He died this week, a giant of the 20th and 21st century who co-wrote the… Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Showing all posts tagged human rights
Britain finds novel way to strip citizens of rights before America drones them
Disturbing evidence in the Independent that reveals yet another way Western states find ways to capitulate to unaccountable American demands in the “war on terror”: The Government has secretly ramped up a controversial programme that strips people of their British citizenship on national security grounds – with two of the men subsequently killed by American…
Welcome to your future; a drone university near you
The joys: Touting unprecedented education “for the benefit of mankind,” Unmanned Vehicle University, America’s only school offering postgraduate engineering degrees in unmanned systems – ie: drones – is thriving. Since opening in Arizona in July with five students taking its largely online courses for an annual fee of $64,000, it now has 300 graduate drone…
Hands up who deserves a drone medal?
The Pentagon will be giving awards to drone pilots for killing all these awful terrorists. Or civilians. Cartoonist Matt Bors:
“5 Broken Cameras” shakes up Israeli consciousness?
The Israeli and Palestinian film 5 Broken Cameras didn’t win Best Documentary at this year’s Oscars (Searching for Suger Man, a fine film, did). This piece by Barak Ravid in Haaretz is the perfect example of the liberal Zionist dilemma; frustrated by the occupation but seemingly incapable and/or unwilling to do anything about it: There…
TMZ interviews 5 Broken Cameras director held at LAX
A sign of the times. TMZ, a massive celebrity news service, interviews the Palestinian director of the wonderful documentary, 5 Broken Cameras, and brings the reality of Israeli occupation of Palestine to a mainstream US audience:
Against normalising an Israeli marathon
Important and clever tactic, one that should be increasingly raised to highlight the insidious ways that the corporate world and the Jewish state attempt to whitewash occupation. The New York Times report: A lawyer representing… Palestinian… government agencies sent letters this week to an American sneaker company and an international hotel chain threatening a boycott and legal…
Rejecting hate speech spewed by Geert Wilders
I was proud to be involved in last night’s Sydney rally against far-right, anti-Islam racist Geert Wilders, raising my voice against his bigotry. I believe he has the right to free speech but opponents have a responsibility to challenge his bile. Via AAP: About 100 protesters are rallying outside a function centre in Sydney’s west…
Democracy Now! interview on Prisoner X and Mossad
I was interviewed on Democracy Now! TV last night about the Prisoner X case, Mossad and Israeli/Australian relations: NERMEEN SHAIKH: We begin today’s show looking at a scandal gripping Israel and Australia centered on a man once known simply as “Prisoner X,” who was found dead in a maximum security prison in Israel in 2010.…
How Britain sells weapons to the world and still claims to be responsible nation
Penetrating story by Andy Beckett in the Guardian: In the town centre of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, between McDonald’s and Carphone Warehouse, there is an unusual statue. Four firm-jawed figures in factory clothes stand back-to-back. One wears a flat cap, one wields a sledgehammer, one has a welder’s visor. All of them are in purposeful poses,…