[NEWS] Some Friday links

[rfmcdonald]

• Al Jazeera notes ethnic violence in Assam, the despair of people in Yemen who go about their lives amid chaos, Iran's advantage in the Middle East, the organization of Lebanese domestic workers, and Cambodia's predilection for spiders.


• Bloomberg View suggests the US should try for a Cuba-style opening with North Korea, criticizes the response of Hong Kong's leadership to protests, notes the consequences of Palestine's membership of the International Criminal Court, and suggests that the death of malls has been greatly exaggerated.


• The Inter Press Service notes the rapid aging of Latin American populations, suggests falling oil prices could lead to decreased military spending, wonders about the future of democracy in the Middle East generally and in Libya specifically, notes a South African crackdown on Zimbabweans lacking papers, and looks at issues with the world's poorest nations.


• Open Democracy argues for a bold defense of immigration and argues human rights should take priority over traditions.