In The News

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,...

Impeachment Rules Set: Time

Alana Abramson November 1, 2019
The US House of Representatives voted along party lines, except for two votes, to set rules for the impeachment inquiry of US President Donald Trump. Even supporters of impeachment express concern that the partisan divide will doom the effort to remove Trump from office: “the partisan breakdown of the vote shows the uphill battle Democrats will face as they try to convince their Republican...

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...

Flooded Future: Climate Central

October 31, 2019
Researchers continue to warn that previous climate studies may have been conservative and – without immediate mitigation and interventions – flooding, wildfires, extreme weather will be worse than earlier predicted. Accurate measurements of coastal elevations are costly, and past models overestimated elevations of forested areas. New research based on improved measurements of coastal elevations...

Breaking Movie Boundaries: Wall Street Journal

Joe Flint October 30, 2019
The Hollywood movie “Green Book” has enjoyed a surprising box-office success in China, showing that superhero and action films aren’t the only content that do well with Chinese audiences. Over the past decade, Hollywood has embraced the fast-growing demand of the Chinese market. However, there are still sensitivities over how US films are edited for presentation and approval by China’s censors....

UK December Election: BBC

October 29, 2019
Lawmakers in the United Kingdom failed to reach agreement about how to exit the European Union so they will give voters a chance to select a new set of members in parliament. “By a margin of 438 votes to 20, the Commons approved legislation paving the way for the first December election since 1923,” reports BBC News. Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggests “the public must be ‘given a choice’ over...