Enthusiasm about the annexation of Crimea among Russians has dropped in the past few months, according to a Lebada Center poll. The news was reported by the opposition’s Dozhd news–a report that contrasts with the reports of official Russian government news outlets, which have reported that Russians are becoming more accepting of the annexation of Crimean into the … Read more
The state of Pennsylvania has made its first admission that oil and gas drilling operations in the state have been contaminating private drinking wells for years. The state made public 243 cases of contamination in 22 counties which had remained unreported since 2008–the first year of the Marcellus shale play boom. “This is something that should … Read more
The largest Ebola outbreak in history, which began in Guinea earlier this year before spreading to other West African nations, has become the subject of a gene sequencing study by a Harvard team already well-versed in similar viruses. The research has discovered that the current Ebola outbreak has already mutated hundreds of times and continues to … Read more
The families of the Russian soldiers recently captured in Ukraine are pleading with the Russian government to return their children from what Russians are increasingly referring to as an “undeclared war” in Eastern Ukraine. The families appealed directly to the Russian president and military leaders to return the soldiers alive and well, and asked for … Read more
Over the weekend, the Italian Navy picked up nearly 4,000 migrants trying to reach Italian shores from North Africa. The Italian Navy uses helicopters, patrol boats and frigates in its Mare Nostrum operation, which was launched last October after 360 migrants drowned off the coasts of Sicily, and is reported to cost $12.5 million per … Read more
In recent weeks, Russians have been attempting to demonstrate against the Russian war in Ukraine–an action that has been difficult because the Russian government has recently passed laws limiting free assembly in Russia. In Moscow Sunday night, Russian protesters attempted to demonstrate against Russia’s undeclared war and were arrested by Russian police. The protesters attempted to hold a candlelight … Read more
Valentina Melnikova, the head of Russia’s famous Soldiers’ Mothers Committee, began receiving a barrage of telephone calls Thursday morning from Russian army leaders–including the deputy defense minister–after accusing the entire high command of invading Ukraine. The callers reportedly wanted to meet with Melnikova. Melnikova included Russian President Vladimir Putin in her accusation. The Russian high command … Read more
[BRIEF] Approximately 100 wounded Russian soldiers arrived in St Petersberg Tuesday, according to a member of the Russian Presidential Council for Civil Society Institutions and Human Rights. Ella Poliakova, a member of the Council and the chairman of the Soldiers’ Mothers of St Petersberg, reported the events to Dodj. An aircraft arrived at St Petersberg’s SM … Read more
The amount of gas burned by fracking flares in Texas and North Dakota is not measured by the states, according to a new report by Ecowatch, which also found that the amount of gas burned in just two shale plays was equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions produced by 1.5 million cars. This burned gas … Read more
Works created by nature, animals or plants cannot be claimed by humans, according to the new US Copyright Office rules compendium. Humans cannot claim rights to works such as monkey selfies, murals painted by elephants, driftwood formed by the ocean, or stones shaped by their environment. The ruling came about as a result of a … Read more
In recent battles between the South Sudan’s government army and opposition forces, the army has used child soldiers–a violation of South Sudanese and international law–and has drawn the condemnation of Human Rights Watch. “South Sudan’s army has returned to a terrible practice, once again throwing children into the battlefields,” said the Africa director at Human Rights … Read more
One of the US’s leading hospital care operators, Community Health Systems (CHS), may have lost personal data for over 4.5 million patients to Chinese hackers. The organization operates 206 hospitals in 29 states. CHS said that the company had “eradicated” the malware from its computer systems, as well as having implemented other protection measures. Authorities … Read more