The Houthis have continued to threaten peace and security in Yemen since they launched their coup in 2014. However, through mediation, an agreement can be made if the Houthis and their Iranian backers are willing to compromise. Saudi Arabia has always been willing to help bring peace to the impoverished Arab nation, but Iranian meddling has not helped the situation. Ultimately, the conflict can only be resolved through a political settlement, but it remains to be seen what role the Yemeni government will play in peace talks.
It's the Yemeni government and its powerful Gulf allies who have obstructed peace in Yemen and who continue to punish its citizens for standing up for themselves. A political process like this between Saudi Arabia and Iran is likely the best way to end the war at this stage in the conflict. This is a window of opportunity for Washington to end support for the brutal Saudi war of aggression on Yemen and instead offer more robust humanitarian aid.
Though Salameh is surely guilty of many things, it is obvious that he is being used as a scapegoat by Lebanon's entrenched political elite. Up until Lebanon's financial collapse in 2019, both Lebanese and European leaders considered Salameh a financial magician, lauding him for his economic policies. Now that the Lebanese system has failed, all the blame has been put on Salameh, when, in reality, it is Lebanon's entire political class that is at fault.
Riad Salameh is an American agent who works only for the US embassy in Lebanon. So many facets of Lebanon's current crisis are based on Western meddling, such as sanctions. It is well known that Salameh is protected by the Americans, as they try to blame Hezbollah and the resistance for Lebanon's decline, when, in reality, it is the West that has inflicted this suffering on the Lebanese people.
Ultimately, Salameh, though corrupt, is a highly skilled political actor. Though he has often portrayed himself to the West as a victim of Hezbollah and Iran's meddling in the country, in reality, he has played both sides for his own personal gain. Though the Americans have indicated their dissatisfaction with him, most recently by putting sanctions on Hassan Moukalled, over alleged financial ties to Hezbollah, ultimately he is still in the game.
The international community must remain firm against Myanmar's illegal and illegitimate military rule, imposing further coordinated sanctions on the junta and supporting the pro-democracy shadow National Unity Government. As long as the nationwide human rights, humanitarian, and economic crises from the coup remain and the junta continues to legitimize its indiscriminate violence against civilians, a peaceful and democratic transition is impossible.
Due to its commitment to restoring perpetual peace and stability in Myanmar, the junta has no option other than to use lethal force to fight armed insurgents and terrorists trying to seize power. Exactly what happened on Saturday morning remains unclear as there are no eyewitnesses, which is why accusing Myanmar's military of committing crimes against humanity is unacceptable.
A joint effort between the federal government and the US's largest banks has done well to avoid a run on banks with this lifeline for First Republic and other swift measures. The US banking sector, however, isn’t out of the woods yet, and it’ll take more government action to prevent a wider crash.
Amid the precarious financial environment, banks should have taken proactive measures to mitigate their losses, such as selling off their long-term bonds when they had a chance. It wasn’t a secret that the Fed intended to raise the yields on treasury bonds, yet many banks — such as Silicon Valley Bank — did nothing to shore up their vulnerable balance sheets.
The EU's Industrial Emissions Directive aims at reducing pollution from cattle, pigs, and poultry factory farms and is essential to tackling the climate and biodiversity crises. Requiring these giants of industrial livestock farming to obtain a pollution permit would be a step toward more sustainable food systems.
Curbing nitrogen emissions on farms by limiting the use of nitrogen fertilizers and slashing livestock numbers will put 5K jobs at risk in agriculture and 15K indirect jobs. This nitrogen plan, which follows EU legislation, will create a socio-economic bloodbath. The proposed cuts will put many farmers out of business. That is why farmers need to protest this proposed legislation before it's too late.
Paxlovid should be on a clear path to full approval from the FDA, and that status can’t come soon enough. This important tool in the fight against COVID would have prevented thousands of deaths last winter, and it will be useful in the winters ahead. Concerns about COVID rebound and problems with drug interactions have been addressed, so the FDA shouldn’t postpone Paxlovid’s wider availability much longer.
Not so fast. The data on who would benefit most from Paxlovid is still lacking, and there are still numerous questions that need to be answered. Doctors are already tentative about prescribing it because of the fear of side effects, in addition to uncertainty over whether it’s safe for people who are pregnant or in vulnerable populations. The FDA will have to solve many of these mysteries before full approval.
The French people are reigniting a centuries-old spirit as they fight back against autocratic ruler Emmanuel Macron. While he incessantly purports to be a proponent of democracy, Macron took matters into his own hands by raising France's retirement age. Not only did Macron abuse his power by sidestepping a parliamentary vote, but he also subverted the will of the French people in a complete slap in the face to democracy.
While controversial, leaders must make difficult and unpopular decisions for the long-term betterment of society, and Emmanuel Macron did just that in his efforts to save France’s pension problem. France’s demographics make it nearly impossible to maintain the status quo as the ratio of workers to retirees shows insolvency in the near future. Macron made a tough political decision, but it will pay off.
While the leak does not pose a risk to the public or the environment, authorities are still taking this situation seriously and working very hard to address the situation. This incident — including its health and environmental consequences — is being carefully monitored and all potential risks are being evaluated.
Although this leak is not dangerous, and tritium spills happen from time to time, any nuclear leak is still worrying. The nuclear plant is not far from a major city and it could have been a lot worse. Any time a nuclear leak occurs, there is cause for concern — and it took authorities a while to make this information public.
The ICC is another illegitimate international entity aligned against Moscow, but it's entirely powerless. While NATO-backed nations and NGOs may issue their aggressive statements, they have no jurisdiction in Russia. This is another attempt to encourage anti-Russian sentiment around the world by spreading manufactured allegations.
The international community continues to fight against Putin and the brutal war crimes he has committed during his illegal invasion of Ukraine. Despite criticisms that this decision won't bear any weight, it marks a decisive stance as the ICC continues to investigate the atrocities committed in Ukraine and is the first step to holding Putin accountable.
There's a 7.6% chance of a coup or regime change in Russia by 2024 according to the Metaculus prediction community.
While on the surface this appears to be a win for Finland, it's a decisive ploy to stoke division between the two Nordic countries. While much of Turkey's disapproval has always been directed at Sweden, Finland has made it consistently clear that NATO entry is a joint ticket. Sweden is as valuable an asset to NATO as NATO is to Sweden, and — for the sake of the Atlantic Alliance — it will be best for all parties if the issue is resolved.
Turkey doesn't oppose NATO enlargement — as evidenced by Erdoğan's latest decision — however, it does take a stand against countries that protect those who pose a security threat to Ankara. Sweden holds a bigger PKK presence than Finland and has long been criticized for its housing of multiple terrorists. There must be a change in the country's stance towards Ankara's national security if they wish to join NATO alongside Finland.