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Author: WHES
House rejects farm bill as food stamp cuts prove divisive
WASHINGTON — The surprise defeat of the farm bill in the House on Thursday underscored the ideological divide between the more conservative, antispending Republican lawmakers and their leadership, who failed to garner sufficient votes from their caucus as well as from Democrats.
Military says law barring US assistance to human rights violators hurts training mission
WASHINGTON — A 16-year-old law that bars American aid to foreign security forces that violate human rights is drawing unusual fire from some top military commanders who say it undermines their ability to train the troops to fight militants and drug traffickers.
Sweeping protests in Brazil pull in an array of grievances
SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Just a few weeks ago, Mayara Vivian felt pretty good when a few hundred people showed up for a protest she helped organize to deride the government over a proposed bus fare increase. She had been trying to prod Brazilians into the streets since 2005, when she was only 15, and by now she thought she knew what to expect.
Violence against women worldwide is epidemic. More than one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence, WHO says
More than one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence, a report by the World Health Organization and other groups says.It says 38% of all women murdered were killed by their partners, and such violence is a major contributor to depression and other health problems.
WHO head Margaret Chan said violence against women was “a global health problem of epidemic proportions”.
The study also calls for toleration of such attacks worldwide to be halted.
And it says new guidelines must be adopted by health officials around the world to prevent the abuse and offer better protection to victims.
Biologists worried by starving migratory birds, seen as tied to climate change
At the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, the tiny bodies of Arctic tern chicks have piled up. Over the past few years, biologists have counted thousands that starved to death because the herring their parents feed them have vanished.
Africa rising—but who benefits?
The continent’s future appears to be bright, but do growth figures reflect an improving quality of life?
It is a story that is being told with increasing frequency.
Against the backdrop of a prolonged slump that has brought financial paralysis to much of the Western world, experts have identified Africa as having many of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
Does a child die of hunger every 10 seconds?
Every 15 seconds a child dies of hunger, says a campaign by charities urging G8 leaders to pledge more aid for the world’s poorest families – or every 10 seconds, according to the latest version of the slogan. But does this paint an accurate picture?
From inner circle of Iran, a pragmatic victor
TEHRAN — As Iranians responded to the victory of the cleric Hassan Rowhani in the country’s presidential race over the weekend by erupting into street parties not seen in many years, it almost seemed as if some sort of reformist revolution could be under way.
Ecuador legislature approves curbs on news media
When President Rafael Correa of Ecuador won re-election this year, and for the first time captured a majority in the National Assembly, he vowed to push forward with major proposals that had been stalled in his earlier terms. On Friday he gained a victory that he had long coveted when the Legislature passed a law regulating the news media, which he says will force news organizations to act fairly and which opponents say will quash freedom of expression.
