Empire Watch

Thousands of pigs were found dead in rivers supplying Shanghai’s water, a grisly discovery that has drawn attention again to China’s toxic pollution, which contributes to some 700,000 deaths each year. Here are some points of concern: WASTE Tai Lake—a ...

Trash on Mount Everest has become quite an issue. In the last 65 years Mount Everest has been transformed from the most pristine area to a trash dump of camping gear, oxygen tanks, garbage, and human waste.  The surrounding areas ...

Washington, D.C. Under current FEC political donation limits, which are adjusted for inflation in odd-numbered years, individuals can give up to $5,400 to candidates—$2,700 for their primary campaigns, and another $2,700 for the general election—and up to $33,400 per year ...

As rates of any drinking remained largely unchanged, binge drinking and heavy drinking have increased at the county level, influenced mainly by higher rates of drinking among women SEATTLE – Today, Americans are more likely to be heavy drinkers and ...

Chinese scientists have been modifying certain brain genes to create a new kind of monkey. Chinese researchers have incorporated the MCPH1 human brain gene into monkey embryos, in an experiment with hopes of crossing the wires of human and animal ...

Ghana has sold its soul to China, said Alex Bossman Baafi. Small-scale gold-mining permits are reserved by law for native-born Ghanaians only. Yet Chinese immigrants are operating illegal gold mines all over the country, with expensive machinery and guards armed ...

How did the U.S. debt get so high? The crucial turning point came back in 2001, said Lori Montgomery. At the time, Uncle Sam was actually running surpluses, and “the outlook was so rosy” that forecasters were predicting the U.S ...

In America, 7 out of 10 people are on Welfare. That’s the percentage of people who receive more in gov't benefits than they pay in taxes, according to a new Tax Foundation study. Some of these beneficiaries of Uncle Sam’s ...

A study has found that fracking has been causing earthquakes in Oklahoma for several years.  Scientists believe that pumping water with high pressure is causing seismic activity while they are extracting oil and natural gas.  They have found that in ...

China’s wealth gap has widened so much that the country now one of the most unequal outside of sub-Saharan Africa. A respected Chinese institute found this week that China’s Gini coefficient, a number that represents income inequality, has soared from ...