Erstellt am: 26. 6. 2013 - 15:43 Uhr

Coming Together and Growing Apart

Reality Check: the EU tries to reach a communal farming policy, Croatia joins the EU, whistleblower Snowden causes tri-continental rifts, fishing communities and human rights, and what the heck are contrails?

Farm Together, Right Now

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Romanian and Polish seasonal workers harvest cucumbers of Spreewald farm Riecken near Vetschau, Germany

Did you know that agriculture is the biggest single item of EU spending - consuming nearly 40 percent of the budget? So, the EU needs to get it right when it comes to communal farming policies and that's what the member-states' agriculture ministers are trying to do in Brussels today. Our man in Brussels, Tim Cupal gave us some insight...

WTF is a Contrail?

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If you don't know what they are, can you guess from the picture above? Can you imagine the effect of contrails on your everyday life? Jens Borken Kleefeld from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis explains...

Tri-Continental Rifts

First, on-the-run whistleblower Edward Snowden pissed off the United States. Then, the US got pissed off with China for letting Hong Kong harbour him and susequently allowing him to leave. Now, the US is pissed off with Russia for letting Snowden hang out at Moscow airport until he gets to Ecuador (or maybe another Latin American country??) and this naturally also results in the US getting pissed at Ecuador (or whichever country Snowden ends up in). Political historian and commentator James Boys tells us what the impact of all this negative energy could be...

Fishing Communities and Human Rights

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Sri Lankan fishermen use a traditional canoe for fishing in the lagoon at Batticaloa which is 206 kms east of Colombo

The Vienna + 20 Conference takes place this week in Vienna and that means there are dozens of human rights issues experts in town. One such expert is Rehema Bavuma of the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fishworkers . She told me about the sorry state of the world's fishing communities when it comes to human rights.

The EU Welcomes Croatia and Croatia Welcomes Chris Cummins

Chris Cummins

Students hanging out at a park in Zagreb, Croatia

The title says it all...