By Simon Mabon | – It’s generally reckoned to be one of Donald Trump’s few major foreign policy achievements. On August 13 2020, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel signed a historic agreement normalising relations between the two states, and in the weeks that followed, other Arab states followed Abu Dhabi’s lead in what […]
How global tax dodging costs lives: new research shows a direct link to increased death rates
By Bernadette O’Hare and Stephen Hall | – Tax abuse is an expensive business. According to a recent report by the Tax Justice Network, avoiding or evading tax deprives governments across the world of around US$427 billion (£302 billion) every year. This is money that could otherwise be spent on things like clean water, sanitation, […]
Why the Al-Aqsa Mosque has often been a site of conflict
By Ken Chitwood | – The violence that spread from Jerusalem to cities across Israel and the Palestinian territories, leaving at least 60 dead so far, has both historical and contemporary roots. In recent weeks, tension has flared over the eviction of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities blocking access to the […]
Protests by Palestinian citizens in Israel signal growing sense of a common struggle
By Maha Nassar | – The world’s attention has turned again to deadly scenes of Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip and the launching of rockets by the militant group Hamas into Israel. It follows two weeks of protests in East Jerusalem against attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah and […]
Jerusalem: the politics behind the latest explosion of violence in the Holy City
By Carlo Aldrovandi | – The recent violence at the al-Aqsa mosque/Temple Mount area and in the Old City of Jerusalem has spiralled into something bigger and more dangerous. Clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters at the weekend have left hundreds injured. Tensions rose further on Monday and Tuesday after Israeli airstrikes launched […]
Our Climate Future is on a Spectrum, Depending on What we Do Now; How Bad could it Get?
By Mark Maslin | – The climate crisis is no longer a looming threat – people are now living with the consequences of centuries of greenhouse gas emissions. But there is still everything to fight for. How the world chooses to respond in the coming years will have massive repercussions for generations yet to be […]
Heating America: Nat’l Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin. issues Stats on ‘Normal’ U.S. Weather; this isn’t It
By Russ Schumacher and Becky Bolinger | – Anyone who listens to weather reports has heard meteorologists comment that yesterday’s temperature was 3 degrees above normal, or last month was much drier than normal. But what does “normal” mean in this context – and in a world in which the climate is changing? The National […]
Middle Eastern monarchies: how do Arab ruling families hold on to power?
By David B Roberts | – When the Jordanian royal family gathered on April 11 to celebrate 100 years since the kingdom’s foundation, it was a picture of dynastic unity. Alongside King Abdullah was his half-brother, the former crown prince Hamzah bin al-Hussein, who had only days ago been placed under house arrest, following what […]
Surging of Dangerous Greenhouse Gas Methane endangers our Planet: Why we Have to Stop It
By Drew Shindell | – Methane, the main ingredient in natural gas, is a larger climate problem than the world anticipates, and cutting its emissions will be crucial to slow global warming, a new United Nations report warns. The greenhouse gas is many times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the planet, and its […]
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