Podcasts about Azerbaijan

Thousands of young pilgrims gathered at Rome's historic Circus Maximus for the Jubilee of Youth's “Penitential Day.” Meanwhile, the Arab League has called for Hamas to disarm and relinquish power. And, tensions also remain high between Christian Armenia and neighboring Azerbaijan.

In EVN Report's news roundup for the week of August 1: The Prime Minister's speaker clarifies Armenia's position on the Syunik route; Armenia to temporarily host Palestine's endangered cultural heritage at the Matenadaran; ICRC's final visit to Armenian detainees in Baku as office faces forced closure by Azerbaijan and more. The post Armenia to Temporarily Host Palestine's Endangered Heritage appeared first on EVN Report.

Public Trust in Freefall, Church on the Rise, and Corridor Pressures MountGroong Week in Review - July 27, 2025TopicsCorridor LogicCrackdown LogicIRI PollRussian in the South CaucasusGuestBenyamin PoghosyanHostsHovik ManucharyanAsbed BedrossianEpisode 456 | Recorded: July 28, 2025Subscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong

American Eagle sparks backlash for touting Sydney Sweeney's 'great jeans'American Eagle's “great jeans” advertising campaign with actor Sydney Sweeney is at the center of the latest political firestorm online, drawing accusations of racial undertones in its messaging.Sweeney, who rose to fame for her starring roles in HBO's “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus,” is the star of the clothing retailer's latest denim-focused fall campaign, with the tagline, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”It's a play on words for Sweeney's “great genes.” Indeed, in one clip, which accrued more than 1.1 million views on American Eagle's Instagram page, Sweeney stands before a poster of herself titled, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes,” before the word “genes” is crossed out and replaced with “jeans.”Round-the-world walker prepares for home stretchA man hoping to become the first person to complete an unbroken round-the-world walk is preparing for the last leg of his journey.Karl Bushby set off from Chile in 1998. Since then he has walked across American and Asian continents, swam 186 miles (300km) across the Caspian Sea and fought off ice lumps and polar bears through the Bering Strait, all without using any form of transport.The former paratrooper has less than 2,000 miles (3219km) left to walk before he arrives at his home city of Hull.Mr Bushby, who is currently in Mexico waiting for a visa to complete his challenge, has said returning home will be a "very strange place to be" after being away for some 27 years.Following his 31-day swim across the Caspian Sea last year, Mr Bushby said he continued his journey to Azerbaijan and then through to Turkey.The traveller, originally from Sutton Park, said he "had to step aside" from his mission, named the Goliath Expedition, while he waited for a visa.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

American Eagle sparks backlash for touting Sydney Sweeney's 'great jeans'American Eagle's “great jeans” advertising campaign with actor Sydney Sweeney is at the center of the latest political firestorm online, drawing accusations of racial undertones in its messaging.Sweeney, who rose to fame for her starring roles in HBO's “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus,” is the star of the clothing retailer's latest denim-focused fall campaign, with the tagline, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”It's a play on words for Sweeney's “great genes.” Indeed, in one clip, which accrued more than 1.1 million views on American Eagle's Instagram page, Sweeney stands before a poster of herself titled, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes,” before the word “genes” is crossed out and replaced with “jeans.”Round-the-world walker prepares for home stretchA man hoping to become the first person to complete an unbroken round-the-world walk is preparing for the last leg of his journey.Karl Bushby set off from Chile in 1998. Since then he has walked across American and Asian continents, swam 186 miles (300km) across the Caspian Sea and fought off ice lumps and polar bears through the Bering Strait, all without using any form of transport.The former paratrooper has less than 2,000 miles (3219km) left to walk before he arrives at his home city of Hull.Mr Bushby, who is currently in Mexico waiting for a visa to complete his challenge, has said returning home will be a "very strange place to be" after being away for some 27 years.Following his 31-day swim across the Caspian Sea last year, Mr Bushby said he continued his journey to Azerbaijan and then through to Turkey.The traveller, originally from Sutton Park, said he "had to step aside" from his mission, named the Goliath Expedition, while he waited for a visa.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Justin Timberlake BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.Justin Timberlake has dominated headlines this week for all the wrong reasons—and plenty of social buzz proves it. The pop superstar, still riding off his Forget Tomorrow World Tour which wrapped in February, has been back on festival stages across Europe, and the fan reaction has gone viral for its overwhelmingly negative tone. After his July 17 performance at Electric Castle in Romania—his first-ever show in the country—angry concertgoers complained en masse, posting on TikTok and Instagram that Timberlake barely sang, coming on stage 45 minutes late, letting his backing track handle most of the vocals, and repeatedly shoving the mic out to the crowd instead of performing his hits himself. “When you pay for a concert but get a mute singer” became the running joke. Fox News reports that clips from the set were flooded with comments like "This performance could've been an email" and "I want my money back and I didn't even go," with a few even calling for refunds. The backlash only intensified after similar footage emerged from his Lollapalooza Paris set, with Cosmopolitan highlighting fans' disappointment and noting untamed complaints littering his Instagram posts.Timberlake has not publicly addressed the controversy. Instead, his touring machine rolled on. On July 27, he played the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan, as part of his JT Live 2025 global tour, with another stop upcoming at ITU Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 30, according to posts from his official channels and corroborating coverage from the concert circuit. However, his Baku appearance drew further scrutiny, with Zartonk Media critiquing the show as part of a celebrity wave whitewashing Azerbaijan's ongoing human rights record—a reminder of how international bookings can come with loaded political baggage. Fans and commentators alike are closely watching to see if this spate of festival appearances is damaging his reputation in a lasting way.Beyond the stage, Timberlake is reportedly facing a business crunch. A widely shared Instagram reel alleged several of his side ventures are posting significant losses, specifically calling out his beverage brand, though direct financial figures have not been independently confirmed. The long shadow of his 2024 DWI arrest lingers too: Fox News reminds readers that his tour nearly derailed after the incident, in which Timberlake pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and made a court-mandated public apology and drunk-driving PSA.Social media, meanwhile, continues to roast him with memes and disappointment, making this week perhaps his toughest stretch of publicity in recent years. While Timberlake's next steps—both business and musical—are uncertain, the current wave of negative headlines seems likely to have some biographical significance if fan sentiment and professional setbacks persist.Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta

This week, Max spoke with Michael Kimmage about the recent headlines connected to Russia and Ukraine, and what they mean for the coming months. "The Limits of Putin's Balancing Act: What the Kremlin Will Sacrifice in Pursuit of Victory in Ukraine," by Michael Kimmage and Maria Lipman (Foreign Affairs, July 2025)

Artsakh Negotiations, Armenian Domestic PoliticsTopicsArtsakh NegotiationsArmenian Domestic PoliticsGuestArthur KhachatryanHostsHovik ManucharyanAsbed BedrossianEpisode 455 | Recorded: July 25, 2025SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/455Subscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong

US-mediated talks between Israel and Syria serve as a bellwether for the extent to which Israel can reshape the Middle East and impose its will on the region. They also are likely to indicate the degree to which US and Israeli interests diverge in Syria. Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaiibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a confidante of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, focussed this week on security arrangements in southern Syria in a round of talks in Paris chaired by Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to Turkey and the Trump administration's Syria envoy. The talks were the highest-level meeting between officials of the two countries in 25 years and the first since the latest clashes in the southern Syrian city of As-Suwayda between the country's Druze minority, Bedouin militias, and Syrian security forces, and Israel's bombing of military targets, including the defence ministry, in the capital Damascus. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the clashes' death toll at 1,399 people, 196 of whom were summarily executed. Mr. Netanyahu dispatched Mr. Dermer to Paris following several meetings in Azerbaijan between Mr. Al-Shaibani and the prime minister's national security advisor, Tzachi Hangebi, that fuelled Israeli and US hopes that security arrangements could be a first step toward Syrian recognition of Israel. The Paris talks are likely to establish whether Israel can dictate to President Ahmed al-Sharaa where in Syria his military can operate and the degree to which Israel can successfully project itself as the protector of Syrian minorities, such as the Druze, a secretive monotheistic group based In Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, and the Kurds in the north.

Azerbaijan is increasingly engaging in tit-for-tat actions towards powerful neighbour Russia amid escalating tensions in the South Caucasus region. This comes as Baku deepens its military cooperation with long-standing ally Turkey. In a highly publicised move, Azerbaijani security forces in Baku recently paraded seven arrested Russian journalists – working for the Russian state-funded Sputnik news agency – in front of the media. Their detentions followed the deaths last month of two Azerbaijani nationals in Russian custody, which sparked public outrage in Baku. "That was quite shocking for Baku, for Azerbaijani society – the cruelty of the behaviour and the large-scale violence," Zaur Gasimov of the German Academic Exchange Service, a professor and expert on Azerbaijani-Russian relations told RFI. "And the Russian-wide persecution of the leaders of Azerbaijani diasporic organisations took place (this month)," he added. Tit-for-tat tactics Tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan have been simmering since December, when Russian air defences accidentally downed an Azerbaijani passenger aircraft. Baku strongly condemned Moscow's lack of an official apology. The deaths in custody, which Moscow insisted were from natural causes, and the broader crackdown on Azerbaijan's diaspora are being interpreted in Baku as deliberate signals. "This kind of news had to frighten Azerbaijani society, which is aware of the fact that around two million ethnic Azeris with Azerbaijani and Russian passports are living in the Russian Federation," explained Gasimov. "So the signal is that we can oust them, and they would come to Azerbaijan. That should be an economic threat." Gasimov noted that while Baku may have previously backed down in the face of Russian pressure, this time appears different. "The reaction of Azerbaijan was just to react, with tit-for-tat tactics," he said. Shifting power in Caucasus Baku's self-confidence is partly attributed to its military success in 2020, when it regained control over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region and adjacent territories from Armenian forces after a six-week war. "The South Caucasus is changing," noted Farid Shafiyev, Chairman of the Baku-based Centre for Analysis of International Relations. Shafiyev argues that the era of Moscow treating the region as its backyard is over. "Russia cannot just grasp and accept this change because of its imperial arrogance; it demands subordination, and that has changed for a number of reasons. First of all, due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, and second, due to the trajectory of events following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The third very important factor is Turkey," added Shafiyev. Turkey, a long-standing ally of Azerbaijan, has significantly increased military cooperation and arms sales in recent years. Turkish-made drones played a key role in Azerbaijan's 2020 military campaign. In 2021, the Shusha Declaration was signed, committing both nations to mutual military support in the event of aggression. Turkey also plans to establish one of its largest overseas military bases in Azerbaijan. "A very strong relationship with Ankara, marked by strong cooperation in the economic and military fields for decades, as also outlined in the Shusha Declaration several years ago, is an asset and one of the elements of Azerbaijan's growing self-confidence," said Gasimov. Azerbaijan and Turkey build bridges amid declining influence of Iran Strategic rivalries  Turkey's expanding influence in the South Caucasus – at Russia's expense – is the latest in a series of regional rivalries between the two powers. Turkish-backed forces countered a Russian-aligned warlord in Libya, and Turkey-supported factions have contested Russian influence in Syria. These confrontations have strained the once-close ties between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "No doubt that the Putin-Erdogan relationship is not as good as it used to be because we've either instigated or become participants in events in the South Caucasus and Syria," said analyst Atilla Yeşilada of Global Source Partners. Growing military buildup in Azerbaijan and Armenia a concern for peace talks Nevertheless, Yesilada believes pragmatism will prevail – for now – given Turkey's dependence on Russian energy and trade. "The economic interests are so huge, there is a huge chasm between not being too friendly and being antagonistic. I don't think we've got to that point. If we did, there would be serious provocations in Turkey," he warned. Until now, Turkish and Russian leaders have largely managed to compartmentalise their differences. However, that approach may soon face its toughest test yet, as Azerbaijan remains a strategic priority for Turkey, while Russia has long considered the Caucasus to be within its traditional sphere of influence. "We don't know what will be Russia's next target. We cannot exclude that Russia might be quite assertive in the South Caucasus in the future," warned Shafiyev. "I think the easiest way is to build friendly relationships and economic partnerships with the countries of the South Caucasus. Unfortunately, Moscow looks like it's not ready for a partnership. But if it's ready, we would welcome it," he added.

As global powers look away, Armenians face displacement and erasure in Artsakh, aided by international arms deals and political apathy. While alleged ties between Israel and Azerbaijan fuel ethnic cleansing, U.S. aid remains minimal and outrage scarce. At the same time, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein, and discussion about justice and ad hominem commentary Watch Beyond A Reasonable Doubt and all Reasonable Doubt video content on YouTube exclusively at YouTube.com/ReasonableDoubtPodcast and subscribe while you're thereSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn to invest alongside the top minds in commodities. Join The Commodity University today. CLICK: https://linkly.link/26yH8 In this episode of The Jay Martin Show, geopolitical strategist Dr. Kamran Bokhari unpacks the new power dynamics reshaping the Middle East and Central Asia. From the fall of the Assad regime in Syria to Iran's quiet regime evolution, Bokhari dives deep into the regional chessboard—explaining why Azerbaijan is becoming a pivotal energy and trade hub, how the U.S. is shifting its strategy, and why China's Belt and Road Initiative may be faltering under its own weight. Sign up for my free weekly newsletter at https://2ly.link/211gx Be part of our online investment community: https://cambridgehouse.com https://twitter.com/JayMartinBC https://www.instagram.com/jaymartinbc https://www.facebook.com/TheJayMartinShow https://www.linkedin.com/company/cambridge-house-international 00:00 – Intro 01:38 – Why Syria Is the Region's New Tipping Point 06:06 – The U.S. Strategy: Let Regional Powers Lead 12:10 – Is Destabilization a U.S. Tactic? 13:02 – Breaking Down the Big Four: Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran 17:05 – Iran's Regime Is Morphing: What Comes Next? 21:45 – Iran Before 1979: What Really Changed? 25:07 – Two Paths Forward: Regime Evolution vs Collapse 28:27 – Why Regime Change Could Spark Chaos 34:23 – Azerbaijan: The Rising Strategic Power Nobody Saw Coming 42:24 – The Middle Corridor: Bypassing Russia and China 46:05 – What Is the Middle Corridor, Exactly? 50:08 – Russia & Iran Losing Influence in the Caspian 53:23 – The Geopolitical Weight of the Belt and Road 55:26 – Why the Belt and Road Is Failing 01:03:16 – Belt and Road: Economic Lifeline or Debt Trap? 01:07:15 – China's Economic Fragility and Global Overreach 01:15:33 - China's Evolutionary Problem 01:24:08 - The US standpoint on China Copyright © 2025 Cambridge House International Inc. All rights reserved.

Justin Timberlake BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.Justin Timberlake has dominated recent headlines for all the wrong reasons as fan backlash erupted across social media following several noticeably low-energy performances on the European festival circuit. According to Cosmopolitan and Parade, Timberlake's much-anticipated appearance at the Electric Castle Festival in Romania on July 17 turned sour when he arrived nearly an hour late, bundled under a parka in the rain, and proceeded to let backing tracks and the audience carry most of his set. Viral TikTok videos show Justin repeatedly pointing his mic at the crowd during hits like CAN'T STOP THE FEELING and Cry Me a River, giving more hype man than headliner, sparking a wave of disappointment and memes suggesting fans got karaoke night instead of a pop superstar. The complaints echoed on Timberlake's own Instagram, where concertgoers described the performance as soulless and even disrespectful to fans who waited hours in the rain. These issues weren't limited to Romania. At Lollapalooza Paris on July 20, footage again showed Timberlake sharing sparse vocals and minimal engagement with songs that once defined millennial pop. Hot97 and Consequence noted similar scenes at prior stops in Dublin and London, crucifying him for visibly frustrated moments and what many described as a low-effort end to his Everything I Thought I Was tour. Despite the swirl of negative press, Timberlake hasn't directly addressed the criticism, instead focusing on wrapping up his final shows in Baku, Azerbaijan on July 27 and Istanbul, Turkey on July 30.Away from the stage, Timberlake's business activity provided a rare spot of positive news. CNBC's World's Top Fintech Companies 2025 featured Step, a Gen Z-focused banking startup Timberlake backs alongside names like Steph Curry and Will Smith. Step's selection signals Timberlake's ongoing clout as an investor with an eye for youth culture and modern money trends.Meanwhile, reminders of his June 2024 DWI charge resurfaced, as Fox News highlighted how his world tour almost derailed after that arrest. Following a guilty plea and community service, Timberlake made a public apology and urged fans not to drive drunk, a blemish that still lingers in the public memory.There have been no new acting projects or red-carpet appearances reported in the last few days, and Timberlake's social media is awash with both supportive fans and vocal critics dissecting every moment of his current festival appearances. As Timberlake nears the end of this tour, the question looming over his legacy is whether these struggles mark a mere bump in the road, or a more profound turning point for the former boy band dynamo and pop icon.Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta

MARIAH — a selector known for her elegant blends of deep rhythms, minimal textures, and feel-good house energy in Azerbaijan's electronic music scene. Her inspiration is the deep melody, vocals, and rhythm of '90s house classics. Mariah quickly gained recognition for her unique taste, sharing the stage with well-known DJs and by connecting with audiences and creating memorable moments. Keep an eye on MARIAH: https://instagram.com/mariahhh_music https://soundcloud.com/mariahhh_music https://ra.co/dj/mariah_ Listen to more electronic music on Intaresu https://intaresu.com

Conversations on Groong - July 24, 2025TopicsEU Strategy in the South CaucasusAttacks on the National Church(es)2025 Local Election PoliticsGuestArchil SikharulidzeHostsHovik ManucharyanAsbed BedrossianEpisode 454 | Recorded: July 22, 2025SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/454VIDEO: https://youtu.be/r1tgtP-d0lE#ArmenianNews #SouthCaucasus #Georgia #Armenia #EUSubscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong

VOV1 - Quan hệ giữa Việt Nam và Azerbaijan đang bước vào một giai đoạn hợp tác toàn diện hơn, phát triển từ nền tảng truyền thống trong lĩnh vực năng lượng sang những lĩnh vực chiến lược của tương lai như năng lượng sạch, công nghệ số và đổi mới sáng tạo.

This week we talk about the PKK, Turkey, and the DEM Party.We also discuss terrorism, discrimination, and stateless nations.Recommended Book: A Century of Tomorrows by Glenn AdamsonTranscriptKurdistan is a cultural region, not a country, but part of multiple countries, in the Middle East, spanning roughly the southeastern portion of Turkey, northern Iraq, the northwestern portion of Iran, and northern Syrian. Some definitions also include part of the Southern Caucasus mountains, which contains chunks of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.So this is a sprawling region that straddles multiple nations, and it's defined by the presence of the Kurdish people, the Kurds, who live all over the world, but whose culture is concentrated in this area, where it originally developed, and where, over the generations, there have periodically been very short-lived Kurdish nations of various shapes, sizes, and compositions.The original dynasties from which the Kurds claim their origin were Egyptian, and they governed parts of northeastern African and what is today Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. That was back in the 8th to 12th century, during which Saladin, who was the sultan of both Egypt and Syria, played a major historical role leading Muslim military forces against the Christian Crusader states during the Third Crusade, and leading those forces to victory in 1187, which resulted in Muslim ownership of the Levant, even though the Crusaders continued to technically hold the Kingdom of Jerusalem for another hundred years or so, until 1291.Saladin was Kurdish and kicked off a sultanate that lasted until the mid-13th century, when a diverse group of former slave-soldiers called the mamluks overthrew Saladin's family's Ayyubid sultanate and replaced it with their own.So Kurdish is a language spoken in that Kurdistan region, and the Kurds are considered to be an Iranian ethnic group, because Kurdish is part of a larger collection of languages and ethnicities, though many Kurds consider themselves to be members of a stateless nation, similar in some ways to pre-Israel Jewish people, Tibetan people under China's rule, or the Yoruba people, who primarily live in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, but who were previously oriented around a powerful city-state in that region, which served as the central loci of the Ife Empire, before the Europeans showed up and decided to forcibly move people around and draw new borders across the African continent.The Kurds are likewise often politically and culturally powerful, and that's led to a lot of pushback from leaders in the nations where they live and at times operate as cultural blocs, and it's led to some very short-lived Kurdish nations these people have managed to establish in the 20th century, including the Kingdom of Kurdistan from 1921-1924, the Republic of Ararat from 1927-1930, and the Republic of Mahabad, which was formed as a puppet state of the Soviet Union in 1946 in northwestern Iran, following a Soviet push for Kurdish nationalism in the region, which was meant to prevent the Allies from controlling the region following WWII, but which then dissolved just a few months after its official formation due to waning support from the Kurdish tribes that initially helped make it a reality.What I'd like to talk about today is the Kurdistan Worker's Party, and why their recently declared ceasefire with Turkey is being seen as a pretty big deal.—The Kurdistan Worker's Party, depending on who you ask, is a political organization or a terrorist organization. It was formed in Turkey in late-1978, and its original, founding goal was to create an independent Kurdish state, a modern Kurdistan, in what is today a small part of Turkey, but in the 1990s it shifted its stated goals to instead just get more rights for Kurds living in Turkey, including more autonomy but also just equal rights, as Kurdish people in many nations, including Turkey, have a long history of being discriminated against, in part because of their cultural distinctiveness, including their language, manner of dress, and cultural practices, and in part because, like many tight-knit ethnic groups, they often operate as a bloc, which in the age of democracy also means they often vote as a bloc, which can feel like a threat to other folks in areas with large Kurdish populations.When I say Kurdish people in Turkey have long been discriminated against, that includes things like telling them they can no longer speak Kurdish and denying that their ethnic group exists, but it also includes massacres conducted by the government against Kurdish people; at times tens of thousands of Kurds were slaughtered by the Turkish army. There was also an official ban on the words Kurds, Kurdistan, and Kurdish by the Turkish government in the 1980s, and Kurdish villages were destroyed, food headed to these villages was embargoed, and there was a long-time ban on the use of the Kurdish language in public life, and people who used it were arrested.As is often the case in such circumstances, folks who support the Kurdish Worker's Party, which is often shorthanded as the PKK, will tell you this group just pushes back against an oppressive regime, and they do what they have to to force the government to backtrack on their anti-Kurdish laws and abuses, which have been pretty widespread and violent.The PKK, in turn, has been criticized for, well, doing terrorist stuff, including using child soldiers, conducting suicide bombings, massacring groups of civilians, engaging in drug trafficking to fund their cause, and executing people on camera as a means of sowing terror.Pretty horrible stuff on both sides, if you look at this objectively, then, and both sides have historically justified their actions by pointing at the horrible things the other side has done to them and theirs.And that's the context for a recent announcement by the leader of the PKK, that the group would be disarming—and very literally so, including a symbolic burning of their weapons in a city in northern Iraq, which was shared online—and they would be shifting their efforts from that of violent militarism and revolution to that of political dialogue and attempting to change the Turkish government from the inside.Turkish President Erdogan, for his part, has seemed happy to oblige these efforts and gestures, fulfilling his role by receiving delegates from the Turkish, pro-Kurd party, the DEM Party, and smilingly shaking that delegate's hand on camera, basically showing the world, and those who have played some kind of role in the militant effort against the Turkish government, that this is the way of things now, we're not fighting physically anymore, we're moving on to wearing suits and pushing for Kurdish rights within the existing governmental structures.The founder of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, got in on the action, as well, releasing a seven-minute video from prison, which was then broadcast by the PKK's official media distribution outlet, saying that the fighting is over. This was his first appearance on camera in 26 years, and he used it to say their effort paid off, the Kurds now have an officially recognized identity, and it's time to leverage that identity politically to move things in the right direction.Erdogan's other messages on the matter, to the Kurdish people, but also those who have long lived in fear of the PKK's mass-violence, have reinforced that sentiment, saying that the Kurds are officially recognized as a political entity, and that's how things would play out from this point forward—and this will be good for everyone. And both sides are saying that, over and over, because, well, child soldiers and suicide bombings and massacres conducted by both sides are really, really not good for anyone.By all indications, this has been a very carefully orchestrated dance by those on both sides of the conflict, which again, has been ongoing since 1978, and really picked up the pace and became continuous and ultra-violent, in the 1980s.There was an attempted peace process back in the 20-teens, but the effort, which included a temporary truce between 2013 and 2015, failed, following the murder of two Turkish police officers, the PKK initially claiming responsibility, but later denying they had any involvement. That led to an uptick in military actions by both groups against the other, and the truce collapsed.This new peace process began in 2024 and really took off in late-February of 2025, when that aforementioned message was broadcast by the PKK's leader from prison after lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party worked to connect him and the Turkish government, and eventually helped negotiate the resulting mid-May of 2025 disarmament.Turkey's military leaders have said they will continue to launch strikes against PKK-affiliated groups that continue to operate in the region, and the PKK's disarmament announcement has been embraced by some such groups, while others, like the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is tied to the PKK, but not directly affiliated with them, have said this truce doesn't apply to them.Most governments, globally, have heralded this disarmament as a major victory for the world and Turkey in particular, though the response within Turkey, and in Kurdish areas in particular, has apparently been mixed, with some people assuming the Turkish government will backtrack and keep the DEM Party from accomplishing much of anything, and worrying about behind-the-scenes deals, including a reported agreement between Erdogan's government and the DEM Party to support Erdogan's desire to transform the Turkish government into a presidential system, which would grant him more direct control and power, while others are seemingly just happy to hear that the violence and fear might end.Also notable here is that a lot of Turkey's foreign policy has revolved around hobbling and hurting the PKK for decades, including Turkey's initial hindering of Sweden's accession to NATO, which was partly a means of getting other nations to give the Turkish government stuff they wanted, like upgraded military equipment, but was also a push against the Swedish government's seeming protection of people associated with the PKK, since Sweden's constitution allows people to hold all sorts of beliefs.Some analysts have speculated that this could change the geopolitics of the Middle East fundamentally, as Turkey has long been a regional power, but has been partly hobbled by its conflict with the PKK, and the easing or removal of that conflict could free them up to become more dominant, especially since Israel's recent clobbering of Iran seems to have dulled the Iranian government's shine as the de facto leader of many Muslim groups and governments in the area.It's an opportune time for Erdogan to grab more clout and influence, in other words, and that might have been part of the motivation to go along with the PKK's shift to politics: it frees him and his military up to engage in some adventurism and/or posturing further afield, which could then set Turkey up as the new center of Muslim influence, contra-the Saudis' more globalized version of the concept, militarily and economically. Turkey could become a huge center of geopolitical gravity in this part of the world, in other words, and that seems even more likely now that this disarmament has happened.It's still early days in this new seeming state of affairs, though, and there's a chance that the Turkish government's continued strikes on operating PKK affiliated groups could sever these new ties, but those involved seem to be cleaving to at least some optimism, even as many locals continue hold their breath and hope against hope that this time is different than previous attempts at peace.Show Noteshttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/heres-what-to-know-about-turkeys-decision-to-move-forward-with-swedens-bid-to-join-natohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_PKK%E2%80%93Turkey_peace_processhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013%E2%80%932015_PKK%E2%80%93Turkey_peace_processhttps://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2025/05/turkey-pkk-disarm-disband-impacts?lang=enhttps://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pkk-claims-deadly-suicide-bombing-turkish-police-stationhttps://web.archive.org/web/20161016064155/https://hrwf.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Child-soldiers-in-ISIS-PKK-Boko-Haram%E2%80%A6.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdistan_Workers%27_Partyhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2025/jul/11/kurdistan-workers-party-pkk-burn-weapons-in-disarming-ceremony-videohttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/18/turkiye-pkk-analysis-recalibrates-politicshttps://time.com/7303236/erdogan-war-peace-kurds/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/19/unidentified-drone-kills-pkk-member-injures-another-in-iraqhttps://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/unidentified-drone-kills-pkk-member-injures-another-near-iraqs-sulaymaniyah-2025-07-19/https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2025/7/11/why-has-the-pkk-ended-its-armed-strugglehttps://archive.is/20250718061819/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2025-07-17/ty-article-opinion/.premium/how-the-possible-end-to-turkeys-kurdish-problem-could-become-israels-turkey-problem/00000198-1794-dd64-abb9-bfb5dbf30000https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdistanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kurdish_dynasties_and_countrieshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Kurdish_nationalism This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

We've reached that glorious point of the year where the evidence of one tie makes us experts on the levels of teams from Lithuania, Azerbaijan and wherever else the European dice rolls. Chris Shields wasn't guessing about Shelbourne when the Champions League set up a cross border clash and the Linfield midfielder dials in to give us his reflections and regrets before a bit of general LOI chat. The cup didn't do a huge amount to float our boat this week, although Dan was still flagged for pirating offences, a prelude to a mailbag with more Cork based concerns, crisp dilemmas, and the return of the Oriel Park pitch review. Thanks as ever to Future Ticketing, Collar & Cuff, Sport Cosanta and Rascals Brewing for keeping our ship afloat.

Today's episode is brought to you in partnership with The Observer and Tortoise, who just released a brand new investigative podcast series, called “The Lab Detective”. “The Lab Detective" deals with the story of Kathleen Folbigg, who experienced unimaginable loss. All four of her infant children died suddenly, over a 10-year period. Their deaths were unexplained. Until a police detective turned up at her door, and arrested Kathleen on suspicion of murder.Kathleen was labelled ‘Australia's worst female serial killer', convicted, and was destined to spend most of the rest of her life in jail.Until a different type of detective entered her life. A scientist working in a lab who uncovered the truth behind the deaths.This is the story of a shocking miscarriage of justice, but as journalist Rachel Sylvester starts to investigate how this happened, she learns that Kathleen is not alone – other mothers have endured the same fate, and may also be in prison.The Lab Detective is a story about the power of science, and the determination of those searching for the truth.Follow the link to listen to the full series: https://lnk.to/thelabdetectiveFD!europod.About today's episode on Long Story ShortOn 25 December last year, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 took off from Baku, headed for Grozny in Russia but it never made it. The plane crashed near Aktau, in Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 people on board. Seven months later, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has gone public with an accusation: that the plane was shot down by Russian air defences, specifically, a Pantsir-S missile system. But why is this crisis between the two countries escalating just now?Join us on our journey through the events that shape the European continent and the European Union.Production: By Europod, in co production with Sphera Network.Follow us on:LinkedInInstagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

VOV1 - Quan hệ giữa Việt Nam và Azerbaijan đang bước vào một giai đoạn hợp tác toàn diện hơn, phát triển từ nền tảng truyền thống trong lĩnh vực năng lượng sang những lĩnh vực chiến lược của tương lai như năng lượng sạch, công nghệ số và đổi mới sáng tạo.

A U.S. proposal to lease a transit route through Armenian territory to connect Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan has sparked debate over sovereignty, security and regional power dynamics. Dr. Nerses Kopalyan offers expert insight into the implications and possible outcomes.

In EVN Report's news roundup for the week of July 18: a U.S.-backed proposal to lease a 32-km stretch of Armenian territory linking Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan raises questions over sovereignty; PM Nikol Pashinyan holds a marathon press conference on regional connectivity, Armenia's EU path, the CSTO and more; and from detention, Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan announces plans to launch a new political party.

Has the tide turned for Ukraine? In this episode Saul and Patrick unpack President Trump's bold new strategy, including substantial military supplies and a looming deadline for a peace settlement backed by unprecedented tariffs on Russia's trade partners. Is this the long-awaited turning point, or are there hidden complexities? We dissect the motivations behind this policy pivot and discuss the internal shifts within the US administration. Furthermore, we examine the remarkable diplomatic progress between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and how their newfound pursuit of peace is challenging Russia's long-standing influence in the region. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Being Jewish podcast host Jonah Platt—best known for playing Fiyero in Broadway's Wicked—joins People of the Pod to discuss his journey into Jewish advocacy after October 7. He reflects on his Jewish upbringing, challenges media misrepresentations of Israel, and shares how his podcast fosters inclusive and honest conversations about Jewish identity. Platt also previews The Mensch, an upcoming film he's producing to tell Jewish stories with heart and nuance. Recorded live at AJC Global Forum 2025. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC. Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran People of the Pod:  Latest Episodes:  Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War: The Dinah Project's Quest to Hold Hamas Accountable Journalist Matti Friedman Exposes Media Bias Against Israel John Spencer's Key Takeaways After the 12-Day War: Air Supremacy, Intelligence, and Deterrence Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Manya Brachear Pashman:   Jonah Platt: is an award winning director of theater and improv comedy, an accomplished musician, singer and award winning vocal arranger. He has been on the Broadway stage, including one year as the heartthrob Fiyero in Wicked and he's producing his first feature film, a comedy called The Mensch. He also hosts his own podcast, Being Jewish with Jonah Platt:, a series of candid conversations and reflections that explore the many facets of Jewish identity.  Jonah is with us now on the sidelines of AJC Global Forum 2025. Jonah, welcome to People of the Pod. Jonah Platt:   Thank you so much for having me, happy to be here.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   So tell us about your podcast. How is being Jewish with Jonah Platt: different from Jewish with anyone else? Jonah Platt:   That's a great question. I think it's different for a number of ways. I think one key difference is that I'm really trying to appeal to everybody, not just Jews and not just one type of Jews. I really wanted it to be a very inclusive show and, thank God, the feedback I've gotten, my audience is very diverse. It appeals to, you know, I hear from the ultra orthodox. I hear from people who found out they were Jewish a month ago. I hear from Republicans, I hear from Democrats. I hear from non Jews, Muslims, Christians, people all over the world. So I think that's special and different, especially in these echo-chambery, polarized times online, I'm trying to really reach out of that and create a space where the one thing we all have in common, everybody who listens, is that we're all well-meaning, good-hearted, curious people who want to understand more about our fellow man and each other.  I also try to really call balls and strikes as I see them, regardless of where they're coming from. So if I see, let's call it bad behavior, on the left, I'll call it out. If I see bad behavior on the right, I'll call it out. If I see bad behavior from Israel, I'll call it out. In the same breath that I'll say, I love Israel, it's the greatest place.  I think that's really unfortunately rare. I think people have a very hard time remembering that we are very capable of holding two truths at once, and it doesn't diminish your position by acknowledging fault where you see it. In fact, I feel it strengthens your position, because it makes you more trustworthy. And it's sort of like an iron sharpens iron thing, where, because I'm considering things from all angles, either I'm going to change my mind because I found something I didn't consider. That's going to be better for me and put me on firmer ground.  Or it's going to reinforce what I thought, because now I have another thing I can even speak to about it and say, Well, I was right, because even this I checked out, and that was wrong. So either way, you're in a stronger position. And I feel that that level of sort of, you know, equanimity is sorely lacking online, for sure.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Our podcasts have had some guests in common. We've had Dara Horn, Sarah Hurwitz, you said you're getting ready to have Bruce Pearl. We've had Coach Pearl on our show. You've also had conversations with Stuart Weitzman, a legendary shoe designer, in an episode titled Jews and Shoes. I love that. Can you share some other memorable nuggets from the conversations you've had over the last six months? Jonah Platt:   I had my dad on the show, and I learned things about him that I had never heard about his childhood, growing up, the way his parents raised him. The way that social justice and understanding the conflict and sort of brokenness in the world was something that my grandparents really tried to teach them very actively, and some of it I had been aware of, but not every little specific story he told. And that was really special for me. And my siblings, after hearing it, were like, We're so glad you did this so that we could see Dad and learn about him in this way. So that was really special.  There have been so many. Isaac Saul is a guy I had early on. He runs a newsletter, a news newsletter called Tangle Media that shows what the left is saying about an issue with the right is saying about an issue, and then his take. And a nugget that I took away from him is that on Shabbat, his way of keeping Shabbat is that he doesn't go on social media or read the news on Shabbat. And I took that from him, so now I do that too.  I thought that was genius. It's hard for me. I'm trying to even start using my phone period less on Shabbat, but definitely I hold myself to it, except when I'm on the road, like I am right now. When I'm at home, no social media from Friday night to Saturday night, and it's fantastic.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   It sounds delightful. Jonah Platt:   It is delightful. I highly recommend it to everybody. It's an easy one.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   So what about your upbringing? You said you learned a lot about your father's upbringing. What was your Jewish upbringing? Jonah Platt:   Yeah, I have been very blessed to have a really strong, warm, lovely, Jewish upbringing. It's something that was always intrinsic to my family. It's not something that I sort of learned at Hebrew school. And no knock on people whose experience that is, but it's, you know, I never remember a time not feeling Jewish. Because it was so important to my parents and important to their families. And you know, part of the reason they're a good match for each other is because their values are the same.  I went to Jewish Day School, the same one my kids now go to, which is pretty cool. Manya Brachear Pashman:  Oh, that's lovely. Jonah Platt:   Yeah. And I went to Jewish sleepaway camp at Camp Ramah  in California. But for me, really, you know, when I get asked this question, like, my key Jewish word is family. And growing up, every holiday we spent with some part of my very large, amazing family. What's interesting is, in my city where I grew up, Los Angeles, I didn't have any grandparents, I didn't have any aunts or uncles or any first cousins. But I feel like I was with them all the time, because every holiday, someone was traveling to somebody, and we were being together. And all of my childhood memories of Jewish holidays are with my cousins and my aunts and my uncles and my grandparents. Because it was just so important to our family. And that's just an amazing foundation for being Jewish or anything else, if that's your foundation, that's really gonna stay with you. And my upbringing, like we kept kosher in my house, meat and milk plates. We would eat meat out but no pork, no shellfish, no milk and meat, any of that. And while I don't ascribe to all those things now, I'm grateful that I got sort of the literacy in that.  In my Jewish Day School we had to wrap tefillin every morning. And while I don't do that now, I'm glad that I know how to do that, and I know what that looks like, and I know what that means, even if I resisted it very strongly at the time as a 13 year old, being like what I gotta wrap this up every day. But I'm grateful now to have that literacy. And I've always been very surprised to see in my life that often when I'm in a room with people, I'm the most observant in the room or the most Jewish literate in the room, which was never the case in my life.  I have family members who are much more observant than me, orthodox. I know plenty of Orthodox people, whatever. But in today's world, I'm very grateful for the upbringing I had where, I'll be on an experience. I actually just got back from one in Poland. I went on a trip with all moderate Muslims from around the North Africa, Middle East, and Asia, with an organization called Sharaka. We had Shabbat dinner just this past Friday at the JCC in Krakow, and I did the Shabbat kiddush for everybody, which is so meaningful and, like, I'm so grateful that I know it, that I can play that role in that, in special situations like that.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   So you've been doing a lot of traveling. Jonah Platt:  Yes. Manya Brachear Pashman:   I saw your reflection on your visit to Baku, Azerbaijan. The largest Jewish community in the Muslim world. And you went with the Jewish Federation's National Young leadership cabinet. Jonah Platt:   Shout out to my chevre. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And you posted this reflection based on your experience there, asking the question, how much freedom is too much? So can you walk our listeners through that and how you answered that question? Jonah Platt:   Yes. So to be fair, I make very clear I don't have the answer to that question definitively, I just wanted to give people food for thought, and what I hoped would happen has happened where I've been getting a lot of people who disagree with me and have other angles at which they want to look and answer this question, which I welcome and have given me a lot to think about.  But basically, what I observed in Azerbaijan was a place that's a little bit authoritative. You know, they don't have full freedom of the press. Political opposition is, you know, quieted, but there's no crime anywhere. They have a strong police presence on the streets. There are security cameras everywhere, and people like their lives there and don't want to mess with it.  And so it just got me thinking, you know, they're an extremely tolerant society. It's sort of something they pride themselves on, and always have. It's a Muslim majority country, but it is secular. They are not a Muslim official country. They're one of only really two countries in the world that are like that, the other being Albania. And they live together in beautiful peace and harmony with a sense of goodwill, with a sense of national pride, and it got me thinking, you know, look at any scenario in our lives. Look at the place you work, look at the preschool classroom that your kid is in.  There are certain rules and restrictions that allow for more freedom, in a sense, because you feel safe and taken care of and our worst instincts are not given space to be expressed. So that is what brought the question of, how much freedom is too much. And really, the other way of putting that is, how much freedom would you be willing to give up if it meant you lived in a place with no crime, where people get along with their neighbors, where there's a sense of being a part of something bigger than yourself. I think all three of which are heavily lacking in America right now that is so polarized, where hateful rhetoric is not only, pervasive, but almost welcomed, and gets more clicks and more likes and more watches. It's an interesting thing to think about.  And I heard from people being like, I haven't been able to stop thinking about this question. I don't know the answer, but it's really interesting. I have people say, you're out of your mind. It's a slippery slope. The second you give an inch, like it's all going downhill. And there are arguments to be made there.  But I can't help but feel like, if we did the due diligence, I'm sure there is something, if we keep the focus really narrow, even if it's like, a specific sentence that can't be said, like, you can't say: the Holocaust was a great thing. Let's say we make that illegal to say, like, how does that hurt anybody? If that's you're not allowed to say those exact words in that exact sequence, you know. So I think if it's gonna be a slippery slope, to me, is not quite a good enough argument for Well, let's go down the road and see if we can come up with something. And then if we decide it's a slippery slope and we get there, maybe we don't do it, but maybe there is something we can come to that if we eliminate that one little thing you're not allowed to say, maybe that will benefit us. Maybe if we make certain things a little bit more restrictive, it'll benefit us. And I likened it to Shabbat saying, you know, on Shabbat, we have all these restrictions. If you're keeping Shabbat, that's what makes Shabbat special, is all the things you're not allowed to do, and because you're not given the quote, unquote, freedom to do those things, you actually give yourself more freedom to be as you are, and to enjoy what's really good about life, which is, you know, the people around you and and having gratitude. So it's just something interesting to think about.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   It's an interesting perspective. I am a big fan of free speech. Jonah Platt:   As are most people. It's the hill many people will die on. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Educated free speech, though, right? That's where the tension is, right? And in a democracy you have to push for education and try to make sure that, you know, people are well informed, so that they don't say stupid things, but they are going to say stupid things and I like that freedom. Did you ever foresee becoming a Jewish advocate? Jonah Platt:   No. I . . . well, that's a little disingenuous. I would say, you know, in 2021 when there was violence between Israel and Gaza in the spring over this Sheik Jarrah neighborhood. That's when I first started using what little platform I had through my entertainment career to start speaking very, you know, small things, but about Israel and about Jewish life, just organically, because I am, at the time, certainly much more well educated, even now, than I was then.  But I was more tuned in than the average person, let's say, and I felt like I could provide some value. I could help bring some clarity to what was a really confusing situation at that time, like, very hard to decipher. And I could just sense what people were thinking and feeling. I'm well, tapped into the Jewish world. I speak to Jews all over the place. My, as I said, my family's everywhere. So already I know Jews all over the country, and I felt like I could bring some value. And so it started very slowly. It was a trickle, and then it started to turn up a little bit, a little bit more, a little bit more. I went on a trip to Israel in April of 2023. It's actually the two year anniversary today of that trip, with the Tel Aviv Institute, run by a guy named Hen Mazzig, who I'm sure, you know, well, I'm sure he's been on the show, yeah.  And that was, like, sort of the next step for me, where I was surrounded by other people speaking about things online, some about Jewish stuff, some not. Just seeing these young, diverse people using their platforms in whatever way, that was inspiring to me. I was like, I'm gonna go home, I'm gonna start using this more.  And then October 7 happened, and I couldn't pull myself away from it. It's just where I wanted to be. It's what I wanted to be spending my time and energy doing. It felt way too important. The stakes felt way too high, to be doing anything else. It's crazy to me that anybody could do anything else but be focusing on that. And now here we are. So I mean, in a way, could I have seen it? No. But have I sort of, looking back on it, been leaning this way? Kinda. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Do you think it would've you would've turned toward advocacy if people hadn't been misinformed or confused about Israel? Or do you think that you would've really been more focused on entertainment.  Jonah Platt:   Yeah, I think probably. I mean, if we lived in some upside down, amazing world where everybody was getting everything right, and, you know, there'd be not so much for me to do. The only hesitation is, like, as I said, a lot of my content tries to be, you know, celebratory about Jewish identity. I think actually, I would still be talking because I've observed, you know, divisions and misunderstandings within the Jewish community that have bothered me, and so some of the things I've talked about have been about that, about like, hey, Jews, cut it out. Like, be nice to each other. You're getting this wrong.  So I think that would still have been there, and something that I would have been passionate about speaking out on. Inclusivity is just so important to me, but definitely would be a lot lower stakes and a little more relaxed if everybody was on the same universe in regards to Israel. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You were relatively recently in Washington, DC. Jonah Platt:   Yeah. Manya Brachear Pashman:   For the White House Correspondents Dinner. I was confused, because he just said he was in Krakow, so maybe I was wrong. Jonah Platt:   I flew direct from Krakow to DC, got off the plane, went to the hotel where the dinner was, changed it to my tux, and went downstairs for the dinner.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Wow. Jonah Platt:   Yeah. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Are you tired? Jonah Platt:   No, actually, it's amazing. I'll give a shout out. There's a Jewish businessman, a guy named Andrew Herr, who I was in a program with through Federation called CLI in LA, has started a company called Fly Kit. This is a major shout out to Fly Kit that you download the app, you plug in your trip, they send you supplements, and the app tells you when to take them, when to eat, when to nap, when to have coffee, in an attempt to help orient yourself towards the time zone you need to be on. And I have found it very useful on my international trips, and I'm not going to travel without it again. Yeah. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Wow. White House Correspondents dinner. You posted some really thoughtful words about the work of journalists, which I truly appreciated. But what do American journalists get wrong about Israel and the Jewish connection to Israel?  Jonah Platt:   The same thing that everybody who gets things wrong are getting wrong. I mean, we're human beings, so we're fallible, and just because you're a journalist doesn't make you immune to propaganda, because propaganda is a powerful tool. If it didn't work, people wouldn't be using it. I mean, I was just looking at a post today from our friend Hen Mazzig about all the different ways the BBC is getting things horribly, horribly wrong. I think part of it is there's ill intent. I mean, there is malice. For certain people, where they have an agenda. And unfortunately, you know, however much integrity journalists have, there is a news media environment where we've made it okay to have agenda-driven news where it's just not objective. And somehow it's okay for these publications that we've long trusted to have a story they want to tell. I don't know why that's acceptable. It's a business, and I guess maybe if that, if the dollars are there, it's reinforcing itself. But reporters get wrong so much. I'd say the fundamental misunderstanding that journalists as human beings get wrong, that everybody gets wrong, is that Jews are not a group of rich, white Europeans with a common religion. That's like the number one misunderstanding about Jews. Because most people either don't know Jews at all on planet Earth. They've never met one. They know nothing about it except what they see on the news or in a film, or the Jews that they know happen to maybe be white, rich, European ancestry people, and so they assume that's everybody. When, of course, that's completely false, and erases the majority of Jews from planet Earth. So I think we're missing that, and then we're also missing what Israel means to the Jewish people is deeply misunderstood and very purposefully erased.  Part of what's tricky about all of this is that the people way behind the curtain, the terrorists, the real I hate Israel people agenda. They're the ones who plant these seeds. But they're like 5% of the noise. They're secret. They're in the back. And then everybody else, without realizing it, is picking up these things. And so the vast majority of people are, let's say, erasing Jewish connection to Israel without almost even realizing they're doing it because they have been fed this, because propaganda is a powerful tool, and they believe it to be true what they've been told.  And literally, don't realize what they're doing. And if they were in a calm environment and somebody was able to explain to them, Hey, here's what you're doing, here's what you're missing, I think, I don't know, 75% of people would be like, holy crap. I've been getting this wrong. I had no idea. Maybe even higher than 75% they really don't know. And that's super dangerous. And I think the media and journalism is playing a major role in that. Sometimes things get, you know, retracted and apologized for. But the damage is done, especially when it comes to social media. If you put out, Israel just bombed this hospital and killed a bunch of doctors, and then the next day you're like, Oops, sorry, that was wrong. Nobody cares. All they saw was Israel bombed a bunch of doctors and that seed's already been planted. So it's been a major issue the info war, while you know, obviously not the same stakes as a real life and death physical war has been as important a piece of this overall war as anything. And I wouldn't say it's going great. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Did it come up at all at the Correspondent's Dinner, or more of a celebration? Jonah Platt:   No, thank God. Yeah. It was more of a celebration. It was more of just sort of it was cool, because there was no host this year, there was no comedian, there was no president, he didn't come. So it was really like being in the clubhouse with the journalists, and you could sense they were sort of happy about it. Was like, just like a family reunion, kind of a vibe, like, it's just our people. We're all on the same page. We're the people who care about getting it right. We care about journalistic integrity. We're here to support each other. It was really nice. I mean, I liked being sort of a fly on the wall of this other group that I had not really been amongst before, and seeing them in their element in this like industry party, which was cool.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Okay, so we talked about journalists. What about your colleagues in the entertainment industry? Are you facing backlash from them, either out of malice or ignorance?  Jonah Platt:   I'm not facing any backlash from anybody of importance if I'm not getting an opportunity, or someone's written me off or something. I don't know that, you know, I have no idea if I'm now on somebody's list of I'm never gonna work with that guy. I don't know. I don't imagine I am. If I am, it says way more about that person than it does about me, because my approach, as we've discussed, is to try to be really inclusive and honest and, like, objective. And if I get something wrong, I'll delete it, or I'll say I got it wrong. I try to be very transparent and really open that, like I'm trying my best to get things right and to be fair.  And if you have a problem with that. You know, you've got a problem. I don't have a problem. So I wouldn't say any backlash. In fact, I mean, I get a lot of support, and a lot of, you know, appreciation from people in the industry who either are also speaking out or maybe too afraid to, and are glad that other people are doing it, which I have thoughts about too, but you know, when people are afraid to speak out about the stuff because of the things they're going to lose. Like, to a person, maybe you lose stuff, but like, you gain so many more other people and opportunities, people who were just sort of had no idea that you were on the same team and were waiting for you to say something, and they're like, Oh my God, you're in this with me too. Great, let's do something together, or whatever it is. So I've gotten, it's been much more positive than negative in terms of people I actually care about. I mean, I've gotten fans of entertainment who have nasty things to say about me, but not colleagues or industry peers.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   So you would declare yourself a proud Zionist. Jonah Platt:   Yes. Manya Brachear Pashman:   But you wrote a column in The Forward recently over Passover saying, let's retire the word Zionist. Why?  Jonah Platt:   Yes. I recently wrote an op-ed and actually talked about on my pod as well about why I feel we should retire the word Zionism. Not that I think we actually are. It's pretty well in use. But my main reasoning was, that the way we all understand Zionism, those of us who actually know what it is, unlike a lot of people –is the belief that Jews should have self determination, sovereignty in some piece of the land to which they are indigenous. We have that. We've had it for almost 80 years. I don't know why we need to keep using a word that frames it as aspirational, that like, I believe we should have this thing. We already have it.  And I feel by sort of leaving that sentence without a period, we're sort of suggesting that non-existence is somehow on the table. Like, if I just protest enough, Israel's going to stop existing. I want to slam that door closed. I don't think we need to be the, I believe that Israel should exist people anymore. I think we should be the I love Israel people, or I support Israel people. I'm an Israel patriot. I'm a lover of Israel, whatever the phrase may be. To me, the idea that we should continue to sort of play by their framework of leaving that situation on the table, is it only hurts us, and I just don't think we need it. Manya Brachear Pashman:   It lets others define it, in their own terms.  Jonah Platt:   Yeah, we're playing, sort of by the rules of the other people's game. And I know, you know, I heard when I put that out, especially from Israelis, who it to them, it sort of means patriot, and they feel a lot of great pride with it, which I totally understand. But the sort of more universal understanding of what that word is, and certainly of what the Movement was, was about that aspirational creation of a land, that a land's been created. Not only has it been created, it's, you know, survived through numerous wars, it's stronger than ever. You know, third-most NASDAQ companies in the world. We need to just start talking about it from like, yeah, we're here. We're not going anywhere, kind of a place. And not, a we should exist, kind of a place. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So it's funny, you said, we all know what Zionism is. And I grinned a little bit, because there are so many different definitions of Zionism. I mean, also, Zionism was a very inclusive progressive ideology packaged in there, right, that nobody talks about because it's just kind of not, we just don't talk about it anymore.  So what else about the conversation needs to change? How do we move forward in a productive, constructive way when it comes to teaching about Jewish identity and securing the existence of Israel? Jonah Platt:   In a way, those two things are related, and in a way they're not. You can have a conversation about Jewish identity without necessarily going deep down the Israel hole. But it is critical that people understand how central a connection to Israel is, to Jewish identity. And people are allowed to believe whatever they want. And you can be someone who says, Well, you know, Israel is not important to me, and that's okay, that's you, but you have to at least be clear eyed that that is an extreme and fringe position. That is not a mainstream thing. And you're going to be met with mistrust and confusion and anger and a sense of betrayal, if that's your position.  So I think we need to be clear eyed about that and be able to have that conversation. And I think if we can get to the place where we can acknowledge that in each other. Like, dude, have your belief. I don't agree with it. I think it's crazy. Like, you gotta at least know that we all think you're crazy having that idea. And if they can get to the base, we're like, yeah, I understand that, but I'm gonna believe what I'm gonna believe, then we can have conversations and, like, then we can talk. I think the, I need to change your mind conversation, it doesn't usually work. It has to be really gently done. And I'm speaking this as much from failure as I am from success. As much as we try, sometimes our emotions come to the fore of these conversations, and that's–it's not gonna happen. You know, on my pod, I've talked about something called, I call the four C's of difficult conversation. And I recently, like, tried to have a conversation. I did not adhere to my four C's, and it did not go well. And so I didn't take my own advice. You have to come, like, legitimately ready to be curious to the other person's point of view, wanting to hear what they have to say. You know, honoring their truth, even if it is something that hurts you deeply or that you abhor. You can say that, but you have to say it from a place of respect and honoring. If you want it to go somewhere. If you just want to like, let somebody have it, go ahead, let somebody have it, but you're definitely not going to be building towards anything that. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So before I let you go, can you tell us a little bit about The Mensch? Jonah Platt:   Yeah, sure. So the Mensch is one of a couple of Jewish entertainment projects I'm now involved with in the last year, which, you know, I went from sort of zero to now three. The Mensch is a really unique film that's in development now. We're gonna be shooting this summer that I'm a producer on. And it's the story of a 30 something female rabbi in New Mexico who, life just isn't where she thought it would be. She's not connecting with her congregation. She's not as far along as she thought things would be. Her synagogue is failing, and there's an antisemitic event at her synagogue, and the synagogue gets shut down. And she's at the center of it. Two weeks later, the synagogue's reopening. She's coming back to work, and as part of this reopening to try to bring some some life and some juzz to the proceedings, one of the congregants from the synagogue, the most eccentric one, who's sort of a pariah, who's being played by Jennifer Goodwin, who's a fantastic actress and Jewish advocate, donates her family's priceless Holocaust-era Torah to the synagogue, and the rabbi gets tasked with going to pick it up and bring it. As things often happen for this rabbi, like a bunch of stuff goes wrong. Long story short, she ends up on a bus with the Torah in a bag, like a sports duffel bag, and gets into an altercation with somebody who has the same tattoo as the perpetrator of the event at her synagogue, and unbeknownst to the two of them, they have the same sports duffel bag, and they accidentally swap them. So she shows up at the synagogue with Jennifer Goodwin, they're opening it up, expecting to see a Torah, and it's full of bricks of cocaine. And the ceremony is the next day, and they have less than 24 hours to track down this torah through the seedy, drug-dealing, white nationalist underbelly of the city. And, you know, drama and hilarity ensue. And there's lots of sort of fun, a magic realism to some of the proceedings that give it like a biblical tableau, kind of sense. There's wandering in the desert and a burning cactus and things of that nature.  So it's just, it's really unique, and what drew me to it is what I'm looking for in any sort of Jewish project that I'm supporting, whether as a viewer or behind the scenes, is a contemporary story that's not about Jews dying in the Holocaust. That is a story of people just being people, and those people are Jewish. And so the things that they think about, the way they live, maybe their jobs, even in this case, are Jewish ones. But it's not like a story of the Jews in that sense. The only touch point the majority of the world has for Jews is the news and TV and film. And so if that's how people are gonna learn about us, we need to take that seriously and make sure they're learning who we really are, which is regular people, just like you, dealing with the same kind of problems, the same relationships, and just doing that through a little bit of a Jewish lens. So the movie is entertaining and unique and totally fun, but it also just happens to be about Jews and rabbis. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And so possible, spoiler alert, does the White Nationalist end up being the Mensch in the end? Jonah Platt:   No, no, the white nationalist is not the mensch. They're the villain.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   I thought maybe there was a conversion moment in this film. Jonah Platt:   No conversion. But sort of, one of the themes you take away is, anybody can be a mensch. You don't necessarily need to be the best rabbi in the world to be a mensch. We're all fallible, flawed human beings. And what's important is that we try to do good and we try to do the right thing, and usually that's enough. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Well, I thought that kind of twist would be… Jonah Platt:   I'll take it up with the writer.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   Well, Jonah, you are truly a mensch for joining us on the sidelines here today. Jonah Platt:   Thank you. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Safe travels, wherever you're headed next.  Jonah Platt:   Thank you very much. Happy to be with you.   

The number of foreigners coming to China visa-free has increased significantly in the first six months of the year, as the nation continues to open its doors wider for international travelers.随着中国持续向国际游客进一步开放，今年上半年入境中国的免签外国人数大幅增加。From January to June, immigration management authorities across China recorded a total of 13.64 million visa-free inbound trips made by foreigners, up 53.9 percent year-on-year, Lyu Ning, a spokeswoman for the National Immigration Administration, said on Wednesday.国家移民管理局发言人吕宁周三表示，1 月至 6 月，全国移民管理机构共记录外国免签入境人次 1364 万，同比增长 53.9%。These trips accounted for 71.2 percent of all inbound trips made by foreigners in the first half of the year, Lyu said.吕宁称，这些免签入境人次占上半年外国人入境总人次的 71.2%。During the first six months, foreigners made more than 38 million trips to and from China, up 30.2 percent year-on-year. Authorities also recorded a total of 333 million cross-border trips, up 15.8 percent compared with the same period last year.上半年，外国人出入境超 3800 万人次，同比增长 30.2%；全国共记录跨境出行 3.33 亿人次，同比增长 15.8%。This year, China introduced additional favorable policies to facilitate cross-border travel and attract more foreign visitors.今年，中国推出了更多利好政策，以便利跨境出行并吸引更多外国游客。In June, it added Indonesia to the list of countries whose citizens are eligible for visa-free transit, allowing Indonesians traveling to a third country to enter China visa-free through designated ports, and stay for up to 10 days.6 月，中国将印度尼西亚纳入免签过境国家名单，允许前往第三国的印尼公民经指定口岸免签入境中国，停留最长 10 天。In February, China allowed tourist groups from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to stay in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province, for up to six days after entering the country visa-free through designated ports.2 月，中国允许东南亚国家联盟成员国旅游团经指定口岸免签入境后，在云南省西双版纳停留最长 6 天。China has also adopted unilateral visa-free policies for nine other countries, including Brazil, Argentina and Chile, and signed comprehensive mutual visa-free agreements with Uzbekistan, Malaysia and Azerbaijan.中国还对巴西、阿根廷、智利等另外 9 个国家实施单方面免签政策，并与乌兹别克斯坦、马来西亚、阿塞拜疆签署了全面互免签证协定。Furthermore, Lyu said that China's immigration management authorities issue visas to foreign ordinary passport holders who arrive at the country's ports for emergency or humanitarian reasons, but didn't have time to apply for a visa at Chinese embassies.此外，吕宁表示，对于因紧急或人道主义原因抵达中国口岸、但来不及在驻华使领馆申请签证的外国普通护照持有人，中国移民管理机构会为其签发签证。"These visa facilitation measures have encouraged a large number of foreign friends to come to China for tourism and business, boosted inbound consumption, and further enhanced understanding and friendship between people in China and other countries," she said.她说：“这些签证便利化措施鼓励了大批外国朋友来华旅游、经商，带动了入境消费，进一步增进了中国与世界各国人民之间的了解和友谊。”A 22-year-old woman from Poland, who asked to be identified by only her first name, Julia, is in China with a friend to attend a summer camp on Chinese language and culture, as well as for sightseeing. The duo, who arrived on Tuesday, will visit Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.一名 22 岁的波兰女子（仅愿透露名字为朱莉娅）正与朋友在中国参加汉语和中国文化夏令营，并进行观光。这对搭档于周二抵达，将游览北京、上海和香港。"We are very excited for the time that we will spend here," said Julia, who is on her second trip to China but entered the country visa-free for the first time.朱莉娅说：“我们对即将在这里度过的时光感到非常兴奋。” 这是她第二次来中国，但却是第一次免签入境。Poland was among countries whose citizens were granted visa-free entry to China in 2024.波兰是 2024 年获得中国免签入境待遇的国家之一。"It's a very nice policy," Julia said, adding that the policy spared her the potentially cumbersome documentation process needed for getting a visa.朱莉娅说：“这是一项非常好的政策。” 她还表示，这项政策省去了她申请签证时可能繁琐的文件准备流程。Yang Jinsong, a researcher at the China Tourism Academy, said the figures released on Wednesday reflect the positive effect of the country's measures for stimulating cross-border travel.中国旅游研究院研究员杨劲松表示，周三公布的数据反映了中国刺激跨境旅游措施的积极效果。These measures have increased China's popularity among international travelers, he said, noting that the country's inbound tourism market has shown strong recovery momentum in recent years.他说，这些措施提高了中国在国际游客中的受欢迎程度，并指出近年来中国入境旅游市场呈现出强劲的复苏势头。Lyu, the spokeswoman for the National Immigration Administration, said the administration will come up with more diversified and effective measures for cross-border travel and foreigners' stays in China.国家移民管理局发言人吕宁表示，该局将推出更多元、更有效的措施，便利跨境出行和外国人在华停留。facilitation /fəˌsɪlɪˈteɪʃn/ 便利化，促进inbound /ˈɪnbaʊnd/ 入境的，进来的transit /ˈtrænzɪt/ 过境，中转cumbersome /ˈkʌmbəsəm/ 繁琐的，麻烦的

VOV1 - Quan hệ Việt Nam - Azerbaijan được xây dựng từ nền tảng hữu nghị truyền thống và có nhiều tiềm năng để tăng cường hợp tác trong thời gian tới, đặc biệt sau khi hai quốc gia nâng cấp quan hệ lên mức Đối tác chiến lược.

VOV1 - Quan hệ Việt Nam - Azerbaijan được xây dựng từ nền tảng hữu nghị truyền thống và có nhiều tiềm năng để tăng cường hợp tác trong thời gian tới, đặc biệt sau khi hai quốc gia nâng cấp quan hệ lên mức Đối tác chiến lược.

ARMENIA: AND THE RISE OF AZERBAIJAN. GREGORY COPLEY, DEFENSE & FOREIGN AFFAIRS 1900 BAKU

In this episode of Breaking History, Matt Ehret and Ghost welcome special guest Joaquin Flores for an in-depth exploration of the escalating geopolitical conflicts in Syria, Azerbaijan, and beyond. The conversation opens with analysis of Israel's sudden strikes on Damascus and the Druze regions, dissecting how internal Israeli politics, including Netanyahu's fragile coalition, are driving aggressive military actions. The discussion expands to the strategic aims of partitioning Syria along sectarian lines to create buffer zones and disrupt Russian and Iranian influence. From there, the hosts dive into the tangled dynamics in the Caucasus, explaining how Azerbaijan's ambitions, energy corridors, and tensions with Armenia could be used to bait Russia into a second front. They examine Turkey's delicate balancing act between NATO and Russia, the implications of pan-Turkic ideology, and how overlapping proxy interests risk merging the Ukrainian and Middle Eastern theaters into one broader conflict. The episode closes with reflections on NATO's looming financial crisis, the potential bankruptcy of European powers fueling arms sales, and whether Trump's geopolitical maneuvers are deliberately designed to drain the West's war machine.

Max and Maria are joined by Richard Giragosian and Jeffrey Mankoff to talk about the current geopolitical moment in the South Caucasus, with a particular focus on the dynamics at play in the relationships between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. This conversation was recorded on July 9, 2025.

Groong Week in Review - July 13, 2025TopicsPashinyan meets Aliyev in Abu DhabiContinued Persecution of Church and OppositionHostsHovik Manucharyan Asbed BedrossianEpisode 453 | Recorded: July 13, 2025Subscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong

In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Jeff Mankoff about rising tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan following a brutal crackdown and arrests on both sides. They explore how Azerbaijan's assertiveness reflects shifting power dynamics in the former Soviet space and its growing confidence after victory in Karabakh. The conversation also covers Azerbaijan's energy clout, ties to Turkey, and Moscow's costs from escalating tensions. Later, they examine Russia's faltering effort to rally the Global South against the West, with BRICS losing momentum.

In EVN Report's news roundup for the week of July 11: The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan hold a high-level meeting in Abu Dhabi; three Armenian parliamentarians are stripped of their immunity and face criminal charges; seven members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation are detained in terrorism-related investigations and more.

Groong Week in Review - July 6, 2025In this episode of the Groong Podcast, we are joined by Arthur Martirosyan for a Week in Review covering Armenia's shifting geopolitical landscape and domestic upheaval. The discussion explores the controversial proposal for a U.S.-controlled corridor through Syunik, tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan, and Pashinyan's escalating confrontation with the Armenian Apostolic Church. The show also examines Armenia's foreign policy confusion, including talk of joining the SCO, while cracking down on opposition voices—most notably the stripping of immunity from Seyran Ohanyan and Artsvik Minasyan. Against this backdrop, the episode questions the erosion of sovereignty, the use of legal tools for political ends, and the uncertain future of Armenia's democratic and constitutional order.TopicsConstitution DayWestern Controlled Syunik?What was Kallas Doing in Yerevan?Russian-Azerbaijani RelationsCoup d'Etat? Or Coup d'Église?GuestArthur G MartirosyanHostsHovik ManucharyanAsbed BedrossianEpisode 452 | Recorded: July 7, 2025SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/452Subscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong

La crisi tra Baku e Mosca è cominciata il 27 giugno, quando decine di cittadini azeri sono stati arrestati in Russia e due di loro sono morti mentre erano in custodia della polizia. Con Andrea Pipino, editor di Europa di Internazionale. Alla fine di giugno il tribunale di Vicenza ha condannato in primo grado undici ex dirigenti dell'azienda chimica Miteni, ritenuti responsabili di aver inquinato la seconda falda acquifera più grande d'Europa con i pfas. Con Laura Fazzini, giornalista.Oggi parliamo anche di: Serie tv • Dept. Q su NetflixCi piacerebbe sapere cosa pensi di questo episodio. Scrivici a podcast@internazionale.it Se ascolti questo podcast e ti piace, abbonati a Internazionale. È un modo concreto per sostenerci e per aiutarci a garantire ogni giorno un'informazione di qualità. Vai su internazionale.it/abbonatiConsulenza editoriale di Chiara NielsenProduzione di Claudio Balboni e Vincenzo De SimoneMusiche di Tommaso Colliva e Raffaele ScognaDirezione creativa di Jonathan Zenti

In one corner, Azerbaijan's Ilhan Aliev, in the other, Russia's Vladimir Putin, two autocrats locked in an increasingly acrimonious political conflict sparked by, of all things, the arrest of some gangsters in Ekaterinburg. But it's bigger than that, and I locate the conflict in the context of Russia's receding role as regional hegemon, the politics of personalised authoritarianisms, and the agency and agendas of low-level political actors.The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affairs and similar situations.You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials including the (almost-) weekly Govorit Moskva news briefing right here. Support the show

In today's war diary, Alexander Shelest and Alexey Arestovich discussed the main news on the 1209th day of war:878,821 views Streamed live on Jun 30, 2025 #tcc #inukraine #zelensky➤ 00:00 Broadcast format. Poll: What do you think about Russia's strikes on the Drafting Facility?➤ 05:10 The situation between Russia and Azerbaijan: geopolitics and consequences.➤ 12:20 Possible origin of the "conflict".➤ 13:10 Consequences of the Russian strike on Ukraine. The death of a Ukrainian pilot. Clichés of Ukrainian propaganda.➤ 22:35 Dnipropetrovsk region: the target of the Russian army's incursion. Illiterate communication of the Ukrainian authorities about the military actions.➤ 28:35 Low quality of the Ukrainian defense is evident from the outlines of the front line on the map. The natural barrier line in the Kupyansk-Zaporozhye-Kamenskoye area was not held.➤ 32:15 Ukrainian analytics: trenches are not needed, soldiers are in "fox holes". Is this an excuse for the lack of fortifications? Defense area in Sumy Oblast was not prepared.➤ 39:50 Consequences of Ukraine's withdrawal from the Anti-Personnel Mine Convention.➤ 42:00 Negotiations are irrelevant until the end of the Russian Federation's summer-autumn offensive. Information war in the United States. What could be Ukraine's capabilities by October-November?➤ 48:05 What should Ukraine and Russia talk about?➤ 49:50 Trump and war in Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia's attitude to this war.➤ 53:20 Ukraine will be in NATO someday... What will happen to Ukraine with this neverending story?➤ 56:35 Are Ukrainians missing something? Stefanchuk started talking about elections.➤ 59:07 An unspoken ban on the pro-government blogger crowd to talk about elections or about the results of social surveys of Ukrainians. An alternative political candidate can win the elections in Ukraine. Chances of such a messiah candidate appearing.Olexiy Arestovych (Kiev): Advisor to the Office of Ukraine President : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleksiy_ArestovychOfficial channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjWy2g76QZf7QLEwx4cB46gAlexander Shelest - Ukranian journalist. Youtube: @a.shelest   Telegram: https://t.me/shelestlive

In this 21WIRE LIVE midweek edition with hostPatrick Henningsentalking to guests, Associate Editor for Global Affairs at 21WIRE,Freddie Ponton, and author and international human rights lawyer, Arnaud Develay, to discuss a new front developing in the ongoing East vs West battle for Eurasia, as the US, UK and Israel begin operationalizing their new client state, Azerbaijan, in a dangerous game of geopolitical brinksmanship, recently triggered by a hostile move against Russian news agency staff working in the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan - amid a new flare-up in relations between Moscow and Baku. Are the West trying to shape Azerbaijan into another Ukraine? All this and more. Also, listen to the Sunday Wire every Sunday at 5pm UK Time/12pm EST: https://21stcenturywire.com/category/sunday-wire-radio-show/ *SUBSCRIBE/DONATE TO OUR MEDIA PLATFORM HERE: https://21w.co/support VISIT OUR AFFILIATE SPONSORS: Health Solutions - Shop at Clive de Carle: https://21w.co/shop-clive FOLLOW OUR TELEGRAM CHANNEL: https://t.me/My21wire OUR FEATURED MUSIC ARTISTS: Joseph Arthur: https://josepharthur.bandcamp.com/ Peyoti for President: https://peyoti.com/ Red Rumble: https://www.youtube.com/@RedRumbleBand Peter Conway: https://www.peterconway.net/ Countdown Music: Song: Cartoon, Jéja - On & On (feat. Daniel Levi) [NCS Release] - Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/onandon Watch: http://youtu.be/K4DyBUG242c  

In this special Independence Day episode, Ghost weaves an epic narrative tracing the origins of the American Revolution through the story of Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, and connects those lessons to today's geopolitical chessboard. Ghost recounts Marion's improbable triumphs using irregular warfare and explains how his tactics and spirit echo in modern conflicts. Shifting to current events, the show dives into the escalating tension between Russia and Azerbaijan over organized crime raids, retaliatory arrests, and a media crackdown. Ghost analyzes why Zelensky has publicly sided with Azerbaijan, adding friction to the Russia-Ukraine dynamic. The discussion then pivots to Israel's Likud Party demanding annexation of the West Bank and how this push clashes with Saudi Arabia's clear rejection of any move erasing Palestinian sovereignty. With Saudi ministers flying to Moscow and Washington while Netanyahu seeks Trump's support, Ghost underscores how historic alliances are being tested. Rounding out the episode, he examines potential ceasefire developments in Gaza, the regional implications of a fragmented Lebanon, and why the Abraham Accords narrative may be shifting again.

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Two Chinese nationals have been arrested and charged with spying on U.S. Navy personnel and military bases. We'll break down what they were allegedly doing and who they were working for. The Pentagon halts shipments of key air defense and precision munitions to Ukraine, citing concerns over shrinking U.S. stockpiles. Azerbaijan detains seven individuals tied to a Kremlin-funded media outlet, escalating tensions with Russia following the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russian custody. In today's Back of the Brief—President Trump announces a new trade deal with Vietnam that includes a 20% tariff on imports and tariff-free access for American goods. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief TriTails Premium Beef: Celebrate with steak worth standing for. Get a free ribeye with the Freedom Box at https://Trybeef.com/PDB. True Classic: Upgrade your wardrobe and save on @trueclassic at https://trueclassic.com/PDB #trueclassicpod Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the past few days, Russian callousness and casual racism has led to conflicts with Azerbaijan on an unprecedented scale. Traditionally viewed as one of Kremlin's closest allies, Baku is now fed up with how it's imperialist neighbour is treating Azeri nationals and Aliyev is striking back. A lot of what's happening is amoral, dirty and outright petty - but it hits Kremlin straight into national pride.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this sprawling live dig, Ghost uncovers the web of pipelines, intelligence alliances, and hidden players shaping the next phase of global power struggles. He starts by tracing the strategic triangle of Moscow, Tehran, and Beijing, explaining how Central Asia's flat plains and the Trans-Caspian Pipeline became the new battleground for influence. Pivoting to Azerbaijan, Ghost details how Israeli drones and jets allegedly used Azerbaijani territory to attack Iran during the recent conflict, accusations that Baku denies while maintaining tight military cooperation with Tel Aviv. He explores how the BTC pipeline fuels Israel's energy needs and how Azerbaijan's strategic location links the Ukraine war with the Middle East escalation. The episode also dives into Armenia's crackdown on Russian-backed billionaires and Orthodox clerics, suggesting echoes of the old Armenian genocide playbook. Ghost rounds out the show exposing the tangled ties between former Ukrainian officials, Gazprom intermediaries, and the US diplomatic corps dating back to the collapse of the Soviet Union. It's a complex, eye-opening look at how pipeline politics, covert alliances, and energy corridors are merging into a single geopolitical theater.

Hanna Notte returns to the show for a conversation with Max and Maria about what the most recent round of hostilities between Israel and Iran, plus the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, mean for Russia's own Middle Eastern strategy.  This conversation was recorded on June 25, 2025. "Russia no longer needs Iran's help to sustain the war in Ukraine," by Hanna Notte (June 2025, Financial Times) "Why Isn't Russia Defending Iran?" by Hanna Notte (June 2025, The Atlantic)

Max moderated a live panel discussion with Maria, and two leading experts on the Russian economy, Elina Ribakova and Vladislav Inozemtsev. The conversation focused on the findings of the recent report from the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program, "The Russian Wartime Economy: From Sugar High to Hangover."

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Turkey late last week for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the first formal meeting of its kind and a move Yerevan described as a "historic" step. Despite previous efforts - and a slew of concessions by Pashinyan to both Azerbaijan and Turkey over the past years - there has been little tangible progress in normalizing relations. Dr. Laurence Broers, an associate fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at Chatham House and an expert on the South Caucasus region, joins Thanos Davelis as we take a closer look at this normalization effort.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Armenia's Pashinyan, Turkey's Erdogan to hold 'historic' talks amid Iran-Israel warArmenian PM Pashinyan meets Erdogan in Turkey on 'historic' visitArmenian prime minister discusses reconciliation with Erdogan in landmark Turkey visitPM touts defense spending at NATO summitLibya, Turkey sign MoU on offshore areas, Athens reiterates rejection

On today's episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by this past Saturday's biggest winner in Nazim Sadykhov and heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane in the wake of Jon Jones' retirement. Fresh off his acting debut in the new Netflix film K.O., Gane reflects on the surreal experience of being a movie star — and how choreographed fight scenes compare to the real violence of the Octagon. He also weighs in on Jon Jones' legacy and what the future holds for Ciryl now that Tom Aspinall has been elevated to undisputed heavyweight champion. Jim and Matt begin to unpack the action from this past Saturday's UFC Fight Night card before the fighting pride of Azerbaijan himself, Nazim Sadykhov calls in to reflect on the surreal feeling of winning in front of a roaring hometown crowd in Baku.

John Pollock & Jack Wannan react to the news that Jon Jones has notified the UFC of his retirement.After Saturday's UFC card in Azerbaijan, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that Jones had contacted the promotion the night before and is retiring from the sport.White made it official that Tom Aspinall is now the UFC heavyweight champion. Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/postwrestling.comX: http://www.twitter.com/POSTwrestlingInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/POSTwrestlingFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/POSTwrestlingYouTube: http://www.youtube.com/POSTwrestlingSubscribe: https://postwrestling.com/subscribePatreon: http://postwrestlingcafe.comForum: https://forum.postwrestling.comDiscord: https://postwrestling.com/discordMerch: http://Chopped-Tees.com/POSTwrestlingOur Sponsors:* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jim and Matt start today's show two hours earlier than usual to accomodate two exciting guests fighting on this Saturday's UFC Azerbaijan card: heavyweight Mohammed Usman and women's bantamweight Melissa Mullins. Looking to bookend a second straight win from an Usman brother following Kamaru's victorious main event in Atlanta, younger brother Mohammed Usman talks about how he draws inspiration from his legendary brother's success ahead of an explosive matchup against Hamdy Abdelwahab. Mohammed also sheds light on the Hall-of-Fame guidance he's receiving from Rashad Evans — who is now in charge of leading his corner. Melissa uses her first time on the show to discuss her journey into the world of professional martial arts. Mullins sets the table for her upcoming rematch with Daria Zhelezniakova by breaking down what she respects from her veteran opponent in Saturday's second go-around. Finally, Jim and Matt wrap things up with a pair of fight picks each from the UFC Azerbaijan card headlined by Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr.

The UFC is making its debut in Azerbaijan! This Saturday, UFC Baku goes down from Azerbaijan's capital city, headlined by a light heavyweight banger between former champion Jamahal Hill and recent title challenge Khalil Rountree Jr. The card also features a ripping lightweight contest between Rafael Fiziev and Ignacio Bahamondes, and, of course, No Bets Barred is here to break it all down. This week, host Jed Meshew flies solo to talk about UFC Baku. Topics include whether Hill can stop his current losing streak, just how much Jed loves Bahamondes, Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev, multiple women's bantamweight bouts, the latest updates on The Climb, and more. Tune in for episode 130 of No Bets Barred. Follow Jed Meshew: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@JedKMeshew⁠ Follow Luke Noseda: ⁠⁠@MainCardMinute⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to MMA Fighting⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our full video catalog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Like MMA Fighting on Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Read More: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices