May
17
2013
As Guatemala and the world focused on the trial of former Gen. Jose Efrain Rios Montt for genocide and crimes against humanity, the human rights situation in the country grew increasingly grave, as it has elsewhere in Mesoamerica. Testimony in the trial highlighted the complicity of the US government in Guatemala’s bloody history. Similarly, the current human rights crisis does not exist in a global vacuum and is inextricably entwined with government and private interests …
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May
17
2013
At an 11 am press conference yesterday outside a Brooklyn KFC restaurant, fast food workers and activists released a new report alleging rampant wage theft in their industry, one of the fastest-growing in the United States. The report includes results from an Anzalone Liszt Grove research survey of 500 of the city’s fast food workers, in which 84 percent reported that their employer had committed some form of wage theft over the previous year.
Yesterday’s press …
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May
17
2013
WASHINGTON — The war authorization that Congress passed after 9/11 will be needed for at least 10 to 20 more years, and can be used to put the United States military on the ground anywhere, from Syria to the Congo to Boston, military officials argued Thursday.
The revelations came during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee and surprised even experts in America’s use of force stemming from the terrorist attacks in 2001.
“This is the …
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May
16
2013
Speaking before an intergovernmental forum Wednesday on the future of the Arctic, Canadian officials vowed “unprecedented industrial development” of the pristine and fragile polar region.
The comments came as the North American country took over chairmanship of the Arctic Council during the group’s biennial gathering in Sweden this week.
The circumpolar states—which hold full membership on the council and include Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States—are convening to “promote cooperation on environmental …
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May
16
2013
Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday during demonstrations to mark 65 years since what they call the Nakba (Catastrophe) when the creation of Israel’s caused many to lose their homes and become refugees.
A shell fired from Gaza, which is ruled by the Islamist movement Hamas, exploded in an open area of Israel but caused no injuries, according to an Israeli military spokesman. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
U.S. …
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May
16
2013
BERLIN – It is possibly the German capital’s most visible new tourist attraction, but the opening of the bright pink Barbie Dreamhouse Experience was picketed Thursday by women’s groups protesting the “cliché of the female role in society.”
Only a stone’s throw from Berlin’s fashionable Alexanderplatz shopping district, a water fountain in the shape of a huge pink high-heeled shoe now welcomes Barbie fans into a whole world of glittery, cerise-colored fun.
But while the city’s toy …
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May
16
2013
Beijing (CNN) — Demonstrators braved a heavy police presence and the threat of arrest by massing Thursday in the streets of Kunming, China, to protest the planned construction of a chemical plant, they said.
“It was mostly a peaceful protest,” said an activist who asked to be identified only by his family name, Young. “We were singing the national anthem, shouting ‘Get out, refinery!’ together.”
He added, “We were scattered by the heavy police force in the …
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May
16
2013
The worsening violence and repression in Syria has left policymakers scrambling to think of ways the United States could help end the bloodshed and support those seeking to dislodge the Assad regime. The desperate desire to “do something” has led to increasing calls for the United States to provide military aid to armed insurgents or even engage in direct military intervention, especially in light of the possible use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime.
The …
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May
16
2013
A factory in Cambodia that makes Asics sneakers collapsed on top of workers early Thursday, raising fears about the level of safety in the global garment industry.
The ceiling of a factory south of the capitol Phnom Penh collapsed on top of 50 workers, killing two and injuring eleven, said Khem Pannara, district police chief for the area.
Heavy iron equipment stored on the floor above appeared to have caused the collapse.
Aided by soldiers, rescue workers dug …
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May
14
2013
Agricultural development is essential for the developing world to foster sustainable economies, enhance food security to combat global hunger and increase resiliency to climate change. Addressing these challenges will require diverse strategies that emphasize sustainable, productive approaches that are directed by countries in the developing world.
But in the past decade, the United States has aggressively pursued foreign policies in food and agriculture that benefit the largest seed companies. The U.S. State Department has launched …
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