Wednesday, September 10, 2014
OBAMA READY TO STRIKE ISIS IN SYRIA
John Kerry arrived in Baghdad this morning where he will meet the country’s new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to discuss the fight against ISIS, The New York Times reports. Kerry’s visit is part of a Middle East trip aimed at forging a broad coalition in the fight against the jihadist group as President Barack Obama is set to present his strategy in a televised speech tonight. According to The Washington Post, who spoke with Obama’s foreign policy experts, the White House is prepared to use military airstrikes in Syria against ISIS without seeking congressional approval.
UK LEADERS HEAD TO SCOTLAND
The leaders of Britain’s three main parties have cancelled today’s session of Prime Minister’s Questions and are all campaigning in Scotland in a last-ditch attempt to save the union, as Westminster fears seeing the Scots vote for independence from the UK next week, The Scotsman reports.
Writing in The Daily Mail, Prime Minister David Cameron urges Scotland to remain in the UK, “a precious and special country.” “We desperately want you to stay; we do not want this family of nations to be ripped apart.”
The repercussions of a “Yes” vote on September 18 would be huge in terms of politics, economy, security and culture, as The Guardian explains, echoing the words of economist Paul Krugman who warned in The New York Times that Scotland risked becoming “Spain without the sunshine.” British columnist George Monbiot believes however that Scottish independence might unleash hope and provoke a kickstart for progressive movements in the rest of the UK.
POROSHENKO’S VOW
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko declared that he would keep Ukraine united, using a cabinet meeting to outline a draft law guaranteeing a “special status” for the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. The proposal is due to be presented to Parliament next week. But according to Ria Novosti, the leaders of the pro-Russian regions said they were “not interested” in Poroshenko’s proposal and would seek independence instead. The World Health Organization meanwhile warned of a “looming health emergency” in the region as winter approaches.
$349
After all the hype clears, that’s how much Apple’s shiny new smartwatch will cost. But you’ll have to wait until next year to actually buy one.
WORLDCRUNCH-TO-GO
Writing in Les Echos, French political scientist Dominique Moisi weighs in on the situation in Ukraine with some heavy words: “Nobody wants to die for Donetsk, or Odessa, or even for Kiev. As part of the Cold War, in the aftermath of the invasion of Prague by Soviet forces, our policy was "to do nothing, of course," even though the Soviet threat was seen as the primary danger. Today, the adversaries largely have their eyes turned elsewhere. Doesn't the threat of Islamic terrorism in the Middle East and Africa affect us more directly? Russia, like the USSR of yesteryear, recruits agents of influence in our own camps, but not terrorist apprentices who are like a sinister version of the "International Brigades" that is no longer that of anarchy, but that of barbarism.
Read the full article: Of Course Ukraine Isn't Worth A War, And Yet ...
HIT FROM THE LEFT
Michael Moore had some choice words for how history will remember Barack Obama.
JAPANESE REGULATOR OKs NUCLEAR RESTART
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority gave the green light for two nuclear reactors to restart, just one year after the country’s last reactor was switched off following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. But the plant, located in the southern part of Kyushu island, will not reopen until the operator gets the local authorities’ approval, although according to the BBC, they are backing the move.
MY GRAND-PÈRE’S WORLD
INTERNET SLOWDOWN
If you’re planning on using Netflix, Reddit, Wordpress or just about any major online company’s website today, don’t be surprized to see the “spinning wheel of death.” It’s part of a campaign to protest against an FCC proposal to create “slow” and “fast” Internet lanes. Don’t worry though, the sites won’t load more slowly today, they’ll just pretend.
GAME, SET, MUSIC
LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy released two new songs, using raw data from this year’s U.S. Open tennis matches. Find out just what that means, and how it sounds.
GUESS WHO’S BACK
Sacrebleu! The most famous fictional Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells are back for a new novel, published worldwide today. Entitled The Monogram Murders, the book was written by novelist Sophie Hannah. Read more from The New York Times.
