News

“After days of emotional debates and intense lobbying, delegates from Amnesty International voted on Tuesday to support a policy that calls for decriminalization of the sex trade, including prostitution, payment for sex and brothel ownership… After two years of research and consultation with its members, Amnesty says it concluded that decriminalization is the best way to reduce risks for prostitutes… ‘Sex workers are one of the most marginalized groups in the world who in most instances face constant risk of discrimination, violence and abuse’” (

A recent BBC report notes, “Something is stirring in Saudi Arabia. Gone is the historically conservative, don’t-rock-the-boat, tip-toeing approach to the big strategic issues of the Middle East. In its place has come a new, assertive attitude that is seeing the oil-rich kingdom set off on previously untried and risky ventures” (BBC, August 8, 2015).

“The British government on Sunday accused Spain of violating its sovereignty over Gibraltar, saying Spanish state vessels had repeatedly and unlawfully entered its territorial waters without notifying it. The row is the latest in a long line of diplomatic spats between Britain and Spain over the territory, which was ceded to Britain about 300 years ago but which Spanish authorities now want to reclaim” (Reuters, August 9, 2015).

“The Chinese government is struggling to contain the collapse of a stock-market rally it helped engineer, announcing late Monday that it will step up its purchases of shares to prop up sagging indexes.

“California’s historic drought appears to be matched by severe dry spells on three other continents. Brazil, North Korea and South Africa are bearing the brunt of much lower-than-average precipitation, wreaking havoc on millions of peoples’ lives and livelihoods” (USA Today, July 27, 2015).