As garbage islands floating in the Pacific Ocean have grown to the area of entire countries, Japan and other nations’ use of plastic fishing nets is believed to not only take a major toll on sea life, but is even threatening the future of the fishing industry itself.
Suruga Bank is facing allegations of fraudulent lending practices that disproportionately targeted Japan’s foreign residents, wiping out personal savings, and placing the safety of tenants at risk.
In the global environmental conference COP27, which is set to conclude today, much of the debate has been focused on whether or not wealthier countries should pay climate reparations to more vulnerable nations.
In a historic decision by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the Australian government has been found to have violated the rights of its indigenous Torres Strait Islands populations by failing to protect them against climate change. This ruling could become a template for other indigenous groups around the world to secure their rights.
Although the government is introducing plans to address the climate crisis, concrete measures are proving slow to appear as a consequence of corporate lobbying, according to some nongovernmental organizations.
As celebrities become increasingly vocal about their social activism and the fight against climate change, it is disappointing–though not at all surprising–to see how some of the most applauded idols of the Western world appear reluctant to practice what they preach.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the military, political, and economic confrontation which resulted from it has led to a food supply crisis which is expanding throughout the developing world.
After decades of conflict and military occupations, Afghanistan has yet to emerge from its ongoing humanitarian crisis. The main culprits at this juncture are the poor governance of the ruling Taliban as well as the remarkably hostile policies of the United States and its allies, which are, in effect, waging economic warfare against one of the poorest nations on Earth.
The United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has assured the public that its temporary authorization of a controversial pesticide called thiamethoxam will follow strict guidelines to protect the environment from harm, but evidence is mounting that serious damage is being done.
A year and a half after the brutal military coup, responses to the crisis in Myanmar remain muted, including towards the ongoing genocide of the Rohingya people.
