Portia Simpson Miller took office Thursday as Jamaica’s first female prime minister, pledging to fight violent crime, root out corruption and protect human rights.
Thousands turned out for her inauguration including the Caribbean’s top leaders as well as the Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan and Essence magazine editorial director Susan Taylor.
Full Story: Washington Post.
(Great News Network).
These […]

Jill Carroll, the American reporter who was kidnapped in Baghdad nearly three months ago, was freed today, and said she had been mostly confined to a small room during her captivity but had been treated well by her captors.
Full Story: New York Times
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The IWW Starbucks Workers Union won a watershed victory yesterday in the first National Labor Relations Board conflict over unfair labor practices between the world’s largest coffee chain and the baristas who work there. Faced with the prospect of having its widespread union-busting campaign exposed in a public hearing, Starbucks agreed to remedy all of […]

After Massachusetts last month ordered Wal-Mart to stock the “Plan B” emergency contraception pill, Wal-Mart this past Friday announced that, effective March 20, all Wal-Mart pharmacies nationwide will carry emergency contraception, reversing the companies previous policy– part of a trend of Wal-Mart changing its national policies in response to state laws.
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And in many cases, workers […]

“You can now travel through the US from the Atlantic to the Pacific without setting foot in a state where Bush’s approval tops 45%, according to the March Survey USA polls.”
There’s some great maps and visualizations on Daily Kos.
Full Story: Daily Kos.
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The Ontario government today unveiled a vast, new renewable energy incentive program experts predict will accelerate the use of renewable energy in the province and create a regional market with implications for the global renewable energy industries. The plan is based on a long-term Standard Offer Contract, or feed-in-laws, as they are commonly […]

Bacteria that converts Styrofoam into Earth-friendly plastic could lead to a new kind of biodegradable plastic that breaks down into the soil.
The method could help reduce the 2.3 million tons of petroleum-based plastic waste that makes its way into U.S. landfills each year, said research leader Kevin O’Connor, who heads the bioplastic research group at […]

But as an anti-Thaksin movement has gained momentum with almost daily street protests, journalists have begun to report the news as they see it - not as the premier wants it seen. And even state-owned outlets are offering more coverage of government opponents.
“When people rose to criticize Thaksin, the media - whether they worked for […]

A new type of explosive may make blowing things up a little more environmentally friendly, according to a new study.
US researchers say they have developed “green” chemicals that could replace the lead-based primary explosives that are used to detonate everything from blasting caps to ballistic missiles. They also claim their process may make the manufacturing […]

The case studies prove that the conservation and sustainable management of species and their habitats means better protection of forests, freshwater and marine areas. As a result, the rural poor who depend on these areas will have more access to goods and services they provide. This not only increases incomes, but access to freshwater, health, […]