Note that the imposition of the usual neoliberal economic model is sparking the unrest. Yet it is Islamic fundamentalists—not leftists, as in Bolivia—that are best poised to exploit the backlash. From the Guardian: Yemen Riots Over Subsidy Cut Leave 16… Read moreRiots in Yemen
Terror returns to London July 21st 2005 From The Economist Global Agenda Exactly two weeks after the deadly bombings of London’s transport system on July 7th, Britain’s capital has been hit by a fresh wave of attacks—though with few casualties… Read moreMore London blasts
UK Gay Leaders Receive Death Threats From Muslim Fundamentalists Group Says by Malcolm Thornberry 365Gay.com European Bureau Chief Posted: July 18, 2005 8:00 pm ET (London) A British LGBT civil rights group says its leaders have received death threats from… Read moreMuslim fundamentalists threaten UK gays
Talk about chutzpah: Palestinians: Israel to steal artifacts Orly Halpern, THE JERUSALEM POST Jul. 21, 2005 Palestinian archaeologists say they fear that when Israel withdraws from Gaza it will also take priceless archeological artifacts. Israeli officials have acknowledged this is… Read moreIsrael stealing Palestinian antiquities?
The New York Times today notes the growing cult of Zheng He in China, the 15th-century mariner who led gigantic fleets across the Pacific and Indian oceans in the Ming Dynasty’s brief but impressive expansion of naval prowess. Statues are… Read moreSinophobes fear cult of Zheng He
This is pretty Orwellian. The government says it has the right to hold accused “dirty bomber” Jose Padilla without charge as an “enemy combatant” for the “duration of the conflict.” The “conflict” in question is a completely open-ended undeclared war… Read morePadilla’s lawyer: Indict my client!
Arrested for “spreading hatred”? Sounds frighteningly arbitrary and subjective. From UPI, July 20: Pakistan arrests 200 extremist suspects ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has detained more than 200 suspected Islamic militants in a new security crackdown this week. The government of President… Read moreSweeps in Pakistan
We’ve been waiting for London’s famously leftist Mayor Ken Livingstone to state the obvious about the bombings. Finally, he has. Blair, meanwhile, remains in denial, at least officially. We wonder: is he really this deluded, or just sticking to a… Read moreKen Livingstone: Yes, it’s Iraq
Shades of Soylent Green. “The plankton is dying!” From AP July 14, via TruthOut: Scientists Raise Alarm about Ocean Health SEATTLE – With a record number of dead seabirds washing up on West Coast beaches from Central California to British… Read moreMeanwhile, the oceans are dying…
A report in today’s Newsday tells of a meeting at London’s Finsbury Park mosque, where prominent Muslim leaders signed a statement condemning the 7-7 attacks, under a banner reading “A New Beginning.” But there was also a sign at the… Read moreTolerance tested in UK
Another factory forced to halt operation by heroic Chinese peasants protecting their lands from the industrial onslaught. We question how “violent” it is to tear down a security fence. In contrast, the security forces’ response to the rising tide of… Read moreMore militant anti-pollution protests in China
Well, the pending US nuclear aid to India is now official, with India hailed as a beacon of “responsible” nuclear development (which we argue is as oxymoronic as “authentic reproduction,” “corporate responsibility,” “military music,” etc.). This despite the fact that… Read moreIndia gets US nuclear aid; oil issues in background
