By Kenneth Roth | (Human Rights Watch)– Published in: Los Angeles Times The Israel exception to Western governments’ human rights principles has been starkly on display in the reaction to the Palestinian Authority’s decision to join the International Criminal Court. In Washington, Ottawa, Paris and London, as well as Tel Aviv, the response has ranged […]
Gaza: Bringing War-Disabled Palestinian Youth back into Society
By Khaled Alashqar | (IPS) — Samah Shaheen (right), one of Gaza’s many disabled young people, joined the Irada programme to acquire expertise, learn computerised wood carving and escape social marginalisation. Credit: Khaled Alashqar/IPS GAZA CITY, Jan 17 2015 (IPS) – The Israeli attacks that the Gaza Strip has suffered in recent years have left […]
Ocean Life on the Verge of Mass Extinction
TheLipTV | — “Humans are leading us to unprecedented damage to the oceans and the animals living in them potentially putting us on the verge of a major extinction event, according to Douglas J. McCauley, an ecologist at the University of California. However, while the damage is accelerating, it’s not irreversible, according to Malin Pinsky, […]
50+ anti-Muslim attacks across France in Charlie Hebdo aftermath
RT | — “France is suffering a wave of hate attacks against Muslims in the wake of last week’s Islamic extremist attacks in and around Paris. Monitors of Islamophobia are reporting scores of incidents.” RT: “50+ anti-Muslim attacks across France in Charlie Hebdo aftermath”
Iraqi Shiites, Fuming over Slow US Fight against ISIL, threaten to Revoke Agreement
By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) – Four months have passed since the US began to work with an international alliance to confront the threat of the extremist group, the Islamic State, in Iraq. Yet for many locals, there don’t seem to be any obvious results. The Islamic State, or IS, group still has […]
As ICC launches Israel War Crimes Probe, PLO & Hamas Applaud
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday said it welcomed the decision to open an initial probe on Israeli war crimes at the International Criminal Court. The ministry said in a statement that the ICC decision was a positive and important step towards achieving justice and guaranteeing respect of international law. Palestine […]
As Obama warns of veto re: GOP Sanctions, Iran says ‘Political Will’ can aid Nuclear Talks
By RFE/RL | — GENEVA — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says "political will" is needed to make progress in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program but that he believes such progress is "possible." Zarif returned to Geneva late on January 16 following talks in Paris with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and French Foreign […]
Charlie Hebdo & French ‘Secularism’: Does it really just privilege White Christians?
By Mayanthi Fernando | The Conversation Commentators in France and elsewhere have taken the recent terrorist attacks in Paris as an occasion to reflect more broadly about Muslims in France. Many read the attacks as a sign of French Muslims’ refusal to integrate. They’ve asked whether Muslims can be fully secular and expressed doubt as […]
2014 Warmest Year on Record; So much for the “Pause”: NASA
NASA | Goddard Center | — “The year 2014 now ranks as the warmest on record since 1880, according to an analysis by NASA scientists. Nine of the 10 warmest years since modern records began have now occurred since 2000, according to a global temperature analysis by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies […]