Americans’ divide over global warming getting deeper
Despite onslaught of science, resistance to the idea seems to be hardening
By CHARLES J. HANLEY
Tucked between treatises on algae and prehistoric turquoise beads, the study on page 460 of a long-ago issue of the U.S. journal Science drew little attention.
“I don’t think there were any newspaper articles about it or anything like that,” the author recalls.
But the headline on the 1975 report was bold: “Are We on the Brink of a Pronounced Global Warming?” And this article that coined the term may have marked the last time a mention of “global warming” didn’t set off an instant outcry of angry denial.
Meltdown fears for euro as G20 makes plans for Athens to default on debt
Finance Minister signals Greece may opt for 50 per cent writedown on bonds as top economist warns Spain and Italy could be forced out of single currency
By Ben Chu in Washington and Margareta Pagano in London Sunday, 25 September 2011
The world’s leading economic powers are moving towards an acceptance that Greece will default on up to half of its €350bn sovereign debts, according to reports from meetings in Washington yesterday. They are believed to be working on concrete plans to deal with these huge losses and their repercussions.This news – almost regardless of any words of qualification that emerge this weekend – will have a resounding effect on the febrile markets when they open on Monday.
Wave of riots over China land grabs
Andrew Jacobs, Beijing September 25, 2011
RIOTERS in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have besieged government buildings, attacked police and overturned riot squad vehicles during protests against the seizure of farmland.According to a government website, hundreds of people last Wednesday blocked an important highway while others mobbed the local headquarters of the Communist Party and a police station in the city of Lufeng, injuring a dozen officers. Some witnesses, posting anonymous accounts online, put the number of rioters at more than 1000.
Bitter battle for Gaddafi’s hometown
BEN HUBBARD SIRTE, LIBYA – Sep 25 2011
Libya’s new leaders also tried to move on the political front, promising on Saturday to announce in the coming week a new interim government that it hopes will help unite the country. However, disagreements remain about what the Cabinet should look like.The National Transitional Council led the rebellion that forced Gaddafi into hiding and has taken over the leadership of the oil-rich North African nation even as it continues to fight forces still loyal to the fugitive leader.
Israel ponders response to Palestinian U.N. statehood bid
Israel officials are weighing calls for swift retaliation against fears that tough measures could be counterproductive, perhaps causing the Palestinian Authority to collapse.
By Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Jerusalem– As Israel considers its reaction to the Palestinian drive for recognition of statehood at the U.N., officials are weighing calls for swift retaliation against fear that tough measures could be counterproductive.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is evaluating Israel’s next step. But key members of his right-wing coalition are pushing for a firm response, which they say would discourage Palestinians from pursuing their strategy of gaining United Nations recognition or taking other unilateral steps away from the negotiating table.
Ry Cooder takes on the bankers
By Nicola Stanbridge
Today Programme
The guitarist Ry Cooder is most famous for his Buena Vista Social club recording, which he used to highlight his opposition to America’s trade embargo on Cuba.In his new album he continues his political stance, claiming he will use his music to take on bankers and give voice to “ordinary working people”.
Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down completes the circle with the musician’s first albums, which covered songs by Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly that evoked the desperate times of The Great Depression.