UN: Voice of youth
At the UN, July 12 was designated Malala Day in honor of Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani woman who was attacked in October 2012 for her efforts to gain an education.
More transparency in corporate political spending?
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission swept away restrictions on the amount of money corporations could spend to influence campaigns, leaving decades of precedent in disarray
Debt trial of the century
On August 23, a U.S. appellate court upheld an earlier decision requiring Argentina to pay a number of hedge funds more than $1.3 billion.
Food sovereignty best addresses public interests
For the past two decades, small producers and family farmers have been shaping the concept of food sovereignty, based in the belief that all people deserve a say in how their food is produced, as well as the right to grow and produce it themselves through ecologically sound and sustainable methods.
Time for fossil fuel divestment campaign
Universities, religious institutions, governments and other investors are withdrawing their investments from the fossil fuel sector – corporations that extract oil, coal, gas and other fossil fuels.
New efforts on nuclear disarmament
For years after the end of the Cold War, the extreme danger of nuclear weapons and the moral obligation to achieve "nuclear zero" seemed to command little serious attention from governments or from the public at large.
Syria: Is violence the only answer?
As NewsNotes goes to press in early September, the news cycle is dominated by discussion about a possible military strike against Syria.
New and old in Africa
The following reflection was written by Fr. Dave Schwinghamer, a Maryknoll missioner who spent many years in East Africa; he recently joined the staff of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.
Honduras: Escalating violence in Nueva Esperanza
The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined colleagues in signing the following letter to Liliana Ayalde, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Jane Zimmerman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.
Mexico: Leahy freezes funds for drug war
The following analysis was written by Laura Carlsen and published by the Center for International Policy’s Americas Report.
Guatemala: Threats to human rights continue
Two children are recent victims in a rash of human rights abuses directed at indigenous people who oppose the exploitation of natural resources on community lands in Guatemala.
Right to communication vs. freedom of speech
While freedom of speech is a basic right recognized (though not always respected) internationally, progressive governments in South America are working to go beyond that.