GENEVA, Switzerland, March 30 [Category: Religion] -- The World Council of Churches posted the following news: * * * "Cuba offers a prophetic witness to the global church," says WCC general secretary * " Our presence among you is a reminder that you are not alone," said World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay during an ecumenical service held at the Episcopal Cathedral of Havana on 29 March. The service took place during a visit by global ecumenical lea  more

WASHINGTON, March 30 -- Sen. Michael F. Bennet, D-Colorado, issued the following news release: * * * Bennet Joins Bipartisan Bill to Impose Sanctions on Russian Energy Sector, Shadow Fleet * Washington, D.C. -Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, joined U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to co-sponsor the Sanctioning Harbors and Dodgers of Western   more

LONDON, England, March 30 -- The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office issued the following news: * * * Change of His Majesty's Ambassador to Iceland: Jane Stevens * Mrs Jane Stevens has been appointed His Majesty's Ambassador to the Republic of Iceland in succession to Dr Bryony Mathew. Mrs Stevens will take up her appointment during September 2026. Curriculum vitae Full name: Jane Elizabeth Stevens Year Role 2025 to present Full time language training (Icelandic)   more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary by Max Bergmann, director of the Stuart Center in Euro-Atlantic and Northern European Studies, and Federico Steinberg, visiting fellow with the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program: * * * Europe Needs Bold Economic Action in the Face of the Iran Shock In early 2020, outside of the small cadre of experts focused on pandemics, few geopolitical or market analysts anticipated the massive glob  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary by Mona Yacoubian, director and senior adviser of the Middle East Program: * * * Visualizing Iran's Escalation Strategy As the war with Iran nears its one-month mark on March 28, complex escalation dynamics continue to drive the conflict. Iran's escalation strategy centers on unrestrained retaliation in response to U.S. and Israeli strikes. This strategy reflects a distinct departure fro  more

BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 30 [Category: Religion] -- The Conference of European Churches posted the following news: * * * Easter message: On the road, Christ draws near * "While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognising him," Luke 24:15-16 On the road to Emmaus, the disciples did not recognise Jesus who walked beside them. They spoke of fear, disappointment, and sorrow after the crucifixion. Many in Europe and a  more

BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 24 -- The European Committee of the Regions posted the following news: * * * Regions: a driving force behind the European defence industry The European Committee of the Regions' Working Group on Defence held its third meeting on 23 March 2026 in Brussels, bringing together representatives from NATO, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the defence industry. The meeting focused on the latest EU initiatives aimed at bolstering the Union's security and re  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 31 [Category: Energy]-- 350.org, an organization that works to end the age of fossil fuels and build a community-led renewable energy, posted the following news release: * * * Hard-hit Asian countries must tax windfall profits, deploy renewables to combat price shocks * As the Iran conflict enters its second month, 350.org and its partners urged Asian governments to tax windfall profits of oil and gas companies, while accelerating a just transition away from foss  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, issued the following commentary by senior fellow Luke Coffey to Arab News: * * * The Far-Reaching Implications of Israel's Caspian Sea Strikes With much of the world's attention on the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, there is another body of water that has become a focal point of the war with Iran: the Caspian Sea. Earlier this month, Israeli figh  more

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 31 -- The United Nations International Labour Organization posted the following news: * * * ILO strengthens labour inspection in Ukraine through Open Source Intelligence training The ILO has supported eighteen labour inspectors from Ukraine's State Labour Service to complete specialised training on open-source intelligence (OSINT), strengthening their capacity to detect labour exploitation and violations of labour standards. * The training responds to rising risks  more

NEW YORK, March 30 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news: * * * Integration of Beijing's Human Rights abuses into EU strategy on China * Dear President von der Leyen, Dear High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President Kallas, Dear Executive Vice-Presidents Ribera, Virkkunen and Sejourne, Dear Commissioners Sefcovic, Dombrovskis, Sikela and McGrath, We write to urge you to integrate human rights concerns in your discussi  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on March 30, 2026, by analyst Kassie Corelli in its Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Kremlin Inadequately Responds to Increased Ukrainian Strikes Executive Summary: * Kyiv has intensified strikes on Russian military plants and other strategic targets such as oil depots, microelectronics facilities, and energy infrastructure, highlighting Ukraine's rapid military advancements amid Russian stagnation. * Independent a  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on March 30, 2026, by Pavel K. Baev, senior researcher at the International Peace Research Institute Oslo, in its Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Putin's War Calculus Keeps Oscillating as Spring Offensive Stumbles Executive Summary: * The ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf is affecting Russia amid the Kremlin's war against Ukraine with spikes in oil prices and a reduction of U.S. pressure on Moscow, making the ti  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- The Peterson Institute for International Economics issued the following commentary by senior fellow Elina Ribakova and Alicia Garcia Herrero, senior fellow at Bruegel: * * * How Russia and China are winning the war in Iran The expanding war in Iran is disrupting, if not devastating, the global economy. Meanwhile, the sound of silence from normally voluble leaders of China and Russia is telling. From their point of view, silence is the best way for them to let Washingto  more

PARIS, France, March 30 [Category: Media] -- Reporters Without Borders issued the following news: * * * Protection against Russian kamikaze drones: RSF publishes a guide for journalists working in Ukraine * Drones -unmanned aerial vehicles (or UAVs) piloted in real time by the Kremlin's armed forces -have become one of the main threats facing journalists covering Russia's war in Ukraine, making some areas along the front line almost inaccessible. In partnership with the Kherson-based foundat  more

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, March 30 [Category: BizLaw/Legal] -- Reed Smith, a law firm, posted the following news release: * * * Reed Smith partner Amber Finch named to Los Angeles Business Journal's Leaders of Influence: Insurance * LOS ANGELES - Global law firm Reed Smith announces that Amber Finch, partner and global chair of the firm's Insurance Recovery Group, was selected to the Los Angeles Business Journal's 'Leaders of Influence: Insurance' list for her successful recovery of more tha  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- The House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State and Related Programs released the following testimony by Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, from a March 25, 2026, member day hearing on China's influence in the United Nation's specialized agencies: * * * Chairman Diaz-Balart, Ranking Member Frankel, and Members of the subcommittee: I am grateful for the opportunity to testify before you today for the subcommittee's Member Day hearing regardi  more

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 30 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The International Commission of Jurists issued the following news: * * * Russian Federation: Arbitrarily detained human rights lawyer Maria Bontsler must be released * The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) condemns the decision by the Russian investigative authorities to charge Kaliningrad lawyer and human rights defender Maria Bontsler with "State treason", which carries a sentence of up to 20 years of imprisonment. The ICJ co  more

WASHINGTON, March 30 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * The Iran Conflict Is Hitting Europeans Hard * Key Takeaways 1 Europe was already suffering from high energy prices before the Iran conflict, as climate policies and other factors lifted prices there much higher than those in Asia and the United States. 2 Higher rates of renewable energy adoption in Europe have not reduced electricity prices, but have instead led to the offsho  more

WASHINGTON, March 30 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * Trump Sets a 15-Point Peace Plan With Iran * Key Takeaways 1 President Trump has proposed a 15-point peace plan to Iran to cease hostilities in the Middle East, covering missiles, nuclear weapons, and maritime routes. 2 Pakistan is offering to host talks between parties, and Pakistan's army chief has reached out to Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.   more