Ron's News

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[A good piece on the neoliberalism of Clinton I, the Trump phenomenon and why young people are so open to socialism. *RON*]
by Mike Davis, Jaconbin, 16 March 2016
Last year, when Bernie Sanders announced he would run for president in the Democratic Party primary, few imagined the support he would win. Many assumed that his self-identification as a democratic socialist would alienate voters. Yet the primary season has seen him achieve some surprising victories.

Few are better equipped to understand such a phenomenon — or the troubling rise of Donald Trump — than Marxist sociologist Mike Davis. His work on the American working class and political formation gives him a unique perspective on today’s political moment and its meaning for the Left.

In this interview, Maria Christina Vogkli, a London School of Economics sociology alumnus, and George Souvlis, a PhD candidate in history at the European University Institute in Florence, speak with Davis about…

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[On World Day Against Child Labour, The Guardian looks at everyday items that may involve some of the world’s 168 million child workers in their production processes, from necklaces and smartphones to tea and chocolate. *RON*]
Modern-day slavery in focus is supported by Humanity United, The Guardian, 12 June 2016

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[This is a common - and successful - tactic in Islamic nations for intimidating rape victims. The 22-year-old says she was drugged at Doha hotel and realised she had been raped when she woke up in unfamiliar apartment. *RON*]
Mark Tran, The Guardian, 12 June 2016
A Dutch woman arrested in Qatar on suspicion of adultery after reporting she had been raped is to appear in court on Monday.

The 22-year-old says she was drugged in a hotel in Doha, and realised she had been raped when she woke up in an unfamiliar apartment.

“She was arrested in March on suspicion of adultery, which means having sex outside marriage,” her lawyer, Brian Lokollo, told Dutch radio NOS-Radio 1.

The alleged rapist is also being held, but says the sex was consensual. The Dutch foreign ministry said the woman had been arrested but had yet to be charged.

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[Details are scant, and the gunman has been shot dead, but it's looking as though this was a hate-crime directed at a gay bar and, while the authorities are flirting with using the term "domestic terrorism" they never quite come out and describe it that way. How Presidential Candidates Are Reacting To Mass Shooting At Gay Nightclub: Bernie calls for gun control; others say 'our thoughts are with the victims.' The shooter has just been identified as a native-born American from Florida. *RON*]

By Barbara Liston, Reuters, 12 June 2016

A gunman killed 50 people and injured 53 in a massacre at a gay nightclub in the tourist hub of Orlando, Florida, early on Sunday, the city's mayor and police said, in an attack U.S. authorities are described as a "terrorism incident."

The shooter was identified as Omar S. Mateen, a man that a senior FBI official said might have had leanings towards Islamic State militants. Official…

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[Extremists across Central and Eastern Europe are feeding fears about the influx of migrants to bolster their agendas. Some are encouraging vigilante groups to patrol borders, trains and public streets, even in areas where few migrants pass. Below, a photo released in April by a group known as the Organization for the Protection of Bulgarian Citizens, which shows them in an encounter with Afghan migrants. *RON*]

By Miroslava Germanova, Boryana Dzhambazova and Helene Bienvenu, NY Times, 10 June 2016

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[A confusing week in Saudi Arabia. As in the following story, news this week suggests the US is ratcheting up its military mission in Yemen. In a somewhat contradictory move, however, the US has stalled a delivery of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. And in case you missed it, human rights groups have been in an uproar this week after the UN placed Saudi Arabia on a blacklist for committing 'grave violations' against children and then backtracked under pressure from Riyadh. All this comes as the humanitarian crisis in Yemen only grows worse. *RON*]
Andrew Tilghman, Military Times, 3 June 2016

U.S. military officials on Friday disclosed that four air strikes inside Yemen have killed 15 al-Qaida militants dating back to February and March.

Yemen is one of the terror group's primary strongholds in the region. The newly announced strikes bring to nine the total there so far in 2016, and highlight an intensifying U.S. mission that also includ…