May, 2012

• 28 May

  Washington’s Hypocrisies By Paul Craig Roberts

  The US government is the second worst human rights abuser on the planet and the sole enabler of the worst–Israel. But this doesn’t hamper Washington from pointing the finger elsewhere. The US State Department’s “human rights report” focuses its ire on Iran and Syria, two countries whose real sin is their independence from Washington, and on the bogyman- in-the-making–China, the …

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• 24 May

  U.N. Chief Disappointed Over Deadlocked Rio+20 Negotiations By Thalif Deen

    Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks at the General Assembly's debate, "The Road to Rio+20 and beyond", on May 22.  Credit:UN Photo/JC McIlwaine UNITED NATIONS, May 23, 2012 (IPS) – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has invested heavily in the success of the upcoming U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), is publicly expressing his frustration at the lack of substantial progress on …

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• 24 May

  Crash Alert By Mike Whitney

  As you might have noticed, the stock market is falling like a stone. As of 9 AM PST, the Dow Jones has dropped 172 points while all the other indices are down sharply. German 2-year debt (bund) has dipped below 0% this morning at auction, signalling an acceleration in the bank run taking place in southern Europe. Depositors in Spain, …

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• 22 May

  The US military option for Iran is ‘ready,’ American ambassador to Israel says: By Michal Shmulovich and Greg Tepper

  The United States has completed its planning for a military strike on Iran, the US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro said in remarks at a closed conference in Tel Aviv that were broadcast on Israel TV on Wednesday night. “It would be preferable to resolve this diplomatically, and through the use of pressure, than to use military force,” Shapiro said …

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• 18 May

  POINT OF VIEW: An agressive brand of state religion vs. others

  The Dambulla mosque fracas engineered by the militant elements of Sri Lankan Buddhists, the reaction to it by local Muslim politicians and Muslim religious leaders, the former threatening to withdraw their inconsequential support to the government while the latter urging Muslim masses to pray to Allah to restore the status quo, and the conflicting messages from the nation’s prime minister …

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• 16 May

  The origins of some Sri Lankan Muslim Foods and Beverages By Asiff Hussein

  

  Sri Lanka’s Muslims are heirs to a rich culinary tradition which has its ultimate origins in Arabia, India and the Malay world. Their cuisine is in a sense ‘international’. Here’s a brief survey of some of their more prominent foods and drinks and their origins. Buriyani A favourite rice dish which figures prominently in local Muslim feasts is the buriyani, …

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• 16 May

  “Small Five” Challenge “Big Five” Over Veto Powers By Thalif Deen

    The Security Council meets to consider the maintenance of international peace and security, but political wrangling often prevents swift action.  Credit:UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras UNITED NATIONS, May 15, 2012 (IPS) – The 193-member General Assembly is expected to vote on a resolution – described as "historic" – requesting the five permanent members (P5) of the Security Council to consider "refraining …

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