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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Statement From Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman on USS Boxer DoD 18 Jul 2019
• Trump: US Navy shot down Iranian drone in Strait of Hormuz Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- President Donald Trump says that a US ship has shot down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Trump Says US Warship Destroyed Iranian Drone in Strait of Hormuz Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- In June the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that they had shot down a US surveillance drone over the waters of Iran's Hormozgan province. Tehran claimed that the US RQ-4 Global Hawk spy drone had violated its airspace, while Washington claimed that the device was operating over international waters.
• US Shot Down Iranian Drone, Trump Says VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- President Donald Trump said a U.S. warship shot down an Iranian drone Thursday that was threatening the ship and its crew in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Trump Says U.S. Shot Down Iranian Drone In Strait Of Hormuz RFE/RL 18 Jul 2019 -- President Donald Trump says a U.S. warship destroyed an Iranian drone in the strategic Strait of Hormuz on July 18 amid heightened tensions between the two countries.
• Tehran Has No Information on a Downed Drone in the Strait of Hormuz - Iranian FM Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- US President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that a US warship destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz after the aircraft ignored multiple warnings to stand down.
• US to send around 500 forces to Saudi Arabia amid Iran tensions: Report Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- The administration of US President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to send hundreds of troops to Saudi Arabia amid escalating tensions with Iran and despite growing criticisms of Washington's military ties with Riyadh over the regime's gloomy human rights record.
• US Preparing to Deploy Additional Troops to Saudi Arabia Amid Spat With Iran – Report Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- Tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated in the last few months as Iran withdraws from voluntary obligations under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal and the US builds up its military presence in the Middle East under the pretext of "the Iranian threat."
• Taliban Raid Afghan Provincial Police Headquarters VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- Taliban insurgents assaulted a provincial police headquarters Thursday in southern Afghanistan, killing at least 12 people and wounding more than 60 others.
• Dozen killed in Taliban attack on Afghan police HQ in Kandahar Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- At least a dozen people have been killed and about 90 others wounded when Taliban militants attacked police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar.
• Twelve Killed, Scores Wounded In Taliban Car Bombing In Afghanistan RFE/RL 18 Jul 2019 -- Twelve people were killed and almost 90 wounded when Taliban militants detonated two car bombs at a gate outside police headquarters in the Afghan city of Kandahar on July 18.

Defense Policy / Programs

• USS Stethem Arrives at New Homeport NNS 18 Jul 2019 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) arrived at its new homeport, Naval Base San Diego, July 18, following 14 years of forward-deployed service in the Indo-Pacific region operating from Japan.
• Goldfein stresses promise of multi-domain operations, calls it 'the single most critical' tool for winning future high-end fights US Air Force 18 Jul 2019 -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein urged fellow air chiefs from 39 nations, July 18, to fully embrace, institute and refine a warfighting approach that links air, sea, land, space, cyber and information assets in a powerful system for identifying threats and defeating them.
• Moldovan unit trains with longtime N.C. National Guard partner Army News 18 Jul 2019 -- U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, the Honorable Dereck Hogan, met with over 100 Moldovan Army Reconnaissance soldiers at the (RUBA) Rotational Unit Bivouac Area, during National Training Center rotation 19-09, at Fort Irwin, California. July 16.
• Kearsarge ARG Returns Home after Successful Deployment NNS 18 Jul 2019 -- After seven months deployed to the Europe, Africa and the Middle East areas of operation, over 4,500 Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) Sailors and Marines safely returned home July 18 upon completion of a successful deployment.
• NAVSUP to Employ New Wholesale Inventory Optimization Model NNS 18 Jul 2019 -- Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS) is the Navy's Program Support Inventory Control Point, and in coordination with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, has been focusing on how to improve methods for establishing wholesale inventory policy, the backbone of the Navy supply system.
• Deputy Prime Minister of Australia Visits USS Ronald Reagan NNS 18 Jul 2019 -- The Honorable Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, visited the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) underway in the Coral Sea July 17, during Talisman Sabre 2019.
• NAWCAD Lakehurst Improves Production Time, Safety with Robotic Welder NNS 18 Jul 2019 -- Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Lakehurst is reducing production time and costs, while increasing readiness and the safety of its welding artisans by using a new robotic welder.
• NMCB-133's DET Zagan Brings to Life the "Can DO" Spirit NNS 18 Jul 2019 -- Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 concluded its mission in Zagan, Poland as part of Exercise Resolute Castle 2019, July 12, 2019.
• Comfort Deployment 2019 Completes Medical Mission in Peru NNS 18 Jul 2019 -- The hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) completed its medical mission in Peru, the second of twelve stops in Central America, South America and the Caribbean during a closing ceremony, July 14.
• Navy to Commission USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul in Duluth NNS 18 Jul 2019 -- Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy Jodi Greene announced Duluth as the commissioning location for the future USS Minneapolis/Saint Paul (LCS 21) in a joint press conference with Duluth Mayor Emily Larson today.
• Navy Announces Commissioning Date for the Future USS Indianapolis (LCS 17) NNS 18 Jul 2019 -- The U.S. Navy has approved the commissioning date for the future littoral combat ship, USS Indianapolis (LCS 17).
• Final AC-130U Spooky returns from combat deployment US Air Force 18 Jul 2019 -- The final AC-130U Spooky gunship returned here from the airframe's last scheduled combat deployment July 8, 2019.
• Russia calls on US to store nuclear weapons only on its own territory Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- Russia has called on the United States to keep its nuclear weapons only on its own territory, a day after a NATO report unwittingly revealed that Washington has stored some of its nuclear weapons in several European countries, including Turkey.
• NATO Chief Stoltenberg Warns of 'World With More Russian Missiles' Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- Jens Stoltenberg put the responsibility for saving the dying treaty on Moscow, despite the fact it was Washington who unilaterally withdrew from the agreement earlier this year and Russia's assertion that Washington also violated the nuclear agreement.
• Deputy Secretary of State Sullivan and Senior U.S. Officials Brief NATO Allies on U.S.-Russia Strategic Security Dialogue US Dept. of State 18 Jul 2019
• Defence Secretary keynote speech at the Air and Space Power Conference 2019 UK MOD 18 Jul 2019 -- Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt speaks about the Royal Air Force and the space domain
• Defence Secretary outlines ambitious space programme UK MOD 18 Jul 2019 -- At the RAF Air and Space Power conference today, Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt has outlined an ambitious space programme.
• Second Lightning fighter jet squadron arrives in UK UK MOD 18 Jul 2019 -- Defence Minister Mark Lancaster has welcomed the arrival of a second training squadron of state-of-the-art F-35 Lightning jets to RAF Marham, including the UK's 18th jet.
• US, allies flex muscles against China with Pacific drill Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- The United States and its allies have launched a major military exercise off the coasts pf Australia in the Pacific region, in a move that seems to be part of America's policy shift towards confronting China's growing influence in the region.
• Bahrain to host US-led confab against Iran amid tensions Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- The Bahraini regime plans to host an international conference led by the US with a focus on what the tiny kingdom and its allies call "Iranian threats" to the security of navigation in the Persian Gulf, months after Washington hosted a similar belligerent forum against the Islamic Republic in Warsaw, Poland.
• Pentagon Upset Over Spain Recalling Its Frigate From Strike Group in Gulf as US-Iran Tensions Rise Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- The Spanish frigate was part of a US-led naval group that was sent to the Persian Gulf shortly before Tehran announced the suspension of some of its obligations under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal on 8 May. The move came exactly a year after the US unilaterally left the deal, also reinstating harsh anti-Iranian sanctions.
• Turkey Bought S-400 Due to Erdogan's Concern Over Air Force Loyalty After 2016 Coup, UK Media Claims Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- A faction in the Turkish military launched an attempted coup in 2016 in a bid to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but failed. Erdogan, who barely escaped capture by the plotters, accused US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen of being the coup's mastermind and slammed Washington for protecting him.
• Doublethink? Trump Sways Back and Forth on Anti-Turkey Sanctions Over S-400 Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- The first batch of S-400 components was brought to Turkey last Friday, followed by fourteen additional shipments over the course of the week. Several days after the beginning of the deliveries, the White House warned that Ankara's move makes its participation in the F-35 programme impossible.
• Erdogan to Study Possibility of Purchase of Russia's Su-35 Fighters - Turkish Source Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will study a possibility of purchase of Russia's Su-35 fighter jets, according to a Turkish military source.
• Russia Ready to Discuss Delivery of Su-35 Fighter Jets to Turkey - Rostec Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- The statement comes on the heels of Washington announcing that Turkey's decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defence systems "renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible".
• No NATO Members Raised Issue of Turkey Exclusion Over Russian S-400 Purchase - Stoltenberg Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- The White House said Wednesday that Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence systems had made it impossible to keep Ankara in the F-35 fighter jet program. The Pentagon subsequently said it was working to unwind its relationship with Turkey in the F-35 program.
• Trump Says He's Not Weighing Sanctions Against Turkey for Missile Purchase VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was not considering sanctions against Turkey for purchasing Russian air defense systems, one day after the U.S. retaliated by removing Turkey from its F-35 stealth fighter jet program.
• Turkish FM Slams US Decision on F-35 Program, Says It Could Curb Strategic Ties - Report Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- US Under Secretary of Defence Ellen Lord said during a Wednesday news briefing that the Pentagon is working to unwind its relationship with Turkey in the international F-35 program following the country's decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defence systems, and now expects the process to be completed by March 2020.
• Indian Military to Reconsider Joint Creation, Purchase of SU-57 Jets With Russia Sputnik 19 Jul 2019 -- Russia's Sukhoi Su-57 (also known as the PAK FA and the T-50) fifth-generation jet fighter now has an export permit, and the Russian government is reportedly reviewing documents to officially rename the aircraft from its T-50 internal designation to Su-57, according to a source in the Russian aviation industry.
• IRGC Commander: Iran's defensive strategy very flexible IRNA 18 Jul 2019 -- Commander-in-Chief of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami warned on Thursday that the country's defense strategies could turn into offensive in case of necessity.
• Enemy miscalculation to turn Iran's defensive strategy into offensive: IRGC Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has warned enemies against the possibility of a turn in the country's military strategy from the current defensive strategy toward an offensive one.
• Iran Army Receives First Batch of Proprietary Mohajer 6 Drones - Report Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- The reconnaissance and strike drone is expected to increase Iran's ground force surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, as well as provide the ability to conduct precision bomb strikes.
• US House votes to block Saudi arms sales, Trump to veto Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- The US House of Representatives has voted to pass resolutions that block the sale of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over their crimes against the people of Yemen, defying veto threats by President Donald Trump.

Defense Industry

• Contracts for July 18, 2019

Other Conflicts

• 18 July 2019 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 18 Jul 2019
• Stronger partnerships with post-conflict countries needed to ensure 'path towards durable peace': UN chief UN News 18 Jul 2019 -- As UN missions are drawn down and eventually closed, stronger partnerships are needed to ensure that countries recovering from conflict can transition successfully to a phase of durable peace and development, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday.
• Addressing the urgent humanitarian situation in Yemen UK FCO 18 Jul 2019 -- Statement by Ambassador Karen Pierce at the Security Council briefing on Yemen
• Yemen: UN Envoy 'guilty' of optimistic hope that war is 'nearing the end' UN News 18 Jul 2019 -- With Yemen once again at a "crucial moment" the UN Special Envoy trying to facilitate peace there told Security Council members on Thursday that despite the dangers of being over optimistic, he could not help thinking the country could finally be "nearing the end of its war."
• UN: Close to Deal to End Aid Suspension in Yemen's Capital VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- The head of the World Food Program said Thursday that his agency is close to reaching agreement with Houthi rebel leaders to end a suspension of food aid in areas of Yemen that the group controls.
• US Brings Back Suspected American IS Fighter From Syria to Face Charges VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- An American suspected of fighting with the Islamic State terror group in Syria is back in the United States, where he is expected to be charged with and tried for terrorism-related crimes.
• Russia denies having ground troops fighting for liberation of Syria's Idlib Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- Russia has strongly dismissed allegations by militant groups that Russian special forces or ground troops are fighting for the liberation of Idlib province in northwest Syria.
• Moscow Refutes Claims That Russian Ground Troops Present in Syria's Idlib Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- The Russian Defence Ministry refuted on Thursday a recent report by Reuters information agency that claimed that Russia had recently sent its ground troops and special forces to the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib for fighting alongside the Syrian Army against the opposition.
• Carnage must stop in northwest Syria demands Lowcock, as attacks intensify UN News 18 Jul 2019 -- After 80 days of intensifying attacks, many on health facilities, "the carnage must stop" in northwest Syria, said the UN relief chief on Thursday, noting that more than 70 civilians had been killed this month alone across the last rebel-held enclave of the country.
• UN says US sanctions on Myanmar over Rohingya massacre not enough Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar says US sanctions imposed this week on Myanmar's military leaders over Rohingya Muslims should have been tougher and applied to more generals.
• As Soldiers Disengage, 'Fragile Hope' For Peace Appears In One Front-Line Ukrainian Town RFE/RL 18 Jul 2019 -- Beyond the series of checkpoints manned by armed guards with bomb-sniffing dogs in this battle-scarred town lies a mile-long stretch of no man's land that's one of most dangerous places in Ukraine.
• 'Without Further Delay': European Parliament Calls On Russia To Release Detained Ukrainians RFE/RL 18 Jul 2019 -- The European Parliament has overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on Russian authorities "to release without further delay and unconditionally all illegally and arbitrarily detained Ukrainian citizens both in Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine."
• Armenian Leader Blames Baku For Lack Of Results At Nagorno-Karabakh Talks RFE/RL 18 Jul 2019 -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has blamed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the lack of "concrete results" in negotiations aimed at resolving the decades-long dispute between their countries over Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
• Cameroon's Second Largest Employer Crippled by Separatist Conflict VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- Cameroon's second largest employer, the Cameroon Development Corporation, says it has been paralyzed by the separatist conflict in the country's English-speaking regions. The agricultural giant has not been able to pay its staff for a year because of falling production and revenue.

News Reports

• Putin, Lukashenka Meet Again To Discuss Integration Via Union State RFE/RL 18 Jul 2019 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with his Belarusian counterpart, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, in St. Petersburg on July 18 to discuss further integration within the Russia-Belarus Union State, a grouping that has existed mainly on paper after it was established in the 1990s.
• IFRC: Poor N. Korean Harvest Raises Hunger, Malnutrition, Disease Threat VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is warning about increased hunger, malnutrition, and waterborne diseases in North Korea due to a poor early harvest.
• Designation of Persons Linked to Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction Procurement Network US Dept. of State 18 Jul 2019 -- Today, the United States designated 12 entities and individuals based in Iran, Belgium, and China that are linked to the nuclear proliferation-sensitive activities of the Iran Centrifuge Technology Company – known by its Persian acronym, TESA.
• Treasury Sanctions Global Iranian Nuclear Enrichment Network US Treasury 18 Jul 2019 -- Today the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against a network of front companies and agents involved in the procurement of sensitive materials for sanctioned elements of Iran's nuclear program. The individuals and entities targeted today are based in Iran, China, and Belgium and have acted as a procurement network for Iran's Centrifuge Technology Company (TESA), which plays a crucial role in Iran's uranium enrichment nuclear program through the production of centrifuges used in facilities belonging to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).
• US sanctions network selling materials for Iran nuclear program Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- The US has imposed sanctions on seven companies along with three individuals it claims helped procure materials for Iran's nuclear program.
• Iran Offers to Take Steps Toward Easing Tensions with US VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- Iran signaled Thursday that it was willing to take steps to reduce the tensions over its nuclear program with the Trump administration.
• Iran determined to keep all paths to saving JCPOA open, Rouhani tells Macron Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- Iran's president says Tehran is determined to keep open all options for preserving the 2015 nuclear deal with world countries while ensuring it derives its interests under the agreement.
• Russia says interested in joining Iran-EU trade mechanism Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- Russia has officially declared that it wants to have a role in the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (Instex), a special mechanism launched since earlier this year to facilitate trade between Iran and the European Union at the time of increased US economic pressure on Tehran.
• Macron, Putin say Iran deal vital to security, pledge to step up efforts to save JCPOA Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- France and Russia's presidents, Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin, have underlined the pivotal role of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in ensuring regional security.
• Russia says continues cooperation with Iran at Bushehr power plant despite US bans Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- Russia has affirmed its resolve to keep up cooperation with Iran at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, defying illegal US sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
• Iran will never start war, but will defend its soil against aggression: Zarif Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran "will never start a war," but "will defend its territory" against any act of aggression.
• 'You don't buy a horse twice', Iran's Zarif says of talks with US Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- Iran's foreign minister says the country will not renegotiate its 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, rejecting the possibility of a new deal with the US that includes Iran's missile program.
• Iranian Foreign Minister Denounces U.S. Policies In UN Visit RFE/RL 18 Jul 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the United States is engaging in "economic terrorism" regarding the imposition of sanctions and that it "shot itself in the foot" when it withdrew from the nuclear accord with Iran.
• Iranian State Television Reports Seizure of Oil Tanker VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- Iranian state television said Thursday forces from the country's Revolutionary Guard seized a foreign tanker accused of smuggling oil.
• IRGC seizes foreign oil tanker smuggling fuel IRNA 18 Jul 2019 -- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that its navel forces have seized a foreign vessel carrying one million liters of smuggled fuel in south of Larak Island in the Persian Gulf.
• IRGC says seizes fuel-smuggling tanker near Hormuz Strait Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has released details of its recent capturing of a foreign tanker smuggling one million liters of Iranian fuel near the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
• UK, Gibraltar discuss seized oil tanker amid row with Iran Press TV 18 Jul 2019 -- British Prime Minister Theresa May has held talks with Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo about an Iranian-owned oil tanker that was illegally seized by British marines two weeks ago, amid pressure on London to release the vessel.
• Iranian State TV Reports IRGC Seized Foreign Tanker In Strait Of Hormuz RFE/RL 18 Jul 2019 -- Iranian state TV is reporting that the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) seized a foreign tanker on July 14 with 12 crew members on board.
• Iran Denies Seizing Oil Tanker, Says Detained Ship Was Small Smuggler Vessel Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- Earlier, Iranian media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had detained a vessel that was carrying oil smuggled from Iran. The latest reports suggest that the ship was sailing under a Panamanian flag.
• Iranian Revolutionary Guards Detain Foreign Tanker in Persian Gulf Carrying Contraband Fuel - Report Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- The situation remains tense in the Gulf since Iran vowed to seize British ships in response to an Iranian tanker carrying oil being detained in Gibraltar. London believes the oil was destined for Syria, thus violating European sanctions against the country, but Tehran has denied this and demanded the vessel be released.
• Europe blind to truth on HK Global Times 18 Jul 2019 -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry slammed the European Parliament and the UK for interfering in China's domestic affairs in Hong Kong, as these foreign forces have demanded that the Special Administrative Region (SAR) pardon violent rioters and made disparaging comments about the "one country, two systems" policy.
• Beijing Refutes US Accusations of China's Hostile Claims to Arctic - Foreign Ministry Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- Beijing has always maintained a position of peaceful and mutually beneficial cooperation in the Arctic, counter to US criticism of the opposite, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Thursday.
• Pompeo: China's Mistreatment of Muslim Minority Is 'Stain of the Century' VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that China's mistreatment of its Uighur Muslim minority had created one of the most significant human rights crises in contemporary world history.
• ISRO Announces New Date For Launch of Chandrayaan-2 Mission Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that the launch of Chandrayaan-2, which was called off due to a technical snag on 15 July, has now been rescheduled for 22 July at 2:43 p.m local time from the Second launch pad of SDSC in Sriharikota.
• India Reschedules Launch of Lunar Probe for Next Week VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- India's space agency says it will make a second attempt to launch an unmanned probe to the Moon's south pole next Monday, July 22.
• Treasury Sanctions Persons Associated with Serious Human Rights Abuse and Corrupt Actors in Iraq US Treasury 18 Jul 2019 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated two militia figures, Rayan al-Kildani and Waad Qado, and two former Iraqi governors, Nawfal Hammadi al-Sultan and Ahmed al-Jubouri, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption.
• Pakistan's Former Prime Minister Abbasi Arrested On Corruption Charges RFE/RL 18 Jul 2019 -- Pakistan's anti-corruption agency says it has arrested former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi amid graft allegations.
• Former Pakistani PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Arrested - Reports Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- Abbasi from the Pakistan Muslim League Party served as the country's 21st Prime Minister from August 2017 to May 2018.
• Pakistan Arrests Ex-Prime Minister for Graft VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- Anti-corruption officials in Pakistan have arrested former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for allegedly evading an ongoing investigation into corruption charges against him.
• Trump Criticized For Tweet Hailing Pakistan's '10-Year' Search For Alleged Mastermind Of Mumbai Attack RFE/RL 18 Jul 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has faced criticism for saying Pakistan's arrest of the alleged mastermind of the 2008 attacks in Mumbai had come after a 10-year search, as the suspected militant had been living freely.
• British PM candidates hold final leadership debate with focus on Brexit People's Daily 18 Jul 2019 -- British Prime Minister hopefuls Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt stated their approaches to handling Brexit when they made their final bids for the leadership of the governing Conservative Party on Wednesday.
• No Deal Brexit Would Sink Britain Financially - Office of Budget Responsibility Sputnik 18 Jul 2019 -- There have been recurrent warnings since the June 2016 referendum that leaving the bloc without a deal would be a disaster for the UK, and the OBR's official assessment confirms those dismal projections and then some, with the organisation warning no-deal will have a brutally deleterious effect on wages, employment and house prices.
• Former Kyrgyz President Atambaev Summoned A Third Time For Questioning In Criminal Probe RFE/RL 18 Jul 2019 -- Kyrgyzstan's former president, Almazbek Atambaev, has been formally summoned for a third time by the Interior Ministry in Bishkek for questioning in an unspecified criminal investigation -- a move that comes after he refused to comply with two earlier subpoenas.
• More Arrested In Georgia Over June 20 Violence, Interior Minister Questioned RFE/RL 18 Jul 2019 -- Three additional people have been arrested in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi who authorities suspect of participating in group violence last month when demonstrators tried to storm the parliament building.
• South African Ex-President Zuma Testimony at Corruption Probe Raises More Questions VOA 18 Jul 2019 -- Former South African President Jacob Zuma has spent three days testifying at a corruption inquiry that looks into numerous allegations of cronyism and undue influence on state organs during his time in office. But observers wonder whether Zuma is bringing answers to light, or just raising more questions.