In The News

Twitter Workers Charged for Spying: Washington Post

Ellen Nakashima and Greg Bensinger November 8, 2019
The US Department of Justice has charged two former Twitter employees, sending out a warning that any activities on tech platforms – social media, email, search engines – can be accessed by spies. The two men Saudi nationals tracked thousands of prominent critics of Saudi Arabia, marking the first formal accusations of the country spying in the United States. Foreign governments with nefarious...

Taylor Deposition

November 8, 2019
William Taylor reported to work at the US embassy in Ukraine on June 17, appointed chargé d'affaires by the Secretary of State and the president. He soon realized that the president’s private attorney Rudy Giuliani was promoting shadow US policies and priorities counter to US security interests. Taylor raised alarm, sending a cable to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after learning that the...

US Security Aid For Lebanon Withheld: Reuters

Patricia Zengerle and Mike Stone November 2, 2019
The US House of Representatives has launched an impeachment inquiry for suspending military aid to Ukraine, which is fighting Russian aggression at its eastern border. US officials report that the Trump administration is also withholding $105 million in military aid for Lebanon, reports Reuters. Amid protests over corruption, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri resigned on October 29. “...

Internationalizing the Kashmir Issue: Hindu Times

Karan Thapar November 1, 2019
A small group of EU members of parliament, mostly representing right-wing, anti-immigrant and anti-trade interests, visited Kashmir. Other MPs pointed out they were disinvited after insisting upon meeting ordinary people of Kashmir and opposing the tight restrictions imposed by the Modi government that would prevent hearing opposition voices. Violence broke out in Kashmir during that visit,...

Informant on Baghdadi: Washington Post

Joby Warrick, Ellen Nakashima and Dan Lamothe October 31, 2019
An informant who “lost faith” in the Islamic State helped the United States identify and kill ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. “The mole’s detailed knowledge of Baghdadi’s whereabouts as well as the room-by-room layout of his sanctuary proved to be critical in the Oct. 26 raid that ended with the death of the world’s most-wanted terrorist, the officials said,” reports the Washington Post. The...

Ukraine Testimony: National Review

Jim Geraghty October 29, 2019
US congressional committees gather evidence against the US president, focusing on a July 25 telephone call with Ukraine’s president. Testimony reveals that multiple officials expressed concerns to their superiors about the call after Trump suspended military aid to the country under siege by Russia, with some officials urging Ukrainian counterparts to investigate a political opponent. “Bill...

Invading Vietnam’s Waters: Times of India

Nayan Chanda October 28, 2019
China’s expansive claims over the South China Sea and ongoing aggression push Vietnam to consider filing a suit with the Hague for violating the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The international court has already ruled that China’s claims are overly expansive, but the country has not complied. In July, Chinese survey ships entered Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone and disrupted oil drilling...