By Hamid Zangeneh | — We have a few days left to the final deadline (Nov. 24 target date) for this round of negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany (P5+1 countries). There are some contradictory messages from both sides, some of which are unsettling. It seems […]
Archives for November 2014
Egypt’s Battle for Worker’s Rights in Upcoming Legislation
By Nehal Amer Over the past year Egypt has undergone harsh reforms in a narrowing sociopolitical environment. New legislation is rapidly being produced in the absence of an elected parliament—from the repressive protest law to the draft NGO law, and now to the draft labor law. This past August, the Ministry of Manpower and Migration […]
Americans 64 times more likely to be Murdered than die in Terrorism
By Juan Cole | — The Institute for Economics and Peace in the UK has released a report on terrorism in 2013, which it maintains was substantially up. There are virtues of the study. It shows that 80% of the victims of terrorism in the past year are Muslims living in just five countries– Nigeria, […]
“More Collective Punishment of Gaza”: Norwegian Dr. Denied Entrance to Gaza by Israelis
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Norwegian physician who has volunteered in the medical field in the Gaza Strip repeatedly in recent years has been banned by Israel from ever returning. Dr. Mads Gilbert, who most recently spent time working in Gaza during Israel’s massive summer assault that left nearly 2,200 dead, has revealed that he was […]
Turkish President Alleges Muslims ‘discovered’ America before Columbus
Ruptly TV | — [ What follows is some crackpot theory completely divorced from reality… for another attempt at mystifying the Ottomans in the New World see this earlier blog post about the map of Piri Reis– Juan] RUPTLY TV TRANSCRIPT: “Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President (Turkish): ”Two Ottoman ships left Istanbul port to Basra […]
Yazidi Women Victimized by Daesh/ ISIL tell of Rape, Slavery, & their Resistance
By Khales Joumah | Mosul | via Niqash.org | — Three months ago, the extremist group known as the Islamic State kidnapped hundreds of women from the Yazidi sect. Since then there have been many stories about what has happened to the women, including physical and sexual abuse, slavery and forced marriage. NIQASH spoke to […]
U2’s Bono on ‘Band Aid 30’: Ebola is a ‘political failure’
Channel 4 News | — “The spread of Ebola is “not a medical failure” – U2 lead singer Bono tells Channel 4 News political leaders “need to keep their promises”.” Bono on Band Aid 30: Ebola is a ‘political failure’ | Channel 4 News
Top 5 Ways Daesh/ ISIL is Losing, as it lashes out like a Cornered Rat
By Juan Cole Daesh is what ISIL is called in the Middle East by the vast majority that doesn’t like it. It has not had a good month, suffering substantial setbacks in Iraq and watching with concern as the Damascus regime of Bashar al-Assad looks set to retake the major northern city of Aleppo, to […]
G20 conclude “Climate Change Summit:” Obama Pressures Australia as PM presents lonely defense of Coal
By Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra, (The Conversation) G20 nations have supported “strong and effective” action on climate change – but included some equivocal wording on the timing for issuing post-2020 targets and on the Green Climate Fund to accommodate differences among them. The communique issued by the leaders today said that consistent with the […]