News Abkhazia New Abkhazian banknotes mainly attract numismatists New 10 and 100 Apsar banknotes have been issued in Abkhazia. However, the main currency in the republic remains the Russian ruble. The Abkhazian Apsar is mostly bought by numismatists and tourists as a souvenir. JAM News | 5 Jul 2024 Caucasus Money News Spratly Islands Philippines says sailor lost finger in sea clash, accuses China of ‘piracy’ Chinese personnel used knives and machetes to puncture Philippine dinghies attempting to resupply an outpost in the South China Sea, Philippine officials say. The Washington Post | 19 Jun 2024 South China Sea News Trial opens of ‘esoteric’ wing of alleged German coup plotters GP, celebrity chef and astrologer among defendants in third trial linked to far-right Reichsbürger The Guardian | 18 Jun 2024 Europe Politics News Machias Seal Island ‘Drift bottle’ launched in 1961 washes up near Boston A message in a bottle launched from an island between the United States and Canada turned up 63 years later near Boston. UPI | 18 Jun 2024 Americas News South Ossetia One opposition party among four and many newcomers The Central Election Commission (CEC) of South Ossetia has published the final results of the parliamentary elections held on June 9. Jam News | 16 Jun 2024 Caucasus Politics News Taiwan ‘Elimination’ of Taiwan is China’s great national cause, Lai says Taiwan’s president tells military academy cadets that the main challenge they face is the strong rise of Beijing. Al Jazeera | 16 Jun 2024 Asia News Palestinians Seek Full UN Membership Again Supporters of the Palestinians’ request for full membership in the United Nations asked the U.N. Security Council to revive their application for admission submitted in 2011. But the United States is again almost certain to block it. The supporters’ letter to the council president included the names of 140 countries that have recognized a Palestinian state. Washington Post | 2 Apr 2024 Middle East Politics News Transnistria Transnistria Begs Putin to ‘Protect’ It Against Moldova Politicians in Moldova’s Kremlin-backed breakaway region of Transnistria have appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to “protect” it against “pressure” from Chișinău. Politico | 28 Feb 2024 Europe Politics News Taiwan China Bombards Taiwan With Fake News Ahead of Election China uses fabricated polls and outlandish claims on social media to bolster its camp in Taiwan’s election. Politico | 10 Jan 2024 Asia Politics News Jammu & Kashmir India’s supreme court upholds decision to strip Kashmir of special status Chief justice says government did not overreach its powers when it revoked autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. The Guardian | 11 Dec 2023 Asia Politics News Taiwan Chinese weather balloon spotted near Taiwan Chinese military aircraft including 12 fighter jets also detected in Taiwan’s air defence zone in past 24 hours. The Guardian | 8 Dec 2023 Asia South China Sea Politics News Essequibo Venezuelans back claim to Guyana-controlled oil region Venezuelans who turned out to vote in a referendum on the status of a disputed oil-rich territory long controlled by Guyana have overwhelmingly backed Venezuela’s territorial claim. BBC | 4 Dec 2023 Americas Politics News Nagorno-Karabakh Azerbaijan must let ethnic Armenians return to Nagorno-Karabakh: UN court Tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians fled the region after Azeri forces seized the territory after a lightning offensive. Al Jazeera | 17 Nov 2023 Caucasus News Spratly Islands Vietnam ‘ramps up’ island building in South China Sea New report says Hanoi created over 133ha of new land in 2023 with dredging tools it had not used before. Radio Free Asia | 17 Nov 2023 South China Sea News Nagorno-Karabakh IDFA Award for Best Film goes to 1489 The winners of IDFA’s 36th edition competition programs were announced at the Awards Ceremony taking place at ITA (Internationaal Theater Amsterdam) on Thursday November 16. 1489 by Shoghakat Vardanyan won the IDFA Award for Best Film. IDFA | 16 Nov 2023 Caucasus Film News Kurdistan Dutch Filmmaker Reber Dosky Arrested in Turkey Reber Dosky, who makes documentaries about Kurdistan and was our guest at De Facto Live #6, has been jailed for three days in Turkey. Dosky was there for a new project and got arrested because of suspected ‘terrorist activities’. (article in Dutch) Villamedia | 13 Nov 2023 Europe Politics Film News Jammu & Kashmir India Charges Novelist Arundhati Roy Over a 2010 Speech The Indian authorities have charged the renowned novelist and Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy over public comments she made 13 years ago about the restive Kashmir region, the latest step in an intensifying crackdown on free speech by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The New York Times | 11 Oct 2023 Asia Books News Kurdistan Turkey Strikes Kurdish Rebels after Ankara Blast Turkey says it has carried out a number of air strikes on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, hours after a suicide blast hit the interior ministry. BBC | 2 Oct 2023 Europe Middle East Politics News Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian Separatists in Karabakh Surrender and Agree to Ceasefire Armenian separatist forces in Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh surrendered and agreed to a ceasefire on Wednesday, 24 hours after Baku began an offensive to restore full control of its territory. Reuters | 20 Sep 2023 Caucasus Politics News Catalonia Spain Grants Basque, Catalan and Galician Languages Parliamentary Status The change was requested by the Catalan pro-independence parties on whose support the acting prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, is relying to form a new government after July’s general election resulted in a hung parliament. The Guardian | 19 Sep 2023 Europe Politics News Nagorno-Karabakh Russian Aid Reaches Beleaguered Enclave Nine months into Azerbaijan’s effective blockade of a road linking its breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, a Russian truck has arrived in the enclave carrying humanitarian aid. BBC | 12 Sep 2023 Caucasus Politics
News Abkhazia New Abkhazian banknotes mainly attract numismatists New 10 and 100 Apsar banknotes have been issued in Abkhazia. However, the main currency in the republic remains the Russian ruble. The Abkhazian Apsar is mostly bought by numismatists and tourists as a souvenir. JAM News | 5 Jul 2024 Caucasus Money
News Spratly Islands Philippines says sailor lost finger in sea clash, accuses China of ‘piracy’ Chinese personnel used knives and machetes to puncture Philippine dinghies attempting to resupply an outpost in the South China Sea, Philippine officials say. The Washington Post | 19 Jun 2024 South China Sea
News Trial opens of ‘esoteric’ wing of alleged German coup plotters GP, celebrity chef and astrologer among defendants in third trial linked to far-right Reichsbürger The Guardian | 18 Jun 2024 Europe Politics
News Machias Seal Island ‘Drift bottle’ launched in 1961 washes up near Boston A message in a bottle launched from an island between the United States and Canada turned up 63 years later near Boston. UPI | 18 Jun 2024 Americas
News South Ossetia One opposition party among four and many newcomers The Central Election Commission (CEC) of South Ossetia has published the final results of the parliamentary elections held on June 9. Jam News | 16 Jun 2024 Caucasus Politics
News Taiwan ‘Elimination’ of Taiwan is China’s great national cause, Lai says Taiwan’s president tells military academy cadets that the main challenge they face is the strong rise of Beijing. Al Jazeera | 16 Jun 2024 Asia
News Palestinians Seek Full UN Membership Again Supporters of the Palestinians’ request for full membership in the United Nations asked the U.N. Security Council to revive their application for admission submitted in 2011. But the United States is again almost certain to block it. The supporters’ letter to the council president included the names of 140 countries that have recognized a Palestinian state. Washington Post | 2 Apr 2024 Middle East Politics
News Transnistria Transnistria Begs Putin to ‘Protect’ It Against Moldova Politicians in Moldova’s Kremlin-backed breakaway region of Transnistria have appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to “protect” it against “pressure” from Chișinău. Politico | 28 Feb 2024 Europe Politics
News Taiwan China Bombards Taiwan With Fake News Ahead of Election China uses fabricated polls and outlandish claims on social media to bolster its camp in Taiwan’s election. Politico | 10 Jan 2024 Asia Politics
News Jammu & Kashmir India’s supreme court upholds decision to strip Kashmir of special status Chief justice says government did not overreach its powers when it revoked autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. The Guardian | 11 Dec 2023 Asia Politics
News Taiwan Chinese weather balloon spotted near Taiwan Chinese military aircraft including 12 fighter jets also detected in Taiwan’s air defence zone in past 24 hours. The Guardian | 8 Dec 2023 Asia South China Sea Politics
News Essequibo Venezuelans back claim to Guyana-controlled oil region Venezuelans who turned out to vote in a referendum on the status of a disputed oil-rich territory long controlled by Guyana have overwhelmingly backed Venezuela’s territorial claim. BBC | 4 Dec 2023 Americas Politics
News Nagorno-Karabakh Azerbaijan must let ethnic Armenians return to Nagorno-Karabakh: UN court Tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians fled the region after Azeri forces seized the territory after a lightning offensive. Al Jazeera | 17 Nov 2023 Caucasus
News Spratly Islands Vietnam ‘ramps up’ island building in South China Sea New report says Hanoi created over 133ha of new land in 2023 with dredging tools it had not used before. Radio Free Asia | 17 Nov 2023 South China Sea
News Nagorno-Karabakh IDFA Award for Best Film goes to 1489 The winners of IDFA’s 36th edition competition programs were announced at the Awards Ceremony taking place at ITA (Internationaal Theater Amsterdam) on Thursday November 16. 1489 by Shoghakat Vardanyan won the IDFA Award for Best Film. IDFA | 16 Nov 2023 Caucasus Film
News Kurdistan Dutch Filmmaker Reber Dosky Arrested in Turkey Reber Dosky, who makes documentaries about Kurdistan and was our guest at De Facto Live #6, has been jailed for three days in Turkey. Dosky was there for a new project and got arrested because of suspected ‘terrorist activities’. (article in Dutch) Villamedia | 13 Nov 2023 Europe Politics Film
News Jammu & Kashmir India Charges Novelist Arundhati Roy Over a 2010 Speech The Indian authorities have charged the renowned novelist and Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy over public comments she made 13 years ago about the restive Kashmir region, the latest step in an intensifying crackdown on free speech by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The New York Times | 11 Oct 2023 Asia Books
News Kurdistan Turkey Strikes Kurdish Rebels after Ankara Blast Turkey says it has carried out a number of air strikes on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, hours after a suicide blast hit the interior ministry. BBC | 2 Oct 2023 Europe Middle East Politics
News Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian Separatists in Karabakh Surrender and Agree to Ceasefire Armenian separatist forces in Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh surrendered and agreed to a ceasefire on Wednesday, 24 hours after Baku began an offensive to restore full control of its territory. Reuters | 20 Sep 2023 Caucasus Politics
News Catalonia Spain Grants Basque, Catalan and Galician Languages Parliamentary Status The change was requested by the Catalan pro-independence parties on whose support the acting prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, is relying to form a new government after July’s general election resulted in a hung parliament. The Guardian | 19 Sep 2023 Europe Politics
News Nagorno-Karabakh Russian Aid Reaches Beleaguered Enclave Nine months into Azerbaijan’s effective blockade of a road linking its breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, a Russian truck has arrived in the enclave carrying humanitarian aid. BBC | 12 Sep 2023 Caucasus Politics