Category Archives: Global Politics

Outcry as Israel foreign minister says ‘behead disloyal Arab-Israelis’ | euronews, world news

Outcry as Israel foreign minister says ‘behead disloyal Arab-Israelis’ | euronews, world news.

Tea party may be on verge of becoming a 3rd party | News , World | THE DAILY STAR

Republican Rep. Tim Huelskamp, one of Boehner’s strongest critics, said a fierce struggle between establishment Republicans and “grassroots conservatives” is brewing. “The war is on,” he said.

And that likely will show itself in continued infighting within party ranks and between the House and the Senate over pending issues like passing a budget, increasing the nation’s borrowing authority and passing a new use of force agreement for Obama in the battle against ISIS militants.

Robin Lauermann, a political scientist at Messiah College, thinks the “war” Huelskamp speaks of will eventually lead to an open split between tea party Republicans and their more mainstream party colleagues. “I think it continues until you have the fatal error, the fatal decision that does not get made that creates a catastrophe, or the fatal decision that does get made,” Lauermann said.

That could well happen over Obama’s health care program, she said. The U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to rule later this year on the constitutionality of a part of the law. If the court rules against the government, Obamacare could be gutted. While the program isn’t widely popular in the United States, a sufficient number of people have begun to see the benefit and could turn against Republicans. That may force the mainstream to kick out the tea party so that mainstream Republicans can begin to find acceptable replacement legislation.

via Tea party may be on verge of becoming a 3rd party | News , World | THE DAILY STAR.

IRIN Middle East | What refugees really think of aid agencies | Israel | Jordan | Lebanon | Syria | Aid Policy | Human Rights | Refugees/IDPs

Aid agencies are partial, unaccountable and potentially corrupt, and they fail to meet refugees’ most pressing needs.

These are just some of the criticisms emerging from a series of new focus groups with refugees and others who receive aid across the Middle East.

Concerns included a lack of consultation about people’s needs, a failure to protect the most vulnerable, confusion over which agency was responsible for what, duplicated aid, as well as instances where help was perceived to be withheld or prioritised due to political or religious affiliation.

“When you decide to help someone you have to remove all their affiliations and simply treat them as humans,” noted one female youth leader from Palestine.

via IRIN Middle East | What refugees really think of aid agencies | Israel | Jordan | Lebanon | Syria | Aid Policy | Human Rights | Refugees/IDPs.

Avian Flu Diary: Study: Recombinant H5N2 Avian Influenza Virus Strains In Vaccinated Chickens

The `elephant in the room’ is that 10 years ago, when most of these countries elected to rely primarily on poultry vaccinations to control H5N1, there was only one HPAI H5 virus of concern; H5N1.   Now we now have at least a half dozen subtypes (H5N1, H5N2, H5N3, H5N6, H5N5,  H5N8) and literally dozens of clades between them.

This rapid growth is likely due in no small part to the continued use of outdated, poorly matched poultry vaccines which only hid symptoms in birds, and allowed viruses to continue to circulate and reassort.

via Avian Flu Diary: Study: Recombinant H5N2 Avian Influenza Virus Strains In Vaccinated Chickens.

Opinion: Manipulate and Mislead – How GMOs are Infiltrating Africa | Inter Press Service

About 80 percent of Africa’s food is produced by smallholders, who seldom farm on more than five hectares of land and usually on much less.  The majority of these farmers are women, who have scant access to finance or secure land tenure.

That they still manage to provide the lion’s share of the continents’ food, usually without formal seed, chemicals, mechanisation, irrigation or subsidies, is testament to their resilience and innovation.

African farmers have a lot to lose from the introduction of GMOs – the rich diversity of African agriculture, its robust resilience and the social cohesion engendered through cultures of sharing and collective effort could be replaced by a handful of monotonous commodity crops owned by foreign masters.

via Opinion: Manipulate and Mislead – How GMOs are Infiltrating Africa | Inter Press Service.

Wannabe Il Duce II – Italy anti-immigrant Northern League rallies against Renzi | Reuters

As well as immigrants and the EU, his attacks have also been directed against Italy’s business establishment, ranging from the head of Fiat Chrysler, Sergio Marchionne to employers lobby group Confindustria and business daily Il Sole 24 Ore.

“Italy isn’t Marchionne and it isn’t Renzi. Italy is millions of tradesmen and small businessmen,” he said.

via Italy anti-immigrant Northern League rallies against Renzi | Reuters.

Anti-LGBT Rally in Montgomery Draws Strong Rhetoric and the League of the South | Hatewatch

Old School Mormons – closet same sex and polygamy promoters? – Some of these folks also celebrated Lincoln’s Assassination this month

Other speakers included Alabama Republican state representative Will Ainsworth, who linked same-sex marriage to polygamy when he said, “Allowing the whims of our pop culture to redefine marriage is a slippery slope that could lead to polygamy. Where does the definition stop? Think about that.” He then quoted Isaiah 5:20, which states, in part, “woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.”

via Anti-LGBT Rally in Montgomery Draws Strong Rhetoric and the League of the South | Hatewatch.

​Pussy Riot offers two video versions of ‘I Can’t Breathe’ song

“This song is for Eric and for all those from Russia to America and around the globe who suffer from state terror — killed, choked, perished because of war and state-sponsored violence of all kinds — for political prisoners and those on the streets fighting for change,” Pussy Riot members said.

via ​Pussy Riot offers two video versions of ‘I Can’t Breathe’ song.

Myanmar army deepens offensive on “rebels” near China border – Channel NewsAsia

Those who oppress and enslave their own people “get” to call them rebels, even if they are just trying to defend themselves from a government that has rebelled against humanity for 40 years…

Myanmar has blamed Kokang leader Phone Kya Shin for the upsurge of violence – after six years of relative peace – and called on Beijing to rein in any local officials who might be helping the group on its side of the border. President Thein Sein has vowed “not to lose an inch of Myanmar’s territory” to the rebels.

via Myanmar army deepens offensive on rebels near China border – Channel NewsAsia.

League of the South to Celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination | Hatewatch

Members of the Maryland-Virginia chapter of the League of the South (LOS) are set to host an event celebrating John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

Screen shot from the LOS main Facebook page.

The event, organized by Shane Long, the Vice Chairman of the Maryland-Virginia LOS, is scheduled to take place in Baltimore on April 11th.

via League of the South to Celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination | Hatewatch.