MIDDLE EAST SYRIAThe Syrian Democratic Forces' commander in Baghouz, Heval Roni, says that ISIS is down to its last four square kilometers of territory in Syria, a stretch of territory from the Baghouz area to the Iraqi border. The SDF believes there are "some high-ranking" ISIS bigwigs in that enclave, but doesn't know if Abu … Continue reading World update: January 28 2019

EUROPE BELGIUM An estimated 70,000 protested in Brussels on Sunday in support of stronger action on climate change. The demonstrators directed their ire at both the Belgian government and the European Union, and with the country heading into both national and European parliamentary elections later this year it would seem that climate action is definitely … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: January 26-27 2019

ASIA AFGHANISTAN A group of Taliban accidentally blew themselves up, at least according to Afghan authorities, at a volleyball match in Baghlan province on Saturday. Four of the group's fighters and one civilian were killed. Also on Saturday, one person was killed in a bombing in Nangarhar province. US Afghan envoy Zalmay Khalilzad sure sounded … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: January 26-27 2019

SYRIA The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Saturday that artillery fire from the SDF killed at least 42 people in the remaining ISIS-controlled enclave in eastern Syria, including 13 civilians. ISIS's remaining territory is so rural that there's not even a clear town or village name with which to identify it, though it's in … Continue reading Middle East update: January 26-27 2019

EUROPE RUSSIA NATO and Russian negotiators made a probably last-ditch effort to salvage the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty and failed miserably. NATO reiterated a US demand that Russia destroy its 9M729 cruise missile, which it says violates the treaty, and Russia continued to deny that it violates the treaty and reject the demand for its … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: January 25 2019

ASIA AFGHANISTAN At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday Afghan President Ashraf Ghani substantially revised the number of Afghan security forces who have been killed fighting militants since he became president, to 45,000 from a previously cited figure of 28,000. Ghani, who seems increasingly irritated that he's being completely cut out of peace … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: January 25 2019

SYRIA The head of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Kobani, told AFP on Friday that he expects ISIS's remaining elements in eastern Syria to be fully defeated within a month. The SDF has forced ISIS out of most of its last enclave around Hajin, but the group still holds some mostly rural territory near the … Continue reading Middle East update: January 25 2019

EUROPE GREECE The Greek parliament on Friday will probably approve the deal under which the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia in return for the Greek government dropping its objections to Macedonia's membership in NATO and the European Union. The vote was postponed from Thursday to … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: January 24 2019

ASIA GEORGIA The Georgian and Russian governments may be about to reach an agreement on transit through the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Those two regions were of course the object of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, and transit through them has been gummed up ever since. The deal would put a Swiss company … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: January 24 2019