A "green" activist who was a pioneering lawyer for gay and transgender rights - including in the notorious "Boys Don't Cry" rape murder case - committed suicide by setting himself on fire Saturday morning in Brooklyn's Prospect Park in a grisly act of protest against the ecological destruction of the Earth.

David Buckel, 60, left behind a charred corpse and a typed suicide note that said he was burning himself to death using "fossil fuel" to reflect how mankind was likewise killing itself, police sources said.

He left the note in a manila envelope marked "To The Police," recovered from inside a black metal pushcart he discarded at the scene.

"There is no OPT, there is no Palestine, there was never Palestine," says Israeli Ambassador to Ghana

Israeli Ambassador to Ghana Ami Mehel angrily denied the existence of Palestine in a radio interview yesterday following Israel's decision to bar a Ghana MP from entering the country this week.

Mehel flew into a rage after being questioned by a journalist as to why Ghanaian parliamentarian Ras Mubarak was prevented from entering the occupied territories via the Allenby Crossing, despite having been granted a visa. The use of the term "oPt", an acronym for the occupied Palestinian territories, prompted Mehel to refuse to answer the question if the journalist used such terminology.

"Excuse me lady, excuse me! You said something that is unacceptable for me. If you want to talk to me, you will use the terminology that I use," he demanded. "There is no OPT, there is no Palestine, there was never Palestine. It's Israel, he wants to enter Israel!"

The ambassador denied that Mubarak had been granted a permit to enter the country and claimed that the MP was told to wait while Israeli authorities investigated the situation but that he left the crossing early of his own accord. Mehel further claimed that Mubarak had lied about the incident because he is "a propaganda machinery of the Palestinian authorities. He never asked for a visa ... its b***ls***t, its propaganda!" Mehl insisted, before being asked to control his language.

Dozens of academics at the University of Sydney have declared their support for the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, reported The Australian.

According to the paper, the move comes as a response to the lethal crackdown by Israeli occupation forces on Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip.

The Australian notes that signatories to the BDS pledge say they "will not attend conferences sponsored by Israeli universities, participate in academic exchange schemes, or otherwise collaborate professionally with Israeli universities until the stated goals have been fulfilled."

The BDS campaign, describes the paper, is an international movement "inspired by the success of boycotts in bringing an end to apartheid in South Africa".

Nick Riemer, a senior lecturer in English and linguistics at the University of Sydney and a member of its BDS group, "said the response from fellow academics was encouraging" and expressed his hope that the pledge would spread to other Australian universities.

"People are already talking at Melbourne about the possibility of something like this," he said. According to the Sydney BDS website, some 40 academics have currently endorsed the pledge.

A private college in California will be hosting a pool party later today at which white people will be excluded, with only "people who identify as POC" permitted to attend.


"POC" stands for "person of color." The event will take place at Scripps College's Sallie Tiernan Field House pool, according to The Claremont Independent.

A Facebook announcement of the event lists the party as being hosted by Café Con Leche, a student group identified in the post as "the badass Latinx at Scripps."

"Bring your chanclas and the homies over to our nice ass resort pool, LET'S TAKE UP SPACE," the announcement reads, advertising the event as "a safe space for...students that identify as POC to come together and build community."

"Enjoy some yummy snacks, tunes that slappp, and the company of other POC," the listing reads.

The announcement also advises attendees to anticipate "an anonymous Google form to notify us of people we should keep out <for the safety and comfort of all>!"

The missile strikes on Syria are another step by the US, the UK and France toward creating they own global order, where they can do what they want without answering to the UN, Willy Wimmer, former OSCE Assembly vice-head, told RT.

"Since the illegal war against Yugoslavia in 1999, they [the US, the UK and France] want to have their own international structure," Wimmer said. "They want to destroy the Charter of the UN. They are no longer interested in having an international organization, which can work. And, therefore, they do their utmost to create their own world where they can do what they want to do."

The US and its allies carried out an attack on Syria without sanction from the UN Security Council, blaming the Syrian government for an alleged chemical attack in Douma that was reported by rebel-linked groups, and without waiting for an investigation by the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The former OSCE official warned about the danger of undermining the Security Council, saying that the organization "is the only chance for the globe not to enter a period of ongoing wars."

The BBC has sparked fury among its audience over its decision to broadcast a "racist" speech warning Britain could face "rivers of blood" if it failed to curb immigration.

The speech by Conservative government minister Enoch Powell was first delivered during a conference in Birmingham 50 years ago. Powell was sacked from his role of shadow defence spokesman by the Conservative party's then leader, Edward Heath, amid claims his words incited violence.

Now actor Ian McDiarmid has been tasked with delivering the full incendiary speech as part of a BBC program airing on Saturday. But the announcement sparked outrage among the public, with critics saying the speech - which calls for a policy to repatriate foreigners - should not be given a platform.

The government should take measures to stop parents withdrawing their children from some lessons where they have to study Islam or visit mosques, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) has said.

Parents are allowed to pull their children from some Religious Education (RE) lessons that conflict with their personal views. However, a motion passed by the ATL claims the power is being abused by "prejudiced" parents.

The teachers argued that studying Islam, as well as other religions, is key to preparing pupils for adult life in the UK.

The motion at the union's conference was proposed by London teacher Richard Griffiths, who said removing children because of genuine religious beliefs was "very rare", according to The Times.

I am told that various Christians went on record gloating over the passing of the great astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and contemplating his arrival in the magma pit of Hell. Hawking's damning sin? Well, of course, he was an atheist, and what other destination would be fitting? Any mature person will deplore what John Beversluis called a "chop-licking attitude" at the prospect of one's ideological opponents frying in the Inferno. These "schadenfreudians" are like cruel children, and it would be equally silly to take them as typical Christians. But their frank sadism does raise an important question about Christianity per se. Are these gloating believers hypocrites, acting in contradiction to the faith they claim to represent? Or are they consistent with that faith?

The problem is not a contradiction between such spiteful hate on the one hand and Christian belief on the other, much as we might want it to be. No, the problem is a contradiction between aspects of the Christian faith itself. It bids us go in two different directions. Some Christians proceed in one direction, the rest in the other. Even if we are non-Christians, we wish we could say that Christian faith includes a noble moral stance, fostering forgiveness and compassion. And indeed it does. But there is a fatal Tse-tse fly in the ointment. And of course that is the doctrine of an eternal Hell for those who do not accept the Christian belief.

Of course Christians deny that it is a simple matter of one's choice of religion. They realize how unfair and arbitrary that sounds. How cruel and arbitrary that would be. So they try to ameliorate that offense by telling us (and themselves) that there is much more to it! And what is that? Wouldn't be good works, would it? Roman Catholics seem to add works to faith, as if we must make ourselves worthy of the grace of God, whatever that might mean. Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in synergism: we must work together with God's grace for it to save us. But traditional Protestants want to stick with Martin Luther's dicta of Sola fidei, Sold gratia (Faith alone/grace alone. Two "alones"? Well, yes, they're both sides of the same coin: nothing but God's grace can save us, but we must wittingly receive it or it will never really be ours. God throws out a lifeline, but the drowning man must take hold of it. I don't know if that gets them out of the jam. If it were all simply a matter of grace, we would have Christian Universalism: everybody is saved whether they know it or not! Jesus did not merely try to save humanity, and with partial results. No, he did save the human race. He didn't just provide the cure, like a chemist; he actually administered it, like a doctor.

U.S. forces depend on satellites to guide bombs, drones, and troops. Russia is developing a missile to take the spacecraft out.

You may have heard that Russian President Vladimir Putin takes an interest in exotic and impressive missile technologies. At his address to the Russian Federal Assembly last month, Putin raised eyebrows around the world by introducing a range of wacky nuclear-capable missiles, including a nuclear-powered-that's right, nuclear-powered-cruise missile.

For Putin, these weapons are a source of national pride and speak to Russia's continued great power status despite the country's increased alienation from the West and long-running economic doldrums.

Just over 3 months ago, AG Jeff Sessions dropped a bongshell on the marijuana market when he rescinded policies allowing states to legalize pot.But now, following Sen. Cory Gardner's, the Colorado Republican, threat to block all DOJ nominations, The Washington Post reports that President Trump has defused the standoff and promised the top Senate Republican that he will support congressional efforts to protect states that have legalized marijuana.