tagged w/ Current International News
-
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea's military says it considers South Korea's participation in a U.S.-led program to intercept ships suspected of spreading weapons of mass destruction tantamount to a declaration of war against the North.
The communist North's military said in a statement Wednesday that it will respond with "immediate, strong military measures" if the South actually stops and searches any North Korean ships under the Proliferation Security Initiative.
The statement, carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency, said North Korea no longer considers itself bound by the armistice that ended the Korean War, as a protest over the South's participation.
South Korea announced its participation in the anti-proliferation program Tuesday, one day after the North conducted a nuclear test.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea's military says it considers South Korea's... more
-
-
UN chief Ban Ki-moon arrived Friday in Sri Lanka to press for humanitarian access to civilians displaced by the separatist conflict, as the island's president dismissed international concerns.
Ban is the first world leader to visit since Colombo's assertion earlier this week that the Tamil Tigers' bloody decades-long crusade for an independent homeland had been crushed once and for all.
"It's time for Sri Lankans to heal the wounds and unite without regards for religious and ethnic identity," Ban said after touching down to a red-carpet welcome late in the evening.
The secretary general said he had three priorities on his 24-hour mission, chief among them ensuring humanitarian assistance "to the more than 300,000 displaced badly in need of food, water and sanitation".
Tamil activists have likened the barbed wire "welfare villages" where civilians who fled the fighting are housed to concentration camps.
Ban also identified the need for the Tamil minority, long marginalised here, to be resettled and integrated into Sinhalese-dominated society.
The third goal of his visit was "national reconciliation" he said, adding: "I hope President Rajapakse will reach out in a inclusive dialogue with minority groups, including Tamils and Muslims."
But in a defiant speech delivered just hours before Ban flew in, President Mahinda Rajapakse brushed off widespread pressure from governments around the world who fear the Tigers' defeat came at the expense of civilians.
"There are some who tried to stop our military campaign by threatening to haul us before war crimes tribunals," said Rajapakse in a speech to hundreds of thousands of supporters outside the national parliament.
"I am not afraid. The strength I have is your support. I am even ready to go to the gallows on your behalf."
snip
Ban's chief of staff, Vijay Nambiar, told reporters that the secretary general would tour the sprawling Manik Farm area in the northern district of Vavuniya, where most of the people displaced by the recent fighting are housed.
Ban has also said Tuesday that any serious allegations of war crimes "should be properly investigated."
The conflict has cost up to 100,000 lives, according to UN estimates.
end of excerptUN chief Ban Ki-moon arrived Friday in Sri Lanka to press for humanitarian access to... more
-
-
Actually, our military has already been trying to do this for more than seven years. Despite having 36,000 U.S. troops on the ground and spending $2 billion a month, the current situation there is described by our intelligence agencies as in a "downward spiral."Actually, our military has already been trying to do this for more than seven years.... more
-
-
In our hyperactive lifestyles who has the time to research for a more rounder
view on pressing issues.
Obama's speech on Friday did not even address the question of military contractors -- a crucial omission given that their presence rivals that of U.S. troops by a ratio of over 1-to-1.In our hyperactive lifestyles who has the time to research for a more rounder
view... more
-
-
Between the rising incidents of atrocities on Dalit community, Vijay mishra, a scholar in history and part time film maker, tries to explore the scene of social injustice with case study of Gohana and harsaulla (both are villages of Harayana)
A visit to Gohana, hardly 75 kilometers away from the national capital one can come across many such stories where overnight many such happy and bustling families have not only been rendered homeless but a dark future is awaiting before them. On that day (31st August'05) the town witnessed burning of 50-60 houses belonging to Valmiki (Dalit) community in broad daylight. As it was reported in the media a 1,500-2,000 strong of mob of upper caste people mainly belonging to the Jat community attacked their houses in a systematic manner. The perpetrators had come fully armed with spears, batons, axes, petrol and kerosene oils. They broke TV sets, Refrigerators, Washing Machines, looted the valuables and burst LPG cylinders.
Legally, the notion of untouchables and discrimination against the Dalits are prohibited under the Indian Constitution under a 1955 civil rights act and the 1989 Prevention of Atrocities, or POA, act. The act was written explicitly to outlaw physical and verbal abuse against Dalits, but hasn't had the desired effect.
more on the subject :
http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-world/article_1807.jsp
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2267/is_1_70/ai_102140949
http://www.dalitnetwork.org/
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2007/02/13/india15303.htm
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/52a/index-ec.html
http://www.asiasource.org/asip/dalits.cfmBetween the rising incidents of atrocities on Dalit community, Vijay mishra, a scholar... more
-
-
dc Magazine~The Short & Skinny of Anything
Hot Topic rising from Capitol Hill!
Ex-Chief of Police, Burbank Thomas K. Hoefel---head of all they under rule of the KKK. Their Rebus:Enemies within. Their ultimate target---the face of this nation.
Yet what was "The Defendant's Request"?
Following the Federal District Court Summons:
From September 2004 until that first week in January 2005, "first witness for the prosecution" received supposed LA Federal Clerk of Court documents stating, grammatically verbatim, "Received, but not filed due to The Defendant's Request."
Federal evidence, First week of JAN.2005:
Per Judith Hurley, Los Angeles federal court deputy for Judge Nora M. Mannella, "None of the defendants have responded to court summons."
Enter federal evidence---"the sting of a lifetime".
The first of summons was sent directly to the supposedly now "ex-chief of police for Burbank".
Ergo: how does a U.S. police department internal affairs, the city manager and city attorney not respond to a federal court summons?
Given the gravity and weight of charges---how does a federal judge not inform the FBI or
National Security?
Federal Evidence, March 2005:
The Evidence of Things Unseen, to be Truths we've all long since held self-evident: Deliberate self-incriminations---to prove "why the course of human events are 'no hidden AK-47', to prove 'how two in their hands is the fiery bush and no less the 'T-4' heat exhaustion, to prove how and why they targeted first witness for the prosecution...referencing her testimony as 'one who would give birth to twins'...beginning with how the chief of police 'signature to crimes', thus the Klan as 'constructionists' could orchestrate her last four cell phone digits were "9.1.1".
Ergo---their Rebus and the 87th Chapter of Misery is but at the tip of the mountain of federal evidence and graver still...
Why and how only 78 nooses; Federal Evidence-Preface: First Witness for prosecution, Material Evidence-Why the shape of "V"; 2005: the FBI & DOJ; 2006: request to Mukasy-expedite hearing before the House, DOJ, and DOD; 2006: the CBC, where's the 52pg. doc and graver still.
What happened to 294 page single-sided, single-spaced document faxed "four times" direct to DOJ in Washington?
Evidence March 2005: The trail of deliberate evidence left in the San Diego apartment of first witness for the prosecution.
Motive for the self-incriminations---the chief of police's 'signature to crimes and the ultimate in self- glorification'---definitively revealing himself by name and as head of all who fall under the rule of Ku-Klux-Klan.
Enter material evidence---the 8 X 10 piece of paper revealed just how well entrenched, the gravity of Abuse of Powers Under Color of Law,use of varied positions within key federal institutions, federally operated institutions, and local-federal courthouses to gain illegal access.
Enter the chief of police's beginning---KKK Ohio Realm, "Blue Mystic Lodge".
A literal "plot by rebus"---no less than the Klan's edict. Deliberate and set in motion long before their lineage among first pilgrim crossed the waters.
Hate so great, a time to kill, exact chaos, destruction. Evidence irrefutable---in the "sting of a lifetime"---the chief of police touted all access to Silicon Valley, thus verbatim March 2006, "I'm too sneaky to get caught."
Enter criminal intent beginning with his lineage. And hence March 2005---"no distant cousin", "that his lineage were the slave-holders of first witness' early generations". Enter "the key under the blue parrot". The chief of police thought too hard and talked to much.
Criminal intent to use first witness' actual capacity had back-fired. Enter Obama and the Sisera Connection.
Follow this "Hot Topic" article series at dc Magazine Online. URL: http://dcmagazine.ubianation.com
dc Magazine~The Short & Skinny of Anything
Hot Topic rising from Capitol Hill!... more
-
-
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has added his voice to calls for an immediate end to the violence being waged against Christians in India’s Orissa state.
“I hope that Christians and people of faith around the world will make known their horror at this violence, their support for the rebuilding of lives and the churches, orphanages and schools destroyed, and for work towards future reconciliation,” Williams said in a letter sent to the Most Rev. Joel Dal, moderator of North India.
Hindu extremists, some wielding machetes, have been on the rampage in the north-eastern state since the murder of Hindu leader Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati and four of his associates last month. Christian homes, orphanages and churches have been burned down, while 16 people have been killed. In one of the worst incidents, a young woman was burned alive when she tried to protect children from an attack on their Christian orphanage.
By Jenna Lyle
Christian Post Correspondent The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has added his voice to calls for an... more
-
-
NASA scientists have identified a site in the Sahara desert in northern Niger as the sunniest piece of land in the world.
"We have the natural resource -- enough sunshine that can supply our total power requirements," Kwame Ampofo, an energy expert and a member of Ghana's parliament, told Reuters late on Tuesday after legislators from the region discussed the project.
The meeting, held in electricity-hungry Ghana beside one of the biggest hydropower lakes in the world, urged regional leaders to form a West African Renewable Energy Community to promote sustainable power projects.
West Africa's richest country, Nigeria, is the continent's top oil producer but many of its people lack reliable power. Sub-Saharan Africans have the lowest average power consumption in the world, and just one in four have access to electricity.
snip
SUN IN THE SAHARA
One of the main projects proposed at the Ghana meeting would use mirrors to concentrate sunlight and boil water to drive electrogenic turbines.
The U.S. space agency NASA says the sunniest spot on land is in northern Niger -- the sunniest part of the planet being in the Pacific Ocean, less practical for solar projects.
"This form of power generation could serve the populous coastal regions well, if connected to the northern parts of West Africa, where there are desert areas with good solar radiation for much of the year," Gerhard Knies, a German physicist who presented the project to the Ghana meeting, said in a statement.
"This technology has been shown to work and is in operation in Spain and the United States. Above all, it does not pollute, is inexhaustible and will not be subject to rising fuel costs," said Knies, whose country is planning solar projects in Algeria.
A closing declaration from the meeting at the Akosombo Dam on the 250-mile (400 km) long Lake Volta called for a feasibility study to address technical, economic, financial and political aspects of the clean energy project.
Legislators also agreed to push countries across the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to pass a special funding tariff law to ensure investors in renewable energy projects could recoup the high investment costs -- a major obstacle to clean energy projects.
NASA scientists have identified a site in the Sahara desert in northern Niger as the... more
-
-
The Italian government banned the use of several neonicotinoid pesticides that are blamed for the deaths of millions of honeybees. The Ministero del Lavoro della Salute e delle Politiche Sociali issued an immediate suspension of the seed treatment products clothianidin, imidacloprid, fipronil and thiamethoxam used in rapeseed oil, sunflowers and sweetcorn. The Italian government will start a monitoring program to further investigate the reasons of recent bee deaths.
Italy followed Germany and Slovenia which banned sales of clothianidin and imidacloprid in May. In France imidacloprid has been banned on sunflowers already since 1999. In 2003 the substance was also banned as a sweetcorn treatment. Bayer´s application for clothianidin was rejected by French authorities.
The two substances are produced by the German company Bayer CropScience and generated *800 million in 2007. Imidacloprid is Bayer´s best-selling pesticide.
In August the German Coalition against Bayer Dangers brought a charge against Werner Wenning, chairman of the Bayer Board of Management, for marketing dangerous pesticides and thereby accepting the mass death of bees all over the world. The charge was introduced in cooperation with German beekeepers who lost thousands of hives after poisoning by the pesticide clothianidin in May this year.
Neonicotinoid pesticides are systemic chemicals that work their way through the plant and attack the nervous system of any insect it comes into contact with. The substances also get into the pollen and the nectar and can damage beneficial insects such as bees.
The Italian government banned the use of several neonicotinoid pesticides that are... more
-
-
The truth it is in your Face - What are you going to do with it?
To know the truth it is only part of the Story. Your lack of action is the other one.
Sold To the Highest Bidder!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmhL8bjL9vc
Passivity kills!
The truth it is in your Face - What are you going to do with it?
To know the truth... more
-
-
To know the truth it is only part of the Story. Your lack of action is the other one.
Passivity kills!To know the truth it is only part of the Story. Your lack of action is the other one.... more
-
-
Granted in the States you have the left and right, and both have extremes. In Canada, our media just blocks out those they don't like.
Just a note the Bloc Québécois does NOT run for seats outside of the province of Quebec, yet they are included in NATIONAL debates. The Green Party runs candidates in EVERY riding (district) yet they will not be included.
Let the word be known Canadian media is AT LEAST as corrupt as the US media and so much more... FOX and MSNBC my spin the news to make it suit their agenda, in Canada we go a step further and censor the political party totally.
Pathetic...Granted in the States you have the left and right, and both have extremes. In Canada,... more
-
-
This month, Ecuador will hold the world's first constitutional referendum in which voters will decide, among many other reforms, whether to endow nature with certain unalienable rights. Not only would the new constitution give nature the right to "exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution," but if it is approved, communities, elected officials and even individuals would have legal standing to defend the rights of nature.
It sounds like a stunt by the San Francisco City Council. But Ecuador is engaged in nothing less than an effort to redefine the relationship between human beings and the natural world. And as crazy as it may seem, the movement to give nature legal rights didn't start in Ecuador's Amazon forest or its Galapagos Islands -- it started years ago in the United States, in cities and towns seeking to fight off coal mines, incinerators and factory farms. Aided by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund in Pennsylvania, about a dozen municipalities have abandoned the old-fashioned way of halting development -- through the appeals process -- and are placing outright bans on environmentally disruptive activities.
For example, in Pennsylvania, Southampton prohibits corporate ownership of farms, and Wayne passed an ordinance that gives the town the power to keep out corporations with criminal histories. The Defense Fund gets much of the credit (or the blame) for these decidedly anti-business, grass-roots efforts. It even offers ready-made ordinances to protect ecosystems. Ecuadorean officials called the group when they were crafting the new constitution, and now it's fielding calls from Australia, Italy, South Africa and Nepal, which is writing its first constitution.
No other country has gone as far as Ecuador in proposing to give trees their day in court, but it certainly is not alone in its recalibration of natural rights. Religious leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop of Constantinople, have declared that caring for the environment is a spiritual duty. And earlier this year, the Catholic Church updated its list of deadly sins to include polluting the environment.
Ecuador is codifying this shift in sensibility. In some ways, this makes sense for a country whose cultural identity is almost indistinguishable from its regional geography -- the Galapagos, the Amazon, the Sierra. How this new area of constitutional law will work, however, is another question. We aren't ready to endorse such a step at home, or even abroad. But it's intriguing. We'll be watching Ecuador's example.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I would vote yes.This month, Ecuador will hold the world's first constitutional referendum in which... more
-
-
When he visits Kiev, the Foreign Secretary should remember the threats posed by Nato's drive eastwards.
by Anatol Lieven
Before making his speech on policy towards Russia in Kiev, Ukraine, later this week David Miliband would do well to ponder some wise advice from a great predecessor. Lord Salisbury, Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister in the days of the British Empire, dispensed immense global power; but that did not mean that he liked playing about with that power.
Faced with proposals for British policy that he understood to be deeply damaging to the interests of other great powers, Salisbury would look his colleagues in the eye and ask simply: “Are you really prepared to fight? If not, do not embark on this policy.”
If the events of the past fortnight in Georgia have demonstrated one thing clearly, it is that Russia will fight if it feels its vital interests under attack in the former Soviet Union - and that the West will not, and indeed cannot, given its conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Other Western threats are equally empty. Russia itself pulled out of co-operation with Nato. If a real threat is made of expulsion from the G8, Russia will leave that organisation too - especially since a club that does not include China and India is increasingly meaningless anyway. The threat of being barred from joining the World Trade Organisation is a bit stronger - but Russia has done so well economically without membership that this goal too has lost much of its allure.
Moscow has reminded Nato of the importance of Russian goodwill to secure the supply lines of the US-Nato operation in Afghanistan through Central Asia. Alternatively, Nato can become wholly dependent on routes through Pakistan. From where I am sitting, that does not look like a very good move - and where I am sitting at this moment is a hotel room in Peshawar, Pakistan.
By siding fully with Iran, Russia has the capability to wreck any possibility of compromise between Tehran and the West, and to push the US towards an attack that would be disastrous for Western interests - and enormously helpful to Russia's.
* * * * *
More at link.When he visits Kiev, the Foreign Secretary should remember the threats posed by Nato's... more
-
-
-
A fun, short documentary of Dijon, France. This piece shows travelers a way to "get to know france" personally, and avoiding the crowds of fellow tourists one might encounter in Paris, France.A fun, short documentary of Dijon, France. This piece shows travelers a way to "get to... more
-
-
Climate change has a profound effect on food security in Africa, as increasing temperatures and shifting rain patterns reduce access to food across the continent.
This transpired at a conference on global warming and climate change that started in Cape Town, South Africa, on July 21 and ends today.
The discussion was organised by South Africa’s Fynbos Foundation, which aims to realise investment in the media, publishing, arts and culture sectors, and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University in the United States.
The relationship between climate change and food security is complex. Many factors influence food security, which means that often ‘‘the link is not even made between failed crops and changing weather patterns,’’ Dr Gina Ziervogel, senior researcher at the Climate Systems Analysis Group at the University of Cape Town, told the conference.
Over the past decade Ziervogel has conducted extensive research on people and the environment in southern Africa.
Climate change affects African food systems in the broadest sense of the word: ‘‘It affects the availability of, access to and utilisation of food,’’ she explained.
‘‘Changing weather patterns or extreme weather events, such as floods or droughts, can have negative consequences for agricultural production. As a result people have less access to food, which forces them to buy food products. This affects their financial situation.
‘‘It also influences their health as people often buy cheaper food which is frequently less nutritious. Especially for those who need a nutritious diet -- the chronically ill, for instance -- this poses a problem,’’ Ziervogel indicated.
Increasing temperatures and the change in precipitation and frequency of extreme weather spells also threaten African food systems, Ziervogel continued.
Changes in precipitation ‘‘are not merely about increasing or decreasing rainfall. Rainy seasons that begin later or earlier than normal or sudden rain spells hitting a region when it is supposed to be dry, have a greater impact on crops failing than a wetter rainy season that starts on time’’.
Another scenario where the effects of climate change on the vulnerability of food systems become visible is where arable land is lost. This happens as a result of declining ground water levels and rising sea levels. It can lead to aridity of the soil or increasing levels of saline.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So instead of governments dealing with climate change, they would rather give multi nationals free reign over the food supplies of their country to peddle GM foods as if that is the answer. GM foods is then not the answer to the food crisis in Africa. Dealing with and adapting to climate change is. Conservation of water is. More efficient agricultural methods is. Dealing with lack of access to food by dealing with corrupt governments is. Educating and empowering people is.Climate change has a profound effect on food security in Africa, as increasing... more
-
-
Manchester Evening News
A MAN could have died when a row over loud music exploded into violence.
Michael Smith, 44, was rushed to hospital with a fractured skull and severe brain damage after he was punched, kicked and stamped on.
He was in intensive care for 12 days and doctors believed that even if he survived the attack he would be left with significant mental problems.
But, miraculously, Mr Smith, has made good progress but still suffers from memory loss and needs ongoing psychotherapy.Manchester Evening News
A MAN could have died when a row over loud music exploded... more
-
-
A conferma che il nucleare non è pericoloso ecco cosa è successo in Francia.
Trenta metri cubi di acque usate contenenti 12 grammi di uranio per litro si sono riversate per cause accidentali in due fiumi — La Gaffière e L'Auzon — nel sud della Francia.
Le acque provenivano dal sito nucleare di Tricastin a Bollène, nel distretto di Vaucluse, a circa 40 chilometri da Avignone.
L'allarme è rientrato quasi subito e l'agenzia per la sicurezza nucleare francese (Asn) ha parlato di "rischio debole per la popolazione".
Intanto però le autorità locali hanno comunque preso misure di precauzione. Nei comuni di Bollèn e, Lapalud e Lamotte- du-Rhône sono stati vietati la presa d'acqua dai pozzi e l'impiego dell'acqua dei fiumi per irrigare i campi.
Vietati anche la pesca, il consumo di pesce e i bagni nelle acque inquinate. L'incidente è avvenuto durante un'operazione di pulizia di una cisterna nello stabilimento Socatri, azienda del gruppo Areva, in attività dal 1975.
Sono nate ovviamente delle polemiche tra l'Asn e l'associazione "Sortir du Nucleaire" (uscire dal nucleare), infatti gli ambientalisti sostengono che sia impossibile che una diffusione di uranio di tale entità non abbia conseguenze importanti sull'ambiente e forse anche sulla salute della popolazione. Come dargli torto?
Fonte www.fascioemartello.itA conferma che il nucleare non è pericoloso ecco cosa è successo in Francia.
Trenta... more
-
-
A one-word blog post from a cell phone helped to free an American student from an Egyptian jail, but it took the signatures and support of thousands of activists to get his translator out.
When detained in April, graduate student James Karl Buck turned to his cell phone and typed the message, "Arrested," alerting all his friends on the microblog service Twitter site.
Upon his release shortly afterward, the first thing Buck did was send another message, "Free."
On Tuesday, nearly three months after the American and his translator, Mohammed Maree, were arrested, Buck turned to Twitter again -- this time to tell everyone that Maree was safe at home.
The post: "Mohammed is free, Mohammed is free!"
Twitter, a social-networking blog site, allows users to send status updates, or "tweets," from cell phones, instant messaging services and Facebook in 140 characters or less.
Buck spent much of the time after his release working to free his friend. But it was not until shortly after Maree's release that Buck and his translator were finally able to speak -- through instant messenger.
"He was totally in good spirits; he joked with me," Buck said. "I told him he was a hero, and that because of his case and what he suffered, he's brought a lot of attention to the government's behavior in Egypt."
Immediately, Buck said he apologized to the translator because he felt guilty about his detention.
Buck, 29, a graduate student from the University of California, Berkeley, working on a photography project for his master's thesis, met Maree, a 23-year-old Egyptian veterinary student, in Mahalla. Maree offered to help Buck as he photographed anti-government protests over low wages and rising food prices in April. See Buck describe what he saw and captured on film during the protests »
During one of the demonstrations, Buck and Maree were detained. En route to the police station, Buck sent a message via Twitter, and his school hired an attorney and was able to get him released within a day. But Maree remained in jail for nearly three months.
After his release, Buck returned home and used his Twitter network, now more than 570 followers strong, to help free his translator and friend.
Fueled by the gnawing guilt of leaving Maree behind, Buck set out to enlist all the help he could in hopes of sparking a movement for the translator's release.
He began setting up a virtual online command post to demand Maree's release. He contacted U.S. and Egyptian authorities and human rights groups and used everything from Twitter updates, blog posts on his Web site to an electronic petition signed by more than 900 people.
Maree's brother, Ahmed, said it was an unbelievable feeling to have Mohammed home.
"It's like someone was dead and [brought] back to life," he said.
Maree's family was worried about when, if ever, he would be freed. After reports of alleged torture in prison, relatives feared for his life.
Rumors began swirling a week ago that there had been a development in Maree's case, but details were scarce, so Buck said he tried not to get too excited.
"Any change in the case could have been equally bad news or good news," Buck said. "And so far it had all been bad news."
Buck said he cringed each time he checked his e-mail lately about what was happening. Then he got an e-mail from Maree saying he had been released.
There was little information surrounding Maree's detention. Speculation about Maree's whereabouts was fueled by confusion about what initially happened to the translator. Government officials in Egypt said they could neither confirm nor deny Maree's detention during the past three months as well as his recent release despite repeated requests for comment. A one-word blog post from a cell phone helped to free an American student from an... more
-
