Ecuador is heading to a run-off presidential race in April after leftist candidate Andrés Arauz of the Union of Hope (UNES) coalition won a first-round victory Feb. 7, following years of economic austerity made more painful by the pandemic. However, in a surprise development, his rival leftist Yaku… Read moreIndigenous candidate upsets Ecuador elections
On Jan. 22, two days after President Biden’s inauguration, a large convoy of US military vehicles reportedly entered northern Syria from across the Iraqi border. The convoy, consisting of some 40 trucks and armored vehicles accompanied by helicopters, was reported by Syrian state news agency… Read moreUS forces sent back in to northern Syria?
Former Bolivian president Evo Morales, back in his country from exile in Argentina after October’s elections returned his Movement to Socialism (MAS) to power, warned Dec. 27 of the ongoing danger of a new coup d’etat and asked his followers to debate how to… Read moreBolivia: Evo Morales warns of new coup
India’s Hindustan Times reported Dec. 25 that Afghanistan has busted a conclave of 10 Chinese espionage agents that was supposedly “operating a terror cell” in Kabul. Citing unnamed diplomats and security officials, the account claims Beijing has been trying to persuade the government of President Ashraf… Read moreDid China plan ‘false flag’ attacks in Afghanistan?
Amid trade wars, diplomatic tiffs and propaganda sniping, the ugliness between China and Australia seems set to escalate as Beijing enters an agreement with Papua New Guinea to establish an industrial foothold within the narrow Torres Strait. Radio Australia reports that… Read moreStrategic strait at issue in Australia-China rift
As Trump and Hegseth explicitly broach the surrender of Ukrainian territory to Russia, a poorly positioned Zelensky is acceding to demands that he turn a large portion of his country's strategic mineral wealth over to the US in compensation for military aid. Especially at issue are Ukraine's significant reserves of lithium—critical to de facto "co-president" Elon Musk's e-vehicle interests. In announcing a new lithium refinery in Texas, Musk called the mineral "the new oil." The premium on Ukraine's strategic minerals is elevated by China's perceived design to establish control over the planet's rare earth elements. However, as Zelensky is quick to emphasize, nearly 20% of Ukraine's mineral resources are in areas under Russian occupation. (Map: ResearchGate)
An utterly maddening story in the Princeton Planet Dec. 8 informs us that exiled Chinese dissident Teng Biao has been facing protests at his home in New Jersey’s Princeton Junction—by fellow opponents of China’s dictatorship. They are, absurdly, accusing him of being… Read moreTrump co-opts Chinese dissidents —stirring dissent
President Donald Trump announced Dec. 10 that Morocco and Israel have agreed to normalize relations, adding that the US will formally recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the occupied territory of Western Sahara. Trump’s official proclamation states that “as of today, the United States recognizes… Read more‘Abraham Accords’ betray Palestinians …and now Sahrawis
President Trump has ordered the withdrawal of nearly all US troops from Somalia by mid-January, the Pentagon announced Dec. 4. The US currently has about 700 troops in the country, assisting local forces to fight al-Shabaab and insurgents operating in… Read moreTrump announces (pseudo-) withdrawal from Somalia
The popular vlogger and comedian Katie Halper, whose journalistic take-downs of the Democratic Party establishment have certainly been deftly exploited (at least) by the Kremlin propaganda machine, wears the accusation that she is a “useful idiot” for Russia as a badge… Read moreKatie Halper: ‘Useful Idiot’ or Russian ‘infiltrator’?
The world is breathing a collective sigh of relief after General Services Administration chief Emily Murphy officially contacted the team of president-elect Joe Biden, marking the Trump administration’s belated initiation of the transition process. However, the widespread portrayal that Trump has blinked… Read moreWill strikes on Iran be Trump’s Plan B?
Following an outburst of angry protest across the country, Peru’s third president in less than a week was sworn in Nov. 16, with a coalition cabinet aimed at bringing the country back from the brink of chaos. The crisis was… Read morePeru: after deadly repression, protesters win a round
