Where in the world is Cristina Maza?
a little game.
Recently, a friend made a funny Photoshop image featuring me as Carmen San Diego, a cartoon character I had almost forgotten about until I got this ridiculous photo in a text message. Carmen is a 90s-era hardened criminal. Watch this video for a fun Yugoslavia reference:
Anyway, I thought this was hilarious. I’m not an international criminal. But can you figure out where I am? Here’s a hint.
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What I’m writing:
• Protests are taking place across Georgia and Armenia. I dug into what's happening in the South Caucasus and what it says about Russia's role in the region. This story is unlocked and free to read.
What I’m reading:
• The New York Times has a deep dive into South Africa 30 years after apartheid.
• Russian military personnel have been staying at an air base in Niger that also houses U.S. troops and equipment, a U.S. official confirmed to The Hill.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin likely did not order the death of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, U.S. intelligence officials concluded. The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. officials believe Putin was ultimately responsible for Navalny’s death. But the intelligence community found “no smoking gun” that Putin had directly ordered the killing, or that he was aware of the timing of Navalny’s death.
• The Insider has a report on a husband and wife duo from Russian military intelligence who posed as a Czech couple and aided in bombings and poisonings across Europe.
• Former President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his top man in Europe, Richard Grennel, want to erect a luxury complex in central Belgrade, Politico Europe reports. Some see it as Serbia's gamble on a Trump presidency, while others find Americans building on the site of the NATO bombing provocative.
• Far-right coup suspects went on trial in Germany, NBC News reports. Nine men have been charged with high treason, attempted murder, and plotting a violent coup d’etat, which aimed to install an aristocrat as a leader and impose martial law.
• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would not resign, a week after publicly raising the possibility in response to corruption allegations against his wife. The New York Times has the story.
• Scotland’s first minister resigned, Politico Europe reports. Humza Yousaf of the Scottish National Party quit after the collapse of a power sharing deal with the Scottish Greens.
• Israeli officials believe the International Criminal Court (ICC) is preparing arrest warrants for senior government officials on charges related to the war in Gaza, the New York Times reports.
• Bellingcat has a critical investigation into the IDF unit responsible for demolishing homes across Gaza.
• Saudi Arabia and the United States are finalizing terms of a landmark deal to boost bilateral trade and defense, on the condition the kingdom establishes diplomatic relations with Israel. CNN has the story.
• A new Amnesty International report claims that Israel has used U.S.-supplied weapons against Palestinian civilians in alleged breaches of international law. The Washington Post has the story.
• Rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah expressed the political will to seek reconciliation through discussions at unity talks in Beijing, Reuters reports.
• Mexico and Ecuador began their case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the Ecuadorian raid on Mexico’s embassy in Quito in April, CNN reports.
• Myanmar’s military government will no longer allow conscription-age men to travel out of the country for work, weeks after a conscription order prompted many to try and flee. The BBC has the story.
You can write to me for any reason: c.maza@protonmail.com