In 2014, the number of lives lost to terrorism around the world increased by 80 percent, the highest level ever. The majority of such terrorist activity occurred in the largest refugee-producing nations, a Global Terrorism Index (GTI) showed. The GTI, developed by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), comprehensively studies the patterns and impacts…
Read morePro-Democracy Group Warns of Secret Right-Wing Push to Rewrite Constitution
Under the radar of corporate media and general public, a “dangerous proposal” is bubbling up in state legislatures throughout the country—one that could trigger “political chaos that would make past upheavals like the Watergate scandal and the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton seem tame by comparison.” “We’re sounding an alarm. This is a national…
Read moreThe DuPont and Dow Chemical Merger: Bad Deal for People and the Planet
Watchdog groups are sounding the alarm after two of the oldest and largest corporations in the United States—DuPont and Dow Chemical—announced Friday plans to merge into a $130 billion giant, thereby establishing the world’s biggest seed and pesticide conglomerate. The new behemoth, named DowDuPont, would then be split into “three independent, publicly traded companies through…
Read moreAllowing Corporate Sponsorship of Great Barrier Reef Likened to Naming Hospital After Tobacco Company
Australia is seeking corporate sponsors to fund a new Great Barrier Reef conservation initiative, sparking fears that big companies could invest in the endangered marine site to ‘greenwash’ their poor environmental track records. Click Here: Cheap Chiefs Rugby Jersey 2019 The world’s biggest coral reef is facing increasing dangers stemming from climate change, including a…
Read morePentagon Deliberately Thwarting Efforts to Close Guantanamo
President Obama’s repeated pledges to close the Guantánamo Bay detention center have been routinely and deliberately undermined by his own Department of Defense, according to a damning new investigation published on Monday. Citing numerous administration officials, Reuters exposed a “pattern” of bureaucratic obstacles imposed by the U.S. Pentagon which have successfully thwarted efforts to transfer…
Read moreUpholding Power of the People, Court Says Voters Can Weigh In on Citizens United
When it ruled Monday that California lawmakers can ask for voters’ opinions on campaign-spending laws, the state Supreme Court underscored “that the ultimate power of our government is vested in the people,” Common Cause senior vice president Karen Hobert Flynn declared in the wake of the decision. By upholding the legality of Proposition 49—which would…
Read moreFrom Seabirds to Starfish: Climate Change Driving Unprecedented Die-Offs
From seabirds to whales to antelopes to starfish, animal die-offs across the globe are raising alarm about the deadly impact of climate change on the world’s ecosystems and their vulnerable inhabitants. An estimated 8,000 black-and-white common murres were found dead on the beaches of Alaska’s Prince William Sound over the weekend, joining thousands more that…
Read moreIn Landmark Ruling, UK Court Affirms "Journalism Isn't Terrorism"
In a landmark ruling, a British appeals court on Tuesday found that the UK’s terrorism law violate the European Convention on Human Rights—a decision that came in the case of David Miranda, who was detained and searched at London’s Heathrow airport in 2013 while carrying encrypted documents related to U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden. The ruling…
Read moreFrench Minister Resigns Rather Than Stamp Draconian Anti-Terror Law
French justice minister Christiane Taubira, seen by many as a rare voice of compassion for marginalized communities, resigned unexpectedly on Wednesday over President François Hollande’s controversial anti-terror proposals, saying, “Sometimes to resist means leaving.” “I left the government over a major political disagreement,” Taubira told the BBC. “I am choosing to be true to myself,…
Read moreNot Science Fiction: Biotech Industry Pushing 'GM 2.0' Across Europe
Biotech lobbyists are staging a “below-the-radar attack” on European regulations, attempting to have new genetic modification (GM) techniques excluded from rules that impact the environment, food safety, and consumer choice, according to a new report from the Brussels-based Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO). In doing so, big agrichemical corporations like Bayer, BASF, Dow Agrosciences, and Monsanto,…
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