Monthly Archives: September 2012

Brazil

Activists Alarmed at Release of Dorothy Stang’s Murderer

By Fabiana Frayssinet

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 23 2012 (IPS) – The release from prison of the Brazilian rancher found guilty of ordering the 2005 murder of U.S.-born rainforest activist and nun Dorothy Stang has alarmed human rights defenders, who warn that it could set a dangerous precedent in other cases involving land disputes and the rights of poor farmers.  Late Tuesday, Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled that the rancher, Regivaldo Pereira Galvão, had the right to remain free pending the outcome of his appeal. Continue reading Activists Alarmed at Release of Dorothy Stang’s Murderer →

Kenya

Eight pupils dead in dormitory inferno

Daily Nation

By MAURICE K’ALOUCH

Eight pupils of Asumbi Boarding Primary School, in Homa Bay County died after a fire razed their dormitory on Wednesday night.  Initial reports indicate that the pupils were among class seven and eight pupils attending August holiday tuition in the school. The institution is run by the Asumbi Catholic Church parish.  The fire is suspected to have been caused by an electricity surge after a daylong power blackout in the area. Continue reading Eight pupils dead in dormitory inferno →

Brazil

Brazil Supreme Court orders release of rancher charged with masterminding killing of US nun

Washington Post

SAO PAULO — Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered the release of an Amazon rancher charged with being one of the masterminds of the 2005 killing of American nun and rain forest activist Dorothy Stang.  The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday night that Regivaldo Galvao has the right to remain freepending the outcome of his appeal process. Continue reading Brazil Supreme Court orders release of rancher charged with masterminding killing of US nun →

South Africa

Bishop slams Lonmin bosses at Marikana memorial service

Mail  and Guardian

State officials and political leaders have joined more than a thousand residents at the memorial service for those killed in the Marikana massacre.  Bishop Johannes Seoka told mourners at the service in Wonderkop that profits must not be made at the expense of workers, while slamming Lonmin management for allowing their workers to live in “filth and rubbish with no assistance”. Continue reading Bishop slams Lonmin bosses at Marikana memorial service →

Congo

U.S. Passes New Rules Regulating Conflict Minerals

By Carey L. Biron

WASHINGTON, Aug 22 2012 (IPS) – After a 16-month delay, a U.S. government regulator charged with investment oversight has voted on rules that will now govern U.S.-listed companies operating in the extractive industry as well as those that use minerals whose sale may fuel violence in other countries, particularly in central Africa. Continue reading U.S. Passes New Rules Regulating Conflict Minerals →

Peace

Tilling the Ground for the Seeds of Terrorism

Huffington Post

by Dennis Kucinich

After more than 10 years of war against al Qaeda and the accompanying global “war on terrorism,” we have failed to learn that our actions create reactions. Our presence creates destabilization, then radicalization. Occupations create insurgencies. In Afghanistan, we have fueled the very insurgency we struggle to fight. Continue reading Tilling the Ground for the Seeds of Terrorism →

Brazil

Belo Monte Dam Can No Longer Ignore Native Communities

By Fabiana Frayssinet

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 16 2012 (IPS) – A judicial order to halt construction of the Belo Monte dam in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest may be just one more battle in a long-drawn-out war in the courts over the controversial hydroelectric project.  But it leaves a lesson for other infrastructure works: the courts in this country are prepared to uphold the right of indigenous people to be consulted on projects that affect them and their territories. Continue reading Belo Monte Dam Can No Longer Ignore Native Communities →