World briefs

CHINA-US Security experts say the U.S. government is likely exaggerating the Huawei threat. Not only is the U.S. case short on specifics, they say, it glosses over the fact that the Chinese don’t need secret access to Huawei routers to infiltrate global networks that already have notoriously poor security.

CHINA A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong disappeared on the day of his scheduled release from prison yesterday and was reportedly taken away by unknown persons. 

PAKISTAN A temporary closure of air space over Pakistan snarled air traffic especially between Asia and Europe, though some airlines adjusted by rerouting their flights. In Bangkok, an important and busy hub for transcontinental flights, thousands of travelers were stranded. 

ISRAEL’s attorney general recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with bribery and breach of trust in a series of corruption cases, a momentous move that shook up Israel’s election campaign and could spell the end of the prime minister’s illustrious political career.

BREXIT Net migration into Britain from the other 27 EU countries has fallen to near-decade lows, suggesting Brexit uncertainty has made the country a less attractive destination for the bloc’s workers. However, net migration from non-EU countries has risen to its highest level since 2004.

BREXIT Ireland’s deputy prime minister said that the EU wants to work with Britain to ensure there is a Brexit deal, as Irish drivers were warned they will need new paperwork to cross the currently invisible border to Northern Ireland if the U.K. leaves the bloc without an agreement.

USA Michael Cohen said during his congressional testimony that Donald Trump grossly overstated his wealth before becoming president, including inflating his assets during a failed bid to buy the Buffalo Bills in 2014. 

USA Floodwaters that turned two Northern California wine country communities into islands reachable only by boat began receding yesterday after a rain-engorged river finally peaked after swamping thousands of homes and businesses.