FSRN Weekly Edition – August 21, 2015
- New leftist party forms in Greece following Tsipras resignation
- Greece grapples with multiple crises including migrant influx
- Murders of transgender people on the rise as public presence grows
- Native American tribes say California not doing enough to protect fisheries
- New Zealand: nationwide actions protest controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership
- Unique food bank in India fights local hunger
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New leftist party forms in Greece following Tsipras resignation
After only seven months in office, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras resigned Thursday and called for national elections on September 20th. Nell Abram Has more.
Greece grapples with multiple crises including migrant influx
The political upheaval in Greece comes as an unprecedented migrant crisis continues across Europe. Macedonia declared a state of emergency Thursday and sealed its border with Greece to block entry of what are mostly Syrian war refugees, though some are Afghans and Iraqis, searching for work and a better life for themselves and their families. FSRN’s Jacob Resneck reports.
Murders of transgender people on the rise as public presence grows
On Wednesday, the Obama administration announced the appointment of the first transgender White House staffer. Raffi Freedman-Gurspan will be in charge of outreach and recruitment for the presidential personnel office. The high-profile post adds to a rapidly growing public awareness about gender dysphoria and gender nonconformity, recently expanded by celebrity transitions and reality TV. But transgender activists say while welcome, the increased public exposure has unintended consequences – while it has broadened acceptance in some quarters, it’s also fueled a backlash and led to increasing violence in others and a recent spike in trans murders underscores the crisis facing many transgender people. FSRN’s Larry Buhl has more from Los Angeles.
Native American tribes say California not doing enough to protect fisheries
In California, with record-breaking drought now in it’s fourth year, a federal agency is under fire for it’s management of a Northern river. Native American tribes are leading the opposition to plans they say fail to shield fish from the effects of low water flows. They’re calling for both short-term mitigation and long-term management plans to adequately protect the fisheries on which their communities depend. Daniel Mintz reports.
New Zealand: nationwide actions protest controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership
Twelve countries, including the United States and New Zealand, continue confidential negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, or the TPP. Activists around the world are ringing the alarm, saying the TPP is far from a standard trade agreement and could threaten the sovereignty of countries that sign it. In New Zealand this week, indigenous activists continued their call for the government to honor its treaty with the Māori and include them in the talks, others washed windows at the Trade Minister’s office — calling for transparency. The latest round of TPP negotiations stalled in Maui, and were followed by the ongoing series of actions against the controversial trade agreement in New Zealand. Carla Green reports.
Unique food bank in India fights local hunger
India is home to the largest number of hungry people in the world. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization, nearly 200 million people are undernourished in India – the highest number for a single country. India runs several government funded nutrition programs and also has a national food security law in place. But due to widespread corruption, these measures have done little to alter the situation. However, a unique food bank in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh is effectively fighting hunger at local level. Bismillah Geelani reports.
