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Month: September 2015

13M Children Forced Out Of School By Western Destabilization Efforts In Middle East

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Years of war and unrest devastated education in the Middle East and North Africa, leaving more than 13 million children without safe or reliable schools across the region, according to a new report from UNICEF.

The report, “Education Under Fire,” which was released on Sept. 3, details the bitter cost of war on the future of millions of children. The report focuses on nine countries where millions have been displaced by near constant conflict and bombing since 2011.

More than 8,850 schools in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen are unusable “because they have been damaged, destroyed, are sheltering displaced families or are occupied by parties to the conflicts,” the authors noted. Just in 2014, 214 schools were attacked in the region.

‘The Politics Of Spite’: Media Compares UK’s Jeremy Corbyn To Terrorists, Donald Trump

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

On Saturday, the UK’s Labour Party elected Jeremy Corbyn to be its newest leader, and many in the media described the event in nightmarish terms, even comparing Corbyn to ISIS and Donald Trump. In reality, Corbyn has far more in common with the Labour Party’s socialist roots, and modern anti-austerity movements, then either an outspoken, racist billionaire or any religious extremist.

Adam Johnson, a journalist who contributes to Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting, tweeted out five outrageous headlines he’d seen in the wake of Corbyn’s election, all from independent media outlet The Daily Beast.

Ranging from calling Corbyn “The Labor Party’s Two Word Suicide Note” and “Lefty Christmas” to “Hezbollah’s Man In London: The Improbable Rise Of Wild-Eyed Jeremy Corbyn,” Johnson wryly commented that readers could “play ‘spot the agenda.’” The Daily Beast did later change its most extreme headline, which originally read, “What Corbyn, Trump, and Radical Islamists Have In Common,” to “The Daily Hate: Corbyn, Trump, And The New Politics Of Spite.”

Boycott On Aisle Three: Avoid These 6 Products That Support Israeli Apartheid

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which supports an end to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, is growing fast, in part because of how easy it is for people to participate. One of the simplest ways to support BDS is by making the right choices at the grocery store.

More Americans than ever support Palestinian liberation, and the movement is spreading to a record number of college campuses. It’s becoming such a threat to Israeli imperialism that opponents are pouring millions into opposing BDS, even enlisting NBA players and Hollywood celebrities. The U.S. government is consideringlegal options to fight the movement and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton recently declared her opposition to BDS.

However, the campaigns waged by the movement’s wealthy opponents are no match for the Internet. Several websites help consumers avoid companies and products with ties to Israeli occupation. The following list is compiled from bdslist.org, bdsmovement.net and a 2013 report from Alternet’s Alex Kane:

Julian Assange: US & Israel Planned To Overthrow Assad In 2006

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and MintPress News

Speaking from Ecuador’s embassy in London, Julian Assange revealed that the United States planned to overthrow the Syrian government as far back as 2006, several years before the start of the current crisis.

The founder of WikiLeaks took refuge in the Embassy of Ecuador in 2012. The premises remain under siege 24 hours a day by a large team of police to prevent Assange from ever stepping foot outside, at a cost to taxpayers that now exceeds £12 million.

The ongoing threat to his freedom hasn’t kept Assange from continuing his work revealing the dirty secrets of world governments. His latest revelations come in a Wednesday interview with RT in support of his new book, “The WikiLeaks Files,” published late last month.

‘Autism Is Not A Crime’: Transit Police Beat St. Paul Teen During Arrest

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Marcus Abrams, a 17-year-old autistic teen from St. Paul, who also suffers from seizures, didn’t belong on the tracks at a Metro Transit station, but his family is questioning the violence of his subsequent arrest during which police tackled him to the platform floor.

A photo collage posted to Facebook by Abrams’ sister two days after the incident shows multiple bruises to his face.

Advocates for the autistic and disabled say the incident highlights the need for better police training.

Is The US Involved In 134 Acts Of War Or 0?

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

The United States could be fighting in dozens of conflicts around the world or none at all, depending on how one defines “war” or “conflict.” And despite repeated failures of U.S. military intervention to create global stability, American troops continue to be sent into more nations and more battles, usually without congressional approval.

Timothy McGrath, writing in September for MintPress News, made the claim that the U.S. is fighting between zero and 134 wars, depending on the definition of the word “war.”

The notion that the U.S. is involved in zero acts of war hinges on the premise that the country hasn’t officially declared war — with formal congressional approval — since 1942.