarship. Seeking to challenge the view that the Muslims in Francia were merely bandits, through a reassessment of primary sources and an analysis of some non-textual evidence, this article demonstrates that Fraxinetum was the political, military, and economic center of an Islamic frontier state in Provence that was populated largely by ghäzis or mujähidin (Islamic frontier warriors) from al-Andalus. </div><div><br></div><div>Reconceptualizing Fraxinetum as an Islamic frontier state should not be understood to mean that Muslim activity in Provence was centrally administered, but intends to convey that Jihad, as well as certain economic motivations, played a crucial role in this frontier military settlement and, as such, needs to be adequately understood. This will allow scholars to comprehend more fully the nature of Fraxinetum, providing additional insight into the Muslim presence in Provence, and contributing to the understanding of the phenomenon of Islamic frontier states more broadly during the tenth century.</div><div><br></div><div><b><u><a href="https://www.medievalists.net/">Read more</a></u></b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-73037052079900509512020-07-31T20:37:00.001+07:002020-07-31T20:37:23.773+07:00Kosovars Celebrate Eid al-Adha at Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Muslim leaders in Kosovo said Friday they have barred worshippers from celebrating the Eid-al Adha festival in mosques this year because of the coronavirus.<div><br></div><div><b><u><a href="https://m.republicworld.com/world-news/rest-of-the-world-news/kosovars-celebrate-eid-al-adha-at-home.html">Read more</a></u></b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-85317717100690028122019-07-03T07:32:00.003+07:002019-07-03T07:32:30.178+07:00Turkey Forges Ahead on Defense Ambitions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- Turkey’s NATO membership means that it has access to the same technologies as its allied partners. While the nation is involved in a number of large-scale projects—the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) being a prime example—offset requirements remain a key requirement for defense sales to Turkey, and nearly all programs it is involved in have a technology transfer element to them.<br />
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This is the result of a push from the government for Turkey to bolster its defense manufacturing capability. Progress is being made in many areas, but there is a still a reliance on guidance from partner nations that have a more comprehensive knowledge of certain technologies, and to which Ankara still looks to for assistance. This can both work in Turkey’s favor as well as against it, however, as it looks toward conflicting partners for this guidance.<br />
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While involvement in the United States-led F-35 program is significant for the country and for domestic development of parts for the multi-national effort, Turkey’s relationship with another partner—namely Russia—has led to the suspension of deliveries of the F-35 to Turkey.<br />
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Washington was displeased with Ankara’s decision to select the S-400 air defense system developed in Russia—something that it claims compromises the interoperability of the Turkish aircraft into the NATO network—which alongside a number of perceived human rights violations committed by Turkey against U.S. citizens led to the suspension of deliveries of the F-35.<br />
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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, however, has remained steadfast in his stance that the nation will partner with whoever it elects to, and the government-to-government dispute continues.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2019-06-12/turkey-forges-ahead-defense-ambitions">More</a></b><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-34594631316746467032018-12-11T04:18:00.000+07:002018-12-11T04:18:11.978+07:00Spice Up Your Next Snack Time: Indomie Mi Goreng Is Now Available Locally<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- If you love trying out buzzy snacks, you've most likely heard of Indomie Mi Goreng. The instant mi goreng or stir-fried noodles are a hit not just in Indonesia but also in North America, Europe, and Australia because they're packed with lots of punchy flavors—from soy sauce, chili sauce, and fried-onion flakes. Curious yet? You can now buy yourself a pack much more conveniently because Indomie Mi Goreng is available in all 7-Eleven stores!<br />
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Two variants are currently available: A sweet-savory Original and Pedas, still with a subtle sweetness but with a stronger spicy flavor. Any of the flavors make for a quick yet satisfying snack, and they'd probably do well topped with a fried egg or sandwiched between pan de sal, too.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.spot.ph/eatdrink/74763/indomie-mi-goreng-7-eleven-a00198-20180813">More</a></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-40906155030721568812018-06-19T06:13:00.000+07:002018-06-19T06:13:00.985+07:00Turkish Economy Grows 7.4% in First Quarter of 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- The Turkish economy expanded 7.4 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2018, official data showed on Monday, exceeding forecasts and giving President Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party some welcome news ahead of June 24 elections.<br />
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Erdogan announced two months ago that Turkey would hold the presidential and parliamentary elections a year and a half ahead of schedule - a move that analysts said would allow him to campaign just as the economy is likely to have peaked.<br />
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Erdogan, who has overseen both tremendous economic growth and a widening crackdown against opponents during a decade and a half in power, has unnerved investors with an unorthodox stance on monetary policy that has helped send the lira currency down some 15 per cent this year.<br />
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"Crucially, this predates the recent financial market turmoil," Jason Tuvey of Capital Economics said in a note to clients, referring to the faster-than-expected growth.<br />
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"An abrupt slowdown is on the cards over the coming quarters."<br />
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Growth in the first three months of the year outpaced the forecast for a 7.0 per cent expansion in a Reuters poll and was up from 7.3 per cent in the previous quarter.<br />
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The economy grew 2.0 per cent on a seasonally and calendar-adjusted basis from the previous quarter, the data from the Turkish Statistical Institute also showed.<br />
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The lira weakened 1.3 per cent to 4.5234 against the US dollar by 0846 GMT, easing from 4.4885 before the data. Istanbul stocks fell 2 per cent.<br />
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The lira has been hammered this year on concern about Erdogan's grip on monetary policy, prompting the central bank to tighten by 4.25 percentage points since late May to defend the currency.<br />
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"Past experience shows that a tightening of financial conditions on the scale witnessed over recent months tends to result in an abrupt slowdown in annual GDP growth," Capital Economics' Tuvey said.<br />
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However, the economy ministry said Turkey had the potential to exceed its growth forecast of 5.5 per cent this year.<br />
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Erdogan, a self-described "enemy of interest rates", wants to see lower borrowing costs to spur credit growth and construction, particularly ahead of the elections.<br />
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Investors, who fear the economy is overheating, have worried about the central bank's ability to rein in double-digit inflation in the face of pressure from Erdogan.<br />
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Separate data showed that the current account deficit in April widened to $5.426 billion, exceeding a Reuters forecast for a deficit of $5.3 billion.<br />
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Erdogan is seen falling short of a first-round victory, a poll showed last week, although he has far greater support than his closest challenger.<br />
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The president and his ministers have portrayed the sell-off in the currency as an attack on the economy by outside forces, including ratings agencies, looking to weaken Turkey.<br />
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Last week Moody's cut its ratings on 17 Turkish lenders, citing concern about the rising cost of their foreign currency funding, given the decline in the currency.<br />
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<b><a href="http://timesofoman.com/article/136234">More</a></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-25500497452263241252016-12-28T22:00:00.000+07:002016-12-28T22:00:10.834+07:00Turkey Showed Secularism, Democracy, Islam Coexists<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- Turkey has showed to the entire world that secularism, democracy and Islam can coexist, said Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, the daughter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as she attended the 15th annual MAS-ICNA convention, which gathers Muslim communities in the United States, as a guest speaker.<br />
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“Turkey showed to the whole world that secularism, democracy and Islam can live side by side. We have become a source of inspiration for other Muslim nations that change and a better future can be maintained,” said Erdoğan Bayraktar on Dec. 26 as she delivered a speech during a panel discussion on “Overcoming Challenges Facing the Ummah: The Turkish Experience.”<br />
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Erdoğan Bayraktar, who is the vice chair of the Women and Democracy Association (KADEM) in Turkey, also praised the role of her country in providing aid programs to Muslim countries, noting that Turkey was the country that had provided the most humanitarian aid as far as its GDP is concerned and had always stood by people who demand democracy and freedom such as those in Egypt and Syria.<br />
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“The success story that Turkey wrote despite the challenges belongs not only to it, but to all the Ummah,” said Erdoğan Bayraktar. <br />
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She also talked about the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, narrating the counter-coup actions carried out by thousands of citizens.<br />
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“Something that has never happened before in the history of our republic took place that night. The people went to the streets to take back their democracy,” said Erdoğan Bayraktar.<br />
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“Dear friends, imagine for a second, that the White House or Congress was bombed by a terrorist group,” Bayraktar said. “How would you react? How would you like your government to react in the face of such violence? You would want retaliation and restoration of justice within the rule of law. That’s exactly what the Turkish people want.”<br />
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She added that Ankara was taking steps to “weed out those who support the attack on democracy.”<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-showed-secularism-democracy-islam-coexists-sumeyye-erdogan-bayraktar.aspx?pageID=238&nID=107822&NewsCatID=339">More</a></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-63639481491403683092016-12-13T09:30:00.000+07:002016-12-13T09:30:00.197+07:00Female Defense Ministries of Europe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- You’d be forgiven if you looked at this picture of these four women and “defense ministers from European countries” was the last option (if any) that came to mind when picking their careers. But that’s precisely what makes this image all the more important.<br />
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Each of these four women is the defense minister from a country in Europe. From left to right, Ine Eriksen Soreide from Norway, Karin Enstrom from Sweden, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert from The Netherlands, and Ursula von der Leyen from Germany. This picture was taken during the Munich Summit in early February, where politicians from around the world had gathered for an annual security conference. It was taken by another defense minister, Pieter De Crem form Belgium, spotted the four women together and took a photo.<br />
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<b><a href="http://girltalkhq.com/4-women-defense-ministers-norway-sweden-germany-netherlands/">More</a></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-40492969635850094532016-07-30T05:30:00.001+07:002016-07-30T05:30:04.332+07:00Indofood gets a taste of Turkey with expansion plans underway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- Indonesia’s largest food producer, PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk or better known as Indofood has been trying to tap into the European market via its first stop, Turkey.<br />
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It all started since 2014, where food giant set up a factory in the highly-populated country of a 78 million population and it’s said to be one of Indofood’s biggest markets now. Anthoni Salim, chief executive of Indofood told local reporters during his recent press conference at the company’s headquarter in Jakarta that – Turkey is seen as a bridge to enter the EU.<br />
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Financial Times reported that the FMCG giant’s target is to increase its global business to 15% by penetrating the global halal food market. In its home country Indonesia, the company dominates with a 10% market share in the FMCG pie, accounting for 70% of the domestic noodle market. This contributes about 65 percent of its revenue.<br />
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<a href="http://www.marketing-interactive.com/indomie-gets-taste-turkey/">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-61396717812416207852016-07-30T05:28:00.000+07:002016-07-30T05:28:20.156+07:00Instant noodles warm up European market for Indonesian Indofood <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- Indofood’s decision to formally enter Turkey, following the setting up of a factory in 2014, is part of a larger plan to penetrate the European market, where experts say there is good potential for the company to do well. In fact, Indofood is already the most successful instant-noodle company in Turkey, through sales of its products imported by distributors.<br />
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Indofood's Indomie brand has a reasonable lead over Japan’s Nissin in instant-noodle pouches, a bigger market than instant-noodle cups, where Nissin remains the top-selling brand. Establishing a local subsidiary will allow Indofood to strengthen its position considerably in the market and compete with Japanese and Korean brands. “Indofood already has the leading share of this small market,” said Ratna Sita, research manager, Euromonitor International.<br />
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“Its Turkish base is meant to be a gateway to Europe to penetrate various Western Europe markets including UK, Germany and the Netherlands—where its Indomie brand is already widely available in Asian stores and certain mainstream supermarket chains.”<br />
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<a href="http://www.campaignasia.com/article/instant-noodles-warm-up-european-market-for-indofood/427606">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-71099596615592196492016-07-25T13:14:00.000+07:002016-07-25T13:16:04.613+07:00Kosovo artists collaborate with Coloradans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- The picturesque Rifle Falls provided some much needed down time Thursday for some special visitors from Eastern Europe. An unusual scene took place as artists from Kosovo and locals congregated at the base of the falls to capture its beauty with easels and brushes.<br />
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The visitors are gathering on the Western Slope as a part of the Colorado-Kosovo Culture and Art Exchange. The project, 10 years in the making, has a simple goal: Creating beauty, encouraging empathy and fostering reconciliation through cultural exchange, public mural projects, art education and community investment.<br />
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Mary Wade helped start the project many years ago. As part of a trip with New Hope Church in Rifle, Wade visited the Balkans in 2005. After meeting several artists in Kosovo on a side trip, an idea was born to bring Colorado artists to Kosovo. The first cultural exchanged happened the following year. The Coloradans collaborated with Kosovar Albanians to paint a mural in Viti, Kosovo. At the time, the project was unique and groundbreaking.<br />
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<a href="http://www.postindependent.com/news/local/kosovo-artists-collaborate-with-coloradans/"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.postindependent.com/news/local/kosovo-artists-collaborate-with-coloradans/">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-18756266151683810082016-07-25T13:08:00.001+07:002016-07-25T13:08:14.333+07:00Proxy War, What's Behind Russian Support for World's Separatist Movements?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- Britain's decision to leave the European Union is just the beginning, if some in the Kremlin have their way.<br />
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Northern Irish, Scottish, Basque, Catalan and Italian secessionists have been invited to Moscow for a conference, partly funded by Russia, planned for August. They will mingle with Texan, Californian, Puerto-Rican and Hawaiian wannabe-separatists from all over the world, the conference organizer says.<br />
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"Our goal is to consolidate efforts based on international legal standards [and] to achieve the very democracy the European Union and the United States talk about, but [the democracy] in its true meaning," Alexander Ionov, head of the Anti-Globalist Movement of Russia, which is organizing the event, told NBC News.<br />
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One of the international standards he referred to is to a nation's right for self-determination that is part of the United Nations' chapter.<br />
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Ionov said that the Russian government's modest grant of $53,000 to accommodate dozens of guests will be supplemented by private donations from "Texas and other countries" that openly or clandestinely support the secessionist cause.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/what-s-behind-russian-support-world-s-separatist-movements-n614196"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/what-s-behind-russian-support-world-s-separatist-movements-n614196">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-17072597397177117052016-07-25T09:27:00.001+07:002016-07-25T09:27:17.769+07:00Malawi establishes diplomatic ties with Kosovo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- Malawi’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Brian Bowler and the Consul General of the Republic of Kosovo in New York, Mrs. Teuta Sahatqija signed the agreement on behalf of their respective governments in a joint communiqué.<br />
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According to the communiqué, the Governments of Malawi and Kosovo will cooperate in promoting ties of friendship between the two countries, widening the horizons of mutual cooperation, and supporting the cause of international peace and security.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nyasatimes.com/malawi-establishes-diplomatic-ties-kosovo/"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.nyasatimes.com/malawi-establishes-diplomatic-ties-kosovo/">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-91331173111455195312016-07-25T09:20:00.001+07:002016-07-25T09:24:27.438+07:00Kosovo sending 8 athletes to its first Olympics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- Kosovo is sending eight athletes to its first Olympics, and even hopes to win a couple of medals.<br />
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The Kosovo Olympic Committee introduced the eight on Tuesday; two swimmers, two judokas, two in athletics, one shooter, and a cyclist.<br />
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"For the first time, we are feeling what it means to be equal among all the other athletes," Kosovo Olympic Committee head Besim Hasani said at the presentation.<br />
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<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2016/07/19/kosovo-sending-eight-athletes-to-its-first-olympics/87284194/">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-15823168846352279182016-07-25T09:20:00.000+07:002016-07-25T09:21:23.156+07:00Jusuf Nurkic named to Bosnia and Herzegovina Eurobasket team<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- According to a recent article published on FIBAEurope.com, Denver Nuggets Center Jusuf Nurkic is expected to be part of the Bosnia & Herzegovina team which will attempt to qualify for the 2017 Eurobasket Tournament in Ukraine.<br />
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Jurkic (sic) had only played for the senior national team during a few minutes in September 2012, when he was just 18 years old. Training camp starts on 25 July and the NBA duo will join preparations in August, as per the relevant agreement.<br />
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So despite the article being unable to get his name right, the excitement is none the less high for the Bosnian Beast to play for his national team. The Eurobasket is the largest European basketball tournament and typically in the past has meant an automatic qualification to the victor for either the Olympics or the World Championships, however with the new competition system scheduled to start in 2017, it doesn't appear that the 2017 Eurobasket will have any impact on qualifying for the 2019 World Cup of Basketball.<br />
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<a href="http://www.denverstiffs.com/2016/7/21/12251056/jusuf-nurkic-named-to-bosnia-and-herzegovina-eurobasket-qualifying"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.denverstiffs.com/2016/7/21/12251056/jusuf-nurkic-named-to-bosnia-and-herzegovina-eurobasket-qualifying">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-73045137399447562482016-07-25T09:16:00.000+07:002016-07-25T09:16:39.567+07:00Albania’s Opens Bunker Museums<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- Spend just a few days in Albania and you’ll get a sense of how the country was suffocated in the iron grip of its communist dictatorship for nearly 50 years.<br />
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The land, from gorgeous beaches to remote valleys, is still dotted, 25 years after the collapse of the regime, with tens of thousands of bunkers, concrete testament to the paranoia of Enver Hoxha, who led the country from 1944 until his death in 1985. They were built to withstand invaders who never came and most are still standing. And now that examining the legacy of the communist era is on the political and cultural agenda, some have found a new role.<br />
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/jun/25/albania-tirana-bunkers-museums-communist">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-72652608386832710042016-07-22T19:36:00.001+07:002016-07-22T19:36:56.815+07:00Europeans Drawn from Three Ancient 'Tribes'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- The modern European gene pool was formed when three ancient populations mixed within the last 7,000 years, Nature journal reports.<br />
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Blue-eyed, swarthy hunters mingled with brown-eyed, pale skinned farmers as the latter swept into Europe from the Near East.<br />
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But another, mysterious population with Siberian affinities also contributed to the genetic landscape of the continent.<br />
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The findings are based on analysis of genomes from nine ancient Europeans.<br />
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Agriculture originated in the Near East - in modern Syria, Iraq and Israel - before expanding into Europe around 7,500 years ago.<br />
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Multiple lines of evidence suggested this new way of life was spread by a wave of migrants, who interbred with the indigenous European hunter-gatherers they encountered on the way.<br />
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But assumptions about European origins were based largely on the genetic patterns of living people. The science of analysing genomic DNA from ancient bones has put some of the prevailing theories to the test, throwing up a few surprises.<br />
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Genomic DNA contains the biochemical instructions for building a human, and resides within the nuclei of our cells.<br />
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In the new paper, Prof David Reich from the Harvard Medical School and colleagues studied the genomes of seven hunter-gatherers from Scandinavia, one hunter whose remains were found in a cave in Luxembourg and an early farmer from Stuttgart, Germany.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29213892"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29213892">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-66106523065785399312016-07-18T23:40:00.001+07:002016-07-25T09:12:38.242+07:00After Brexit, EU to Expedite Turexit Amid Turkish Failed Coup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has warned that Turkey would be barred from joining the bloc if it reintroduces the death penalty to allow the execution of those involved in a recent failed coup in the country.<br />
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Speaking in Brussels where she has been meeting with European foreign ministers, Mogherini said that Turkey's return of the death penalty would bar its EU membership.<br />
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<a href="http://presstv.com/Detail/2016/07/18/475783/Turkey-Erdogan-EU-Mogherini-Germany--Steffen-Seibert">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-29399324819199892212016-07-18T23:04:00.001+07:002016-07-18T23:04:46.746+07:00Erdogan Helps Carry Coffin of Turkey Coup Victim<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday helped carry a coffin and talked to grieving relatives as he attended funerals for some of those killed during an attempted military coup.<br />
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The quashed coup, which started with tanks rolling onto the streets of Ankara and Istanbul on Friday night as the president was on a seaside vacation, claimed at least 265 lives, according to officials.<br />
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<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/17/recep-tayyip-erdogan-helps-carry-coffin-of-turkey-coup-victim/"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/17/recep-tayyip-erdogan-helps-carry-coffin-of-turkey-coup-victim/">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-10378228407669642892016-07-18T16:00:00.001+07:002016-07-18T16:00:11.618+07:00Turkish H-Bombs in Incirlik Airbase<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- Among the many questions still unanswered following Friday’s coup attempt in Turkey is one that has national-security implications for the United States and for the rest of the world: How secure are the American hydrogen bombs stored at a Turkish airbase?<br />
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The Incirlik Airbase, in southeast Turkey, houses nato’s largest nuclear-weapons storage facility. On Saturday morning, the American Embassy in Ankara issued an “Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens,” warning that power had been cut to Incirlik and that “local authorities are denying movements on to and off of” the base. Incirlik was forced to rely on backup generators; U.S. Air Force planes stationed there were prohibited from taking off or landing; and the security-threat level was raised to fpcon Delta, the highest state of alert, declared when a terrorist attack has occurred or may be imminent. On Sunday, the base commander, General Bekir Ercan Van, and nine other Turkish officers at Incirlik were detained for allegedly supporting the coup. As of this writing, American flights have resumed at the base, but the power is still cut off.<br />
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According to Hans M. Kristensen, the director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, underground vaults at Incirlik hold about fifty B-61 hydrogen bombs—more than twenty-five per cent of the nuclear weapons in the nato stockpile. The nuclear yield of the B-61 can be adjusted to suit a particular mission. The bomb that destroyed Hiroshima had an explosive force equivalent to about fifteen kilotons of TNT. In comparison, the “dial-a-yield” of the B-61 bombs at Incirlik can be adjusted from 0.3 kilotons to as many as a hundred and seventy kilotons.<br />
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Incirlik was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the wake of the Second World War; when Turkey joined nato, in 1952, it became a crucial American base during the Cold War. With a flight time of about an hour to the Soviet Union, the base hosted American fighters, bombers, tankers, and U-2 spy planes. And, like many nato bases, it stored American nuclear weapons. nato strategy was dependent on nuclear weapons as a counterbalance to the perceived superiority of Soviet conventional forces. The threat of a nuclear attack, it was assumed, would deter Soviet tanks from rolling into nato territory. And granting nato countries access to nuclear weapons would strengthen the alliance, providing tangible evidence that the United States would risk a nuclear war for nato’s defense.<br />
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By the mid-nineteen-sixties, more than seven thousand American nuclear weapons were deployed in Western Europe, Greece, and Turkey. They came in all sizes, shapes, and yields: nuclear warheads, bombs, land mines, depth charges, artillery shells, even small nuclear projectiles that could be fired from a recoilless rifle. The weapons were technically in the custody of U.S. officers, ready to be handed over for use in wartime by nato personnel. But custody of the weapons was not the same as control of them. A delegation of U.S. senators visiting Europe in 1960 was shocked to find hydrogen bombs loaded onto German planes that were on alert and crewed by German pilots; thermonuclear warheads atop missiles manned by Italian crews; nuclear weapons guarded and transported by “non-Americans with non-American vehicles.” The theft or use of these weapons by nato allies became a grave concern. “The prime loyalty of the guards, of course, is to their own nation, and not to the U.S.,” the Senate delegation warned in a classified report.<br />
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Two years later, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara worried that Turkish officers might try to fire some of nato’s nuclear missiles at the Soviet Union without permission—and ordered American custodians to sabotage the missiles, somehow, if anyone tried to launch them. Coded switches were subsequently placed inside nato’s hydrogen bombs. These switches, known as Permissive Action Links (pals), were designed to hinder unauthorized use of the weapons; the bombs wouldn’t detonate if the operator didn’t enter the right code. But pals could be circumvented by someone with the proper technical skills. When two nato allies, Greece and Turkey, were on the cusp of war in 1974, the United States secretly removed all of nato’s nuclear weapons from Greece and cut the arming wires of every nuclear weapon stored in Turkey, rendering them inoperable.<br />
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Thanks largely to stockpile reductions during the Administrations of President George H. W. Bush and President George W. Bush, the United States now has about a hundred and eighty nuclear weapons deployed with nato, all of them B-61 bombs. In addition to Incirlik, the weapons are stored at bases in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy. Today, the symbolism of these bombs is far more important than their military utility; missiles carrying nuclear warheads reach targets much faster, more reliably, and with much greater accuracy. The advocates of retaining nuclear weapons in nato argue that the B-61 bombs demonstrate America’s enduring commitment to the alliance, intimidate Russia, and discourage nato members from developing their own hydrogen bombs. Opponents of the weapons, like Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German foreign minister, consider them “absolutely senseless”—and an inviting target for terrorists.<br />
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With a few hours and the right tools and training, you could open one of nato’s nuclear-weapons storage vaults, remove a weapon, and bypass the pal inside it. Within seconds, you could place an explosive device on top of a storage vault, destroy the weapon, and release a lethal radioactive cloud. nato’s hydrogen bombs are still guarded by the troops of their host countries. In 2010, peace activists climbed over a fence at the Kleine Brogel Airbase, in Belgium, cut through a second fence, entered a hardened shelter containing nuclear-weapon vaults, placed anti-nuclear stickers on the walls, wandered the base for an hour, and posted a video of the intrusion on YouTube. The video showed that the Belgian soldier who finally confronted them was carrying an unloaded rifle.<br />
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Security concerns at Incirlik Airbase recently prompted a major upgrade of the perimeter fence that surrounds its nuclear-weapons storage area. Incirlik is about seventy miles from the Syrian border, and since last October American aircraft and drones based there have been attacking isis forces. Its proximity to rebel-controlled areas in Syria and the rash of terrorist acts in Turkey led the Pentagon, a few months ago, to issue an “ordered departure” of all the family members of American troops at Incirlik. They were asked to leave immediately. About two thousand U.S. military personnel remain stationed there. Although Incirlik probably has more nuclear weapons than any other nato base, it does not have any American or Turkish aircraft equipped to deliver them. The bombs simply sit at the base, underground, waiting to be used or misused.<br />
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<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-h-bombs-in-turkey"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-h-bombs-in-turkey">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-17017647000155475672016-07-15T04:40:00.001+07:002016-07-15T04:40:11.633+07:00From Srebrenica to Syria: Lessons not Learned<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/">BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</a></b> -- It has been 21 years since the Srebrenica genocide took place in eastern Bosnia under the U.N.'s watch. It was a failure of the international system of colossal proportions that led to the bloody murdering of more than 8,000 Bosniak men and children in a manner no different from the Nazi Holocaust of European Jews during World War II. A similar human tragedy is taking place in Syria where the war has entered its sixth year and the international system has opted to let it happen again under the watch of the U.N., Europe, the U.S. and the rest of the world. What connects Srebrenica, the largest massacre at the heart of Europe since World War II, and Syria, the deadliest war in recent memory, is the collective failure of the international system to stop war, state terror and human suffering.<br />
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In July 1995, thousands of Bosniak families were separated from their husbands and children by the Serbian military forces under the order of Ratko Mladic, also known as the "Butcher of Bosnia." They were going to be safe in U.N.-declared safe areas, they were told, and Srebrenica, along with Goradze and Zepa, was one of the three safe areas in eastern Bosnia. The U.N. and other officials bought the Serbian story on the grounds that it would help achieve a peace deal. But the Serbs had made it clear that they were going for what Radovan Karadzic had openly called the "ethnic cleansing" of Bosniak Muslims.<br />
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<a href="http://www.dailysabah.com/columns/ibrahim-kalin/2016/07/14/from-srebrenica-to-syria-lessons-not-learned">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-84651994256109937862016-07-15T04:30:00.001+07:002016-07-15T04:36:30.217+07:00US and Britain Wrangled Over Iraq's Oil in Aftermath of War<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/">BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</a></b> -- The US and British governments fought bitterly over control of Iraq’s oil following the toppling of Saddam Hussein, the Chilcot papers show. Tony Blair seemed more concerned than the Americans about any invasion being seen by critics as a war for oil, telling them it would be very damaging if the two countries were seen to “grab Iraq’s oil”.<br />
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But Sir David Manning, foreign policy adviser to Tony Blair, told Condoleezza Rice, the US national security adviser, in Washington on 9 December 2002 that Britain still wanted more of the spoils.<br />
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“It would be inappropriate for HMG [Her Majesty’s government] to enter into discussions about any future carve-up of the Iraqi oil industry,” he said. “Nonetheless it is essential that our [British] companies are given access to a level playing field in this and other sectors.”<br />
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/07/us-and-britain-wrangled-over-iraqs-oil-in-aftermath-of-war-chilcot-shows">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-73710124324849632262016-07-15T04:20:00.000+07:002016-07-15T04:20:08.671+07:00Nigel Farage's Anti-Migrant Poster Reported to Police<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- An anti-migrant poster unveiled by Nigel Farage has been reported to the police with a complaint that it incites racial hatred and breaches UK race laws. On Thursday night Dave Prentis, of the Unison union, said he had written to the Metropolitan police about the poster, which shows a queue of mostly non-white migrants and refugees with the slogan “Breaking point: the EU has failed us all.”<br />
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Prentis described the Ukip poster as a “blatant attempt to incite racial hatred”. He said: “This is scaremongering in its most extreme and vile form. Leave campaigners have descended into the gutter with their latest attempt to frighten working people into voting to leave the EU.<br />
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<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/16/nigel-farage-defends-ukip-breaking-point-poster-queue-of-migrants">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-20532493105878293582016-07-15T04:17:00.001+07:002016-07-15T04:17:22.466+07:00European People Begin to Reject Multi-Culturalism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/">BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</a></b> -- Europe is rejecting the idea that multi-culturalism is beneficial to society following a year in which the migrant crisis and Isil-inspired terror attacks have boosted anti-Muslim sentiment across the continent, a new Europe-wide survey has shown.<br />
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The data from Pew Research, the leading non-partisan US social attitudes survey company, will serve as another sharp warning to Europe’s political elites about the growing strength of grassroots sentiment over the migration issue.<br />
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<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/12/europe-rejects-multi-cultural-society-says-survey/">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-5463520457611232092016-07-15T04:12:00.001+07:002016-07-15T04:12:35.485+07:00ASEM11 in Mongolia to Strengthen Economic Cooperation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- Indonesian Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla, here on Thursday, left for Mongolia to attend the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM11) to be held in Ulaanbaatar on July 15-16.<br />
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Kalla, accompanied by his wife Mufidah Kalla and Deputy Foreign Minister A.M. Fachir, departed aboard the special presidential aircraft BBJ-2 from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force base located in eastern Jakarta.<br />
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Following the opening ceremony of ASEM on Friday morning, the vice president is scheduled to deliver a three-minute address at a plenary session.<br />
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ASEM also marks the 20th anniversary since the Asia-Europe Meeting dialog process was initiated on March 1-2, 1996, in Bangkok, Thailand.<br />
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As an informal forum for dialog and cooperation, ASEM brings together 53 partners from across Europe and Asia.<br />
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Its key purpose is to offer a platform to foster political dialog, strengthen economic cooperation, and together tackle global challenges.<br />
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ASEM comprises 28 member states of the European Union along with Norway and Switzerland on the European side and the 10 ASEAN member countries.<br />
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Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Russia also joined the ASEM, along with two institutional partners: the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat.<br />
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The EU members comprise Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.<br />
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The ASEAN member nations are Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos.<br />
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On the sidelines of the summit in Mongolia, Kalla is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with several leaders, including the presidents of Cyprus and Myanmar as well as the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Estonia, and the Netherlands.<br />
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<a href="http://en.republika.co.id/berita/en/international/16/07/14/oaaq2s317-vp-to-attend-asiaeurope-meeting-in-mongolia"><br /></a>
<a href="http://en.republika.co.id/berita/en/international/16/07/14/oaaq2s317-vp-to-attend-asiaeurope-meeting-in-mongolia">More</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24204411.post-87740655613860378592016-06-25T02:26:00.000+07:002016-06-25T02:26:05.680+07:00After Brexit: Turkey Warns of Turexit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://europstudies.blogspot.my/"><b>BATAK CENTER FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES</b></a> -- Amid turmoIl in the European Union due to the inability of the 27 nation-bloc's leaders to hold the union together, Turkey has sent a stern warning to the EU, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said there could be a referendum in the near future to exit membership talks.<br />
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"You officially made a promise to Turkey in 1963. It's been 53 years. You are still wasting time. Why are you wasting time? … They are discriminating against Turkey. If the EU dismisses Turkey, we will go to the people. We'll ask if Turkey should continue membership talks with the EU," he said on Wednesday, adding that he thinks the reason why the EU has been stalling Turkey's accession process is because Turkey has a large Muslim population.<br />
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"[The referendum] is not blackmail or a threat. We want what is our right. Our citizens also deserve it," Çavuşoğlu said Tuesday, adding that Turkey could hold a referendum if the promises are not met.<br />
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<a href="http://www.dailysabah.com/eu-affairs/2016/06/24/turkey-warns-of-turexit-as-eu-leaders-unable-to-keep-union-intact-amid-crises">More</a></div>
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