Is Yemen On The Brink Of Civil War?

Shiite rebels in Yemen signed a UN-brokered agreement with other political parties this weekend to form a new government. In weeks of intense clashes, the Shiite Houthi rebels had taken over several major government sites in the capital Sana'a with little resistance from Yemeni military forces.

Despite the signing of the agreement, Yemeni President Rabbuh Mansour Hadi warned in a speech on Tuesday that the country could still be headed for civil war. The statement marked a drastic change in rhetoric since Hadi met with the Huthis on Sunday.

In a HuffPost Live conversation on Wednesday, Yemen analyst and researcher Sama’a al-Hamdani traced the history behind the crisis and explained why the military allowed the crisis to spiral out of control.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com/
Author: HuffPost Live | By Rahel Gebreyes

EU rejects Putin demand for Ukraine deal changes

BRUSSELS: The European Union said on Friday (Sep 26) that Russian President Vladimir Putin had written to Brussels demanding changes to a landmark EU-Ukraine accord, but it ruled out reopening the deal without Kiev's consent.

Putin's letter to European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso reportedly threatened retaliatory measures if the EU and Ukraine do not stick to their agreement with Moscow to delay the implementation of the deal until 2016.

Republicans Rallying Behind 'Religious Liberty'

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fighting to improve their brand, leading Republicans rallied behind religious liberty at a Friday gathering of evangelical conservatives, rebuking an unpopular President Barack Obama while skirting divisive social issues.

Speakers did not ignore abortion and gay marriage altogether on the opening day of the annual Values Voter Summit, but a slate of prospective presidential candidates focused on the persecution of Christians and their values at home and abroad — a message GOP officials hope will help unify a divided party and appeal to new voters ahead of November's midterm elections and the 2016 presidential contest.

Secret Recordings Expose Cozy Relationship Between Goldman Sachs And The NY Fed

Barely a year removed from the devastation of the 2008 financial crisis, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York faced a crossroads. Congress had set its sights on reform. The biggest banks in the nation had shown that their failure could threaten the entire financial system. Lawmakers wanted new safeguards.

The Federal Reserve, and, by dint of its location off Wall Street, the New York Fed, was the logical choice to head the effort. Except it had failed miserably in catching the meltdown.

Harper's New Climate PR Campaign Is Downright Orwellian

Facing criticism in the lead up to the U.N. Climate Summit, which prime minister Stephen Harper did not attend, the Harper Government released a new public outreach campaign through Environment Canada, praising the country's action on climate change.

The campaign points to four pillars of Canada's climate progress including efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, investing in climate adaptation, "world-class scientific research to inform decision-making," and international leadership in climate action.

Stephen Harper Mocked Over Photos Of Empty Seats At UN Address

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is facing some mockery online after cameras caught quite a few empty seats during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday.

Gerald Butts, chief adviser to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, poked some fun on Twitter Friday.

The Great Statesman PM commanded quite the audience at the UN yesterday. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/87XsbFbbF2
— Gerald Butts (@gmbutts) September 26, 2014

The Laffer Curve Laughs All The Way To The Bank For Corporate Canada

Corporate Canada reached a milestone in 2014. For the first time ever, it now has more cash on hand than Canada’s entire national debt – $630 billion and counting.

In other words, Canada’s big corporations could pay off Canada’s entire national debt in one fell swoop with just the cash sitting in their collective bank accounts. And they wouldn’t even have to touch their other assets.

The milestone is being noted by the Progressive Economics Forum, an informal group that regularly posts progressive economic ideas and news on the web. They include David Macdonald, a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives; Toby Sanger, chief economist for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and Erin Weir, chief economist with the United Steelworkers.

For Harper, the Senate remains the mortal threat

Stephen Harper still seems to think of the Senate of Canada as his court eunuch. It may yet turn out to be his Waterloo.

Is there a single file this prime minister has bungled more sensationally — or a group he has treated with greater contempt?

First, there was the promise of no new Senate appointments. The torrent of his subsequent patronage appointments moved fast enough to generate electricity. By way of alibis, Harper claimed it was all about “reforming” the Senate — something he claimed he could do unilaterally.

State of question period shows ill democracy

OTTAWA -- If the state of democracy is only as strong as its institutions, then this week's question period put democracy on life-support.

Question period has always been a theatre for politicians to make some of their best barbs.

But when Prime Minister Stephen Harper refuses to answer questions almost anywhere else, question period is the one place left where the government might be expected to face some questions it doesn't really want to answer.

Justin Trudeau was right to block Sun for Ezra Levant’s attack

When I was about 10, living in Valleyfield, Que., I delivered the Montreal Gazette and the Montreal Star, riding a bike in the summer and pulling a toboggan in the winter.

My dad, although he never finished high school, loved reading about world affairs and brought us up to share his keen interest in news and politics. Every day, when I finished my routes, I’d read about hockey and baseball and then turn to columnists Charles Lynch and Douglas Fisher.