For Aussies and New Zealanders, the Battle of Long Tan is the highlight of their wartime experience in Viet Nam, a singular event in which an outnumbered force of ANZAC infantry and artillery held off more than 1500 Viet Cong, inflicting serious casualties while suffering relatively few casualties of their own. Over the years, Vietnamese authorities have quietly permitted groups of Australian and New Zealand veterans to return on special occasions to commemorate the battle at the site near the beach resort town of Vung Tau.

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theguardian _ The Palestinian residents of Bilin have come up with a novel use for the teargas canisters left over from clashes with Israeli soldiers during the weekly protest against the West Bank separation barrier

Steven Bloor

Sabiha Abu Rahmeh waters the plants. Her son, Bassim, was killed in the weekly protests five years ago Photograph: Fadi Arouri/Xinhua Press/Corbis

 
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worldwatch – Cities are the world’s future. More than half of the world’s people live in cities, and the urbanization trend is continuing. Will the world invest in shaping livable, equitable, and sustainable cities?

“The path to a sustainable city starts with a vision,” explains Gary Gardner, co-director of the our newest book, Can a City Be Sustainable? “A well-crafted vision can rally public support and mobilize civic energy for a long-term urban makeover.”

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By JANE PERLEZ MAY 28, 2016

Huynh Anh Dung, 34, at his family farm in Soc Trang Province, Vietnam. His rice crop failed in February because of salty water. Credit The New York Times

nytimes – SOC TRANG, Vietnam —When the rice shoots began to wither on Lam Thi Loi’s farm in the heart of the Mekong Delta, a usually verdant region of Vietnam, she faced a hard choice: Let them die in the parched earth, or pump salty water from the river to give them a chance..

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