From the Trenches World Report

RT

Iran has banned teaching English in primary schools, a top education official says. The move comes amid repeated calls from Tehran to put an end to the Western “cultural invasion” of the Islamic Republic.

“Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations,” Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state-run High Education Council, said on state TV on Saturday. “This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid.”   Continue reading “Iran bans English in primary schools after calls to end Western ‘cultural invasion’”

Mail.com

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s recent abrupt push to improve ties with South Korea wasn’t totally unexpected, as the country has a history of launching provocations and then pursuing dialogue with rivals Seoul and Washington in an attempt to win concessions.

Still, Tuesday’s planned talks between the Koreas, the first in about two years, have raised hopes of at least a temporary easing of tensions over North Korea’s recent nuclear and missile tests, which have ignited fears of a possible war.   Continue reading “AP Explains: What to expect from North-South Korean talks”

Mail.com

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) — In New Jersey and California, top Democratic officials want to let people make charitable contributions to the state instead of paying certain taxes. In Connecticut and New York, officials are exploring a switch from income taxes to new ones on payroll. A few governors have even called for tax cuts.

The ideas are bubbling up as state lawmakers begin their 2018 sessions and assess the effects of the Republican tax overhaul that President Donald Trump signed into law last month. Lawmakers and governors in some states are grappling with how to protect their constituents.   Continue reading “States exploring tax changes in response to federal overhaul”

Anti-War – by Jason Ditz

With an estimated 1,000 people arrested over the course of a little over a week in protests in Iran, the most high profile may ultimately be the most surprising, with reports former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been jailed for “incitement.”

Though Ahmadinejad has not really been linked to the protest movement, he made comments during his visit to Bushehr in late December which seemed to express support for them, faulting the leadership for being “detached from the problems and concerns of the people.”   Continue reading “Iran Arrests Former President Ahmadinejad for Inciting Unrest: Report”

Free Thought Project – by Matt Agorist

Instead of going after criminals in the government or making an attempt to thwart corruption, Attorney General Jeff Sessions made his mission clear this week—he intends to crucify those who dare to ingest a plant that makes them healthier and happier.

In a statement released by the justice department on Thursday, Jeff Sessions reversed the policy of allowing states to make their own decisions on legalizing cannabis and vowed to dedicate federal tax dollars and resources to enforcing this tyranny.   Continue reading “Sessions Wages War on Natural Weed, As He Grants Maker of Fentanyl a Monopoly on Synthetic THC”

Daily Sheeple – by Paul Gordon

Cody Wilson’s Ghost Gun-inspiring company, Defense Distributed, is seeking to have its day in court through a suit with the State Department. The suit has to do with efforts by the government to regulate 3-D printed guns.

The government has shut down Defense Distributed for its efforts to share 3D printing plans with people who can then build 3D Printed guns themselves. To be sure, Cody Wilson knows full well there are plenty of ways to share these files outside of the purview of the government, but Wilson appears to be using this case for two reasons:  Continue reading “Supreme Court to Consider if 3D Printed Gun Plans Should Be Allowed to Be Shared”

Breitbart – by Neil Munro

President Donald Trump’s deputies are ending the often-extended ‘TPS’ temporary refugee status for up to 200,000 El Salvadoran migrants, which was first granted when earthquakes hit their home country in 2001.

The TPS decision — reported by numerous media outlets — underlines Trump’s determination to enforce the nation’s immigration laws, and to push his “Buy American, Hire American”  inauguration-day promise, despite growing pressure from the GOP’s business-first wing, Democrats and their allies in the establishment media.   Continue reading “Trump Ends Temporary Protected Status For 200,000 El Salvadorans”

Raialyoum – by Abdel Bari Atwan

Like many other Palestinians, I pray and implore God that US President Donald Trump makes good on his threat to cut off the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s $300 million annual grant — and also that the European donors follow suit. For that would mean the collapse of the PA and the Oslo accords that brought it into being in exchange for ceding 80% of Palestine’s territory and recognizing the Israeli state.   Continue reading “Call That a Threat? Trump would do the Palestinians a favour by cutting off aid to the PA”

LOL! Holy Cr@p! ‘They’ are grabbing at straws!

Yahoo News

So much extra water is being added into the world’s oceans from melting glaciers that the ocean floor is sinking underneath its increasing weight. This ocean floor deformation also means we have miscalculated just how much ocean levels are rising and the problem could be far worse than previously believed.   Continue reading “The Ocean Floor Is Sinking Under The Water Weight From Melting Glaciers, And It’s As Bad As It Sounds”

The Organic Prepper

Did you ever think about the fact that pharmacies are just as vulnerable as grocery stores during SHTF? Images of empty grocery store shelves in Venezuela and Puerto Rico are stark reminders of why we store extra food. But, if you have an illness that requires medication, such as asthma, it’s time to get prepped. In an already bad situation, can you imagine the helplessness you’d feel if your child or other loved one was having an asthma attack and you weren’t prepared to treat them?   Continue reading “What Preppers Need to Know About Asthma”

Global Research – by Mark Taliano

Two years ago, “Majd” wrote these words on a Facebook posting:

” I am Syrian… living in Syria in the middle of everything. We have seen horrors. It was never a revolution nor a civil war. The terrorists are sent by your government. They are al Qaeda Jabhat al Nusra Wahhabi Salafists Talibans etc and the extremist jihadists sent by the West, the Saudis, Qatar and Turkey. Your Obama and whoever is behind him or above him are supporting al Qaeda and leading a proxy war on my country.   Continue reading “I Am A Syrian Living in Syria: “It was Never a Revolution nor a Civil War. The Terrorists are sent by your Government””

Yahoo News

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Rand Paul says he’s recovering well from the November assault that left him with six broken ribs, and says violence against political figures is a concern among his colleagues.

The Kentucky Republican tells CBS’ “Face the Nation” that fellow lawmakers don’t want to think it’s open season on elected officials.   Continue reading “Recovering Sen. Paul says political violence rising concern”