The U.N. backed Special Court for the Sierra Leone (SCSL) convicted two militia leaders of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Allieu Kondewa – the “high priest” of the Kamajor rebel group – and Monina Fofana – the national director of the Civil Defense Forces (CDF) – were convicted of war crimes, including murder and […]
Okay, the suspense, at least on one important item, CAFE, is over for the moment. The "Washington Post" reports House Drops Tougher Auto Fuel Economy. Go to Speaker Pelosi's statement in which she says " we will have an opportunity to address this issue shortly. The Senate energy bill does contain a CAFE provision, which […]
The United Nations Security Council approved a Chapter 7 resolution to invoke a 26,000 member peacekeeping force in Sudan. The joint African Union (A.U.) -United Nations contingent will consist of nearly 20,000 military personnel and close to 6,500 civilian police to replace the battered 7,000 member A.U. force deployed in Darfur. A Chapter 7 resolution […]
The blue beret, or the blue helmet, symbolizes not only peace, but protection and security for many who have spent their lives riddled by armed conflict. Children see these foreigners in blue hats, and they immediately trust them, they want to befriend them. Unfortunately these men are not always what they seem, many have used […]
Sold as a slave to an affluent California family of 7, a servitude contract of ten years, was the fate of a 9 year old girl in Ciro, Egypt. Sold by her parents, who received a measly sum for the price of their daughter, Shyima soon found herself no longer a child, but a piece […]
Shyima, a 9-year-old Egyptian girl, was sold into slavery and shipped from Cairo to work in California. (Photo courtesy of ABC News and Immigration & Customs Enforcement) Free the Slaves' President, Kevin Bales, will be featured on ABC's Primetime news magazine show tonight. The show tells the story of a young girl who was enslaved […]
Tuesday Update – Here's what "Congressional Quarterly" is reporting as of midafternoon today: Deal Clears Way For Friday House Vote on Energy Package. For one thing, the tax package that the Senate rejected is back. I lamented its exclusion in June in my post, The Morning After. (See also earlier posts on how close the […]
The first suspect appeared before the U.N. backed Cambodian genocide tribunal to investigate former members of the Khmer Rouge. Kaing Khek lev, better known as Duch, was questioned for his role as the former prison warden in the S-21 prison in Phnom Penh. The prison was notorious for being used as a torture chamber, where […]
We are poised for a big and hopefully exciting week on energy in the House. At “CNNMoney.com” there’s a good comprehensive read, Energy debate moves to House, on what to look for this week. As I’ve pointed out, there are a lot of good things that are not going to be subject to much debate, […]
U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleeza Rice, made pleas for Serbian cooperation as Kosovo continues its campaign towards independence. Serbian officials were in Washington, where Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic met with Rice to discuss “outstanding obligations regarding war crimes indictees.” There are several war crimes suspects still alleged to be within Serbia's reach – […]
Are Corporations Sabotaging Child Health to Increase Profit? Misleading advertisements and an onslaught of promotional materials for infant formulas seem to plague the Philippines. Breastfeeding by Filipino mothers seems to be an outdated practice, almost extinct, and who's to blame? It is scientifically proven, and agreed upon by all reliable medical professionals, that exclusively breastfeeding […]
The United Nations has initiated a forensic examination into mass graves peppered throughout Afghanistan at the request of the government there. Some graves in eastern Afghanistan contain over 1,200 victims. Specialists from various human rights groups, including the Washington based Physicians for Human Rights, have been providing technical assistance to the U.N. Assistance Mission in […]
“Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out and help to slaughter strangers of […]
Hot off the presses, go here for my Great Decisions Analysis piece on some of the exciting developments in green building across the world.
The Rwandan government has asked France for the extradition of two men arrested last week for their alleged involvement in the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, a Catholic priest, and Laurent Bucyibaruta, an ex-civil servant, were detained in France after the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) issued warrants for their arrest. The two […]