Venezuela elections, al-Shabaab returns to Kenya, Assad in Moscow, Chinese espionage at NASA...

Venezuela extends state of emergency as elections loom

President Nicolas Maduro has extended the state of emergency in Tachira, which borders Colombia, for an additional 60 days. This means the right of peaceful assembly, among other constitutional rights, will be forbidden on election day (December 6) when Venezuelans head to the polls to choose parliament representatives. The potential for conflict remains high, as polls show the opposition is poised to obtain a clear majority.

Venezuela has refused election monitoring from the OAS and neighboring Brazil, claiming its electoral system is “fraud proof.” Previous elections have been conducted under a cloud of intimidation by armed “colectivos” which are paramilitary groups affiliated with Maduro’s governing party. The upcoming elections are seen as a referendum on Maduro, who is leader of the country with the world’s highest inflation rate, a collapsing economy, and a murder rate that is among the highest in the world.

Report claims Kenyan al-Shabaab fighters are returning home

A report by the International Organization for Migration alleges that approximately 700 Kenyan members of al-Shabaab have quit the Somalian jihadist group and returned home. There does not appear to be any way to verify this figure or how the IOM arrived at it. Given that al-Shabaab is not known to take defections lightly, there is a probability that some or all of these reported defectors may part of an Al-Shabaab infiltration operation.

Kenyan security is directing most of its counterterrorism resources to contain al-Shabaab, which is active and has carried out multiple terrorist attacks inside Kenya. The most notable incident, the Westgate Mall massacre in Nairobi in 2013, was carried out by Al Shabaab members, some of whom hide among migrants fleeing Somalia.

The report also makes the claim that if the returned fighters are not quickly reintegrated into Kenyan society, the “response of the security forces” will be perceived as promoting further “radicalization.” This is a direct challenge to the obvious need by Kenyan forces to conduct serious counterintelligence and security screening of the returning fighters, and appears another example of the larger effort to propagandize against Kenyan efforts to fight Al-Shabaab.

Assad meets Putin in Moscow to coordinate strategy

Bashar al-Assad has made an unannounced visit to Moscow, at least in part to express gratitude for Putin’s military assistance in Syria. In a transcript released from the meeting, Putin expressed that he was hopeful that the successful military campaign could be shadowed by a “political solution” in Syria. Assad exclaimed, “If it was not for your actions and your decisions the terrorism which is spread in the region would have swallowed up a much greater area and spread over an even greater territory.”

The visit apparently consisted of three rounds of talks: a closed meeting between the two leaders, and two others that included Russia’s defense ministers.

This visit reflects the Russia’s growing significance in the Middle East as Syria’s most significant ally. While Western diplomats have seized on Putin’s claims of interest in a political transition, Assad, backed by Russian military might presses forward to establish a military outcome that improves his likelihood of maintaining power.

Two NASA supervisors indicted for espionage in connection with China

Two NASA supervisors were criminally charged for “willfully violating national security regulations while allowing a visiting foreign national to gain complete and unrestricted access to the space agency’s Langley Research Center.” Supervisors Glenn A. Woodell and Daniel J. Jobson were indicted under 18 U.S. Code 799, which relates to a “violation of regulations of National Aeronautics and Space Administration.”

Supervisors Woodell and Jobson permitted Bo Jiang unrestricted access, in addition to allowing him to travel to China with a NASA-issued laptop. Jiang was former NASA scientist employed by a NASA contractor, the National Institute of Aerospace, and was arrested in March of 2013 attempting to flee to China.

According to former Representative Frank Wolf, who first made the case public, NASA and the Obama administration were not compliant in the initial investigation. Currently, foreign nationals and green card holders are “treated like U.S. citizens with unrestricted access to all parts of the space research facility.”

Syrian Kurds declare semi-autonomous administration on Turkish border, Ankara disapproves

The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) has announced that leaders of the multi-ethnic town of Tal Abyad, which was seized from IS after heavy fighting in July, have voted to join the autonomous Kurdish administration in northern Syria. The governing council is composed of Kurd, Arab, and Turkmen members, yet there are reports of Arab displacement at the hands of Kurdish forces.

This development displeases the Turkish government, which views attempts by Syrian Kurds to expand as a threat to their national security. Turkey takes a confrontational stance towards the PYD, which it calls the Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), considered a terrorist organization by both Turkey and the US. The US has chosen to distance itself from the PYD, noting that its supply of weapons to rebels is not intended for them. For its part, the PYD in alliance with other Kurd and Arab rebel groups, is reportedly preparing an assault on the IS de-facto capital of Raqqa.

Other stories we’re following:

US and Russia reach agreement on aircraft rules over Syria

Russia builds second military base in Arctic Circle

3 Russians killed in Syria, according to government source

Chinese propaganda operation now offering online courses, draws criticism

China to invest in UK nuclear plant

Congo opposition leader calls for peaceful uprising ahead of Sunday’s vote

Iraq’s PM urged to seek Russian air strikes on IS

AFP: Canadian fighter jets withdrawing from Iraq, Syria

Iran Supreme Leader endorses nuclear deal

Nigerian army issues ‘final’ warning to Boko Haram

Iraqi troops seize IS-held area in Beiji