Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/world/page/6/)
A May 10 rally condemning the abduction of more than 200 students from a school in Chibok, Nigeria brought members of the state’s Nigerian population and the broader African Diaspora together in St. Paul. Held in the State Capitol rotunda, speakers at the rally voiced concern for the victims, questions about the Nigerian government’s level of accountability, and the potential role the United States could play in securing their return.
Internationally known activist and citizen journalist Qusai Zakarya is visiting Minnesota this week. Continue Reading
This is shortly before talks between the P5+1 (The five permanent members of the UN Security Council: U.S., China, Russia, France, Britain + Germany) and Iran resume May 13, to be concluded in June. In the Twin Cities, Porter will examine the premise they are based on. He is the author of the Manufactured Crisis: the Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare, published in 2014 (Just World Books). Gareth Porter will address his findings based on an intensive dissection of allegations about Iran’s nuclear program. Porter is “the most conscientious follower of the fantasy danger of Iran’s purported ‘nuclear weapons program,’” according to Iran expert William O. Beeman, a University of Minnesota professor.Gareth Porter, the 2012 recipient of the prestigious London-based Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, an award presented to a journalist who reveals “an unpalatable truth, validated by powerful facts.” (Julian Assange received the award in 2011 for Wikileaks) will be in the Twin Cities Wednesday, May 7, and Thursday, May 8, to talk about the Iran nuclear scare.As an historian and investigative journalist, Porter has been examining U.S. foreign policy, military and security issues regarding the Middle East and Afghanistan, as well as writing on the Philippines, Korea, Cambodia, and Viet Nam. Continue Reading
Dozens of students are killed by Ethiopian military forces following peaceful student demonstrations against the government’s Addis expansion plan that would encroach into Oromia state. Protesters want to retain a political and cultural identity within Oromia state. When implemented these expansions will threaten the livelihoods and independence of the Oromo peoples. [Audio below]
Global citizenship is a keystone of Macalester education and I, like many students here, strive to connect this idea of global citizenship to my academic endeavors and other engagements on campus. When I graduate, one thing is for certain: I want to leave a lasting impact on the global community and make the world a better place for those who are marginalized in our world. I hope to work in the area of global health in the future and am particularly interested in pursuing a career exploring the intersection between global health and women’s empowerment. I’ve been passionate about women’s empowerment for a very long time, and growing up partly in India only stoked that fervor. Continue Reading
[Today], Thursday, April 17, the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) will release over 29 seed varieties into the global commons and humanity’s “moral economy.” This new initiative hopes to provide a counterweight to private patenting of seeds, which has undermined farmers’ rights around the world. Continue Reading
As we approach the Biblical season of Passover and Easter, it is instructive to explore some of the implications of “exodus” for us today. Having read Rabbis’ Waskow and Berman’s excellent Freedom Journeys, calling us to re-enact the struggle for liberation from bondage every year, I took to thinking about our Commander-in-Chief in the light of the forces aligned against Moses and his oppressed people. Continue Reading
One of the most controversial provisions in free trade agreements is the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism, which gives corporations the right to sue governments over public measures that undermine their expected profits. It’s a pretty outrageous assault on democratic structures. In fact, when I tell people new to the trade debate about it, at first they often don’t believe me. Continue Reading
Although I have not rented a room and slept there, the Jupiter International Hotel has been a “home away from home” during my time in Addis Ababa. I have found the staff, the atmosphere, the food and managers much more than pleasant. There is a hospitality that I have never experienced in any of the hotel chains I have patronized back in the States. I come to the lobby bar of the Jupiter 3 or 4 mornings per week to use their free Wi-Fi, have breakfast and when I work into the afternoon, lunch and drink or two. 🙂 Continue Reading
Imagine you are a young woman walking down a street in the US when a group of young men starts hooting and whistling at you. It’s probably annoying, even infuriating, but you keep walking and ignore them. Now imagine the same thing happening on a street in Kiev or Odessa. You should probably run for your life because you may have just become a target to be kidnapped and sold as a sex slave in a distant land. Continue Reading