U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Tuesday criticized what he called a destabilizing Russian military build-up near Baltic states and officials suggested the United States could deploy Patriot missiles in the region for NATO exercises in the summer. U.S. allies are jittery ahead of war games by Russia and Belarus in September that could involve up to 100,000 troops and include nuclear weapons training -- the biggest such exercise since 2013. Reuters
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17 May 2017
Tit for tat -- OR, Children know this game
Good luck with that
South Korea's new liberal President Moon Jae-in was sworn in on Wednesday and vowed to immediately tackle the difficult tasks of addressing North Korea's advancing nuclear ambitions and soothing tensions with the United States and China. Moon said in his first speech as president he would immediately begin efforts to defuse security tensions on the Korean peninsula and negotiate with Washington and Beijing to ease the row over a U.S. missile defense system being deployed in the South. Reuters
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And who comes after?
South Sudan's army chief of staff, who had been proposed for UN sanctions and accused of directing last year's fighting in the capital that left hundreds dead, has been removed from his post, a presidential spokesperson said on Tuesday. Paul Malong's removal comes after months of government infighting and as ethnic violence in the country's civil war has dramatically increased. Malong has long been considered a hardliner in the government of President Salva Kiir, and diplomats repeatedly have accused him of undermining the country's 2015 peace agreement. News 24
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So many interpretations, so little popular interest...
One of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 and who had the opportunity to be released on Saturday chose to stay with her husband, the spokesman for Nigeria's president said Tuesday. Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said officials originally had been negotiating for the release of 83 girls, but one said she wanted to remain.
Quite the logical leap...
Cambodia’s Hun Sen Alludes to Peacekeeper Killings as Warning of Civil War Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday condemned the killing of four Cambodian United Nations peacekeepers in Central African Republic (CAR) earlier this week, and warned similar violence and civil war is likely to descend on Cambodia if his ruling party loses local elections in June. Radio Free Asia
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Technology and/vs. Democracy
The National Security Agency in Washington picked up the signs. So did Emmanuel Macron’s bare-bones technology team. And mindful of what happened in the American presidential campaign, the team created dozens of false email accounts, complete with phony documents, to confuse the attackers. The Russians, for their part, were rushed and a bit sloppy, leaving a trail of evidence that was not enough to prove for certain they were working for the government of President Vladimir V. Putin but which strongly suggested they were part of his broader “information warfare” campaign. New York Times
If you want to fix your 'problems,' you have to start at the beginning
Central American turmoil fuels many illegal US border crossings United States security is generally tied to the actions of countries like North Korea and Syria. But the American people also have a direct stake in what happens in Central America’s Northern Triangle — Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Being some of our closest neighbors, their fate and prosperity bear immediate repercussions on U.S. interests, from unauthorized migration to the transit of illegal drugs. The Hill
Sure, a neutral party would be just silly here
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moallem said on Monday his country would reject any UN role in monitoring the implementation of four “de-escalation” zones. “We do not accept a role for the UN or international forces to monitor the agreement,” Al-Moallem told reporters in Damascus. Arab News
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How retro
Germany arrests second soldier in alleged far-right plot. German authorities have arrested a second soldier on allegations he was part of a far-right plot to assassinate prominent political figures and blame the attack on refugees. Federal prosecutor’s spokeswoman Frauke Koehler said that 27-year-old Maximilian T. was arrested in the southwestern city of Kehl on Tuesday on charges of preparing an act of violence. WTOP
PS: This kept going...
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Not sure that's a compliment
China’s No. 3 official lauded Macau’s anti-subversion legislation during a visit to the city Tuesday in a message that appeared aimed at nearby Hong Kong. Similar legislation proposed there has stalled because of opposition from pro-democracy supporters. Zhang Dejiang made the comments to local officials and business leaders in the former Portuguese colony, which has been a special Chinese administrative region since 1999. Washington Post
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If this was test, it got an F
Jakarta's Christian governor was sentenced to two years in jail for blasphemy against Islam on Tuesday, a harsher than expected ruling in a trial that was seen as a test of religious tolerance in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation. The guilty verdict comes amid concern about the growing influence of Islamist groups, who organized mass demonstrations during a tumultuous election campaign that ended with Basuki Tjahaja Purnama losing his bid for another term as governor. Reuters
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Anyone else missing Condee right about now?
Condoleezza Rice's new book, Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom, is a full-throated endorsement of overseas engagement and democracy building. It comes at a time of widespread distrust of government and institutions. NPR
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This is a real problem, but this will be the 210th effort to solve it, so...bonn chans, mezami
A recent report advocates increasing legal assistance for Haiti's prisoners awaiting trial, an initiative that could lessen some of the human and financial losses incurred by the island nation's broken justice system. The research, published by the Copenhagen Consensus Center's Haiti Priorise project, argues that targeting Haiti's pretrial detention issue could incur financial benefits worth nearly three times the cost of the program. Insight Crime
EuroVision is very serious business!!
Ukraine has blocked entry to the country of two Russian journalists who were going to Kyiv to cover the Eurovision Song Contest. Two reporters from the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, both accredited to work at the contest, were detained at the border and eventually turned away and barred from entering Ukraine for three years, according to border service spokesman Oleh Slobodyan. Radio Free Europe
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'Alternative facts' goes global
There has been no new wave of killings prompted by the Philippines' war on drugs, and reports to the contrary are "alternative facts", an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte told the U.N. Human Rights Council on Monday. Duterte has received widespread condemnation in the West for failing to curtail the killings and address activists' allegations of systematic, state-sponsored murders by police of drug users and dealers, which the authorities reject. Reuters
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People don't make this choice b/c it is easy. They make this choice b/c they have no choice.
In just one county [of Texas], the bodies and remains of more than 500 migrants have been found since 2009. NYTimes
The bodies and remains of more than 550 undocumented migrants have been discovered in Brooks County since January 2009. Those bodies were only those reported to the authorities.
“I would say for every one we find, we’re probably missing five,” said Sheriff Urbino Martinez, adding that the scale of the problem often gets overlooked “because it doesn’t happen all in one bulk. It’s spread out through months, years.” NYTimes
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Maybe no one else in Southeast Asia has a press corps??
How was Cambodia ever #1 in press freedom for the region???
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Cost-saving gone awry
Recent comments on television by Venezuela's head of the penitentiary system blatantly exposed the extent to which prisons have been left under the inmates' control, to the point where authorities now appear to rely on prisoners to supply internal security. The insight comes from an April 30 television interview of Venezuela's Minister of Popular Power for the Penitentiary Service (Ministra del Poder Popular para el Servicio Penitenciario), MarÃa Iris Varela Rangel, which was posted and transcribed by Panorama. Insight Crime
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'You want to make what kind of video?'
Venezuela opposition leader Lopez in 'proof of life' video. Following rumors that jailed Venezuelan opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez had been moved from his cell to a military hospital, a government lawmaker showed a "proof of life" video of him in his cell. In the video, Mr. Lopez says he is well and that he does not know why he is being asked for "a proof of life." BBC
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Can we literally break the Internet now?
IS developing own social media platform. IS militants are developing their own social media platform to avoid security crackdowns on their communications and propaganda, the head of the European Union’s police agency said on Wednesday. Europol Director Rob Wainwright said the new online platform had been uncovered during a 48-hour operation against internet extremism last week. WTOP
Maybe they thought this was what that whole 'transparency' thing was about?
More than 2,000 people gathered outside Romania's government offices in Bucharest on May 3 to protest a move by lawmakers to pardon acts of corruption. Demonstrators waved Romanian, EU, NATO, and U.S. flags, chanting, "Resign," "This can't go on anymore," and "We have to defend the country from thieves!" Radio Free Europe
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Biting the hand that feeds
North Korea issues direct criticism of China amid nuke dispute. North Korea has issued a rare direct criticism of China through a commentary saying its “reckless remarks” on the North’s nuclear program are testing its patience and could trigger unspecified “grave” consequences. WTOP
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Could be dementia...
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is denying his country is in a fragile state and insists it is one of Africa's most developed despite its plunging economy. The 93-year-old was speaking Thursday at the Africa leg of the World Economic Forum. New York Times
Dystopia Redux
As Afghanistan slides back into chaos, with a resurgent Taliban and dwindling international aid, many fear that the country's women's shelters could be forced to close, leaving those who rely on them at the mercy of an often harshly conservative society. Nearly 30 shelters across the country - a legacy of the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban - provide food, refuge and education for women abused by their husbands or male relatives. The shelters also offer safety to women at risk of so-called honor killings, or of being sold into marriage to repay debts, a still-common practice. Associated Press
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Recycling is not a good idea in all cases
Africa's former child soldiers used as cheap labor in Iraq, Afghanistan. Former child soldiers from Sierra Leone and Uganda are being used as cheap labor for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new documentary on Al Jazeera. Child Soldiers Reloaded features interviews with several of these former child soldiers, most of who were recruited to work for Aegis, the private military company that signed an estimated $293 million deal with the United States (US) Department of Defense in 2004 to execute operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. News24
03 May 2017
Was OKCupid/DC really so awful?
An FBI translator with a top-secret security clearance traveled to Syria in 2014 and married a key ISIS operative she had been assigned to investigate, CNN has learned. The rogue employee, Daniela Greene, lied to the FBI about where she was going and warned her new husband he was under investigation, according to federal court records. CNN
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Because there aren't jobs for accountants anywhere else in the world?
North Korea on Wednesday confirmed the detention of another American citizen for alleged acts of hostility aimed at overthrowing the country. Kim Sang Dok, an accounting instructor at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, was "intercepted" at Pyongyang International Airport on April 22, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It said he was being detained while authorities conduct a detailed investigation into his alleged crime. Associated Press
Wait, what century is it?
Indian police have detained three members of a Hindu militia for suspected involvement in the killing of a Muslim man who they blamed for helping an interfaith couple elope. Police officer Muni Raj said Wednesday that Ghulam Mohammad was beaten to death in Uttar Pradesh state a day earlier. The killing came days after a man related to Mohammad eloped with a Hindu girl. Washington Post
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So, not quite the end of history.
In fairness to Dr. Fukuyama, he has recently admitted that he may have called that one too soon.
Russia has succeeded in sowing political discord in the United States by interfering in the 2016 presidential election, which will likely prompt Moscow to try it again, two former top U.S. intelligence figures say. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers agreed during a Harvard University panel discussion that Russia likely has concluded it achieved its goals and could attempt to repeat its success in elections in France and Germany this year. Radio Free Europe
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Guns, people...Good grief.
Police shot and killed a 49-year-old man suspected of shooting seven people Sunday at a birthday pool party in an apartment complex near the University of California, San Diego, authorities said. Authorities said the suspect, a white man identified as Peter Selis, shot four black women, two black men and one Latino man, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Associated Press
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Tights and a cape are definitely called for. A mask might be titch too much...
Tony Blair announces return to politics to fight Brexit. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced on Monday his comeback into domestic politics in order to fight against Brexit. Blair, who led the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007, will not be standing in the June 8 general election. But he said he wanted to build a political movement to shape the policy debate as Britain starts its negotiations to leave the European Union. Daily Times
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Lookin' good (for nothing)!
Tensions rise between Turkey, US along Syrian border. Tensions rose Saturday along the Turkish-Syrian border as both Turkey and the U.S. moved armored vehicles to the region and Turkey’s leader once again demanded that the United States stop supporting the Syrian Kurdish militants there. The relocation of Turkish troops to an area near the border with Syria comes a day after U.S. troops were seen patrolling the tense border in Syria. Those patrols followed a Turkish airstrike against bases of Syrian Kurdish militia, Washington’s main ally in combating Islamic State militants in Syria. WTOP
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Not enough Pepto in the world for that bellyache
Dozens detained as protesters say 'sick of Putin.' Police detained over 100 activists in Saint Petersburg on Saturday as hundreds of Russian opposition supporters turned out to protest against President Vladimir Putin's expected candidacy in elections next year. Protests in several cities were called by the Open Russia movement founded by arch-Putin foe and former oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky. News24
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There's a reason you weren't authorized to share with the media, sir
A security clearance well-deserved, clearly.
America's CIA director is making an unannounced visit to South Korea, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul confirmed Monday, amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. An embassy official said Mike Pompeo and his wife were in the South Korean capital on Monday, but wouldn't say for how long. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Associated Press
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Voting: The least-appreciated human right
Algeria voter apathy could mar legislative election. Algerians go to the polls on Thursday to elect a new parliament amid concerns that a low turnout will mar a vote which officials say is necessary to maintain stability. The election comes as the North African country grapples with a deep financial crisis because of a drop in oil revenues and amid criticism from people who say the government has failed to keep its promises. News24
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(Could not be a less) Fine day for a new constitution
Venezuela's Maduro calls for new constitution as protests rage. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called for a new constitution on Monday in a bid to quell a crisis that has led to more than a month of protests against him and deadly street violence. His announcement, to thousands of supporters in Caracas marking May Day, came as security forces sprayed tear gas and water cannon at anti-government demonstrators elsewhere in the capital. News24
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Good luck with that
A new database compiled by a Washington, DC-based advocacy group aims to increase transparency surrounding US security assistance programs across Latin America, with the hope that this will lead to improved monitoring and evaluation of those initiatives. The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) has created the "Defense Oversight Research Database," a platform that lists the programs the United States is currently implementing to assist military and police forces abroad in an effort to help assess their impact in Latin America. Insight Crime
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Cabo Blah-o
Shootout leaves eight dead near Mexico's Los Cabos tourist hub. A shootout near the Mexican beach resort of Los Cabos early on Monday between suspected gang members and navy forces has left eight dead, including one soldier. The incident took place before dawn on the outskirts of San Jose del Cabo, about 20 miles (30 km) northeast of the area's main tourist hub of Cabo San Lucas. Security forces later recovered unspecified drugs, vehicles, communications equipment, military-issued weapons and uniforms, the navy said in a statement. Reuters
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For some better news: Hungary. No, really.
Thousands of Hungarians marched across central Budapest on May 1 in a show of support for the European Union, protesting against what they described as a rise in Russian influence under Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The rally follows a series of major demonstrations in Budapest in recent weeks, triggered by a new law inspired by Russia that would drive out of Hungary a top university founded by U.S. financier George Soros. Radio Free Europe
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Glad someone noticed this is a real thing
Germany pledges $76m to aid Somalia fight hunger. Germany says it will double the $76m it has already pledged to help Somalia cope with the severe drought and hunger that is threatening millions of people across this Horn of Africa nation. The promise was made during a surprise visit by Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Monday. News24
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For those who really, really want a fresh Parisian baguette, but may not have read the news in the past two years
The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert for Europe on May 1, saying U.S. citizens should be aware of a continued threat of terrorist attacks throughout the continent. In the alert, the State Department cited recent incidents in France, Russia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom and said Islamic State and Al-Qaeda "have the ability to plan and execute terrorist attacks in Europe." Radio Free Europe
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Seriously, you arrested NPR? At least they bothered to show up...
Journalist freed in South Sudan after 3 nights in jail. South Sudan detained an NPR journalist for nearly four days before releasing him on Monday, a spokesperson for the organization said. Eyder Peralta has returned to his base in Kenya but his South Sudanese assistant is still being held by authorities, Isabel Lara told The Associated Press in an email. News24
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Think of this next time you think registering to vote is no big deal
DRC postpones voter registration in 2 provinces after 'brutal' killing. The Democratic Republic of Congo said on Monday it had indefinitely postponed voter registration in two provinces of its troubled central Kasai region after the brutal killing of an electoral official. On April 3, Philippe Iyidimbe, of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), "was decapitated by militias of Chief Kamwina Nsapu in Ndekesha", in central DRC, the CENI said in a statement. News24
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It's not like he needs it, but God bless Pope Francis
Pope Francis is brushing off security concerns to forge ahead on Friday with a two-day trip to Egypt aimed at presenting a united Christian-Muslim front that repudiates violence committed in God's name. Three weeks after Islamic militants staged twin Palm Sunday church attacks, Francis is to lands in Cairo in the early afternoon for a series of deeply symbolic encounters with Egypt's religious and political leadership. Associated Press
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With friends like these...
The Turkish government gave the United States less than an hour’s notice before conducting strikes on partner forces in Iraq and Syria, the U.S. military said on Wednesday, stepping up its criticism of airstrikes the United States said endangered American personnel. Col. John Dorrian, a U.S. military spokesman, said the lead time failed to provide adequate notice to reposition American forces or warn Kurdish groups with whom the United States is partnering against the Islamic States. “That’s not enough time. And this was notification, certainly not coordination as you would expect from a partner and an ally in the fight against ISIS,” he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State. The Washington Post
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Fighting graft -- good. Having masked, armed men whisk people out of government buildings -- little weird.
Moldovan Transport and Roads Infrastructure Minister Lurie Chirinciuc has been detained on corruption charges, the latest in a string of arrests on suspicion of graft in the economically struggling country. Masked officers from Moldova's National Anticorruption Center removed Chirinciuc from the ministry building in the capital, Chisinau, on April 27. Radio Free Europe
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'Dangit, the Game of Thrones extras went to the wrong location!'
Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov called an emergency meeting of political leaders Friday, hours after demonstrators - mostly supporters of the country's dominant conservative party - invaded parliament and assaulted opposition lawmakers. But it was unclear whether opposition leaders would attend, and political tension remained high after the riot in which 77 people were injured, mostly lightly. Associated Press
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Are we sure this wasn't a really poorly thought-out LARP?
A 23-year-old man, alleged founder of the Anti-State Capture Death Squad Alliance, has been arrested by the Hawks police unit. The man is accused of appealing to donors to fund an operation to assassinate Cabinet ministers using undercover coup plot snipers. All Africa
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Neverending/How many lives does it take?
Two U.S. service members were killed during operations against the Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Thursday, the latest sign of the security challenges the Trump administration faces in America’s longest and most costly war. Military officials said the deaths occurred during a joint U.S.-Afghan raid on Wednesday evening in Nangahar province, where a small but virulent Islamic State cell poses a threat to Afghan and U.S. coalition forces. A third service member was wounded in the same operation, the U.S. military command in Afghanistan said in a statement. The Pentagon declined to immediately identify those killed. Washington Post
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Spring has sprung?
Afghanistan's Taliban announced the start of their spring offensive Friday, promising to build their political base in the country while focusing military assaults on coalition and Afghan security forces. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced the launch of the offensive in an email statement that boasted Taliban control over more than half of the country, referencing a February report issued by Washington's special inspector general for Afghan reconstruction. Associated Press
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Nothing can make this comical
“We will kill all trans people here”, El Salvador's trans community lives in fear
“They’ve put out an order to get rid of all of us,” according to Sebastian Cerritos, a coordinator for Astrans LGBTI, an LGBTI charity based in El Salvador. “The gangs in one area here have said: We will kill all trans people here.” Vice News
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MOAB meh?
On 13 April the US dropped one of its largest non-nuclear bombs on a tunnel complex used by so-called Islamic State militants in eastern Afghanistan. It was the first time such a weapon had been used in battle. The BBC's Auliya Atrafi has been to the area to see if it really had any impact in the battle against IS. BBC
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Oh, well!
US troops hunting LRA warlord Kony begin Central Africa pullout. US Special Forces on Wednesday began to pull out from Central Africa, ending a five-year hunt for brutal LRA warlord Joseph Kony, who is wanted for crimes against humanity. The departure of the troops sent in to support an African Union regional force "will be completed a short while after it begins on April 26", Charles Prichard, spokesperson for the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), told AFP. News24
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And what happened after him?
Final verdict for Chad's Habre on war crimes appeal. Chad's former president Hissene Habre will learn on Thursday if his lawyers' appeal against sentences for war crimes, crimes against humanity and rape has been successful, following his landmark conviction by a special court last year. News24
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We get it -- you're big fat jerks -- no subterfuge necessary, thanks.
ISIS executes at least 15 civilians in Mosul. 15 civilians who welcomed Islamic State militants posing as liberating security forces in central Mosul were killed, officials said on Tuesday. Wearing police uniforms, they entered parts of the Old City on Monday to trick residents into showing their support for the federal forces, the Joint Operations Command (JOC) and a local official said. “Da’ish (IS) gangs committed a brutal crime yesterday morning in an area of Mosul’s Old City,” the JOC said in a statement. WTOP
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Everyone knows if you say it three times, it must be true
Who speaks for Islam and reform? Debate heats up in Egypt. It was a startling collision of religion and politics. Egypt’s president proposed a new law that would prevent Muslim men from ending their marriages simply by saying “divorce” three times. The country’s top institution of Islamic clerics, Al-Azhar, bluntly rejected the idea, saying Islam gives men that right and nothing can change that. In the months since, that confrontation escalated into a blistering feud over who speaks for Islam and how to bring reforms. WTOP
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Next up: Ankle monitors for all!
Turkey arrests 1,000 in raids targeting Gulen suspects. Police have arrested 1,000 people suspected of being part of a movement blamed for the failed 2016 coup. Another 2,200 were being sought as authorities targeted what they said was a secret structure within Turkey's police force. BBC
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Easy, there.
A senior Russian politician responded aggressively Monday to comments by the U.K.'s defense minister suggesting pre-emptive use of nuclear weapons against Russia is an option for London, claiming the U.K. would be completely annihilated by Russia's nukes in response. Russia's Frants Klintsevich, who heads the defense and security committee in Moscow's upper house of parliament, said the U.K. would be "literally wiped off the face of the Earth by a counter strike." Earlier that day, U.K. Defense Minister Michael Fallon said during a radio show that the U.K. could consider a preemptive nuclear attack amid recent political tensions between Russia and Western governments, according to The Moscow Times. Fallon said the U.K.'s military would only make combat use of its Trident nuclear program in extenuating circumstances, but refused to say exactly what those conditions would be. Newsweek
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25 April 2017
'You can keep our criminals, thanks.'
Cambodia suspends repatriation agreement with US -- Cambodia told Washington Tuesday it would no longer accept convicted criminals with Cambodian heritage being deported to the Southeast Asian nation, the latest blow to ties between the two countries. For the last 15 years, the two nations have had a repatriation agreement allowing them to forcibly deport criminals with ties to the other country.
Not sure if they've considered that this means they'll have to keep all of the U.S. pedophiles lurking about -- ya know, the ones that they actually bother to catch...
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First MoneyGram, next the Federal Reserve
If only that was a joke...
Chinese Takeover Bid for US-based MoneyGram Scrutinized. The financial industry is closely watching Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial's attempt to acquire Dallas-based MoneyGram International, the world's second biggest money transfer company after Western Union. Ant is offering $1.2 billion, more than U.S.-based competitor Euronet Worldwide. If successful, the deal would turn Ant Financial into a financial behemoth with access to MoneyGram's vast network of 350,000 outlets of retail shops, post offices and banks across 200 countries. At present, Ant's business is largely based on the Chinese yuan. The acquisition would also give it access to U.S. dollar funds and escrow accounts for managing the funds. “If you look at MoneyGram, what they might be doing here (to Ant Financial) is bringing a unique extra key that has much to do with that escrow account surplus and be able to hold a lot of dollars,” Jacob Cooke, chief executive officer of Web Presence in China, told VOA. “That, of course, will give them access to a whole bunch more opportunities to Ant's financial services.” VOA
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Sure to be well-received
Netanyahu gives German FM ‘ultimatum’ over meeting with NGOs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to cancel an upcoming meeting with Germany’s foreign minister unless the visiting diplomat cancels an appointment with two groups critical of Israel’s actions in the West Bank. A senior Israeli official confirmed that the prime minister issued an ultimatum to Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel that he would scrap their meeting scheduled for Tuesday if Gabriel met with members of non-governmental organizations Breaking the Silence and B’Tselem. WTOP
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Reason for grim satisfaction, if not celebration
Iraqi troops capture largest neighborhood in western Mosul. Iraqi troops on Tuesday drove out Islamic State militants from the largest neighborhood in the western half of the city of Mosul, a senior military commander said, a major development in the months-long fight to recapture the country’s second-largest city. U.S.-backed Iraqi forces declared eastern Mosul “fully liberated” in January, after officially launching the operation to retake the city in October. WTOP
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Who's on first??
So, everyone is against IS, but Turkey and the US are against Assad and Russia is for, and Turkey is against all Kurds, but the US is for -- totally clear.
Turkey hits Kurdish areas in Iraq’s Sinjar, northeast Syria. Turkish warplanes carried out airstrikes on Tuesday against suspected Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq and in northeastern Syria, the military said, in a bid to prevent militants from smuggling fighters and weapons into Turkey. The attack killed at least 18 Syrian Kurdish troops, according to a monitoring group, as well as five members of the Iraqi Kurdish militia known as the Peshmerga and drew swift condemnation from Baghdad. WTOP
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There really is a boat this time...probably
North Korea tensions: US submarine arrives in South Korea. A US submarine has arrived in South Korea, amid worries of another North Korean missile or nuclear test. The missile-armed USS Michigan is set to join an incoming group of warships led by aircraft carrier Carl Vinson. North Korea is celebrating its army's 85th founding anniversary on Tuesday. It marked the event with a large-scale firing drill, South Korea said. Tensions have risen in the area in recent weeks, with the US and North Korea exchanging heated rhetoric. Daily Times
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'Mind your own war!'
South Sudan hosting rebels to 'extend war' in Sudan: security. Sudan's powerful security agency on Monday accused breakaway South Sudan of staging talks with rebels fighting Khartoum's forces in two southern states, with the goal of "extending the war" there. In a statement, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) said South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, his deputy Taban Deng and top army commanders held meetings last week with the SPLM-N rebel group. News24
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The despot dinner table continues to empty...
Angola to hold election on August 23. Angola's cabinet said on Monday that elections will be held on August 23 to choose a successor to President Eduardo dos Santos after 38 years of iron-fisted rule. Dos Santos, 74, has been in power since 1979 and has announced that he will not contest the election. His ruling party's presidential candidate will be the current defense minister. News24
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History turned inside out
US general in Afghanistan suggests Russia arming the Taliban. The United States must confront Russia for providing weapons to the Taliban for use against American-backed forces in Afghanistan, top US military officials said on Monday. At a news conference with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at his side, General John Nicholson, the American commander in Afghanistan, wouldn't provide specifics about Russia's role in Afghanistan. News24
24 April 2017
Don't feel bad, Mexico, it's not just you
It has emerged that the US President has applied to Clare County Council for permission for the wall which will stretch for up to four kilometres and be over three metres high.
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