Lebanon’s Hariri steps down after nearly two weeks of nationwide protests – CNN
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Category: Middle East,
Israel’s gridlock continues as Gantz attempts to form government
“Netanyahu is about to be indicted on allegations of severe crimes on the one hand, but on the other hand he is still very popular among his political base and is committed to holding on to his power,” Plesner says. “Without the Netanyahu factor, it’s quite clear we would have seen today a functioning government.”
According to a recent IDI poll, a majority of Israelis want a unity government between Likud and Blue and White. This is what Gantz and Netanyahu both claim to be working toward, yet their shared end does not reflect shared means.
…A majority of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign. “This is obviously a message accepted by a broad majority of Israelis, but not yet internalized by the political system,” Plesner says.
Israel’s gridlock continues as Gantz attempts to form government
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Ancient ‘New York’: 5,000-year-old city discovered in Israel
Known as En Esur, the site spans 650 dunams (161 acres), about double the size of previous similar findings. The design of the city included designated residential and public areas, streets and alleys, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.
About four million fragments were found at the site, including rare figurines of humans and animals, pieces of pottery and various tools, some of which came from Egypt.
…An even earlier settlement, believed to be 7,000 years old, was discovered beneath the city.
Ancient ‘New York’: 5,000-year-old city discovered in Israel – BBC News
cool!
Israel cave bones: Early humans ‘conserved food to eat later’ – BBC News
Scientists in Israel say they have found evidence that early humans deliberately stored bones from animals to eat the fatty marrow later.
It is the earliest evidence that humans living between 200,000 and 420,000 years ago had the foresight to anticipate future needs, they say.
Early humans had not previously been thought capable of such dietary planning.
Israel cave bones: Early humans ‘conserved food to eat later’ – BBC News
It’s staggering how little credit we give our ancestors for possessing the social and intellectual tools to survive, especially in light of the fact that if they hadn’t survived we wouldn’t be here.
Archaeology! Reminding us that modern man is too stupid to see intelligence in its own history…
Facebook removes accounts from UAE, Nigeria, Egypt and Indonesia
Citing “coordinated inauthentic behaviour” aimed at misleading social media users.
A total of 443 Facebook accounts, 200 pages and 76 groups, as well as 125 Instagram accounts, were removed, the social media platform said on Thursday.
They were traced to three separate and “unconnected” operations, one of which was operating in three countries, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Nigeria; and two others in Indonesia and Egypt, to spread misleading posts and news articles.
…In all, the accounts on Facebook and Instagram commanded an estimated 7.5 million followers.
Facebook removes accounts from UAE, Nigeria, Egypt and Indonesia | News | Al Jazeera
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Sexist Airways boss in ‘heartfelt apology’ for sexist remark
Asked at a news conference on Tuesday about female employment among Middle East airlines and whether his job could be done by a woman, Mr al Baker said: “Of course it has to be led by a man, because it is a very challenging position”.
…In 2017, he apologised after calling US flight attendants “grandmothers” during a trade row with US airlines, prompting an airline union to accuse him of sexism and age discrimination.
…In a statement on Wednesday, Mr al-Baker said Qatar [Sexist] Airways fully supported [giving lipservice to] gender equality.
Qatar Airways boss in ‘heartfelt apology’ for sexist remark – BBC News
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The White House would like you to abandon all common sense on ‘locked and loaded’
After all, the words “locked and loaded” directly imply that weapons are, uh, locked and loaded to be delivered at the push of a button.
Except it doesn’t!
…So, when Trump said that we are “locked and loaded depending on verification,” what he was talking about was the “realities that we’re all far safer and more secure domestically from energy independence?”
Come on, man. It’s not even close.
…This is an administration that has repeatedly tried to tell the public that what they are hearing and seeing isn’t what they are hearing and seeing. Literally.
“Just remember, what you are seeing and what you are reading is not what’s happening,” Trump said in July 2018. “Just stick with us, don’t believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news.”
The White House would like you to abandon all common sense on ‘locked and loaded’ – CNNPolitics
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Teen Egyptian girl’s case puts legal system under spotlight
The prosecution of a 15-year-old girl who killed a bus driver after he allegedly tried to rape her has reignited debate over the treatment of women in Egypt’s legal system, including the practice of virginity tests and blaming victims of sexual violence.
…During her interrogation, the girl said she was on a date with her boyfriend before riding the bus — a statement that could easily undermine her reputation and probably her credibility in conservative Egyptian society, where dating is frowned upon. Her boyfriend, along with a friend of his, are in custody pending investigations into any potential links to the crime.
…After her detention, the girl was required to undergo a vaginal test which determined she was a virgin — which in the Egyptian context could be viewed as helpful to her case.
…In conservative areas, relatives celebrate a new bride’s loss of virginity by brandishing a bloody sheet in public, a practice they believe affirms the family’s honor.
…Sexual harassment, mostly ranging from catcalls to occasional pinching or grabbing, is rampant in Egypt. Polls have found that most men and women in the conservative Muslim country believe it is justified if women dress “provocatively” in public.
…Unlawful virginity examinations garnered attention in 2011 when several women said they were detained by military personnel and forced to undergo virginity tests while protesting the interim military government that took over the country after the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak.
Teen Egyptian girl’s case puts legal system under spotlight
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The oil drone attack shows how Saudi Arabia and the UAE are fighting their own battles in Yemen
Saudi Arabia’s intentions were, for the most part, to thwart Iran’s relentless attempts to plant the Houthis – a loyal, Hezbollah-like Shia militia – on the Saudis’ southern borders.
The UAE has sought to free south Yemen from both the Houthis and al-Qaeda and later use the region as a launching pad for its own strategic influence in the Horn of Africa.
The picture now – including the stalemate in the strategic port of Hodeida – tells us that the Saudi policy has failed, while the UAE’s self-interests have increased.
…Yemen has become, in effect, two countries which are hostile to each other.
…The Saudis are under no illusion, however, that they will win the war. They, along with the Emiratis, have long concluded that the Yemen war is unwinnable, and have been looking for a way out.
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Trump Is Recklessly Endangering the Lives of America’s Spies
… Trump disclosed Israeli intelligence relating to an ISIS plot to bomb U.S.-bound airplanes using laptops. …[He] placed that source in grave danger of being uncovered by ISIS, and Israel reportedly had him or her quickly removed.
…Specific information regarding the Russian troll farm used to disrupt the 2016 election and leading to special counsel Robert Mueller’s indictment of more than a dozen Russian intelligence officers, for example, must have come from U.S. spies in Russia—and the Kremlin knew it.
…After all, Trump had no hesitation tweeting out classified imagery of Iran’s rocket program. Would he go so far as to share the identity of a U.S. spy?
…Under the conditions created by Trump, it is hard to imagine that any sane person would want to spy for the United States—and that is a terrifying prospect for the safety of this country.
sigh…
Israel bars Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering country
Israel bars Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering country – CNNPolitics
Our pal, Israel, following us backwards into the abyss.
F-35s and F-15s bombed Iraqi island where ISIS hid out
On September 10, US and Iraqi forces dropped 80,000 pounds of munitions on Qanus Island, in Iraq’s Salah-al-Din province
…A spokesperson for OIR told Insider that ISIS casualties were still being assessed, but that there were no casualties for the coalition or the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Services. A small cache of abandoned weapons was found on the island, the spokersperson said. The spokesperson said that the number of ISIS militants on the island at the time of the strike was unknown.
F-35s and F-15s bombed Iraqi island where ISIS hid out – Business Insider
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Trump administration, military officials at odds over CIA’s Afghanistan role
The Times reports that some White House advisers have proposed secretly expanding the agency’s presence in the nation — a move that some current and former officials have expressed skepticism about.
…Some officials told the paper they want CIA-backed forces in the country as part of a counterterrorism force. They claim it could quell worries that the U.S. will be left with little ability to prevent terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a base of operations if the U.S. pulls troops, as [Trump] suggested will happen last week.
But others, such as Seth G. Jones, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former adviser to the commanding general of American Special Operations forces in Afghanistan, tell the Times they are skeptical of the plan, which they said could be impractical and ineffective.
Trump administration, military officials at odds over CIA’s Afghanistan role: report | TheHill
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