FSRN Weekly Edition – June 17, 2016
- Grief, anger, calls to action follow Pulse attack; GOP concedes to gun debate following filibuster
- Assassination of British MP puts both sides of Brexit campaign on hold
- Police arrest protesters occupying Africa Unity Square in Zimbabwe
- Teachers in Oaxaca mark 10 year anniversary of uprising amid ongoing labor dispute
- Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ predicted to measure nearly 7,000 square miles this summer
- Double jeopardy on the Salish Sea; endangered orcas and endangered salmon
[sdonations]5[/sdonations]
Grief, anger, calls to action follow Pulse attack; GOP concedes to gun debate following filibuster
Grief, anger and calls to action filled the week following last Sunday’s massacre at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub. A lone gunman used an AR 15-type assault rifle and a semi-automatic handgun to murder 49 people in the popular bar that catered to a diverse, predominantly LGBT clientele. It was Latin Night at Pulse, and most of the victims were people of color. FSRN’s Nell Abram has more.
Assassination of British MP puts both sides of Brexit campaign on hold
Political shockwaves are coursing through the UK after a member of parliament was killed Thursday. MP Jo Cox was both shot and stabbed while walking to a meeting with constituents. Cox had been actively campaigning ahead of Britain’s upcoming referendum in which voters will decide whether the country should remain in the European Union. An advocate of the ‘Remain’ vote, it’s unclear if her position on the referendum was in any way linked to her murder. Election officials have suspended campaigning just days ahead of the vote. But until the somber turn of events, the lead up to the vote had been spirited, to say the least. Andrew Connelly reports from London.
Police arrest protesters occupying Africa Unity Square in Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, police have arrested and dispersed a group of youths staging what was planned to be a 16-day demonstration against the deterioration of the economy, human rights and President Robert Mugabe’s rule. In the past, such demonstrations have been carried out by a now missing journalist and human rights activist. Garikai Chaunza reports from Harare.
Teachers in Oaxaca mark 10 year anniversary of uprising amid ongoing labor dispute
Public school teachers, NGOs and activist organizations in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca this week marked the 10 year anniversary of a popular uprising in 2006. The commemorations come as the state’s teachers union faces one of its largest crises to date and just days after police arrested its top two leaders. Tensions are fueling highway blockades across the state and the federal government has sent in plane loads of specialized police. Shannon Young has more from Oaxaca City.
Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ predicted to measure nearly 7,000 square miles this summer
Scientists are estimating that there will once again be a large “dead zone” in the northern Gulf of Mexico this summer. Dr. Nancy Rabalais, executive director of Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, is co-author of a new paper estimating the size of this area of low oxygen. FSRN’s Seán Kinane spoke with her and discovered that the hypoxic zone that is ultimately caused by pollution from runoff from states bordering the Mississippi River could be about the size of Connecticut.
Double jeopardy on the Salish Sea; endangered orcas and endangered salmon
A long time ago there were thousands of orcas, as legend has it, with salmon and herring spawning by the millions. Today southern resident whales who migrate through the Salish Sea and up and down the west coast foraging for salmon, number just 83. A recent baby boom offer some hope but diminishing runs of salmon and a toxic stew of pollution and noise points to a different outcome. Martha Baskin reports from Seattle.
