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According to the 40th annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers report by American Rivers, half the rivers in the United States contain unsafe pollution levels, with freshwater species becoming extinct faster than land or ocean species. The Mississippi River topped the list, with federal flood management changes putting the health of the river at risk, jeopardizing […] The post America’s Ten Most Endangered Rivers Announced in New Report appeared first on EcoWatch.

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Russian authorities have removed the Taliban from their list of terrorist organizations. The Kremlin can now sign agreements with Afghanistan — and also improve its relations with the transitional government in Syria.In a closed session on April 17, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation “temporarily” lifted Russia’s ban on the Taliban. The request came from the office of the prosecutor general. This motion was based on a decree President Vladimir Putin had issued a year ago, making it possible for the Taliban, an ultraconservative political and religious movement in Afghanistan, to be removed from Russia’s list of terrorist organizations. The Taliban regained power in Kabul in 2021 after the withdrawal of international coalition forces from Afghanistan. According to Russian law, any Taliban member entering Russia must be arrested and could face up to 20 years in prison on charges of engaging in terrorist activity. In practice, though, no Taliban member has been detained on entering Russia since 2016. Th

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Polish activists gave food and clothes to a group of refugees before trying to smuggle them to safety. Now they are on trial and could face years in prison.About 100 demonstrators gathered outside the Bialystok courthouse in northern Poland on a recent April morning to show support for five Poles on trial here. Four of the five appeared for the trial, and the fifth failed to appear. Demonstrators held up signs reading “Freedom for the five,” “Helping is not a crime,” or “Laws can’t smother the truth.” A group of drum-banging young people approached. Others yelled words of encouragement to the defendants, shouting, “You’ll never walk alone!” Cheers erupted when the four appeared in court. In March 2022, the five gave water, food and clothing to a desperate Iraqi couple, their seven children and an elderly Egyptian man who was with them. The refugees had illegally crossed the Belarus-Polish border and had spent several days living in the woods. The five Poles then decided to drive the group to the next closest

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Colombian President Gustavo Petro has sought to end conflict with armed groups in the country since taking office in 2022. But the suspension of a ceasefire agreement with former FARC dissidents makes peace tricky.Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Thursday suspended a ceasefire with a faction that once belonged to the armed Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group. The faction broke with FARC when it signed a peace pact in 2016 with the government to bring an end to five decades of fighting. FARC fighters laid down their arms as part of the pact, but some older rebel groups, as well as new ones that emerged later, didn’t demobilize. Peace talks to continue despite suspension of ceasefire with FARC dissident faction The ceasefire between the government and the FARC dissident group expired earlier this week. An extension was expected to be agreed upon, but could not be closed in time. Petro said in a statement he did “not extend the bilateral and temporary ceasefire with respect to the c

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