President Obama demanded Friday that the Libyan government move beyond its declaration of a cease-fire in response to a U.N. Security Council resolution and pull its troops back from cities recently captured from rebels.
Author: WHES
After Japan’s quake and tsunami, freezing weather threatens relief efforts. Many of those hit by the disaster lack blankets, food and fuel, raising fears of a quiet but deadly humanitarian crisis
Freezing winds, hail storms and thick snow are the latest threats to 430,000 beleaguered survivors of northern Japan’s week-long cascade of disasters. After a massive earthquake, devastating tsunami and nuclear crisis, many people made homeless are now facing icy weather, with temperatures forecast to plunge to –5C (23F).
Last defense at troubled reactors: 50 Japanese workers
A small crew of technicians, braving radiation and fire, became the only people remaining at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on Tuesday — and perhaps Japan’s last chance of preventing a broader nuclear catastrophe.
Japan steps closer to a full blown nuclear catastrophe
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Battle for control rages in Libya—Gaddafi forces inch towards opposition stronghold of Benghazi while wrangle over UN decision on no-fly zone crawls
Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader’s forces and rebels are fighting for control of the oil town of Brega as the battle for eastern Libya edged closer to Benghazi, the so-called “rebel capital” in the east.
Libyan forces rout rebels as West’s effort for no-flight zone stalls
AJDABIYA, Libya — Behind tanks, heavy artillery and airstrikes, forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi routed a ragtag army of insurgents and would-be revolutionaries who were holding the last defensive line before the rebel capital of Benghazi on Tuesday.
Hungry families sleep on the sidewalk, waiting for food in Hayward California
(Hayward CA, August 15, 2009) Families receive food at a food distribution organized every month by Hope for the Heart in Hayward. Many people begin lining up for food the day before, and sleep overnight on the sidewalk in order to make sure they get their food before it runs out. Many families are immigrants from Mexico, and don’t have enough money to buy food or pay rent. Food for the program comes from the Alameda County Community Food Bank, and the people distributing the food are all volunteers, organized by local churches. During the food distribution, children of food recipients listen to music, and watch a religious service while their families are waiting..
David Bacon is an award-winning photojournalist, labor organizer, and immigrant-rights activist. His web site is http://dbacon.igc.org/ . His most recent book is Illegal People — How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants.
As other authoritarian leaders fall, North Korea pushes ahead with succession plan
TOKYO — Last Sunday, a crowd of young North Koreans marched through a square in their capital city. They brandished red flags and called for a higher standard of living. But they also carried placards glorifying leader Kim Jong Il, and only a day earlier, they had attended an ideology seminar at which they pledged their loyalty to the current social
Surge in drug violence puts prosperity at risk in Monterrey, Mexico’s richest city
When American baseball executives were looking for a place to move the struggling Montreal Expos franchise five years ago, Mexican investors brought them here, to this booming metropolis two hours south of the Texas border.
Somalia: As a result of conflict and drought, 1 out of 3 Somalians needs humanitarian asssistance as prices of food and water soar
One in three people in Somalia needs humanitarian assistance as a severe water crisis, linked to the La Niña weather phenomenon, takes hold across much of the country after failed seasonal Deyr rains and amid continuing armed conflict. Prices of cereals and water in many areas have soared.
