Oct. 14 update

Protesters remained outside the Midland, Texas, home of Bob Fu 10 days after law enforcement placed Fu and his family in protective custody due to threats. The protesters carry signs claiming the founder of ChinaAid and pastor who once was forced out of China by its Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government is “a CCP spy.” They have refused to tell local media where they are from or whether they are being paid.

Few can boast of opening a new business during a pandemic, but Mohamad Hafez did just that. This summer he launched Pistachio, a French baroque, salon-styled coffee shop in West Haven, Conn., serving Turkish coffee, cold brew, and baklava. 

The architect-turned-artist-turned-barista could be your classic millennial—an overachiever with good taste, fitted suits, and bookish glasses. He designed a 48-story office tower in Houston’s central business district. When construction began in 2014, it was one of the largest spec projects in the world.

CHINA: Human rights activist Bob Fu has become the target of a disinformation campaign by a Chinese real estate tycoon now under FBI investigation and living in the United States.

AZERBAIJAN: Dozens are dead as a border conflict with Armenia dating to 1990 has revived in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is located inside mostly Muslim Azerbaijan but is home to mostly Christian Armenians. Both countries have declared martial law and declined talks, as Armenia claims Turkey shot down one of its fighter jets.

RUSSIA: Russian authorities seized Putin opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s apartment days after he was discharged from a German hospital where he was being treated for poisoning. Navalny, 44, remains in Germany in rehab, where he’s tweeting again.

For many Americans the prospect of travel to the Holy Land is reason enough for an Israel at peace with its neighbors. And that’s no trivial thing. Religious sites for Jews, Christians, and Muslims helped bring 4.5 million visitors to Israel in 2019, pilgrimages driven by Israel’s history and its Western-style welcome. 

Street-level perspective helps to understand the geopolitics driving the Arab world’s move to normalize relations. It’s an issue as important as Arab worry over Iranian aggression and falling oil prices.

EUROPE: Six months after Italy’s coronavirus crisis became an ominous signpost to the West, the World Health Organization is warning of “a very serious situation” unfolding again across Europe.