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Why US Fracking Companies Are Licking Their Lips Over Ukraine

Thu, 2014-04-10 17:18 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

A large field of fracking sites in a Colorado valley. 'The industry’s singular solution to the climate crisis is to dramatically expand an extraction process that releases massive amounts of climate-destabilising methane.' Photograph: Ted Wood/Aurora Photos/Corbis

From climate change to Crimea, the natural gas industry is supreme at exploiting crisis for private gain – what I call the shock doctrine

theguardian.com - by Naomi Klein - April 10, 2014

The way to beat Vladimir Putin is to flood the European market with fracked-in-the-USA natural gas, or so the industry would have us believe. As part of escalating anti-Russian hysteria, two bills have been introduced into the US Congress – one in the House of Representatives (H.R. 6), one in the Senate (S. 2083) – that attempt to fast-track liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, all in the name of helping Europe to wean itself from Putin's fossil fuels, and enhancing US national security.

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Turkey Shoots Down Syrian Plane It Says Violated Air Space

Mon, 2014-03-24 23:24 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Turkey shoots down Syrian plane

reuters.com - by Daren Butler - March 23, 2014

(Reuters) - Turkish armed forces shot down a Syrian plane on Sunday that Ankara said had crossed into its air space in an area where Syrian rebels have been battling President Bashar al-Assad's forces for control of a border crossing.

"A Syrian plane violated our airspace," Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told an election rally in northwest Turkey. "Our F-16s took off and hit this plane.

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Turkey PM Erdogan Threatens to Ban Facebook and YouTube

Mon, 2014-03-10 21:49 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

Mr Erdogan has increased his majority at each parliamentary election

bbc.com - March 7, 2014

Turkey's PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his government could ban Facebook and YouTube, arguing that opponents are using social media to attack him.

But President Abdullah Gul later called such a ban "out of the question".

Allegations of corruption against Mr Erdogan have been repeated on the social media sites.

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Opposition Says No to Ukraine on Power Share

Sun, 2014-01-26 20:50 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

Protesters lit tires aflame during clashes with riot police in Kiev. It was unclear if they would accept the president’s concessions. Volodymyr Shuvayev/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

nytimes.com - by David M. Herszenhorn - January 25, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine — In a striking concession aimed at defusing Ukraine’s civil uprising and preserving his own grip on power, President Viktor F. Yanukovych on Saturday offered to install opposition leaders in top posts in a reshaped government, but they swiftly rebuffed the offer to the delight of thousands of protesters on the street craving a fuller victory in the days ahead.

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Report: Freedom Declined Worldwide in 2013

Sun, 2014-01-26 18:30 — Kathy Gilbeaux

voanews.com - by Jeff Seldin - January 22, 2014

WASHINGTON — The Washington-based group Freedom House said the cause of freedom around the globe took another hit in 2013, as the group released its Freedom in the World 2014 report Thursday. The authors warned of serious setbacks in some of the world’s more influential countries.

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CLICK HERE - Report - Freedom in the World 2014

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South Sudan Coup Attempt: Disgruntled Soldiers and Politicians Tried To Overthrow Government, Official Says

Tue, 2013-12-17 15:01 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

Sudanese anti-government protesters chant slogans during a demonstration in Khartoum, Sudan, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

huffingtonpost.com - AP - by CHARLTON DOKI and RODNEY MUHUMUZA - December 16, 2013

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) -- South Sudan's president on Monday ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the capital after soldiers loyal to the former deputy attempted to seize power by force, leading to clashes between military factions that highlight the growing instability of the world's youngest nation.

Flanked by government officials, President Salva Kiir --who put on fatigues with an army general's epaulets inside of his usual gentleman's suit -- said Monday in a televised address to the nation that the military had foiled a coup orchestrated by "a group of soldiers allied with the former vice president." The soldiers had attacked the South Sudanese military headquarters near Juba University late Sunday, sparking sporadic bursts of gunfire that continued Monday, he said.

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Philippines Trying to Learn Lessons from Typhoon Haiyan

Tue, 2013-11-26 23:09 — Kathy Gilbeaux

But between residents who don't understand the dangers and political infighting, that may be difficult.

             

Pel Tecson, mayor since May of Tanauan town, Leyte island, the Philippines, looks out from his battered town hall balcony over Tanauan, smashed by a Typhoon Haiyan. The city council passed a resolution Monday making a non-build zone from the shoreline to 50 meters inland. The need for relocation of vulnerable communities is the big lesson to be learned from the experience, Tecson said.  (Photo: Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY)

usatoday.com - by Calum MacLeod - November 23, 2013

. . . Despite small signs that this area is recovering, life remains far from normal for countless Filipinos who have struggled through days of horror and hunger. More than 5,000 people died in the typhoon, and hundreds more are missing. The survivors are wondering when they'll have their lives back. . .

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Syria crisis: 40% of population need humanitarian assistance, says UN

Sun, 2013-11-10 01:25 — Maeryn Obley

The humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate rapidly and inexorably, Amos told the UN. Photograph: Manu Brabo/AP

Image: The humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate rapidly and inexorably, Amos told the UN. Photograph: Manu Brabo/AP

theguardian.com - November 4th, 2013

Around 9.3 million people in Syria need humanitarian assistance due to the country's conflict, the UN was told on Monday .

"The humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate rapidly and inexorably," UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos told the security council behind closed doors, according to her spokeswoman, Amanda Pitt. Around 6.5 million people are displaced from their homes, Amos said. Syria's population is around 23 million.

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To meet emissions goals, the U.K. is reluctantly turning to fracking of shale gas.

Sun, 2013-10-13 22:46 — Maeryn Obley

Image: Fracking fight: In mid-August, the energy company Cuadrilla Resources suspended operations of this exploratory shale gas drilling site in southeast England after protests from residents and environmentalists.

Image: Fracking fight: In mid-August, the energy company Cuadrilla Resources suspended operations of this exploratory shale gas drilling site in southeast England after protests from residents and environmentalists.

technologyreview.com - September 10th, 2013 - Peter Fairley

Proposed U.K. government policies to encourage hydrofracking of natural gas ignited a firestorm of protest this summer, with critics complaining that they were not consulted and that rules will restrict local planners’ authority. But the country appears to have few other options. The United Kingdom is in an energy quagmire that is forcing it to turn to shale gas.

The country’s aggressive carbon emissions goals call for the U.K.’s power supply to be virtually carbon-free by 2030.

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Federation of American Scientists

Thu, 2013-09-12 22:06 — Maeryn Obley

fas.org

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to provide science-based analysis of and solutions to protect against catastrophic threats to national and international security. Specifically, FAS works to reduce the spread and number of nuclear weapons, prevent nuclear and radiological terrorism, promote high standards for nuclear energy’s safety and security, illuminate government secrecy practices, as well as track and eliminate the global illicit trade of conventional, nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.  FAS was founded in 1945 by many of the Manhattan Project scientists who wanted to prevent nuclear war and is one of the longest serving organizations in the world dedicated to reducing nuclear threats and informing the public debate by providing technically-based research and analysis on these issues.

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