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Russia's Surprise Withdrawal From Syria

"Russia out of Syria," the front page of Moscow-based daily Vedomostireads, just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin's surprise announcement that Russian forces would withdraw from Syria.

After yesterday's unexpected announcement, a first group of warplanes has already left its Syrian base for Russia, the Defense Ministry said. "The main task now is to take every measure to promote a peace settlement and talks that have begun in Geneva," Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters. But Russia explained that it would keep its long-range S-400 air defense missiles on the ground.

  • The withdrawal surprised many, including Süddeutsche Zeitung reporter Stefan Kornelius, who writes that "all logic speaks against Russia's decision." The move comes on the fifth anniversary of the Syrian civil war and after a new round of peace negotiations began between the Syrian government and the opposition. The UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura described Russia's decision as a "significant development, which we hope will have a positive impact on the progress of the negotiations in Geneva," AFP quotes him as saying.

  • Russia's withdrawal could potentially embolden terrorist groups, which aren't part of an otherwise fragile ceasefire in Syria. A commander of al-Nusra Front told AFP that Putin's move showed that "Russia has suffered defeat, and within the next 48 hours Nusra will launch an offensive in Syria."

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Society

In Nicaragua, A Tour Of Nightlife Under Dictatorship

Nicaraguan publication Divergentes takes a night tour of entertainment spots popular with locals in Managua, the country's capital, to see how dictatorship and emigration have affected nightlife.

In Nicaragua, A Tour Of Nightlife Under Dictatorship

The party goes on...

Divergentes

MANAGUA — Owners of bars, restaurants and nightclubs in the Nicaraguan capital have noticed a drop in business, although some traditional “nichos” — smaller and more hidden spots — and new trendy spots are full. Here, it's still possible to dance and listen to music, as long as it is not political.

There are hardly any official statistics to confirm whether the level of consumption and nightlife has decreased. The only reliable way to check is to go and look for ourselves, and ask business owners what they are seeing.

This article is not intended as a criticism of those who set aside the hustle and bustle and unwind in a bar or restaurant. It is rather a look at what nightlife is like under a dictatorship.

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