ASIA ARMENIA Armenians who are struggling to make ends meet are hoping that whatever government emerges from this week's parliament vote can do a better job of managing the country's economy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHkKa38oVp4 AFGHANISTAN The Taliban's spring offensive continues to be an active one. On Saturday, Afghan forces, helped by US air support, defended a major … Continue reading World update: May 5-6 2018

SYRIA The Iraqi air force conducted another round of airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria over the weekend. The Iraqis claim that the positions they hit were used by the group's leaders, though of course that doesn't mean any of them were killed. A cynic might argue that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has political … Continue reading Middle East update: May 5-6 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Taliban fighters on Thursday night took control of the district of Kohistan, in Badakhshan province. At least 15 Afghan security officers were killed in the fighting before the Afghans were forced to retreat when requested supplies and reinforcements failed to arrive. This is the third district the Taliban have taken in Badakhshan, a province that … Continue reading World update: May 4 2018

SYRIA The State Department announced on Friday that it's suspending its funding for several civil society groups in Syria, including and most prominently the Syrian civil defense organization known as the "White Helmets": Less than two months ago the State Department hosted members of the White Helmets at Foggy Bottom. At the time, the humanitarian … Continue reading Middle East update: May 4 2018

ASIA ARMENIA Armenia's Republican Party said on Thursday that the country will have a new prime minister after next week's parliamentary vote. And while they didn't specify it seems pretty likely that opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan is finally going to get the job since he is, at least at this point, the only declared candidate … Continue reading World update: May 3 2018

SYRIA It was one step forward and one step back in Syria on Thursday. Rebel fighters in the enclave around Yarmouk finally began to evacuate that area (ISIS is still holding out in Yarmouk itself) under the terms of a deal they reached with Damascus and Russia several days ago. However, a group of fighters … Continue reading Middle East update: May 3 2018

Sorry, we've got another relatively brief update today. It's been a busy day at HQ and your blog host isn't feeling well to boot. MIDDLE EAST SYRIA Rebels controlling an enclave near Homs said on Wednesday that they have reached agreement with Damascus and Russia to evacuate that area, surrender their heavy weapons, and relocate north near … Continue reading World update: May 2 2016

ENVIRONMENT New data from the World Health Organization shows that air pollution is killing seven million people per year--and naturally, poor nations are being hit hardest: “There are cities and regions where improvement is happening,” said Sophie Gumy, one of the authors of the report. “But even if things have started to move, they aren’t … Continue reading World update: May 1 2018

SYRIA Militant fighters in the Yarmouk area began evacuating on Tuesday under what amounts to a hostage swap negotiated between the rebels in Idlib and the Syrian government. The rebels, or more specifically Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have begun releasing civilians they seized three years ago when they captured Idlib province in return for safe passage … Continue reading Middle East update: May 1 2018

I'm going to be out of commission most of the rest of the day, so I leave you with a short mid-day update to be continued tomorrow. MIDDLE EAST SYRIA Monday morning's missile strike against military bases near Hama and Aleppo killed at least 16 people, most of them reportedly Iranians. Casualty estimates have varied … Continue reading World update: April 30 2018