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The Plight of Iraq's Civilian Population

Donatella Rovera Al Jazeera
While Iraqi and international political discourse seems largely out of step with the rapidly changing reality on the ground, the sectarian dimension of the conflict is becoming more marked by the day and Iraq's diverse communities are struggling to grapple with the new reality. They increasingly wonder where and how they can be safe.

ISIS: The Spoils of the ‘Great Loot’ in the Middle East

Conn Hallinan The Nation
As Iraq tumbles into yet another civil war, it is important to remember how all this came about, and why adding yet more warfare to the current crisis will perpetuate exactly what the “Great Loot” set out to do: tear an entire region of the world asunder.

Higgs Boson Spills Secrets as LHC Prepared for Return

Paul Rincon BBC
Particle physicists have learnt more about the Higgs boson's behaviour and how well it conforms to predictions. In a paper published last week in the journal Nature Physics, researchers outlined how they have watched the Higgs decay into the particles that make up matter (known as fermions), in addition to those that convey force (bosons), which had already been observed. This is exactly as the Standard Model predicts.

GDP and the Public Sector

Dean Baker Center for Economic and Policy Research
The reality is that the government and the economy are so thoroughly integrated it is impossible to separate the two.

Political Parties, Left, Right and Purely Satirical

Victor Grossman Portside
In June Europe had to digest results of the European Parliament elections-and choke down some pretty nasty clumps. Far-right groups took alarming leads in France and Britain, came in stronger than ever in Austria, Denmark, Belgium, always building on hatred against immigrants, mostly Muslim immigrants. In Greece and Hungary outright pro-Nazi parties shot upward in votes and influence. Left-wing parties registered big gains in Portugal, Spain and Greece and in Germany ...

Workers Who Make Your iPhone Possible Are Fighting Labor Abuse in the Philippines With Selfies and Hashtags

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya Global Voices
NXP Semiconductors is one of the world’s top 20 electronics manufacturers and supplies microchips and other parts for high-tech companies like Apple and Asus. In the Philippines, it employs over 1,600 regular workers and 1,700 contract employees. Workers organized collective actions on April 9, 17, 19, and May 1 – which are all government-declared holidays – but the management described these activities as ‘illegal strikes’ and dismissed 24 union leaders on May 5, 2014.