Afghanistan's Taliban government ordered women on Saturday to cover their faces in public, a return to a signature policy of their past hardline rule and an escalation of restrictions that are causing anger at home and abroad.

China may portray itself as a neutral party in the war in Ukraine, but the message it communicates to its audience at home tells a different story. State news agency Xinhua calls the war “a special military operation” and “the Russia-Ukraine crisis” but never refers to it as an invasion. CCTV, the state broadcaster, mentioned civilian casualties for the first time only three weeks after Russia invaded.

The Biden administration's belated decision to invite both Western Balkan rivals, even though they are on different democratic trajectories, shows the inherent tension: Is this summit all about geopolitics or is it all about democratic values?

Alex Saab, an ally of president Nicolás Maduro, was extradited to face money laundering charges after a 16-month legal battle

Taiwan dismisses the Chinese leader's remarks, saying its future lies in the hands of its people.

Wave a relieved goodbye to Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou, but let’s not forget her

A new report warns the Afghan economy could collapse amid the rapid withdrawal of US troops and the return of the Taliban, potentially leading to civil war and a failed state.

Russia's reaction to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

The Biden administration last week canceled bulk shipments of dollars headed for Afghanistan as Taliban fighters were poised to take control of the capital city of Kabul, part of a continuing scramble to keep hundreds of millions of dollars out of the hands of the terrorist group, according to people familiar with the matter.

We spent 20 messed-up years in Afghanistan flexing our muscles and money, and now we are making a messy exit

Poland's parliament has voted in favor of a controversial media bill after chaotic proceedings. Critics consider the legislation to be an affront to media freedom.

The Indian Ocean island nation has won international court rulings backing its claim to Diego Garcia and other atolls, but the U.S. and the U.K. have brushed them aside.

Cybersecurity comes down to which side has access to more information about the other and can utilize it best

The rivalry with China is palpable but history teaches us lessons about how it’s easier to blame others than blame ourselves

Countries on the African continent need to consider the financial cost of upsetting a powerful ally.

Recently the U.S. marked the 160th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. The death toll was put at about 750,000 soldiers, including those who died from accident, disease and starvation. Most civil wars do not spring up overnight, and the American Civil War was no exception. After so many years this conflict continues to matter, America’s wounds have yet to heal and the nation is again divided between people who want a multiracial democracy in which every American is allowed ... https://balticword.com/new-u-s-civil-war-as-a-security-threat-for-the-baltic-region/

Americans will need to stop looking for the exits and accept the role that fate and their own power have thrust upon them.

Villagers in Nagorno-Karabakh set their houses on fire Saturday before fleeing to Armenia ahead of a weekend deadline that will see parts of the territory handed over to Azerbaijan as part of a peace…

Declaration greeted with anger by Armenians and follows fighting in Azeri forces have retaken large parts of the disputed enclave

With Xi Jinping urging a more general "struggle" against the US in the quest for "national rejuvenation" of China as a great power, there's only so much change one side of the relationship can bring, writes Bill Birtles.