by Unbias the News
Plans for Europe’s largest open-pit gold mine in Romanian commune Roșia Montană galvanized all layers of Romanian society, from villagers to presidents. The two-decade fight against a project that aimed to erase four mountains and three villages has radical social and political consequences.
As Europe offshores border control to Libya – where horrific human rights abuses have been well documented – migrants too have been joining forces between North Africa and Italy, in a unified movement for safety and recognition under international law.
Soviet eco-activism exposed state rot – but it also provided the networks, platforms and experience for ordinary people to become anti-authoritarian campaigners.
With El Salvador’s disturbing prison deal with the US in the spotlight, Lya Cuéllar takes a look back at how her country has fared under the self-styled “World’s Coolest Dictator.”
Amid a harsh government clapdown on opposing voices in Egypt, exiled opposition figures are challenging state-imposed narratives from abroad – and impacting politics back home.
As so often in war, men led Liberia’s armed fractions, and women tended to suffer its most severe consequences. But when an interfaith group decided enough was enough, they proved that women don’t have to command armies or hold political office to change the course of history.
Blending traditions and experimenting with new combinations, a catering service that began at a refugee reception center is winning over Italian palates.
Finding a foothold in Europe can be an immense logistical, economic, social and emotional challenge, but some immigrants are finding a sense of home in communities bound by belief.
With almost a third of young Portuguese living abroad, the country’s visa options and growing recognition of foreign qualifications help keep the economy on its feet. But despite so many immigrant workers coming from Portuguese-speaking countries, their degrees still don’t have the same clout as qualifications earned in Portugal.
“It’s just like a prison, but worse,” says Omar. “You don’t know when you’ll be out. You can’t do anything all day. You don’t even have your personal room. You feel crushed.”
Before industrialized farming conquered the continent, the crops that fed Europe were adaptable varieties that evolved as peasants freely exchanged seeds, from harvest to sowing, generation after generation. Reviving these seed systems could protect our food supply from future climate shocks – if EU regulations don’t strangle them out completely.
College-educated migrants arriving in Italy face one of the harshest job markets in Europe. Compared to natives with similar qualifications, migrants are overqualified, underpaid, and underemployed. As a doctor from Venezuela learned, landing steady employment even in a field with shortages can be a long struggle.
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