Lebanon’s political gridlock obstructs a solution to the country’s terrible problems, and ISIS seeks to destabilize the situation further.

Vladimir Putin has called for the postponement of the planned referendum in eastern Ukraine just four days before the vastly pro-Russian provinces were due to vote on secession. The Russian president also said he was pulling Russian troops back from the Ukrainian border and called for the Ukrainian authorities to cease all military actions against pro-Russian separatists.

Venezuela National Guard troops broke up for tent cities populated by anti-government protesters in the capital of Caracas.