Archive for October 25th, 2012

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25/10/2012

‘China Rejects Sanctions, Use of Force against Iran’

Human Wrongs Watch

By Press TV* – China has rejected sanctions and the use of force against Iran over its nuclear energy program, warning that such coercive measures could have a negative impact on regional and global peace and stability.

**Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei (file photo) | Press TV

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei made the remarks at a regular press briefing on Thursday [25 October 2012].

He added that the sanctions and use of force could not resolve the existing issue, calling for a peaceful settlement of the issue through dialogue and negotiations.

The Chinese official also expressed hope that a new round of talks between Iran the P5+1 group would resume at an early date.

Iran and the P5+1 group comprising Britain, China, France, Russia, the US and Germany have held several rounds of talks over the Iranian nuclear energy issue.

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Posted in Asia, Middle East, Others-USA-Europe-etc., War Lords | 1 Comment »

25/10/2012

EU – Protestors Beaten, Kicked, Shot at, Wounded, Sprayed with Tear Gas

Human Wrongs Watch

By AI* – People demonstrating peacefully in European Union (EU) countries have been beaten, kicked, shot at and wounded with rubber bullets and sprayed with tear gas yet excessive use of force by police goes uninvestigated and unpunished.

**Photo: Guillaume DArribau

Through personal stories from Greece, Spain and Romania, Amnesty International’s briefing Policing demonstrations in the European Union exposes the excessive use of force against protesters and journalists, arbitrary detention and the obstruction of access to medical assistance and calls on governments to prevent and investigate these human rights violations.

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25/10/2012

Over 70 Million Forced Migrants at the Mercy of Smugglers

Human Wrongs Watch

Over 70 million people are forced migrants – more than one in every 100 of the world’s citizens – displaced by conflict, political upheaval, violence and disasters but also by climate change and development projects, according to the World Disasters Report 2012 of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Source: UNODC

Of these, some 50 million irregular migrants are believed to have used the services of smugglers at some stage of their journey, says the UN Development Programme.

This was the subject of a side event in Vienna last week during the Sixth Session of the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported on 23 October 2012.

Forced migrants often confront life-threatening dangers in transit and exploitation and abuse upon reaching their destinations. They may be extorted, beaten or raped, which in turn can give rise to public health risks such as drug abuse and HIV/AIDS.

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Posted in Africa, Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, Market Lords, Middle East, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples, War Lords | 3 Comments »

25/10/2012

Corrupted Judges, Prosecutors, Lawyers Threaten Human Rights

Human Wrongs Watch

Corruption in judicial systems is threatening the protection of human rights, a United Nations independent expert said, urging governments to implement policies to strengthen the rule of law to combat this practice.

Credit: UN

“The pervasiveness of corruption in the judiciary and the legal profession, whether one off or endemic, is very worrying because it directly undermines the rule of law and the ability of the judiciary to guarantee the protection of human rights,” the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Gabriela Knaul, told the General Assembly while presenting it with her latest annual report.

“A judiciary that is not independent can easily be corrupted or co-opted by interests other than those of applying the law in a fair and impartial manner,” she said on 24 October 2012.

“Strengthening the judiciary from within, as well as providing all the safeguards for its independence vis-à-vis other public officials and private actors, is essential in combating and preventing instances of judicial corruption.”

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Posted in Africa, Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, Market Lords, Middle East, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples | 1 Comment »

25/10/2012

US-Israel Largest-ever Joint Military Exercise – Preparing for War on Iran?

Human Wrongs Watch

By Peter Symonds, WSWS*, 25 October 2102 – As the presidential campaign nears its end, preparations are proceeding apace for new US wars of aggression that are backed by both President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

**Benjamin Netanyahu | Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The largest-ever joint US-Israeli military exercise commenced on Sunday [21 Oct.], designed to test the integrated anti-missile systems of the Zionist state.

The three-week war games involve more than 3,500 US military personnel in Israel and Europe, 1,000 members of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), and the deployment of Patriot anti-missile batteries and a US warship equipped with the Aegis anti-ballistic missile system.

According to American and Israeli generals, the drills are designed to simulate a multi-front war with high-tempo salvos aimed at Israeli targets, including short- and long-range ballistic missiles as well as mortars and rockets.

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Posted in Market Lords, Middle East, Mother Earth, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples, War Lords | 1 Comment »

25/10/2012

Phones, Computers – The Sad Truth about the Origins of the Minerals Inside

By Renee Blanchard*, Greenpeace – The sad truth about the origins of the minerals inside our phones and computers is getting more attention these days. In August, a Businessweek expose peeled back the curtain on the tiny island of Bangka in Indonesia, where a third of all global tin, a key ingredient for our gadgets, is mined in horrific, life-threatening conditions.

**Photo: The Enough Project | Source: Greenpeace

Other minerals used in our smartphones come from countries in Africa where mining for them can fuel war.

In the US, as part of a financial reform law, all companies must begin disclosing how “conflict-free” their devices really are by 2014.

That’s a great step, though the Securities and Exchange Council (SEC) in charge of the program recently came under scrutiny for taking too lax of a position for its rules governing companies.

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Posted in Africa, Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, Market Lords, Middle East, Mother Earth, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples | Leave a Comment »

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