_Section

NAIROBI – Huge mirrors in space, petrifying carbon dioxide, algae farms, and lots of white paint – these are some of the ideas being proposed to offset global warming amid fears that temperatures might rise by more than two degrees Celsius by the end of this century.

On 19 March last year, the UN Security Council decided to intervene militarily in Libya to protect unarmed, civilian citizens. The military intervention, which lasted more than seven months, consisted of continuos air surveillance, raids, reported ground actions and arms provision to the “insurgents” as part of such “protection” to the population of the oil-rich country.

A groundbreaking report released today by ICAN identifies more than 300 banks, pension funds, insurance companies and asset managers in 30 countries with substantial investments in nuclear arms producers. We print here ICAN’s letter to World Without Wars(1) and a link to this very important report that shows the banking system’s support to the biggest danger facing humanity.

For many years, the image of Chile as a perfect example of the success of the neo-liberal model
has been exported to the world. In terms of social justice, this model has been a complete failure.
Today, when hundreds of thousands of Chileans are protesting on the streets, the world can
finally see the truth behind this image.

The foundation “Humanist Home for Children”, established in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, in 2001, was legally registered in 2006 and since then has been surging forward at full strength. The largely volunteer staff have been conducting awareness programmes across the whole of Tamil Nadu, targetting both rural and urban sectors. Now an orphanage is developing.

So it turns that Monsanto, one of the world’s largest profiteers of genetically engineered (GE) food, has banned GE food from its own corporate canteens!

One billion children live in urban areas, a number that is growing rapidly. Yet disparities within cities reveal that many lack access to schools, health care and sanitation. These children are at “high risk of exploitation and trafficking, as well as becoming victims of violence”.

Today there are more than 1.3 million internally displaced Iraqis, with 500,000 of them “living in extremely precarious conditions”. This is just one of the consequences of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq, started in 2003 and ended -only officially- few weeks ago.

Cairo — A Cairo military court on Sunday [26 Feb.] heard witness testimony in a case against a soldier who allegedly performed “virginity tests” on seven female protesters on 10 March 2011. 22-year-old Samira Ibrahim filed a lawsuit against the military doctor whom she accuses of conducting the tests on her and six other female detainees near Tahrir Square.

A fully bilingual press briefing will be held on March 3, 2012 in Fukushima City, co-sponsored by Green
Action, Peace Boat and FoE Japan.
The briefing will be an opportunity to hear directly from Fukushima citizens’ groups in the leadup to the
first anniversary of the disaster on March 11 about their activities to monitor and protect children and
citizens from radiation.