Will Freeman at ThinkProgress notes that Vladimir Putin's Russia tends to take a dim view of separatists within its own borders, even as it cultivates them in places like Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, which seems odd for a guy who claims to care so much about hypocrisy: Over the years, President Vladimir Putin has made … Continue reading When it comes to separatists, irony abounds

China has apparently "sealed off" an entire city (Yumen) of 30,000 people, and put 151 of them in quarantine, after a man died of bubonic plague. It turns out that the plague still kills a whole bunch of people, mostly in the Congo region of Africa. Also, it turns out that 60 people in the … Continue reading Oh, bubonic plague. That’s nice.

The death toll in Gaza has shot up since Israel launched its ground assault on Thursday, with at least 565 Palestinians and 25 Israeli soldiers now reported dead. Yesterday's Israeli assault on the suburb of Shujaeya killed at least 72 people, most of whom were women, children, and old men, and so they were probably … Continue reading Gaza: weapons that maximize civilian deaths

Lost amidst the MH17 shoot down and Israel's continually escalating campaign in Gaza, it turns out that over 700 people were killed between Thursday and Friday in Syria, probably the most violent two-day period since the civil war began three years ago. The Islamic State seized control of the Shaer gas field in the center … Continue reading Syria’s most violent 48 hours

I'm just watching what's happening in Gaza, where Benjamin Netanyahu is talking about somehow "widening" a war that's already killed nearly 300 Palestinians and counting, and don't even really know what's left to say. If Israel hasn't already been dissuaded from its pathway to self-destruction, paved with the bodies of dead Palestinian kids, then I'm not … Continue reading Through the neocon looking glass, my latest at LobeLog

It looks like the extension will run a maximum of four months, which avoids having to deal with a new and potentially even more hostile Congress but obviously keeps the pressure on to get a deal done. Al-Monitor is reporting that the extension deal requires Iran to convert all its remaining stockpiles of 20% enriched … Continue reading Vienna: both sides agree to extend talks

I'm not normally one for conspiracy theories, but at some point you have to think there's some hidden reason why Todd Akin won't stop talking about rape. After winning an upset victory in the Missouri Republican primary, Akin was asked about abortion in the case of rape. “First of all, from what I understand from … Continue reading Speaking of false flag operations, what’s Todd Akin been doing?

A predictable, but still terrible, story out of Iraq: Again, this is disgusting but probably expected. IS is so extremist, they were bound to wind up here eventually. Ideology aside, you can't assume goodwill on the part of a demagogue who runs what amounts to a religious cult, preaching sacrifice and tradition to his followers … Continue reading Fun with headlines, Al Jazeera edition

By now you've undoubtedly heard the terrible news that a Malaysian Airlines passenger flight was shot down over eastern Ukraine today, killing all 298 people on board. It's not clear who fired the missile that destroyed MH17 on its route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur (or where it was fired from), nor is it clear … Continue reading Tragedy in Ukraine raises stakes

With the deadline to agree, disagree, or agree to spend more time disagreeing coming up fast (four days away), Reuters is reporting that Iran and the P5+1 are trying to reach an agreement on extending the duration of the talks. November's Joint Plan of Action allowed an extension of up to six months, which also … Continue reading John Kerry saw his shadow, so it looks like six more months of talks with Iran