OneWorld US Daily Headlines

05/20/2008 More than 300 South Africans recently demonstrated against the xenophobic attacks that began in the country's Gauteng province last week.
From: The Times (Johannesburg)

05/20/2008 For the 25th straight year, a memorial celebration has been held across the globe to raise awareness about AIDS. The opening ceremonies were in Malawi this year to spotlight the country's successes in fighting the disease.

05/20/2008 Last week the U.S. House of Representatives voted against President Bush's Iraq War Policy. This is a "major victory" for the anti-Iraq war movement, write the heads of an arms control advocacy group.

05/20/2008 Wind energy can supply 20 percent of U.S. electricity needs by 2030 at a "modest" cost difference, says a new report from the U.S. Department of Energy.

05/20/2008 Florence Okot and dozens of other HIV-positive women in northeastern Uganda have birthed healthy babies thanks to a new program focused on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

05/19/2008 WASHINGTON, May 19 (OneWorld) - An Afghan father, unable to feed his family, sold his 11-year old daughter for $2,000 to buy food for the rest of his family, IRIN News reported Sunday.

05/19/2008 Marina Silva, the Brazilian environment minister widely applauded for her anti-deforestation measures, resigned last week, days after Brazil announced a controversial new sustainable development plan for the Amazon.

05/19/2008 Although an official truce was declared in 1996, the rate of violent deaths in Guatemala continues at a pace similar to that of the genocidal 36-year civil war. Many believe this is due to the continuity of "'social cleansing' operations," writes Joy Agner.

05/19/2008 Unless Kenya's draft bill to establish a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission is revised, this future body "could fail to contribute to or even undermine the justice which [the country] so badly needs," says a human rights watchdog.
From: Human Rights Watch

05/19/2008 The first-ever comprehensive map and database of the world's freshwater systems is helping conservationists protect the 100,000 species -- many of them endangered -- that live in aquatic habitats.

05/19/2008 Mutabar Tojiboyeva has been named this year's recipient of the Martin Ennals Award, an annual commendation given by 13 prominent human rights groups. There is concern that the Uzbek activist could die in prison, where she has been held since protesting the Andijan massacre of 2005.

05/18/2008 African leaders need to raise their voices in condemnation of the shocking decline of democracy and mounting poverty levels in Zimbabwe, and that the outside world must echo that pressure, said a coalition of civil society groups across Africa last week.
From: Global Call to Action Against Poverty

05/18/2008 China is taking new heat for blocking a potential UN action that could bring relief to Burmese citizens suffering from the effects of Cyclone Nargis.

05/17/2008 WASHINGTON, May 16 (OneWorld) - Antiwar veterans of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan took their case to Capitol Hill Thursday, baring their souls with stories of killings of innocent civilians, torture, and wrongful detentions.

05/16/2008 The California Supreme Court ruled yesterday that a law barring same-sex couples from getting married is unconstitutional, said a human rights monitor, welcoming the new law as an important precedent for equal rights around the world.
From: Human Rights Watch

05/16/2008 NEW YORK, May 16 (OneWorld) - Pressure is mounting on the Canadian government to take actions against private loggers and other business concerns that encroach upon indigenous peoples' territories.

05/16/2008 "The conference agreement on the 2008 [U.S.] Farm Bill makes numerous improvements in domestic food assistance programs to help low-income Americans put food on the table in the face of rising food and fuel prices," says policy analyst Dottie Rosenbaum.
From: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

05/16/2008 The approximately 100,000 ethnic Nubians living in Kenya continue to demand official recognition -- notably citizenship -- although they face less political discrimination than in previous years.

05/16/2008 Visit some of the specials spaces set aside for youth in a refugee camp in Darfur, where children of all ages can go to play, learn, and begin the healing process. [Scroll down to view video.]

05/15/2008 WASHINGTON, May 15 (OneWorld) - As UN estimates of the number of Burmese affected by Cyclone Nargis rose from 1.5 to 2.5 million and the United States and United Nations continued to wrangle with Myanmar's rulers over visas for aid workers, Atlanta-based CARE received a $1 million donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to deliver humanitarian relief in Myanmar.