IRAQ As you may have heard, the Battle for Mosul is now officially over. Unfortunately, the fighting in Mosul is not. The United Nations estimates that some 3000 civilians, mostly disabled, elderly, and children, are still trapped in a small pocket of the Old City where several ISIS fighters are believed to be holed up. … Continue reading Middle East update: July 11 2017

EUROPE CYPRUS With reunification talks having collapsed, the Greek Cypriot government is moving forward with plans to begin offshore drilling amid the eastern Mediterranean's recently discovered oil and gas fields. This is not going over well in Turkey, whose government, in its dual role as protector of Turkish Cypriots and country that would like to … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: July 10 2017

ENVIRONMENT I never know where to slot environmental stories because they really affect everybody. But this update is a little short tonight, so we'll put it here. It's definitely good news, so don't worry or anything: A “biological annihilation” of wildlife in recent decades means a sixth mass extinction in Earth’s history is already well … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: July 10 2017

IRAQ Though I am reticent about these kinds of claims, I think it's safe to say at this point that the Battle for Mosul is over. A day after flying into the city in anticipation of declaring victory over ISIS, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday declared victory over ISIS. The anti-ISIS coalition agrees … Continue reading Middle East update: July 10 2017

NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT On Friday, 122 nations voted in the UN General Assembly in favor of a treaty banning nuclear weapons. None of those 122 countries actually possesses nukes--the nine nuclear nations, plus Japan, the NATO states, and a few other countries, all boycotted even the debate over the measure--so the vote is meaningless even by … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: July 7-9 2017

ASIA AFGHANISTAN The New York Times reports on the astonishingly horrific situation for women in Afghanistan's anarchic Ghor province: If Afghanistan is one of the worst places to be a woman, then Ghor, a province so lawless that people often wonder if there is a government there at all, may be the country’s capital of gender-based … Continue reading Asia/Australia/Africa update: July 7-9 2017

IRAQ We might as well start with some good news: Mosul has been fully liberated. Mostly. Probably. I mean, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited the city on Sunday to celebrate the victory with Iraqi troops--while carefully avoiding the parts of the city where fighting was still going on. But if we were trying to … Continue reading Middle East update: July 7-9 2017

As I said on Sunday, this week was going to be a little abbreviated around here, and in that vein today's updates will be our last until Sunday evening. Thanks for reading! EUROPE CYPRUS Reunification talks do not seem to be progressing toward a deal and in fact may be sliding backwards: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: July 6 2017

As I said on Sunday, this week was going to be a little abbreviated around here, and in that vein today's updates will be our last until Sunday evening. Thanks for reading! IRAQ Yesterday there were signs that Iraqi authorities might (prematurely, of course) declare victory in Mosul today, but as far as I know … Continue reading Middle East update: July 6 2017

As I said on Sunday, this week was going to be a little abbreviated around here, and in that vein today's updates will be our last until Sunday evening. Thanks for reading! NORTH KOREA To recap: North Korea has a functioning intercontinental ballistic missile, one that would potentially allow Pyongyang to strike the United States … Continue reading Asia/Australia/Africa update (with Bonus Blob Rant): July 6 2017