(By Commondreams.org Staff reporters) A new survey out Wednesday found that, contrary to the actions of their political leaders, the majority of the Israeli public favors teaching peace in schools and believes the Palestinian narrative should be presented to students. According to the findings, which were presented at an education conference at Tel Aviv University, […]
“Terrorism” tag is tool of Political Repression in Egypt
(By Human Rights Watch) (New York) – The Egyptian government’s designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization appears to be aimed at expanding the crackdown on peaceful Brotherhood activities and imposing harsh sanctions on its supporters. The government should promptly reverse the decision and stop interfering with the Brotherhood’s health, education, and other […]
EPA finally catches a Fracking polluter in the Act, levies Largest ever Civil Penalties
(By Tina Casey) US EPA Nails Fracker With Record Fine (via Clean Technica) The woes just keep piling up for Chesapeake Energy. The company is front and center in the nation’s natural gas fracking boom and it just got hit with one of the largest ever civil penalties for violating Section 404 of the Clean […]
The other Victim of Israeli settler vigilantism is Israeli Society Itself
(By Shirin Rubin) Israeli society will pay the ‘price’ for settler vigilantism, rights group warns (via The Christian Science Monitor) When Ahmad Milhem heard earlier this month that Jewish extremists had scrawled “Mohammad is a pig” on the walls of his local mosque, he feared for both his Arab and Jewish neighbors. “If our young […]
Increasingly, all Roads run through Iran (Damascus, Baghdad, Asia)
(By Marianna Charountaki) “While Iran’s importance for regional politics was always there, it has only now become apparent, especially for the foreign policies of international players, writes Dr. Marianna Charountaki.” In the aftermath of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s unsuccessful ‘zero problems’ policy with his neighbours followed by the rapprochement between the KRG and Ankara, […]
Calls for Turkey PM to resign as 3 scandal-ridden ministers quit, forcing new Cabinet
(By Fulya Ozerkan and Dilay Gundogan) Turkey PM reshuffles cabinet amid graft scandal (via AFP) Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan replaced nearly half his cabinet in a dramatic reshuffle late Wednesday after a spreading graft scandal forced the resignation of three top ministers and threatened the premier’s own hold on power. Erdogan… Related […]
Assyrian Christian Revival in Turkey
(By Alexander Christie-Miller) The Christian Science Monitor recently reported on an Assyrian Christian revival in southeastern Turkey, fueled by a burgeoning Turkish economy and more tolerant laws enacted by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. In eastern Turkey, a rare renaissance for Middle East Christians (via The Christian Science Monitor) Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses the […]
Damascus’s Other Battle: Regime Cyberwar on the Opposition
(By Dave Maass) Social Engineering and Malware in Syria: EFF and Citizen Lab’s Latest Report on the Digital Battlefield (via EFF) More than two years into the Syrian conflict, the violence continues both on the ground and in the digital realm. Just as human rights investigators and weapons inspectors search for evidence of chemical weapons, […]
Climate Denialists Spending Billions in untraceable Dark Money to fool the Public
(By Lauren McCauley) The expansive misinformation campaign behind climate change denial is increasingly being funded in the dark, reveals a new report published Friday in the journal Climatic Change According to the study titled "Institutionalizing Delay: foundation funding and the creation of U.S. climate change counter-movement organizations," while the largest and most consistent funders of […]