Monday, June 30
Ovi today
The Politics of Philosophy within Neo-Conservatism in the US To understand the mind-set of neo-conservatism in America, one needs to examine the origins of the classical, rationalistic, esoteric philosophy of the school of Leo Strauss at Chicago University.Mugabe: Africa's serial killer
Supporters of Robert Mugabe show their power by beating people in cities and villages of Zimbabwe, people who didn't go to vote or people who showed their support to the opposition, even people who were quiet in the name of their family's peace.
L’avenir de l’Union européenne ne s’inscrit plus dans les traités
Le Non des irlandais n’en finit pas de faire pleurer les chaumières oui-ouistes européennes.
"desert sands"
"I would as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down." - Robert Frost
Friday, June 27
Pakistan Taleban execute spies
Militants in Pakistan have carried out what officials have called a "public execution" of two Afghans before thousands of cheering supporters.
The pair was alleged to have helped an American missile strike that killed 14 people in a border village last month. Correspondents say that the brazen nature of the killings - one man was decapitated and another shot - show the Taliban’s growing power. The deaths took place in the Bajaur tribal agency near the Afghan border.
American spies? That sounds like they cover their failures with innocent but then what more to expect from religious freaks?
Clinton and Obama rally in Unity
Hillary Clinton is to join Barack Obama at a rally - their first public event since she pulled out of the race to be the Democratic presidential candidate.
The rally in Unity, New Hampshire, is seen as an opportunity for party supporters to come together after the divisive primary battle. The event follows a joint dinner in Washington where Mr. Obama offered help to clear Mrs. Clinton's campaign debts. Mrs. Clinton is expected to back Mr. Obama's White House bid at the rally.
At least!!!
Mugabe votes …Mugabe
Voting is reported to have got off to a slow start in Zimbabwe's run-off presidential election in which Robert Mugabe is the only candidate.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the contest because of violence against his supporters. He told them that if they had to vote to protect themselves from attacks to do so, but described the day as "a shameful humiliation" for the country.
Mugabe ignored calls from world leaders to postpone the poll. Foreign ministers for the Group of Eight nations (G8) meeting in Japan said they could not accept the legitimacy of a Zimbabwe government "that does not reflect the will of the Zimbabwean people". US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said they would consult other members of the UN Security Council to see what "next steps" might need to be taken.
That’s how caricature Africa’s Hitler understands democracy!!!
Ovi today
Voices and legality The Iranian government condemned the new EU sanctions against Teheran over the uranium enrichment program as illegal and this raises the question what is legal and what illegal.Nice Beavers!
As a self-confessed 'Wildlife Freak', it was with great interest that I watched this week's BBC News report detailing the formation of a Beaver dam and the possible breeding success of two Beavers released under licence here in the UK.
Missile defence system, did Lithuanians betrayed Poland?
Probably most of you heard about the anti-missile defence plan for Europe. In short anti-missile radar should be deployed in the Czech Republic, and an interceptor base in Poland.
Cyprus report
Euro Reporter finds itself on Cyprus today.
Thursday, June 26
Enjoying Life in Another Way
Life can be very busy if you let it be so, but once you make yourself relax, and sit down at a small round wooden table in a cosy coffee shop located in the city centre where you can still find your own inner peace, watching the steam rising up from the cup, enjoying the strong coffee smell mixed with chocolate and sweets, while the air is so clean and warm inside that you can feel the notes dancing on your skin when the music flows in the room gently, people are talking in different languages which are so pleasant that you even find it rhymes with the music in a special way, at that moment, you could drift into your own world... By Frances Zheng
Mandela, Mugabe is a failure
Former South African leader Nelson Mandela has added his voice to the growing international condemnation of the political violence in Zimbabwe.
In his first public comments about the crisis, he noted "the tragic failure of leadership" of President Robert Mugabe. Southern African leaders earlier called for Friday's run-off presidential vote to be postponed because conditions did not permit a free and fair election.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has urged foreign help to end the crisis. Speaking at a dinner in London to mark his 90th birthday, Mr. Mandela said: "We watch with sadness the continuing tragedy in Darfur. Nearer to home we have seen the outbreak of violence against fellow Africans in our own country and the tragic failure of leadership in our neighboring Zimbabwe."
Now time to do something serious, Mugabe’s cell is awaiting!
Ovi today
Torturing Aristotle Today is International Day in Support of Torture Victims and Thanos asks whether there is any way to identify the meaning of the word 'torture'.Impasse
Os últimos eventos políticos vêm confirmar que o processo de regionalização português não deve estar excessivamente dependente do sistema político-partidário, sob o risco de ser eternamente adia
Life Undercover #79
It is time to change the sheets... our inquisitive duvet-loving hero has some female company now asking the great questions of life, religion and the universe.
"Letter from the Warmer Regions"
"There is as much difference between good poetry and fine verses, as between the smell of a flower-garden and of a perfumer's shop." - Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare
Wednesday, June 25
Mugabe’s real face
A Harare journalist says he has seen militiamen loyal to President Robert Mugabe chopping off people's hands and breaking their fingers to prevent them from voting in Friday's runoff.
His story speaks to a larger violence that has wracked the African nation since April. The 23-year-old woman in Harare, Zimbabwe, said she could talk, but only briefly. It was 3:30 p.m. there and she had to be home before the 6 p.m. curfew, she said.
"I should be home in an hour, hour and a half. If I'm not home by then, it means trouble," she said Tuesday. Zimbabweans are accustomed to violence, but the beatings and bloodshed have been epidemic since early April, days after opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai pushed longtime President Robert Mugabe into a runoff election for the nation's top post.
Tsvangirai dropped out of the race this week, citing intimidation and vote-rigging. He is now in hiding at the Dutch Embassy, uncertain like most Zimbabweans whether the violence would continue. Zimbabweans and outside observers say militias loyal to Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) have engaged in intimidation tactics designed to deter Tsvangirai's supporters from casting ballots.
The real face of a monster called Mugabe!
Burma blocks emergency telecoms
Two teams of foreign aid workers dedicated to delivering emergency telecoms in disaster areas have been forced to leave cyclone-hit Burma.
The members of Telecoms Sans Frontieres (TSF) left the country after attempts to reach affected areas were blocked. The charity, which described the situation as "unprecedented", said it had no other choice but to leave. TSF finally reached Burma on 1 June after waiting nearly a month to be granted visas to enter the country.
The worst cyclone that has hit Burma is the dictatorship and the dead are countless!
Obama helps Clinton with debt
Sen. Barack Obama has asked top contributors to help his former rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Hillary Clinton, retire her debt, an Obama campaign source said Tuesday.
Obama did not direct members of his National Finance Committee to contribute to Clinton's campaign, the source said, but asked them to do so if they were so inclined. Clinton suspended her campaign and endorsed Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination this month.
She has amassed a campaign debt of about $22 million, but about $12 million of that is money the New York senator loaned to the campaign herself. Individual donors can contribute $2,300 to individual candidates. Clinton and Obama have scheduled a joint campaign appearance Friday in Unity, New Hampshire.
Obama said Tuesday that he had spoken with Clinton by phone earlier in the day as well as on Sunday. "We had a good conversation," he said. "We're looking forward to seeing each other tomorrow and campaigning on Friday."
Nothing worse than an opponent who feels sorry for you!!!
Berlusconi bill
Italy's Senate has passed legislation which opponents of PM Silvio Berlusconi say is designed to help him in his legal battles with the nation's courts. The bill would freeze some long-running trials for a year, including one involving Mr. Berlusconi in Milan.
And the government is set to introduce another bill that will give top public figures immunity from prosecution. Mr. Berlusconi has faced corruption charges in the courts for many years but has always protested his innocence. The prime minister argues he has long been a victim of politically-biased judges and prosecutors. Although Mr. Berlusconi was found guilty in one corruption case, the verdict was overturned on appeal and other cases were dismissed under statutes of limitation.
Now we know why he became PM, to legalize his corruption!
Toxic fears for Senegal recyclers
Senegal urgently needs to decontaminate areas in and by the capital, Dakar, where hundreds of people have been exposed to lead poisoning, the UN says.
The warning followed a World Health Organization investigation into the deaths of a number of children in an area where lead batteries are recycled. It found very high concentrations of the toxic metal both outside and inside homes in Thiaroye Sur Mer town.
The WHO said many children showed evidence of neurological damage. The health officials say those affected break apart car batteries to resell the lead. About 950 people living in the Dakar district of NGagne Diaw were continuously exposed through ingestion and inhalation of lead-contaminated dust, the WHO said.
What comment can you do when they poison earth?
US to ignore Zimbabwe poll result
The US will not recognize the outcome of Friday's presidential election run-off in Zimbabwe, a senior state department official has said.
Robert Mugabe could not claim a legitimate victory amid the current campaign of violence against the opposition. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has withdrawn from the poll, but Mugabe says the vote will go ahead. Southern African leaders are to meet to discuss the crisis on Wednesday.
Mugabe, Africa’s caricature Hitler must go now!
Ovi today
American Politics, Terrorism and Islam: Part 5 Soon after capturing power in 1917 the Bolshevik party started behaving as a mafia-like organization where, according to Russian historian Yuri Felshtinsky, "almost no one died by a natural cause." Scandals and Media ...in Greek
Dimitra's thoughts on the latest events and scandals and how the Greek media present them ...all in Greek!
A Swiss Army Book
Do you know what a 'Layter' signifies? What about a 'Yan' or a Yan-a-Bumfit? Come now, it is quite simple for those addicted to 'Ducks and Drakes'!
Belgian report
Euro Reporter is off to Belgium, so I'd better not waffle on...
Tuesday, June 24
Taliban’s drug holy business
The Taliban made an estimated $100m in 2007 from Afghan farmers growing poppy for the opium trade, the United Nations says.
Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said the money was raised by a 10% tax on farmers in Taleban-controlled areas. The UN estimates last year's poppy harvest was worth $1bn.
Mr. Costa said the Taleban made even more money from other activities related to the opium trade.
I presume they were blessing and pray to Allah before spreading death!
Ovi today
Mugabe must go Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai announced that his party is pulling out from the elections stating that this election will not be fair and free, yet he automatically hands victory to Mugabe!Dhaka, Bangladesh: Don't sit here or you could be beaten
I stopped a fight between 15 men at 3am in Dhaka Airport, over one man wanting to sit in the seats pictured. These were the only comfortable seats left in the room where one could conceivably have a nap.
Bush Fait Ses Adieux a l'Europe
Ce fut davantage une visite protocolaire qu’une tournée d’adieux chargée en émotions. A cinq mois des élections présidentielles américaines...
Lift Spirits #06
Lift doors slide open, you enter, press the button and then face that awkward proximity to a stranger... perhaps this will lift your spirit./too
Monday, June 23
Tsvangirai Seeks Refuge in Dutch Embassy
Zimbabwe's opposition presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai was taking refuge at the Dutch Embassy in Harare this Monday. Tsvangirai had affirmed on Sunday that a "free and fair election was impossible". Dutch authorities in the Netherlands announced that Tsvangirai had been asked by members of his own party, the MDC, if the Dutch Embassy could provide him with protection and security for now. "We, of course, gave him the opportunity to hide" the Dutch spokesman said.
The MDC denounced a raid of the police on its offices during which 60 people were arrested, including women and children, and taken to be "questioned". "The government will act on anyone, anywhere who is thought to be contravening the laws of the country," a spokesman of Mugabe declared, in order to justify such action, adding that the people taken will be questioned by the police on their claims of being... victims of political violence!!
Goodness... any bigger contradiction? I don't know why, but they don't seem the right people to "question" them on THAT!!!
Bishops in gay parade
Conservative Anglican leaders have opened talks in Jerusalem on the future of the Church with criticism of its leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Archbishops of Nigeria and Uganda attacked his failure to discipline the US Episcopal Church for consecrating an openly gay bishop in 2003. The 300 bishops are meeting to discuss the future of the worldwide Anglican Communion, amid fears of a split. Many of them say liberals are rewriting the Bible to fit modern trends.
Are we going to see bishops in the gay parade?
Criticism mounts on Zimbabwe
International criticism is mounting on Zimbabwe after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of a presidential run-off because of pre-poll violence.
Zambia's leader Levy Mwanawasa, who heads a regional bloc, said a vote held in current conditions would be an "embarrassment" to the region. The US urged UN action over President Robert Mugabe's "illegitimate" regime.
Zimbabwe's ruling party said opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai had withdrawn from the poll to avoid "humiliation".
Africa’s caricature dictator, Robert Mugabe has to go NOW!
Ovi today!
Tony Judt on the West's Misremembering of its History Tony Judt, as the consummate engaged historian that he is, has recently written another book on the lessons of history. It is a collection of brilliant essays meant as a reprimand to the liberals who "acquiesced in President Bush's catastrophic foreigniBite
iBite is a snappy selection of news from around the world accompanied by a cynical, albeit humourous, comment from Mr T. Kalamidas.
Hungarian Report
Hungary is this day's the Euro-reporter with some EU, some role models and a gay parade.
ShowBizz #41
An arrogant rooster, a sycophant pig, a wiseass dog and an intelligent tortoise are just some of the stars of Thanos and Asa's Show Bizz
Sunday, June 22
Ferry hit by typhoon
Fears are growing for more than 700 people on board a ferry which has capsized in the central Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Fengshen.
The ship has been out of radio contact for more than 24 hours and gale force winds are hampering rescue efforts. Officials on a nearby island have reported three survivors. They also said four bodies had been recovered.
The Red Cross estimates some 155 people have died across the country in floods and landslides caused by the storm. The Philippine President, Gloria Arroyo, has demanded an explanation as to why the ferry was allowed to leave port on Friday despite warnings that a typhoon was about to hit.
FYROM’s murderer
Police in FYROM have arrested a journalist on suspicion that he is behind three murders he reported on.
The journalist, Vlado Taneski, is accused of raping, torturing and killing three elderly women in the south-western town of Kicevo. FYROM police began to suspect him after he included details in his reports that they had not made public.
Other men have reportedly already been convicted of the first two murders. The third was committed last month. Mr. Taneski, 56, has not yet been charged with any offence, police said. They allege that he kidnapped and abused the women before cutting them into pieces and dumping them in plastic bags.
I suppose he reported the truth and only the …truth! So except human and drugs trafficking another talent raises in FYROM!
Ovi today
Interview with a Finnish Conscientious Objector Made Prisoner During the first two days I was held in a Prison building that is condemned by the European Council because it does not fulfill all the human rights requirements. It was during the wintertime. I was cold and shivering under the blanket.Islam and Terrorism - Is there a relation?
These days Islam is equated with terrorism. There is little doubt that this mendacious campaign against Islam has gotten a tremendous boost after 9/11. Who can also forget the images of the "suicide bombers" in the Occupied Palestine?
Mbeki: A mediator that failed
If there is a chance for a civil war in Zimbabwe the time is very close and if somebody has part of the responsibility then it will be Zimbabwe's appointed mediator, the president of South Africa Thabo Mbeki.
"compromise"
"I don't create poetry, I create myself, for me my poems are a way to me." - Edith Södergran
Saturday, June 21
Mugabe the psycho!
Robert Mugabe has accused the opposition of lying about political violence in the country to cast doubt on forthcoming polls.
The opposition says at least 70 of its supporters have been killed and many more beaten in the run-up to next week's presidential run-off election. He also said the opposition MDC would never be allowed to run the country and that "only God" could remove him.
The MDC is due to decide on Monday whether to contest the run-off. Speaking at a campaign rally in the southern city of Bulawayo on Friday, Mugabe told supporters: "We will never allow an event like an election reverse our independence, our sovereignty." Mugabe repeated his accusation that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was acting in the interest of Britain, the former colonial power, and other Western countries.
The man is definitely a psycho and perhaps a cell in a psychiatric clinic will be the best solution!
Ovi today!
Happy Summer? How much longer do I have to suffer the frustrations of summer? Personally I prefer winter because you know what you are going to get and therefore will not be disappointed when presented with yet another cloudy day.An Apology
This week, the Prime Minister of Canada made a dramatic statement in Parliament: he apologized to the indigenous peoples of his country for the injustices done to them for generations by successive Canadian governments.
"Sea Note"
"Poetry is ordinary language raised to the nth power. Poetry is boned with ideas, nerved and blooded with emotions, all held together by the delicate, tough skin of words." - Paul Engle
Four scandals and a funeral (in Greek)
Some thought for the latest events in Greece, all in ...Greek
Friday, June 20
Rape a …war tactic
The UN Security Council has voted unanimously in favor of a resolution classifying rape as a weapon of war.
The document describes the deliberate use of rape as a tactic in war and a threat to international security. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said violence against women had reached "unspeakable proportions" in some societies recovering from conflict.
The UN is also setting up an inquiry to report next June on how widespread the practice is and how to tackle it. Human-rights group hailed the resolution as historic.
Ki-moon doing something right?
Sarkozy warns EU expansion
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said the European Union will not be able to expand further without ratification of the Lisbon treaty.
An EU summit in Brussels has been overshadowed by divisions over the reform treaty - which was rejected by Irish voters in a referendum last week. A decision on what to do next is expected to be postponed until October. The EU leaders, who continue talks on Friday, did agree to scrap diplomatic sanctions against Cuba imposed in 2003.
That’s a …thought, but the reason the Irish rejected the treaty wasn’t just the expansion but a seriously ill EU!
Ovi today
The challenge At this very moment more than forty million people all around the world have become refugees escaping from their homes, which is why we need days such as World Refugee Day.In Darfur, Minnesota, Another Kind of Siege
Every once in a while, someone in this tiny speck of a prairie town catches sight of a "Save Darfur!" poster in a magazine or a newspaper, or on the flickering TV at the Darfur Lounge on main street.
How Bizarre!
Browsing the news daily we often miss these little bits of news at the bottom of the page. They are often funny, sometimes weird, and they give us a new perspective on life, so here's the first of a new column series: How Bizarre!
Italian report
Euro-reporter travels to Italy, surviving tuna fish nets and getting ready for a bite into a pizza with the name ...Berlusconi special!!!
Monday, June 16
Bush at No 10
US President George Bush is meeting British PM Gordon Brown for formal talks at Downing Street, on the second day of his two-day visit to the UK.
The two are set to focus on the Middle East, oil and food prices. Mr. Bush arrived at No 10 after breakfast talks with ex-prime minister Tony Blair. The trip is part of Mr. Bush's final European tour before he leaves office. On Sunday Mr. Bush also met the Queen. His arrival in London was greeted by hundreds of anti-war demonstrators.
I just hope he realized that Brown is not called Tony! But then again …does it matter?
EU meeting on Irish No
European Union foreign ministers are gathering in Luxembourg for talks on how to respond to the Irish rejection of the Lisbon reform treaty.
Voters in the Irish Republic, the only state to hold a referendum on Lisbon, rejected the treaty by 53.4% to 46.6% last Thursday. The treaty cannot be implemented unless approved by all 27 EU states. But the majority of EU members agree that those who have yet to ratify the treaty should carry on and do so.
They knew it before happen, didn’t they? So why the panic now?
Ovi today!
Dead Parrot? The Irish nation has spoken with a resounding NO. Will the masters of the European Union listen? Don't be so naive.Barack Obama's Audacity of Hope
There's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and a white America and a Latino America and an Asian America; there's the United States of America.
Ireland Says "No" To Plan B, But Don't Worry, We Still Have Plan C, Plan D And Plan E
Since the days of Shakespeare, drama is at home in English-speaking countries. So it was almost pathetic that the results of the Irish referendum about the Lisbon Treaty were announced on Friday 13th.
French report
Sarkozy and bin Laden... it can only be Euro Reporter in France.
Saturday, June 14
Mugabe fights …traitors!
President Robert Mugabe has vowed that the main opposition party will never lead Zimbabwe and said he was prepared to "go to war" for his country.
He is due to face Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, in a 27 June run-off poll. Mr. Tsvangirai was released after being arrested for the fifth time this week. Meanwhile, deputy MDC leader Tendai Biti appeared in court in Harare, where a judge is to rule on the legality of his arrest on treason charges.
Mr. Tsvangirai has been detained several times on the campaign trail. On Saturday, he was stopped with 11 members of his party at a roadblock, the MDC said, and held at a police station for three hours. The MDC issued a statement saying that it was now clearly impossible to talk about free and fair elections.
The man who is responsible for treason against humanity talks about …traitors?
Ovi today
Hammering Concrete! A brand new exhibition from Thanos Kalamidas.The Big Three in Asia
Bill Emmott, the former chief editor of The Economist, presented a talk at The Beijing Bookworm about his newest book: 'Rivals: How the Power Struggle Between China, India and Japan Will Shape Our Next Decade'.
Our Global Societies' Philosopher's Stone
Alchemy is sometimes vilified because it's associated with magic. In my mind, magic is just unknown Science; just as today's science fiction is tomorrow's Science.
"Schiavo"
"Each memorable verse of a true poet has two or three times the written content." - Alfred de Musset
Friday, June 13
Child …phone addicts
Two children in Spain have been admitted to a mental health institution to be treated for addiction to their mobile phones, Spanish media report.
The children, aged 12 and 13, were sent to the clinic by their parents, who said they could not carry out normal activities without their handsets. They were doing badly at school and lying to relatives in order to get money to spend on their phones. They have been learning to cope without their phones for three months.
Dr Maite Utges, who runs the Child and Youth Mental Health Centre in Lleida, near Barcelona in north-eastern Spain, said it was the first time the clinic had treated children who were dependent on their mobile phones. "They both showed disturbed behavior and this exhibited itself in failure at school. They both had serious difficulties leading normal lives," she was quoted in Spanish papers as saying.
So among others mobile telephone companies connect people with their …alternative world!!!
Veterans for Mugabe
President Robert Mugabe has warned that Zimbabwe's war of independence veterans are ready to fight to stop the MDC gaining power, state media report.
Mugabe was quoted by the Herald newspaper as saying the veterans had asked approval to take up arms but he had dissuaded them. They said Zimbabwe was won "by the barrel of the gun" and should not be surrendered by a vote, he said.
Tensions have been high ahead of a presidential run-off poll on 27 June. Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai gained more votes than Mugabe but not the 50% needed for outright victory.
The veterans of what? His secret services? The ones who torture and kill the Zimbabwean people day after day? The veteran traitors of the humanity?
The Irish No vote
Early unofficial vote tallies around Ireland are indicating a strong showing for the No vote in a referendum on the European Union's Lisbon Treaty.
In Irish polls, tally counters in each constituency watch votes being sorted and make their own count, giving early indications of how a vote is going. Broadcaster RTE reports the No vote is ahead, but the Yes side has regained some ground as the day progresses. A No vote would scupper the EU treaty, which must be ratified by all members.
Another crisis of identity in the EU, I start …wandering!!!
Ovi today
Perhaps a cancer in Europe Suspicions? A lot! After all, the American secret services have proved often in the past that they can cooperate even with the devil himself if that serves their interests. Perhaps between Kosovo and FYROM is based the alternative, even darker Guantanamo.Half-way bad; half-way good
It has been a good decade since I last watched Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in 'Out of Africa' and I am sorry to inform you that my feelings towards the film have not altered with the passage of time.
"at this table"
"A sold poem loses half its meaning." - Glade Byron Addams
Life Undercover #78
It is time to change the sheets... our inquisitive duvet-loving hero has some female company now asking the great questions of life, religion and the universe.
Thursday, June 12
Gaddafi attacks Obama on Israel
Libya's leader has strongly criticized US presidential candidate Barack Obama for saying Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel.
Col Muammar Gaddafi said he was either ignorant of the Middle East conflict or lying to boost his campaign. Mr. Obama was speaking to pro-Israel lobbyists in the US last week. Referring to him as "our Kenyan brother", Col Gaddafi also said Mr. Obama might suffer from an inferiority complex because of his African origins.
The issue of race could make Mr. Obama's behavior "more white than white people", Col Gaddafi suggested, rather than acting in solidarity with African and Arab nations. The comments came during a speech to mark the 38th anniversary since the US evacuated Wheelus Air Force base in Tripoli.
Times are definitely changing!!!
Prisoners in Guantanamo can appeal
Foreign suspects held in Guantanamo Bay have the right to challenge their detention in US civilian courts, the US Supreme Court has ruled.
It overturned by five to four a ruling that upheld a 2006 law that took away the rights of suspects to seek full judicial review of their detention. It is not clear if the ruling will lead to prompt hearings for the detainees. Some 270 men are held at the US naval base, on suspicion of terrorism or links to al-Qaeda and the Taleban.
Time an injustice and violation of the human rights to end for good!
The army in Mugabe’s campaign
Documents outline plans by ruling party Zanu-PF to harass and drive out opposition supporters, especially from rural areas. A run-off presidential vote is due to take place later in the month.
More than 60 people have been killed, thousands beaten and many more driven from their homes in related violence. Testimony from eye-witnesses and victims from across Zimbabwe as well as internal party documents show that violence and intimidation are being used to try to guarantee the re-election of Robert Mugabe against the challenger, Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), on 27 June.
The documents suggest that the Joint Operations Command (JOC) is now running logistics and operations. The JOC is made up of the heads of the military and state security organizations.
Another document lays out the party's tactics, including the use of scarce food supplies as a political weapon. "Basic commodities should be sold from either people's shops or pro-Zanu-PF shops," it says. "Emphasis should be in party strongholds."
What more do we need to understand that Mugabe is running one of the worst dictatorships Africa ever met and he has to go now! Soon is just …not soon enough!
Ovi today!
Let My Children Go: World Efforts to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labour June 12 is World Day Against Child Labour. It marks the arrival of hundreds of children in Geneva, part of the Global March against Child Labour that had crossed 100 countries to present their plight to the International Labour Organization.Japan's environmental worries
I cannot understand it when countries like Japan seriously announce that they are going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 to 80% but all that by the year 2050! This is two generations from now and I presume my grandkids will be adults.
An Ethiopian Strongman Meets The Minnnesota Anuak
The burning question in the days before the tense meeting held here last Saturday was: How would the traumatized survivors of an accused mass killer greet the very person who had planned their doom?
Medien in der Friedensbildung und Konfliktvermeidung Bericht über Global Media Forum
Was können Medien und Journalisten tun, um Friedensbildung weltweit zu unterstützen? Die Deutsche Welle lud zu dieser Frage zu einem weiteren "Global Media Forum" ein, und fast 900 internationale Medienschaffende...
Saturday, June 7
Gaza Strip – Cease Fire Now!
Israel is now considering a full-scale invasion of Gaza. Avaaz Organization is calling for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to agree on an immediate cease fire for the region and engage in mature, responsible negotiations for a lasting peace, prosperity of their peoples and a solution for the conflict.
64% of the Israelis support the negotiations’ solution and people on the side of Hamas have suggested it too. Both sides want the world to legitimate their aspirations, so their aspirations will have to meet somehow if the world’s public opinion shows clearly that an one-side pseudo-solution will never be globally accepted.
http://www.avaaz.org
One of the last Amazon uncontacted tribes discovered this last May
In the brazilian state of Acre, near the border with Peru, experts found this last month of May evidences of some of the last uncontacted tribes of the Amazon - and wanted to show them to the world. José Carlos Meirelles Junior, a worker of FUNAI, the brazilian government Indian Affairs Department, said that the people who made the flight "wanted to show their houses, that they are there and exist" because Peru's president, Alan Garcia, questioned the existence of uncontacted tribes, as evidence of the destruction of the forest has been pilling up down river in the state of Acre, where barrels of Peruvian petrol have been washed up along with debris from loging operations, and brazilian ranchers want to make sure no Indians survive because of a national law prohibiting cultivation of lands occupied by Indians. Contacts with the outside world are normally fatal for these tribes, as they don't even have body defenses for our flu, or the ranchers force them out of their lands or murder them, or someone just destroys their culture and tries to convert them to the catholic faith or similar, or even teach them "a proper language". Meirelles said that in the first flight they could observe dozens of people dotted around a clearing with two communal huts, but in the afternoon flight many children and women had run to the forest and the members of the tribe who remained had painted their bodies while adopting war positions. The impact of this contact for their daily lives is not imaginable for us. Ironically, this contact seems to have been forced by the urgency to protect them.
Photo distributed by London-based charity Survival International
For the complete gallery of photos by Gleison Miranda/FUNAI and article, please check "Survival - the movement for tribal peoples" website here:
Thursday, June 5
Child porn arrests in Australia
Seventy people have been arrested in Australia in a nationwide operation to crack down on the use of images of child sex abuse posted on the internet.
The arrests, which include a policeman and several teachers, followed a six-month investigation by police into pedophile communities online. The probe was launched after 99 explicit pictures were posted by a hacker on a respected European website.
Over 76 hours, the site had 12 million hits from 150,000 users in 170 nations. More than 2,800 internet protocol (IP) addresses were traced back to Australia and then identified by police.
Good, there is no other comment here!
Clinton will quit?
Hillary Clinton will withdraw from the race to become the Democratic candidate for the US presidency, and back her rival Barack Obama, her campaign says.
On Tuesday, Mr. Obama gained enough delegates to win the nomination, after the final votes of the primary season. Mrs. Clinton has still not admitted in public that she lost the contest, but on Saturday she will do so "and express her support for Senator Obama".
Mr. Obama has already announced a team to help select his running mate. Reports that Mrs. Clinton was ready to concede came after she made a conference call to senior Democrats in Congress.
At a Democratic Party event in Washington, Mrs. Clinton will also "express her support... for party unity", her communications director Howard Wolfson said. Earlier, it had been announced that the event would be held on Friday, but Mr. Wolfson said it had been delayed a day "to accommodate more of Senator Clinton's supporters who want to attend".
Hillary had the ability to have a multi-collective voters and supporters often from all sides of the American political life; the big question now is if these people are going to support Obama.
Ovi today
Chavez: The next American Idol When everybody was talking about Venezuela's Che I was a bit sceptical! When everybody was talking about the Venezuelan economic miracle I was wondering and when the Spanish king told Chavez to shut up I was relieved. E-médias citoyens et élections européennes 2009 : un rendez-vous démocratique historique?
Et si les élections européennes de Juin 2009 constituaient un moment historique privilégié pour l'affirmation des e-médias citoyens comme principaux organes de presse démocratique de ce début de XXI° s
"those early years"
"Like a piece of ice on a hot stove the poem must ride on its own melting." - Robert Frost
50 Bucks: Bring On the Sluts
I was overwhelmed by the Japanese vending machine culture - whereby one can purchase almost anything - from beer to bedroom slippers; a microwave dinner to a pair of used panties - from a handy vending machine.
Wednesday, June 4
Venezuela’s spy law
A new intelligence law brought in by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has caused concern among rights groups who say it threatens civil liberties.
Mr. Chavez argues the law will help Venezuela guarantee its national security and prevent assassination plots and military rebellions. The new law requires Venezuelans to cooperate with intelligence agencies and secret police if requested.
Refusal can result in up to four years in prison. The law allows security forces to gather evidence through surveillance methods such as wiretapping without obtaining a court order, and authorities can withhold evidence from defense lawyers if it is considered to be in the interest of national security.
One part of the law, which explicitly requires judges and prosecutors to cooperate with the intelligence services, has caused concern among legal experts. "Here you have the president legislating by decree that the country's judges must serve as spies for the government," Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas Director for Human Rights Watch, said.
Chavez seems to find out that there is a line that separates a public hero to a dictator and unfortunately he’s ready to cross this line!
Israeli warning, nuclear Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said Iran's nuclear programme must be stopped by "all possible means".
Speaking during a visit to Washington, he said Tehran must be made to see it would suffer devastating repercussions if it pursued atomic weapons. The US and others have accused Iran of building nuclear arms capability. Tehran says its programme is peaceful.
Mr. Olmert's US visit comes as he faces pressure at home over corruption allegations, which he denies. "The Iranian threat must be stopped by all possible means," Mr. Olmert said in his speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee - a lobby group.
"The international community has a duty and responsibility to clarify to Iran, through drastic measures, that the repercussions of their continued pursuit of nuclear weapons will be devastating," he added.
Is it just me or this is a déjà vu? Didn’t they say the same things about Iraq? Where all these led with Iraq is …known, what remains is to see where they are going to lead Iran!
Obama declares victory
Barack Obama has declared himself "the Democratic nominee for president of the United States".
He was speaking to a cheering crowd on the last day of the primary season, as projections showed he had earned enough delegates to clinch the nomination. Of the states that voted, Montana was won by Mr Obama and South Dakota by his rival Hillary Clinton, US media say. In her own speech to supporters, Mrs Clinton refused to concede and said she would make a final decision later.
Barack might declares victory but the question remains, what Hillary will declare?
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