Open Thread 139, by Anatoly Karlin

“There Will Be No Waiting” – Erdogan Eager To Act On Putin’s Offer To Make Turkey A ‘Gas Hub’ For Europe

“There will be no waiting,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday in his first official statement on the Russian proposal for Turkey becoming a Russian gas hub for Europe. Both leaders attended and met at a regional summit in Kazakhstan, where Putin floated a plan for exporting more gas – which has been blocked […]

Israel Resumes Practicing Military Attacks On Iran After 2-Year Pause – Jason Ditz AntiWar.com

By Jason Ditz via AntiWar.com. The Israeli Air Force has resumed, after a two-year pause, what is being described as “intense” drills to practice attacking Iran’s nuclear sites, a move that likely would start a major war. This comes just days after a report that the Israeli government approved a $1.5 billion budget increase for the military explicitly […]

Austria’s Kurz Derides EU’s “Geopolitical Blinkers” On Vaccine, Confirms Talks For Sputnik V ZeroHedge News

Austria’s Kurz Derides EU’s “Geopolitical Blinkers” On Vaccine, Confirms Talks For Sputnik V It appears the campaign by some EU and US officials to try and ensure Russia’s Sputnik V jab stays out of Europe and Western countries isn’t going so well.  Earlier this month it was widely reported that despite European Union leaders’ fierce public criticisms of […]