By Saed Bannoura | (IMEMC) – The Israeli Authorities have decided to confiscate around 820 Dunams (202 acres) of privately owned Palestinian lands to establish new dumping grounds for its illegal colonies, in the central West Bank, in the Ramallah district. Land with village in background (image by Palestine TV) More than 140 Palestinian families, […]
Archives for May 2015
Western Teen Who traveled to join ISIL wants to go back & live in Parents’ Basement
TomoNews | (Video) “Bridgeman, who was captain of his rugby team, graduated from high school in November 2014. He then traveled to Indonesia for humanitarian work, according to the teenager’s Facebook page and 9 News. When he failed to return home from his trip, his parents alerted officials. The Australian Federal Police tracked Bridgeman down […]
More Bad Climate News: Once-Stable Antarctic Region Suddenly Melting
By Bert Wouters | (The Conversation) Antarctica’s glaciers have been making headlines during the past year, and not in a good way. Whether it’s a massive ice shelf facing imminent risk of collapse, glaciers in the West Antarctic past the point of no return, or new threats to East Antarctic ice, it’s all been rather […]
Did the US DIA see ISIL as a strategic Ally against al-Assad in 2012?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment)- The answer, in a word, is “no.” Fabius Maximus is right that this is just a clickbait story or an unfounded conspiracy theory. The Defense Intelligence Agency’s correct assessment of where things were going in Syria, done in 2012, doesn’t say that the US created sectarian groups and it […]
The End of Dirty Coal? Britain CO2 Falls 10% on Coal Plant Closings
The Tree | — The UK could soon see coal use fall back to levels last seen during the industrial revolution as yet another uneconomical coal plant shuts its doors. On Wednesday, energy operator SSE announced the closure of its Ferrybridge coal-fired power station in West Yorkshire, blaming rising costs, citing the need for the […]
Israel, fearing EU Sanctions over Apartheid, backpedals on Segregated Buses for Palestinians
By Mel Frykberg | — RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 24 2015 (IPS) – A decision by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to segregate buses in the occupied West Bank has backfired after causing an uproar in Israel’s Knesset, or parliament, and political damage on the international stage. This came as Israel faces mounting international criticism […]
US Kneejerk support for Israeli Nukes Torpedoes UN Disarmament Talks
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – After four weeks of negotiations, a revised UN treaty on nuclear disarmament has been torpedoed by the United States, leaving the issue of global disarmament dead in the water for the next five years. Non-nuclear states are furious at Washington and also fearful that in the absence of […]
Iraq Can’t Get Ramadi back without an Inclusive Policy toward Sunnis
By David Alpher | (The Conversation) – Last Friday, the city of Ramadi – provincial capital of Iraq’s Anbar Province, and symbolic seat of its Sunni population – fell to an ISIS assault. The loss is devastating, and not only because of the city’s size or symbolic value, or because it’s another reminder that ISIS […]
Venezuela to Boost Palestine to Full Embassy Status
By Ben Tavener – IMEMC/PNN – Venezuela will boost its diplomatic representation in Palestine to full embassy status, according to the Venezuelan minister for foreign affairs. “Following instructions from President Nicolás Maduro, we will raise our representation in the heroic Palestinian states to embassy level,” Delcy Rodríguez announced on social media Thursday evening. Venezuela is […]