Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The new government in Israel has formally been voted in, with a 63-vote majority in the 120-seat Knesset or parliament. While the far right in Israel is ecstatic, even those a little closer to the center than the new extremists are full of trepidation. A former prime minister, Ehud Olmert, […]
Archives for December 2022
Muslim Authorities Condemn Taliban Ban on Women in Universities, as NGOs Close in Protest
By Michael Jansen | – ( The Irish Times ) – Four global aid agencies have suspended services in Afghanistan in response to a Taliban ban on women working at non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In a joint statement, Care, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and the International Rescue Committee said: “We cannot effectively reach […]
The Year Unions Came Roaring Back, while Public Support for Workers is Higher than in 55 Years
By Max Nesterak ( Minnesota Reformer ) – I visited picket lines in subzero temperatures and the high 90s this year, as I documented the surge in energy that workers are bringing to the labor movement. It was an exciting year to cover labor, especially in Minnesota, with its high union participation rate and low […]
3 Reasons local Climate Activism is more powerful than People realize
By Adam Aron, University of California, San Diego | – (The Conversation) – Global warming has increased the number of extreme weather events around the world by 400% since the 1980s. Countries know how to stop the damage from worsening: stop burning fossil fuels and shift to renewable energy, electrify transportation and industry, and reduce […]
What would the United States be Like if it was like Israel?
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – What would the United States be like if it was like Israel? After the most recent election is held, the president comes out and says that settling North America is the exclusive privilege of white Christians. He is determined to make some parts of the U.S. whiter and more Christian […]
Rights Advocates Alarmed Over Israel’s New ‘Fascist, Racist, and Settler’ Government
By Jessica Corbett | – ( Commondreams.org ) – Global concerns about the new Israeli government—especially what it means for Palestinians—continued to grow Thursday as Benjamin Netanyahu took the oath of office to again serve as prime minister, this time leading the most far-right and religiously conservative coalition in the country’s history. The embattled leader […]
More Iranians Move Their Protests To Rooftops Amid State Crackdown
I’m Frud Bezhan, regional desk editor for Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Here’s what I’ve been following and what I’m watching out for in the days ahead. ( RFE/RL) – Fewer Iranians have protested on the streets in recent days, more than three months after the nationwide antiestablishment demonstrations erupted. From the outset, the authorities responded […]
The State of Online Free Expression Worldwide: 2022 in Review
By Jillian C. York | – ( EFF ) – It’s been a tumultuous year for free expression globally. From internet shutdowns, crackdowns on expression and closed-door partnerships to attempts to restrict anonymity and end to end encryption, in many places, digital rights are under threat. And while the European Union has made regulatory strides, […]
“Execution of the Palestinian People”: Netanyahu vows Massive Israeli Squatting on Palestinian Land, and ultimate Annexation
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – As part of his bargain with the fascist blocs of Religious Zionism and Jewish Power, according to the Israeli newspaper Arab 48, incoming Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke of an “exclusive Jewish right” to expand settlements inside Israel praper, in Galilee and the Negev, as well as to plant squatters in […]