News headlines in July 2011, page 2

Protecting bits of nature here and there will not prevent humanity from losing our life support system. Even if areas dedicated to conserving plants, animals, and other species that provide Earth's life support system increased tenfold, it would not be enough without dealing with the big issues of the 21st century: population, overconsumption and inefficient resource use.

'I'm not racist, but at night, if I see three black men coming, I cross the street'; 'I have a black friend, but I'd never accept him as my brother-in-law'; 'Who me, racist? Not at all! But my daughter marrying a black man…' These are the kinds of comments that can frequently be heard in Cuba, where discrimination of any kind is prohibited by law.

Utility companies across the U.S. have announced plans to shut down and retire several coal-fired power plants following a new rule published by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intended to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.

When the United Nations General Assembly created a three- member special committee to investigate Israeli human rights violations in occupied territories back in December 1968, the Jewish state reacted with obvious anger.

Kashmir’s juvenile justice system is sorely deficient for a state ridden with a long, and often violent, separatist conflict that attracts youth, say lawyers and rights activists.

More than half a million people remain displaced by Ivory Coast's post-election conflict and many are too afraid to return home for fear of ethnic reprisals, Amnesty International says in a report.

The recent gang-rape of a Buddhist nun and her expulsion from her sect have sparked a debate about the deep-rooted religious traditions and biases that foster discrimination and violence, especially against women, in this South Asian state.

Despite 12 years of reform, Morocco’s universities continue to fall short of expectations, with students complaining that the training they get does not meet the demands of the job market.

Leading members of the Palestinian Popular Committees in the West Bank plan massive civil unrest and disobedience against the Israeli occupation authorities come September when the Palestinians take their case for statehood to the UN.

In a significant escalation in the rhetorical battle against Iran, the U.S. Treasury Department Thursday accused Tehran of having forged a 'secret deal' with Al-Qaeda to allow it to use Iranian territory to transport money and operatives to Pakistan and Afghanistan.