ASIA AFGHANISTAN Afghan authorities say that four children were killed in Ghazni province on Wednesday in the crossfire during a battle between government forces and the Taliban. However, their families say they were killed in an airstrike, which would kind of rule out any possible Taliban culpability. On Thursday, the US carried out airstrikes in Badakhshan … Continue reading World update: February 8 2018

SYRIA Obviously today's big story is the fallout from the overnight US airstrike that reportedly killed, well, some members (estimates are varying wildly, from seven to over 100) of a pro-Bashar al-Assad militia in Deir Ezzor province. The Syrian government, citing the highest estimates, is calling the strike a "massacre," while the US says its … Continue reading Middle East update: February 8 2018

EUROPE RUSSIA Vladimir Putin disclosed his finances on Wednesday per Russian election rules. He made around $116,000 per year from 2011 through 2016, and his assets include about $240,000 in the bank, a small apartment, and a couple of cars. In a similar spirit of transparency, I would like to reveal my own finances, which … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: February 7 2018

ASIA KASHMIR Al Jazeera has a video report on Kashmiri villagers who say their homes have been destroyed by Pakistani artillery fire in recent weeks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FPsrMA5otk MALDIVES The political crisis in the Maldives is already taking on geopolitical overtones. Former President Mohamed Nasheed asked India to step in and stabilize the situation, and now China … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: February 7 2018

SYRIA BREAKING: All the stuff below is still good, it's still good! But this should probably take precedence: U.S. aircraft carried out rare, retaliatory strikes in Syria’s Deir al-Zor province on Wednesday against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after they attacked U.S.-backed fighters’ headquarters there, U.S. officials said.   No U.S. troops embedded with … Continue reading Middle East update: February 7 2018

EUROPE RUSSIA It was reported earlier this week that Russia has moved some nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad, which raised some eyebrows at, among other places, NATO. On Tuesday, the Kremlin politely reminded everybody that what it does with its missiles on its territory is its business, nobody else's. And that's fair, but sticking potential nukes … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: February 6 2018

ASIA PAKISTAN Thousands of young Pashtuns have been protesting in Pakistan for the past week, triggered in part by the killing of a Pashtun man named Naqeebullah Mehsud by a police officer (now turned fugitive) in Karachi last month. It seems his killing was the last straw for many Pashtuns tired of being denied basic rights … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: February 6 2018

SYRIA The United Nations is calling for a general monthlong ceasefire in Syria, and given how quickly the violence there has escalated in recent weeks it's not hard to see why. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that at least 47 people were killed in government bombardments of Ghouta on Tuesday, after 30 were … Continue reading Middle East update: February 6 2018

ASIA AZERBAIJAN Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has decided to move October's presidential election up to April even though the chances of him losing, regardless of the date, are only slightly greater than the chances of me signing a long-term deal to play in the NBA. Aliyev may be looking to hold the vote before any … Continue reading World update: February 5 2018