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In Brazil, streets were once again filled with protesters paralyzing banks, schools, ports and highways.

However, the tone was completely different compared to the mass rallies in June where a crowd of over a million were outraged over price hikes in public transport.

A report from BBC News talks about the "National Day of Struggles," a nationwide strike held by trade unions on Thursday. They marched with political banners, representing Brazil's working class.

They were calling for lesser working hours, free public transport and more investment in health in education.

Twothirds of the country participated 1 including its largest city Sao Paulo where an estimated four thousand people blocked Paulista Avenue.

Meanwhile, protesters in Rio de Janeiro clashed with police, They expressed their frustration with how administration is managing the city.

They were hit by tear gas from police soon after. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has since took steps to make the requested changes possible, by initiating reforms in public services.

STORY WRITTEN BY: SATURN DE LOS ANGELES

Hosted by: Saturn de Los Angeles

Stories by: Saturn de Los Angeles, Kristobal Eugenio & Carlo Spiridigliozzi

Produced by: Catlin Spencer 

The Center for Investigative Reporting has discovered that almost one hundred and fifty female inmates of California prisons have been sterilized without proper approval.

The two prisons are the California Institution for Women in Corona, and the Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla, which has since become a men's prison.

According to the Sacramento Bee, at least one hundred and forty eight inmates have received tubal ligations between 2006 and 2010.

State laws stipulate that such procedures require approval from a health care committee.

No requests have been presented to the committee, although records show that the California Prison Health Care Receivership Corp was aware that sterilizations were being undertaken.

Doctor James Heinrich, Valley State Prison's OB-GYN, said that tubal ligations were only offered to inmates having had at least three C-sections. Interviews with former inmates contest this allegation.

Forced sterilization of prisoners has been outlawed in California since 1979.

 Flickr Photo by: Mike

STORY WRITTEN BY: Kristóbal M. Eugenio

North and South Korea have agreed to restart regular operations at the jointly run Kaesong Industrial Zone after 16 hours of intense talks on Sunday.

Suh Ho, South Korea’s chief delegate stated that the North seemed very willing to rapidly resolve the Kaesong issue.

The Kaesong Industrial Zone is a source of much needed revenues for cash-strapped North Korea.

According to Al Jazeera news, Seoul is pressing Pyongyang to guarantee that stoppages at the facility will not be used as a political bargaining chip in the future, and that operations at Kaesong will only resume if North Korea can agree to such terms.

The two Koreas will meet again on July 10^th at the facility to hold inspections and prevent future suspensions in operation.

North Korea unilaterally closed the Kaesong Industrial Zone three months ago, withdrawing all 53,000 workers and stopping all incoming supplies from the South at the height of tensions between the two Koreas.

Flickr Photo by: comradeanatolii

STORY WRITTEN BY: SPOON JUNG