India had an opposition politician arrested for "insulting the prime minister" (Modi). The "insult" was a quip that suggested that Modi and the coal magnate Gautam Adani were somehow the same person.

Prosecuting people for insulting officials is an attack on human rights, whether in India, in France, or any other country. Modi, je te vois!

*Former US ambassador accuses Israel of "creeping annexation" of the West Bank.* Plus breaking a former agreement with the US. More about this.

An ecosystem can collapse abruptly when the last species fulfilling some crucial role disappears from it. This is likely to happen in many places during this century.

The US government accepted a lump sum payment from Moderna for use of US-government-funded technology. That's a tiny fraction of Moderna's increased price for the Covid-19 vaccine.

For the government to accept this was dereliction of duty. The US government had the duty to make Moderna allow vaccine production world-wide, and it didn't try.

US citizens: call on Congress to Ban Partisan Gerrymandering. The Capitol Switchboard numbers are +1-202-224-3121, +1-888-818-6641 and +1-888-355-3588.

If you phone, please spread the word!