McDonald’s has won a ruling in Moscow’s Tverskoi District Court after Russia’s Federal Agency for Consumer Rights Protection (Rosportrebnadzor) shut down a dozen McDonald’s in Russia, claiming that the fast food restaurant sold products that violated national dietary standards. “The lawsuit was filed due to the chain’s violation of the legal requirements. An examination of … Read more
[BRIEF] According to the World Health Organization, the spread of Ebola across Europe is “quite unavoidable.” WHO European Director Zsuzsanna Jakab commented Tuesday on the recent first case of Ebola contracted in Europe and said, “Such imported cases and similar events as have happened in Spain will happen also in the future, most likely.” “It is … Read more
In the Canadian province of Saskatchewan the world’s first big carbon capture coal power plant has begun. The project will sequester almost all of its emissions–about a million tons of carbon per year. Canadian utility SaskPower is undertaking the project at the 110 megawatt Boundary Dam power station near Estevan, Saskatchewan, where it will retrofit … Read more
Most studies have concluded that unemployment in the short run leads to a drop in fertility, but whether the negative effects persist–whether women simply postpone childbearing or if the effect is more long-term–has remained unknown. According to a recent study by Princeton University, living through a recession means that some women will never have a child, … Read more
With Sweden’s recent announcement that the Nordic nation will recognize the state of Palestine, the first European nation has joined the majority of the world in supporting the two-state solution. “The conflict between Israel can only be solved with a two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law,” said Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven during … Read more
[BRIEF] According to an autopsy report released Friday, Christopher Dorner, the fugitive ex-police officer who killed several people in February, 2013, was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head. The autopsy report is being offered as official confirmation that Dorner killed himself as he was under siege by a massive police force that had … Read more
After the Taliban released a statement days ago claiming to have captured the Registan district of southern Kandahar, after routing Afghan forces and raising the “white flag of Islam” over the territory, the Afghan government has denied the Taliban claims, stating that they still controlled the area and insisting that they moved the district center … Read more
While experts in the US warned that the US was not prepared to contain an Ebola outbreak, citing mistakes and missteps in the handling of the first US Ebola case which resulted in the death of Thomas Duncan last week, US officials and US President Barack Obama rejected increasing calls for travel restrictions to and … Read more
Several unexpected trends were reported by international migrations specialist Elena Sadovskaya, who is based at the Moscow Institute for Economic Forecasting, regarding immigration patterns between China and neighboring Kazakhstan. Among those findings were that many less Chinese are working in Kazakhstan than commonly thought, and that many of those migrants counted as Chinese are in … Read more
The White House, which had maintained a neutral stance regarding attempts by Hong Kong citizens to regain universal suffrage in the face of Chinese national oppression, changed its position Monday and supported democracy in Hong Kong. “The United States supports universal suffrage in Hong Kong in accordance with the Basic Law and we support the aspirations … Read more
Amnesty International has received the 50th ratification to its Arms Trade Treaty, and the treaty will now become law. The law will be the first of its kind, and will prohibit sales of conventional weapons and munitions to nations when there is knowledge that the weapons could be used to commit human rights abuses. War crimes, crimes against … Read more
[BRIEF] Tibetan student Lhamo Tashi self immolated outside of a police office in Tsoe city, Kanlho TAP–the first self immolation in Tibet since April. Tashi is the seventh self immolation in Tibet this year, and is the 138th self immolation in and around Tibet since 2009, when the wave of Tibetan self immolations began in … Read more