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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Denmark assumes command of NATO Mission Iraq NATO 25 Nov 2020 -- Lieutenant-General Per Pugholm Olsen of the Danish Armed Forces is the new Commander of the NATO Mission Iraq, following a change of command ceremony held in Baghdad on 24 November 2020.
• Twin Bombings Rattle Safest Afghan Province, Kill 14 VOA 25 Nov 2020 -- Officials in Afghanistan say two back-to-back bombs went off Tuesday in central Bamiyan province, killing at least 14 people and injuring 50 others.
• Pakistani PM Commends Trump for Role in Afghan Peace Process VOA 25 Nov 2020 -- Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is commending outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump for initiating the landmark peace process aimed at ending the Afghan conflict, America's longest war.
• International community renews commitments at 2020 Afghanistan Conference People's Daily 25 Nov 2020 -- The international donor community and a number of regional countries and international organizations on Tuesday pledged financial and political support to the peace and development of Afghanistan at the 2020 Afghanistan Conference in Geneva.
• Iran highlights diplomacy, reaffirms opposition to military solutions to Afghan conflict Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has reaffirmed Tehran's support for intra-Afghan peace talks, dismissing any military solutions to nearly two decades of militancy and violence since the US invasion of the country in 2001.
• Nevada National Guard stays in fight against COVID-19 Army News 25 Nov 2020 -- More than eight months into the Nevada National Guard's battle against COVID-19, the stubborn microscopic enemy shows no sign of surrender as many of the state's counties report record numbers of cases.
• NY National Guard adds troops to airport health screening mission Army News 25 Nov 2020 -- New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen have collected COVID-19 health information from over 456,000 airline passengers since starting a mission to aid the New York State Department of Health.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Chairs Speier and Langevin Issue Statement in Support of Michéle Flournoy as Secretary of Defense Congresswoman Speier 25 Nov 2020 -- Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, and Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities, today issued the following statement encouraging President-elect Biden to nominate Michèle Flournoy as Secretary of Defense.
• Michigan Guard, Latvia reaffirm relationship during pandemic Army News 25 Nov 2020 -- The Latvian National Armed Forces and the Michigan National Guard have developed a relationship stretching back nearly three decades through the National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program.
• New training concept could be the future of foreign ordnance exploitation USMC News 25 Nov 2020 -- Explosive ordnance disposal technicians from across III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Installations Pacific gathered to participate in an ordnance exploitation proof of concept range on November 16 - 25 at Camp Schwab.
• Air Force selects next C-130J locations US Air Force 25 Nov 2020 -- The Air Force has selected Louisville Air National Guard Base, Kentucky; McLaughlin ANGB, West Virginia; Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Texas; and Savannah ANGB, Georgia as the preferred locations to receive C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to replace their aging C-130Hs, pending the outcome of environmental assessments.
• USS Ross Completes NATO Tactical Air Defense Exercises US Navy 25 Nov 2020 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) completed a series of tactical air defense exercises with NATO in the Baltic Sea, Nov. 24.
• USS Hershel "Woody" Williams and Tunisian Navy Exercise Maritime Security Capabilities US Navy 25 Nov 2020 -- USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB 4) and Tunisian Navy partners conducted joint maritime operations to enhance maritime security, critical lifesaving capabilities, force readiness, and Tunisia's ability to protect its maritime borders, November 23-24.
• Chief of Space Operations Discusses Need for Outreach to Partners, State of Space Force DoD News 25 Nov 2020 -- The importance of space to the modern world cannot be underestimated, and the U.S. Space Force will be key to defending the ultimate "high ground," said Space Force Gen. John "Jay" Raymond, the chief of space operations for the new service.
• Group of experts presents report to Secretary General NATO 25 Nov 2020 -- An independent group, co-chaired by Dr. Thomas de Maizière and Dr. Wess Mitchell, handed over on Wednesday (25 November) a report to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on how to make NATO an even stronger Alliance. The group's report is one of a number of inputs into the Secretary General's NATO 2030 initiative.
• NATO Deputy Secretary General: our societies have to be tech ready, and our tech sector security ready NATO 25 Nov 2020 -- Speaking at the NATO-Private Sector Dialogue hosted by GLOBSEC on Wednesday (25 November), NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană said that NATO has to continue to compete in the battle space where conflicts are defined as much by bytes and big data as by bullets and battleships.
• Amphibious landing ships, stealth missile boats conduct exercises in South China Sea Global Times 25 Nov 2020 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently sent three Type 071 amphibious dock landing ships, and multiple Type 022 stealth missile boats to two exercises in the South China Sea, sending a strong message of deterrence to Taiwan secessionists and forces with ulterior motives, analysts said on Tuesday.
• Xi stresses military training to raise capability of winning wars PLA Daily 25 Nov 2020 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday ordered the armed forces to strengthen training under real combat conditions and raise their capability of winning wars.
• German Defense Minister Justifies High Military Spending by 'More Explicit' Russian Threat Sputnik 25 Nov 2020 -- According to Moscow, NATO takes advantage of the European countries that promote this rhetoric to deploy more troops and military hardware near the Russian border.

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Nov. 25, 2020

Other Conflicts

• 25 November 2020 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 25 Nov 2020
• Alert over growing use of cluster munitions, despite stockpile reductions UN News 25 Nov 2020 -- Lethal cluster munitions are still being used in old and new conflicts around the world, from Syria to Libya, to Nagorno-Karabakh, a UN-backed civil society report said on Wednesday.
• China and Japan agree to build maritime and air liaison mechanism to manage risk Global Times 25 Nov 2020 -- China and Japan have agreed to establish a maritime and air liaison mechanism to enhance risk management and mutual trust, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday night amid Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Yi's visit to Japan.
• Yemen stresses right to self-defense as Saudi Arabia resorts to UN over Aramco raid Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- Yemen says its armed forces reserve the legitimate right to respond to any act of aggression by the Saudi-led military coalition, after Riyadh complained to the UN Security Council over a Yemeni missile attack on an Aramco petroleum products distribution plant in the kingdom's port city of Jeddah.
• US must withdraw forces from Syria unconditionally, Iran tells UNSC Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- The US is plundering the Syrian nation's wealth and oil resources while supporting terrorist groups in the Arab country, a senior Iranian diplomat told the UN Security Council, calling for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of American troops from Syria.
• Syrian media report fresh Israeli aggression near Damascus, Syria's south Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- Syrian media say Israel has launched fresh airstrikes on several positions in southern Syria and outside the capital, Damascus, the second such attack in a week.
• Pro-Iran Fighters Reported Killed In Israeli Strikes In Syria RFE/RL 25 Nov 2020 -- A British-based group monitoring the Syrian conflict says eight pro-Iranian militiamen have been killed in alleged overnight Israeli air strikes.
• UN officials denounce bombings in northern Syria UN News 25 Nov 2020 -- Two separate bomb attacks in northern Syria on Tuesday, which reportedly left at least seven civilians dead and many more wounded, have been condemned by the UN.
• 'Incredibly hard' winter beckons for Syrians, more assistance urgently needed UN News 25 Nov 2020 -- More than three million people across Syria require assistance through what is likely to be an "incredibly hard" winter, the acting deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council on Wednesday, highlighting that those displaced remain "particularly vulnerable".
• Syrians Face Growing Hunger as Winter Approaches VOA 25 Nov 2020 -- Mired in conflict and a debilitating economic crisis, more than 9.3 million Syrians are at increased risk of hunger this winter, with the price of subsidized bread doubling in the past month and humanitarian access drastically reduced.
• Addressing a Syrian-led political transition and the humanitarian crisis in Syria UK FCDO 25 Nov 2020 -- Statement by Ambassador James Roscoe, Acting UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the Security Council briefing on Syria
• Treasury Sanctions Militia and Its Leader in Connection with Serious Human Rights Abuse in Libya US Treasury 25 Nov 2020 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against Mohamed al-Kani (al-Kani) and the Kaniyat militia, which is responsible for the murder of civilians recently discovered in numerous mass graves in Tarhouna, as well as torture, forced disappearances, and displacement of civilians.
• US Sanctions Libyan Militia Accused of Human Rights Abuses VOA 25 Nov 2020 -- The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on Mohamed al-Kani and his Kaniyat militia in Libya for alleged human rights abuses.
• UK response to settlements in Har Homa UK FCDO 25 Nov 2020 -- The UK is deeply concerned by the Government of Israel's decision to advance the construction of 540 new buildings in the existing settlement of Har Homa, in southern Jerusalem.
• UN report finds Gaza suffered $16.7 billion loss from siege and occupation UN News 25 Nov 2020 -- Israel's military operations and prolonged closure of Gaza, has caused economic damage of $16.7 billion between 2007 and 2018, driving the poverty rate up almost fourfold compared to what it might have otherwise been, the UN trade and development agency UNCTAD said in a report published on Wednesday.
• Israeli Army Says Held Drills Near Border With Gaza Strip Sputnik 25 Nov 2020 -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that they held a military exercise near the border with the Gaza Strip involving the Gaza Division, as well as units of the Air and Space Force, Navy, Cyber Defense and intelligence.
• Pakistan: No plans to recognize Israel until independent Palestinian state formed Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- Pakistani has roundly dismissed media speculation that the South Asian country would recognize Israel, following reports of a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
• Dutch Court Rejects Request To Investigate Alternative MH17 Crash Scenarios RFE/RL 25 Nov 2020 -- A court in the Netherlands hearing the case against four defendants in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over eastern Ukraine has rejected a defense request for more time to investigate alternative explanations for the crash that killed 298 people aboard.
• Ethiopia's Leaders Rebuff Foreign Appeals for Diplomatic Solution in Tigray VOA 25 Nov 2020 -- Ethiopia's prime minister has rejected calls for dialogue to end an internal conflict that has already killed hundreds and displaced more than 40,000 people in the key U.S. ally in East Africa — a stance that has alarmed diplomats from Addis Ababa to Washington about the potential for escalating conflict.
• Ethiopian Rights Commission Alleges 'Atrocious Massacre' in Tigray VOA 25 Nov 2020 -- Ethiopia's government-appointed human rights commission has accused a youth group in the rebellious Tigray region of carrying out "an atrocious massacre" of hundreds of civilians, aided by Tigrayan security forces.
• Ethiopia Rejects International Interference in Tigray Conflict VOA 25 Nov 2020 -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stressed his country's sovereignty and "right to uphold and enforce its laws within its territories" as he asked the international community to not get involved in its weeks-long conflict in the Tigray region.
• Prime Minister Abiy rejects 'interference' in Ethiopia's affairs ahead of planned offensive Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali says he rejects any interference in his country's affairs amid international mediation efforts to end hostilities ahead of an expected offensive on the rebel-held regional capital Mekele.
• Amnesty, UN, EU warn Ethiopia's warring sides: Do not target civilians Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- Amnesty International, the UN envoy for human rights and the European Union's top diplomat have called on the warring sides in Ethiopia's volatile Tigray region to avoid targeting civilians and violating human rights.
• Foreign Secretary statement following a meeting with the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister UK FCDO 25 Nov 2020 -- Following a discussion about the conflict in Ethiopia with the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has made the below statement.
• Armenians Fear for Cultural, Religious Sites in Nagorno-Karabakh VOA 25 Nov 2020 -- For days now, Armenians have been bidding tearful farewells to the ancient Dadivank monastery in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is in Azerbaijan.
• Azerbaijan takes over Kalbajar region in Karabakh under truce deal Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- Azerbaijan's military forces have entered another region in Nagarno-Karabakh that was handed over to Baku under a Russian-brokered ceasefire that ended weeks of fierce fighting in the disputed Caucasus region.
• Chaos, Secrecy In Azerbaijan As Families Seek News Of Missing Soldiers RFE/RL 25 Nov 2020 -- Two weeks after a Moscow-brokered truce and with returnees and evacuees still flowing to and from Nagorno-Karabakh - the center of an abruptly "unfrozen" conflict two months ago - the anguished families of missing Azerbaijani soldiers are scrambling for news of their loved ones.
• Azerbaijani Forces Reclaim Second District From Armenians Under Nagorno-Karabakh Truce RFE/RL 25 Nov 2020 -- Azerbaijani troops have moved into the Kalbacar district after it was handed over by Armenia as part of a deal that ended six weeks of fighting over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
• 'Perfect Storm' Could Compel Pakistan To Change Status Of Disputed Territory In Kashmir RFE/RL Gandhara 25 Nov 2020 -- The status of Pakistan's far northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan -- part of the larger disputed region of Kashmir - has been in limbo for decades.
• Turkey's Erdogan Expected to Stand Down in Spat With EU If Bloc Shows Unity, Reports Suggest Sputnik 25 Nov 2020 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is predicted to stand down in his row with the European Union should the bloc's member states show unity and mount a convincing challenge, a source in Brussels told the EURACTIV portal on Wednesday.

News Reports

• Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grant of Clemency for General Michael T. Flynn The White House 25 Nov 2020
• Trump pardons Michael Flynn weeks before his tenure ends Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- US President Donald Trump has pardoned his first national security adviser, who was charged after the so-called Russia probe.
• Trump Pardons Ex-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn Sputnik 25 Nov 2020 -- Media reports indicated earlier that Trump told his confidants about pardoning his ex-aide during what is presumed to be the US president's final weeks in office.
• Trump Pardons Former National Security Adviser Flynn RFE/RL 25 Nov 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI over his contacts with Russians.
• New Zealand Charges Serviceman With Espionage in Historic Case, Defenсe Force Says Sputnik 25 Nov 2020 -- New Zealand has pressed various charges, including of espionage, against an unidentified soldier in what has become the first indictment of a serviceman for spying in the country's history, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) said in a statement released on Wednesday.
• Russia foils Daesh planned attacks in Moscow region Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- Russia says it has dismantled a militant cell affiliated with the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group that was planning to conduct acts of terror in the Moscow region.
• Russia Says It Foiled Islamic State Attacks In Moscow Region RFE/RL 25 Nov 2020 -- Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) says it has broken up a cell of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group that was planning "acts of sabotage and terror" in the Moscow region.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on November 25, 2020 PRC MofA 25 Nov 2020
• China Investment Risk Rises with Ant Group Clash Radio Free Asia 25 Nov 2020 -- A costly clash between China's top political and business leaders has highlighted the risks for enterprises and finance in the world's second-largest economy.
• Xiplomacy shows China's sense of responsibility in time of pandemic, global recession People's Daily 25 Nov 2020 -- As the world grapples with the worst pandemic in a century and a flagging global economy, Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken the world stage to offer China's approach to overcoming these challenges.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping Congratulates Biden On Becoming US President-Elect Sputnik 25 Nov 2020 -- Under the Trump administration, US-China relations have been locked in political and trade disputes. Over the last four years, the US has put protectionist tariffs on Chinese imports, pledged to develop relations with Taiwan and challenged the Chinese Communist Party in the wake of the protests in Hong Kong.
• Chinese President Congratulates Biden on Election Victory VOA 25 Nov 2020 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday for winning the November 3 U.S. presidential election.
• China formally acknowledges Biden win, marks possible return of new major power relations Global Times 25 Nov 2020 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday congratulated Joe Biden on his win in the US presidential election in what analysts call a well-timed, goodwill message, after China had adopted a cautious approach toward the highly disputed election results. This is believed to mark the likely return of a new major relationship between the two powers, following a tense period that saw bilateral ties in a downward spiral.
• Chinese embassy fires back at Canadian FM Champagne's 'coercive diplomacy' accusations Global Times 25 Nov 2020 -- In response to Canadian Foreign Minister's latest claim that China uses "coercive diplomacy" and "detained foreign nationals at will," Chinese Embassy in Canada urged Canadian side to look at itself in the mirror and stop interfering in other countries' internal affairs using double standards.
• Restoring constitutional order, 'political system from chaos' is priority: Lam Global Times 25 Nov 2020 -- In her 2020 annual policy address, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam stressed the need to restore Hong Kong's constitutional order and restore the political system from chaos, and proposed measures to improve the oath-taking process for civil servants and strengthen legal education for young people.
• Hong Kong's leader vows to restore 'political system from chaos' Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam has vowed to "restore the political system from chaos" in her annual policy address before the city's legislature, further offering economic recovery measures for the global financial hub.
• Carrie Lam Targets Hong Kong's Youth With Changes to Education, Job Scheme Radio Free Asia 25 Nov 2020 -- Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam set out an array of policies on Wednesday targeting the city's youth, including sweeping changes to the teaching of a critical thinking program in high schools, which has been blamed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for fueling waves of youth-led political movements in recent years.
• Pope Refers To Xinjiang's Uyghurs As 'Persecuted,' China Calls It 'Groundless' RFE/RL 25 Nov 2020 -- Pope Francis has for the first time publicly named Uyghurs, a major indigenous ethnic group in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, among a list of the world's persecuted peoples amid reports of widespread human rights abuses in the region.
• Beijing confirms jail sentence for Taiwanese professor CNA 25 Nov 2020 -- A retired university professor who was arrested shortly after visiting China in August 2018 has been sentenced to four years in prison on national security charges, China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) said Wednesday.
• Diehard Taiwan secessionists will be sanctioned by law: mainland spokesperson Global Times 25 Nov 2020 -- Mainland authorities have vowed to punish a handful of diehard Taiwan secessionists who keep to instigate confrontation and sabotage peace across the Straits.
• No policy barrier for Taiwan enterprises to list in the Chinese mainland: Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Global Times 25 Nov 2020 -- There is no policy barrier for Taiwan enterprises to list in the Chinese mainland and they will enjoy equal treatment as their mainland peers, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
• North Korea Surveys Population for Illiterates, Orders Reading Classes Radio Free Asia 25 Nov 2020 -- North Korea has ordered a nationwide survey to identify and educate the country's illiterates, most of whom missed school during widespread famine in the 1990s, sources in the country told RFA.
• JCPOA not to be renegotiated: Official IRNA 25 Nov 2020 -- Head of Iran's Presidential Office Mahmoud Vaezi said on Wednesday that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has already been negotiated and now has reached a framework that has gone through the necessary processes both in Iran and other countries.
• Rouhani says US president-elect has to make good on wrongful acts IRNA 25 Nov 2020 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the next US president has to do great jobs and compensate wrongful acts which caused major damages on Iran and discredited the US.
• New US admin. will need to strive to right Trump's wrongs: Iran president Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- President Hassan Rouhani says Iran hopes that the incoming US administration will condemn the wrong policies and terrorist actions of President Donald Trump against the Islamic Republic and compensate for them.
• US imposes new Iran-related sanctions on four entities in China, Russia Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- US special envoy for Iran says Washington will impose new Iran-related sanctions on four entities in China and Russia, accusing them of promoting Tehran's missile program.
• US to Sanction 4 Russian and Chinese Entities 'Linked to Iran's Nuke Programme', Special Envoy Says Sputnik 25 Nov 2020 -- Last week, the US targeted dozens of individuals and entities in a new round of Iran-related sanctions. The sanction regime has been stepped up since 2018, after US President Donald Trump abandoned the JCPOA.
• Top U.S. Envoy Says New Sanctions Against Iran Coming 'Until The End' Of Trump Administration RFE/RL 25 Nov 2020 -- As U.S. President Donald Trump's time in office comes to a close, his outgoing administration intends to put further pressure on Iran by introducing new punitive sanctions against the U.S. adversary.
• Israeli Military Told to Prepare for Possible US Strike on Iran Ahead of Trump Exit - Report Sputnik 25 Nov 2020 -- Tensions with Iran under the Trump administration came to a head after the US withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 and began to reimpose sanctions previously lifted under the nuclear deal. Relations worsened even further after US strikes in January killed Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
• 'A great wealth': Leader hails Basij role in defending Iran, facilitating its growth Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has highlighted the role of Iran's Basij volunteer force in both defending the country and facilitating its growth, praising it as a "great asset" and the "God-given reserve" for the Iranian nation.
• Iran's natural gas production tops 900 mcm per day: NIGC chief Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- Iran's production of natural gas has reached 900 million cubic meters (mcm) per day, according to latest government figures, as the country moves ahead with plans to build out its massive energy sector despite US sanctions imposed by the United States.
• Iran may tap sovereign fund to pay compensation for downed jet: Report Press TV 25 Nov 2020 -- Iran may decide to use its sovereign wealth fund to pay compensation for a Ukrainian airliner that was downed near Tehran early this year amid high military tensions with the United States.
• Venezuelan Business Executive Charged in Connection with International Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme US Dept. of Justice 25 Nov 2020 -- A dual Venezuelan-Italian citizen who controlled multiple companies via U.S. based bank accounts was charged in an indictment returned Tuesday for his role in laundering the proceeds of inflated contracts that were obtained by making bribe payments to officials at Venezuela's state-owned and state-controlled energy company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA).
• Report: Far-Right Terrorism Rises as Islamist Terrorism Declines VOA 25 Nov 2020 -- After a 21-year-old white man armed with a semiautomatic rifle entered a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, killing nearly two dozen people, mostly Latinos, authorities treated the attack as an act of far-right domestic terrorism.
• Sussex County Woman Charged with Concealing Terrorist Financing to Syrian Al-Nusra Front, a Foreign Terrorist Organization US Dept. of Justice 25 Nov 2020 -- A Sussex County, New Jersey, woman, Maria Bell, a/k/a "Maria Sue Bell," 53, of Hopatcong, New Jersey, was arrested at her home today and charged with one count of knowingly concealing the provision of material support and resources to a Foreign Terrorist Organization Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito for the District of New Jersey announced.
• Groups Urge Elections in Myanmar Conflict Zones That Missed Nov. 8 Voting Radio Free Asia 25 Nov 2020 -- Myanmar should hold make-up elections in areas where voting was cancelled this month due to armed conflicts and other security threats, including in Rakhine state, which has seen a halt in fighting since general elections, rights groups and residents said Wednesday.
• Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Chairs Cabinet's Virtual Session SPA 25 Nov 2020 -- Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister, chaired today the Cabinet's virtual session.
• Changes to the UK's aid budget in the Spending Review UK FCDO 25 Nov 2020 -- UK aid to be overhauled to achieve greater impact.
• UN Expert Calls For Fair Trial Ahead of Hearing For Scores of Cambodian Opposition Members Radio Free Asia 25 Nov 2020 -- The United Nations' expert on human rights in Cambodia on Wednesday urged the country's government to protect civil liberties and ensure the right to a fair trial on the eve of a mass court appearance for more than 100 members of the banned opposition party.
• Envoy Hails Bosnia's Election Results, Agrees New Constitution Needed RFE/RL 25 Nov 2020 -- Valentin Inzko, the high representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, has hailed the results of the local elections that saw the opposition win the Balkan country's two major cities earlier this month, dealing a blow to long-ruling nationalists.
• Bitcoin Blackouts: Russian Cryptocurrency 'Miners' Minting Millions While Sucking Abkhazia's Electricity Grid Dry RFE/RL 25 Nov 2020 -- In the side streets and narrow alleys of Abkhazia's main city, a low growl and an oily stench are common once again. Thrumming diesel generators provide power amid rolling blackouts that have infuriated residents and evoked memories of the postwar chaos nearly three decades ago.
• Thai Protesters Direct Ire at King's Massive Wealth VOA 25 Nov 2020 -- Pro-democracy activists demanded public oversight of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn's vast wealth during a protest Wednesday outside the headquarters of a major bank in which he is the largest shareholder. The demonstration amounted to a show of defiance after police summoned a dozen protest leaders over alleged royal defamation.
• Malaysia's Government, Prime Minister Face Make-or-Break Budget Vote VOA 25 Nov 2020 -- Lawmakers in Malaysia are due to decide the fate of the country's biggest-ever budget bill as soon as Thursday in what's likely to be a tight vote that could topple Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's teetering government and trigger snap elections.