In The News

Tens of Thousands Flee Homes in Syria: BBC

October 11, 2019
The United States began withdrawing troops from the region. Turkey wasted no time, launching an invasion of the border area with Syria – home to Kurdish people, many of whom stepped up at US urging to battle Islamic State terrorists. The invasion causes thousands of people to flee. “Turkish troops have encircled the border towns of Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad and aid agencies fear the exodus could...

War Crimes in Yemen: Guardian

Mohamad Bazzi October 4, 2019
Inequality and conflict have divided Yemen since north and south Yemen united in 1990. Civil war began in 1990, and the 2011 Arab Spring recharged divisions. By 2015, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened to target Houthi rebels supported by Iran. The war has led to a humanitarian crisis with daily airstrikes, famine and cholera leaving as many as 200,000 people dead, though the UN...

China at 70: Dawn

October 2, 2019
The People’s Republic of China is celebrating its 70th birthday. The nation emerged during an “era of ideological zeal, when the socialist and capitalist blocs were locked in a global battle for influence,” explains an editorial in Pakistan’s Dawn, and its growth miracle started in earnest once Deng Xiaoping opened up the economy and loosened communist ideology. Today, President Xi Jinping has...

Stateless People in Asia: DW

Rodion Ebbighausen September 27, 2019
Governments block citizenship for people whose families have lived in regions for multiple generations. India published a National Register of Citizens listing 31 million people in Assam province; those not on the list are considered migrants. “Any applicant unable to prove that they lived in the state before the March 24, 1971 deadline was considered to have ‘doubtful’ status,” reports Rodion...

Unions Kill Manufacturing? South China Morning Post

Zhou Zin September 16, 2019
Consumers gravitate toward low prices, and companies have sought low cost labor to compete. In the early 20th century, US companies relocated from union-dominated northern states to the South, and since the 1970s, manufacturing shifted toward China and other countries with low wages and standards. The Chinese owner of a car glass factory based in Ohio blames unions for a decline in US...

Netanyahu Annexation Pledge: Al Jazeera

September 11, 2019
In a quest for votes prior to the September 17 election, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, applying Israeli sovereignty, if he wins reelection. Sections include the Jordan Valley and northern Dead Sea, making up 30 percent of the West Bank, as well as Jewish-only settlements in the territory, reports Al Jazeera: The report goes on to...

Concerns About US-Taliban Peace Deal: Reuters

September 6, 2019
The United States has fought extremist forces in Afghanistan since 2001, including the Taliban. The war resulted in more than 3200 US and coalition military deaths, more than 20,000 wounded along with tens of thousands of more deaths and wounded among civilians and Afghan forces. The Trump administration is in a hurry to withdraw US forces. “The deal, which would see around 5,000 U.S. troops...