Asia Pacific

VIDEOS: Activists at the COP21 Climate Change Summit in Paris

Staff / Truthdig Dec 15, 2015 In these videos, Truthdig columnist Sonali Kolhatkar reports from the COP21 climate change conference in Paris that concluded over the weekend, speaking to activists from around the globe on the front lines of the fight for climate justice. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Thank Climate Justice Activists for Doing All They Can to Curb Warming

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Dec 13, 2015 Even though conference delegates have now agreed on a global framework for addressing climate change, it is not good enough for the planet, and certainly not for those who have been demonstrating in the streets of Paris. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

COP21: What It Does — and Doesn’t — Accomplish

By John Atcheson / Common Dreams Dec 13, 2015 In terms of avoiding catastrophic climate change, there’s an enormous -- and disastrous -- gap between what was agreed to at the Paris summit and what was needed. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

VIDEO: COP21 Climate Change Summit in Paris Reaches Landmark Deal

Staff / Truthdig Dec 13, 2015 After two weeks of negotiations, nearly 200 countries agreed to a carbon emissions-slashing deal that may signal an end to the fossil fuel era. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Beijing Issues Its First Red Alert Over Smog as the City Goes Into Shutdown

Staff / Truthdig Dec 8, 2015 The ruling will impose tougher restrictions on industry and business in an attempt to curb the Chinese capital's pollution, which Greenpeace has called an “airpocalypse.” Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

In Address About San Bernardino Attack, President Obama Lays Out Plan to ‘Destroy’ Islamic State

Kasia Anderson / Truthdig Dec 7, 2015 Obama sought to convince Americans, including his opponents, that he is capable of handling this phase of the global conflict by pressing forward with a multipart strategy. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Climate Change Threatens U.S. Influence

By Alex Kirby / Climate News Network Dec 2, 2015 Security experts say a modern Marshall Plan of aid for the Asia-Pacific region is needed to protect U.S. strategic and economic interests from climate-related challenges. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

John Cusack and Arundhati Roy: Things That Can and Cannot Be Said

By John Cusack and Arundhati Roy / AlterNet Dec 2, 2015 This is the narrative result of an encounter between Cusack, Roy and whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Daniel Ellsberg. Cusack and Roy provide their own accounts and joint conversations. Dig deeper ( 51 Min. Read )

2003 All Over Again? On Eve of Syria Vote, U.K. Is Warned Against ‘Rush to War’

By Deirdre Fulton / Common Dreams Dec 1, 2015 "We must do everything we can to stop MPs voting the U.K. into its fourth war on a Muslim country in 14 years," Stop the War coalition says. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Putin Claims Turkey Was Protecting Islamic State Oil Smuggling as He Urges Kurds to Ally With Assad

Juan Cole / Truthdig Dec 1, 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday in Paris that his government had intelligence that the reason Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet last week was to protect oil smuggling from Islamic State (Daesh) through Turkey. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Clean Energy Gathers Steam

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Dec 1, 2015 As the Paris climate talks begin, the die is already cast: The world is going to move toward cleaner, more sustainable sources of energy. The question for U.S. policymakers is whether the world's biggest economy gets left behind. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Environmental Activists Are ‘Being Killed in Record Numbers,’ With at Least 116 Dying in 2014

Staff / Truthdig Nov 30, 2015 A new report reveals that two killings of environmental activists occurred on average every week -- up a fifth from 2013. Nearly three-quarters of the known deaths were in Central and South America. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )