Apr
23
2013
WASHINGTON — The leading federation of labor unions in the U.S. has issued a withering critique of so-called social auditing programs, the corporate-funded inspection systems now used by major American companies to monitor working conditions in their supply chains here and abroad.
Entitled “Responsibility Outsourced,” the 60-page report from the AFL-CIO (below) accuses such programs of catering to corporations at the expense of factory workers in places like Pakistan, Indonesia, China and Latin America, calling the …
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Apr
23
2013
Belize is home to the largest coral reef system in the Western hemisphere — the Mesoamerican Reef, which stretches 560 miles, 186 of which lie in Belizean waters. In the past decade the Belizean government secretly leased rights to drill for oil in its reef — including the famous Blue Hole — to local companies with little to no experience in the very complicated and hazardous business of offshore oil drilling. Given the high frequency …
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Apr
23
2013
The surviving Boston Marathon bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told interrogators that US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan spurred him and his brother to carry out last week’s deadly assault, US officials told media.
US officials believe Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev acted on their own when targeting the Boston Marathon and were not linked with any terror cell, AP reports quoting its own sources.
The hospitalized 19-year-old suspect, who has been upgraded to fair condition, specifically provided the …
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Apr
23
2013
The laws and bills emerging from many of America’s statehouses are farther to the right than they’ve ever been. But the population overall continues to trend moderately leftward. How to explain this growing divergence between the government and the people?
Mostly, it’s about the money.
Alabama, Tennessee, North Dakota, and Mississippi are among the latest to impose unprecedented restrictions on women’s access to abortion services. All told, in the first three months of this year, 694 provisions …
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Apr
23
2013
Having secured over 1,000 dues-paying members this past month, the WikiLeaks Party submitted its registration to the Australian Electoral Commission on Tuesday. A recent poll suggests the party has a strong chance of winning influence in the Senate.
The WikiLeaks Party attracted more than double the 500 members required for registration – 1,300 supporters in the three weeks since it opened for membership on March 30.
The party has submitted its registration to the Australian Electoral Commission …
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Apr
23
2013
RAMALLAH, West Bank — On Friday, April 19, thousands of Bahraini protesters were subdued by state violence when they assembled to demonstrate against the Formula One Grand Prix being held in Manama.
Pro-reform protesters from the February 14 Revolution Youth Coalition marched on the capital’s Pearl Roundabout. Clashes broke out when state security forces “fired tear gas and shotguns to disperse the protesters before they neared the area,” reported Al Jazeera English. Demonstrators responded by chucking …
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Apr
23
2013
Last week the National Women’s Law Center, along with a local law firm in Michigan filed a complaint in federal district court on behalf a high school student who was sexually assaulted at school by a fellow student and star basketball player. In many ways the story echoes the tragic high school rape story from Steubenville, Ohio,which should lead all of us to ask just what kind of culture are we raising our …
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Apr
23
2013
US President Barack Obama plans to thank the Qatari ruler during his Washington visit for hosting an American air base in the Persian Gulf and his help with many US intervention bids in Muslim nations, including channeling of arms to militant gangs in Syria.
Obama reportedly also intends to “press” Qatar’s Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani “to ensure” that the massive amounts of weapons Qatar is purchasing and shipping to anti-Damascus insurgents does not end up …
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Apr
23
2013
HONG KONG — In a striking sign of souring attitudes in Hong Kong toward mainland China, activists have called to reject plans to send $13 million in aid to earthquake-stricken Sichuan province due to concerns the money would be siphoned off by corrupt officials.
Chief Executive CY Leung announced the proposed donation on Monday, saying it accorded with “the love and care we have for our countrymen, and the mutual support we share.”
A former British colony, …
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Apr
23
2013
It isn’t every day or night that a tax-exempt non-profit American charity rakes in $27 million in the space of a few hours. When it happens in New York at such a well known landmark as the Waldorf-Astoria, arguably the city’s most famous hotel, it should be news, right?
Wrong, apparently, since not a single TV station nor any New York newspaper, all of which are known for their attention to events in the city’s Jewish …
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