China becomes world’s fifth-largest holder of gold Speculations about China’s increasing appetite for gold were confirmed today as Beijing revealed its gold holdings to the IMF. China now holds 1,054 tonnes of gold and has overtaken Switzerland, Japan and the Netherlands to become the world’s fifth-largest holder of gold. Beijing’s increased gold purchase is believed […]
Welcome to the new, much more visually striking Africa Blog. The FPA Blogs have all undergone an upgrade. Forgive us for any glitches in the next few days as we move forward, but we believe this will provide a better, more easily navigable, experience for both readers and bloggers. The vote counting continues in South Africa. […]
Despite tensions between Israel and Egypt over the appointment of Avigdor Lieberman toForeign Minister due to comments he previously made telling Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to “go to hell,” the controversial politician met with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman on his recent trip to Israel. Suleiman, potentially the next Egyptian president, also met with Israeli […]
I am inexhaustibly fascinated by everyday life in the late Soviet Union. It probably has something to do with trying to locate a past that I lived but was too young to remember. Imagine my excitement then at discovering the works of Boris Savelev, a rocket scientist-turned-photographer who spent the 1970s, 80s and 90s taking […]
In what is to part of a series of conversations, some of which began back in February, the Obama administration will host the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan in a trilateral summit this coming May 6 and 7. During the official summit, President Karzai and President Zardari will each meet individually with Obama and then […]
After the recent unexplained explosion of a gas pipeline between Russia and Turkmenistan, each side has been accusing the other of blowing it up. After all the words exchanged, Turkmenistan has taken action by signing a major agreement with the German energy giant Rheinisch-Westfaelische Elektrizitaetswerk (RWE). RWE now has the right to explore and develop […]
The Associated Press reported Sunday that Mohammed Zuhair al-Siddiq was arrested in Dubai in connection with the murder of former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri in 2005. But attempts to confirm the story proved difficult, as officials from Dubai denied the report. “There was definitely no arrest in Dubai,” Dubai’s deputy police chief, Major General Khamis […]
Those who stumbled across the recent Guardian article “China Considers Setting Targets for Carbon Emissions” probably did not fall off of their seats like I did. But at the very least you might have involuntarily raised an eyebrow, or two, and thought “huh, now that’s a game changer.” For people who monitor developments in climate […]
Over the last 90 days, since the beginning of the Obama Administration, the pro-Israel lobby and establishment appeared quite regularly in the news for treating the government like a marionette. First, Charles Freeman withdrew his nomination for chairman on the National Intelligence Council due to concerns that he sympathized with Arabs and did not espouse […]
As expected, it appears the post-Passover unemployment numbers will rise in the coming months due to the global economic downturn. The Israel Employment service estimates that 130,000 layoffs will occur between now and the end of the year. In order to curb the rise in unemployment rates, some industry officials advocate mandating ‘buy-Israel’ maneuvers similar […]
The White House will host separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in order to advance the peace process, according to White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs. While the White House has yet to release the specific dates for all the meetings, anticipated before mid-June, […]
As the media continues to condemn Israel for alleged human rights violations in the recent Gaza operation, the Washington Post‘s Richard Cohen instead focuses his attention on inhumane acts committedby Hamas. His column uses evidence from a recent Human Rights Watch report that includes horrific stories regarding Hamas security forces’ treatment of Palestinians. Cohen contends […]
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