( Tomdispatch.com ) – California Governor Gavin Newsom appears to be taking climate change seriously, at least when he’s in front of a microphone and flashing cameras. His talk then is direct and tough. He repeatedly points out that the planet is in danger and appears ready to act. He’s been called a “climate-change crusader” […]
Archives for August 2024
Florida Universities ordered to Scrutinize Course Materials for Criticisms of Israel (“Antisemitism”)
By Jay Waagmeester | – ( Florida Phoenix ) – Florida university presidents have been instructed to scan their syllabi for material deemed antisemitic or exhibiting anti-Israeli bias following concerns raised by Rep. Randy Fine. Republican Fine, who is Jewish and has sponsored several laws advocating for Jewish Floridians, raised concern on X in late […]
Did Turkey Ban Instagram over Shadowbanning Palestine? Why did it Lift the Ban?
Istanbul (Special to Informed Comment; feature) – On August 2, Turkey blocked Instagram, the country’s most popular social network. Although Turkey’s Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) did not officially state the reason for the ban, the move came after Fahrettin Altun, the Presidential Communications Director, criticized Instagram for preventing users from sharing content related […]
Gaza war: 75 years after signing of the Geneva Conventions, Israel’s deadly attack on a Palestinian school shows their limitations
By Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne, University of Bristol | – (The Conversation) – Gaza is reeling after a missile strike launched by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) targeted a building and mosque within a school complex in Gaza City on August 10. The Israeli military said the school was operating as a Hamas command and control post, but […]
Gaza confronting Israeli-created Famine as Kerem Shalom Food Aid Trucks drop 80% to 24 Trucks a Day
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Although the United Nations has not officially declared a famine in Gaza, people living there are in no doubt about it. The New Humanitarian quotes Diana Harrara, a 33-year-old mother of three in Gaza: “No word better describes what we’re experiencing than ‘famine.’ Firstly, we have nothing to eat but […]
Israel killed 1.8% of Gaza’s Population, Official Figures Show
( Middle East Monitor ) – Israel has killed around 1.8% of Gaza’s population since 7 October amid a devastating war on the enclave, according to figures released by the Palestinian Center Bureau of Statistics on Sunday, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the center said more than 39,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks […]
The Geneva Conventions at 75: do the laws of war still have a fighting chance in today’s bloody world?
By Marnie Lloydd,New Zealand Centre for Public Law and Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington | – (The Conversation) – It has been 75 years since the adoption of the Geneva Conventions on August 12 1949. In theory, these rules of war are universally agreed by every nation. In practice, they are routinely […]
A Friendly Amendment: Trump, Vance and MAGA are not so much Weird as downright Creepy
Oakland, CA. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – The branding of MAGA creeps as “weird” is horribly unfair to all the decent weird people in this world. Let’s get this straight: Donald Trump, JD Vance and the MAGA acolytes are not weird. They are very creepy, destructive and mean-spirited. “Weird” is a misapplied euphemism in […]
The World Court says Israel’s Occupation of Palestinian Land is Illegal: 4 steps Other Countries can take now
By Myra Williamson, Auckland University of Technology | – Peace in the Middle East seems further away than ever. The assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, the threat of Iranian retaliation against Israel, and the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza have all put the region on a knife edge. At first glance, there might seem to […]