France and UK now subcontract Middle Eastern waterway security to Oman like it's a lawn service.
Outsourcing critical chokepoint security to a third party is the geopolitical equivalent of hiring your neighbor to watch your house while you're on vacation.
▸ Wikipedia — Oman reaches an agreement with France and the United Kingdom to ensure safe navigation through the country's waterways including the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz. (CNBC)Pastor released as goodwill gesture, because nothing says diplomatic sincerity like treating human freedom as a bargaining chip you can present with a bow.
▸ Wikipedia — China releases pastor Jin Mingri, the founder of the Beijing Zion Church, after detaining him since October, with ChinaAid.org saying officials presented the release as a goodwillSlovakia holding a referendum on whether former prime ministers deserve lifetime paychecks is the kind of fiscal policy debate that answers itself.
▸ Wikipedia — Slovaks vote in a referendum to decide whether to cancel life payments for prime ministers after their terms expire and whether to reopen the office of an anti-corruption agency. T