Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas Sunday asserted that Russia must be prosecuted for crimes of aggression when the war in Ukraine comes to an end. In an interview with the Associated Press, Kallas rejected the idea of ending the conflict with a peace deal and insisted that Moscow be held accountable for war crimes. At [...]

The Emergency Relief Coordinator of the UN Martin Griffiths Sunday declared that there has been a failure in the delivery of international aid to the people of northwest Syria. Griffith urgently calls for international support in the wake of a series of earthquakes that hit Türkiye, Syria, and the surrounding region. Two UN convoys with [...]

Prominent Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Phende Gyaltsen died in Chinese prison on January 26, according to Thursday reports from Radio Free Asia. Chinese authorities arrested Geshe Phende in March 2022. The Chinese Communist Party exercises predominant authority over Tibetan areas. In 2018, the Ministry of Public Security issued a notice declaring a wide range of [...]

Ecuadorians Sunday voted in local elections and a referendum containing a number of measures aimed at reforming Ecuador’s constitution. As of Monday night, all eight referendum measures have been defeated. President Guillermo Lasso proposed the referendum in September 2022. The referendum included eight measures to which the voters could cast either a “yes” or “no” [...]

The Foreign Ministry of Austria Thursday announced its decision to expel four Russian diplomats from Vienna. Two of the affected Russian diplomats are stationed at the Russian Embassy while the other two are located at the United Nations Permanent Mission. In a brief statement, the Ministry concluded that the two Russian Embassy diplomats have engaged [...]

The government of Canada will proceed with the repatriation of 19 Canadian women and children being held at detention camps in northeast Syria. The lawyer for the applicants, Lawrence Greenspon, Thursday confirmed in an exclusive interview with the CBC that a “mutually acceptable” agreement has been reached. The agreement stems from a court action brought [...]

The Commander of US Cyber Command and NSA Director Paul Nakasone Thursday urged Congress to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Services Intelligence Act. Unless Congress acts, Section 702 will expire on December 31, 2023. Section 702 permits the US government to conduct targeted surveillance of foreign persons located outside the US without a warrant [...]

Russia and Ukraine Sunday engaged in an exchange of captured soldiers. A total of 50 Ukrainian soldiers and 50 Russian soldiers were returned to their respective home countries as a result of the negotiations. According to state-controlled media, the Russian Defence Ministry stated, “On January 8, as a result of negotiations, 50 Russian servicemen, who were [...]

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Thursday arrested Mariam Raad on charges of entering and remaining in war-torn Syrian territory controlled by the Islamic State (ISIS). Raad was repatriated to Australia from Syria’s Al Roj Internally Displaced Persons camp in October 2022 with other 16 citizens. AFP and New South Wales (NSW) Police from NSW Joint Counter [...]

An Arizona court Friday granted Kari Lake, former Arizona gubernatorial candidate, permission to inspect ballots from the Arizona general election on November 8. In her complaint, Lake’s legal team argued that the number of illegal votes cast in Arizona’s general election far exceeded the vote margin between Republican Lake and Democrat governor-elect Katie Hobbs. Lake’s [...]