16 March 2026
Kazakhstan
Voters in Kazakhstan approved a new constitution in a referendum on Sunday. Exit polls indicated that about 87% of voters backed the new constitution, with turnout at around 73%. Among the changes are the re-establishment of the office of Vice President, the abolishment of the Senate, and the creation of a legislative assembly called the Kurultai. For those of you interested in Mongol history, you might recognise the Kurultai as the conference which met to elect a new Khan as ruler of the Mongol Empire.
Iran war fallout
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump’s planned meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this month could be postponed so the president can stay in Washington to coordinate the war effort. President Trump said he and his team had asked seven countries to help police the strait. Trump said that for any that decline, “We will remember.”
President Trump calls for allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. As of yet, no one has come forward to say that they will. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer states that the UK is working with allies to develop a plan to reopen the Strait.
Israel-Hezbollah
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel had launched a ground operation in Lebanon to remove threats and protect the residents of Galilee and the north. The Israeli military has not commented further.
Kenya
Russia will cease using Kenyan mercenaries in their war against Ukraine. It is believed that more than 1,000 Kenyans have fought for the Russian government. It is also believed that many were conscripted under false pretenses of workers’ visas and well-paying civilian jobs.
France
Former French president Nicholas Sarkozy is back in a French court to begin his appeal trial in the Libyan campaign-financing scandal. It has been alleged that two of Sarkozy’s closest political aides would have provided Sarkozy with financing for his presidential campaign in exchange for help restoring his role on the international scene.
Social media wires
North Korean missile test
Trump claims that kamikaze sea drones are fictional
Featured Photo: “IDF incursion into Lebanon, 2024” Wikimedia Commons, 2026
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