June

One Eye on Ireland

On 21 May, legislation paving the way for full devolution of policing and justice issues and the ending of no-jury Diplock courts completed its parliamentary stages and now awaits royal assent.

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For Boycott to Be Effective, an International Coalition Is Indispensable

South Africa's Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils whispered to me as I sat down following a most enthusiastic speech I gave at a recent conference in Cape Town: 'if you want the world to heed to your call for boycotting Israel, the call has to originate from the Palestinian leadership itself.'

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78,000 Iraqis Killed by Coalition Air Strikes

An estimated 78,000 Iraqis were killed by U.S. and Coalition air strikes from the start of the war through June of last year, an article in “The Nation” magazine says.

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Where have all the bees gone?

Kids everywhere may revel in the fact that bees are no longer stinging them as frequently on playgrounds and in backyards, but the decline in honey bee populations in the U.S. and elsewhere signals a major environmental imbalance that could have far-reaching implications for our agricultural food supply.

Venezuelan Civil Society Groups Accuse U.S. of Fomenting Destabilization

Organizations, journalists, students, activists and intellectuals in Venezuela accused the national and international media of waging a campaign against Venezuela.

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Labor, immigrant rights groups: No two-tier society

The Senate will reconvene June 4, after which debate on the bill will continue. Labor, civil rights, Latino, religious and other groups are mobilizing visits, letters and phone calls to senators to either defeat the bill or radically amend it to promote immigrant rights.

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Japan: Opposition to lifting restrictions on U.S. beef imports

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) at its general session held in Paris on May 22 adopted a resolution categorizing the United States as a “controlled risk” for BSE [aka mad cow disease].

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Was Iraq invaded to boost oil prices?

Saddam Hussein may have been deposed in order to limit Iraq’s oil production and thus keep world oil prices artificially high. This could be the real reason behind the invasion of Iraq by the Anglo-American forces and their allies.

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Thoughts on the G-8 meeting

For those who are not informed –and I am one of them – G-8 refers to the group of most developed countries, including Russia. The anticipated meeting which begins in 6 days has awakened great expectations due to the profound political and economic crisis threatening the world.

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Venezuela, RCTV, and Media Freedom: Just the Facts Please

So, pardon me if I'm just a little astounded by all this noise in the media, the Bush administration, the Senate and the House, about how Venezuela is 'attacking' free speech and independent media by not renewing the broadcasting license of RCTV.

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