Mexico’s “Sahara” Only Growing
Chicken and dairy moguls, a Coca-Cola plant and clearcutting are turning turning arid but habitable land in northern Mexico into desert at a rate of 150,000 hectares each year. The San Francisco Bay Guardian reports that dozens of villages and indigenous tribes are threatened, even as developers turn to the Cuatro Cienegas biosphere, “Mexico’s Galapagos,” for more water.
Protestors in a G8 Warmup Bring Riot Police
Hamburg’s session of the Asia-Europe Meeting addressed Darfur, nuclear proliferation and climate change, setting the stage for next week’s G8 meeting in the Baltic town of Heiligendamm. The Hamburg meeting also saw throngs of protestors come out for their own “warm up” for the G8, which is expected to draw as many as 100,000 dissidents from June 6-8.
Pope Acknowledges Colonial Woes
The Los Angeles Times reports that Pope Benedict XVI is back- pedaling — but not apologizing — for claiming that the conversion of South American Indians to Christianity did not involve the “imposition of a foreign culture.”
Speaking in Rome, Benedict later affirmed “sufferings and injustices” had occurred, but didn’t detract from the achievements of missionaries during the colonial era.
Sources:
“An American Sahara / Mexico is milking its northern deserts dry”
SFBG.com, May 15, 2007
“Leftists Target EU-Asia Meeting in Preparation for G8 Demos”
Deutsche Welle, May 28, 2007
“Asia-Europe Meeting Serves to Flesh Out G8 Priorities”
Deutsche Welle, May 29, 2007
“Pope recognizes colonial injustices”
Los Angeles Times, May 24, 2007