Syria: 33 Turkish soldiers confirmed killed in Idlib airstrike

Countercurrents | February 28, 2020

At least 33 Turkish soldiers have been killed and an unspecified number of soldiers were injured in an airstrike in Syria’s Idlib province. Turkish officials blamed the strike to the Syrian military. Casualties from the strike were being treated at hospitals in the border town of Reyhanli.

Turkish officials have called the NATO secretary-general and the U.S. national security adviser in relation to the events in Idlib, Turkish Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

Citing Hatay province Governor Rahmi Dogan the AA said: “In Idlib, Turkey’s armed forces were targeted by the regime elements in an airstrike.” The governor was talking to media on Thursday.

Hatay is the Turkish province bordering Idlib.

‘The OAS Has a Lot to Answer For’: New MIT Study Disputes Key Claim That Paved Way for Right-Wing Coup in Bolivia

by Eoin Higgins, staff writer

Common Dreams | February 27, 2020

A Bolivian indigenous woman, supporter of Bolivian ousted president Evo Morales, holds a Wiphala flag—representing native peoples—during a protest against the interim government in La Paz on November 15, 2019. (Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images)

 

A new study released by a pair of MIT researchers Thursday reveals that, contrary to claims from the U.S.-backed Organization of American States, there was no fraud in Bolivia’s October 20, 2019 elections—an accusation used by the OAS and others as a pretext for supporting the coup in the country that deposed President Evo Morales and replaced him with an unelected right-wing government.

“Good lord,” tweeted MSNBC journalist Chris Hayes. “Given the fact the entire Morales government was toppled over accusations of election fraud, the OAS has a lot to answer for.”

‘Rich People Have Profited Enough’: New Poll Shows Two-Thirds of Americans Support Wealth Tax to Combat Inequality

by Julia Conley, staff writer

Common Dreams | February 27, 2020

A poll released Wednesday by TheHill/HarrisX found that 67% of Americans support a wealth tax to combat inequality. (Photo: AFP/Getty)

Support for a wealth tax to combat persistent inequality in the U.S. is growing, according to a new poll released Wednesday by TheHill/HarrisX which found that just over two-thirds of Americans favor a tax on the wealthiest households.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents—including majorities of Democrats and Independents—said there should be a wealth tax on billionaires, as Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have proposed.

A clear majority of Democrats, 85%, backed the proposal, along with 66% of independent voters. Nearly half of Republican respondents—47%—said they would support a wealth tax in the poll, which was conducted between February 23 and 24 among more than 1,000 registered voters and had a margin of error of 3%.

Climate crisis: 3 financial firms can make an effect

by Jan Fichtner, Eelke Heemskerk, Johannes Petry

Down To Earth | February 24, 2020

A silent revolution is happening in investing. It is a paradigm shift that will have a profound impact on corporations, countries and pressing issues like climate change. Yet most people are not even aware of it.

In a traditional investment fund, the decisions about where to invest the capital of the investors are taken by fund managers. They decide whether to buy shares in firms like Saudi Aramco or Exxon. They decide whether to invest in environmentally harmful businesses like coal.

Yet there has been a steady shift away from these actively managed funds towards passive or index funds. Instead of depending on a fund manager, passive funds simply track indices — for example, an S&P 500 tracker fund would buy shares in every company in the S&P 500 in order to mirror its overall performance. One of the great attractions of such funds is that their fees are dramatically lower than the alternative.

BP and British media must stop green-washing

by Kapil Subramanian

Down To Earth | February 24, 2020

BP Plc’s recent statement on attaining net-zero emissions by 2050 drew predictable criticism for being yet another example of corporate green-washing and for trying to achieve too little, too late. Although the company’s decision to stop “corporate reputation advertising” — a measure perceived as being key to green-washing — is noteworthy.

Such advertising played a key role in manufacturing and sustaining doubt against scientific consensus on issues such as tobacco, as well as on human-induced climate change. Outside powerful quarters including the White House, outright climate change denial may be dying.

But climate-scepticism is now expressing itself in new ways, which acknowledge human-induced climate change, but push inadequate and inappropriate solutions. A key example is Exxon Mobil Corp’s Energy Factor, advertised on many Indian platforms.

India: How a Kerala couple built a sustainable mud house and a forest of their dreams

Down To Earth \ February 20, 2020

With concrete, a major source of pollution used to build most homes, becoming the second most-consumed resource on the planet after water, the need and awareness for energy-efficient homes is on the rise.

Down To Earth met a couple residing in Kerala, who realised the need to live an eco-friendly life. They built a mud house named ‘Nanavu’ — made of earth and other natural materials — that cost them just Rs 4 lakhs, 60 per cent of which was spent in labour charges.