With just a few days remaining until the U.S. elections, I wonder not so much how they will be interpreted as who will be doing the interpreting. There are plenty of observers and commentators, of course, most of them connected in some way to national and international mass media. But there appear to be few […]
SOMALIA: Conflict, drought force more children onto Hargeisa streets Conflict, drought and economic hardships have led to an unprecedented increase in the number of street children in Hargeisa, capital of Somalia's self-declared independent republic of Somaliland, with government and aid agencies calling for urgent steps to stem the increase. Saleebaan Ismail Bulale, chairman of Hornwatch, […]
"The United Nations organization has proclaimed 1979 as the Year of the Child. Are the children to receive the arms race from us as a necessary inheritance?" – Pope John Paul II quotes (Polish Pope. 1920-2005) No longer is it the end of the ’70s, but since the establishment of the Declaration of the Rights […]
Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General for Hezbollah, appeared on Al-Manar television today dismissing as propaganda recent media reports alleging Hezbollah received funding through drug gangs. In the interview, Nasrallah also denied rumors that have circulated on a number of websites claiming that he was poisoned. A segment from the interview can be viewed here. On Tuesday, […]
The Uighur detainees we referred to earlier this week yesterday lost an appeal for en banc rehearing of the Justice Department's petition for a stay of the trial court's order releasing them into the U.S. mainland. Scotusblog reports DOJ has filed a merits brief, arguing in essence that while the Uighurs can't be returned to […]
The US based Human Rights First has drafted a step by step strategy for the next US president to end the use of torture as a means to gather information. Aside from the obvious recommendations of renouncing the use of torture, HR First recommends establishing a National Security Advisor tasked to fully document and expose […]
The first case at the International Criminal Court may be setting an unwelcome precedent as judges this week suspended the trial for Congolese militia leader, Thomas Lubanga. ICC judges in June suspended the trial because prosecutors would not share their evidence with the defense. The judges this week said Lubana should remain in custody, but […]
If you haven't made up your mind and want to see how McCain and Obama are on climate change and the environment, some of this material might help you. If you have made up your mind, this stuff might give you an idea of how President Obama or President McCain might pursue matters of the […]
Glenn Greenwald reacts in this Salon piece to an op-ed in The Washington Post by a Democrat and a Republican urging the next president to immediately prepare for war with Iran. Here is a quote that I find interesting: It's just objectively true that there is no country in the world — anywhere — […]
It's old news now that Former Secretary of State and General Colin Powell broke with his Republican party and endorsed Barack Obama while on “Meet The Press” this past weekend (video here). But I took particular notice to his advice on what should be the President's number one priority once inaugurated:
With an estimated $2 trillion worth of foreign currency reserves and China's growing global status, one wonders whether or not this developing, Communist-led state will one day become a major saviour of the Western banking system. While the Chinese Communist Party is aware of China's potential to take more of the limelight on the global […]
“We will be judged in the future on the actions we take today — on results. On this United Nations Day, let us rededicate ourselves to achieving them.” – Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General Today marks the anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Charter, which was put into force on the 24th of October 1945. United Nations Day is was established […]
Mugabe's Zimbabwe is undergoing what many call the county's worst peace time crisis. Due to a shortage of hard currency Zimbabwe is now weighed down by hyperinflation and constant import shortages, mainly fuel and food stuffs. The current crisis has led to what is almost a complete demise of Zimbabwe's education system. Once was once seen as […]
When former Secretary of State Colin Powell appeared on Meet the Press and endorsed Senator Obama he specifically mentioned Gov. Palin's candidacy as one of the reasons for his doubts about the Republican ticket: And I was also concerned at the selection of Governor Palin. She's a very distinguished woman, and she's to be admired; […]
The tribunal system established to try suspected terrorists at the U.S. naval facility at Guantanamo Bay does not seem to meet international requirements for a fair trial, a U.N. expert said. Martin Scheinin, a human rights and terrorism expert, told the U.N. General Assembly a visit last year to the detention facility confirmed his concerns […]