The Daily Populous

Monday May 29th, 2023 evening edition

image for Kazakhstan's President declines Lukashenko's offer to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, has said that there is no need for his country to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus, and that it needs no nuclear weapons either.

[The Union State, or Union State of Russia and Belarus, is a supranational union consisting of Belarus and Russia, with the stated aim of deepening the relationship between the two states through integration in economic and defence policy - ed.].

Source: website of the President of Kazakhstan.

Quote from Takayev: "Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus, has recently proposed that Kazakhstan join the Union State.

I think there is no need [for Kazakhstan] to do so, as there are other integration associations – first and foremost, the Eurasian Economic Union.

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said that in creating the Union State with a single political, military and economic space as well as one nuclear arsenal for the two of them, Russia and Belarus are posing a problem for the other states in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has said that Russia will provide nuclear weapons to any countries that join the Union State of Russia and Belarus. »

Indigenous-led bison repopulation projects are helping the animal thrive again in Alberta

Authored by cbc.ca

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, plains bison didn't exist in Canada by the late 1800s, and the population of wood bison were as low as 200.

In recent years, several bison reintroduction projects have started — often led by Indigenous peoples like the Tsuut'ina Nation.

Due to several bison reintroduction projects, often led by Indigenous peoples, wild bison are making a comeback in places like Alberta. »

Erdogan’s Russian Victory: Turkey Is Shifting From Illiberal Democracy to Putin-Style Autocracy

Authored by foreignaffairs.com
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Turkey was not a pure autocracy, the theory went, but rather a democracy that had fallen into the hands of an authoritarian leader and was trying to make a comeback.

The outcome of the May elections suggests that Turkey has now shifted closer to a Eurasian autocracy than an illiberal European democracy.

For Erdogan, the Russian leader has provided a model for how to eliminate domestic opposition and accrue near-absolute power. »

Wagner boss attacks Russia's defense minister, says his daughter and son-in-law live in luxury while thousands are sent to die in Ukraine

Authored by businessinsider.com
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Yevgeny Prigozhin was criticizing Russia's elite for sheltering their kids from the war in Ukraine.

Prigozhin directly called out the daughter and the son-in-law of Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu, according to reports.

Prigozhin has previously targeted Stolyarov, threatening in February to have his men bring him to train to fight in Ukraine. »