Daily Archives: 15. Dezember 2017


15.12.2017 - 17:58 [ Defense News ]

Israel’s Liberman: Uniting behind pragmatism in the Middle East

The harm of fanaticism is amply apparent in the Palestinian arena. Generations of Palestinian leaders have led their people astray by dogmatic adherence to unrealistic goals, territorial and otherwise. Were a genuinely pragmatic Palestinian leadership to emerge, we could advance realistic solutions to our disputed issues. The malaise of fanaticism hasn’t yet disappeared from Palestinian society, and until it does it is difficult to see a change for the better.

On the other hand, we see much evidence of sober thinking elsewhere in the region, notably among the Gulf states. Perhaps the clearest example is Saudi Arabia, …

15.12.2017 - 17:55 [ Algemeiner ]

Israeli Defense Minister Urges Cooperation With Saudis Against Iran

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has called on moderate Sunni states, especially Saudi Arabia, to bolster their security ties with Israel in an effort to fight global terrorism and counter the Iranian threat.

In an opinion piece titled “Uniting behind pragmatism in the Middle East” that was published in Defense News, one of the world’s top military magazines, Lieberman asserted that the “strategic divide in today’s Middle East between fanaticism and pragmatism outweighs the sectarian divisions of the past.”

15.12.2017 - 17:32 [ theAtlantic ]

A Police Killing Without a Hint of Racism

(3.12.2017) The case hasn’t attracted the higher degree of attention from the press, the public, or policing-reform activists, partly because body-cam footage of the killing has been withheld from the media and partly because the cop and the dead man were both white, rendering the killing less controversial than one possibly animated by racism. But it warrants more attention than it has received.

15.12.2017 - 17:25 [ Veterans Today ]

Ferguson, MO and the “Israelization” of America’s Police Force

(15.8.2014) JINSA through its Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP) and with its high level connections in the White House, Congress, Defense and Homeland Security, arranged for the training of tens of thousands American law enforcement officer at the federal, state and local level. Both Douglas Feith and Richard Perle, former top Pentagon officials and key advisors to Bibi Netanyahu played a key role in the entire transformations of American’s police force from “to serve and protect” to “ hit and kill” just like the Israeli security forces.

15.12.2017 - 17:21 [ Haaretz ]

Rabbi Bans Followers From Looking at Banknote With Poet Married to Christian

(3.12.2017) A top Sephardi rabbi in Israel sparked controversy when he ruled recently that religious people should not look at the 50-shekel banknote because it is adorned with the image of Shaul Tchernichovsky, a renowned Hebrew poet who was married to a Christian woman.

Shaul Tchernichovsky was born in Russia and created most of his work in Israel in the early 19th century and is considered to be one of the greatest Hebrew poets.

15.12.2017 - 17:13 [ Wochit Politics / Youtube ]

Over 40 Palestinians Wounded In Protests Against Trump‘s Jerusalem Move

According to medical officials on Friday, Israeli troops shot and wounded over forty Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank as protests over U.S. President Donald Trump‘s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel‘s capital. One man was shot near the Palestinian city of Ramallah, three others were shot and wounded in the West Bank, and a further thirty-eight were injured on the border of the Gaza Strip.

15.12.2017 - 15:33 [ WSWS ]

The end of net neutrality and the fight to defend the free internet

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted Thursday to overturn rules, known as net neutrality, that required internet service providers (ISPs) to treat all data on the internet the same and prohibited them from limiting or blocking users’ access to web sites and services.

15.12.2017 - 14:51 [ Netzpolitik.org ]

Schwarzer Tag fürs Internet: USA demolieren Netzneutralität

(14.12.2017) Heute hat die FCC (Federal Communications Commission) die US-Regeln zur Netzneutralität abgeschafft. Zwei Jahre lang haben diese Regeln sichergestellt, dass das Internet offen und frei bleibt. Kein Netzbetreiber konnte den Zugang zu legalen Inhalten künstlich drosseln oder gar ganz blockieren, kein Endgerät wurde ausgesperrt, und keine große Plattform konnte sich Überholspuren erkaufen, um ihre Dienste schneller an die Nutzer zu liefern.

15.12.2017 - 13:26 [ Nick Turse / Common Dreams ]

A Wider World of War: Under Donald Trump, U.S. Special Forces Deployed to 149 Countries in 2017

“We don’t know exactly where we’re at in the world, militarily, and what we’re doing,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in October. That was in the wake of the combat deaths of four members of the Special Operations forces in the West African nation of Niger. Graham and other senators expressed shock about the deployment, but the global sweep of America’s most elite forces is, at best, an open secret.

15.12.2017 - 13:18 [ Common Dreams ]

Net Neutrality Fight ‚Not Over‘: Groups Launch Internet-Wide Campaign Pushing Congress to Overrule FCC Vote

he internet has given ordinary people more power than ever before. We‘re going to fight tooth and nail to make sure no one takes that power away.

15.12.2017 - 12:45 [ Billings Gazette ]

Guest opinion: Honor veterans by resolving conflicts peacefully

(11/2017) On Veterans Day 2017, America is poised to create veterans of many more men and women who will take part in our wars, wars that Americans are largely responsible for, wars which rob us of our young people and our treasure, wars that make our target countries uninhabitable and impoverish their citizens, and wars that make us question who we are as a nation. Please join me in honoring our veterans this week by resolving to help end these conflicts and elect leaders who will avoid future ones.

15.12.2017 - 12:16 [ BBC ]

N Korea accord hits first hurdle

(20.9.2005) North Korea has said it will not scrap its nuclear programme until it is given a civilian nuclear reactor, undermining an agreement reached 24 hours earlier. (…)

Both Japan and the US have rejected Pyongyang‘s demand for a reactor.

Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said the North‘s demand was „unacceptable“, Kyodo News agency reported.

Sean McCormack, a spokesman for the US State Department, said: „This was obviously not the agreement they signed, and we will see what the coming weeks bring.“

15.12.2017 - 12:15 [ BBC ]

Full text: N Korea nuclear agreement

(19.9.2005) „1. The six parties unanimously reaffirmed that the goal of the six-party talks is the verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.

The Democratic People‘s Republic of Korea (North Korea) committed to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes and returning at an early date to the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT) and to IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards.

(…)

The other parties expressed their respect and agreed to discuss at an appropriate time the subject of the provision of light-water reactor to the DPRK.“

15.12.2017 - 12:13 [ New York Times ]

North Korea Says It Will Abandon Nuclear Efforts

(19.9.2005) The United States, North Korea and four other nations participating in negotiations in Beijing signed a draft accord in which the North promised to abandon efforts to produce nuclear weapons and re-admit international inspectors to its nuclear facilities.

Foreign powers said they would provide aid, diplomatic assurances and security guarantees and consider North Korea‘s demands for a light-water nuclear reactor.

15.12.2017 - 12:10 [ RT Deutsch / Youtube ]

Putin zu Nordkorea: Es gab schon einen Deal – doch dann gossen USA wieder Öl ins Feuer

Anschließend erklärt er, dass es 2005 bereits eine Einigung mit Nordkorea gegeben habe, auf deren Grundlage das Land sein Atomprogramm später aufgeben sollte. Einige Monate darauf verwarfen die USA diese Einigung wieder, froren nordkoreanische Konten ein und stellten weitere Bedingungen. „Warum haben sie das getan? Warum unterschreiben sie dann zuerst?“, fragt Putin weiter.

15.12.2017 - 11:57 [ Washington Post ]

Retired military leaders urge Trump to choose words, not action, to deal with North Korea

Military action would result in hundreds of thousands of casualties in South Korea, putting the lives of more than 150,000 Americans there at risk, and the United States would be drawn into a preventable war, the letter says.

“Military options must not be the preferred course of action,” it continues. (Full text below.)

15.12.2017 - 11:54 [ KBS.co.kr ]

Moon bezeichnet Nordkoreas Atomprogramm als große Bedrohung für Frieden und Entwicklung Chinas

Die Entwicklung von Atomwaffen durch Nordkorea und die daraus resultierende Eskalation der Spannungen in der Region würden zu einer großen Bedrohung nicht nur für Südkorea sondern auch für den Frieden und die Entwicklung Chinas, sagte Moon in seiner Rede vor der Universität Peking. Südkorea und China verträten die feste Position, dass der Atomwaffenbesitz Nordkoreas unter keinen Umständen geduldet werden könnte und dass starke Sanktionen und die Druckausübung vonnöten seien, um Nordkoreas Provokationen zu verhindern.

15.12.2017 - 11:53 [ KBS.co.kr ]

Präsident Moon hält Rede vor Universität Peking

Er wird über die Verbesserung der Beziehungen zwischen Südkorea und China sowie deren zukunftsorientierte Entwicklung sprechen. Es ist die erste Rede eines südkoreanischen Staatschefs vor der renommiertesten nationalen Universität Chinas seit der letzten des damaligen Präsidenten Lee Myung-bak im Mai 2008.

Anschließend wird Moon sich mit dem Vorsitzenden des Ständigen Ausschusses des Nationalen Volkskongresses, Zhang Dejiang, und Ministerpräsident Li Keqiang treffen, bevor er nach Chongqing weiterreist. Zhang ist Nummer drei in der chinesischen Machthiercharie, Li die Nummer zwei.

15.12.2017 - 11:48 [ Haaretz ]

Hamas Not Interested in Another War in Gaza, Israeli Defense Officials Say

The rockets are being launched mainly due to rivalries within Gaza, by small Salafi organizations that want to embarrass Hamas and bring about an escalation. These groups can’t fire rockets in large quantities, but can nevertheless fire enough to pose a challenge to Hamas.
Defense officials believe Hamas is already at the limits of its ability to influence these organizations. Both Israel and Hamas fear that the latter’s influence might wane, leading it to lose control, which in turn would lead to an escalation with Israel.

15.12.2017 - 11:43 [ Weißes Haus ]

Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia

President Donald J. Trump spoke with President Vladimir Putin of Russia today. President Trump thanked President Putin for acknowledging America’s strong economic performance in his annual press conference.

The two presidents also discussed working together to resolve the very dangerous situation in North Korea.

15.12.2017 - 11:36 [ CNN ]

US F-22s intercept Russian jets over Syria, fire warning flares

The official said that coalition officers called their Russian counterparts about the incident via the pre-established de-confliction hotline.
US Air Forces Central Command which oversees air operations over Syria later confirmed the incident to CNN.
After crossing the de-confliction line, the Russian Su-25s „were promptly intercepted by two F-22A Raptors providing air cover for partner ground forces conducting operations to defeat ISIS,“ Air Forces Central Command spokesman Lt. Col. Damien Pickart told CNN.

15.12.2017 - 11:29 [ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ]

Auffanglager in Nordafrika: Grüne: Schily-Vorschlag „absurd“

(21.7.2004) Die Vorsitzende der Grünen, Angelika Beer, nannte den Vorschlag Schilys „absurd“. Es stelle sich die Frage, ob versucht werde, auf dem „Rücken von Flüchtlingen“ eine Festung in Europa zu errichten, was bedeuten würde, „daß Flüchtlinge generell kein Recht mehr haben, nach Europa zu kommen, sondern irgendwo in der libyschen Wüste festgehalten werden“.

15.12.2017 - 11:28 [ wsws.org ]

Amnesty-Bericht enthüllt Rolle der EU bei Massenfolter von Flüchtlingen in Libyen

Am Dienstag veröffentlichte Amnesty International (AI) einen erschütternden Bericht mit dem Titel „Libyens dunkles Netz geheimer Absprachen“ („Libya‘s Dark Web of Collusion“). Die Menschenrechtsorganisation kommt darin zu dem Schluss, dass die Europäische Union den Aufbau, die Finanzierung und Ausstattung eines riesigen Netzwerks von Gefangenenlagern für Flüchtlinge unterstützt, um sie daran zu hindern, Europa zu erreichen. In diesen Lagern werden Flüchtlinge willkürlich festgehalten, misshandelt, gefoltert, sexuell missbraucht, als Sklaven verkauft und ermordet.

15.12.2017 - 04:50 [ Diplomat ]

Miners Strike in Central Kazakhstan, Protesting Bad Work Conditions and Pay

The miners chose a typical and powerful form of protest, recently employed by Chilean miners, as they refused to return to the surface after their shift ended, obstructing the regular flow of labor and production at the mines. Simultaneous action took place in four mines owned by ArcelorMittal Temirtau (AMT), a subsidiary of Luxembourg-registered steel giant ArcelorMittal, all located in the central Karaganda region. In the following days, the strike expanded to all eight mines controlled by AMT.

15.12.2017 - 04:34 [ Asian Correspondent ]

Robots to volunteer at South Korea’s Winter Olympics

A total of 11 types of robots will feature in the international sporting event, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the global. The most notable of these is HUBO – a walking humanoid robot designed by engineer and professor, Oh Jun-Ho.
Initially developed in 2004 to assist in rescue operations, HUBO was given the honourable task of carrying the Olympic torch to demonstrate its abilities. The machine walked 500 ft from its birthplace at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, to pass the torch on to its creator.

15.12.2017 - 04:13 [ United News of India (UNI) ]

UN chief presses for release of arrested Reuters journalists in Myanmar

The arrest of two Reuters journalists in Yangon this week was a signal that press freedom is shrinking in Myanmar and the international community must do all it can to get them released, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday.