ASIA UZBEKISTAN The Uzbek government on Monday suddenly unblocked several media and NGO websites, including Voice of America and Amnesty International, as well as the website for the opposition People’s Movement of Uzbekistan. Many of these sites had been blocked in Uzbekstan for over 12 years. This happened so quickly that it's hard to know what … Continue reading World update: February 12 2018

SYRIA Reuters is reporting that at least two Russian mercenaries who were fighting in Syria were killed during that US airstrike on Syrian-aligned forces in Deir Ezzor province last week. "Associates" of the two men have reportedly confirmed their deaths. The official Russian line is that no Russians were involved in that incident, and while … Continue reading Middle East update: February 12 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Taliban fighters killed six Afghan policemen late Friday night in an attack on several checkpoints in Helmand province. Meanwhile, residents of Kabul are living in fear of more terrorist attacks and anger, not just at the Taliban and ISIS but also at their own inept government: It is not only the shock of … Continue reading World update: February 10-11 2018

SYRIA Olympics or not, it was quite a weekend in Syria. To cut to the chase: an Israeli F-16 was shot down by Syrian air defenses on Saturday morning. This was after an Israeli helicopter shot down what the Israelis say was an Iranian drone that had crossed into Israeli airspace. The Israeli military later … Continue reading Middle East update: February 10-11 2018

Maybe everybody's on their best behavior because of the Olympics, but it seems like the planet is a little quieter than usual today, so as a result we can get away with cramming everything into a single update. MIDDLE EAST SYRIA This has been quite a week in Syria to say the least. The Syrian … Continue reading World update: February 9 2018

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