The area, now fully under the control of the government, had been badly damaged in the fighting.
In Aleppo’s war-ravaged Old City, visitors pose with selfie sticks – The Washington Post
hmmmm
What goes through my my mind when I read the news with my morning coffee. …Or for the Simon's Rockers in the group, this is my response journal.
The area, now fully under the control of the government, had been badly damaged in the fighting.
In Aleppo’s war-ravaged Old City, visitors pose with selfie sticks – The Washington Post
hmmmm
Residents of a Jewish outpost in the occupied West Bank vote in favour of an evacuation proposal.
Jewish settlers agree to leave Amona site in occupied West Bank – BBC News
hmmmm
After deadly ambush, Iraqi army units moved from southern positions to city’s east where most of the fighting is.
Army shifts forces to east Mosul as ISIL hits back | Iraq News | Al Jazeera
hmmmm
The controversial leader is proud of his brutal approach to crime reduction.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte just bragged about personally killing people – Vox
Sigh….
Syrian rebels say a deal to evacuate the rebel-held part of Aleppo is back on and will begin soon.
Aleppo battle: Evacuation agreement ‘back on’ – BBC News
hmmmm
Kurdish TAK militants say they carried out an attack that killed 38 people near an Istanbul stadium.
Istanbul stadium attacks: Kurdish TAK group claim attacks – BBC News
Sigh…
Syrian town had gained much attention under ISIS rule because of the many priceless artifacts destroyed there
ISIS recaptures Palmyra in Syria despite Russian bombs – CBS News
Sigh…
Boko Haram claims responsibility for suicide bomb blasts that killed dozens in Nigeria
Boko Haram claims responsibility for suicide bomb blasts that killed dozens – CBS News
hmm
Worshippers said construction of the building that came crashing down in Nigeria had been rushed
At least 160 dead in Nigerian church collapse – CBS News
Sigh…
Dozens are reported killed in air strikes and a suspected gas attack in IS territory in Syria.
Palmyra: ‘Chemical gas attack’ hits IS-held Syrian area – BBC News
Jeezus…
There were emotional scenes in court on the first day of the blasphemy trial of Jakarta’s governor.
…The case is being seen as a test of religious tolerance in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
The prosecution said Mr Purnama insulted Islam by misusing a Koranic verse which suggests Muslims should not be ruled by non-Muslims, to boost public support ahead of February’s governorship election.
He insisted his comments were aimed at politicians “incorrectly” using a Koranic verse against him, not at the verse itself.
‘Ahok’: Emotional scenes as blasphemy trial begins – BBC News
What a hateful shit-show. So much for Indonesia being a bastion of tolerance. May the devil strangle the bigots while they pray their evil and hateful prayers.
Thousands of civilians are now trapped in a tiny area of the city under heavy bombardment
BBC World Service – Newsday, The ‘final messages’ from people in eastern Aleppo
Heart-wrenching
The current struggle by religious Zionist rabbis against the integration of women in combat units is another sign of a radical process underway that aims to bring religion into every walk of life.
…The rabbis who object to women serving in tanks as combat soldiers are threatening Israel’s democratic character and seeking to further undermine equality among its citizens.
…The current struggle by religious Zionist rabbis is another sign of the fact that Israeli society is neck-deep in a radical process of religionization, whose purpose is to bring religion into every walk of life. If it isn’t stopped, it will ultimately affect the entire public’s family life, and especially women’s status and freedom.
While religious Zionism fiercely guards its own boundaries, sending its children to separate schools and promoting the establishment of towns and neighborhoods for religious people only, it doesn’t hesitate to insert its long arms into every area of secular life. Orthodox organizations that seek to inculcate Judaism operate in schools via religious girls doing civilian national service; diligent Knesset members try to insert Jewish law ever deeper into Israel’s law books; and the Chief Rabbinate dares to impose ever stricter requirements on the secular community, a large portion of which still (and wrongly) feels that it must turn to the rabbinate for marriage and divorce.
Declaring war on Israel’s secular public – Opinion – Israel News | Haaretz.com
hmmm
A 7-year-old Syrian girl caught the attention of people across the globe with her tweets about life in war-torn Aleppo. On Sunday, as the Syrian army pushed into eastern Aleppo, her Twitter account mysteriously disappeared.
hmmmm
The two-state solution is on life support, but there is one thing Obama can do to keep the hope of a peace deal alive.
…The simple but vital step this administration must take before its term expires on Jan. 20 is to grant American diplomatic recognition to the state of Palestine, as 137 countries have already done, and help it achieve full United Nations membership.
Jimmy Carter: America Must Recognize Palestine – The New York Times
hmmm
Israeli officials have been making “profoundly disturbing statements,” John Kerry claimed.
Kerry takes harsh tone on Israel, suggests opening for action at UN | TheHill
hmmmm
Philippines Vice President Leni Robredo resigned from President Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet on Dec. 5, vowing to lead the opposition against the president’s controversial policies, Rappler and the Manila Times reported.
… In May, Robredo narrowly defeated Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the late dictator who ruled the Philippines until being overthrown in the mid-1980s. Marcos Jr., a Duterte ally, has accused Robredo of stealing the election and claimed that Robredo’s Liberal Party is plotting to oust the president.
Philippines: Vice President Resigns From Cabinet, Vows To Take On Duterte | Stratfor
hmmmm
When president-elect Donald J. Trump brought along his daughter Ivanka to meet Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in mid-November, observers raised their eyebrows. While family members often accompany heads of state on diplomatic visits, Ivanka’s presence in the meeting itself was highly unusual.
It also came as she was negotiating a deal with a Japanese company, which is backed by a government-owned development bank. As the New York Times reports (paywall), Ivanka is in the midst of closing a licensing deal with a Japanese retail company company known as Sanei International. The potential partnership highlights the troubling overlap between the Trump family’s corporate deals and president-elect Trump’s diplomatic efforts.
Forget not prosecuting the child for the sins of the father, forget giving things a chance to shake out before coming to judgement.
These people are disgusting, greedy monsters.
Disgusting, immoral, and just plain trashy.
The worst humanity can produce, a cancer on the soul of humankind.
Voters chose the former Green Party leader Alexander Van der Bellen, in a result that seemed to show the limits of Donald J. Trump’s populist tailwind.
Austria Rejects Far-Right Presidential Candidate Norbert Hofer – The New York Times
Ja, sehr gut!
Cass County Sheriff Paul Laney, in a briefing Sunday, Dec. 4, said law enforcers will back away from a contested bridge near the camp of protesters opposing the Dakota Access
Law enforcement backs away from bridge | North Dakota News | bismarcktribune.com
Unless we under martial law and no one told me they shouldn’t have blockaded it in the first place.
So yeah, badge-ys, step the f’ back!
How one Afghan migrant woman was followed by her allegedly abusive husband to the gates of Europe.
Afghan migrant woman ‘hunted down to Europe by abusive husband’ – BBC News
Jeezus…
Five countries in West Africa say they will no longer import “dirty fuels” from Europe, according to the UN.
Five African countries ban ‘dirty fuels’ from Europe – BBC News
hmmm
An organised crime ring was giving out real US visas in Ghana’s capital Accra for a decade – how did they get away with it for so long?
How did fake US embassy operate in Ghana for a decade? – BBC News
hmmmm
Despite social and sporting progress, even the best teams at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations struggle [for funds]
Skilled, determined and broke: Africa’s female football pioneers | World news | The Guardian
hmmmm