Democracy & Civics

Women Claim Space at AIDS Conference

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Circumcision, female condoms and sex work grabbed attention at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City last week. Researchers at the conference said circumcision in African men can minimize rates of HIV transmission by up to 60 percent, the United Nations news service reported. But despite assurances that women’s infection rates will concurrently decline, Marge Berer, editor of Reproductive Health Matters, was skeptical. “From a public health perspective, we are told that 60 percent protection [for circumcised men] is far better than nothing,” Berer said. “But is male circumcision good enough for women?”

Public Health

Dogs Could Guide Humans in Vision Study

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Norwegian scientists believe dachshunds might hold the key in discovering the root of hereditary blindness in humans, according to the BBC. Dr. Frode Lingass of the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science said a similar gene that causes blindness in humans has been discovered in wiener dogs. The gene initially causes day-blindness in the eyes’ photoreceptors and gradually full blindness in humans. “This gene has been associated with a combination of kidney and eye disease in human patients,” Lingass told the BBC. Lingass also said his find could lead to breeding out canine vision disorders.

Environment

Ain't no Other Fish in the Sea?

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Tuna may be the signature fish of Japan, the world’s foremost consumer of fish, but last week Japan’s largest organization of tuna fishermen agreed to suspend business because of sharply declining stocks of the fish. It was just one of many stories in recent weeks about how overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction and climate change are having serious effects on the world’s oceans. On the Atlantic coast of the United States, the Washington Times reported on the declining catch of blue crab, quoting crab fisherman Bob Rice as saying: “It’s been steadily going downhill every since the oyster fishery crashed and more and more watermen turned to crabbing.” Rice told the paper he blamed not just overfishing, but pollution, runoff and other human impacts. In Australia, the World Wildlife Foundation has warned that some of the Great Barrier Reef’s shark species are nearing endangered status because of overfishing, as well as government shark-abatement efforts.

Economy

Dreaming of a Zero-Carbon Economy

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Several nations around the world have launched national programs to increase energy efficiency, cut carbon emissions and build environmentally friendly buildings to slow the effects of global warming. Some question the importance — and motivation — of environmentally protective policies, but many countries remain undeterred in the face of occasional resistance. Spain, which has the highest dependency on fossil fuels of all European Union countries, recently introduced 31 measures that will help cut their oil imports by 10 percent. Some of the actions include cutting street lighting by half, slower speed limits, distributing low-energy lightbulbs, and strict thermostat regulation in public buildings, reports The Independent. Although Miguel Sebastian, Spain’s industry minister, told the newspaper that “the era of cheap energy has passed,” the proposals were ridiculed by some Spanish media as unworkable.

Environment

Climate Change, as the Crow Flies

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A group of new studies find that the patterns of bird migration literally change with the weather — or more accurately, the climate. Boston University scientists have been analyzing the timing of migrations of 32 species of birds since 1970, Thainidian News reports. They found that birds’ earlier spring arrivals on the East Coast owed to warming temperatures. The swamp sparrow, which overwinters in the American south, has kept pace with climate change because it doesn’t have to travel as far for food as temperatures shift. The great crested flycaster, however, travels as far as South America, and can’t adapt as easily to the changing availability of food.

Environment

Chile: Dammed if They Do

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Critics of a hydroelectric dam just approved in Chile say building it in a national park is illegal and paves the way for further development on public lands, according to the Santiago Times. The site of the dam is the 620-square-mile Puyehue National Park in southern Chile, home to scenic landscapes and exotic animal species. A regional government narrowly approved plans by Italian utility Idroenergia to build two dams on the Pulelfu and Correntoso rivers. But Chilean legislator Patricio Vallespin said such plans violate a 1940 conservation treaty and existing forest protection laws, which trumps efforts to produce more renewable energy. He also believes that in quenching the nation’s thirst for energy, local and regional leaders are ignoring the parks’ ecological benefits and setting a bad legal precedent.

Democracy & Civics

California may Sue Nestle over Water Plan

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Nestle’s plans to build a water-bottling plant in northern California may uncork a lawsuit against the whole operation. State Attorney General Jerry Brown threatened to sue the company unless it addresses problems he found in the project’s environmental impact report. Nestle hopes to divert close to 200 million gallons of water per year from the McCloud River in Siskyou County, according to CBS13 in Sacramento. “Nestle will face swift legal challenge if it does not fully evaluate the environmental impact of diverting millions of gallons of spring water from the McCloud River into billions of plastic water bottles,” Brown said. Nestle, which already downsized its original project by half, agreed to conduct further studies on the local watershed and their plastic bottle production to prevent negative environmental impacts.

Democracy & Civics

Did U.S. Taxpayers pay for Burma Junta's Satellite?

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A U.S. government-backed satellite company tested its products in Burma, despite longstanding U.S. sanctions against doing business with that nation’s repressive military regime, a Thai court case reveals. The revelations grow out of one of several corruption cases under way against former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, according to the Hong Kong’s Asia Times newspaper. Thaksin’s wife, Pojaman, was sentenced on Thursday to three years in prison for tax evasion in a separate case. In the U.S.-Burma case, prosecutors say the former prime minister arranged for a Thai state loan to the Burmese junta of $119 million to purchase satellite services that were sold by his family’s company. Burma, dubbed Myanmar by its ruling junta, later allegedly used some of the loan money in a deal whereby it allowed a company called iPStar to test its satellite-phone services in the nation before launching the products throughout much of Asia.

Democracy & Civics

China sets up protests during Olympics

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In a bid to placate rights activists, China will set aside three protest zones in Beijing during the Olympics in August. According to the Los Angeles Times, protesters have to get permission from the government a week before demonstrating, giving the names of organizers, the topic of protest and number of participants. The protest areas, all located in public parks, are out of the view of sports venues. According to Olympic security director Liu Shaowu, “Chinese law guarantees the legal rights of demonstration and assembly.”
Human rights activists disagree, arguing that protests “harmful to national unity or social stability” will result in arrest. — Julia Hengst/Newsdesk.org
“China to allow limited protests during Olympics”
Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2008

Democracy & Civics

Low-caste Indian woman rising up through politics

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Kumari Mayawati, a low-caste Indian woman and chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, led an electoral charge in late July to topple India’s government and lost only by a handful of votes. According to The Age in Australia, Mayawati demonstrated considerable political clout in swaying votes against the Congress Party-led Parliament, and her actions resulted in the formation of a “third party” in the Indian political system. Her ambition has led many to believe Mayawati could be India’s first “untouchable” prime minister from the Dalit caste. Mayawati’s intentions are under scrutiny: She is chief minister of an enormous state that is home to 10 percent of the world’s poor, but her personal assets last year were valued at $12.3 million — gifts from her supporters, according to The Age. Nonetheless, the newspaper reports that her dalit constituency loves her, and her popularity seems to be growing beyond caste lines.