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EU and US said to favour elections over human rights

Listing countries where elections have been mixed with violence and repression, Human Rights Watch said western powers, especially the United States and European Union, have accepted elections in countries that don’t respect human rights, for political reasons and benefit. The group said the west has continued to prop up fragile democracies, or those that purport to [...] (read more)

Rallies to protest Gaza bombing

Tens of thousands of protesters are due to voice their anger at the Gaza bombing blitz in a series of rallies across the UK. Up to 20,000 people - including the singer Annie Lennox and Respect MP George Galloway - are expected to march along the Embankment in London before walking to Trafalgar Square to call [...] (read more)

Guantanamo intake unacceptable, says Malcolm Turnbull

KEVIN Rudd should immediately reverse a decision to allow former Guantanamo Bay inmates to resettle in Australia, the Opposition said today. Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard has confirmed that Australia, along with a number of other countries, has been approached to consider resettling detainees from Guantanamo Bay. “Any determination for an individual to come to Australia would be [...] (read more)

An Israeli War Crimes Tribunal

By Francis A. Boyle The United Nations General Assembly must immediately establish an International Criminal Tribunal for Israel (ICTI) as a “subsidiary organ” under U.N. Charter Article 22. The ICTI would be organized along the lines of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY), which was established by the Security Council. The purpose of the ICTI would [...] (read more)

Amy Goodman: Voices of Resistance Sing On

Strong voices for peace have left us this year, people who used their art for social change, often at a high personal price.   Odetta was a legendary folk singer of the civil rights movement.   Considered the “Queen of American Folk Music,” Odetta introduced audiences worldwide to African-American folk, blues and gospel music.   New Year’s Eve [...] (read more)

Private firm may track all email and calls

By Alan Travis and Richard Norton-Taylor | The private sector will be asked to manage and run a communications database that will keep track of everyone’s calls, emails, texts and internet use under a key option contained in a consultation paper to be published next month by Jacqui Smith, the home secretary. A cabinet decision to put [...] (read more)

Why You Should Delete Your MySpace Account

Today I am deleting all the content from my Myspace account and leaving only this notice. I’ve been inspired by the Franklin Street Statement and Identi.ca and I realize that a free/libre/open source internet is still possible, but it will require us to stop supporting corporate websites such as myspace. Here are some good reasons [...] (read more)

Government considers Wales as ID card guinea pigs

By Hywel Trewyn CALLS to put Welsh on new ID cards are at last to be considered by the Government. The U-turn follows pressure from language campaigners who say it would be an insult if English-only cards were issued in Wales. The Welsh Language Board yesterday welcomed an announcement that UK Border Agency officials will at least review [...] (read more)

1978: Labour opposed ID cards to curb illegal immigration

By Kaya Burgess The Labour administration in 1978 believed the introduction of ID cards would be “unacceptable” and “objectionable” in the fight against illegal immigration, confidential documents released today show. The comments were in a draft statement due to be given to the Commons by Merlyn Rees, the Home Secretary, who wrote that the introduction of [...] (read more)

US, Japanese Researchers Mix Samples of 1918 Flu Pandemic to Recreate Deadly Code

Lori Price Researchers recreate 1918 flu pandemic virus –Why? And, why is no one *asking* why? 29 Dec 2008 Researchers have found out what made the 1918 flu pandemic so deadly — a group of three genes that lets the virus invade the lungs and cause pneumonia. They mixed samples of the 1918 influenza strain with [...] (read more)