15 Jul, 2013

Berlin Wall hosts giant portraits of world’s barriers – Ahram Online

Giant portraits of the world’s most tense borders went on display Tuesday on the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall, in what organisers called a protest underlining the futility of barriers to resolve conflict. The “Wall on Wall” project by German photographer Kai Wiedenhoefer features 36 panoramas taken in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Cyprus, the […]

14 Jul, 2013

BBC News – UK soldier and veteran suicides ‘outstrip Afghan deaths’

More British soldiers and veterans took their own lives in 2012 than died fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan over the same period. BBC Panorama learned that 21 serving soldiers killed themselves last year, along with 29 veterans. The Afghanistan death toll was 44, of whom 40 died in action. Read the rest: BBC News – […]

14 Jul, 2013

New ITUC Report: “Severe Violations” of Trade Union Rights Continuing

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Unemployment rates and income inequality are increasing globally. Trade unionists continue to fight for jobs, rights and equality. This fight often costs them their jobs, and sometimes even their lives, in various parts of the world. Since 2006, the ITUC, the largest and most democratic social movement of the world, has been monitoring violations of […]

14 Jul, 2013

18 European sustainable mobility initiatives get funding support

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Brussels, 8 July 2013, European Commission Press release – As part of its three-year Sustainable Urban Mobility campaign “Do The Right Mix”, the European Commission has today released the names of another 18 campaigner-led actions to be awarded funding. Each action will receive up to EUR 7000, which can be used to strengthen activities promoting […]

14 Jul, 2013

Global Trades Union Appeal: Organise for October 7, World Day for Decent Work

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4 July 2013: In the six years after the launch of the World Day for Decent Work (WDDW) tens of millions of people have taken action on October 7 to stand up for union rights and decent work. This year again, unions from across the world will be calling in unison for social justice and […]

14 Jul, 2013

Number of nonregular workers hits record high | The Japan Times

Nonregular workers made up a record-high 38.2 percent of the workforce last year, topping the 20 million mark for the first time, a government survey has revealed. The workers, who include part-time and contract employees, totaled 20.42 million, up 1.52 million from the previous survey in 2007, the data released Friday by the Internal Affairs […]

14 Jul, 2013

Are consultants worth the money? Sydney Morning Herald

They are the management consultants – influential guns for hire whose services come with a hefty price tag, staffed by the brightest, youngest things top-notch universities can produce. Since the first, McKinsey & Co, arrived in Australia in 1962, the top companies – McKinsey, Bain & Co and Boston Consulting Group (BCG)- have become ubiquitous, […]

14 Jul, 2013

Saudi labour crackdown to hit Asia hard – GulfNews.com

The clampdown could hurt countries from Egypt to the Philippines that rely on Saudi Arabia’s economy to prop up their own with money sent from abroad. Neighboring Yemen, whose economy is significantly bolstered by remittances, has already warned the measures could destabilize its fragile government. Saudi Arabia is the third-biggest global provider of worker remittances […]

14 Jul, 2013

S. American states to recall envoys from Europe — RT News

South American countries belonging to the Mercosur trade bloc have decided to withdraw their ambassadors for consultations from European countries involved in the grounding of the Bolivian president’s plane. “We’ve taken a number of actions in order to compel public explanations and apologies from the European nations that assaulted our brother Evo Morales,” explained Venezuela’s […]

13 Jul, 2013

China’s economic transformation a boon for U.S.: analysts

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BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua) — As China and the United States are seeking to cast a new relationship model, the latter needs to be more prepared for a Chinese economic transformation that could create massive opportunities instead of threats, analysts have said. Concluding on Friday in Washington, the two-day annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue […]

13 Jul, 2013

Xinhua Insight: China’s economy caught in balancing act

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BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua) — Attempting to balance economic development in the face of a global meltdown with reform efforts that will likely slow the economy is proving to be difficult for Chinese authorities. However, Premier Li Keqiang gave some suggestions on dealing with the conundrum in a speech delivered during an inspection tour of […]

13 Jul, 2013

Myanmar turns blind eye to massacre of young Muslims | The Japan Times

MEIKHTILA, MYANMAR – Their bones are scattered in blackened patches of earth across a hillside overlooking the wrecked Islamic boarding school they once called home. Smashed fragments of skulls rest atop the dirt. A shattered jaw cradles half a set of teeth. And among the remains lie the sharpened bamboo staves attackers used to beat […]

13 Jul, 2013

America’s dirty war at home – The Japan Times

Hannah Arendt identified “the boomerang effect of imperialism on the homeland” in “The Origins of Totalitarianism,” but the academic Douglas Porch has used the history of Britain, France and America to demonstrate that all the rhetoric about bringing, respectively, Britishness, liberty and freedom and democracy to the “little brown people who have no lights” is […]

12 Jul, 2013

Telstra storing data on behalf of US government – Sydney Morning Herald

Telstra agreed more than a decade ago to store huge volumes of electronic communications it carried between Asia and America for potential surveillance by United States intelligence agencies. Under the previously secret agreement, the telco was required to route all communications involving a US point of contact through a secure storage facility on US soil […]

12 Jul, 2013

EC bid to curb European toxic waste shipments to Asia, Africa

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Brussels, 11 July 2013, European Commission Press release – The European Commission took action today to tackle illegal waste shipments that are causing damage to human health and the environment. The Commission proposed stronger legislation on national inspections of waste shipments to ensure that all Member States have similar levels of control. Around 25 % of […]

12 Jul, 2013

New EU Rules to boost cosmetics safety, combat misleading claims

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Brussels, 11 July 2013 European Commission Press release – As of today, cosmetics on shop shelves, both manufactured in the EU and imported from third countries, should be fully compliant with the Cosmetics Regulation ensuring strengthened safety standards and providing better information for the consumers. Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for Consumer Policy, said: “From daily […]

12 Jul, 2013

More Chinese cities likely to curb car purchases

By LI FANGFANG

Beijing, (China Daily) 2013-07-11 – Eight more cities are likely to announce policies this year curbing the purchase of vehicles for private use, as worries about pollution and traffic congestion rise around the country, an official from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said on Wednesday. Four cities already have such curbs: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou […]

12 Jul, 2013

Did Korean culture contribute to Asiana crash? – Japan Times

The investigative report said that Park was irritated by their late departure from London. The report said that though Yoon was communicating correct information to the tower, Park spoke at him in a “derogatory” fashion, saying, “Make sure you understand what ground control is saying before you speak.” Seconds later, he barked: “Answer them! They […]

12 Jul, 2013

Japan plans easier residency status for “highly skilled professionals” – Japan Times

Japan might make it easier for “highly skilled professionals” to acquire permanent residency status so it can lure the talent it needs to rejuvenate the stagnant economy. Under discussion is cutting the minimum requirement for consecutive years of stay to three years from five, Immigration Bureau official Yusuke Takeuchi told The Japan Times on Thursday. […]

12 Jul, 2013

Neoliberalism and public unrest: Time to connect the dots – Al Jazeera English

Political and economic elites, working in tandem, have managed to neutralise the aspirations of ordinary people, in part spurring the disenfranchisement driving the protests. Whether it is the removal of subsidies protecting the poor against inflation and price shocks in Egypt, or the enormous cost of hosting high profile sporting events in Brazil at the […]

12 Jul, 2013

Jim Dean, PressTV – NSA spying never catches Israelis – Why not?

The field reports from Afghanistan and Iraq involved Israelis being picked up as contractors doing very nasty things, and yes, doing them even to American troops. None of that stuff made its way into the leakers shocking release pile. We have people who wrote some of those reports, and they were major headlines. My verdict? […]

12 Jul, 2013

American Intellectuals’ Widespread Failure to Stand Up to Billionaires and Authoritarian Power | Alternet

Given the considerable resources in the United States spent to subsidize intellectual work, why are so many intellectuals—journalists, academics, writers—not critiquing the many hierarchical institutions and not highlighting the disastrous consequences of these systems? Why are so many intellectuals instead providing support for the institutions and systems? Why is the majority of intellectual work in […]

11 Jul, 2013

11 Big Myths About the Economy That Are Destroying America | Alternet

As we can see from the current dismal state of economic affairs, economies are incredibly complex systems, and policymakers who are forced to act in the face of this uncertainty and complexity want guidance. And over the last half century, neoclassical economists have not only been more than happy to offer it, but largely been […]

11 Jul, 2013

Prof Mazin Qumsiyeh: People of the West Must Stop Backing their Governments’ “Sick Games”

Citizens of Western Countries must demand that their governments stop supporting this sick game of divide and conquer that also fosters Christian, Islamic and Jewish fanaticism. Long-term, there will be separation of religion from state politics whether in Palestine Israel as a “Jewish state” or in Egypt or elsewhere. We will have our own renaissance. […]

11 Jul, 2013

Failing duty to protect Great Barrier Reef – Sydney Morning Herald

For millions of people overseas, the reef is their lasting memory of visiting the country, and reef tourism rakes in more than $5 billion a year from its human visitors. Whether we like it or not, Australians have a responsibility for looking after the reef. And we are letting it slip away. That’s crystal clear. […]

11 Jul, 2013

New Questions About Sheldon Adelson’s Casino Operations in Macau – ProPublica

A few days after Las Vegas Sands fired the president of its Macau casinos in July 2010, the company copied the hard drives of his office computers and moved the data to its headquarters in Las Vegas. In the months that followed, the company now acknowledges, its lawyers reviewed those records as they prepared to […]

11 Jul, 2013

Exposed: US bankrolling of anti-Morsi activists – Al Jazeera

Berkeley, United States – President Barack Obama recently stated the United States was not taking sides as Egypt’s crisis came to a head with the military overthrow of the democratically elected president. But a review of dozens of US federal government documents shows Washington has quietly funded senior Egyptian opposition figures who called for toppling […]

10 Jul, 2013

British public wrong about nearly everything, survey shows – The Independent

A new survey for the Royal Statistical Society and King’s College London shows public opinion is repeatedly off the mark on issues including crime, benefit fraud and immigration. The research, carried out by Ipsos Mori from a phone survey of 1,015 people aged 16 to 75, lists ten misconceptions held by the British public. Read […]

9 Jul, 2013

China Daily Commentary: Lessons from Egyptian irony

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The difficulty in judging Egypt’s latest political development stems from confusion over what kind of democracy to embrace July 08, 2013 (China Daily) – The Egyptian military’s decision to remove President Mohamed Morsi from power and suspend the constitution was said to be a response to days of mass street protests demanding the president step […]

9 Jul, 2013

Bill Blum: America’s Most Secretive Court May Also Be the Most Conservative – Truthdig

By the end of this month, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is expected to issue what could be the most important order in its 35-year hidden history, ruling on a motion filed by the ACLU that asks the court to publish all of its prior opinions evaluating the meaning, scope and constitutionality of Section 215 […]

9 Jul, 2013

Alexander Reed Kelly: Truthdiggers of the Week: NSA Protesters

The current administration acts as though it is against the principles upon which the nation was founded. And one asks: Where’s the outrage? This Fourth of July it was in the streets of more than 100 American cities. Hundreds, possibly thousands of people took part in a nationwide rally against the government’s policy of domestic […]

9 Jul, 2013

Study: Many young assault victims have illegal guns and ready to use them – Michigan Radio

A study of young assault victims in Michigan finds many are at high risk for gun possession and aggression. The University of Michigan Injury Center conducted a survey of young people treated for assault injuries at an emergency department in Flint. Gun violence kills more teens and young adults than anything except auto accidents, according […]

9 Jul, 2013

Evo Morales to RT: Plane-grounding debacle will never be forgotten in South America

Morales blamed Washington for masterminding the audacious scheme. “At 3 or 4 pm we are forced to land the plane in Austria. At 6 pm the US ambassador delivers an extradition request in Bolivia, which is proof that is the work of the US, who used European countries for their aims,” said Morales. “My first […]

9 Jul, 2013

10 Most Shocking Things the FBI Has Done Since 9/11 – Alternet

The number of U.S. persons on the No Fly List has more than doubled since 2009, and people mistakenly on the list are denied their due process rights to meaningfully challenge their inclusion. In many cases Americans only find out they are on the list while they are traveling abroad, which all but forces them […]

9 Jul, 2013

The New York Times and the NSA’s Illegal Spying: CounterPunch

The first duty of the press is to obtain the earliest and most correct intelligence of the events of the time, and instantly, by disclosing them, to make them the common property of the nation. The statesman collects his information secretly and by secret means; he keeps back even the current intelligence of the day […]

9 Jul, 2013

Chris Hedges: What Global Trends Have In Common with “Moby Dick” – Truthdig

In our decline, hatred becomes our primary lust, our highest form of patriotism and a form of eroticism. We are made supine by hatred and fear. We deploy vast resources to hunt down jihadists and terrorists, real and phantom. We destroy our civil society in the name of a war on terror. We persecute those, […]

9 Jul, 2013

Hitting the reset: NSA spying targeted BRICS — RT News

Members of BRICS featured high on the list of countries singled out for special consideration by the National Security Agency’s intensive Prism program, which collected data on billions of telephone and internet records globally. An article published at the weekend in Brazil’s O Globo newspaper makes the observation that “Brazil…appears to stand out on maps […]

9 Jul, 2013

Anti-Muslim riots haunt shattered Myanmar city – DAWN.COM

MEIKTILA, Myanmar: The thugs ordered Kyaw not to look as they killed his classmates, but the terrified teenager still caught glimpses of the merciless beatings as a wave of anti-Muslim killing engulfed his school town in central Myanmar, leaving dozens dead. “They used steel chains, sticks and knives… there were hundreds of people. They beat […]

7 Jul, 2013

Chomsky: How Do We Defend Ourselves from the Corporate and Imperial Forces That Threaten Us? | Alternet

The legitimacy of borders – of states, for that matter – is at best conditional and temporary. Almost all borders have been imposed and maintained by violence, and are quite arbitrary. The Lebanon-Israel border was established a century ago by the Sykes-Picot Agreement, dividing up the former Ottoman Empire in the interests of British and […]

6 Jul, 2013

Actress Rituparna Sengupta harassed at Toronto airport | GulfNews.com

Kolkata: Leading Bengali film actress Rituparna Sengupta was harassed for hours at Toronto Pearson International Airport despite having a valid visa and other travel documents, the celebrated artist alleged Saturday. Sengupta, now in Canada to attend a Banga Sammelan, broke down during her ordeal Thursday as she was kept waiting for five and a half […]

5 Jul, 2013

How I Joined Glenn Greenwald and Amy Goodman as an Official, Self-Hating Jew | Alternet

How could such an asymmetrical conflict – with one of the most sophisticated armies in the world pitted against a stateless, powerless people – be viewed and dismissed by so many in America as a dumb conflict between two ideologically-bent peoples? Lists like the one I’ve been included on and the principles that underlie it […]

5 Jul, 2013

Ratio of youths among Korean working population falls to all-time low

By Kim Rahn

Seoul, (Korea Times), 01 July 2013 – The nation’s workforce is getting old, with people aged between 15 and 29 taking up 15.1 percent of the total working population, the lowest in 30 years, according to Statistics Korea, Monday. The trend is expected to continue because the portion of the young will reduce in the […]

4 Jul, 2013

Most Still Proud to Be American But 71% say Declaration Signers Would Be Disappointed

by Frank Newport

PRINCETON, NJ — July 4, 2013 – Gallup – As the United States celebrates Independence Day, most of its adult residents continue to say they are proud to be an American, including 57% who are extremely proud and 28% who are very proud. This high level of pride in being an American has varied only […]

3 Jul, 2013

First Australian Muslim minister racially abused for taking oath on Quran – Hindustan Times

Hours after Ed Husic became Australia’s first ever Muslim minister, he was flooded with online racial abuse for taking oath of office on the Quran. 43-year-old Husic, was appointed as parliamentary secretary to prime minister Kevin Rudd and parliamentary secretary for broadband yesterday . Husic, son of Bosnian migrants, was the first MP to be […]

2 Jul, 2013

Are the German police using racial profiling? DW.DE

Biplab Basu is waiting at the heavy door of “ReachOut,” a small organization that helps victims of rightwing extremism and racism. Basu himself has often encountered racism, he recounts. A couple of months ago, he and his daughter were the only ones who were checked by police in a train approaching the Czech-German border. Basu […]

2 Jul, 2013

Asia Times Online: State complicity in Myanmar pogroms

MEIKHTILA – The government of Myanmar’s President Thein Sein, so active in its efforts to assure Western governments and investors that the new Myanmar will never return to the dark days of the previous ruling military junta, has so far wholly failed to prevent the contagious spiral of brutal attacks on Muslim communities carried out […]

30 Jun, 2013

How to motivate your BORED staff – Sydney Morning Herald

What’s the difference between a company staffed by a motivated team and a company staffed by an unmotivated team? Success and failure, according to the owner of one of Australia’s most iconic brands. Mr Whippy owner Stan Gordon, chief executive of Franchised Food Company, which also owns Cold Rock Ice Creamery, Pretzel World and Nutshack, […]

29 Jun, 2013

Christian Coptic Leader Calls Egyptian Government “Fascistic Regime”

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WASHINGTON, June 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Coptic Solidarity recently held its fourth Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. titled “To What Extent Will the U.S. and the International Community Support an Islamist Government in Egypt?” Renowned speakers shared expertise and recommendations clarifying priorities facing the increasingly marginalized Coptic community and the embattled people of Egypt. Speakers included […]

29 Jun, 2013

U.S. Professor Banned in Phoenix for “Controversial” Analysis of Int’l Law in the Middle East

It is extremely disturbing that a state bar association, which presumably has an interest in defending the right of free expression, would prevent me and the other panelists from presenting our papers at its convention because of their presumed political content. For if raising legal concerns about certain policies of Israel’s right-wing government can be […]

29 Jun, 2013

Edward Snowden Isn’t on the Run… We Are | Common Dreams

When the animated debate—“Is Edward Snowden a hero or a traitor?” started, I wrote a piece urging to consider him not as a “hero” or “traitor” but “simply as a teacher—who provided knowledge to expose yet another aspect of the inverted totalitarianism in the United States.” After everything that has been revealed since, there has […]

29 Jun, 2013

The Wonderful American World of Informers and Agents Provocateurs | Common Dreams

As the Boston marathon bombing illustrates, there are homegrown terrorists capable of producing the weapons they need and killing Americans without the slightest help from the U.S. government. But historically, it’s surprising how relatively often the gendarme is also a ringleader. Just how often is hard to know, since information on the subject is fiendishly […]

29 Jun, 2013

Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Slams Surveillance State, Hails NSA Whistleblower | Common Dreams

The king just goes out and has anyone rounded up, killed, put in secret prisons. When I was brought up, I was taught that communist Russia was the ones that were gonna kill us and bomb our country and all this. And communist Russia was so bad because they followed their people, they snooped on […]

28 Jun, 2013

The NYPD Embedded Four CIA Officers After 9/11 – Alternet

June 27, 2013 – In the decade after 9/11, the New York Police Department embedded four Central Intelligence Agency Officers, including one who assisted with surveillance in the United States, reports the New York Times. The revelations come from a newly declassified inspector general’s report obtained by the Times in a Freedom of Information Act […]

28 Jun, 2013

Here’s the real crisis in Australia: Sydney Morning Herald

No country is more vulnerable to the much-dreaded slowdown in China than resource-rich Australia. The mining boom that fuelled nearly all of its recent growth is nearing a cliff of economic risk. “Australia is a leveraged time bomb waiting to blow,” says Albert Edwards, Societe Generale’s London-based global strategist. “It is not just a CDO, […]

28 Jun, 2013

Retirement homes in vogue as Indians live longer and prosper – Indian Express

The 180-unit development in Pune, which enjoys better weather and less bustle than nearby Mumbai, overlooks open fields and hills and is set in lush gardens – an appealing escape from the crowds and grime of India’s mega-cities. Retirement communities like this one are just beginning to gain traction in India, where the multi-generational “joint […]

28 Jun, 2013

Understanding the relevance of Confucianism today

By Zhu Yuan (China Daily)

Beijing, 2013-06-26 – How to understand Confucianism today? Is Confucianism still relevant today? This is the question I asked my students at the University of Iowa. Many of them answered in the affirmative, although very few of them said anything convincing to support their answer. This has been the question I’ve been looking for an […]

27 Jun, 2013

NSA Surveillance Designed to Help U.S. Multinationals Strengthen Global Stranglehold

By O.P. Rana (China Daily)

2013-06-21 – The world we live in today is so different from what it was 40 years ago that the Watergate scandal seems like remote history. Yet here we are face to face with another surveillance and espionage drama – yes, that is exactly what former CIA agent and US National Security Agency operative Edward […]

27 Jun, 2013

BBC News – Viewpoint: Did our brains evolve to foolishly follow celebrities?

Fame is a powerful cultural magnet. As a hyper-social species, we acquire the bulk of our knowledge, ideas and skills by copying from others, rather than through individual trial-and-error. However, we pay far more attention to the habits and behaviours demonstrated by famous people than those demonstrated by ordinary members of our community. It follows […]

27 Jun, 2013

Extradition Appeal Keeps Ex-Catholic Brother Kevin McGrath in NZ

Convicted paedophile and former Catholic brother Bernard Kevin McGrath has avoided deportation, for now, by appealing against his extradition to Australia to face hundreds of sex-abuse charges. McGrath, 65, had until Wednesday to either lodge an appeal or voluntarily go back to Australia, where 252 charges have been laid alleging that he raped, molested and […]

26 Jun, 2013

CAGW: U.S. Tax Return Fraud Spiraling Out of Control

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WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, in response to this weekend’s revelation that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) inadvertently sent more than $46 million in tax refunds to “unauthorized” workers at a single Atlanta address, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) issued a statement reiterating the group’s demand that the IRS take steps immediately to stop tax refund fraud. Since […]

26 Jun, 2013

UN: Israel using Palestinian children as minesweepers

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Geneva, Friday, 21 June 2013 (IINA) – A United Nations human rights body has accused Israeli forces of mistreating Palestinian children, including by torturing those in custody and using others as minesweepers and human shields. Palestinian children in the Gaza and the West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 war, are routinely denied registration […]

26 Jun, 2013

Social media lures us to throw away barriers of own privacy

By Rong Xiao Qing

June 21, 2013 (Global Times) – People living in the US now know we have been stalked by the authorities, thanks to a high school dropout who happened to have easy access to some highly classified national secrets. The government has been quietly monitoring our phone records and Internet activities for years and only assured […]

26 Jun, 2013

Myanmar bans TIME mag over ‘Buddhist Terror’ cover – Sydney Morning Herald

Myanmar has banned a controversial Time magazine cover story on Buddhist-Muslim religious violence “to prevent further conflict”, according to a government spokesman, after days of angry reaction to the article. The ban on the article, which carried a front page photograph of a prominent radical Buddhist monk accused of fuelling anti-Muslim violence with the headline […]

26 Jun, 2013

Unpaid overtime excesses hit young | The Japan Times

Some companies are compelling their younger employees to work more than 100 hours of uncompensated overtime a month to maximize their profits. Japan has been derided for its long working hours for decades, and the risks of the hazardous practice eventually led to the infamous term “karoshi,” or death from overwork. Thanks to the Great […]

26 Jun, 2013

From November, Indians to pay Rs 2.7 lakh bond for UK visa – Times of India

LONDON: Planning to visit UK post November? Get ready to deposit a hefty cash bond. India is among the six nations that will have to pay £3,000 as fee from November 2013 to enter Britain, according to plans finalised by the British home office in a fresh crackdown on immigration abuse. The scheme will be […]

26 Jun, 2013

‘Unfair and discriminatory’ visa bond angers UK Indians – Times of India

LONDON: The British government’s plans to demand a hefty visa bond from visitors of certain “high-risk” countries such as India continued to create furore in the UK with many calling it “unfair” and “discriminatory”. The HSMP Forum, a non-profit campaign group that fights for the rights of Indian and other non-EU immigrants to the country, […]

26 Jun, 2013

Israeli authors campaign against eviction of West Bank villagers | guardian.co.uk

Some of the most celebrated figures in Israeli literature are campaigning to stop the forcible eviction of Palestinian communities in the barren hills of the southern West Bank to clear land for an Israeli military firing zone. Twenty four authors – including the acclaimed triumvirate of David Grossman, Amos Oz and AB Yehoshua – have […]

24 Jun, 2013

PressTV – Zionists controlling US Congress, world economy: Arif Hussain

What do you think controlling the parliament of a country means? It means political invasion, it means controlling the decision-making body of a nation and it means that by now the actual decision-maker is the invader. Sometimes when the president of the United States just comes in front and says “all the options are on […]

23 Jun, 2013

Thailand introduces software to reveal air pollution

National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), Thailand last week introduced new software to reveal air pollution levels in Bangkok from car exhaust pipes as well as assess the risk level of residents to carcinogenic fumes. Developed in partnership with Bara Scientific, the NIBRA software is able to record accurate amount of toxic substances, allowing relevant […]

23 Jun, 2013

The wartime horror inflicted on Vietnam – FT.com

In rural Quang Nam province in June 1966, four unarmed local people approached a group of Marines in an attempt to retrieve the body of an elderly man killed the day before by US troops. They wore white, carried a white flag bearing a red cross and brought a letter of introduction in English from […]

23 Jun, 2013

All aboard the luxury train | The Japan Times

Japan’s train system is the envy of the world, but with new luxury trains on offer from three Japanese railway companies, that envy is likely to increase. Kyushu Railway, as well as East Japan and West Japan Railways, will offer luxury trains to cruise Japan in a style far removed from the usual crowded conditions […]

23 Jun, 2013

Child Abuse victims may have consented: Australian Rabbi — Sydney Morning Herald

A senior Australian rabbi who failed to stop an alleged paedophile from sexually abusing boys at a Sydney Jewish school said some of the victims may have consented to sexual relations and has warned that involving police now would ”open a can of worms”. Former senior Sydney Rabbi Boruch Dov Lesches made the extraordinary remarks […]

23 Jun, 2013

New US top diplomat for East Asia says rebalance pivot needs to be “rebalanced”

By Chen Weihua in Washington and Zhang Yunbi in Beijing

2013-06-22 (China Daily) – Daniel Russel, US President Barack Obama‘s pick as top diplomat for East Asia, believes that the US strategy of rebalancing toward Asia needs to be rebalanced. In a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Thursday afternoon, Russel proposed that diversification of the rebalance strategy is of “first and foremost” importance. The […]

23 Jun, 2013

On 1 Year, Snowden, Manning And More – By Julian Assange

By Julian Assange

22 June, 2013 – Wikileaks – It has now been a year since I entered this embassy and sought refuge from persecution. As a result of that decision, I have been able to work in relative safety from a US espionage investigation. But today, Edward Snowden’s ordeal is just beginning. Two dangerous runaway processes have […]

22 Jun, 2013

Snapshot: U.S. Obesity Rate Ticking Up

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The adult obesity rate in the U.S. thus far in 2013, at 27.1%, is on pace to surpass rates in prior years. It is up from 26.2% in 2012 and much higher than the 25.5% found in 2008. This uptick in obesity is accompanied by slight declines in the percentage of Americans […]

22 Jun, 2013

Why the U.S. Government Spies on Communities of Color | Alternet

June 19, 2013 | WASHINGTON D.C. – Revelations of a massive cyber-surveillance program targeting American citizens holds particularly chilling consequences for immigrants and communities of color. Given the history of such programs, going back to the pre-digital age, these groups have reason to fear. Who is mined, who is profiled, and who suffers at the […]

22 Jun, 2013

The movies that make us want to travel – Art – The Independent

Stunning film locations can excite the wanderlust in us all. We ask a selection of celebrities which movies get them going Read the rest: The pictures that take us to another place – Features – Art – The Independent.

22 Jun, 2013

Suppressed report reveals law firms, telecoms giants and insurance firms hire criminals to steal rivals’ info – The Independent

Some of Britain’s most respected industries routinely employ criminals to hack, blag and steal personal information on business rivals and members of the public, according to a secret report leaked to The Independent. The Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) knew six years ago that law firms, telecoms giants and insurance were hiring private investigators to […]

22 Jun, 2013

Twenty truths about the sharemarket: Sydney Morning Herald

Fifty per cent of making money from the sharemarket is not picking the best stocks, it is avoiding the bad stocks. So why does everyone spend 100 per cent of their efforts finding good stocks? Read the rest: Twenty truths about the sharemarket.

21 Jun, 2013

If your name is Ahmed or Fatima, you are a person of interest to the NSA | guardian.co.uk

By Anna Lekas Miller One of the most common responses from the 66% of American citizens in favor of the NSA’s data-collection programs is, “I have nothing to hide, so why should I have anything to fear?” But what if you have nothing to hide but are targeted as a suspect nevertheless? By that I […]

21 Jun, 2013

PressTV – US taxpayers pay for apartheid Israel regime

As US Secretary of State John Kerry attempts to put his particular spin on resolving the generations-old crisis of Israeli oppression of the Palestinians, he has travelled to the World Economic Forum. There he waved the possibility of USD 4 billion investments in the Palestinian economy, from a worldwide conglomerate of investors, over a period […]

20 Jun, 2013

India sets up nationwide snooping programme to tap emails, phones – Times of India

NEW DELHI: India has launched a wide-ranging surveillance program that will give its security agencies and even income tax officials the ability to tap directly into e-mails and phone calls without oversight by courts or parliament, several sources said. The expanded surveillance in the world’s most populous democracy, which the government says will help safeguard […]

19 Jun, 2013

End the lethal combination of sport and alcohol: Sydney Morning Herald

There are few things in Australia that unite, motivate and engage like sport. What a national shame that it has sold its soul and players to the alcohol industry. State of Origin is now a battle of the beer brands. Almost every major male sporting code is underwritten by alcohol sponsorship. Why? Is it because […]

19 Jun, 2013

China’s Shaolin Temple, Home of Kung Fu, Plans Global Promotion Campaign

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Beijing, 2013-06-19, (Xinhua) – The Shaolin Temple, known as the cradle of Chinese kung fu, is preparing to stage its first cultural festival in the United States as part of efforts to expand its global clout. The first North America Shaolin Cultural Festival is scheduled to be held from Oct 8 to 14 in Los […]

19 Jun, 2013

Shocking Poll Result: 70% of Americans ‘Emotionally Disconnected’ at Work | Alternet

June 18, 2013 | If you thought that Americans who kept their jobs during the Great Recession were glad to be working, you would be dead wrong. According to a Gallup.com report, 70 percent of American workers are “emotionally disconnected” at work, with nearly one in five employees “actively disengaged.” It’s zombieland out there for […]

19 Jun, 2013

Building blocks of servitude | The Hindu

First, workers are forced to work extremely long and irregular hours at the kilns sometimes, 4 a.m. to 11 p.m with a half-hour lunch break. Second, the conditions of work are quite hazardous and affect their long-term health. Third, their living conditions are quite appalling, as they are forced to house themselves right next to […]

19 Jun, 2013

Indian Supreme Court to hear PIL on US surveillance of Internet data | The Hindu

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to give an urgent hearing to a PIL on the issue of US National Security Agency snooping on Internet data from India and seeking to initiate action against internet companies for allowing the agency to access the information. Agreeing to hear the PIL filed by a former Dean of […]

19 Jun, 2013

Peace move in Ayodhya – Hindustan Times

Ayodhya doesn’t reverberate with Jai Shri Ram slogans anymore. But Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders arriving in the temple town on Wednesday for a function organised by Ramjanmabhoomi Trust convener Mahant Nritya Gopal Das are certain to reiterate their resolve to build a Ram temple where a makeshift temple now stands. Nothing new. What is new […]

19 Jun, 2013

Smartphones and the rise of child accidents | The Guardian

The problem with much mobile technology is that it’s not really designed to be used while you’re actually mobile – or at least, not if being mobile demands that you concentrate on something other than your mobile technology. Like driving, for example. There’s a reason why the use of handheld devices behind the wheel is […]

19 Jun, 2013

Asia Times Online: The making of a global security state

By Tom Engelhardt As happens with so much news these days, the Edward Snowden revelations about National Security Agency (NSA) spying and just how far we’ve come in the building of a surveillance state have swept over us 24/7 – waves of leaks, videos, charges, claims, counterclaims, skullduggery, and government threats. When a flood sweeps […]

18 Jun, 2013

Activist Post: 21 Facts About NSA Snooping That Every American Should Know

There seems to be a lot of confusion about what the NSA is actually doing. Are they reading our emails? Are they listening to our telephone calls? Do they target American citizens or is it only foreigners that they are targeting? Unfortunately, the truth is that we aren’t going to get straight answers from our […]

18 Jun, 2013

PressTV – 7 dead, 39 hurt in Father’s Day weekend Chicago shootings

At least seven people have been killed and more than three dozen injured in separate gun-related incidents in Chicago during the city’s most violent weekend of the year, a report says. From Saturday afternoon to Father’s Day Sunday, at least six people were killed and 27 others wounded by firearms in the US State of […]

17 Jun, 2013

Asia Times Online: When will the dirty wars end?

Director Rick Rowley and journalist Jeremy Scahill’s much talked about docu-thriller Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield opened on June 7 to strong positive reviews. A companion piece to Scahill’s book of the same name, Dirty Wars details the growing use of extrajudicial assassinations by the US executive branch to strike at targets around […]

14 Jun, 2013

Bloomberg: US Agencies Actually Share Data With Thousands of Firms | Gizmodo India

Bloomberg is reporting that the recent NSA Prism scandal is just a tiny scratch on the privacy surface. Citing “”four people familiar with the process””, the agency claims that in fact thousands of technology, finance and manufacturing companies work with US national security agencies. In return for providing “”sensitive information””, Bloomberg claims these companies receive […]

14 Jun, 2013

Don’t repeat Iraq mistake in Syria, Russia warns America – The Times of India

MOSCOW: Russia said on Friday that US data on the Syrian regime’s alleged use of chemical weapons was “unconvincing”, and warned Washington against repeating the mistake it made when invading Iraq after falsely accusing Saddam Hussein of stocking weapons of mass destruction. The Kremlin’s top foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov also said the US decision […]

14 Jun, 2013

PressTV – 4 people shot dead by US homegrown terrorist in Missouri

Four people have been shot and killed in a shooting at the Cherokee Place Business Incubator in the US city of St. Louis, Missouri, police say. “There are 4 adult victims, 2 male and 2 female, confirmed dead at a scene of a shooting in the 2700 block of Cherokee,” city police said on Twitter […]

13 Jun, 2013

Who Decides? | American Civil Liberties Union

By Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst, ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project I’d like to make one major point about the NSA surveillance scandal that many people have made indirectly, or implicitly, or seem to have assumed, but have not stated baldly and explicitly. That point is how this incident has laid bare the arrogance […]

13 Jun, 2013

Privacy is not American – Indian Express

The latest Prism and Verizon revelations about the United States’ surveillance and data mining programmes are a reminder of the profound crisis facing liberal democracies. There are complex legal and technical issues. But the moral framework that President Obama has set up to justify these programmes will dent the reputation of the US. Obama blithely […]

13 Jun, 2013

Big Brother is listening – DAWN.COM

A few US legislators have expressed degrees of consternation over the content of the NSA leaks, rather than joining the usual chorus of condemnation. It doesn’t necessarily follow, though, that meaningful steps to roll back the totalitarian impulses of the security state are likely to be initiated in the foreseeable future. Quite apart from the […]

13 Jun, 2013

Opinion: Roll back the surveillance state – POLITICO.com

Last year, there were 212 of these Section 215 orders so the full extent of the NSA’s surveillance is still within the agency’s black box. Some news reports say that these programs include financial data and email records too. This is entirely possible given the breadth of Section 215. The program’s advocates claim that records […]