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Garbage Dump Second Home for Iraqi Children |
Every day before school, seven year old Mohammed Fariq Rostam goes with his father on their donkeys to scrounge through Sulaimaniyah's garbage dump. Mohammed's eyes often burn from the smoke that rises from the rubbish, and his forehead bears a scar from when he slipped on trash and sliced it on a piece of glass. But he is proud when he helps his father find a source of income for their five member family. full story |
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Thousands of Students Protest the
Criminalising of Illegal Immigrants |
Thousands of high school pupils across the United States boycotted classes for the third straight day, hoping to derail a proposed law that would criminalise millions of illegal immigrants. Students in California, Nevada and Texas walked out of classes in a snowballing protest against proposed law reforms that have sparked fear and anger among US Hispanics, now the largest US minority group. Around 11,000 students in the LA area took part in the walkout, school officials said. full story |
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Britain: More Than 2,000 Children of
Asylum-seekers Detained |
More than 2,000 children of asylum-seekers are locked up every year, leaving them suffering depression, nightmares and eating problems, a coalition of campaign groups has warned. Children are being locked up in three detention centres around the country. One in three is held for at least a week and some are held for months without being told how long their detention will last. There is a case of a child being detained for nine months. full story |
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You Are a Right Wing Fascist or a
Left Wing Liberal if: |
Right-wingers and left-wingers alike insist that freedom of speech has, or needs to have, limitations. The exact nature of those limitations are defined and enforced by one's political affiliation. Some liberals [Socialists - Democrats] insist that we can say only certain things and tell us exactly how we can say them. They would choose our very words. full story |
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Sumatran Rhinos on Borneo
Down to a Few Dozen Animals |
Poaching has reduced Malaysia's population of Sumatran rhinos to just a small group plus a few individuals clinging to survival in the state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, according to an extensive field study conducted in 2005. Teams from 9 govt. agencies, nongovt. orgs and academic institutions were able to find just 13 animals in Sabah. A few individuals still survive in other parts of Sabah. Rhinos on the Indonesian side of Borneo and in the Malaysian state of Sarawak are believed to be extinct. full story |
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Canada Defends Seal Cull
While World Calls for a Trade Boycott |
Hunters are preparing to kill more than 300,000 baby seals this week despite growing international protests against the world's largest massacre of marine mammals and a new threat to the animals from global warming. Canada's bloody annual slaughter - the most controversial for decades - takes place as calls mount for a boycott of the country's products. But the long-term future of the cull and the seals themselves looks increasingly likely to be dictated by climate change. full story |
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Judges Overturn Bush Bid to Ease Pollution Rules |
A federal appeals court on Friday overturned a clean-air regulation issued by Bush that would have let many power plants, refineries and factories avoid installing costly new pollution controls to help offset any increased emissions caused by repairs and replacements of equipment. Ruling in favor of a coalition of states and environmental advocacy groups, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit said the "plain language" of the law required a stricter approach. full story |
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Twin Satellites Reveal
Shrinking Antarctic Ice Sheet |
The Antarctic ice sheet, which contains 90% of the planet's ice, has lost significant mass in the past 3 years, according to satellite data analyzed in the first-ever gravity survey of the entire Antarctic ice sheet. Colorado U. researchers conducted the study using measurements taken by twin satellites that are part of G.R.A.C.E. to conclude the Antarctic ice sheet is losing up to 36 cubic miles of ice annually. By comparison, that is about how much water the US consumes in 3 months. full story |
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Farmers Sue USDA Over Modified Alfalfa Crop |
Farmers and environmentalists are suing federal agencies for allowing a bio-technology giant to market genetically modified alfalfa, allegedly without fully considering potential harm to the American food supply and environment. The lawsuit, filed in US district court against the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency, argues that federal regulators illegally approved Monsanto’s application for commercial sale of genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. full story |
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