Winning Hearts & Minds

Israeli PM aims to deport tens of thousands of Africans

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he aims to repatriate tens of thousands of African illegal migrants and that the inflow into Israel from the Sinai peninsula has been brought to a halt. 'We have reached this result over the past several months, and next month we will have completed the construction of the fence on the border with the Sinai,' facing Egypt, he said. Interior Minister Eli Yishai had warned in August that Sudanese illegals who did not leave the country by October 15 would be detained, held in camps and deported." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIsraeli PM aims to deport tens of thousands of Africans

Syrian Christians ‘pray for peace’

"In the heart of Damascus, more than 1,000 people attended Christmas mass on Monday, praying for peace to return to Syria, after almost two years of bloodshed. The church entrance was thinly decorated, a far cry from the usually ornate facade that welcomes the faithful. But a donations box at the entrance gives away the sea-change that Syria has suffered ever since the outbreak of an anti-regime revolt in March last year. Many Christians have remained neutral in a conflict estimated to have killed more than 44,000 people. Most church leaders have taken President Bashar al-Assad’s side, for fear of the rise of Islamic extremism." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSyrian Christians ‘pray for peace’

Glenn Greenwald: Newtown kids v Yemenis and Pakistanis: what explains the disparate reactions?

"It's easy to express rage over the Newtown shooting because so few of us bear any responsibility for it and there is ultimately little we can do to stop psychotic individuals from snapping. Fury is easy because it's easy to tell ourselves that the perpetrator has so little to do with us and our actions. Exactly the opposite is true for the violence that continuously kills children and other innocent people in the Muslim world. Many of us empowered and cheer for the person responsible for that. US citizens pay for it, enable it, and now under Obama, most at the very least acquiesce to it if not support it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Newtown kids v Yemenis and Pakistanis: what explains the disparate reactions?

Christianity ‘close to extinction’ in Middle East

"The report, entitled Christianophobia, highlights a fear among oppressive regimes that Christianity is a 'Western creed' which can be used to undermine them. State hostility towards Christianity is particularly rife in China, where more Christians are imprisoned than in any other country in the world, according to the report. It claims George Bush’s use of the word 'crusade' after the September 11 attacks on New York created the impression for Muslims in the Middle East of a 'Christian assault on the Muslim world'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChristianity ‘close to extinction’ in Middle East

8-child family defies China’s one-child policy

"China’s one-child rule has numerous critics, but perhaps none have so emphatically defied the policy as a couple who have accumulated four boys and four girls — some born to two surrogate mothers. Authorities are calculating how high a fine to impose on the family, described as 'rich merchants' in the southern province of Guangdong, estimating that it could reach 10 times their annual income. While the triplets born to the mother via artificial insemination were deemed legal, they were delivered in Hong Kong — a popular option for wealthy Chinese who want to secure residency there for their children and evade the mainland China quota." Continue reading →

Continue Reading8-child family defies China’s one-child policy

Georgia rebuilds Stalin monuments

"A Joseph Stalin statue went back up in the Georgian village of Alvani on Friday in a sign of the slipping authority of President Mikheil Saakashvili, who had ordered its removal. The pro-Western president is serving out what some are calling a lame-duck term ahead of elections next year from which he is barred on account of the end of his 10-year constitutional mandate. Saakashvili, whose forces fought a five-day war with Russia in 2008 and who has always sought to ally Georgia with the United States, had spearheaded a furious de-Stalinisation campaign." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGeorgia rebuilds Stalin monuments

Russian parliament finalizes U.S. adoption ban

"Russia’s lower house of parliament has given final approval to a contentious bill that retaliates against a new US human rights measure by barring Americans from adopting the country’s children. Washington swiftly slammed the move saying Russian children would be harmed by the measure. The Russian leader has indicated he is ready to put his name on the measure so that it could enter law on January 1. The measure, which underscores the severity of the recent strain in Russia-US ties, would end about 1,000 adoptions a year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussian parliament finalizes U.S. adoption ban

Thousands protest in Bahrain seeking PM’s ouster

"Thousands of Shiite protesters in Bahrain Saturday demanded a transition government and the removal of Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, who has been premier since 1974, witnesses said. They said the demonstrators marched in the village of Diya near the capital Manama, chanting 'Resign, Khalifa!' and waving Bahraini flags. Since February last year, Bahrain has been shaken by opposition protests that the authorities accuse of being exploited by Shiite Iran across the Gulf. At least 80 people have died since the start of the unrest in February 2011, according to the International Federation of Human Rights." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThousands protest in Bahrain seeking PM’s ouster

Outrageous HSBC Settlement Proves the Drug War is a Joke

"If you're not an important cog in the global financial system, you can't get away with anything, not even simple possession. You will be jailed and whatever cash they find on you they'll seize on the spot, and convert into new cruisers or toys for your local SWAT team, which will be deployed to kick in the doors of houses where more such inessential economic cogs as you live. If you don't have a systemically important job, your assets may be used to finance your own political disenfranchisement. On the other hand, if you are an important person, and you work for a big international bank, you won't be prosecuted even if you launder nine billion dollars." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOutrageous HSBC Settlement Proves the Drug War is a Joke

NDAA Lawsuit Brief Filed By Children Of Japanese-Americans Interned During World War II

"The children of Japanese-Americans whose internment during World War II was upheld by the infamous Supreme Court ruling Korematsu v. United States are stepping into a new legal battle over whether the military can indefinitely detain American citizens. Writing that their parents 'experienced first-hand the injustice resulting from a lack of searching judicial scrutiny,' the children of Fred Korematsu and other Japanese-Americans who were interned filed a brief on Monday in support of a lawsuit against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNDAA Lawsuit Brief Filed By Children Of Japanese-Americans Interned During World War II