Ursula von der Leyen has been voted in for a second term as European Commission president, winning an emphatic victory as mainstream groups in the European parliament united to deny a win for anti-EU and extreme-right forces. The Strasbourg chamber erupted in applause when it became clear that von der Leyen, the first woman to lead the EU executive, had cleared the hurdle by 41 votes – a stronger result than her first election in 2019.
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Israel launched airstrikes
Israel launched airstrikes targeting alleged weapons manufacturing and storage sites in Gaza on Thursday, following a rocket attack from the coastal enclave. In a statement, The Israel Defense Forces said fighter jets struck a weapons manufacturing site in central Gaza owned by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that runs Gaza.
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Tajikistan’s Pamirs: A Perfect Political Storm on the Roof of the World
The Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) of eastern Tajikistan, is a geopolitical treasure tethered to exterior interests, namely the authoritarian central Tajik government in Dushanbe, Chinese economic and military interests, and Russia, which historically frames the Pamirs as a part of its geopolitical backyard.
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Ukrainians prepare new brigades for renewed attack
Ukrainian forces are preparing to push Russian occupation forces out of Ukrainian territory. Considerable resources will be deployed to determine the battle which is expected to be fierce.
