Battle for Tripoli Escalates as Fighting Nears Libyan Capital

THE GUARDIAN: Fighting rages between UN-backed Tripoli government and self-styled Libyan National Army

The battle for Tripoli escalated on Sunday as a military assault on the city by the eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar led to 21 deaths and nearly 90 injuries, and international calls for calm were ignored.

As the fighting neared the capital, the UN issued a plea for a temporary ceasefire to allow the wounded to be evacuated. Hours earlier, the US announced it was withdrawing some of its troops from the country, citing deteriorating “security conditions on the ground”. India also withdrew a group of its peacekeepers, saying the situation in Libya had suddenly worsened.

The international airport 15 miles south of central Tripoli was a scene of fierce battles after Haftar claimed to have seized control of the area from the UN-backed government of national accord. » | Patrick Wintour and Chris Stephen | Sunday, April 7, 2019

Trump Under Fire over Islamophobia after Man Threatens to Kill Ilhan Omar

THE GUARDIAN: Ocasio-Cortez also makes direct link between controversial remarks by Fox News’s Jeanine Pirro and threat against Omar

Donald Trump and Fox News are coming under fire for contributing to a climate of Islamophobia, following the arrest of a supporter of the president who threatened to kill Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota who was one of the first Muslim women elected to the US Congress. » | Ed Pilkington in New York | Sunday, April 7, 2019

Yuval Noah Harari on the Rise of Homo Deus

Yuval Noah Harari on the Myths We Need to Survive

Yuval Noah Harari - Q&A on Being Gay

Prof. Yuval Noah Harari presents a scientific perspective on homosexuality, and shares how this has affected his personal experience of being gay.

The Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi

On Oct. 2, 2018, Saudi agents killed Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. What has been done to hold those responsible accountable?

‘It’s Dangerous to Go Out Now’: Young, Gay and Scared in Brunei

THE OBSERVER: Draconian new laws have spread unease rather than outright panic in a population that is used to finding ways around legislation

A day after it became legally possible to be stoned to death for having gay sex in Brunei, 21-year-old Zain* got a bitter taste of the new reality.

Walking down the street in skinny jeans and high-heeled boots, a flamboyant anomaly in the conservative sultanate, the university student became a target.

“I saw this van about 50 metres away,” said Zain, who is gay. “When the driver saw me, the van accelerated, just to run me over, but I dodged it. I was like, ‘Bitch, what the hell was that?’”

Last week Brunei – a tiny tropical nation on the island of Borneo, a former British protectorate that is home to 420,000 people – introduced harsh new sharia laws, including death by stoning for adultery and gay sex, and amputation of limbs for theft. » | Kate Lamb in Bandar Seri Begawan | Saturday, April 6, 2019

RAF and Royal Navy Urged to Cut Ties to Sultan of Brunei over Anti-gay Law

THE GUARDIAN: Protests outside Dorchester hotel in London after Brunei regime passes ‘death by stoning’ law for gay sex

The RAF and Royal Navy are under pressure to cut links with the sultan of Brunei amid a global backlash against his country’s decision to introduce death by stoning as punishment for homosexuality.

The calls came after crowds protesting against the country’s new draconian penal code surged through barriers outside the Brunei-owned Dorchester Hotel yesterday afternoon, forcing the police to stand in front of its doors.

More than 100 people, many bearing a mixture of rainbow flags, banners and placards, chanted “shame on you” outside the luxury hotel in Park Lane.

The protest was led by gay-rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who said: “The sultan is copying the barbaric punishments by Isis in Syria and Iraq; enacting death by stoning for people found guilty of homosexuality, adultery and insulting the prophet Muhammad.

“He is comparable to the Isis fanatics who executed people for these so-called crimes during their murderous caliphate. Brunei should be isolated as a pariah state, just like Isis was.” » | Charles Richardson and Jamie Doward | Saturday, April 6, 2019

Companies Abandon Brunei's Dorchester Hotel over Gay Sex Law

THE GUARDIAN: Businesses including Financial Times cancel events at London landmark as backlash grows

High-profile events and awards shows have been cancelled at the Dorchester in London in protest at the decision of Brunei, the hotel’s ultimate owner, to make gay sex and adultery punishable by stoning to death.

The boycott against businesses owned by the Brunei state has continued to grow in recent days, following an outcry from LGBT campaigners including Sir Elton John over the introduction of the new rules, ordered by the sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah.

With other celebrities including the actor George Clooney giving their support to the boycott campaign, a string of companies confirmed on Friday that they would no longer be using the five-star hotel’s facilities. The TV Choice awards, several major property companies and the Financial Times were among those that said they would be cancelling events. » | Jim Waterson, Media editor | Friday, April 5, 2019

Tucker Carlson’s White Power Hour Is Losing Tons Of Money

Tucker Carlson’s ratings might be at a near-record high, but his ad dollars have been cut nearly in half in the past year. This is due to the fact that he has completely turned his program into a nationalist hour where he rails against immigrations, assimilation, and other issues that only appeal to a certain sect of the white population. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins explains what’s happening.

WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange May Be Arrested Soon

All eyes are on the Ecuadorian embassy in London after reports that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will be kicked out after seven years of asylum. Investigative journalist Ben Swann takes a dive into this situation with RT America’s Sara Montes de Oca.

The UK’s ‘Man at the EU’ on the Brexit Saga - and the Threat of No Deal

In Gary Gibbon’s latest Politics: Where Next podcast, he talks to Sir Ivan Rogers - formerly our man at the EU. He was the British diplomatic service’s top EU expert - let go effectively by Theresa May just as the Brexit negotiations were getting under way.

Européennes: le casse-tête de la participation britannique

LE FIGARO: Si le Royaume-Uni reste au sein de l’Union européenne le 23 mai, ses citoyens pourront voter lors des élections. Une participation qui aurait de graves répercussions politiques sur le Parlement de Strasbourg.

La question de la participation du Royaume-Uni aux élections européennes - prévues entre les 23 et le 26 mai selon les pays - taraude les dirigeants l’UE depuis des mois. Si le Royaume-Uni est toujours dans l’UE le 23 mai, ce pays restera un État membre à part entière et devra participer aux élections. «Nous ne pouvons pas y échapper, indique Jean-Claude Piris, l’ex-directeur général du service juridique du Conseil de l’UE. Tout citoyen de l’Union a le droit de voter aux européennes. Dans ce cas précis, cela vaut pour les Britanniques et pour tous les citoyens européens qui vivent au Royaume-Uni.» » | Par Anne Rovan | vendredi 05 avril 2019

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — April 5, 2019

Jewish Holocaust Survivor– Henryka Shaw: Testimony

Tim Ryan: Working Class Needs Someone To Represent Them | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, discusses his foreign policy credentials and the importance of a thriving middle class in America. Rep. Ryan also discusses the 2020 field and why he's fighting for the working class.

Lawrence's Last Word: Donald Trump's Worst Presidential Appointment | The Last Word | MSNBC

Alex Acosta did not deny that he broke the law when he made a plea bargain deal with sex trafficker and child rapist Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire friend of Trump's.

Holidays and Arms Deals with Brunei Don’t Trump Gay People’s Right to Exist

THE GUARDIAN: Fine words on LGBT equality from the government cost nothing – only real economic action will make a difference

Gay lives either matter or they don’t. Declaring that you support LGBTQ rights is cost-free; so is wrapping yourself in the rainbow flag, smiling at a same-sex couple publicly holding hands with that “Good for you” look in your eyes, or waving on a Pride parade with your kids. But what happens when a dictatorship allied to Britain and linked to the British establishment announces that it will stone gay people to death and torture lesbians?

Our own government has failed this test. “The Sultan of Brunei has been a great friend of this country over many years,” cooed Mark Field, describing the country as a “friendly and generous place”, blaming Britain’s mate for getting “a little bit more devout as he got older”, and calling for a “positive and constructive dialogue on this issue”. On the spectrum of condemnation, this barely qualifies as mild tutting. Over the last few years, in our time-honoured tradition of flogging weapons to human-rights abusing despots, the British government has approved millions of pounds worth of arms licences to Brunei. » | Owen Jones | Friday, April 5, 2019

This is a wonderful article by Owen Jones. Don't miss reading it all. – MA

Yemen War: Congress Votes to End US Military Assistance to Saudi Arabia

THE GUARDIAN: House voted 247-175 to send the resolution to Trump’s desk, where it is likely to be met with a veto

Congress has given final approval on a resolution to end American military assistance for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, in an unprecedented attempt to curtail the president’s power to go to war and a sweeping rebuke to Donald Trump’s foreign policy.

The House voted 247 to 175 to send the resolution to the president’s desk, where it is likely to be met with a veto. Sixteen Republicans broke ranks and joined Democrats in the effort. The Senate passed the resolution last month, with seven Republicans voting in favor of it.

The resolution’s passage sets up another confrontation between Congress and Trump, who has already threatened to veto it. The White House has said the resolution raises “serious constitutional concerns”. » | Lauren Gambino and Julian Borger in Washington | Thursday, April 4, 2019

The Guardian View on Brunei and Stoning: Don’t Leave It to Celebrities to Act

THE GUARDIAN: Brunei’s shocking new penal code must be challenged – through deeds as well as words. Britain’s responsibilities are clear

Brunei’s introduction of new laws allowing stoning for adultery and sex between men has sparked international outrage. Elton John and George Clooney’s calls for a boycott of luxury hotels owned by the tiny south-east Asian kingdom have grabbed the spotlight. The United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has condemned the “cruel and inhuman” measures, as have the EU, Australia and others.

The punishment is only one of many horrifying changes in a penal code which also covers apostasy, amputation as a punishment for theft and flogging for abortions. Lesbian sex is punishable by 40 strokes of the cane as well as jail. In some cases children who have reached puberty are subject to the same penalties as adults; younger ones may be flogged. The sharia code was first introduced in 2013, and was supposed to be enacted gradually; following an outcry the government did not bring forward its harshest elements until now. Many suspect that the impact of declining oil revenues on public spending has left Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the longest-ruling absolute monarchs, keen to bolster support among conservative elements. » | Editorial | Thursday, April 4, 2019