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!

Ovi Today

Won't somebody think of the children!? by Asa Butcher
I was a little bemused about International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, especially since this issue should have been included on June 1st's International Children's Day, but you can never have enough attention for this issue.

Queen of the Waves by Clint Wayne
This week's visit by the Queen to bade farewell to the QE2 before she sails off to Dubai and her final resting place hit home as I thought, "Hang-on a minute she was only launched yesterday!"

Murphy's Law by Valerie Sartor
With her fair skin, rosy cheeks and silky, straw colored hair Ann Murphy embodies a true Irish rose. But don't be fooled by her delicate beauty: behind those baby blues is a sharp wit that has been honed by decades of hard intellectual work.

URCE urges UN to secure release of Suu Kyi by Rohingya Human Rights
The secretary general of the Union of Rohingya Communities in Europe(URCE), Hamdan Mg Kyaw Naing has urged the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to take personal initiative to secure release of Burma's pro-democracy leader and Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San

Africa’s caricature Hitler, Mugabe and his gangsters’ army

Zimbabwe's army chief has told soldiers they must leave the military if they do not vote for incumbent President Robert Mugabe in next month's run-off poll.

Chief-of-staff Maj Gen Martin Chedondo said soldiers had signed up to protect Mr. Mugabe's principles of defending the revolution, state media reported. "If you have other thoughts, then you should remove that uniform," he said.

Gen Chedondo was speaking at a target-shooting competition outside Harare, the Herald newspaper reported. Zimbabwe's generals have in the past vowed never to support the main opposition candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, if he is elected in the 27 June run-off election.

That’s if you had any questions on how far Mugabe’s junta can go! Africa’s caricature Hitler is using the army now and the list for the candidates for the international courts is getting bigger. Monster torturer and idiotic gangster Martin Chedondo is definitely going to keep company to Robert in the dark cell!

Ford in Mexico

US giant Ford is to invest $3bn in a new car plant in Mexico, the biggest investment in the country's manufacturing sector.

The move is a blow to American car workers who had hoped the factory would be built in the United States. Ford has lost more than $15bn over the past two years and says the new facility is crucial to its future. Mexican President Felipe Calderon hailed the announcement as a "turning point" for his country.

The new factory, and other changes to Ford's Mexican operations, are likely to create an estimated 4,500 jobs in Mexico, where car workers earn substantially less than their American counterparts. Mr. Calderon made the announcement with Ford president Alan Mullaly at the presidential compound in Mexico City on Friday.

"We want Mexico to be an automotive country, one that is competitive and with the most advantages so that the worldwide automotive industry will establish itself here," Mr. Calderon said. Mr. Mullaly said: "We are convinced the geographic location as well as Mexico's highly qualified labor force and economic stability make this decision the right one for our business."

This might take Mexicans away from drugs and violence a phenomenon that increases worryingly!

The Ovi magazine today

Where Reality Fears to Tread: Art and Obscenity in Oz by Binoy Kampmark
Art exhibitions can be a hazardous business, especially in Australia. Australia was, at one time, banning more art and literature coming in than going out. The only thing the authorities did not do was burn books and slice canvasses.

Weird and Wonderful Cannes by Vesa Kuosmanen
As a film student I was all excited when arriving in the 61st Festival de Cannes. I eagerly went to get my Cannes badge. Feeling almost famous myself, nothing like the 'normal people' on the other side of the fences.

How Bizarre! by Thanos Kalamidas
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!

"Those Mototi Days" by Emmanuel Sigauke
"Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood." - T.S. Eliot

Food crisis talks begin

Envoys from 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries meet on Friday to discuss the rising cost of food and draw up a united policy for the region.

The talks in Caracas, Venezuela, mark the beginning of a week of meetings on the issue, leading up to a three-day UN food crisis summit in Rome on Tuesday. According to the World Bank, global food prices have risen by 83% over the past three years. The lender has announced a package of food grants totaling $1.2bn.

An influential report on Thursday warned that higher food prices might be here to stay as demand from developing countries and production costs rose. Prices would fall, but only gradually, the report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said.

They are missing the point once more; there is NO TIME FOR TALK! People are starving to death!

Ex-aide criticizes Bush over Iraq

Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan has said US President George W Bush was not "open and forthright" on Iraq and rushed to an unnecessary war. In simple language, he ...lied!!!

In a new book, Mr. McClellan says Mr. Bush relied on a "political propaganda campaign" to sell the war. His handling of Hurricane Katrina is also attacked. From July 2003 to his resignation in April 2006, Mr. McClellan was a loyal defender of the Bush administration. In response, a White House spokeswoman said Mr. McClellan was "disgruntled".

Dana Perino added: "For those of us who fully supported him, before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled. It is sad - this is not the Scott we knew." Mr. McClellan was a long-standing member of Mr. Bush's inner circle, having worked for him when he was Texas governor before following him to the White House.

Not much good for history to remember George W. Bush, even the …mice are leaving the boat before sinking to the bottom of …forgetness!

The Ovi today

A letter to a failed EU by Thanos Kalamidas
Dear Mr. President of the European Union: You have missed something basic, European citizens are being led to bankruptcy fast, here and now, and you haven't done anything to prevent it.

Wicked is the world by Trol
Somehow it is expected among fellow Greeks that as a Greek myself I would feel some particular attachment to the Aegean Sea, enough to exclude any other destination for my summer vacation, while I have often preferred and favoured other places.

The Golden Voice of the Great Southwest is Gone by Ken Sanders
A rumination on the passing of U. Utah Phillips, anarchist, wobbly, hobo, railroader, folksinger, activist, great iconoclast, husband, father and and all around amazing human being.

Dino & Anty #20 by Thanos K & Asa B
Dino is a vegetarian virgin dinosaur and his best friend is Anty, a carnivorous nymphomaniac ant.

Organized crime on the rise in Finland

Crimes committed in Finland by professional gangs from Eastern Europe are on the increase. The upswing in crime stems from the expansion of the passport-free Schengen area last year.

The National Bureau of Investigation says this type of crime poses a considerable threat to Finland. The free movement of people between the 24 countries of the Schengen area within the EU has opened the door to professional criminals.

Tuija Hietaniemi, Special Investigator from the National Bureau of Investigation told YLE TV News that international co-operation must be improved. A quick response to crime was of the essence, she noted. Retailers say forged notes, currency exchange fraud and professional shop lifting are all on the rise. They want further action by the police to prevent such crime and quicker co-operation between stores to stop the perpetrators in their tracks.

So typical, blame it on the foreigners. I have seen it happen so often that it gets boring and they do something about the foreigners but crime doesn’t want to …rise and when they realize that crime is not imported it’s just …too late!

Nepal touches democracy

Nepal is due to become a republic and end 240 years of royal rule. A newly-elected assembly is to meet in the capital, Kathmandu, with the tasks of abolishing the monarchy and preparing a new national constitution.

As the assembly was being sworn in on Tuesday a bomb explosion in the capital injured two people. Meanwhile thousands of people gathered on the streets of the city and near the assembly to celebrate "republic day" and press for abolition.

"Let's celebrate the dawn of a republic in a grand manner," said one loudspeaker. The assembly is huge and the ceremony, performed by an older member of the newly-elected body, saw 575 men and women being sworn in.

Many wore traditional clothing and used their mother tongues for the occasion in this ethnically mixed country. Just 26 more members have yet to be nominated by the biggest parties.

Democracy really knocks the door of Asia, Burma’s turn!

Peacekeepers abusing children

Children as young as six are being sexually abused by peacekeepers and aid workers, says a leading UK charity.

Children in post-conflict areas are being abused by the very people drafted into such zones to help look after them, says Save the Children. After research in Ivory Coast, southern Sudan and Haiti, the charity proposed an international watchdog be set up.

Save the Children said it had sacked three workers for breaching its codes, and called on others to do the same. The three men were all dismissed in the past year for having had sex with girls aged 17 - which the charity said was a sackable offence even though not illegal.

The UN has said it welcomes the charity's report, which it will study closely. Save the Children says the most shocking aspect of child sex abuse is that most of it goes unreported and unpunished, with children too scared to speak out.

There is only one word for that …shame!!!

Mugabe threat to expel US envoy

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has threatened to expel the US ambassador, accusing him of meddling in the country's political process.

"I am just waiting to see if he makes one more step wrong. He will get out," Mr. Mugabe told a rally in Harare. Earlier this month ambassador James McGee warned post-election violence in Zimbabwe was "spinning out of control".

Mr. Mugabe was speaking as he launched his campaign for the presidential election run-off on 27 June. He also said Zimbabweans who had fled recent anti-immigrant violence in South Africa would be given land if they returned to Zimbabwe. "Our land is still there, even for youngsters, those who are in South Africa who wish to return to the country," Mr. Mugabe told his Zanu-PF party supporters.

Mugabe has long expel himself from humanity but it takes him long to realize it!

The Ovi cartoon, lift spirits

For more Ovi Cartoons, HERE!

The Ovi magazine today

Something Foreseeable, This Way Comes by Leah Sellers
Repeating the same behavior with the expectation of getting different results, different outcomes, is supposed to be the definitive definition of Insanity.

Philo of Alexandria on the Soul and Universal Truth by Emanuel L. Paparella
Philo of Alexandria, also known as Philo Judaeus or Philo Alexandrinus, is perhaps the most intriguing of the classical philosophers, for he is something of a maverick comparable in modern times to Emmanuel Levinas.

Nunes Gallery Helsinki: A Changing Picture by Alexandra Pereira
Until June 1st in Nunes Gallery, Satu Bethell is presenting the exhibition A Changing Picture, with painting and photography artworks, sponsored by Hämen taidetoimikunta and Hausjärven kunta.

Lift Spirits #04 by Thanos K & Asa B
Lift doors slide open, you enter, press the button and then face that awkward proximity to a stranger... perhaps this will lift your spirit.

The Ovi today

The dark side of the moon: Confession of a househusband by Alexander Mikhaylov
I feel genuinely sorry for my wife who, when being asked this simple question "And what your husband does?" is always struggling with a right answer. The honest reply to such an inquiry would be "Why, he is a househusband."

"Humphry" by Jan Sand
"Poetry, like the moon, does not advertise anything." - William Blissett

iBite by Asa Butcher
iBite is a snappy selection of news from around the world accompanied by a cynical, albeit humourous, comment.

Jarmo Kukkonen's "Timescapes - Aika maisemassa" by Otso Kantokorpi
Jarmo Kukkonen on tullut tunnetuksi meditatiivisen mielenmaiseman maalarina.

Trash …news from Italy

Tensions remained high Saturday after a night of clashes between police and protesters furious at Italian government plans to dump mountains of uncollected trash from Naples in their towns.

Police in riot gear watched but did not intervene Saturday when a protester threw what appeared to be a firebomb near the town of Chiaiano, a suburb of Naples. Demonstrators also hurled cans and other garbage at police.

The site near Chiaiano is one of 10 selected by Premier Silvio Berlusconi's new government to receive some of the tons of stinking garbage piled up in Naples and surrounding areas. Police and protesters clashed overnight after authorities tried to move an empty bus that demonstrators used to block a road leading to the planned dump site.

From the minute Berlusconi won the elections I was sure that the Italians will constantly have to deal with …rubbish!!!

Quake toll 60,000

China's Premier Wen Jiabao Saturday gave U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon a dramatic look at damage caused by the massive quake that hit Sichuan province earlier this month as the death toll from the catastrophe jumped past 60,000.

A strong aftershock shook the town of Yingxiu, a small town near the epicenter of May 12's 7.9 magnitude quake, as Wen and Ban toured the area. "The world will not forget," Ban told Wen, who appealed the U.N. chief to help raise international aid for the region.

There are too many things this world will not forget Mr. Ban and one of them is you incapability to achieve anything and help anyone!

Sorry for Kennedy remark

US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has apologized for remarks about Robert Kennedy's 1968 assassination as she defended her continuing nomination bid.

Senator Clinton said she had been attempting to point out that previous campaigns had also continued into June. Democrat Robert Kennedy was running for his party's presidential nomination when he was shot dead in June 1968.

A spokesman for rival Democrat hopeful Barack Obama, whose safety has been an unspoken issue, criticized the remark. Spokesman Bill Burton called the comments "unfortunate" and said they had "no place in this campaign".

You have to admit that the woman doesn’t matter how good she is or how good president she will make; she’s a ...bitch!!!

Indonesia pushes up fuel prices

The Indonesian government has raised fuel prices by nearly 30%, prompting fears of widespread unrest.

Several hundred students protested against the move, clashing with police at Jakarta's national university. More than 100 people were arrested. The government is struggling to meet the cost of fuel subsidies as global oil prices escalate.

But it has put into effect a cash handout scheme worth $1.5bn to try to cushion the effect for the most needy. Malaysia is also considering overhauling its subsidy system, and Taiwan has decided to end a freeze on petrol prices in June.

They don’t have enough rice and now they will lose the oil?

Democracy returns to Zimbabwe

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said he will win Zimbabwe's 27 June run-off presidential poll, as he returned to Harare after weeks abroad.

The Movement for Democratic Change leader accused the ruling Zanu-PF party of seeking to "decimate" opposition structures ahead of the vote. His first engagement was to visit supporters hurt in political violence.

Mr. Tsvangirai's return was delayed amid an alleged army plot to kill him, which the ruling party said was "fantasy". Polls on 29 March saw the country's veteran leader, Robert Mugabe; lose his parliamentary majority for the first time in two decades in power.

Its only days remaining for Mugabe to follow the road that leads to his …cell!!!