Politics

At least 30 pro-Russian rebels have reportedly died in fierce fighting at the airport in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. The Ukrainian government bombarded the airport with air strikes, then paratroopers, after rebels seized it on Monday. The fighting…

Will Scotland please get off its knees and challenge the people who claim to own it. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 20th May 2014 “I’d vote yes to rid Scotland of its feudal landowners” Power’s ability to resist…

The anti-European, anti-immigration and anti-diversity parties have made huge gains in the European elections which some call a “political earthquake”. In the UK the Eurosceptic party’s victory marked the first time in modern history that neither the Labour party nor…

After the horrors of World War II Japan installed article 9 in its constitution which generally renounces war as a means of conflict resolution and this way forbade the building up of an army. In fact Japan possesses so called…

From friend Grahame Lynch’s Facebook pages (resident in Thailand): Update: Grahame Lynch 25 May at 23:16 · End of day update on the Thai coup: * The National Council for Peace and Order has extended sweeping powers to the military…

By Jim Lobe Pending legislation calling for U.S. President Barack Obama to impose sanctions against key Venezuelan officials is unlikely to defuse the ongoing crisis there and could prove counter-productive, according to both the administration and independent experts here. A…

UNITED NATIONS, May 12 2014 (IPS) – When the Foreign Minister of Marshall Islands Tony de Brum addressed a nuclear review Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meeting at the United Nations last month, he asked whether anyone in the room had witnessed…

Pro-Russian groups have claimed a landslide victory for a hastily organized referendum on self-rule in two parts of eastern Ukraine. The vote was held in the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk less than two months after residents in Crimea voted…

Analysis by Baher Kamal Now that Washington has failed to reach an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in spite of Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent strenuous efforts, a quick look at the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on separatists to delay a referendum on breaking off from Ukraine. Areas in eastern Ukraine occupied by pro-Russian forces are set to vote this Sunday on whether to seek autonomy. Amidst continued violence over…