US Special Operation troops conducted a raid into eastern Syrian and killed a senior Islamic State leader, kidnapped his wife, and rescued a Yazidi woman being held hostage. It is rare for the US to send in ground troops into Syria–it represents a substantial increase in the American commitment to “degrade and destroy” the Islamic State. The US prefers to conduct air operations to minimize the risk of casualties. The raid also signals that the Islamic State is the enemy of both the Assad regime and the US, although the US adamantly denies that it is allied with Assad. The US has long called for Assad to be removed from office.
Protesters are targeting the 400ft long, 355ft tall Royal Dutch Shell oil rig currently in Seattle harbor. It is scheduled to be towed to the Arctic where is will begin to pump oil. The protesters fear the possible environmental damage of pumping oil in the fragile Arctic, as well as the commitment to continue using carbon-based fuels that contribute to global warming. Shell has allocated about $6 billion to exploration in the Arctic and is clearly expecting that there is a lot of oil in the region.
The tragedy of Rohingya refugees is getting worse as several countries are refusing entry to boats filled with the desperate people. Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand are turning back the refugees who have no place to go. Generally, the coast guards of these countries give the refugees food and water and send them away. It is quite clear that sentiment against the boat people is quite negative. An op-ed piece in the Malaysian paper, Star Online, makes it very clear that people regard the refugees as a threat. The UN General Secretary, Ban Ki-Moon, has issued an urgent appeal to the surrounding countries to accept more refugees.
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