-
Fourth of July: Honoring the Values That Inspire Nations
Every year on the Fourth of July, the United States marks its Independence Day, a historic moment that symbolizes the birth of a nation founded on principles of liberty, self-governance, and the rule of law. While it is a national holiday, its significance is often recognized beyond American borders as well. The ideals associated with…
-
35th Day of Protests in Tirana
This Saturday, too, the challenge was met, and the Flamingo Revolution continues to soar. The square was filled with a sea of tens of thousands of people who had come from all over. On Thursday, July 2, clashes broke out between the police and a group of students who intended to protest in front of…
-
Toxics Watchdog Exposes Banned Mercury-Added Skin Lightening Products Sold in Cagayan de Oro City, Urges FDA to Take Action
Toxics watchdog BAN Toxics has issued a public health warning over the widespread sale of prohibited skin-lightening products containing toxic mercury in beauty shops in Cagayan de Oro City, urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take enforcement action. For its last leg of market monitoring and product testing activities in Mindanao, BAN Toxics…
-
The Mad Scramble to Dim the Sunlight
Whew! It’s hot out there, and the more the planet heats up, the more geoengineering appeals to billionaire types willing to bankroll projects to reflect sunlight to outer space. But solar radiation management (SRM) is a touchy subject that’s yet to make an impact on global warming. Who knows, maybe it never will… meaning, not…
-
Throwing Light on a Nationwide Indian National Register of Citizens (NRC)
An intriguing debate gained momentum soon after the Indian foreign ministry made a public statement that a passport alone cannot justify one’s claim to be a citizen of India. The federal government had already clarified that neither an Aadhaar- PAN-driving licence or a voter identity card can be assumed to be solid proof of Indian…
-
Convicted of Spying on the Press
The five-year sentence handed down to Schafik Nazal Lázaro, former director of the Army Intelligence Directorate, and former judge Juan Antonio Poblete for illegally intercepting journalist Mauricio Weibel’s communications while he was investigating the corruption case known as Milicogate goes far beyond the individuals involved. We are not merely witnessing the conclusion of a legal…
-
Peru: Roberto Sánchez Appeals to the IACHR Over Alleged Electoral Violations
Former Peruvian presidential candidate Roberto Sánchez filed a request for precautionary measures with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) regarding alleged violations of political rights and judicial guarantees during the second round of the election. This action represents a momentous exercise in democracy, as it seeks to ensure the process is concluded with complete…
-
Groups Draw Attention to Cigarette Butts, the “Everywhere Plastic and Toxic Waste”
4 July 2026, Quezon City. As the plastic-free month is observed this July, the EcoWaste Coalition and the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH-Philippines) joined the “No Butts Day” to draw attention to cigarette butt pollution and the need for resolute measures to protect the people and environment from addictive and injurious tobacco products and…
-
Closer Belarusian-Pakistani Military-Technical Co-Op Could Complicate Russian-Indian Ties
Given the officially designated “special and privileged” nature of the Russian-Indian Strategic Partnership, it should be assumed that Putin didn’t authorize Lukashenko to sell high-tech military equipment to Pakistan for use against India and that he’d be appalled if Lukashenko agreed to do so. Pakistani Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu recently visited the…
-
South America: The Continent Split in Two
Minimal democracy, maximum economic power, and a region dragged between the far right, social frustration, Indigenous peoples, and the new empires “When a democracy needs only half a point to govern one hundred percent of a fractured country, perhaps we are not facing a victory, but a crack wearing a presidential sash.” “South American democracy…