to the Polish ambassador to France, Jan Emeryk Rosciszewski, Poland may end up joining the conflict in Ukraine. While speaking with French media outlet La Chaîne Info (LCI,) Rosciszewski said, “either Ukraine will successfully defend its independence, or we will be forced, in any case, to join this conflict. Otherwise, our principal values, which are the basis of our civilization and our culture, will be in fundamental danger, so we will have no choice.” These statements by an official from a NATO member of course garnered a lot of attention in the international press. The Polish embassy released a statement clarifying what the ambassador meant saying, “Listening carefully to the entire conversation allows us to understand that there was no announcement of Poland’s...

French Journalist Olivier Dubois, who was kidnapped by al-Qaeda affiliated Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) militants in Mali in 2021, has been freed after 711 days in captivity, according to AFP. Dubois went missing in the town of Gao after he arranged an interview with JNIM lieutenant Abdallah Ag Albakaye for the French newspaper Libération. Exact details about Dubois’ release remain unclear at this time.

Leader of PMC Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a letter that units of PMC Wagner control 70% of Bakhmut, which is unverified by outside observers. Prigozhin also stated that Ukraine is preparing attacks to cut off Wagner from the rest of the Russian army forces in the area. He asks for support in the letter to prevent any possible encirclement of Wagner forces. It is also significant because this is an about-face for Prigozhin, who just a few months ago publicly attacked the Russian MoD and claimed that Wagner forces are superior to normal Russian military units. A translated copy of the letter is below.  

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has announced that Jeff Woodke, an American missionary who was kidnapped in 2016 from his home in Niger and held hostage by jihadist militants, has been released from captivity. The circumstances that lead to Woodke’s release remain unclear at this time, but officials have signaled to American media that a ransom was not made. Woodke was believed to have been taken by elements of the al-Qaeda affiliated Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), although the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) has also been suspected of playing a role in his kidnapping. https://twitter.com/JakeSullivan46/status/1637815029272571906?s=20

According to data from China’s customs agency, Russia was the country’s largest supplier of natural gas in January of this year. Total Russian gas deliveries totaled 2.7 billion cubic meters (BCM) while imports from other top suppliers, such as Turkmenistan and Qatar totaled 2.2 BCM each, and imports from Australia totaled 1.9 BCM. Most of the Russian gas to China flows through the Power of Siberia pipeline, which has an annual capacity of 38 BCM. In February of this year, Russia and China agreed to increase gas shipments even further. Under the agreement, Russia will construct an additional route for Russian gas flowing to China. The new route will have an annual capacity of 10 BCM.

According to the mayor of Bambara, nine Chinese nationals were killed at a “Gold Kauss Group” gold mine in the village of Chimbolo, about 25km from Bombari. While that specific company name does not populate on a publicly available information search, the mayor claims this group is a Chinese subsidiary. The attack occurred sometime in the morning of March 19th, when unidentified gunmen entered the village and began rounding up the Chinese nationals in what appears to be a targeted attack. There is no word yet on if the men were robbed. Two others have been injured. https://twitter.com/cyrille_yapende/status/1637423704794710017?s=46&t=fwloThPnqgTH71QlDeR_hA

Test from the new Russian law signed by President Putin that introduces criminal liability for public dissemination of “fake news” under the “guise” of “reliable messages” that discredit the Russian military, volunteers, conscripts, and private military companies. Meaning that the Russian Federation now has the power to fine up to 1.5million Rubles and jail citizens up to 18 months for sharing information it deems fake news.

At approximately 2213 EST, reports began to emerge from Japanese and South Korean media that North Korea had launched at least one projectile towards the Sea of Japan. The last launch was two days ago, with the firing of an ICBM towards Japan. This is developing.

A two-week U.S.-lead training program in west Africa that included over 400 soldiers has come to an end. The program was dubbed ‘Flintlock’ and focused primarily on counter-terrorism and combating extremism in the region. The exercises involved 29 countries and included personnel from Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria. British High Commissioner to Ghana, Non-Resident Ambassador to Benin, Burkina Faso, and Togo, Harriet Thompson, spoke about Flintlock saying, “Partnership is at the very center of every exercise, meeting, and speech that happens as part of Operation Flintlock. As nations, we will work together to share expertise, knowledge, and best practice to strengthen peace and security across the Sahel and Coastal West Africa because we know that a safer, more secure continent means a safer, more...

On Friday, the UK Space Agency awarded £2.9 million ($3.5 million) to Rolls-Royce to develop a lunar nuclear reactor that would power a manned outpost. In a statement about the funding, the UK’s Science Minister George Freeman said, “Space exploration is the ultimate laboratory for so many of the transformational technologies we need on Earth: from materials to robotics, nutrition, clean-tech, and much more. As we prepare to see humans return to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, we are backing exciting research like this lunar modular reactor with Rolls-Royce to pioneer new power sources for a lunar base. Partnerships like this – between British industry, the UK Space Agency, and government – are helping to create jobs across...

Earlier today, a reported 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit Ecuador. https://twitter.com/laPostaCue/status/1637143561933029376?s=20 The earthquake was centered approximately 50 miles south of Ecuador's second-largest city, Guayaquil. As this is very recent news, there has yet to be information on casualties and the extent of the damage. https://twitter.com/laPostaCue/status/1637142752642191361?s=20

The Emir of the Taliban, Haibatullah Akhundzada, has released a decree completely banning the cultivation of cannabis in Afghanistan, stating that violators will have their crops destroyed and be punished under Sharia law. In April, 2022, Akhundzada also banned the cultivation of opium to curb production of narcotics in the country, as well as banning any drug use. Similar to their rule in 2000, the Taliban has been facing increasing pressure from the international community to curb the production of narcotics in an attempt to appear as a more legitimate power. Enforcement, however, is said to be extremely limited by the Taliban as opium cultivation has expanded since the takeover of the country in 2021. The production and trade of drugs such as opium, heroin,...

In two Truth Social posts, former U.S. President Donald Trump has called on his supporters to protest his purported upcoming arrest on Tuesday, March 21st, 2023. This is developing.

Yesterday, a mass strike occurred in Greece when thousands of workers didn’t show up to their jobs and instead headed to Athens to protest.  https://twitter.com/chris_avramidis/status/1636391546370277380?s=20 The incident that sparked all this happened last month when a train transporting more than 350 people collided with a freight train. 57 people were killed in the collision.  The majority of the passengers were university students. Those protesting claim that the crash was preventable and that the current Greek government ignored warnings unions made concerning safety measures.  The protests resulted in more than 25,000 people gathering in Athens.  Clashes unsurprisingly happened with protesters using petrol bombs and riot police responding with teargas.  https://twitter.com/savvaskarma/status/1636337094049103878?s=20 Note, these are not the only protests that have occurred over the train crash.  Last week, Athens saw thousands of protesters gather. 

At least 11 Mexican army services members, 10 state officers, and 30 suspected cartel members have been killed in a large battle in the San Miguel Totolapan area of Coyuca de Catalan, Guerrero, Mexico. The specific town seems to be El Pescado. For reference: This is developing.