On November 30, thousands of Afghans held a massive protest rally in the capital, Kabul, to protest against the security deal on the future of the US military presence in the country.

Jede Woche am Sonntag stelle ich eine Auslese der zehn bemerkenswertesten Geschichten und Veröffentlichungen vor, auf die ich bei meinen Streifzügen durch die Tiefen und Weiten des weltumspannenden Informationsnetzes gestoßen bin.

Some five-thousand people in the eastern city of Lahore attended the rally organized by a coalition of around 40 religious and political parties also known as Defense of Pakistan Council.

In Haaretz, Gideon Levy calls for international sanctions against Israel to end the occupation. He says the Iran case proves that sanctions work. And that John Kerry should end the masquerade of peace talks, which only he believes in, because Israel will never give up territory without pressure — including, by the way, “occupied East Jerusalem.” How often do these arguments appear in the mainstream American press, or the words “occupied East Jerusalem”? (Almost never, and yes the “shrill U.S. Jewish lobby,” words that also do not appear under threat of censure, is the main reason). Levy:

Harper will announce at the dinner he finally intends to make his maiden voyage to Israel, a country whose hardline prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, gushes openly with public affection for the friend he simply likes to call „Stephen.“

Sunday night‘s tribute will also be about money. On this evening, the love for Harper will be in measurable in cold hard cash — the Jewish National Fund‘s Canadian chapter plans to announce the tally of a fundraising effort to build a bird sanctuary in Israel to be named after the prime minister himself.

Ruling Islamic militant group deems celebration inappropriate in face of Palestinian territory‘s economic problems

This year, Japanese whalers had their least successful hunting season on record, taking fewer than half the animals they killed during 2011-2012. The Japanese government blamed the meager harvest on “unforgivable sabotage” by the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an accusation that Sea Shepherd claims as a badge of honor.

Heads of state of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, which have already signed a common market and a single customs union, say the protocol will allow them to progressively converge their currencies and increase commerce.

(27.11.) Barry Barnett, 50, a worker with Jews for Jesus (UK), was ordered to leave the country by early December. Barnett was assisting at the “Behold your God, Israel” campaign at the city of Be’er Shiva when he was arrested Wednesday.

(13.11.) After 9/11, then President George W. Bush spoke of leading a Crusade against Afghanistan and Iraq. His handlers quickly walked back the use of the word Crusade, given its connotations of endless bloodletting of non-Christians during several journeys of butchery conducted by Christian knights in the Middle Ages.