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Turkey: a case where neoliberalism has literally jailed the Left

globinfo freexchange Ben Norton of the RealNews spoke with scholar Baris Karaagac about Turkey's economic ills, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party (AKP) neoliberal nationalist policies, and the repression against Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Leftists, and Kurds. Karaagac reveals that there is a wider battle behind the rise of ultra-nationalism in Turkey, concerning the dominant ideology of neoliberalism. Neoliberalism's brutality is now quite evident in Turkey as the big capital is taking advantage of Erdogan's permanent state of emergency, in order to suppress workers' resistance and any demand for upgraded labor rights or other progressive policies. Karaagac explains: Erdogan sees the Kurdish movement and its political party, the HDP, as its most critical of opponents. That is the decisive force in terms of whether or not the AKP and Erdogan will remain in power, both in parliament and presidency. The leader of the

Bernie Sanders: stop locking up children in cages

Israel turns Gaza into ‘arms race’ laboratory, while Palestinians fly kites

Far-Right Wins Presidency in Colombia: 'A Frightening Result'

The war of Argentina on foreign multinationals

The WIKILEAKS Public Library of US Diplomacy (PlusD) holds the world's largest searchable collection of United States confidential, or formerly confidential, diplomatic communications. As of April 8, 2013 it holds 2 million records comprising approximately 1 billion words. The collection covers US involvements in, and diplomatic or intelligence reporting on, every country on earth. It is the single most significant body of geopolitical material ever published. The PlusD collection, built and curated by WikiLeaks, is updated from a variety of sources, including leaks, documents released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and documents released by the US State Department systematic declassification review. globinfo freexchange A cable from September 2007, reveals some US serious concerns about the fact that Exxon-Mobil and other multinationals were indirectly forced to abandon Argentina under Nestor Kirchner administration. The letter is particularly revealin

Almost half of Indians out of drinking water by 2030, 600 million facing shortages

Hundreds of millions of Indians are in need of clean water and demand may twice exceed the available supply by 2030, a government think tank has warned. 200,000 people already die annually due to drought and water contamination. The second-largest population in the world is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history, with the situation deteriorating year by year, according to a study by the government-run National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) think tank. The study found 21 of the busiest cities in India, including New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad, are expected to reach zero groundwater levels by 2020, affecting 100 million people, according to the study. “ Currently, 600 million Indians face high to extreme water stress and about [200,000] people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water, ” the study warned. The unfolding crisis is only going to get worse, NITI Aayog predicted. In just over 10 ye

How Saudi Arabia tried to blame Doctors Without Borders after bombing its cholera treatment center in Yemen

Saudi Arabia tried to blame Doctors Without Borders after the US-backed Saudi coalition bombed the medical group’s cholera treatment center in Yemen. MSF says this is ridiculous and false. by Ben Norton The Saudi embassy in the United States pointed the finger at Doctors Without Borders after the US-backed Saudi coalition bombed the medical humanitarian group’s newly constructed cholera treatment center in Yemen. The Saudi government circulated a misleading fax from a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) employee, to try to absolve itself of responsibility for the airstrike. I contacted MSF for clarification, and the organization said the fax is being misrepresented, and strongly condemned the “ unacceptable attack on a medical facility. ” On June 11, the US-backed Saudi coalition waging war on Yemen bombed a cholera treatment center in the northwestern town of Abs. This medical facility, which had just been built, was operated by MSF, and was clearly ma

WHO lists video game addiction as mental health disorder

If you’ve ever worried about friends or family shutting themselves off in front of a computer, frantically pushing buttons for hours, you had every right. Video game addiction has now been classified as a mental health disorder. ‘ Gaming disorder’ is now listed in the recently updated International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which now covers about 55,000 injuries and diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) said victims of the disorder devote so much of their time to virtual worlds that it “takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities,” playing for increasingly long periods of time despite the obvious negative consequences on their real life. The WHO said that including gaming disorder in its official list will help doctors and families identify the symptoms better and faster. Linking routine gaming to actual mental pathology will allow health workers “ to take action to prevent suffering and save lives, ” WHO Direct

Germany ‘likely to miss’ goal of cutting emissions by 40% by 2020

Germany will likely miss its goal of cutting emissions by 40 percent by 2020, the environment minister said Monday. Official estimates project that Europe’s biggest economy will trim its greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent or less by 2020 compared to 1990 levels, AP reported. The next target, a decade later, calls for a 55 percent drop in emissions from 1990. “ It’s painful for me to have to tell you that we will miss the targets we’ve set for ourselves for 2020, ” Svenja Schulze told delegates from more than 30 governments in Berlin. They gathered to prepare for an annual global climate summit in December. Setting her sights on 2030, Schulze said all sectors of the German economy would have to contribute cuts, but singled out transportation in particular. Emissions there remain at 1990 levels. https://www.rt.com/newsline/430129-germany-cut-emissions-goal/

Turkish soldiers deployed in Syria’s Manbij

Turkish troops have begun carrying out duties in the northern Syrian town of Manbij, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday, according to NTV. The broadcaster earlier cited local sources as saying Turkish soldiers had entered the outskirts of Manbij. The move is part of a deal agreed with the United States. Earlier this month, Ankara and Washington endorsed a roadmap for the withdrawal of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia from Manbij and the deployment of Turkish and US forces in the region to secure the area. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Syrian Kurdish militia fighters were leaving northern Syria’s Manbij area. Turkey’s armed forces announced earlier that they had started patrols with US soldiers along the line separating Turkish-controlled areas from the town of Manbij. Ankara says that Kurdish YPG militia fighters are based there. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group. Erdogan made the comments in a campaign rally i