Uncategorized

By Louise Redvers | (IRIN) – BAGHDAD/LONDON, (IRIN) – A week after launching a major offensive to recapture the city of Tikrit, pro-government forces in Iraq claim they are close to reclaiming large parts of territory held by militants from the group calling itself Islamic State (IS). But for aid agencies the work in Tikrit […]

astronomy and outer space

Saturn’s moon Enceladus has an Ocean, Geysers and maybe Life

contributors

By Andrew Coates | (The Conversation) The Cassini mission that has investigated Saturn since 2004 has revealed much about the giant planet and its many moons. Perhaps most tantalising is the discovery that the moon Enceladus is the source of strong geysers ejecting plumes of water and ice. A new study of Cassini data published […]

Apartheid

Gaza’s sole power plant to close as funding runs out

contributors

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza’s only power plant is due to shut down by the end of this week as donor funding for fuel in the coastal territory has run out, officials said. The energy and natural resource authority told Ma’an that the power plant had been using a Qatari grant to pay for diesel […]

Apartheid

Israeli Blockade could cause Gaza Reconstruction to Take Over a Century

contributors

By IMEMC News | – British rights organization, Oxfam, stated that the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip may take more than 100 years, at the current rate, to complete essential building of homes, schools and health facilities in Gaza unless the Israeli blockade is lifted. According to Al Ray’s report, less than 0.25 percent of […]

African-Americans

In New Gilded Age, Social Protest dominates Academy Awards Ceremony

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – If social and economic inequality were a mine, and if America were deep in this mine with a canary in tow, the canary would long since have expired. Some 400 billionaires have more wealth than the bottom half of Americans. We lived through a year of dramatic incidents […]

Uncategorized

Article withdrawn

contributors

NB: Israel has denied this allegation. Informed Comment is withdrawing this article, since apparently AFP is not standing behind it. IC is not on the ground and was syndicating here. GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Hundreds of Palestinians were evacuated from their homes Sunday morning after Israeli authorities opened a number of dams near the border, […]

Iran

Iran Nuclear Talks: They said it Couldn’t be Done

contributors

By Carlyn Meyer | (Informed Comment) – According to sources familiar with negotiations between the international P5+1 group and Iran, the Obama Administration is optimistic that a deal can be reached over Iran’s nuclear program. A recent article in Al-Monitor reports that the chances of a successful deal have increased considerably in the past week […]

Barack Obama

When you’ve Lost Bernie Sanders: How Netanyahu destroyed the Israel Lobby

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – Senator Bernie Sanders, the most consistent and prominent progressive in the US Senate, has decided to skip the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to Congress on March 3, which was orchestrated by Israel’s ambassador to the US Ron Dermer and Speaker of the House John Boehner […]

Foreign Policy

Debating U.S. Foreign Policy: Where are the Women?

contributors

By Jasmin Ramsey | – WASHINGTON (IPS) – Women are running some of the United States’ most prominent foreign policy focused think tanks, leading groundbreaking foreign policy initiatives, and reporting from the front lines of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. But there’s a dearth when it comes to women’s voices in U.S. media coverage […]