Zimbabwe: Thousands of girls forced out of school
Poverty, abuse and cultural practices are preventing a third of Zimbabwean girls from attending primary school and 67 percent from attending secondary school, denying them a basic education, according to a recent study which found alarming dropout rates for girls. Sexual harassment and abuse by even school teachers and parents,...
Greek PM survives confidence vote
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou survived a close confidence vote early Saturday morning. The vote was 153–145 for Papandreou. Upon winning, Papandreou stated he may step aside if necessary. Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos stated a new government would be formed to last until the end of February. Venizelos has been...
Greatest tree change in North America to hit B.C., Alberta
Some of the greatest shifts in tree species are expected to occur in both the northern and southern extremes of western North America, such as British Columbia and Alberta. Over the last three to four decades, forests throughout much of western North America have been subjected to disturbance at a scale well beyond that previously […]
Scientists pin down active chemicals in Chinese herb
By Yojana Sharma, Science and Development Network Researchers are aiming to bridge the gap between Chinese and Western systems of medicine with what they say is the first database of chemical compounds found in herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. The database, known as Chem-TCM, will be used to help with drug development, according to […]
Hot, hungry and hostile: Dyer's dire prediction for our global future
By Michelle Martin “It’s going to get depressing at the middle of this talk, and it will end up a little more cheerful. Be patient and don’t cry.” With that cautionary note, Gwynne Dyer began his 2011 Power Smart Forum keynote address: Hot, Hungry & Hostile: The Geopolitics of a Warming World. The talk, which is […]
Happiness associated with longer life
By Helen Fields, Science AAAS Happy people don’t just enjoy life; they’re likely to live longer, too. A new study has found that those in better moods were 35 per cent less likely to die in the next five years when taking their life situations into account. The traditional way to measure a person’s happiness […]
Why Iceland should be in the news, but is not
By Deena Stryker in SACSIS.An Italian radio program's story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a stunning example of how little our media tells us about the rest of the world. Americans may remember that at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland literally went bankrupt. The reasons were mentioned only in passing,...
Polar bear threatens beaver as Canada national symbol
By Allison Martell, Reuters A Canadian senator has launched a campaign to replace the industrious beaver with the indomitable polar bear as Canada’s national emblem, saying the incumbent is “a dentally defective rat.” Conservative Senator Nicole Eaton delivered her damning criticism in the Senate on Thursday, noting that the beavers wreak havoc on the dock […]
Saudi Arabia: Poverty video vloggers released
By Mona Kareem in Global VoicesAround two weeks ago, Saudi Arabia arrested three young video bloggers Firas Buqna, Hussam Al-Darwish and Khaled Al-Rasheed for producing an episode of their show Malub Alena about poverty in one of Riyadh's areas.The name of the show can be translated into We Are Being Fooled and this episode...
New benefit of aspirin: preventing cancer
Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid, is one of the most widely used drugs in the world. It is proven to lower fevers, relieve minor aches and pains, and to reduce inflammation. It also has the long-term use of preventing heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots due to its antiplatelet characteristic, which prevents blood from […]
