By Scott Bridges | (The Conversation) | – – Yesterday came the surprising announcement that Al Jazeera America (AJAM), the not even three-year-old US news franchise of the Arab media giant, was shutting down. Come April this year, up to 800 journalists may be looking for work and more than US$2 billion of Qatari government […]
A radical solution to Daesh/ ISIL: Stop Intervening in the Middle East
Peter Van Buren | (Tomdispatch.com) | – – How can we stop the [so-called] Islamic State [group]? Imagine yourself shaken awake, rushed off to a strategy meeting with your presidential candidate of choice, and told: “Come up with a plan for me to do something about ISIS!” What would you say? What Hasn’t Worked You’d […]
Israeli Squatters scrawl hate graffiti on Jerusalem Church
Ma’an News Agency | – – JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — Suspected Israeli extremist wrote threatening hate speech on the doors of an ancient church in the Old City of Jerusalem >overnight Saturday, Wadie Abu Nassar, a senior advisor to the Catholic Church who is considered close to the Vatican, told Ma’an. Abu Nassar said the doors […]
Jubilation in Iran on “Implementation Day” ending Sanctions
By Mahsa Alimardani | ( Globalvoices.org) | – – Share this: The Sunday January 17 cover for Iranian reformist newspaper Ghanoon states: “Hello to a Iran without sanctions: We are relieved.” This past Saturday was implementation day for the removal sanctions agreed upon during the nuclear negotiations between Iran, the P5+1 and […]
On MLK Day, let’s Remember Ike’s warning about the Military-Industrial Complex
By Shahid Buttar | Electronic Frontier Foundation [Sunday] marked the 55th anniversary of a world-historical speech by the last war hero to occupy the White House: President Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower. His last speech while in office holds crucial implications for the U.S. today, as well as the history we celebrate . . . on […]
Evangelical Militarism & Islamophobia? Does the Wheaton College Hawkins case signal a Problem?
By Damon F. Lynch | (Informed Comment) | – – Evangelical university Wheaton College has generated global attention by suspending and initiating the firing of Professor Larycia Hawkins. She had asserted that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, quoting Pope Francis. Wheaton justifies its punishment of Dr. Hawkins theologically, stressing inviolable differences between Islam […]
Can Twitter be Sued for ‘Facilitating’ ISIL Terrorism?
By Bruce Baer Arnold | (The Conversation) | – – If ISIS and its supporters use Twitter to facilitate terrorist action or merely spread propaganda, is the social network liable? A lawsuit against Twitter in the United States in which a family is seeking compensation for the death of family member in an ISIS terrorist […]
Sanders: Michigan Governor Must Resign over Flint Lead-Poisoning Crisis
By Common Dreams staff | ( Commondreams.org) | – – Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday called on Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to resign for his administration’s failure to deal with a lead-poisoning crisis that has sickened thousands of children in Flint, Michigan. “There are no excuses. The governor long ago knew […]
Iraq: Ethnic Fighting endangers Civilians; now it’s Kurds and Shiites
Human Rights Watch | – – (Beirut) – Kurdish and Shia Turkmen armed groups have repeatedly harmed and endangered civilians in clashes in Iraq’s Tuz Khurmatu district, in Salah al-Din province, since October 2015. The armed groups have killed, wounded, and abducted civilians and destroyed scores, if not hundreds, of homes and shops. “Some of […]