In The News

US Cities Reconsider LED Streetlights After AMA Warning

Alyssa Navarro September 26, 2016
LED lights have captured a greater share of the global market each year as Europe, the United States, India and China enact policies encouraging energy conservation. The light-emitting diode, invented in the early 1960s, sends an electric current through a semiconductor device. LEDs are about seven times more energy efficient than conventional lights and last 25 times longer, while cutting energy...

The Growing Gap Between Town and Country

Ronald Brownstein September 26, 2016
The industrialized world is experiencing a growing divide between “diverse global cities” and the rural “places that feel left behind,” according to Ronald Brownstein of the Atlantic. Sadiq Khan, mayor of London and the first Muslim mayor of a major Western city, pointed this out during a visit to Chicago. Alongside Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Khan celebrated immigrants and increased opportunity...

ICC: Environmental Destruction Is a Crime Against Humanity

Rowena Lindsay September 23, 2016
The International Criminal Court is turning attention to cases of environmental destruction and land grabs as crimes against humanity, reports the Christian Science Monitor. “This represents a significant shift in strategy at the ICC, which since its 1989 inception has been charged with investigating war crimes and human rights offenses when national governments were incapable of doing so,” notes...

UN Pledges to Fight Antibiotic Resistance in Historic Agreement

Michaeleen Doucleff September 23, 2016
Overuse of antibiotics and outright abuse have contributed to some bacteria adapting resistance to common drugs. The UN General Assembly is tackling the spread of antibiotic-resistant superbugs as a priority: “The U.N.'s declaration requires countries to come up with a two-year a plan to protect the potency of antibiotics,” reports Michaeleen Doucleff for NPR. Common infections like...

Britain Approves Controversial Chinese-Financed Nuclear-Reactor, With a Catch

Griff Witte September 22, 2016
British Prime Minister Theresa May hesitantly agreed to a nuclear power plant, Britain’s first in decades, financed in part by China with a controlling stake by EDF, a French firm. May, who came to power after the Brexit referendum in June, and others in her staff have expressed concern that a large Chinese investment in British energy could leave Britain vulnerable should geostrategic interests...

China Turns on Charm Offensive for Bhutan

Bertil Lintiner September 22, 2016
Bhutan is nestled among the Himalayas and between Asia’s two giant powers – India to the south and China to the north. The small kingdom, a country of 750,000, has long had ties with India. So India watches closely as China steps up attempts to settle longstanding border differences and strengthen ties with Bhutanese leaders including Foreign Minister Damcho Dorji who visited Beijing in August....

North-South Divide in Nigeria Is Hiding a Humanitarian Crisis

Emmanuel Akinwotu September 21, 2016
Boko Haram has terrorized northeastern Nigeria for seven years, leaving almost 2 million people displaced and many communities impoverished. The country of 180 million is ethnically diverse. The humanitarian crisis that also stretches into Chad, Niger and Cameroon has prompted outrage around the globe. The crisis is less urgent for journalists and government leaders of Nigeria, largely based in...