Categories
Geopolitics

Battle For Jerusalem, Keystone Flops, Bob Marley’s Cannabis

Wednesday, November 19, 2014 NORTH KOREA COULD FACE HUMAN RIGHTS PROBE The United Nations’ human rights committee has called on the Security Council to refer North Korean leaders to the International Criminal Court over allegations of crimes against humanity, the BBC reports. The resolution approved late Tuesday was based on a report published earlier this […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Snapshot Of The World: Opium Fields, Typhoon, Chinese Kids

Categories
Geopolitics Society

Beyond ‘Occupy’ – Why Brazil’s Black Bloc Protesters Go Too Far

-Op-Ed- SAO PAULO — Globalization is an inescapable process. It’s even affecting the new forms of protest against different governments and in different social contexts on our vast, beautiful planet. The problem is that this copycat trend is happening out of context. The Brazilian “black blocs” and Mídia Ninja (a group of independent journalists) are […]

Categories
Geopolitics Ideas

Turkey-US Relations Put To Test With Davutoglu Visit

WASHINGTON — Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has arrived for a two-day visit to Washington at a moment in U.S.-Turkish relations that can largely be gauged by decisions related to other countries. Davutoglu will meet top U.S. officials, including his American counterpart Secretary of State John Kerry, who will have high on the list of […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Jerusalem Synagogue Attacked, Iran Nuclear Talks, Planet Of The Vapes

Tuesday, November 18, 2014 FINAL IRAN NUCLEAR TALKS BEGIN The last round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program began this morning in Vienna with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif confident that a deal could be reached before next Monday’s deadline if the other six world powers don’t make “excessive demands,” AFP reports. The BBC […]

Categories
Geopolitics

In Damascus, A Mother Torn From Her Family

There are many victims in the civil war in Syria. One woman in the capital, whose husband and children have managed to flee to Egpyt, suffers a particular kind of fear and solitude.

Categories
Geopolitics

Verbatim: Monkey Slur, Uribe Defiant, India Rape, More

Words that made news this past week.

Categories
Geopolitics

“Pure Evil” Of ISIS, Japan In Recession, Hip Hop Heals

Monday, November 17, 2014 ISIS EXECUTES U.S. AID WORKER U.S. President Barack Obama confirmed yesterday the killing of American aid worker Peter Kassig, who was executed by ISIS, and described it as an act of “pure evil,” The New York Times reports. A video released by the terrorist organization shows Kassig’s beheaded body as well […]

Categories
Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

How Snowden’s Revelations Are Helping Russia

With the United States no longer able to impose its position on Internet security and governance in the wake of the NSA spying scandal, Moscow is stepping into the void.

Categories
Geopolitics

A Mother And Father’s Haiyan Toll: One Daughter Dead, Another Missing

After Typhoon Haiyan, the scale of misery in the Philippines is hard to measure. For one mother and father in the hardest hit city, it is infinite.

Categories
Geopolitics Ideas

Michelle Bachelet And The Two Truths Of Chile

If the once popular Socialist become President a second time, as polls predict, Chile may be in for some major changes. What will it mean for the so-called ‘Chilean Model’?

Categories
blog Geopolitics

ARABICA: Islamic Jihad, Egyptian Comic, Arafat Outrage

Your weekly shot of what the Arab world is saying, hearing and sharing.

Categories
Geopolitics

5 Mistakes To Avoid After Haiyan – Lessons From Past Disasters

TACLOBAN — The pictures emerging from the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan last weekend show utter devastation. Experts will say that no two natural disasters are ever the same, yet it can often be useful to learn from reactions to past calamities. United Nations agencies were quick to announce the call for funds to support the […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Inside The FARC Plot To Kill Arch-Enemy Uribe

Exclusive: Rebels and drug traffickers teamed up to take out Colombia’s former president. Two undercover agents gained key information, before being discovered and killed by FARC.

Categories
Geopolitics Ukraine Winter

Ukraine Fails To Free Tymoshenko, EU Bid At Risk

KIEV — So Ukraine’s former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is still a prisoner — and Ukraine’s future as part of the European Union hangs in the balance. The Ukrainian Parliament balked Wednesday night on any decision to release the opposition leader, who has been jailed since 2011. Meanwhile, the EU has sent Kiev a clear […]

Categories
Geopolitics Society

Arch-Traditionalist Catholics Storm Argentine Holocaust Memorial

The ceremony was a favorite annual inter-faith event of then Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who went on to become Pope Francis.

Categories
Geopolitics

Kim Jong-Un’s Uncle Executed, More On Syria Attacks, Child Euthanasia

KIM JONG-UN’S UNCLE EXECUTED North Korea’s official news agency KCNA announced that Kim Jong-un’s uncle and mentor, considered the second most powerful man in the country until his recent dismissal, was executed yesterday. Official media branded Jang Song-thaek a “despicable human scum” guilty of leading a “depraved life.” Read the full announcement here. CHEMICAL WEAPONS […]

Categories
Geopolitics

G20 Down Under, ISIS Leader’s Alive, Federer Crushes

Friday, November 14, 2014 G20 IN AUSTRALIA The summit season continues with a meeting of the G20 this weekend in Australia, where Prime Minister Tony Abbott is hoping to postpone climate change talk in favor of focusing on a growth target, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. But his wish will likely be challenged by U.S. […]

Categories
Geopolitics

In Syria, The ‘Stockpiling’ Of Foreign Hostages

Syria is an apocalypse: dozens of disparate armed groups clash, alliances change weekly, the death toll has reached 100,000, and some two million Syrians have fled the country. Meanwhile, all sides are trying to gain an edge before the second round of Geneva talks to be held next month. Indeed, a recent increase in the […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Attacks Target Egypt, FIFA Absolves Itself, S. Korea Goes Quiet

Thursday, November 13, 2014 SERIES OF ATTACKS TARGET EGYPT A series of apparently unrelated attacks has targeted Egypt, the most significant and unusual being one on an Egyptian navy ship yesterday in the Mediterranean Sea, which left five servicemen injured and eight more missing at sea. Four of the gunmen were killed and 32 arrested. […]

Categories
Future Geopolitics

Haiyan And Global Warming: Is New Class Of Cyclones Needed?

Does the classification of tropical storms need changing? With sustained winds of 195 miles per hour, and gusts close to 235 mph, the super typhoon Haiyan, which left a trail of destruction in the Philippines and beyond, was the most powerful cyclone to make landfall in recent history. So much so in fact that some […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Snapshot Of The World: NYC Mayor, Typhoon Haiyan, China E-Commerce

News in images, from New York to China to the Philippines. Look and read on…

Categories
Geopolitics

Comet At hand, Afghan Opium, Bush To Bush

Wednesday, November 12, 2014 CHINA-U.S. AGREE ON GAS EMISSIONS Presidents Xi Jinping and Barack Obama signed a landmark deal to limit their greenhouse gas emissions, The Washington Post reports. China, for the first time, agreed to cap its output by 2030 or even earlier if possible, and pledged to increase the share of non-fossil fuels […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Why France’s Hard Line On Iran Is Smart Diplomacy

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was smart to reject a pact that offered no long-term guarantees for Iran to dismantle its nuclear program. A Le Monde editorial.

Categories
Geopolitics Society

Brave New World: Inside India’s First Bonafide Baby Factory

Poor women come to this Indian clinic to rent their bellies to wealthy couples from around the world. A practical solution to modern problems or the worst kind of social engineering?

Categories
Geopolitics

Latest On Ukraine, U.S. Budget Deal, French Fries Onslaught

UKRAINE PROTESTS: UPDATE U.S. CONGRESS CLOSING IN ON BUDGET DEAL Republican and Democrat negotiators have agreed on a federal budget for the next two years, brushing aside fears of a new government shutdown in January, The Washington Post reports. If passed by the House and the Senate, the deal will translate into spending cuts and […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Putin And Obama, South Korea Ferry Sentence, “Naked Capital”

Tuesday, November 11, 2014 APEC SUMMIT ENDS WITH CHINESE FREE-TRADE PROGRESSAfter two days of meetings at the Beijing-hosted Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, leaders of the 21 regional economies agreed to begin work toward possible adoption of a free-trade pact proposed by China, AP reports. A two-year study of the initiative will be launched with the […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Obama In China, ISIS Casualties, Pink Floyd’s Finale

Monday, November 10, 2014 APEC SUMMIT Asia-Pacific leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, are in Beijing for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit, where China’s Xi Jinping and Japan’s Shinzo Abe met for formal talks for the first time after more than two years of deep tensions over disputed islands. South Korea and China announced this […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Verbatim: FARC, Ford, Greed In Ghana, And Other News-By-Quotes

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford lets loose again, so does Silvio Berlusconi. There’s also a controversy over FARC rebels on a yacht, up-close memories of Pope John Paul II and more of the week’s news, collected in quotes. (cover photo: Danielle Scott)

Categories
Geopolitics

Thai Parliament Dissolved, Brazilian Brawl, More

While U Slept THAI PM DISSOLVES PARLIAMENT, CALLS FOR NEW ELECTIONS Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra announced this morning the dissolution of the country’s parliament, a move that paves the way for new elections on Feb. 2, The Bangkok Post reports. Shinawatra will remain PM until a new cabinet is formed. Anti-government protests have resumed […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Crime Int’l: TV Killer, Zombie Thieves, Pedophile Sting

Bad guys and the cops who chase them… from Russia and Mexico, to Belgium and Australia. Freeze!

Categories
Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

The Drone Wars: Modern Battlefield Tool Or International War Crime?

NEW YORK — The U.S. government has come in for severe criticism about its use of drones, as many claim that it is violating one of the central tenets of international humanitarian law: Under no circumstances should civilians be the target of military operations. Any country that deliberately crosses that line is guilty of war […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Why A Hard Line Is The Only Way To Bargain With Iran

BERLIN — During his election campaign, Iran’s new president Hassan Rouhani had criticized his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s aggressive behavior towards the West. He claimed that Iran needed to moderate its tone in order to win the West’s trust about its nuclear program. Since his election victory, Rouhani has launched an unprecedented charm offensive on the […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Obama Writes Khamenei, Gorbachev Defends Putin, No Hollande Love

Friday, November 7, 2014 OBAMA PENS LETTER TO IRAN’S KHAMENEI U.S. President Barack Obama secretly wrote a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last month, which The Wall Street Journal reports “appeared aimed both at buttressing” the anti-ISIS campaign and “nudging Iran’s religious leader closer to a nuclear deal.” Obama reportedly stressed that the […]

Categories
Future Geopolitics

Inside Israel’s Quest For Cyberwar Supremacy

TEL AVIV — It’s the joke of the evening and they tell it again and again, happy with themselves, a lukewarm glass of Coke in their hands: “Are you ready to hear a lie? Because if I tell you the truth, we’ll have to kill you.” They probably wouldn’t, but then again the participants of […]

Categories
blog Geopolitics

Tunisia Police Brutality, Morsi Bashing And Other News Stirring The Arab World

ARABICA: Your weekly shot of what the Arab world is saying, hearing and sharing.

Categories
Geopolitics

Widening Syrian Airstrikes, Bin Laden Hero Unmasked, Manet Record

Thursday, November 6, 2014 AIRSTRIKES TARGET AL-NUSRA IN SYRIA The U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition launched airstrikes against the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and another jihadist group, Ahrar al-Sham, in what appears to be the beginning of a wider military operation in northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. This came after the al-Nusra Front seized […]

Categories
Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

Is Snowden Violating His Russian Asylum Conditions?

MOSCOW — The U.S. government is convinced that Edward Snowden is violating Vladimir Putin’s “ultimatum.” The Russian president had said in July that the National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower could stay in Russia only if he “stopped his work that was meant to cause damage to our American partners.” In August, Snowden was granted asylum […]

Categories
Geopolitics Syria Crisis

The Siege Of Homs: 510 Days And Counting

HOMS — Five hundred and ten days have passed since the siege began in Homs, taking a toll on civilians and fighters alike. Homs, dubbed “the capital of the revolution” by activists for its early role in the revolt, has since been two-thirds destroyed by air raids and shelling. The mass protests that broke out in March 2011 were met with deadly military force, prompting the formation of local units of the rebel Free Syrian Army. Regime forces have worked since to quell the local rebellion; for the past year and a half, 14 neighborhoods have lived under a grinding […]

Categories
Geopolitics Ideas

In Praise Of Nationalism: The Only Defense Against U.S. Imperialism

A Brazilian viewpoint in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations on widespread NSA surveillance.

Exit mobile version