tagged w/ International Politics
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On February 18, 2009, the Ecuadorian Congress approved a new Law on Food Sovereignty, which, among other important points, declared the country "free of transgenic crops and seeds." However, in spite of vocal popular opposition, the legislation left the door open to approvals of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in "exceptional" cases. Now, President Rafael Correa has proposed several changes to the legislation in what is known in Ecuador as a partial-veto and sent it back to the Congress. The president's changes dangerously weaken the law and open the door to Terminator seeds.
Terminator technology is designed to make "suicide seeds," genetically engineered to be sterile in the second generation. The technology has been widely rejected around the world by farmers' movements, governments, research institutions and UN agencies as dangerous, immoral and undesirable.
Alarmed by President Correa's proposals, civil society is now calling on him to drop his amendments and to explicitly ban Terminator technology.
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Just what are these country's leaders being promised in return for being so morally bankrupt? Terminator technology is unproven and a direct threat to biodiversity! I simply cannot believe this. Chevron/Texaco destroys the Ecuadorian rainforest with toxic sludge, and now this president wants to destroy biodiversity with these seeds? Greed will be the end of us all.On February 18, 2009, the Ecuadorian Congress approved a new Law on Food Sovereignty,... more
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Washington police arrested five US lawmakers Monday during a protest outside the Sudanese embassy over the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.
Organizers said the five, who included Democratic representative John Lewis, a leading veteran of the US civil rights movement, were detained for civil disobedience after refusing a police order to disperse.
The protestors called on the government of Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir to reverse a recent decision to expel international humanitarian groups from Darfur and end what they called his use of starvation as a weapon of war in the region.
"President Beshir has a choice," said another Democratic lawmaker, Jim McGovern, before the group was arrested.
"He can choose to let the humanitarian groups return, he can choose to end the violence and the killing, and he can choose serious negotiations for a just and lasting peace, or he can continue to commit crimes against humanity," he said.
The other detained lawmakers were Donna Edwards, Keith Ellison and Lynn Woolsey, all members of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party.
Police also arrested three organizers of the protest, including Jerry Fowler of the Save Darfur Coalition and John Prendergast, a former State Department advisor.
Obama's administration has vowed renewed efforts to end the conflict in Darfur, where some 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million been made homeless since fighting erupted between rebels and the government in 2003.
The International Criminal Court has charged Beshir with war crimes and crimes against humanity over the conflict.
During Monday's demonstration, protestors urged Obama to increase the pressure on Khartoum.Washington police arrested five US lawmakers Monday during a protest outside the... more
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Kepano
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Sri Lanka's rebels declared a unilateral cease-fire on Sunday as a top U.N. official pressed Sri Lankan leaders to let aid into the northeastern war zone where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped.
Sri Lanka's Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa rejected the call, saying the rebels were "running" from government forces, who have pushed deep into the Tamil Tigers' strongholds in the north in recent months, surrounding the beleaguered rebels and vowing to end the quarter-century war.
The United Nations and others have been pushing for a negotiated truce to allow civilians to escape, as reports have grown of starvation and casualties among those trapped by the fighting.
A rebel statement e-mailed to The Associated Press Sunday said all their military operations would "cease with immediate effect."
The rebels asked the international community pressure the government into also halting their campaign, saying the "humanitarian crisis can only be overcome by the declaration of an immediate cease-fire."
U.N. Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes held meetings Sunday with senior officials in Colombo and was "underscoring the urgent need for humanitarian access by the U.N. to the combat zone," U.N. spokesman Gordon Weiss said.
Aid workers have been barred from the region since fighting escalated in September.
The U.N. says nearly 6,500 civilians have been killed in the fighting over the past three months.
Holmes, who arrived late Saturday, had previously called on the government to suspend its offensive to allow the estimated 50,000 trapped civilians to escape.
Holmes was to head Monday to the northern region of Vavuniya to inspect displacement camps and hospitals that have been overwhelmed by the more than 100,000 civilians who fled the war zone over the past week.
The U.N. says another 50,000 civilians remain trapped in the war zone. But the rebels say the number of trapped civilians is three times that estimate.
The rebels, listed as a terrorist group by many Western nations, have been fighting since 1983 for an ethnic Tamil state in the north and east after decades of marginalization by governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority. After more than three years of intense fighting, the military stands on the verge of crushing the group.Sri Lanka's rebels declared a unilateral cease-fire on Sunday as a top U.N.... more
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JAKARTA, Indonesia — From Pakistan to Gaza and Lebanon, militant Islamic movements have gained ground rapidly in recent years, fanning Western fears of a consolidation of radical Muslim governments. But here in the world’s most populous Muslim nation just the opposite is happening, with Islamic parties suffering a steep drop in popular support.
In parliamentary elections this month, voters punished Islamic parties that focused narrowly on religious issues, and even the parties’ best efforts to appeal to the country’s mainstream failed to sway the public.
The largest Islamic party, the Prosperous Justice Party, ran television commercials of young women without head scarves and distributed pamphlets in the colors of the country’s major secular parties. But the party fell far short of its goal of garnering 15 percent of the vote, squeezing out a gain of less than one percentage point over its 7.2 percent showing in 2004.
That was a big letdown for a party and a movement that had grown phenomenally in recent years, even as more radical elements directed terrorist attacks against Western tourists and targets. The party had projected that it would double its share of seats in Parliament even as it stuck to its founding goal of bringing Shariah, or Islamic law, to Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous nation, with 240 million people.
Altogether, the major Islamic parties suffered a drop in support from 38 percent in 2004 to less than 26 percent this year, according to the Indonesian Survey Institute, an independent polling firm whose figures are in keeping with partial official results.
End of excerpt
Source: The New York Times OnlineJAKARTA, Indonesia — From Pakistan to Gaza and Lebanon, militant Islamic... more
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The United Nations needed a big diplomatic victory, and they got it.
Delegates at the Geneva conference on racism managed to adopt a closing resolution – and it has come three days ahead of schedule.
It carries no small demand, just that the world fights intolerance, racism and hatred of foreigners.
The countries that boycotted this gathering, including the US, Australia and Canada are not among the signatories.
It has been a difficult few days for the UN. The fall-out from the speech by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, carried over into the second day, with some of the delegates who walked out of Monday's gathering during his controversial attack on Israel opting not to return, and instead boycotting the rest of the conference.
Behind the scenes, in the high ornate halls, officials worked hard getting the agreements they needed from the diplomats, trying to win back the headlines.
While they were doing that, the Iranian President arrived back home in Tehran to what the official news agencies described as a "sensational welcome".The United Nations needed a big diplomatic victory, and they got it.
Delegates at... more
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Kepano
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GENEVA -- The United Nations conference on racism reconvened Tuesday, minus another participant as the Czech Republic refused to return after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech on Monday attacking Israel.
The Czechs joined a list of countries including the United States, Israel and four other European Union members in snubbing the conference.
U.N. officials engaged in hasty damage control efforts after Mr. Ahmadinejad’s speech Navi Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay said she found Mr. Ahmadinejad’s speech “totally objectionable” but said it did not “provide any justification” for countries to walk out.
As Mr. Ahmadinejad began to speak, two protesters wearing rainbow-hued clown wigs — their statement on the tenor of the proceedings — pelted him with red foam noses. Hustled out the door by security agents, they were soon followed by lines of stony-faced diplomats from the 23 European nations attending the conference. They walked out to the sound of some other delegates applauding Mr. Ahmadinejad.
The United States and more than a half-dozen other nations had already boycotted the gathering out of concern that it would focus on maligning Israel rather than on the global problems of discrimination, replaying the disputes that marked the first United Nations conference on combating racism in Durban, South Africa, in 2001.
Years of negotiations intended to avoid just such a scenario failed, underscoring the uneasy gap that exists between the rest of the world and the West when it comes to certain issues, like whether Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians under occupation belongs at a forum on discrimination and xenophobia.
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Source: The New York Times OnlineGENEVA -- The United Nations conference on racism reconvened Tuesday, minus another... more
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At a United Nations conference Iran's leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparked a large walkout, all 23 of the 27 European Union members attending the conference stood up and filed out of the room to cheers from the audience galleries. The walkout was prompted by calling the State of Israel racist, and one of the most oppressive regimes in Palestine.The United States of America, Canada and a host of other countries already intended to boycott the meeting.
GENEVA — A stream of delegates from France and other European nations walked out of a United Nations conference here on Monday in protest during a speech by the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who criticized the formation of a “racist government” in the Middle East in a clear reference to Israel.
Sharpening the dispute over the Iranian presence, Israel also temporarily recalled its ambassador to Switzerland for “consultations” on Monday to protest the conference and a meeting held Sunday between the Swiss president, Hans-Rudolf Merz, and Mr. Ahmadinejad.
As Mr. Ahmadinejad took the podium here, two protesters, wearing colored wigs and shouting “Racist!” attempted to disrupt the beginning of his speech but were quickly hauled out by security officers, and he continued speaking.
In a speech punctuated at intervals by boos from protesters and applause from some delegations, Mr. Ahmadinejad said the formation of the state of Israel left “an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish suffering” in order “to establish a totally racist government in occupied Palestine.”
By creating the state of Israel in the wake of the Second World War, he continued, Europe and the United States “helped bring to power the most cruel, repressive and racist regime in Palestine.”
As he spoke, all 23 of the 27 European Union members attending the conference stood up and filed out of the room to cheers from the audience galleries.
End of Excerpt
Source: The New York TimesAt a United Nations conference Iran's leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparked a large... more
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Iran today hailed an unprecedented direct appeal by the US president, Barack Obama, for better relations between the two countries, but urged the US to "realise its previous mistakes" as well as end sanctions and drop its support for Israel.
Aliakbar Javanfekr, an aide to the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, welcomed the approach from Washington.
"The Iranian nation has shown that it can forget hasty behaviour," he said, "but we are awaiting practical steps by the United States."
The new US administration needed a "fundamental change in attitude", he said. But Iran would "not show its back" to Obama if the US put its words into practice.
"By fundamentally changing its behaviour, America can offer us a friendly hand. So far what we have received have been unfriendly fists. Unlimited sanctions which still continue and have been renewed by the United States are wrong and need to be reviewed," he said.
more at link......Iran today hailed an unprecedented direct appeal by the US president, Barack Obama,... more
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Some Journalists Got to Lanka & Got a View from Sri Lankan Tamils
I may highlight unbiased articles and videos. Or ones that have other people's biases.
but i also comment on items that i post.
I am not an aspiring journalist to write out only unbiased views or comments.
I just present various views where I won't glorify any terrorists who ethnically
cleansed a group of my people from the north. ( LTTE chased out 100,000 Muslims within 24 hrs from North and they still live in IDP camps without anyone concerns--per note on vid info yt)
Also, some journalists may not be unbiased or free from bribary or fear.
I may get to be a journalist someday or just be a common sense
based person with eyes and ears who
is able to dig into a situation.
So I must put out this hateful report.
Think what you want. We know truth about terror.
If not by bus how else can they get there? Duh
What was she hoping for?Some Journalists Got to Lanka & Got a View from Sri Lankan Tamils
I may... more
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Sri Lankan Consulate in Canada answers
questions about the current situation.
Bandula Jayasekera, who recently faced canadian LTTE
supporters barging in and making threats, speak
about the current Sri Lankan situation at CBCSri Lankan Consulate in Canada answers
questions about the current situation.... more
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He Sheds light on the Situation in Sri Lanka
Enough already with the genocide talk
by John Thompson
President - The Mackenzie
Institute in Toronto
(John C Thompson is the President of The Mackenzie Institute in Toronto Canada. The Institute, cited by several major Canadian newspapers as one of Canada’s leading research organizations, prides itself on its objective and independent forays into some of the most contentious issues of the day.
Its work often becomes a catalyst for informed debate and major change. He Directs its research into issues relating to domestic and international political instability and organized violence (e.g. terrorism, warfare, organized crime, conflict, causes of instability, political extremism, etc.) Former Intelligence Officer of the Canadian Army, Thompson was awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration in 1989. He left the service as a Captain. John is a member of Civitas, the Queen’s York Rangers Regimental Council, the Royal Canadian Military Institute – and its pistol club, Fair Vote Canada, the International Counter-Terrorism Officers Association)
article starts....
The accusations of genocide in Sri Lanka are getting annoying… and not in the usual ways. Anybody who takes the charge seriously betrays a highly annoying ignorance about the state of affairs between Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Genocide is not happening in Sri Lanka. Plenty of other nasty things are; but genocide is not one of them.
The LTTE and its supporters in the international Tamil Diaspora they dominate would like us to slap the label of ‘genocide’ onto the Sri Lankan government. Ignore this campaign.
Forget the ‘black hat’ vs. ‘white hat’ morality play. In fact, forget this when looking at any civil war in any country. Where human beings are involved, nothing is ever simple.
---read more at the above link
LTTE is a group that uses suicide bombers, recruit child soldiers, & threats to get what they want--by force only. They are a banned terrorist group in the USA as well as Canada. They have false propaganda all over the internet which has influenced many who may surf youtube(will highlight because growing up in America, I do not know the whole situation, so I researched it and asked questions, so will put up my findings on Current) & since people "do not dig deep" as told by recording artst Mia who is a supporter and cheerleader for the LTTE (thinks that they can give misleading info)has recently been trying to get harmful LTTE propaganda on USA Channels like the PBS. Thought CNN was too quick for her & showed the true perspective.He Sheds light on the Situation in Sri Lanka
Enough already with the genocide talk... more
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He has exposed human rights violations done by LTTE terrorist group in Sri Lanka, & gives a further analysis, as the global community cannot understand why people are scared.---
Situations faced by each country is different according to its own history, development & evolution. Many Sri Lankans had been afraid to speak up and have been doing it more in the past couple of years. The LTTE had kept people surpressed using fear tactics, suicide bombings & using terror tactics by exhorting money. They spread their false propagand all over the world & it grew unchecked as people who are afraid did not speak up because of fear.
Then per transcriptions of the Tavis Smiley Show, mia who since coming on to the scene has supported the LTTE does not represent Sri Lankans in America. Many Sinhalese would not care if a good tamil person represented them(that has not been the issue) She misrepresented & mislead in speaking, she thinks she can because she is in the public eye & corporate america big music business takes no note of being responsible. She made a smug and condescending comment about how she is representing all-no and its 13 percent. (number matters because there are other smaller ethnic groups)
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28214 (yea that's where like she is telling a one sided story)
As soon as she came on the scene she propped up the LTTE, then toned it down when US denied her admittance, then she never mentioned any other groups in Lanka, only the LTTE.Now this year since she is nominated for some awards she lowered herself to mention the other group(when other people talk of sri lanka & sri lankans they include all groups) its 13% Tamils(and all those are not LTTE Tamils) not 20 %. She is leaving out, I believe, the muslims they ethnically cleansed from the north & other smaller ethnic groups. Many tamils are used as human shields by the LTTE.
Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org/en/node/77143/section/4
Facts Without Fear!!!He has exposed human rights violations done by LTTE terrorist group in Sri Lanka,... more
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Women's Rights In Afhanistan: in the face of Politics, Progress, and Western Presence Pt 3/6
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/262203
Homemakers Magazine editor in chief Kathy Ullyott speaks with reporter Stephen Dohnberg about the struggle of women and what she witnessed during her visit to Kabul, Afghanistan The conversation reveals what a complex situation the Western presence in Afghanistan is by any measure.
Invited by C.A.R.E. Canada, in May Kathy Ullyott, made her way to the city of Kabul for a week-long look at the work and commitment of an NGO such as C.A.R.E., who have been an early presence since 1996, assisting widows with food aid. Even an issue of basic aid is fraught with concerns that span the range of issues from western presence to cultural mores. Although we initially planned to discuss the ascent of women’s rights in Afghanistan, the intersection of so many other disparate concerns clearly illustrates that no single issue will resolve itself independent of others.Women's Rights In Afhanistan: in the face of Politics, Progress, and Western... more
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Women's Rights in Aghanistan-Progress, Impediments and Poitics in the Face of Western Presence Pt 2/3
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/262203
Pt 2/3
Homemakers Magazine editor in chief Kathy Ullyott speaks with reporter Stephen Dohnberg about the struggle of women and what she witnessed during her visit to Kabul, Afghanistan The conversation reveals what a complex situation the Western presence in Afghanistan is by any measure.
Invited by C.A.R.E. Canada, in May Kathy Ullyott, made her way to the city of Kabul for a week-long look at the work and commitment of an NGO such as C.A.R.E., who have been an early presence since 1996, assisting widows with food aid. Even an issue of basic aid is fraught with concerns that span the range of issues from western presence to cultural mores. Although we initially planned to discuss the ascent of women’s rights in Afghanistan, the intersection of so many other disparate concerns clearly illustrates that no single issue will resolve itself independent of others.Women's Rights in Aghanistan-Progress, Impediments and Poitics in the Face of... more
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Women's Rights in the Face of Politics, Progress, and Western Presence in Afghanistan Pt. 1 of 3.
story link: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/262203
Homemakers Magazine editor in chief Kathy Ullyott speaks with Reporter Stephen Dohnberg about the struggle of women and what she witnessed during her visit to Kabul, Afghanistan The conversation reveals what a complex situation the Western presence in Afghanistan is by any measure.
Invited by C.A.R.E. Canada, in May Kathy Ullyott, made her way to the city of Kabul for a week-long look at the work and commitment of an NGO such as C.A.R.E., who have been an early presence since 1996, assisting widows with food aid. Even an issue of basic aid is fraught with concerns that span the range of issues from western presence to cultural mores. Although we initially planned to discuss the ascent of women’s rights in Afghanistan, the intersection of so many other disparate concerns clearly illustrates that no single issue will resolve itself independent of others.Women's Rights in the Face of Politics, Progress, and Western Presence in... more
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SANDTON, South Africa, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Leaders of a new South African political party meant to rival the African National Conference say ANC leaders are trying to legally intimidate them.
Former ANC leaders Mosiuoa Lekota, Mbhazima Shilowa and Mluleki George announced Friday they were forming a new party called the South African Democratic Congress to compete in next year's South African elections. But Shilowa says the ANC is "abusing" the legal system to sue them over the name of their founding convention, the Independent On Line (South Africa) reported Monday.SANDTON, South Africa, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Leaders of a new South African political party... more
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jrchel
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The U.S. Border Patrol received reports of a Humvee driving north along the Colorado River near Yuma and U.S. Customs sent a helicopter to investigate, the Arizona Star in Tucson reported. The soldiers told the border patrol they got disoriented and took a wrong turn.The U.S. Border Patrol received reports of a Humvee driving north along the Colorado... more
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jrchel
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Stupri di massa in Congo
Il mondo si è fermato in Congo. Un Paese dove è nata una nuova parola: reviolé, ri-stuprata.
Il più grande stupro di massa della Storia è in atto in Africa tra una notizia da Wall Street e un ribasso del Nikkei da Tokio. La signora Muhindo del "Centro di assistenza Olame" in Congo ha detto: "E' una vergogna non solo per il Congo, ma per tutta l'umanità".
In Congo lo stupro è un'arma di guerra dal 1996, quando morirono cinque milioni di persone. Da allora è endemico. Usato da tutte le parti in conflitto.
L'Occidente, come le stelle, resta a guardare. Una delle più importanti basi ONU si trova in Congo. Ha 17.000 soldati. Il loro mandato ufficiale è l'utilizzo di ogni mezzo per proteggere i civili. Ma non muovono un dito.
Il governo centrale e i numerosi gruppi armati dell'est del Paese sono in conflitto permanente e decine di migliaia di donne, di qualunque età, sono sia le prede che le armi con cui si combatte.
Molte di loro, sopravvissute ai conflitti precedenti, sono riviolentate, reviolè.
La legge in Congo non prevede il reato di stupro. Essere stuprate con un fucile o sparate nella vagina non è contemplato dal codice penale. Vénantie Bisimua, fondatrice del "Network of Women for the Defence of Rights and Peace" in Congo spiega che il governo ha altre priorità. Le stesse degli Stati stranieri che attingono a piene mani dalle risorse minerarie del Congo e che non fanno nulla.
Si combatte in Afghanistan e in Iraq per il petrolio. Si assiste ai massacri del Congo per non disturbare le multinazionali delle materie prime.
Chi volesse aiutare le donne congolesi può mettersi in contatto con il "Social Aid For the Elimination of Rape (SAFER)" dell'Università di Toronto.
Leggi l'articolo sulle reviolé in Congo da The Globeandmail.
Dal blog di Beppe GrilloStupri di massa in Congo
Il mondo si è fermato in Congo. Un Paese dove... more
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gemmix
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U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to calm nerves strained by repeated and lengthy tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The medicines are intended not only to help troops keep their cool but also to enable the already strapped Army to preserve its most precious resource: soldiers on the front lines. Data contained in the Army's fifth Mental Health Advisory Team report indicate that, according to an anonymous survey of U.S. troops taken last fall, about 12% of combat troops in Iraq and 17% of those in Afghanistan are taking prescription antidepressants or sleeping pills to help them cope. Escalating violence in Afghanistan and the more isolated mission have driven troops to rely more on medication there than in Iraq, military officials say.
U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to calm nerves strained... more
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jrchel
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In an interview with the Kansas City Star, John McCain says Barack Obama was labeled as having the "most extreme" record in the Senate.
"Extreme? You really think hes an extremist? I mean, he's clearly a liberal," interviewer Dave Helling asks.
"That's his voting record," McCain responds. "All I said was his voting record, and that is more to the left than the announced Socialist in the United States Senate, Bernie Sanders of Vermont."
"Do you think hes a socialist, Barack Obama?" Helling asks.
McCain responds with a with a shrug, "I don't know."In an interview with the Kansas City Star, John McCain says Barack Obama was labeled... more
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