With the difference between Iran and its interlocutors narrowing …
- Iran Nuclear Deal Closer as Diplomats Gather in Geneva (Guardian)
- Kerry to Join Iran Nuclear Talks in Bid to Bridge Gaps (Reuters)
- Nuclear Talks: What Does Iran Have the ‘Right’ to Do? (Christian Science Monitor)
- Foes of an Iran Nuclear Deal Refocus on Containing the Damage (Christian Science Monitor)
… and sober observers warning that impeding progress can only have dangerous consequences …
- Drawn-out Nuclear Negotiations Push Iranians ‘into Khamenei’s Lap’ (Christian Science Monitor)
- UK Ambassador Urges US Congress Not to Impose New Sanctions on Iran (Guardian)
… yet the Israeli PM continues to call “on pro-Israel groups around the world to mobilize their supporters in his campaign for war, and they are responding with the requisite enthusiasm” even though “the Iranians have the right to enrich under the terms of the Nonproliferation Treaty…. Any move … to enrich beyond permitted limits would soon be detected” …
- Will Israel Drag Us into Yet Another War? (antiwar.com)
… and even his own military can see the up-side to an agreement:
- Israeli Military Goes off Message on Iran Nuclear Talks (Christian Science Monitor)
The controversial agreement that grants American troops “immunity from Afghan prosecution” for wrongdoing in exchange for “an open-ended commitment from the US to train, equip, and fund [Afghan] security services” has been thrown into doubt after Karzai tells the loya jirga that even if they approve it he wants to postpone signing until after the April elections”:
- Karzai Tells Afghan Loya Jirga that US Not to Be Trusted (Christian Science Monitor)
“Drone strikes are highly controversial to begin with, but today’s strike provoked additional outrage for reaching into the more settled areas of Pakistan proper” and reportedly hitting a school:
- In Rare Move, Drone Strike Reaches Beyond Tribal Area, Targets Pakistani Province (Christian Science Monitor)
An expert on gender issues in the Arab world refuses to take part, saying, “This poll is nothing more than an example of how the West … imagines Arab women to be…. Once again, gender issues in the Arab world from the Western perspective are located in the domain of culture and tradition instead of institutional and patriarchal oppressions that are aided by colonial and neocolonial legacies”:
- Who Decides How to Rank Arab Women? (Al Monitor)
The Phillipines’ Muslim Family Code respects the right of young adults to marry when “of the age of puberty or upwards and not suffering from any impediment under the provisions of this Code,” and the musician will be married at a ceremony officiated by the Governor, who says Aguilar “articulated his desire to convert to Islam, even before he met and dated the young girl”:
- Freddie Aguilar Converts to Islam, Marries 16-year-old Girlfriend (Manila SunStar)
They may not be allowed to drive or leave home without a male escort, but Yemen says that doesn’t stop these Saudi women from firing “assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades at the military” …
- Yemen Arrests Suspected Female Al-Qaida Militants (AP / abc News)
… while on its northern border teh Saudis face shelling putatively “in retaliation for religious decrees in Saudi Arabia that insult Shiites and encourage killing them”:
- Iraqi Shiite Group Claims Shelling Saudi Border (AP / abc News)
“Members of Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood accused the security forces of using live rounds to disperse their protest, residents of Suez said. Police said the bullets had come from the opponents of the protesters, not from security forces. The child’s family accused the Brotherhood of responsibility for their child’s death, the state news agency MENA said”:
“The ‘Islamic Front’ unites rebel groups who want to transform Syria into an Islamic state after they overthrow the government of President Bashar Assad, the groups said in a joint statement posted on the Tawhid Brigade’s Facebook page”:
- Syrian Muslim Rebel Groups Say They Have Unified (AP / NPR)
“While Moscow has hundreds of Orthodox churches, many of them empty most of the time, there are just four public mosques within the city limits. Under its 1993 constitution, Russia has four founding religions – Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism – which share equal status under the law. Almost 20 percent of Russia’s population are Muslims”:
- Moscow Mayor: No More Mosques in My City (Christian Science Monitor)
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