Ecuador Amazon tribe win first victory against oil companies

Ecuador's Waorani indigenous tribe won their first victory Friday against big oil companies in a ruling that blocks the companies' entry onto ancestral Amazonian lands for oil exploration activities.

After two weeks of deliberations, a criminal court in Puyo, central Ecuador, accepted a Waorani bid for court protection in Pastaza province to stop an oil bidding process after the government moved to open up around 180,000 hectares for exploration.

The lands are protected under Ecuador's constitution that establishes the "inalienable, unseizable and indivisible" rights of indigenous people "to maintain possession of their ancestral lands and obtain their free adjudication."

Federal judge, civil rights icon Damon Keith dies at age 96

Source: Detroit Free Press

Damon J. Keith, the federal judge whose rulings in a string of high-profile cases over three decades catapulted him to the status of national civil rights icon, has died.

He was 96.

Keith, a grandson of slaves who rose from humble beginnings in Detroit to become an internationally-revered champion for justice and a much-loved father-figure who launched countless legal careers, died early Sunday morning.

Lawyers and legal scholars from all over the nation were drawn to his Detroit chambers, a place adorned with photos of the many famous people whose lives he touched, including Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela and President Barack Obama.

Read more: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2019/04/28/damon-keith-district-judge-civil-rights-icon/3608409002/

BYU valedictorian comes out during commencement speech

A valedictorian at the most prominent Mormon college in the United States, Brigham Young University, came out during his graduation speech yesterday.

Matty Easton shared several of his own struggles with his class during the heavily attended graduation ceremony, including realizing that being gay is part of who he is supposed to be.

“I stand before my family, friends, and graduating class today to say that I am proud to be a gay son of God,” he said.

“I am not broken. I am loved and important in the plan of our great creator. Each of us are.”

Pope sends aid to migrants stranded at the US border

Pope Francis has donated 500,000 dollars to assist migrants in Mexico. The funds, from the Peter’s Pence collections, will be distributed among 27 projects promoted by sixteen Mexican dioceses and religious congregations, which requested assistance in continuing to provide food, lodging, and basic necessities to the migrants.

According to a statement from Peter’s Pence, “In recent months, thousands of migrants have arrived in Mexico, having travelled more than 4,000 kilometres on foot and with makeshift vehicles from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Men and women, often with young children, flee poverty and violence, hoping for a better future in the United States. However, the US border remains closed to them.”

In particular, the aid is intended to assist the more than 75,000 people who arrived in Mexico in 2018, in six migrant caravans. “All these people were stranded, unable to enter the United States, without a home or livelihood”, the statement reads. “The Catholic Church hosts thousands of them in hotels within the dioceses or religious congregations, providing basic necessities, from housing to clothing”.

Warren proposes canceling billions in student loan debt

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election, wants to cancel billions of dollars in student loan debt and make college cheaper for students going forward.

Warren, in a post on the website Medium, proposed canceling $50,000 in student loan debt for anyone with annual household income under $100,000, which her campaign said would amount to 42 million Americans. It would also cancel some debt for those with household incomes between $100,000 and $250,000.

Warren, who has long advocated in Congress for providing debt relief to students, called student loan debt a “crisis.” She said canceling debt for millions of people would help close the nation’s racial and wealth gap, and also proposed making all two-year and four-year public colleges free.

Police officer attends Breathalyzer training intoxicated

A Detroit Police officer attended a Michigan State Police training class with alcohol in his system, officials confirm.

WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) reported that the training took place Thursday, and Detroit Police Chief told the TV station that an internal investigation would be conducted.

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MSP Lt. Mike Shaw told the Free Press the officer was attending a DataMaster training class. A DataMaster is an instrument used to analyze blood alcohol concentration via a breath sample.

"During that class he volunteered to give a sample and it was determined he had alcohol in his system. The MSP sergeant dismissed him from the class and sent him to his department. His command staff was notified. He does not work for us so we can not discipline him. That will be up to his employer."