TheWorldNewsOrg

WATCH: A massive ghost ship has washed ashore with no crew along the Liberian coast. https://t.co/XpE3SaOasm — NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) May 12, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

A meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State of Russia and Belarus was held in Mogilyov http://pic.twitter.com/lPnJLylHEs — Government of Russia (@GovernmentRF) May 12, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

“Never will I stop fighting.” #rousseff calls #brazilimpeachment “fraudulent” https://t.co/en83VwJE9B http://pic.twitter.com/YPxls17amL — CCTV America (@CCTV_America) May 12, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

“What impedes the Church from allowing women to be deacons? I don’t know! Let’s look into it.”–Pope Francis http://pic.twitter.com/OtCPmWcjp4 — Christopher J. Hale (@chrisjollyhale) May 12, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

Brazil latest: - #Rousseff suspended - 55-to-22 vote - Impeachment trial - VP takes overhttps://t.co/xSvt1WK27h https://t.co/qkWW1PXnZC — Bloomberg (@business) May 12, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

By Amy Goodman & Denis Moynihan The White House announced this week that President Barack Obama will visit Hiroshima, the site of the world’s first atomic-bomb attack. He will be the first sitting president to go there, and only the second president ever, after former President Jimmy Carter visited in 1984. Obama’s pilgrimage to Hiroshima, where 140,000 people were killed and another 100,000 seriously injured on Aug. 6, 1945, will not be accompanied by a formal apology. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the trip was to highlight Obama’s “continued commitment to pursuing the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.” Yet the Obama administration also recently revealed its 30-year, $1 trillion plan to modernize the entire U.S. nuclear arsenal. With each passing year, fewer and fewer survivors of the horrific attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain to provide eyewitness accounts. These survivors are referred to with great respect in Japan as “hibakusha.” In 2014, we were given a tour of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park by a hibakusha, Koji Hosokawa. He was 17 in 1945. His sister was 13. “My biggest sorrow in my life is about my younger sister, who died in the atomic bomb,” he said. While in Japan, we also went to Tokyo to speak with the world-renowned writer Kenzaburo Oe in his publisher’s office. He won the 1994 Nobel Prize for literature. We asked him if President Obama should apologize for the two atomic bombings: “I am not seeking an apology, whether from the president or from any kind of person, in regards to this issue,” he told us. “I believe the fact that humanity did create these nuclear weapons is a crime that all of humanity is responsible for. And I believe this is an issue of a much greater scale than any individual politician could make an apology for.” Oe, 81, is not a hibakusha, but is a survivor of World War II, and the experience as a child deeply impacted him. As if anticipating the criticism that Obama is now receiving, accused of mounting an “apology tour,” Kenzaburo Oe said in 2014: “I believe that if Mr. Obama were to come to the memorial ceremonies in Hiroshima or Nagasaki, for example, what he could do is come together with the hibakusha, the survivors, and share that moment of silence, and also express considering the issue of nuclear weapons from the perspective of all humanity and how important nuclear abolition is. [This,] I think, would be the most important thing that any politician or representative could do at this time.” Since those two devastating bombings in 1945, on Aug. 6 in Hiroshima and Aug. 9 in Nagasaki, there have thankfully been no more military attacks with nuclear weapons. The U.S. and the Soviet Union came close, and nuclear warheads remain armed and aimed in both the U.S. and Russian arsenals. Kevin Martin of Peace Action, responding to the news of Obama’s planned trip to Hiroshima, also places little importance on an apology. Instead, he offers this brief list of to-do items for the president: “Taking our nuclear weapons off of hair-trigger alert, separating the warheads from their delivery systems, initiating negotiations for the elimination of nuclear weapons globally, initiating talks on a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction. ... But even the current deployed nuclear weapons, we could go down to a thousand or fewer, as the Pentagon has suggested in the past. Those are just some of the steps that would be meaningful and worth a trip to Hiroshima.” The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is a beautiful, haunting place. The most iconic landmark is the “A-bomb dome,” atop a large building that was not completely destroyed. As we left the memorial, Koji Hosokawa told us to stop. He looked us in the eye and told us not to forget the victims: “People lived here. They lived here.” President Obama should meet Koji Hosokawa and other hibakusha, and hear their stories. View the full article

The trailblazing human rights attorney Michael Ratner has died at the age of 72. For over four decades, he defended, investigated and spoke up for victims of human rights abuses across the world. In this web-only interview, Reed Brody and Michael Smith pay tribute to their close friend. View the full article

Queen Elizabeth II and British PM David Cameron are caught on hot mics, and it results in a royal “oops”https://t.co/WkLGuNMKjo — Yahoo News (@YahooNews) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

After daughter’s fatal shooting, mom spent decade searching social media for killer. Suspect was just arrested. https://t.co/2LotsXTAWx — The Associated Press (@AP) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

Ted Cruz has filed to run for reelection to the Senate in 2018. http://pic.twitter.com/gQl3lxEFyl — NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

Chinese FM Wang Yi met with #Qatar’s head of state Wed. in #Doha, hailing bilateral ties. http://pic.twitter.com/DwAPDVKCQb — People’s Daily,China (@PDChina) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

Pres Obama uses 9 pens to sign bill to help private sector go after those who steal trade secrets. http://pic.twitter.com/PT1rBGnWBy — Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

Michael Ratner, the president emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights, died today in New York City. For the past four decades he has been a leading champion of human and civil rights, from leading the fight to close Guantánamo to representing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to holding torturers accountable, at home and abroad. Michael Ratner was a regular guest on Democracy Now! He last appeared on the program in July at the opening of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C. Statement From the Center for Constitutional Rights From Attica to Assange, Michael Ratner has defended, investigated, and spoken up for victims of human rights abuses all over the world. For 45 years, Michael brought cases with the Center for Constitutional Rights in U.S. courts related to war, torture, and other atrocities, sometimes committed by the U.S., sometimes by other regimes or corporations, in places ranging from El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Guatemala, to Yugoslavia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Iraq, and Israel. Seeking to hold Bush administration officials accountable for torture, he turned to filing cases under the principle of Universal Jurisdiction in international courts—in Germany, Spain, Canada, Switzerland, and France. Michael dedicated his life to the most important fights for justice of the last half century. When Michael decided to take on U.S. policies of indefinite detention at Guantanamo in January 2002, it was not a popular position. With Michael, the Center for Constitutional Rights was the first human rights organization to stand up for the rights of Guantanamo detainees, and Michael was a founding member of the Guantanamo Bay Bar Association, a group that grew to over 500 attorneys from all over the country working pro bono to provide representation to the men at Guantanamo that has been called the largest mass defense effort in U.S. history. Michael acted as counsel in the landmark case Rasul v. Bush, and after two and a half years of litigation, CCR and co-counsel won the first Guantanamo case in the United States Supreme Court. As an attorney, writer, speaker, educator, activist, and as the President of the Center for Constitutional Rights for so many years, Michael Ratner’s passion was not just for the law but for the struggle for justice and peace. Michael’s work on Central America, Haiti, surveillance, WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, whistleblowers, war powers, and Palestine will not soon be matched. Michael’s leadership and generous spirit have shown the way for new generations of social justice lawyers. He helped found the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, bringing CCR’s style of lawyering, which he helped shape, to Europe, where the legal culture was less familiar with public interest lawyering and filing suits to press for social change. He worked with CCR and the Bertha Justice Institute on programs to educate junior lawyers, working in partnership with front-line organizations around the world and fostering artistic partnerships that bring the issues he championed his entire life to a wider audience. Michael’s legacy is the sea of people he has touched—his family, his clients, his allies, his colleagues, and all of the young lawyers he has inspired. Today we mourn. Tomorrow we carry on his work. In recent years Michael Ratner represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and was a vocal supporter of Chelsea Manning. View the full article

Firm which sent more than 500,000 text messages urging people to back Brexit campaign fined https://t.co/3s6QW8Qtzb http://pic.twitter.com/WugDwaRlOc — ITV News (@itvnews) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

.@EmWatson is one of many celebrities revealed to have offshore accounts after the Panama Papers leakhttps://t.co/MKZKQspbf0 — Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

Germany expands its army for first time since Cold War in response to threat of Isil https://t.co/jNM6l4bK7j http://pic.twitter.com/rSzIwwhvXj — Telegraph News (@TelegraphNews) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

The Fort McMurray wildfire could keep burning into next year – even if we can’t see it https://t.co/CmMK59pRuL http://pic.twitter.com/hTD8vlxmV7 — CNN (@CNN) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

Baltimore archdiocese posts list of 71 priests accused of sexually abusing children https://t.co/Fo95QLSQ29 http://pic.twitter.com/5alSaCMRw3 — Gawker (@Gawker) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

Your day is probably going better than this cat’s, who was rescued from a telephone wire http://pic.twitter.com/M8B4wZ6vVX — Sky News (@SkyNews) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

Google employees proposed a new set of female emojis to promote workplace gender equality https://t.co/TPLyLQu2f9 http://pic.twitter.com/2f6EsOn1oJ — Newsweek (@Newsweek) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

Today, we’re proud to release a new Mission Statement for the Department of Homeland Security. #DHSmission http://pic.twitter.com/7LCkYvzoX6 — Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

BREAKING: State police: 2 stabbed at Massachusetts mall, 2 others stabbed at home in related incidents; suspect shot by off-duty officer. — The Associated Press (@AP) May 11, 2016 via TheWorldNewsOrgvia journal.theworldnewsmedia.org

Answer: No The eyeglasses worn to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or presbyopia will not weaken the eyes any more than they will permanently "cure" these kinds of vision problems. Glasses are simply external optical aids that provide vision to people with blurred vision caused by refractive errors. Exceptions are the kinds of glasses given to children with crossed eyes (strabismus) or lazy eye (amblyopia). These glasses are used temporarily to help straighten the eyes or improve vision. Not wearing such glasses may lead to permanently defective vision. http://mayoclinichealthsystem.org/locations/la-crosse/medical-services/ophthalmology/myths-and-facts

Online retail colossus Amazon on Thursday boosted its fledgling air cargo service as it moves to gain more independence from freight firms for delivery of online purchases. Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings will provide air cargo services to Amazon, which also obtained an option to buy a stake in the New York-based company, the companies said in a joint release. "We are excited to begin a strategic long-term relationship with Amazon to support the continuing expansion of its e-commerce business and to enhance its customer delivery capabilities," said Atlas Air chief executive William Flynn. The agreement will include Atlas Air operating of 20 B767-300 converted freighters for Amazon. Operations were to begin in the second half of this year and ramp to full service through 2018. "We are excited to welcome a great provider, Atlas Air, to support package delivery to the rapidly growing number of Prime members who love ultra-fast delivery, great prices and vast selection from Amazon," said Amazon senior vice president of worldwide operations Dave Clark. The deal included Amazon getting warrants allowing it to acquire as much as 20 percent of Atlas Air common stock shares at a price of $37.50 over a five-year period, according to the companies. "The natural step for Amazon is controlling more of its own transportation and logistics, including additional air cargo and other transportation operations, as these are almost a necessity to continue the rapid expansion of Prime and Prime Now," Baird Equity Research said in a note to investors. Amazon last month started up its own air cargo service, laying down a challenge to companies like Fedex and UPS, which deliver much of its goods. Aircraft leasing firm Air Transport Services Group said Amazon's Fulfillment Services unit will lease 20 Boeing 767 freighters, to be operated by ATSG, to serve Amazon customers in the United States. The move was to "ensure air cargo capacity to support one and two-day delivery for customers," according to Clark. It could boost Amazon's standing with customers, especially during the heavy shopping of the end-of-the-year Christmas period. Over the past two years both UPS and Fedex struggled with the high volume of goods ordered online to meet delivery commitments. "We continue to believe that Amazon is in the early stages of building out larger-scale transportation and logistics operations to add capacity beyond existing providers, to lower logistics expenses, and ultimately, to offer specialized services to third parties," Baird said. http://gadgets.ndtv.com/internet/news/amazon-steps-up-air-game-with-new-cargo-deal-834377