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Pagan News Beagle: Fiery Tuesday, March 29

We remember a momentous event in Irish history. The international community turns its scrutiny on the disappearance of five booksellers in Hong Kong. And the role of Muslims in Western media is examined. It's Fiery Tuesday, our weekly segment on political and societal news from around the world! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

100 years ago, at the height of World War I, a group of Irish nationalists banded together and launched an armed insurrection against British rule in Ireland. The revolt ultimately failed but it galvanized public support among the Catholic majority of the government for independence, which was later achieved in 1921.The Wild Hunt takes a look at the complicated legacy of the Easter Rising.

It's not every day a major political party dies. After 18 years, the Democratic Party of Japan, the chief political opposition of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP, has dissolved itself and merged with the Innovation Party into the new Democratic (Progressive) Party. You can learn more about the rationale for this decision and what it means for Japanese politics here.

Despite progress in the economic realm, China remains a deeply illiberal regime when it comes to political rights. One recent case which has drawn international attention was the sudden disappearance of five booksellers in Hong Kong associated with a media group openly critical of the ruling government.

Another regime facing increasing scrutiny from political activists is Russia, which has drawn intense criticism for its interventions in both Ukraine and Syria as well as the Putin government's aggressive rhetoric towards Russia's neighbors. And as in China, many political dissidents feel they're no longer safe in their own country. Der Spiegel interviews three Russian activists who've fled their country for fear of their lives.

How much responsibility does Western media bear for the antagonism between the West and the Muslim world? Quite a bit, Steve Rose would argue. In this piece for The Guardian, Rose takes a look at the adversarial approach Hollywood has historically taken towards Muslims.


Top image by JerryofWong

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Aryós Héngwis (or the more modest Héngwis for short) is a native of the Pontic-Caspian steppe, born some 5000 years ago, near the village of Dereivka. In his youth he stood out from the other snakes for his love of learning and culture, eventually coming into the service of the local reǵs before moving westward toward Europe. Most recently, Aryós Héngwis left his home to pursue a new life in America, where he has come under the employ of BBI Media as an internet watchdog (or watchsnake, if you will), ever poised to strike the unwary troll.

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