Month: October 2020

In what defense attorneys are calling a “breathtaking and unprecedented” abuse of power, a top secret government court has authorized the surveillance of two Chinese nationals accused of stealing genetically modified (GM) seed technology from biotech giants DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto, according to court documents and reported by the Des Moines Register on Monday. Federal…

The state of Palestine on Wednesday was officially welcomed as a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a move many hope will be the first step toward justice after the prolonged occupation and last summer’s attack by Israel. During a ceremony at the Hague in the Netherlands, Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr.…

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is prepared to officially announce her intention to run for president on Sunday, ending months of hints and speculation over her candidacy plans and picking up where her 2008 campaign left off. The formal declaration will come in a casual manner, with a social media push starting on…

In communities across the world, people are taking back their water. Cases of remunicipalization—getting privatized water and sanitation services back under public control—is the focus of a new book by the Netherlands-based Transnational Institute (TNI), and offers welcome respite from tales of the ever-encroaching reach of corporate power. The trend of remunicipalization is accelerating, the…

A United Nations tribunal on Wednesday ruled that the agency unlawfully retaliated against an internal whistleblower who exposed allegations that French “peacekeeping” troops in Central African Republic had sexually abused children. Presiding Judge Thomas Laker ordered the UN to immediately reinstate Anders Kompass, the director of field operations for the Office of the High Commissioner…

As the month-long review conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) continued into its second week, a coalition of some 50 faith-based organizations (FBOs), anti-nuclear peace activists and civil society organizations (CSOs) was assigned an unenviable task: a brief three-minute presentation warning the world of the disastrous humanitarian consequences of a nuclear attack. Accomplishing this…

Omar Khadr—captured by the U.S. as a child, forced to endure torture, and detained 13 years, most of them at Guantánamo Bay—was recently released on bail to widespread media attention. But on Tuesday, leading human rights groups released an open letter reminding U.S. President Barack Obama—and the world—that 122 men still languish behind bars at…

Privacy advocate and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak considers NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to be a “total hero” and laments a missed opportunity to build more privacy protections into modern computer operating systems, according to a recent interview. Asked about Snowden in an interview with the Middle East technology website ITP.net published late last week, “Woz” said:…

The surge in earthquakes shaking Oklahoma, Texas and other parts of the nation’s mid-section are likely caused by million of gallons of toxic oil and gas wastewater being disposed of underground, two new studies have found. Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder and the United States Geological Survey analyzed data from earthquakes and more…

The FIA has put together a back-up plan to ensure that running at the Eifel Grand Prix is not impaired by weather conditions on Saturday. Friday’s sessions were cancelled by the rain and fog that rendered F1’s medical helicopter inoperable, preventing it to eventually to Koblenz’s hospital in the event of an accident. Appendix H…