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 of the GCC crisis and the deteriorating relationship between Qatar and the Gulf Triad (Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain), along with Egypt, […]
Archives for July 2017
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 and prosecutes critics under the guise of fighting extremism, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 83-page report, “Online and […]
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 know about the attempt of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to frame Qatar. The hacking attack on May 23 that planted fake news, […]
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 reasons to be optimistic. This month’s massive rally in Istanbul was a rare exception. On July 9, after walking for 25 days from […]
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 of anything with Trump’s insignia. American beef is now available in China — as a result of a deal that Donald Trump made […]
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 international stature has come hard and fast. As if guided by some malign design, the new president seemed to identify the key pillars […]
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. Erdogan blames it on the Gulen movement, a shadowy cult-like organization that for years was allied with Erdogan. But in the aftermath, Erdogan […]
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 fit Most people in the world speak more than one language, suggesting the human brain evolved to work in multiple tongues. If so, asks Gaia Vince, are those who speak only one language missing out? […]
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 that the Trump administration’s interpretation of what qualifies as “bona fide relationship” defies common sense. (Photo: allison_dc/flickr/cc) A federal judge in Hawaii late […]
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