In Brazil: Deadly landslides wreak havoc in Petrópolis
BBC News reports that deadly landslides have wreaked havoc in Brazil’s Petrópolis (once the summer residence of the Brazilian emperor, is a popular tourist destination.) At least 34 people have died in landslides and flash flooding. The city, which is located in the mountains north of Rio de Janeiro, was
What do you need to know about what is happening in Kazakhstan?
BBC does a very good job providing context on the situation in Kazakhstan in this succinct overview. Anti government protests have taken place across Kazaklhstan with some turning violent. The protests were sparked by an increase in a price cap on fuel but the unrest has spread to include other
Kabul Faces Blackout as Taliban Don’t Pay Electricity Suppliers
“Afghanistan’s capital could be plunged into darkness as the winter sets in because the country’s new Taliban rulers haven’t paid Central Asian electricity suppliers or resumed collecting money from consumers.” Full Story: Kabul Faces Blackout as Taliban Don’t Pay Electricity Suppliers
Italian ambassador killed in DR Congo attack, says Italy’s foreign ministry
According to the Italian Foreign Ministry, the country’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo has been killed in Goma. The ambassador, Luca Attanasio, died while traveling in a UN convoy in the eastern part of the country when the convoy was attacked by unknown forces. An Italian soldier named
Syrian war, rumbling into 10th year, still has global impact
Ten years after the Syrian war started, the conflict in Syria still has a global impact as Turkish and Syrian troops clash in the northwestern province of Idlib, Syria. As the news is taken over by pandemic reports and news updates, it is important to remember the instability that persists
Turkey says it has retaliated after deadly Syrian shelling
Turkey’s officials claim the country has retaliated on Monday after an incident that involved intense shelling by Syrian forces that resulted in the death of five Turkish soldiers. The incident marked the escalation of tensions between the two countries after a similar clash a week prior, in the Idlib province
Israel Intercepts Four Rockets Launched From Syria
At dawn on Tuesday, four rockets were launched from Syria towards Golan Heights, causing no critical damage but triggering air-raid sirens. The Israeli military stated that the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system and that no rockets had reached Israeli territory. At roughly the same time,
Iran’s top leader warns ‘thugs’ as protests reach 100 cities
Iran shut down internet access for 80 million people to suppress demonstrations that took place in over 100 cities. This made it extremely difficult for news sources and civilians alike to gauge the extent of the protests. Iran’s Supreme leader Ali Khamenei cautiously backed the government’s decision to raise gas
Bellingcat OSINT Investigation: An Analysis of Nicaragua’s “Volunteer Police” Paramilitary Arsenal
Open-Source Intelligence Forum Bellingcat has published a report on Nicaragua’s use of paramilitary organizations to quell the country’s protests in 2018, prompting renewed criticism against the uses by NGOs. These open-source data points support widespread reporting from sources formerly within the country’s law enforcement agencies that the paramilitary groups were
New BBC investigation examines Sudan’s secret hit squads targeting politial dissidents
Did you see the groundbreaking BBC OSINT investigation this past summer on an earlier atrocity in Cameroon? The same research group has just released a new investigation on Sudan’s secret hit squads used by the government security forces to violently repress protests and arrest specific dissidents for detention and torture. Many