Humanosphere

Water under threat globally (VOA) – Scientists say a new geologic epoch has begun whereby humans are causing major damage to global water systems. They warn of a planetary transformation comparable to the retreat of the glaciers more than 11-thousand years ago.

Iraq car bombs kill dozens (BBC) – At least 60 people have been killed and many others injured in a series of car bomb attacks in central and southern Iraq, officials say.

The Flaw in Many Humanitarian Arguments for War  (Atlantic) – An interesting if perhaps somewhat unconvincing argument against intervening in Syria.

Before You Buy That T-Shirt  (NYTimes) – The deaths and injuries of thousands of garment workers in Bangladesh raise the question of how American and European consumers might assert their power to change appalling factory conditions half a world away.

Activists bristle as India cracks down on foreign funding of NGOs  (Washington Post) – Amid an intensifying crackdown on nongovernmental groups that receive foreign funding, Indian activists are accusing the government of stifling their right to dissent in the world’s largest democracy.

Rebels and army clash in DR Congo’s Goma (Al Jazeera) – Congolese soldiers have clashed with rebel fighters for the first time in six months in the city of Goma, on the border with Rwanda and just days before the arrival of the UN Secretary General.