Recently, in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, Mongolian herders staged a protest against forced displacement from their land due to Chinese appropriation for mining and tourism purposes, and were broken up by police. Ten protesters were arrested. “Return our green land”, “Return our hot spring”, “Return our livelihood”, “Who is accountable for the destruction of … Read more
Sixty-four-year-old drilling company owner Benedict Lupo has been sentenced to jail for dumping fracking waste into a river tributary in Cleveland, Ohio. For the frail Lupo, jail will be a death sentence, according to his lawyer, but the judge rejected a request for home detention, according to a Cleveland Plain Dealer report. In his decision, US District … Read more
US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, spoke Wednesday about the consequences of the prolonged crisis in South Sudan, saying four million South Sudanese were at “grave risk” of malnourishment and starvation in the upcoming year. “Not only are people dying every day in what has deteriorated into an ethnic conflict, but the country now … Read more
At the site of one of British Columbia’s worst environmental disasters, the Cariboo Regional District has declared a state of local emergency. In order to access additional capacity needed to protect property and infrastructure from the Mount Polley tailings pond breach, the district made the declaration Wednesday, expanding governmental provisions from the complete water ban that was … Read more
The Mount Polley Mine tailings pond, near Williams Lake, British Columbia, has been breached, and regional authorities have issued a complete water ban. The ban regards all water use in the area, and will be in place until further notice. Drinking, cooking and bathing are prohibited. The ban was enacted by the Cariboo Regional District … Read more
“The best thing a mother can do for her newborn is breastfeed,” said the UN Friday, “which does more than help children survive–it helps them to thrive with benefits that last a lifetime.” The executive director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Anthony Lake, made the statement, urging promotion of breastfeeding everywhere. “Immediate breastfeeding within … Read more
The Hindu nationalist party, Shiv Sena, has published claims that rape accusations are being used as political weapons to destroy careers overnight. The comments came in response to recent rape allegations filed against an Indian police officer who is currently under police protection due to death threats. “After he has served for so many years … Read more
In an attempt to stem the current land grabbing spree taking place in Sierra Leone, citizens of the capital city, Freetown, have issued the Freetown Declaration. The Declaration stated that despite the benefit of increased investment in the country, there was an urgent need to protect the land rights of rural residents, who were being … Read more
With the intention of marking “a turning point” in the intensifying Ebola outbreak plaguing three West African nations, the WHO met with the presidents of all the affected nations Friday to launch a joint $100 million response plan. Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) met the leaders of Liberia, Guinea, … Read more
The imam of Xinjiang’s largest mosque, located in Kashgar, was killed Wednesday, and shortly afterwards police shot dead two suspects in the murder, who, according to the police, “resisted arrest with knives and axes.” The suspects had been located shortly after the murder, according to police, who said the men had been “influenced by religious … Read more
California is experiencing drought for a third year. Intensity levels have already increased to “extreme drought” in 82 percent of the state. This number has remained relatively stable for the previous three months. There has been marked increase, however, in “exceptional drought” areas–From 25 percent of the state three months ago, the area increased to 36 percent last … Read more
Two of Russia’s closest trade partners, Belarus and Kazakhstan, have declined to join Russia in trade sanctions against Moldova, and recently Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Natalia Gherman stated her country’s appreciation of Belarus and Kazakhstan for their decisions not to join Russia in sanctions. The minister made her comments in an … Read more