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Archives: July 2017
Is Electricity a Right, even for Palestinians of Gaza? Israel’s Obligations
By Julie Webb-Pullman. | (TeleSur) | - - The bowing of Israeli occupation authorities to the request of the Palestinian Authority to further reduce energy supplies does not exonerate them. Israel is…
Losing Cities, can ISIL strike Iraq, West from Mountain Bases?
By Dashty Ali | Sulaymaniyah | (Niqash.org) | - - Having been driven out of Mosul, the extremist Islamic State group is doing what Al Qaeda did before them: setting up new…
Of all things Trump did to us, Vast new toxic CO2 Emissions are the Worst
By Michael T. Klare | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - Who says President Trump doesn’t have a coherent foreign policy? Pundits and critics across the political spectrum have chided him for…
On one day in May, Italy got 87% of its Electricity from Renewables
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - * On one day in May, Italy met 87% of its electricity production needs from renewables. This statistic was a fluke, since ordinarily…
Intel Community: ‘How can we work for a President who Undermines our work?’
By Mattathias Schwartz, special to ProPublica | - - Last week, Dan Coats, the former senator from Indiana and current head of the U.S. intelligence community, was interviewed by NBC's Lester Holt…
Turkey’s Vast Censorship now Enlists all Citizens in Twitter Police Reports
Dağhan Irak | (The Conversation) | - - On July 4, Eren Aksoyoğlu, a member of the Turkish Joint June Movement opposition bloc, was taken into custody for a tweet criticising the…
Israel to penalize Amnesty Int’l financially over support for Boycott
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israel’s Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has reportedly taken steps to strip Amnesty International of its tax benefits in Israel, barring Israeli donors from…
Top 5 Trump Secrets of Sadism, from Trans People to Priebus to Police
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump is a "Tyrannical Sadist". It may not be a personality disorder in the latest diagnostic manual on its own any more (it…
L-G-B-T’ – James Corden Sings for Transgender Troops
The Late Late Show with James Corden. | (CBS Video) | - - "James Corden responds to President Donald Trump's decision to ban transgender people from the military with a parody of…
Tesla 3 Arrives: Beginning of End of Climate Change? (Video)
CBS SF Bay Area | (Video News Report) | - - "Tesla Inc. is set to deliver the new electric Model 3 compact car to its first 30 customers on Friday evening.…
Accountability: Pakistan PM Resigns After Supreme Court Corruption Ruling
TeleSur | - - The ruling comes after months of hearings over Nawaz Sharif's alleged corruption. Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resigned on Friday after the country’s Supreme Court disqualified him from…
Huge Palestinian Demos over Sacred al-Aqsa lead Israel to lift all Restrictions
Ma'an News Agency | - - JERUSALEM (Ma’an) – Following deadly clashes that erupted across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and besieged Gaza Strip on Friday in protest of continued…
Shell, terrified of EVs, expects ‘low forever’ Gasoline Prices; it is too Optimistic
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Telegraph reports that Royal Dutch Shell, the massive oil company, has abruptly decided that petroleum prices are likely to remain low "forever,"…
Want Iranian Democracy? We had one & CIA overthrew it
By Joseph McQuade | (The Conversation) | - - The US and Iran have a complicated relationship. At the moment, it is tense, divisive and delicate. Just over 60 years ago, things…
Turkish Legislators hold Sit-in to protest Creeping Dictatorship
TeleSur | - - Under the changes, lawmakers can also vote to ban for three sessions fellow parliamentarians who use expressions such as "Kurdistan" or "Kurdish provinces." Turkey’s main opposition staged a…
Syria: The American War on Civilians
By Laura Gottesdiener | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - It was midday on Sunday, May 7th, when the U.S.-led coalition warplanes again began bombing the neighborhood of Wassim Abdo’s family. They…
Mideast’s ‘Only Democracy’ joins push to Silence Al Jazeera: Netanyahu
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump has his Twitter. Apparently far right wing Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has his Facebook. In a Facebook posting, Netanyahu vowed to…
UN Says Yemen Is Now the Largest Global Humanitarian Crisis
TeleSur | - - Arab nation is said to be on the brink of famine after almost 2 years of war and disease. In Yemen, the world's worst cholera outbreak is unfolding…
Island sinking b/c of Climate Change Seeks Seat on UN Security Council
By Thalif Deen | (Inter Press Service) | - - An aerial view of the Village of Kolhuvaariyaafushi, Mulaaku Atoll, the Maldives, after the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider UNITED…
Can Nukes really be Banned? Are we Safe if they Aren’t?
By H. Patricia Hynes | (Informed Comment) | - - Against all odds, 122 countries agreed on July 7 to ban nuclear weapons. At the heart of the United Nations treaty is…
Is Trump’s Cabinet Collapsing?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump keeps tweaking his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, in press interviews and on twitter, complaining bitterly that Sessions recused himself from the Russia…
Top Ten Ways your Taxes pay for Endless War
By William D. Hartung | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - You wouldn’t know it, based on the endless cries for more money coming from the military, politicians, and the president, but these…
Trump’s US sees Spike in Hate-Fueled Violence, as Tweets distract Public
By Joe Sexton | ProPublica | - - Last Wednesday, July 19, was something of a busy news day. There was word North Korea was making preparations for yet another provocative missile…
India: With 370% increase in Solar, aims at Electricity for all by 2030
World Bank. | (Video Report) | - - "With a sweeping commitment to solar power, innovative solutions and energy efficiency initiatives to supply its people with 24x7 electricity by 2030, India is…
Trump: Aid to Syrian Rebels was ‘Massive,’ ‘Dangerous;’ slams Post
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump trashed the Washington Post on Monday, calling it the Amazon Washington Post and implicitly complaining about a July 19 article on his…
The challenges and strengths of Palestine’s ‘orchestra’ of civil resistance
By Molly Wallace | ( Waging Nonviolence / Peace Science Digest) | - - Contrary to widespread stereotypes regarding the nature of Palestinian resistance, there has long been a tradition of unarmed…
There’s No ‘Free Market’ Solution to Health Care
By Geoff Coventry | (Otherwords.org) | - - A fully privatized system can never adequately provision the nation. The Republicans have big plans for health care in this country: to eliminate coverage…
Revolution Over? Draft Law Could Return Tunisia to a Police State
By Amna Guellali | ( Human Rights Watch) | - - Parliament Should Reject Abusive Security Bill Since the fall of the government of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, Tunisia's…
Screwdriver Attack at Israeli Embassy in Jordan over Aqsa Mosque Tensions
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - On Sunday in Amman, the capital of Jordan, two workers arrived at the Israeli Embassy in the tony Rabiyeh neighborhood. One of them…
Not Winning in Afghanistan: Why?
By Solaiman M. Fazel | (Informed Comment) | - - Candidate Trump in his dynamic public rallies repeatedly criticized the former U.S. president for not winning anymore. Trump also mentioned, “If I’m…
After ISIL Defeat in Mosul, Camps or Rehabilitation for Families?
Nawzat Shamdeen | (Mosul) | (Niqash.org) | - - Locals in Mosul are divided on whether to rehabilitate, reconcile or punish the families of Islamic State members. Meanwhile rumour has it that…
Who’s a ‘Bad Jew’?
By John Feffer | ( Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - Progressive Jewish groups are rising to criticize the Israeli occupation and fight fundamentalism in both Israel and the West. In…
Top Five Rogues Pardoned by Presidents; will Trump try to be 6th?
By Juan Cole |. (Informed Comment) | - - Trump has been tweeting again, this time about his unlimited ability to pardon people according to the Constitution. That part is correct. He…
If we don’t Dump Fossil Fuels *Now*, we’re Sticking our Kids with $530 Trillion in Debt
By James Dyke | (The Conversation) | - - By continuing to delay significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, we risk handing young people alive today a bill of up to US$535…
Speculation Mounts of Splits in Trump’s Ranks as Spicer Quits
TeleSur | - - The U.S. President's legal team is also undergoing a shake-up. Sean Spicer, the controversial White House press secretary, has resigned and will be replaced by his former deputy,…
Even Major Oil State UAE running for Exits toward Green Energy
By Rabiya Jaffery | (Inter Press Service) | - - ABU DHABI (IPS) - Much of the world is moving away from oil for its electricity generation, according to the International Energy…
How our Intel Agencies Screwed us by Letting Sessions, Trumpies get away with Russia Scheme
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Adam Entous, Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller at WaPo report from a US intelligence source that former Russian ambassador to the US, Sergei…
Can Trump use the presidential pardon to thwart the Russia investigations?
By Austin Sarat | (The Conversation) | - - Speculation is mounting that President Donald Trump could issue a pardon to members of his family and close associates who are suspected of…
Don’t worry, Trump: Chinese firm provides U.S. coal miners w/ wind energy jobs
CGTN | (Video News Report) | - - "For years, coal and oil and gas have been Wyoming’s bedrock. 40% of U.S. coal is still produced in the state but the industry…
The U.S. Empire is ‘Fraying’ and ‘Collapsing’: Pentagon Study
TeleSur | - - Report says Washington should consider the "post-primacy" milieu as a "wakeup call". A study by the Pentagon, "At Our Own Peril: DoD Risk Assessment in a Post-Primacy World"…
Top 4 Lessons Trump can Learn from Napoleon in Russia
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump's New York Times interview can only be understood, to the extent that it can be understood, as the ramblings of someone suffering…
Morocco’s Rif Revolt: Only a Democratic Response is Sufficient
By Hsain Ilahiane | (Informed Comment) | - - Since October 2016, the Berbers (Imazighen) of the Rif, a region on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco, have been carrying out one of…
Empire of Destruction: Mosul reveals Myth of Precision Bombing
By Tom Engelhardt | (Via Tomdispatch.com ) | - - You remember. It was supposed to be twenty-first-century war, American-style: precise beyond imagining; smart bombs; drones capable of taking out a carefully…
Trump hands Putin gift, cancels Support for Syrian Rebels
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Greg Jaffe and Adam Entous at WaPo report that Trump cancelled the CIA program to support the remnants of the Free Syrian Army…
What, or who, Explains Spike in Hate Crimes against US Muslims?
By Brian Levin | (The Conversation) | - - Hate crimes against Muslims have been on the rise. The murder of two samaritans for aiding two young women who were facing a…
Yemen: Saudi-led Airstrikes kill 28 civilian refugees
TeleSur | - - Yemen has been ravaged by the ongoing war, which has claimed more than 10,000 people and caused a cholera outbreak among 300,000. Officials from both the Yemeni Government…
Protest: Religious leaders call on Jerusalem Palestinians to pray at Al-Aqsa on Friday
Ma`an News Agency | - - JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- Members of the Waqf, or Islamic trust, in charge with running Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, called on Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem to close…
Saudi, slamming Qatar for Extremism, arrests Model for wearing Skirt in Public
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The intrepid Yaroslav Trofimov of WSJ said it all: Good luck to the Saudi PR campaign about how Qatar is the source of…
One Year Later: Why the Purges in Turkey Were Always in the Pipeline
By Sarphan Uzunoglu. | ( GlobalVoices.org ) | - - When it comes to Turkey, representatives of European Union countries—aided and abetted by Turkish liberals who got the ruling Justice and Development…
Unable To Kill Obamacare, Republicans Plot To Kill Medicare (TYT Video)
Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video Report) | - - "Republicans want to privatize, cut, and eventually kill Medicare. Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks, breaks it down. "If House…
Donald Trump and the Invisible Monster of Climate Change
John Feffer. | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - Once upon a time, long, long ago, I testified before the great assembly of our land. When I describe this event to children…
Unpopular: Trump’s low Polls one reason for Healthcare Defeat
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - For now, the second GOP attempt to replace Obamacare with Trumpcare has failed, with two more senators defecting (one saying the bill does…
The Dangerous Unreality of Trumpland rests on a Totalitarian Foundation
By Dan Dinello | (Informed Comment) | - - Like the Black Lodge in David Lynch’s revival of Twin Peaks, reality is twisted into strange, absurd forms in the world of Trump.…
What impact will Saudi-Qatar Struggle have on Palestinians?
By Israa Khater | ( OpenDemocracy.org ) | - - No conflict in the Middle East spares the Palestinians, and the recent crisis in the GCC is no exception. Following the escalation…
Russia: Assault on Freedom of Expression
Human Rights Watch | - - Repressive Laws and Policies Restrict Online Speech, Stifle Critical Voices (Moscow) – Russia has introduced significant restrictions to online speech and invasive surveillance of online activity…
Did UAE plant Fake News about Qatar to Fool Trump?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The intrepid Karen DeYoung and Ellen Nakashima report at WaPo that anonymous US intelligence officials have decided to go public with what they…
Turkey’s Emboldened Opposition
By Sinan Ülgen | (Project Syndicate) | - - ISTANBUL – In Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government has been working to centralize political power, opposition parties have lately had few…
In Int’l Diplomacy, Does Trump know the Art of the Deal?
By John Feffer | ( Foreign Policy in Focus) | - - From North Korea to Russia to the Middle East, there's no shortage of deal-making needed. But beware the fine print…
Is Trump Sign or Cause of US Imperial Meltdown?
By Alfred W. McCoy | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - The superhighway to disaster is already being paved. From Donald Trump’s first days in office, news of the damage to America’s…
Turkey: Erdogan Marks Coup anniversary with more Crackdowns
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey commemorated on Saturday the anniversary of the failed coup in that country. The coup attempt was genuinely unpopular.…
Brain Fitness: Why you’re losing out if you’re not Learning another Language
By Gaia Vince | ( Mosaic: The Science of Life) | - - Why being bilingual helps keep your brain fitMost people in the world speak more than one language, suggesting the…
Federal Judge strikes down Granny Exclusion in Trump’s Muslim Ban 2.0
By Andrea Germanos, staff writer | ( Commondreams.org)) | - - Judge writes that "the Government's definition [of 'close familial relationship'] represents the antithesis of common sense." A federal judge said Thursday…
For Clean, Cheap Energy, Cities & Counties should Take Over
By Sarah van Gelder | ( Yes! Magazine ) | - - A new report finds public ownership is the best way for cities and towns to meet renewable energy and efficiency…
25% of Australian Homes have gone Solar and other Green Triumphs this Week
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Renewables continue to take the world by storm, which is good news for the climate. Because of less expensive and more efficient technology,…
Human Rights Defenders Are Still Behind Bars in Turkey
By Zara Rahman | ( GlobalVoices.org) | - - Eight of Turkey's most respected human rights defenders were arrested last week, along with two information technology trainers from Sweden and Germany. All…
Saudi Bloc: Qatar’s Al Jazeera can Stay, it Just has to Report as We Say
TeleSur | - - Al Jazeera said it rejects any “external intervention” and reiterates its “independence and professional editorial stance.” The four Arab countries currently boycotting Qatar are set to drop their…
Who are the Trumps’ Russian Fixers? Meet Rinat Akhmetshin
By Mike Eckel | ( RFE/RL) | - - WASHINGTON -- As recently as last year, Rinat Akhmetshin could be seen regularly pedaling through downtown Washington, D.C., nattily dressed, with a pocket…
Trump & Macron Consult on Syria Cease Fire in Shadow of Don Jr. Scandal
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - French President Emmanuel Macron and his American counterpart Donald J. Trump consulted on a number of bilateral issues on Wednesday, including cooperation in…
Trump’s Worst Collusion Isn’t With Russia — It’s With Corporations
By Peter Certo | (Otherwords.org) | - - The billionaires who backed Trump are making out a lot better than Putin. I’ve always been a little skeptical that there’d be a smoking…
Does Sunni Fragmentation after ISIL threaten Iraq’s Future?
By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - As the date for a Baghdad summit on unity nears, the cracks are showing. It seems the country's Sunni politicians can’t even…
What good is our Nat’l Security State if we’re afraid to Leave Home?
By William J. Astore | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - Has there ever been a nation as dedicated to preparing for doomsday as the United States? If that’s a thought that hasn’t…
Arab Youth Bulge: Could this Generation Explode Again?
By IPS World Desk ROME/AMMAN (IPS) - More than ever before, the Arab region now registers an unprecedented youth population growth while facing huge challenges such as extremely high unemployment rates –more…
The Real Victims of Trump-Putin Illiberalism: Women
By Gail Ukockis | (Informed Comment) | - - When I first read about the Russian government decriminalizing domestic violence recently, my first thought was: it can’t happen here. Then I realized…
Novelist Arundhati Roy and her mission to inspire in the ‘Ministry of Utmost Happiness’
By Ali Kazimi | (The Conversation) | - - Anjula Gogia, the activist bookseller from Another Story Bookshop in Toronto, had patiently nudged me over a few weeks to introduce and host…
Resistance is Fertile
Frida Berrigan | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - In the wake of Donald Trump’s inauguration, George Orwell’s 1984 soared onto bestseller lists, as did Sinclair Lewis’s It Can’t Happen Here and Margaret…
Influence: Russia just Imitated the Rupert Murdoch/Fox Model
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - In Edgar Allan Poe's "Purloined Letter," detective C. Auguste Dupin discovers a stolen letter in the thief's own apartments after police searches had…
Now they hate Universities: Trumpie anti-Intellectualism infects GOP
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - A new Pew poll finds that 58% of Republicans now say that colleges and universities have a negative impact on the United States.…
New UN Report Documents Legacy of 10-year Siege in Gaza
By IMEMC News | - - Most of the projections for 2020, on the situation in the Gaza Strip, have deteriorated further and faster than anticipated in 2012, the United Nations said…
Uber Can be Fixed; and Mideast Women Need It
By Neslihan Cevik | (Informed Comment) | - - While in such metropolises as New York or Istanbul, Uber is most famous for hacking the commercial taxi system, it has hacked something…
Rolex “Caliph” of ISIL Dead: Syrian Observatory
TeleSur | - - Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death has been widely speculated for months. Reports from the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, SOHR, claim that ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi…
Top 5 Muslim-related Hypocrisies in the Donald Trump Jr. Russia Meeting
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The dishonesty and bad faith of Donald Trump's Muslim ban and general pose of hating Muslims is obvious to anyone who attends to…
S. Africa ruling party will downgrade ties with Israel over Illegal Occupation
Ma'an News Agency | - - PRETORIA (Ma'an) -- The African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party of South Africa, voted on Tuesday in favor of downgrading South Africa’s diplomatic representation in…
Can the Liberation of Mosul begin to free the Mideast from Fundamentalism?
By Balsam Mustafa | (The Conversation) | - - After an offensive lasting nearly nine months, the Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, walked through the streets of Mosul on July 9 after…
How Dangerous is Trump’s Flirtation with Violence?
By Ian Buruma | (Project Syndicate) | - - NEW YORK – Some people might have dismissed Donald Trump’s recent tweet of a video clip showing him punching the face of a…
Hobby Lobby caught smuggling Iraqi Antiquities (TYT)
Cenk Uygur and Brett Erlich | (The Young Turks News Video) || - - "Hobby Lobby just got caught smuggling. Cenk Uygur and Brett Erlich, the hosts of The Young Turks, tell…
We have dire Problems: Don’t be distracted by Trump’s Twitter Cascades
By Tom Engelhardt | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - I don’t tweet, but I do have a brief message for our president: Will you please get the hell out of the way for…
Iraqi Gov’t declares “mighty Triumph” over ISIL in Mosul, as Sunni Press decries Casualties
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Al-Mada reports that 24 hours after Mosul was completely liberated from the hold of Daesh (ISIS, ISIL), Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi visited it…
G19 outmaneuvers climate Rogue Trump, ignores Donald & Ivanka
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - German Chancellor Angela Merkel ran rings around Trump at the G20 summit in Hamburg, where pictures show Donald sitting alone and being ignored…
Al Jazeera Defies Saudi Bloc’s pressure to close: ‘Journalism itself is under Siege’
AJ+ | (Video News Report) | - - "Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain want Al Jazeera - including AJ+ - to be shut down. Here’s what Al Jazeera journalists think…
Syria: US & Russia Agree to Ceasefire, De-Escalation: But will it Hold?
TeleSur | - - Rex Tillerson praised the agreement as indicative of future cooperation in Syria, but also said that the United States still sees no "long-term role" for the Assad government.…
When will gasoline cars be illegal? France throws its Beret into the Ring
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The answer to the question in the title depends very much on the precise question being asked and on the country. If we…
G-20: Germany aims to isolate Trump on Paris Climate Plan
By Dave Keating | Euractiv.com | - - Angela Merkel wants all countries in the group except the US to sign up to a strong statement supporting the Paris Agreement but Saudi…
New Neocon Mantra: Hit Iran, b/c like Soviet Union, it is Collapsing
By Jim Lobe | (Inter Press Service) | - - WASHINGTON, (IPS) - Iran hawks suddenly have a new mantra: the Islamic Republic is the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, and…
Trump’s Fascist Weakness Mars Poland Diatribe
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Donald Trump's speech in Poland may have attempted to camouflage its Fascist undertones with some Nazi-bashing, but no one will be fooled. The…
Can Total’s Gas deal in Iran vindicate the Nuclear Deal?
By Meysam Tayebipour | (The Conversation) | - - Nine years ago, when sanctions were imposed on Iran by the international community, Total was the last Western energy company to suspend its…
Do an Unstable President and a Reckless Prince threaten the World?
By Dilip Hiro | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - The Middle East. Could there be a more perilous place on Earth, including North Korea? Not likely. The planet’s two leading nuclear armed…
Poor in the U.S. South Will Bear the Brunt of Climate Change: Research
TeleSur | - - "There will be winners and losers from climate change within the United States,” said Amir Jina, a University of Chicago economist. A new study shows that climate change…
RIP Internal Combustion gasoline Engine: Volvo Goes Electric
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The Swedish auto manufacturer Volvo, owned by the Chinese automotive corporation Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd, has abruptly decided to produce only…
Why Mosul Matters
The Economist | (Video News Report) | - - "Mosul stands on the brink of recapture from Islamic State fighters, but the future of the city is uncertain. With several parties jostling…
Congress must take back the car keys of Perpetual War from Trump
By Peter Certo. | (Otherwords.org) | - - By putting such a sinister face on it, Trump might have finally inspired lawmakers to rein in America’s post-9/11 war machine. A Bipartisan Vote…
Saudi-Led Group: Qatar to be Sanctioned for ‘Negative’ Response to Demands
TeleSur | - - Saudi Arabia said restrictions on Qatar will continue, but it did not announce new sanctions against Doha. Foreign ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and…
Record: Germany at 35% Renewables in Electricity Production
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - So far this year, over a third of German electricity has come from wind, solar, biomass and hydro, at 35%. That is 2…
Iraqis Travel to Mosul to Celebrate Holy Day in a Show of Solidarity
By Sali Mahdy | (GlobalVoices.org) | - - A group of around 300 Iraqis recently traveled from south and central Iraq to Mosul to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday with their newly…
Iran’s ‘Trumpism’ Cartoon Contest Draws 1,600 Submissions
TeleSur | - - More than 1,600 artworks were submitted to the “International Trumpism Cartoon and Caricature Contest.” U.S. President Donald Trump and his policies are the themes of an international cartoon…
It’s going to Get a lot Hotter; how Hot depends on You
Richard B. Rood | (The Conversation) | - - Earth’s climate is changing rapidly. We know this from billions of observations, documented in thousands of journal papers and texts and summarized every…
Independence: Remembering Capt. Humayun Khan, Muslim Patriot
Khizr Khan | Associated Press | - - "The father of Humayun Khan, a Muslim American soldier who died during his service, questioned Donald Trump's patriotism at the Democratic National Convention, asking…
Leftist Kurds with US Air Support breach Walls of ISIL Capital, enter Old City
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Al Jazeera reports that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) supported by the US Air Force and other international allies, has breached the walls…
What’s with the Victorious GOP’s obsession with Civil War?
By David Faris | (Informed Comment) | - - Have you and your friends gotten into a spirited board game of Bizingo recently? Have you ordered a slew of dome-style skirts from…
Is Scott Pruitt Helping a Corporation Poison Your Kids? (TYT)
Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian, Ben Mankiewicz | (The Young Turks Video) | - - "Does Scott Pruitt know how evil he is? Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian, and Ben Mankiewicz, hosts of The…
Dutch Furious as Israel seizes Solar Panels donated to Palestinians
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Netherlands has reacted with outrage after Israeli authorities seized dozens of solar panels in a remote occupied West Bank village that were…
Iraq united to defeat ISIL, but can it avoid Break-up Afterwards?
By Dylan O’Driscoll | ( OpenDemocracy.net ) | - - Multiple segments of the population, including at elite level, have come together in the fight against IS and now the time has…
Trump has it Backwards: Green Energy will Make America Great
By Joseph E. Stiglitz | (Project Syndicate) | - - BRUSSELS – Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the United States took another major step toward establishing itself as a rogue state on…
With CNN Reporter Attack Video, Trump apes Seedy Dictators
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Trump has taken another big step toward becoming an African dictator. On Sunday he tweeted a video someone made for him that was…
Gunmen Shoot at Mosque-goers in France, Injure 8, including Child
TeleSur | - - Avignon police are now searching for the suspects who fled the scene. In the southeastern city of Avignon in France’s Provence region, two hooded men pulled up to…
Did Trump commit a crime in trying to Blackmail Mika and Joe? (TYT)
Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian, Ben Mankiewicz | TYT Video Report | - - "The President of the United States is tight with the owner of "The National Enquirer,” because of course he…
Another “Unbalanced” White Terrorist targets Muslims at Mosque Near Paris
TeleSur | - - Although the official investigation clearly said the attack was "deliberate," the mainstream French media failed to report it. A man in a 4×4 car intentionally tried to run…
Top 6 Things Trump didn’t know about Herat when he barred Girl robotics Scientists from US
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The US embassy in Kabul has denied a visa to 6 Afghan high school students from Herat to accompany their invention in robotics…
UN: Saudi Bloc attempt to close Al Jazeera is attack on Freedom of Expression
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Reuters reports that U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, is "extremely concerned by the demand that Qatar close down the…
The Violent “American Century”
By John Feffer | (FPIF) | Originally published in Korea Quarterly | - - The last near-century of American dominance was extraordinarily violent. Is it coming to an end? John Dower is…