Chinese Dissident Gives a 'Voice to the Voiceless' by Confronting Chinese Gov't at U.N. Human Rights Council

One of China’s most prominent dissidents on Tuesday challenged the communist government’s right to speak on behalf of China in the U.N.’s top human rights forum, angering Beijing’s representative and drawing a reprimand from the presiding officer. Read

US, South Korea Prepare For Large-Scale War Games That Have Angered Pyongyang

Amid ongoing silence from North Korea about a proposed summit between Kim Jong-un and President Trump, the U.S. and South Korea are soon to begin massive joint military exercises of the type that have infuriated the dictator in Pyongyang in the past. Read

Cardinal Says Vatican Is Surrendering to China's Communist Government With Deal on Catholic Worship

The outspoken former bishop of Hong Kong has launched a fresh attack on a proposed agreement between the Vatican and China’s communist government. Read

Putin Wins Another Term, Securing Biggest Margin of Victory Yet

As widely anticipated, Vladimir Putin has won another six-year term as president of Russia, securing his biggest victory yet in this his fourth presidential election campaign. Read

Prosecutors Call For Lengthy Sentence For US Pastor in Turkish Prison

American pastor Andrew Brunson faces up to 35 years in a Turkish prison after prosecutors presented a court with an indictment demanding a 20-year term for espionage and another 15 years for committing crimes on behalf of terror organizations. Read

Putin: ‘Russia Does Not Possess’ Nerve Agents; UK: Russia Has Been ‘Stockpiling’ Nerve Agents

Russia does not possess nerve agents of the type used against a former Russian spy in Britain and has destroyed its chemical weapons stockpiles, President Vladimir Putin said Sunday. Read

Russian Presidential Election Won’t be Affected by Rift With West, Kremlin Says

Russian presidential elections are on track for this weekend, unaffected by a deepening rift with the West over allegations relating to a nerve agent attack in Britain, the Kremlin’s spokesman said Thursday. Read

Joe Lieberman Predicts Pompeo at State Will be a ‘Strong Ally’ of a Free Iran

Former Democratic Sen. Lieberman expressed enthusiasm Thursday about President Trump’s nomination of Mike Pompeo to head the State Department, calling the CIA director “tremendously gifted” and a likely ally in the cause for a free Iran. Read

Nauert, Elevated to Senior State Dep’t Post, Slams Russia Over Crimea

In her first statement as acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, Heather Nauert on Wednesday marked the fourth anniversary of the controversial referendum that led to Russia’s annexation of Crimea by declaring that “Crimea is Ukraine.” Read

As Irish PM Heads for WH, US Pro-Lifers Urge Him Not to Repeal Pro-Life Constitutional Amendment

On the eve of his visit to the White House for Thursday’s annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar received a hand-delivered appeal from 18 pro-life leaders in the U.S. urging him to uphold a 35-year-old constitutional amendment that gives equal status to a mother and her unborn child. Read

Pelosi in 2016: Tillerson’s Too ‘Cozy’ With Putin; Pelosi in 2018: Tillerson Fired For Being ‘Outspoken’ Against Putin

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi doubled down Tuesday on her inference that the Russians have some sort of hold over President Trump, charging that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had been fired for “standing up for our allies against Russian aggression.” Read

No One Gives Russia 24-Hour Ultimatums, Says Moscow’s Foreign Ministry

Russia is rejecting an ultimatum from Prime Minister Theresa May to provide answers over the poisoning of a former spy and his daughter, while warning of retaliation for any British punitive actions that may be taken in response to claims of Russian responsibility. Read

Tillerson Backs Britain’s Assessment That Russians Poisoned Ex-Spy

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson expressed support Monday for Britain’s assessment that Russia was likely responsible for the deliberate poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter this month. "We are outraged that Russia appears to have again engaged in such behavior,” Tillerson said. Read

With Ceasefire in Tatters, Haley Warns Assad He Could Face Another US Military Strike

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley warned Monday that the U.S. could take military action against the Assad regime to stop violent attacks on civilians that have only escalated since the Security Council a fortnight ago voted for a 30-day ceasefire. Read

Pyongyang Still Silent on Proposed Kim-Trump Summit

Five days after the White House confirmed that President Trump would accept an invitation to meet with Kim Jong-un, the regime he heads in Pyongyang is maintaining absolute silence on what would be an historic summit. Read

Putin Says Missile Defense and 9/11 Not Linked: ‘An Explanation for the Housewives’

In a NBC News interview, Russian President Vladimir Putin ridiculed a suggestion that the U.S. development of ballistic missile defenses should be seen in the context of a post-9/11 strategic posture reevaluation, telling interviewer Megyn Kelly that that was “an explanation for the housewives watching your program.” Read

Iran Protests Intrusion at Its Embassy in London

Iran slammed British authorities this past weekend for their handling of an incident in which four men scaled the walls of the Iranian Embassy in London and took down the country’s flag. Read

Trump to Meet With Kim Jong-un; Says ‘Sanctions Will Remain Until an Agreement Is Reached’

President Trump has accepted an invitation to meet with Kim Jong-un “at a place and time to be determined,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed on Thursday night. Read

Iran Breaks Up Women’s Protest as Khamenei Extols Hijab, Deplores Western ‘Nudity’

International Women’s Day in Tehran saw reports of police breaking up a protest by a group of women, on the same day as supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei extolled the virtues of covered-up Muslim women in contrast to those in the West, where “the female role model is her nudity.” Read

Bolton: Kim Jong-un Is Trying to ‘Divert Our Attention’ As He Races to Nuclear Finish Line

Kim Jong-un is using an offer of dialogue with the United States as a “temporary device” to buy time as it races towards acquiring deliverable nuclear weapons – “before the end of this year,” former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton said Wednesday. Read

Suspected Nerve Agent Assassination Attempt Roils UK-Russia Ties

Hinting strongly that Russia is suspected of being behind the deliberate poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter this week, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson promised that the government “will respond appropriately and robustly” if evidence of state responsibility emerges. Read

‘Me’: President Trump Takes Credit for Kim Jong-un’s Willingness to Talk

Asked Tuesday to what he attributes Kim Jong-un’s declared willingness to talk, President Trump deadpanned, “Me,” – then went on to say he believes the North Koreans want to talk because of the “very, very strong and very biting” sanctions they are facing. Read

School Bus-Sized Space Station Plunging to Earth; China Says, Nothing to Worry About

Chinese state media have been disputing reports that the country’s first experimental space station is out of control as it heads for Earth, but Western scientists tracking its movement are warning that its re-entry in the next few weeks could see a small amount of debris landing across a sizeable area of the planet, possibly emitting toxic vapor. Read

Bloomberg on Paris Climate Accord: ‘It’s Fair to Say This President Does Change His Views’

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, newly appointed U.N. climate change envoy, said Monday he hopes President Trump will drop his opposition to the Paris climate accord, and noted that he was not averse to changing his stance on issues. Read

Russia Flips the Narrative: The US Is Interfering in Our Elections

Amid continuing investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, a senior Russian diplomat on Monday accused the U.S. of trying to interfere in his country’s upcoming presidential vote, referring to efforts to “sway” young voters. Read

Inter-Korean Talks to Begin After Regime Slams Trump for Saying It Will ‘Have to De-Nuke’

Senior South Korean envoys headed to Pyongyang on Monday for exploratory talks, shortly after North Korea criticized President Trump for insisting over the weekend that the regime will “have to de-nuke.” Read

Thanking Trump for ‘Leading the Way,’ Guatemala’s President Announces Jerusalem Embassy Move

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales announced in Washington on Sunday that his country will follow President Trump’s lead on Jerusalem and move its embassy to the city – two days after the U.S. does so in May. Read

France’s Le Pen Charged Over Gory ISIS Tweets: ‘World Upside Down’

French far-right leader Marine le Pen said Thursday that the bringing of criminal charges for tweeting graphic images of ISIS violence was clearly an attempt to silence her. She said the world was “upside down.” Read

‘I’m Not Bluffing’ Putin Tells the West, Announcing Advanced Nuclear Weaponry

Ahead of his anticipated re-election this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin in an upbeat speech Thursday unveiled what he characterized as peerless nuclear weaponry, and warned would-be aggressors that Russia is ready to defend itself. “I’m not bluffing,” he declared. Read

Afghan President Offers Taliban Recognition, Office Space, Passports, Prisoner Releases, Lifting of Sanctions…

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday offered the Taliban a deal: come to peace talks and recognize the government, in return for incentives including recognition as a legitimate political organization, office space in Kabul, passports, and help towards lifting sanctions on Taliban leaders. Read

Iran to Hold Festival Dedicated to Eventual Destruction of Israel

Iran, the country that brought the world Holocaust cartoons and “Down with America” awards, has a new offering – an art and media festival with the theme of the coming destruction of Israel. Read