Construction workers backed by German police have removed a section of the Berlin Wall to make way for a building project, despite calls for the historic site to be preserved.

Residents expressed shock at the removal of the East Side Gallery, as that section is known, which followed a series of protests, including one attended by the actor David Hasselhoff.

A police spokesman, Alexander Tönnies, said there were no incidents as work had begun at about 5am …

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A battery recycling plant in Vernon is being told to reduce its emissions after recent tests showed it is posing a danger to as many as 110,000 people living in an area that extends from Boyle Heights to Maywood and Huntington Park.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District announced late Friday that Exide Technologies, one of the largest battery recyclers in the world, must also hold public meetings later this spring to inform residents that …

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LIMA, Peru — Peru’s government declared an environmental state of emergency on Monday in a remote Amazon jungle region it says has been affected by years of contamination at the country’s most productive oil fields, which are currently operated by Argentina-based Pluspetrol.

Indigenous groups in the Pastaza River basin near the Ecuador border have been complaining for years about the pollution and the failure of successive governments to address it. Authorities say one reason the pollution …

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In a world witnessing revolutions in mid-stride, flourishing climate crises, and the reign of austerity economics, tens of thousands of people from all over the globe are gathering in Tunisia for the 2013 World Social Forum to confront the contemporary situation with their consistent call: “another world is possible.”

This year, WSF participants come together under the banner of “dignity” and seek a way to push back against the neoliberal establishment that refuses to loosen its …

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WASHINGTON — The head of the union representing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents is calling on a bipartisan group of senators to slow down the push for an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws.

Chris Crane, the head of the National ICE Council, wrote Tuesday to the so-called “Gang of Eight” — the lawmakers trying to negotiate a deal to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws — that they should hear from ICE agents before they …

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Albert Woodfox has spent more than half his life in a cell just three paces wide and four paces long.

The 66-year-old man was convicted in 1972 of the murder of Brent Miller, a prison guard.

He claims he is innocent and organizations including Amnesty International have said his case raises serious legal and human rights concerns.

A federal district court in Louisiana recently ruled that his conviction should be overturned.

But Louisiana Attorney General James Caldwell has said …

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BRICS emerging powers sought a deal on setting up a development bank that would rival Western-backed institutions, trying to iron out significant differences ahead of a leaders’ summit in Durban.

The grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and hosts South Africa are racing to elaborate on proposals for an infrastructure-focused lender that would challenge seven decades of dominance by the World Bank.

Just hours before leaders kick off the summit at 17:30 GMT on Tuesday, finance ministers …

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According to Mike Freeman at CBS Sports, the day when an openly gay athlete will join the National Football League — or when a current player will publicly come out — may be closer than you think.

After conducting a series of interviews with NFL insiders, Freeman reports:

I’m told that a current gay NFL player is strongly considering coming out publicly within the next few months — and after doing so, the …

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The Adria Richards story isn’t a new one: Woman publicly says something about sexism. The internet hordes descend. Woman is on the receiving end of rape and death threats. Woman disappears for a while, sometimes forever. Commentators who believe themselves to be “reasonable” pontificate on everything woman could have done differently to avoid such a fate, and suggest that women who object to sexism or sexualized workplaces just need to have a sense of humor. …

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Syrian opponents of President Bashar al Assad took their seat at the 22-member Arab League summit in Qatar on Tuesday.

The seat was filled by Moaz al-Khatib, who had led the opposition’s main umbrella group — the National Coalition — until his resignation last week.

It’s a significant moment for rebel forces, as it gives them some international legitimacy, and puts the National Coalition in a seat formerly held by Assad’s government.

“It is part of …

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