BAGHDAD (IRIN) – As the Iraqi army and affiliated militias sweep into northern Iraq to try to re-take the city of Tikrit from so-called Islamic State (IS), the local civilians are fearful they may be punished for the crimes of the Islamist militants. A force of around 30,000 made up of army soldiers and government-backed Shia […]
Archives for March 2015
“Kiss Me!” Bibi Tells Boehner: Bibi and Boehner as Mario and the Magician
By Raouf J. Halaby | (LeMonde Diplomatique) – Published in 1929, German author Thomas Mann’s novella Mario and the Magician is not only Mann’s evocatively compelling and poignantly potent comment on the rise of fascism in Italy and Germany, but it is also a character template for successive egotistically sycophantic megalomaniacs enamored with their delusional […]
What does Iran think of Netanyahu’s Interference in Talks?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – As Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu makes a bid to thwart President Barack Obama’s foreign policy toward Iran, the Iranian press is reacting to the wrench Netanyahu is trying to throw into negotiations over Iran’s civilian nuclear enrichment program. For some odd reason, US mass media are almost […]
Gaza’s Food Insecurity made even worse by Environmental Damage of Israel’s War, Blockade
By Mel Frykberg BEIT LAHIYA, Northern Gaza Strip (IPS) – Extensive damage to Gaza’s environment as a result of the Israeli blockade and its devastating military campaign against the coastal territory during last year’s war from July to August, is negatively affecting the health of Gazans, especially their food security. Safa Subha and three-year-old Rahat […]
British University SOAS Votes to Boycott Israeli Academic Institutions
By Alternative Information Center | – A historic victory for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement was achieved Friday in the referendum on the academic boycott of Israel, at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London . . . … Presently, SOAS has ties with the Hebrew University, which unapologetically […]
It’s Climate Change: Under-30s have never seen a Month cooler than 20th Century Average
Richard B Rood, University of Michigan | (The Conversation) – If you’re younger than 30, you’ve never experienced a month in which the average surface temperature of the Earth was below average. Each month, the US National Climatic Data Center calculates Earth’s average surface temperature using temperature measurements that cover the Earth’s surface. Then, another […]
180 Frmr Israeli Security Officials to PM Netanyahu: Cancel US Speech, which pushes Iran toward Bomb
RT | – More than 180 former leaders from Israel’s security apparatus urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel his planned speech to Congress on Tuesday, fearing it may bring Iran closer to developing a nuclear weapon and damage US-Israeli relations. The group of senior commanders from the IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet, and the Israeli […]
5 Things Benjamin Netanyahu Won’t Tell Congress
AJ+ | – “He’s back. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu – questing to win hearts, minds and votes back home during election season – will be speaking to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, March 3. The topic? Iran, of course. But not everyone’s excited – including President Obama. While Bibi’s visit is causing a stir, AJ+ […]
Iranian Cleric Says ‘Final Steps’ Being Taken In Nuclear Talks
By Golnaz Esfandiari | (RFE/RL) Tehran’s provisional Friday Prayers leader says the “final steps” are being taken in Iran’s talks with six global powers aimed at reaching an agreement curbing Tehran’s disputed nuclear program. Speaking to worshippers in the Iranian capital, Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi praised President Hassan Rohani for his management of the talks. Friday […]