Our weekly round-up of must-read stories you might have missed. In focus this week: Tara left on the Tara Oceans Polar Circle expedition in the Arctic on May 19th from Lorient in France; Bashir and Kiir Meet in Addis As Sudan Reportedly Demands Permission to Pursue Rebels; Winter may be over but here are 5 Reasons Not to Buy Fur.
The Tara Oceans Polar Circle expedition started – May 19, 2013
This May 2013, the schooner Tara has embarked on a new scientific adventure: The Tara Oceans Polar Circle expedition. Tara will travel 25 000 kms around the Arctic Ocean via the Northeast and Northwest passages, returning to Lorient in December 2013. This new challenge brings together biologists and oceanographers to focus on plankton biodiversity in the Arctic. Research will be conducted at the edge of the ice pack where plankton is most abundant. Circumnavigating the Arctic Ocean, Tara Oceans Polar Circle is completing the main objective of the Tara Oceans Expedition (2009-2012): to collect plankton in all the oceans of the world. Indeed, the Arctic is the only ocean missing from our global study of plankton. Other issues are also explored: the assessment of mercury levels in the atmosphere and in the sea, and the concentration of plastic particles. Our aim is to obtain new measurements of these pollutants in the Arctic, and better assess their impact on the arctic ecosystem…
Sudan: Bashir and Kiir Meet in Addis As Sudan Reportedly Demands Permission to Pursue Rebels – May 24, 2013
Presidents Omer Al-Bashir and Salva Kiir discussed Friday evening in Addis Ababa issues related to oil flow, rebel groups and Abyei, among reports that Khartoum asked to allow its troops to pursue rebels inside South Sudan. The two leaders met for the last time in Juba where the two leaders reiterated their commitment to the signed agreement and pledged to resolve issues of Abyei, and disputed border zones. However, Sudan accused some circles in Juba of continuing their support to rebel groups and dispatched its foreign minister Ali Karti to hand a presidential message to president Kiir. The latter last Monday disclosed that it included a demand to close business offices managed by rebel groups. During the two-hour meeting, Sudanese president reiterated his demand that Juba should stop its alleged support to the rebel groups…
When winter approaches and people start complaining about the chill, someone you know may have the urge to buy fur. “But it’s so warm,” they’ll protest. Here are some arguments to throw back. Fur farms. Worldwide there are farms where millions of raccoon,dogs, rabbits, and other animals spend their lives in wire cages. These animals are killed with inhumane methods like electrocution or neck-breaking. Trapping. America is the world’s top producer of wild-caught animal fur. In addition to killing millions of animals for fur, traps accidentally harm pets, hunting dogs and even endangered species. Environment. Making fur products requires toxic and carcinogenic chemicals. Alternatives. There are substitutes to fur that look and feel real. The quality of faux fur has improved over the years, bringing faux fur sales to an all-time high…
