alanjjohnstone
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Yet another flash-point
US ship fired about 30 warning shots after 13 vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy came close to US Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz – an account rejected by Tehran.
Israel excuses its deliberate bombings of civilian buildings by saying that it gives prior warning before the attacks.
Didn’t anybody inform the Israeli government that such advance warnings did not exempt the IRA bombings from still being criminal acts of terror.
Israel has declared a state of emergency in Lod after rioting by Israeli Arabs. This was the first time the government had used emergency powers over its Arab community since 1966.
Is this a sign that non-Jewish Israelis now seek their civil rights and equality and are aligning with their fellow Palestinians of the Occupied Territories, that it is no longer a national liberation struggle for a separate state, but a fully secular Israel?
Or will Israel degenerate into a sectarian civil war?
We will have to wait and see what develops.
21,000 kids, from toddlers to teens, is the number of migrant children in government custody in a network of some 200 facilities that spans two dozen states.
Fort Bliss, a US army post in El Paso, Texas, had more than 4,500 children as of Monday.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/11/us-migrant-children-opaque-network-facilities
The government’s plan involves about a dozen unlicensed emergency facilities called emergency intake sites inside military installations, stadiums and convention centers that skirt state regulations and do not require traditional legal oversight. Children are not guaranteed access to education, recreational opportunities or legal counsel.
And what is the response — at least Biden is better than Trump. What a very low bar to exceed.
I’m not an advocate of violence and i despair when Palestinian groups resort to it.
They have no military answer to match Israel’s power and the result of their inept rockets merely invites a much more deadly counter-attack from the IDF.
Perhaps that is the reason, the creation of innocent victims – martyrdom or sacrificial lambs – to boost Hamas.
When i have criticised such strategy i have been told it is up to the Palestinians to choose their own tactics and not for me to do so. I refuse to accept that.
An article in the Standard said:
“What happens to the workers anywhere is the business of socialists everywhere. We are not at all afraid of the charge that we are “poking our noses” into matters that do not concern us”
I don’t offer unconditional solidarity despite my sympathy for oppressed fellow-workers resisting repression.
The information crack-down
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/05/myanmar-junta-bans-satellite-dishes-in-media-crackdown
Myanmar’s military junta has banned satellite dishes, threatening prison sentences for anyone who violates the measure,
I find it of interest where the opposition to abortion lies.
When such countries as Ireland can vote 2/3rds in favour of relaxing its laws on terminations, there are governments passing laws to increase restrictions often against popular opinion.
Is there a political correlation since the predominant religion doesn’t always seem to be a factor except in the USA where we know that evangelical Christianity and politics do overlap?
Otherwise it appears to be an authoritarian right-wing base that is either driving anti-abortion campaigns of maintaining draconian restrictive abortion laws on the statutes.
I still don’t understand why this political polarisation exists. Perhaps someone who believes society has been too tolerant of terminations can give me an explanation.
Lubbock, pop. 260,000, is the 25th “sanctuary city” – all but two in Texas – to have banned abortions in the last two years. It allows any person to sue the provider or anyone who assisted. Lubbock is a medical hub for 1 million people in West Texas.
I think we all expected a long drawn out appeal process and we can suspect that when it comes to sentencing, I suspect it too will be controversial, after all the judge has already shown a bias towards Chauvin.
But i have been following the police murder of Dalian Atkinson by Monk and his girlfriend, fellow police constable Bettley-Smith, four years ago. That is how slow British justice is
And in Scotland we had the police murder of Sheku Bayoh while he was in custody
This problem of police immunity and racism is world-wide.
Chris Hedges says it as it is
Don’t be fooled by Joe Biden.
No deal with the Norwegians on fishing rights
No agreement with France either but instead threats to cut the Channel Islands electric off
Despite the re-entry of the USA and improved targets by some nations, the Paris target will still be exceeded.
The new targets have reduced projected warming by the end of century by 0.2C.
The forecast now stands at 2.4C – a small improvement, but higher than the 1.5C threshold nations are aiming for under the Paris climate agreement.
A guaranteed revenue
“Based on what we’ve seen, we believe that a durable demand for our Covid-19 vaccine – similar to that of the flu vaccines – is a likely outcome,” said chief executive Albert Bourla.
An official US Congressional Research Service report issued April 28, Venezuela: Background and US Relations, suggests the Venezuelan government has valid arguments that the USA contributed to its decline.
Government Report Documents US Responsibility for Venezuela’s Humanitarian Dilemma
“It is difficult to attribute precisely the extent of Venezuela’s economic collapse that is due to US sanctions versus broad economic mismanagement. A February 2021 Government Accountability Office report asserted that “sanctions, particularly on the state oil company in 2019, likely contributed to the steeper decline of the Venezuelan economy.” The Maduro government has defaulted on all its bonds, and US sanctions prohibit debt restructuring with creditors.”
The report admits: “The trigger for Venezuela’s economic crisis was the crash in world oil prices in 2014.”
New Zealand is a pretty good place to live – if you’re human, that is. If you happen to be a non-human animal, chances are you’re not doing very well. Inhumane treatment of animals is widespread. It is routinely used in farming (the dairy industry is among the worst perpetrators, as forced pregnancies, separation of calves from their mothers, and slaughter are routine practices); conservation (poison and traps are commonly used to control “pests”); scientific research (430,000 animals were used or bred for experiments last year); and entertainment (such as horse racing and rodeo).
New Zealanders are becoming increasingly sensitive to welfare issues. Perhaps the biggest indication that attitudes are changing can be seen in our diets: according to research released last year, 15% of New Zealanders avoid meat most or all of the time. Policy is changing, too. The government recently announced that it is banning livestock exports by sea – albeit with a two-year ‘transition period’. Two days later, it launched an inquiry into greyhound racing.
