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Europe’s migrant crisis isn’t going away, but it is changing
(CNN)Much has changed since the height of the refugee crisis that gripped Europe in the summer of 2015. Since the shocking images of drowned Syrian toddler Alan Kurdi went viral, the crisis has largely been out of international headlines. But it doesn’t show any signs of stopping. Since 2015, Europe has scrambled to cope with…
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Take a lesson: How Germany handles monuments from Nazi and communist eras
The overdue momentum to remove various Confederate symbols, especially about 1,500 statues, from their perches has picked up across the country in the aftermath of right-wing violence in Charlottesville, Va. In Gainesville, Fla., Durham, N.C., and Baltimore, the toppling has already begun. In some cases, state or local authorities have driven the process. In others,…
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Russia’s election meddling backfired — big-time
Intelligence officers sometimes talk about “blowback,” when covert actions go bad and end up damaging the country that initiated them. A year later, that is surely the case with Russia’s secret attempt to meddle in the U.S. presidential election, which has brought a string of adverse unintended consequences for Moscow. The Kremlin is still issuing…
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For 20 million people, conflict added to drought means no food to eat
Conflict and drought are threatening more than 20 million people in four countries with the prospect of famine, and the U.N. has called this food crisis the largest humanitarian crisis since the world body was formed more than 70 years ago. Additional resources and funding are needed “to pull people back from the brink of…
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Defiant Trump renews criticism of ‘both sides’ in protest
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump defiantly blamed “both sides” for the weekend violence between white supremacists and counter-demonstrators in Virginia, seeking to rebuff the widespread criticism of his handling of the emotionally-charged protests while showing sympathy for the fringe group’s efforts to preserve Confederate monuments. In doing so, Trump used the bullhorn of the…
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A much-needed Trump victory: Germany keeps its promise
President Trump has been having a rough few weeks and could use a win. So why isn’t he crowing about what seems to be an important victory in getting Germany to pay its fair share for defense of the Western world? It’s no secret that Trump and Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, regard one another warily….
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Taliban’s open letter to Donald Trump urges US to leave Afghanistan
The 1,600-word note said a US withdrawal would “truly deliver American troops from harm’s way.” The Taliban have released an open letter to President Donald Trump, reiterating their calls for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan after 16 years of war. In a long and rambling note in English that was sent to journalists…
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Sierra Leone appeals for urgent help after deadly floods and fear of disease outbreak
President Ernest Bai Koroma fought back tears and said the devastation was ‘overwhelming us’, as he toured Regent, one of the worst-hit areas. “Entire communities have been wiped out,” Koroma said Tuesday. “We need urgent support now.” As the city began to bury its dead, foreign governments began mobilising aid, with Israel pledging to provide…
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The rise of Raed Salah, Israel’s Islamist leader who wants Jerusalem at the heart of a caliphate
The recently rearrested preacher has built a career ‘defending’ Al-Aqsa against Israel’s purported planned takeover, building vast support among Arab Israelis. In 2001, Sheikh Raed Salah did something almost unheard of in the Arab world: He voluntarily relinquished power. Since 1989, he had served as mayor of Israel’s second-largest Arab city, Umm al-Fahm. He and…
