Chart: Are We Living Under Fascism? - by Scott Bateman

Deaf children losing out as English councils cut support, charity warns More than a third of councils in England are cutting educational support totalling £4m for deaf children, according to figures obtained by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS). The figures, gained through freedom of information requests, show that councils in these areas are cutting 10% on average from deaf children’s services, which the charity warns are already near breaking point. In the last four years, one in 10 specialist teachers of the deaf have been cut, the charity claims. Meanwhile, deaf children are falling behind at every stage of school, and at GCSE two-thirds of deaf children fail to achieve a grade 5 in both English and maths – a key government target. The NDCS said it had received responses from 122 councils, of which 45 said they were making cuts between 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Macron condemned the rise of nationalism in front of Trump and Putin, warning that 'old demons are reawakening' PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron used an address to world leaders gathered in Paris for Armistice commemorations on Sunday to send a stern message about the dangers of nationalism, calling it a betrayal of moral values. With US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin sitting just a few feet away listening to the speech via translation earpieces, Macron denounced those who evoke nationalist sentiment to disadvantage others. "Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism: nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism," Macron said in a 20-minute address delivered from under the Arc de Triomphe to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One. "By pursuing our own interests first, with no regard to others', we erase the very thing that a nation holds most precious, that which gives it life and makes it great: its moral values."

The 2018 Midterms and the Specter of Voter Suppression Read: The ‘hubris’ of the Supreme Court’s voting-rights ruling On Saturday, President Donald Trump ensured that the issue would be front and center as Election Day approached. “All levels of government and Law Enforcement are watching carefully for VOTER FRAUD, including during EARLY VOTING,” he tweeted. “Cheat at your own peril. Violators will be subject to maximum penalties, both civil and criminal!” Trump’s tweet could be read straight, as a warning from the president against the threat of fraud.

'Tank Man': The iconic image that China doesn't want you to see This picture sent ripples throughout the world on June 5, 1989, the morning after the Chinese military violently suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests. The sheer strength of this photo — one unarmed man, alone and helpless against several tanks — resonated with the entire globe — but not with China’s leaders. Today, more than 26 years later, we still don’t know who this man is and what happened to him, and the entire event is massively censored in China. World's richest 1% grabbed 82% of all wealth created in 2017, Oxfam study finds - Jan. 21, 2018 That's according to a new report from Oxfam International, which estimates that the bottom 50% of the world's population saw no increase in wealth. Oxfam says the trend shows that the global economy is skewed in favor of the rich, rewarding wealth instead of work. "The billionaire boom is not a sign of a thriving economy but a symptom of a failing economic system," said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International. The head of the advocacy group argued that the people who "make our clothes, assemble our phones and grow our food" are being exploited in order to enrich corporations and the super wealthy.

'A torrent of ghastly revelations': what military service taught me about America My first and only war tour took place in Afghanistan in 2010. I was a US Marine lieutenant then, a signals intelligence officer tasked with leading a platoon-size element of 80 to 90 men, spread across an area of operations the size of my home state of Connecticut, in the interception and exploitation of enemy communications. That was the official job description, anyway. More acidic oceans 'will affect all sea life' Image copyright JAGO-TEAM/GEOMAR All sea life will be affected because carbon dioxide emissions from modern society are making the oceans more acidic, a major new report will say. The eight-year study from more than 250 scientists finds that infant sea creatures will be especially harmed. This means the number of baby cod growing to adulthood could fall to a quarter or even a 12th of today's numbers, the researchers suggest. The assessment comes from the BIOACID project, which is led from Germany.

How feelings took over the world On a late Friday afternoon in November last year, police were called to London’s Oxford Circus for reasons described as “terror-related”. Oxford Circus underground station was evacuated, producing a crush of people as they made for the exits. Reports circulated of shots being fired, and photos and video appeared online of crowds fleeing the area, with heavily armed police officers heading in the opposite direction.

May 1968: The Revolution That Almost Was - by Julia Alekseyeva Much about our modern times can be traced back to a single summer and what changed - or more accurately, what didn’t by Julia Alekseyeva Posted Yesterday Rise and Shine. Saudi Arabia accused of torturing female activists by electrocution and flogging leaving them unable to walk Campaigners have accused Saudi Arabia of subjecting several activists, including female human rights defenders, imprisoned since May to torture and sexual harassment. More than a dozen women’s rights activists have been detained for months, most of whom had campaigned for the right to drive and an end to the Kingdom’s male guardianship system, but some have since been freed. A group of UN experts last month called for the immediate release of six female human rights defenders they said were still being held incommunicado in Saudi Arabia. The arrests in May followed an earlier crackdown on clerics, intellectuals and activists in September 2017, in an apparent attempt to silence potential opponents of the country’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The torture allegations come as Riyadh faces international outcry over the killing last month of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

For Years, Anita Hill Was A 'Canary In The Coal Mine' For Women Speaking Out Anita Hill testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 11, 1991, regarding Clarence Thomas' confirmation to the Supreme Court. AP hide caption toggle caption Anita Hill testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 11, 1991, regarding Clarence Thomas' confirmation to the Supreme Court.

Growing Up Surrounded by Books Has a Lasting Positive Effect on the Brain, Says a New Scientific Study Image by George Redgrave, via Flickr Commons Somewhere in the annals of the internet--if this sprawling, near-sentient thing we call the internet actually has annals--there is a fine, fine quote by filmmaker John Waters: We need to make books cool again. If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t fuck them.