PARIS, France, March 16 [Category: Financial Services] -- The Council of Europe Development Bank posted the following news: * * * At its annual Joint Meeting in Warsaw, CEB approves eleven loans totalling close to EUR800 million * Warsaw - The CEB has approved eleven loans totalling EUR799 million, with around two-thirds of the volume directed to the Bank's Target Group Countries and a strong focus on education, health, social care and affordable housing. Reflecting the CEB's sustained commi more PR

LONDON, England, March 16 -- The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office issued the following news: * * * Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers' Meeting 2026 * At the 26th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers' Meeting (CFAMM) in London last week, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reinforced the UK's commitment to working multilaterally with the Commonwealth, a diverse network of 56 nations representing 2.7 billion people. The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of  more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis issued the following commentary on March 16, 2026, by Emily Otto, fellow with the Tech Policy Program and Transatlantic Defense and Security Program: * * * Shamoon Strikes Stryker: Iran Wields Wiper Attacks As war rages in the Middle East, Iranian hackers are stepping up cyber-attacks. * The target was US medical technology company Stryker, which makes surgical and imaging equipment, defibrillators, hospital beds, joint-replac more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis issued the following commentary on March 16, 2026, by Derek Berlin, a member of CEPA's Business Leadership Council: * * * We Must Copy Ukraine's Public-Private Air Defense Ukraine is allowing private sector companies to install air defense systems to protect critical infrastructure. The West should follow suit. * The extraordinary development, intended to help protect vital facilities like ports and power stations, is a major s more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis issued the following commentary on March 16, 2026, by Director for Communications and Information Systems Michael Newton: * * * What is Shadow Warfare? Russia's New Hybrid Warfare Shadow warfare is the evolution of hybrid war using sabotage, espionage, and more to damage adversaries while avoiding open conflict. * Sabotage, espionage, cyberattacks, propaganda, drone incursions. Russia is waging a shadow war across Europe becaus more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis posted the following commentary on March 16, 2026, by Miro Sedlak, associate research fellow at the Institute for Central Europe: * * * Cold War: Moscow Targets Europe's Communal Heating Russia is using hackers and saboteurs to target Europe's municipal heating systems. Their war isn't confined to Ukraine. * A combined heat and power (CHP) plant serving nearly half a million Poles was targeted in a cyberattack in December. The  more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis posted the following commentary on March 16, 2026, by David Kirichenko, associate research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society: * * * The Heart of War: Ukraine's Key Battlefield System Ukraine's drones have stolen the limelight, but its Delta battlefield system is the beating heart of its warfighting capabilities. Western armies still have time to learn the lessons. * If you want to visualize Ukraine's Delta digital battle mana more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis posted the following commentary on March 16, 2026, by Maciej Filip Bukowski, head of the Energy and Resilience Program at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation in Warsaw, Poland: * * * Mass Evacuations Across Europe? Work Is Underway Northern Europe is preparing for something thought to belong to history: how to evacuate huge numbers of people in wartime. * The map looks familiar: Baltic ports, Nordic railways, highways threading thro more PR

SANTA BARBARA, California, March 17 -- Direct Relief issued the following news: * * * Emergency Medicines and Chronic Disease Treatments Depart for Ukraine The therapies include antibiotics used to treat infections, medications for cancer and chronic diseases, mental health treatments, women's health medications, and other medicines used in routine daily patient care. These treatments support hospitals and clinics that continue serving patients as the war enters its fifth year. * More than  more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following joint testimony by Travis Metz, drone dominance program manager, and Owen O. West, senior advisor for drone dominance, both of the U.S. Department of Defense, from a March 5, 2026, hearing entitled "The American Small Drone Industrial Base": * * * Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak to the Committee about the Department of War's (DoW) efforts more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support released the following testimony by Diana C. Maurer, director of defense capabilities and management at the Government Accountability Office, from a March 4, 2026, hearing entitled "The Current Readiness of the Joint Force": * * * Chairman Sullivan, Ranking Member Hirono, and Members of the Subcommittee: Thank you for the opportunity to be here today to discuss Department of Defense (DOD) readin more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, issued the following commentary on March 16, 2026, by senior fellow Luke Coffey to Arab News: * * * NATO, Ukraine, and the Gulf Should Seize the Chance to Cooperate With the US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran on the brink of entering their third week, Iran's response of firing missiles and drones toward the Gulf states has been a wake-up call. While, sta more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Hudson Institute, a research organization that says it promotes leadership for a secure, free and prosperous future, issued the following commentary on March 16, 2026, by Daniel Kochis, senior fellow in the Center on Europe and Eurasia, to the Washington Examiner: * * * Iran War Showcases US Return on Investment in Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday announced his country was sending drone experts and interceptors to help safeguard U.S. bases in Jo more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on March 16, 2026, by John C. K. Daly, non-resident fellow at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute in Washington, in its Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Military Spending Now Half of Russia's Budget Executive Summary: * Germany's Federal Intelligence Service reported on February 4 that Russia's 2025 military spending was 66 percent higher than the Kremlin claims, accounting for half of the Kremlin's overall budget a more PR

WASHINGTON, March 17 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on March 16, 2026, by Pavel K. Baev, senior researcher at the International Peace Research Institute Oslo, in its Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Moscow Calculates Benefits of Gulf Conflict, Coming Short Executive Summary: * The ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf has not produced the benefits Moscow expected. Despite U.S. pressure on Russia to end its war against Ukraine having momentarily eased, Russia's battlef more PR

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, March 16 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland issued the following news: * * * Joint Interagency Task Force spearheads contract, unifies drone defenses * To counter the rapidly evolving threat from hostile unmanned aircraft systems, Joint Interagency Task Force 401 has championed a groundbreaking enterprise-level agreement to provide a cutting-edge command-and-control solution through a strategic action. Awarded by Army Contracting C more PR

OTTAWA, Ontario, March 16 -- Global Affairs Canada, an arm of the Canadian government, posted the following news release: * * * Minister Anand to travel to Turkiye and the United Kingdom to strengthen bilateral cooperation and discuss the situation in the Middle East * The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced that she will travel to Ankara, Turkiye and London, the United Kingdom, this week. During her travel she will advance bilateral relations, explore new opportun more PR

PARIS, France, March 16 [Category: Financial Services] -- The Council of Europe Development Bank posted the following news: * * * Opening Speech by Governor Carlo Monticelli at CEB's Joint Meeting (Warsaw, Poland 16-18 March 2026) * As prepared for delivery Minister of Finance and Economy of Poland, Mr Domanski, Director-General of Human Rights and Rule of Law at the Council of Europe, Chairpersons and Members of the Governing Board and Administrative Council, Distinguished guests more PR

OTTAWA, Ontario, March 16 -- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney issued the following news release: * * * Prime Minister Carney deepens cooperation with Nordic countries in defence, Arctic security, and critical minerals In a more dangerous, divided, and uncertain world, security can no longer be taken for granted. Canada is strengthening its defences in the North and working closely with trusted partners to protect our sovereignty and reinforce collective security. To bolster Canada's Arcti more PR

STRASBOURG, France, March 17 -- The Parliamentary Assembly, an arm of the Council of Europe, issued the following statement: * * * PACE rapporteur joins calls for Venice Biennale not to allow Russian participation Yevheniia Kravchuk (Ukraine, ALDE), PACE Rapporteur on "Countering the erasure of cultural identity in times of war and peace", made the following statement today: "I am deeply concerned by the possibility of Russia reopening its pavilion at the Venice Biennale while its war of agg more PR

LONDON, England, March 16 -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued the following news release: * * * PM meeting with Prime Minister Carney of Canada: 16 March 2026 * The Prime Minister welcomed the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, to Downing Street this morning. The leaders began by discussing the strength of the UK-Canada relationship, noting that ties between the two countries are closer than ever, including deep cooperation on trade and defence. They agreed that there is sign more PR

PARIS, France, March 16 [Category: Media] -- Reporters Without Borders issued the following news: * * * A 65-language megaphone: how Chinese state-media CGTN is shaping global narratives With 121 journalists detained, China is the world's biggest jailer of journalists, ranking at the bottom of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index. Independent media cannot work in the country without risking both their operations and their journalists' safety. In parallel, the Chinese more PR

FULLERTON, California, March 16 -- California State University Fullerton campus issued the following news: * * * Royce Symposium Brings Experts Together to Discuss International Strategy * At Cal State Fullerton's 2026 Royce International Symposium, political science student Francis Arguien had the opportunity to network with global policy experts and government leaders, including Titan alum and former U.S. Rep. Ed Royce. The annual event aims to advance research while engaging the campus  more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * Saudi Arabia Moves to Fill Its East-West Pipeline to Capacity, Adding Oil Supply to Markets * Key Takeaways 1 The impact of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is being offset by two east-west pipelines. 2 Saudi Aramco is ramping up its pipeline system to the Red Sea from 2.8 million barrels per day to about seven million barrels per day. 3 The U.A.E. has a 1.8 mil more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * U.S. Allows Russia a 30-Day Waiver to Sell Sanctioned Oil * Key Takeaways 1 The Trump administration has issued Russia a 30-day waiver to sell its sanctioned oil and petroleum products that are currently stranded on ships at sea. 2 Ukraine and some of its allies have expressed concerns because ongoing sanctions have been reducing Russian income, but the Treasury Department fe more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * U.S. Will Release 172 Million Barrels of Oil From the Strategic Petroleum Reserve * Key Takeaways 1 Member states of the IEA have agreed to release 400 million barrels of strategic reserves in the wake of Iran's closure and mining of the Strait of Hormuz. 2 The U.S. share will be 172 million barrels over four months, beginning next week in conjunction with other members. 3 T more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 (TNSLrpt) -- The Government Accountability Office issued the following report: * * * Ukraine Funding: HHS Allocation and Oversight of Refugee Assistance * Fast Facts Millions fled Ukraine after Russia's 2022 invasion. The Department of Health and Human Services received $3.78 billion for refugee assistance, including for Ukrainians who were granted temporary permission to stay in the U.S. In this Q&A report, we looked at this assistance. HHS gave grants to state, loc more PR

BONN, Germany, March 16 -- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change issued the following news: * * * UN Climate Chief in Brussels: fossil fuel dependency is ripping away national security and sovereignty, but renewables turn the tables * Below are remarks delivered by UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell at the Green Growth Summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday 16 March 2026. High-resolution photos of the Executive Secretary speaking at the event. Recent wee more PR

NEW YORK, March 16 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news: * * * UN Committee Should Promote, Not Oppose, Civil Society * The United Nations will hold elections in April for the 19 members of the UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, which controls UN accreditation for nongovernmental groups. The election to the UN's gatekeeper for civil society comes at a difficult time for human rights and civil society groups around the world, with governments  more PR

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following joint testimony by Major Gen. Steven M. Marks, director of the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group at the War Department, from a March 5, 2026, hearing entitled "The American Small Drone Industrial Base": * * * Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, and distinguished Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I am here to discuss how the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group is le more PR

MELBOURNE, Australia, March 17 [Category: Union] -- The Australian Council of Trade Unions issued the following news release: * * * Windfall profits to oil and gas multinationals should benefit working Australians * As the conflict in Iran sends oil and gas prices skyrocketing, Australian Unions are calling for working people to get a fair stake in the massive windfall profits set to flow to multi-national oil and gas companies. Surging fuel prices have left working people dealing with hig more PR