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Geopolitics

Syrian Prime Minister Escapes Bomb Attack

AL JAZEERA, BBC, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Worldcrunch

DAMASCUS -At least six people died and 20 others were wounded in a blast Monday targeting Syrian Prime Minister Wael Al-Halqi’s car in central Damascus.

The explosive device was planted under a parked car in a busy intersection, and then detonated as Al-Halqi’s car drove by, reports AP. The Prime Minister escaped unharmed.

The attack clearly appears the work of Syrian rebels aiming to cut off the head of the Syrian government, reports Al Jazeera reporter Rula Amin, saying this is a move to confirm their unwavering resolution.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but the main rebel group, the jihadists of al-Nusra, has orchestrated similar operations in the past, according to BBC News.

Over the past year, two other direct attacks targeted the government: the defence minister and his deputy (Bashar Al-Assad’s brother in law) were killed in July 2012 and Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar was badly injured in December in another car bomb, reports Al-Jazeera.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

The Russian Orthodox Church Has A Kremlin Spy Network — And Now It's Spreading Abroad

The Russian Orthodox Church has long supported Russia’s ongoing war effort in Ukraine. Now, clergy members in other countries are suspected of collaborating with and recruiting for Russian security forces.

Photo of Russian soldiers during mass at an Orthodox church in Moscow.

Russian soldiers during mass at an Orthodox church in Moscow.

Wiktoria Bielaszyn

WARSAW — Several countries have accused members of the Russian Orthodox clergy of collaborating with Russian security services, pushing Kremlin policy inside the church and even recruiting spies from within.

On Sept. 21, Bulgaria deported Russian Archimandrite Vassian, guardian of the Orthodox parish in Sofia, along with two Belarusian priests. In a press release, the Bulgarian national security agency says that clergy were deported because they posed a threat to national security. "The measures were taken due to their actions against the security and interests of the Republic of Bulgaria," Bulgarian authorities wrote in a statement, according to Radio Svoboda.

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These reports were also confirmed by Russia's ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, who told Russian state news agency TASS that the priests must leave Bulgaria within 24 hours. “After being declared persona non grata, Wassian and the other two clerics were taken home under police supervision to pack up their belongings. Then they will be taken to the border with Serbia" she said.

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