Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• U.S. Plans 'Full Pullout' From Syria By End Of April RFE/RL 08 Feb 2019 -- The Pentagon plans to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria by the end of April, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
• Karzai on 'Intra-Afghan' Summit: Talks in Moscow Exceeded All Our Expectations Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- In an exclusive interview with Sputnik, former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai summed up a two-day "intra-Afghan" summit in Moscow (5-6 Feb), gave his assessment of the US negotiations with the Taliban and spoke of Russia's role in advancing the peace process in Afghanistan.
• Afghan Airstrike in Helmand Province Kills Taliban Intelligence Chief - Reports Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- An airstrike, carried out by the Afghan Air Force in the southwestern Afghan province of Helmand left three Taliban militants killed, including the movement's intelligence chief Mullah Ahmad, the TOLOnews broadcaster reported on Friday.
• Have Taliban Turned Tables on Ashraf Ghani? VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- When Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani laid out the red carpet in 2017 for controversial Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar – once known as "the Butcher of Kabul" for his role in the bloody conflict for the control of the capital in the 1990s – many thought he was trying to isolate the central Taliban leadership by luring factions to break away and join the government. It didn't work.
• US Negotiator: Afghan Peace Possible Before July Elections VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- The top U.S. negotiator in peace talks with Afghanistan's Taliban leaders says he hopes a peace agreement can be achieved before Afghanistan's next set of elections just five months away.
• US Military Airstrikes Target Al-Shabab in Somalia VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- The U.S. military says it launched two precision airstrikes against the al-Shabab terrorist group in Somalia this week, killing 15 militants.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pegasus Wings its way to 97th AMW US Air Force 08 Feb 2019 -- The 97th Air Mobility Wing welcomed its newest weapon system, the KC-46A Pegasus, to the official training unit of the Air Force's state-of-the-art tanker aircraft at Altus Air Force Base, Feb. 8.
• Bulldog Brigade continues to build legacy on the ROK Army News 08 Feb 2019 -- The Army's first priority is readiness - ensuring our Soldiers have the tools and training they need to be lethal and ready to fight and win, as stated by Army Secretary Mark Esper.1
• Lt. Gen. Cavoli visits Tennessee troops deployed to Ukraine Army News 08 Feb 2019 -- U.S. Army Europe Commanding Officer, Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli visits U.S. Troops and multinational Soldiers deployed to the Yavoriv Combat Training Center, Feb. 8.
• Service Secretaries Link Reform to Greater Lethality DoD News 08 Feb 2019 -- Army Secretary Mark T. Esper, Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer and Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson spoke about reform today at the Center for Strategic and International Studies here.
• USS Green Bay, 31st MEU Arrive in Thailand for Cobra Gold NNS 08 Feb 2019 -- Forward-deployed amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD 20), with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), arrived in Sattahip, Thailand, Feb. 7 to participate in exercise Cobra Gold 2019.
• LPD 17 Class Flight II Program Moves the Navy Forward with Common Rail Fuel Injection NNS 08 Feb 2019 -- The next generation LPD 17 Flight II Class amphibious transport dock ships are moving forward in Main Propulsion Diesel Engine (MPDE) efficiency by installing the common rail fuel injection system on the ship's Pielstick-Colt 2.5V Sequentially Turbocharged (STC) engine. This technically advanced system replaces the existing mechanical fuel delivery
• Seabees Proud to Serve People of Tinian as DSCA Support Comes to Close NNS 08 Feb 2019 -- Civilian and military dignitaries gathered in Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), to offer praise and thanks to the Seabees for their efforts supporting the island following the devastation wrought by Super Typhoon Yutu.
• Navy Reserve leadership visits Camp Lemonnier NNS 08 Feb 2019 -- Members of Navy Reserve leadership visited Camp Lemonnier (CLDJ) for a tour. Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Gregory J. Slavonic, Chief of Navy Reserve Vice Adm. Luke M. McCollum, and Navy Reserve Force Master Chief Chris D. Kotz visited the East African base Feb. 2-4. Camp Lemonnier is home to more than 900 forward-deployed Sailors; two-thirds of whom are Navy Reservists.
• 'Case Study' In How Not to Innovate: US Admiral on Electromagnetic Rail Gun Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- The US Navy's chief of naval operations says the fledgling electromagnetic railgun designed for surface ships is a "case study" in how not to develop a weapons system.
• US Admiral Wants To 'Push First' Against Russian Ships - Reports Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Washington has sent several ships to the Black Sea following an incident in the Kerch Strait, when Russian border patrol boats forcibly stopped several Ukrainian military vessels that had violated the Russian maritime border and refused to follow the patrol's orders.
• Greece Ratifies North Macedonia's NATO Protocol RFE/RL 08 Feb 2019 -- The Greek Parliament has approved a measure for North Macedonia to join NATO, ending a decades-old dispute.
• Greek Parliament Ratifies Protocol on Northern Macedonia's Accession to NATO Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- The Greek Parliament ratified by a narrow margin on Friday the protocol on Northern Macedonia's accession to NATO, according to the results of the vote.
• Putin Dismisses Nine Russian Generals RFE/RL 08 Feb 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed nearly a dozen senior military officers holding government positions.
• Russia demands US destroy missiles in Romania, strike drones Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- Russia has demanded the US destroy its weapons banned under a Cold War-era arms control treaty and return to compliance with the agreement which Washington renounced recently.
• Russia's INF Obligations Suspension Not Related to Arms Race – Upper House Chair Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Russia's decision to respond in kind to the US move to suspend its obligations under the bilateral Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty is not related to the arms race, speaker of the Russian upper house, Valentina Matviyenko, said, noting that ensuring the safety of the country was Moscow's main goal.
• Russia Demands U.S. Destroy Missile-Defense System In Romania, Military Drones RFE/RL 08 Feb 2019 -- The United States says it is in "full compliance" with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the landmark Cold War-era nuclear accord.
• Paris, Berlin Take First Step Toward Jet That Will Replace Rafale, Eurofighters Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Paris and Berlin, which have pushed the idea of creating a joint European army, unveiled their ambitious goal to design the new Future Combat Air System (FCAS), including a fighter and associated weapons in July 2017. It has taken them almost two years to proceed to taking concrete steps.
• US May Dump Patriot Sales to Turkey in Event of Russian S-400 Purchase – Report Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Last month, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin reaffirmed that Ankara would purchase Russian S-400 air defence systems regardless of a potential deal with the United States on the acquisition of Patriot surface-to-air missile systems.
• Indian PM Modi's Office had Parallel Negotiations with Rafale Team - Reports Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- The Indian Defence Ministry set up a seven-member negotiation committee for the purchase of 36 Rafale jets from France under the government to government contract. However, The Hindu, an Indian English-language daily, has revealed that there were parallel negotiations for the same deal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office.
• India Successfully Test Fires Air-to-Air Version of Anti-Tank Missile – Reports Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Metaphorically named Nag (meaning cobra), it can be launched from both land and air-based platforms. The strike range of the weapon is 4 km and 7 km respectively.
• U.S. supports Taiwan self-defense capability: Schriver CNA 08 Feb 2019 -- The United States continues to support Taiwan through the "faithful implementation" of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) which ensures the country has sufficient defense capability in the face of the growing threat from China, said Randall Schriver, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, Thursday.
• US Officials Tout Good Ties with Cameroon Despite Aid Cut VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- Despite announcing plans to trim military support for Cameroon's government over its alleged human rights violations, key U.S. officials say the United States will continue partnering on security efforts. But a Cameroon official contends the cutback could jeopardize the fight against extremism in the region.
• Previewing Secretary Pompeo's Upcoming Trip to Budapest, Bratislava, Warsaw, Brussels, and Reykjavik US Dept. of State 08 Feb 2019 -- Special Briefing by Senior Administration Officials

Defense Industry

• Contracts for February 8, 2019
• 'Minor Player': New Report Sounds the Death Knell for Britain's Arms Market Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- A barrage of reports have been released over the past few years documenting the crumbling state of Britain's military. In April 2018 a National Audit Office report delivered the doom-laden finding that the UK was experiencing the "largest gap in a decade" in military personnel numbers.

Other Conflicts

• 8 February 2019 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 08 Feb 2019
• China deploys 100 ships to disputed waters amid US buildup: Report Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- China has deployed some 100 ships to the South China Sea, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative run by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies reports.
• China Sent 95 Ships to Intimidate Philippines' Projects in South China Sea Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- China has reportedly deployed a fleet of nearly 100 ships to the Thitu Island, one of several disputed islands in the South China Sea, in an effort to stop ongoing construction work being carried out by the Philippine government.
• Senior pro-Hadi commander slain in clashes with Houthi fighters near Saudi border Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- A senior Yemeni military commander loyal to Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, the former president, has been killed during heavy clashes with army soldiers and allied fighters from the Houthi Ansaullah movement in the country's northwestern province of Hajjah.
• Morocco stops involvement in Yemen war amid row with Saudi Arabia Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- Morocco says it has stopped its involvement in Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen, and recalled its ambassador to the kingdom amid rising tensions between Riyadh and Rabat.
• Syrians, Foreigners Flee as US-backed Forces Move on IS VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- More than 23,000 Syrian civilians and foreign nationals have fled eastern Syria this week as the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces move on the last Islamic State pockets in Deir el-Zour governorate, according to local officials and activists.
• Landmine blast kills 7, injures 1 in western Syria IRNA 08 Feb 2019 -- Explosion of a military landmine resulted in killing 7 civilians and injured 1 more in Rasm al-Ahmar village, Hama Province, Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.
• Russia objects to 'arbitrary' Israeli airstrikes on Syria Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- Russia's Foreign Ministry objects to Israel's airstrikes on Syria, calling for an end to the "arbitrary" Israeli attacks on the country.
• Arab League chief to visit Beirut for talks on Syria's return to bloc Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit is reportedly going to pay an official visit early next week to Lebanon, where he will discuss the restoration of Syria's membership in the regional organization with high-ranking Lebanese government officials.
• Iran FM says situation in Syria's Idlib 'very dangerous' Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has warned about the current situation in the militant-held Idlib province in northwestern Syria, describing it as "very dangerous".
• Daesh leader survives coup attempt by own militants: Report Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- The ringleader of the Daesh terrorist outfit has escaped a failed coup launched by his own militants in his hideout in eastern Syrian, British daily The Guardian has reported, citing intelligence officials.
• Daesh Leader Barely Escapes Death as His Foreign Fighters Turn on Him – Report Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- The terrorist group has been rapidly losing territory over the last two years due to efforts by Russian and Syrian forces, as well as the US and its allies. The group has lost most of its forces and resources, leading it to go into hiding.
• In Tanzania, UN refugee chief praises 'regional peacemaker' role, and efforts to welcome neighbours on the run UN News 08 Feb 2019 -- The head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has praised Tanzania for the long-standing welcome it offers hundreds of thousands of refugees, describing it as a "regional peacemaker" in an unstable part of Africa, that deserves more international support.
• Russia Agrees To Talks With Netherlands On Downing Of MH17 RFE/RL 08 Feb 2019 -- Moscow is ready to engage in talks with the Netherlands about the 2014 downing of a Malaysian passenger jet over territory held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, said Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko.
• Crimea Is Ours: Russia Up In Arms After Google 'Incorrectly' Maps Peninsula RFE/RL 08 Feb 2019 -- Amid threats of being suspended in Russia, Google has become embroiled in a series of disputes with the Kremlin that may be causing the international technology company to bend to Moscow's pressure and adhere to its growing demands.
• Scale of displacement across Myanmar 'very difficult to gauge', says UN refugee agency UN News 08 Feb 2019 -- Concern over escalating violence in Myanmar's Chin and Rakhine states continues to grow, with civilians reportedly forced to flee both internally, and across the border into Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have already sought shelter.
• Villagers Describe Horror in South Sudan's Yei River State VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- An unknown number of villagers were killed and hundreds of others displaced during fighting in South Sudan's Yei River State this week.
• African Leaders Address Refugee Problems VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- As the number of displaced persons in Africa reaches 17 million, leaders on the continent and representatives of international organizations are attending a refugee summit in Ethiopia.

News Reports

• US Military Option in Venezuela Risks Long Unpopular War VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- The possible use of U.S. military force to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro raises concerns about the possible costs in lives and unintended consequences that may come from committing American troops to fight and die in another foreign conflict.
• Analysts: Most of Venezuela's Russian Oil Clients Bailed Last Year VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- As numerous European clients of Venezuela's state-owned PDVSA petroleum company freeze crude purchases in the face of mounting international sanctions, analysts in Moscow say all of Venezuela's Russian customers with the exception of Rosneft had begun suspending or liquidating contracts in mid-to-late 2018.
• 'Venezuelans not beggars:' Maduro rejects US aid Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has rejected the humanitarian aid supplied by the United States, which has simultaneously imposed sanctions on the Latin American country, saying Venezuela does not need aid.
• Maduro: US pushes military plans under humanitarian cover-up Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says US President Donald Trump is using Venezuela's humanitarian crisis as a cover-up for his military plans in the country.
• Military invasion among US options against Venezuela government: Russia Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- Russia has warned that the United States is considering a range of options against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, including a direct military invasion of the Latin American country, which has been engulfed in political unrest over the past weeks.
• Mexican President Urges to Provide Aid to Venezuela Without Political Intentions Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called on Friday on the international community to provide Venezuela with humanitarian aid without any "political intentions."
• US to Use All Tools to Stop President Maduro's Revenue Streams - Bolton Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- The United States will continue to use all measures available to stop Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's revenue streams, National Security Advisor John Bolton said in a statement on Friday.
• Maduro: Venezuela's Independence Being Destroyed Under Cloak of Humanitarian Aid Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Maduro earlier dismissed the US promise to send relief aid to the crisis-hit South American country as a "political stunt" and a pretext for invasion, as Washington has refused to recognise the legitimate government of Venezuela, also imposing sanctions on Caracas.
• Venezuela Did Not Request Russian Military Assistance Amid Crisis - Moscow Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Caracas did not send to Moscow a request for Russian military assistance, Alexander Shchetinin, head of the Latin American department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with Sputnik.
• Maduro Accuses US of Using Humanitarian Crisis as Cover for Military Plans Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday joined a campaign to collect signatures for a letter to US President Donald Trump against a possible US intervention in Venezuela, as aired by Maduro's Periscope channel.
• UN ready to rise above political fray and help Venezuelans based 'on need, and need alone' UN News 08 Feb 2019 -- The situation for ordinary Venezuelans is increasingly critical but the United Nations remains committed to providing humanitarian support, based on "need, and need alone", said a senior aid official on Friday.
• Bolivia Not Supporting Montevideo Declaration on Venezuela Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Bolivia has not supported the joint declaration, adopted at the Montevideo meeting of the International Contact Group for Venezuela, Bolivian Foreign Minister Diego Pary told Sputnik, adding that it was the Venezuelans who should find solutions to their problems themselves.
• DHS Issues Waiver to Expedite Secondary Fence Replacement Project in San Diego Department of Homeland Security 08 Feb 2019 -- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a waiver to ensure the expeditious construction and replacement of approximately 12.5 miles of secondary wall near the international border in the state of California. The waiver was published in the Federal Register on February 7, 2019.
• DHS Waives Rules to Expedite Secondary Fence Replacement in California Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a press release on Friday they have issued a waiver to expedite construction of a wall on the Mexican border.
• Remarks by Vice President Pence to DHS and CBP Personnel | Baltimore, MD The White House 08 Feb 2019
• Trump Accuses House Intel Chief of Collusion With Creators of Russia 'Dossier' Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff colluded with the creators of a controversial dossier published during the 2016 presidential campaign Fusion GPS and the company's founder Glenn Simpson, President Donald Trump charged in a series of Twitter messages on Friday.
• Mystery In Sofia: Did 'Third Russian Agent' In Skripal Poisoning Target Bulgarian Businessman? RFE/RL 08 Feb 2019 -- A third suspect in the 2018 nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain was also in Bulgaria three years earlier at the time of another suspicious poisoning, according to the open-source investigative organization Bellingcat.
• Media Claims UK Police Investigating Total of 5 Russians in Salisbury Case Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- The UK police have identified two more Russian nationals suspected of involvement in the Salisbury poisoning incident, bringing the total number of suspects to five, local media reported, citing senior security sources.
• US seeks to cover up strategic mistake on JCPOA: Iran official Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- Iran has censured as baseless meddlesome remarks that keep being repeated by some US officials about the Islamic Republic's internal affairs, saying the United States is trying to cover up its strategic mistake to withdraw from a historic 2015 nuclear agreement with Tehran.
• Iran extends power export agreement with Iraq Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- Iran has signed an agreement to extend exports of 1,200 megawatts of electricity to neighboring Iraq.
• Ayatollah Khamenei: US 'embodiment of evil, violence' Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called the US "the embodiment of evil and violence" whose existence relies on encroachment on other countries' sovereignty.
• 'Death To America' Aimed At Trump, Not Americans, Iran's Leader Says RFE/RL 08 Feb 2019 -- Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said the slogan "Death to America" is directed at U.S. President Donald Trump and other U.S. decision-makers, not the American nation.
• US Vows to Be 'Relentless' as Iran Unveils Underground Ballistic Missile Plant Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Iran has presented a new ballistic missile, dubbed Dezful, capable of hitting targets at a range of 1,000 kilometres (about 621 miles), the Fars news agency reported.
• U.S. Assails Iranian Space Program After Reports Of Second Failed Launch RFE/RL 08 Feb 2019 -- The United States has again accused Iran of developing and testing ballistic missiles in "defiance of the international community" after reports of a second failed space launch by Tehran in less than a month.
• MbS told aide he would use 'bullet' on Khashoggi, intel gathered by US shows Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- American intelligence agencies have revived communication – originally intercepted in 2017 – between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and a close aide in which Mohammed says he would use "a bullet" on Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi if he did not return to Saudi Arabia or stop criticizing the prince.
• US lawmakers revive push for sanctions against Saudi over Yemen war, Khashoggi Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- A group of US lawmakers have revived a push to punish Saudi Arabia for launching war on Yemen and for the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
• Saudi FM Assures That 'We Know That Crown Prince Didn't Order Khashoggi Killing' Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- The statement comes after a New York Times report, based on anonymous sources, claiming that the Saudi crown prince had threatened to use a "bullet" on Khashoggi if he did not return to Saudi Arabia willingly or by force. The kingdom has repeatedly denied prince's involvement into the killing.
• Saudi Prince Said to Use 'Bullet' on Khashoggi Year Before Murder - Reports Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud said in a conversation with one of his aides that he would go after journalist Jamal Khashoggi, killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, "with a bullet" a year prior to the murder, media have reported, citing US and foreign officials familiar with intelligence reports.
• Trump Administration May Miss Khashoggi Report Deadline VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- The Trump administration signaled Friday that it might not meet a deadline to tell Congress whether it intended to sanction anyone for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
• EU plans to blacklist Saudi Arabia for failure in fighting money laundering: FT Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- The European Commission is planning to name Saudi Arabia in a list of countries that have failed to fight against terrorist financing and money laundering, a report says.
• Texas Man Charged by Criminal Complaint with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization US Dept. of Justice 08 Feb 2019 -- A Texas man was charged today with conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers of the National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox for the Northern District of Texas, and Special Agent in Charge Eric Jackson of the FBI's Dallas Division made the announcement.
• Lassa Fever Outbreak in West Africa Escalating Rapidly: WHO VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- The World Health Organization reports it is scaling up efforts to try to control an outbreak of Lassa fever, which is escalating at a rapid pace.
• Egypt to Host African Space Agency's Headquarters - Foreign Ministry Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Egypt has won the bid to host the headquarters of the African Space Agency, with the decision due to be endorsed at the next week's African Union (AU) summit in the Ethiopian capital, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced on 8 February.
• Record 44 Candidates To Run In Ukraine's Presidential Race RFE/RL 08 Feb 2019 -- Ukrainian election officials said a record 44 candidates have registered to run in the country's March presidential election.
• Palestine says won't attend US' conference in Poland Press TV 08 Feb 2019 -- Palestine says despite having received an invitation, it will not take part in a US-sponsored conference on the Middle East slated to be hosted by Poland next week.
• Thai Princess to Run for Prime Minister in March – Reports Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- The Thai Raksa Chart Party (Thai Save The Nation) announced on Friday that Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn's elder sister, 67-year-old Princess Ubolratana, had registered as the party's candidate for prime minister in March elections, Bangkok Post reported.
• Princess PM Nomination Shocks Thai Politics VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- A political earthquake has been triggered in Thailand with the nomination of princess Ubolratana Mahidol as a prime ministerial candidate for March election, overturning a Thai tradition that the royal palace plays no public role in politics.
• South Africa's President Sets Policies, Poll Date VOA 08 Feb 2019 -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa took full advantage of his captive national audience as he made his second annual address as president before Parliament in Cape Town.