North America

Farmers demand World Bank – Wall Street stop grabbing their lands… at opening of the Bank’s annual conference. “Land governance in a rapidly changing environment” was the theme of the 2012 World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty, held April 23-26 in Washington DC. Corporate investors, governments and International Financial Institutions met at the World Bank headquarters.

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted a Russia-European resolution that authorizes an initial deployment of up to 300 unarmed military observers to Syria for three months to help bolster a fragile week-old ceasefire. The deployment depends on an assessment about compliance with a six-point peace deal mediated by envoy Kofi Annan.

By Megan Martin*

Wielding mobile phones and computers, the young activists across the Middle East have altered the way the world approaches popular mobilization, social networks and Internet freedom.

The Internet can be a transformational force for societies and individuals, allowing for organization on a mass scale and the free flow of information.

Editor’s Note: This story was written for New America Media as the first in a series of columns by Dr. Sanjay Basu called A Doctor’s Word, exploring the impact of the recession on health care for poor people. It appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Insight and on SFGate.com, media from where Pressenza obtained it.

New York – Africa’s urban population will increase from 414 million to over 1.2 billion by 2050 while that of Asia will soar from 1.9 billion to 3.3 billion. Both regions together will account for 86 per cent of all increase in the world’s urban population according to a new report.

New York – At any given time across the globe, some 2.4 million people are victims of human trafficking, a crime that generates $32 billion annually, rivalling the profits reaped by the illicit trade in arms and drugs. Every year, thousands of people fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own countries and abroad, with women comprise two thirds of trafficking victims.

A bomb attack on the offices of the national TV network Televisa in Matamoros in Tamaulipas state on 25 March has raised fears of a resumption of the threats that were aimed against the organization in the same place [in 2010](http://en.rsf.org/mexico-after-four-releases-tragic-july-03-08-2010,38086.html).

“Racism and racial discrimination have been used as weapons to engender fear and hatred. In extreme cases, ruthless leaders instigate prejudice to incite genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity”. With these words, UN secretary general marked this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which focuses on the theme of racism and conflict.

Here we publish the complete text of it.

Stephen Collis: What has your involvement with Occupy Wall Street been, and what is your
background?

Sara Burke: My involvement with OWS began before OWS began. My answer to your question might make more sense if I tell you a little bit first about my
background and then my activism with OWS.

Washington DC – Compelling advice against a hasty, unilateral decision by Israel to “bomb, bomb, bomb” Iran has come – from Israel. The advice is significant not only for what was said, but for who said it.