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CNN —NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that Turkey has agreed to back Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance. Erdoğan has stood in the path of Sweden joining NATO for more than a year over a multitude of concerns. Turkey had resisted Sweden’s bid to join NATO for a long time, giving multiple reasons – including accusations that Swedish officials have been complicit in Islamophobic demonstrations, such as the burning of the Quran. More importantly, Turkey claims that Sweden allows members of recognized Kurdish terror groups to operate, most notably the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). But Erdoğan had faced pressure to step out of the way of Sweden’s NATO bid from his European and American allies.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Erdoğan, Erdogan, ” Stoltenberg, Sweden’s, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden, Biden “, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Kyriakos, ” Biden, It’s Organizations: CNN, NATO, European Union, Grand, Assembly, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Air Force, White, Biden Locations: Turkey, Vilnius, Lithuania, Sweden, Lithuanian, Greece, “ Turkey, Mitsotakis

☆ NATO: Comments from Biden and Erdogan threaten to overshadow summit -- and help Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

On Monday morning, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that Sweden’s membership of NATO should be linked to Turkey’s membership of the European Union. And the Turkish president, officials are aware, is very good at using any leverage he has to extract things he wants from his Western allies. Erdogan, European officials have repeatedly said, knew that he had Brussels over a barrel as he could effectively “flood” Europe with refugees at will. It is therefore a headache, but not a huge shock, that Erdogan is using a key international summit to play his best hand. NATO, remarkably, has remained united for most of the war and has gone beyond what most expected was possible.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ” Erdogan, Erdogan, Zelensky, Ozan, Putin, Christine Olsson, Joe Biden’s, “, ”, –, Biden – Organizations: CNN, NATO, European Union, West, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Kremlin, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, TT, Agency, AFP, Getty Locations: Lithuanian, Vilnius, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Brussels, Ankara, Turkish, Syria, geopolitically, Europe, Kremlin

☆ Trailing Michel Houellebecq From the Bedroom to the Courtroom
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Nina Siegal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a joint interview, Ruitenbeek and Sinha said they developed the concept for the Houellebecq film with the author and shot 600 hours of footage of him, with his contractual consent. Houellebecq only objected when they put together a two-minute trailer for the work in progress, according to Ruitenbeek and Sinha. (Houellebecq has a long history of making critical statements about Islam, and some readers have found Islamophobic sentiments in his books.) In a French court, Houellebecq argued that the trailer violated his privacy and damaged his image. After Houellebecq left the project, KIRAC filmed in and around the court proceedings, as well as shooting other moments, such as Saturday night’s cockroach show.

Persons: Ruitenbeek, Sinha, Houellebecq, “, ” Ruitenbeek, KIRAC, Jacqueline Schaap Locations: Morocco, Paris, Amsterdam

☆ Ex-Crawley manager Yems' ban extended until 2026 after FA appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Crawley suspended Yems in April 2022 over accusations that he used discriminatory language and behaviour towards his players between 2019 and 2022. Yems was found to have made 16 breaches of FA Rule E3.2, which relates to comments on race and ethnicity. "We welcome the verdict from the independent Appeal Board to suspend John Yems from all football-related activity until January 2026," the FA said in a statement. "We strongly disagreed with their original sanction, as well as some of the elements of their judgement, which we fundamentally believed were not appropriate for the severity of the offences committed by John Yems." British anti-discriminatory body Kick It Out welcomed the appeal board's decision to extend the ban, calling it a "landmark moment".

☆ The GOP risks blowing its 2024 chances by enlisting fringe pols and pushing issues normal voters don't care about
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The New York Times reported Trump wanted to hire far-right xenophone Laura Loomer to his campaign. The potential hire shows how far the Republican Party has moved from the median voter. It's just another example of how out of touch the Republican Party has become with the average voter. The Republican Party has yet to win the popular vote in presidential elections since 2004. Should the party keep hiring oddballs and pursuing culture war issues while failing to address substantive issues affecting the country, it's unclear that will change.

ANKARA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Turkey summoned ambassadors of nine Western countries including the United States and Sweden on Thursday to criticise their decisions to temporarily shut diplomatic missions and issue security alerts following Koran-burning incidents in Europe. The envoys of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Britain were also summoned, according to foreign ministry sources in Ankara. Germany, France and the Netherlands were among countries that temporarily closed diplomatic missions in Turkey for security reasons this week. The source added that the security of all diplomatic missions is ensured in accordance with international conventions and "allies should cooperate with" Turkish authorities. The U.S. embassy confirmed its Ambassador Jeffry Flake attended a meeting at Turkey's foreign ministry on Thursday.

☆ U.S. issues another warning of possible terrorist attacks in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Turkey warned Americans on Monday of possible attacks against churches, synagogues, and diplomatic missions in Istanbul, marking its second such notice in four days, following Koran-burning incidents in Europe. In an updated security alert, the U.S. embassy said "possible imminent retaliatory attacks by terrorists" could take place in areas frequented by Westerners, especially the city's Beyoglu, Galata, Taksim, and Istiklal neighbourhoods. On Friday, several embassies in Ankara including those of the United States, Germany, France and Italy issued security alerts over possible retaliatory attacks against places of worship, following separate incidents in which the Muslim holy book, the Koran, was burned in Sweden, Netherlands and Denmark. On Saturday, Turkey warned its citizens against "possible Islamophobic, xenophobic and racist attacks" in the United States and Europe. Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia's war in Ukraine backfired by uniting NATO, even as cracks emerged over nearly a year of fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

When Putin invaded Ukraine, he miscalculated the response from Western countries. NATO has been largely united in its response to Russia's war, consistently providing Kyiv with military aid. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively succeeded in remaking the Western bloc, Araud said, adding that "the Western alliance is back." After the Soviet Union collapsed, both Finland and Sweden became NATO partner countries but stopped short of pursuing full membership. Even under the intense pressure of war, the alliance is "holding the way that they have in the past," he said.

☆ Turkey alerts citizens to risk of attack in United States, Europe on heels of Western warnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Turkey warned its citizens on Saturday against "possible Islamophobic, xenophobic and racist attacks" in the United States and Europe after its Western allies cautioned their citizens in Turkey about possible terror attacks. Recent increases in "anti-Islam and racist acts" reflect the dangerous dimensions of religious intolerance and hatred in Europe, the ministry said. Several embassies in Ankara including those of the United States, Germany, France and Italy on Friday released security alerts for their citizens in Turkey that flagged "possible retaliatory attacks by terrorists against places of worship." Sweden's foreign ministry also advised its citizens in Turkey on Saturday to avoid crowds and demonstrations. A far-right, anti-immigrant politician burned a Koran last week near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm during a protest, heightening tensions between Turkey and Sweden.

☆ Protests in Stockholm, including Koran-burning, draw condemnation from Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Permitting this anti-Islam act, which targets Muslims and insults our sacred values, under the guise of freedom of expression is completely unacceptable," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. The Turkish ministry urged Sweden to take necessary actions against the perpetrators and invited all countries to take concrete steps against Islamophobia. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said that Islamophobic provocations were appalling. "Saudi Arabia calls for spreading the values of dialogue, tolerance, and coexistence, and rejects hatred and extremism," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "We will continue our opposition to the Swedish NATO application," Thomas Pettersson, spokesperson for Alliance Against NATO and one of organizers of the demonstration, told Reuters.

Dec 8 (Reuters) - In a monastery in central Myanmar, a Buddhist monk, Wathawa, rallies his militia with a cry: "What's our spirit like?" shout a group of rifle-bearing men, loyalists of the military junta that seized power last year, now fighting to crush fledgling pro-democracy groups. Myanmar's Buddhist clergy previously sought to topple successive military dictatorships that kept citizens impoverished and isolated. Myanmar monks teach laypeople who in turn provide them with essentials such as food and clothing. State media broadcasts have shown military commanders showering Wathawa and his militia with cash and food donations.

☆ England soccer fans have been warned not to dress up as medieval Christian crusaders in Qatar, the first Islamic country to host the World Cup, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

England fans have been banned from dressing up as Christian crusaders at World Cup matches. It has been ruled that fans outfitted as crusader knights, including chain mail and carrying plastic swords, is "offensive" to Muslims, The Times reports. The Times reports that two English fans dressed as crusaders were turned away from the England game against Iran on Monday. The announcement came hours before England plays the USA at the 60,000-seater Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, north of Doha, at 2 p.m EST. Dressing as a medieval knight sporting the flag of St George has become popular among football fans attending England games in recent years.

On Sunday the globe’s gaze will turn to the controversial hosts of this year’s soccer World Cup, Qatar. (The Qatar body responsible for putting on the 2022 World Cup has strongly denied these claims.) According to official Qatari figures, 38 migrant workers have died while working on official World Cup projects. An investigation by The Guardian, however, estimates up to 6,500 migrant worker deaths since the World Cup was awarded to the Gulf country, though it’s not clear what their exact relation to World Cup infrastructure was. But the people of the Middle East shouldn’t be punished by having the World Cup tournament withdrawn for the failures of their governments.

☆ Meet the 23-year-old Indian American who flipped a Republican Illinois district
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Sakshi Venkatraman | Sakshi Venkatraman Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

An Indian Muslim American who wears a hijab, she remembers the former president’s 2016 Election Day with perfect clarity. Her social media accounts are full of these selfies, thanking the voters who spoke to her by name. Social media helped her broadcast her messages louder than she could have hoped, she said. “There are so many other young South Asian folks that are doing incredible things. Whether it’s politics, comedy, social media, medicine, it’s incredible to see how powerful this demographic is.”

He said the spouses of some high-profile lawmakers may need security details in the future, in addition to using home security systems. Court documents allege the suspect had been in search of the House speaker and was on a "suicide mission" with additional targets. However, "there are not enough resources available to me to do that," she said on MSNBC following the attack on Paul Pelosi. “Bloodshed is coming," Swalwell tweeted at the time, foreshadowing the Pelosi attack. The Paul Pelosi attack was foreseeable," Schuman said.

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