“Socialism” vs. “capitalism” is a false dichotomy

Suddenly there’s a lively debate on both the left and the right about the specter of socialism in America. According to Gallup, Democrats now view socialism in a more positive light than capitalism. And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a card-carrying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, became an instant political star after she clinched the Democratic Party’s nomination for the New York 14th District’s House seat.

Denmark says time is running out to avoid no-deal Brexit

Time is running out to strike a Brexit deal, according to the Danish finance minister, who has echoed warnings that there is a 50-50 chance of Britain crashing out of the European Union without an agreement in place.

Kristian Jensen said the window of opportunity for striking a deal that was positive for both Britain and the EU was closing.

Earlier, Latvia’s foreign minister, Edgars Rinkēvičs, claimed the chance of a no-deal Brexit was “50-50”. Rinkēvičs said it was a “very considerable risk” but stressed he remained optimistic an agreement with Britain could be reached.

Corbyn Ally And Union Boss Len McCluskey Turns On Jewish Leaders After Wreath Row

Len McCluskey has hit out at what he calls the “intransigent hostility” of Jewish community leaders and accused “Blairite” Labour MPs of exploiting the anti-Semitism row to provoke a split in the party.

Writing for HuffPost UK on Thursday afternoon, the general secretary of the Unite union and close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, said Labour risked descending “into a vortex of McCarthyism”.

Indonesian police kill dozens in Asian Games 'clean-up'

Police in Jakarta have killed dozens of people as part of an escalating crackdown against petty criminals ahead of the Asian Games, in a campaign Amnesty International has described as “unnecessary and excessive”.

Based on monitoring from January to August this year, Amnesty International said 31 police killings were directly linked to the Games, which open in Jakarta and Palembang on Saturday.

California Cops Shot and Killed 162 People Last Year. This Bill Could Help Reduce the Bloodshed.

A California bill that would radically change the standard for the use of deadly force by police officers got past a key hurdle on Thursday, as the state Senate Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to send it along to the full Senate for debate.

Assembly Bill 931, the Police Accountability and Community Protection Act,  would allow officers to use lethal force only when “necessary” to “prevent imminent and serious bodily injury or death” to an officer or bystander, and when there are no “reasonable” nonlethal alternatives—a Taser, for example. The bill would also mandate that cops attempt to de-escalate potentially volatile situations using “time, distance, communications, and available resources” whenever it is “safe and reasonable” to do so. And it would bar police from using lethal force when a subject is a threat only to himself.

Hamas decries Israeli decision to end 'Black Friday' probe

Hamas has condemned an Israeli decision to close a military investigation into an assault on August 1, 2014, in which 135 Palestinians were killed in Rafah, in the southern part of the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a report on Wednesday, the Israeli army cleared itself of wrongdoing and said it would not prosecute commanders who were involved, claiming its investigation found no reason to suspect criminal misconduct.

Democrats Discard Washington Platform in Bid for House Control

DALLAS — House Democrats, looking to wrest control of the chamber from Republicans in November, are discarding the lessons of successful midterms past and pressing only a bare-bones national agenda, leaving it to candidates to tailor their own messages to their districts.

It is a risky strategy, essentially putting off answering one of the most immediate questions facing the Democratic Party after its losses in 2016: What does it stand for? The approach could also raise questions among voters about how Democrats would govern.

The Man in Xinjiang

The guidebook said that if we got off the bus at a certain point on the Karakoram Highway, a shepherd would greet us and let us stay in a yurt for a modest fee. The highway was a dirt road in Xinjiang, in northwestern China. I was travelling with a man I’ll call Tim, and we had been on buses for more than twelve hours. When we reached a pasture between snow-capped mountains and saw Karakul Lake glittering in the distance, we got off. The bus pulled away, and it was suddenly very quiet, the late-afternoon sky irrevocably clear, as if nothing bad could happen—not here, not anywhere.

Throat Sweets And Cough Medicine Could Cost You More After Brexit, Drug Companies Warn

Brexit could lead to price rises and delayed access to over-the-counter medicines including cough medicines and throat sweets, the drug industry has warned.

The Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB) said its members, which include pharmaceutical giants GSK and Pfizer, expect to be hit with extra costs in excess of £1m as a result of leaving the EU.

Mystery Russian satellite's behaviour raises alarm in US

A mysterious Russian satellite displaying "very abnormal behaviour" has raised alarm in the US, according to a State Department official.

"We don't know for certain what it is and there is no way to verify it," said assistant secretary Yleem Poblete at a conference in Switzerland on 14 August.

She voiced fears that it was impossible to say if the object may be a weapon.