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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
News and Views from the Global South
TRADE: China In Violation of WTO Protocols
Since 2001 China has become an increasingly active member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and proponent of open and competitive markets, but yesterday the WTO released a report saying that China has violated WTO protocols by restricting imports of DVDs, software and books and limiting the ability of foreign suppliers to distribute their own products in China.RIGHTS: Obama Seeks to Block Release of Abuse Photos
The United States Supreme Court will hear the U.S. government’s appeal on a lower court ruling requiring the release of photos showing the abuse of prisoners held in overseas facilities.NORTH KOREA: After Clinton’s Trip, More Questions Than Answers Remain
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s trip to North Korea to secure the release of two U.S. journalists has called attention to the lack of engagement over the past five-months since Pyongyang quit the six-party talks.POLITICS-US: First Latina Appointed to the Supreme Court
United States Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor - the first Latina Supreme Court nominee and the third woman appointed to the court - won her confirmation vote in the Senate today setting the stage for her swearing in at a White House ceremony as early as tomorrow.MIDEAST: New Israeli Plan to Warn of Impending Attacks
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) is taking new measures to warn Palestinian civilians about impending aerial attacks. This comes in response to questions raised over whether Israel had complied with international laws during its 2006 war in Lebanon and the Gaza offensive earlier this year.POLITICS: US-China Confab Short on Concrete Commitments
China and the United States concluded two days of talks Tuesday with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that the Obama administration is touting as evidence of both countries' commitment to battling climate change and proof of a strengthening bilateral relationship.POLITICS-US: Bigger, Badder Jihad Plot in 'Obsession' Rebooted
A new documentary from a shadowy non-profit, the Clarion Fund, has ties to groups widely accused of Islamophobia.POLITICS: Dutch Foe of Islam Ignores US Allies' Far Right Ties
The fiercely anti-Islam Dutch MP Geert Wilders has been traveling through the U.S. this week on a highly-publicised trip to meet with politicians, promote his controversial film ‘Fitna’, and raise money for his legal defence back home.POLITICS-US: Right-Wing Lobby Group Loses Its Angel
The right-wing U.S. advocacy group Freedom's Watch is reportedly shutting down as its main funder, Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, becomes one of the high-profile casualties of the global economic downturn.POLITICS: Neo-cons, Ex-Israeli Diplomats Push Islamophobic Video
A group of hard-line U.S. neo-conservatives and former Israeli diplomats, among others, are behind the mass distribution, ahead of the November U.S. presidential election, of a controversial DVD that critics have denounced as Islamophobic.POLITICS-US: Neocons Put on a Surge-Stravaganza
With U.S. General David Petraeus's eagerly anticipated final report on Iraq due on Sep. 15, supporters of the troop surge are busily trying to set the stage for the report that they believe will refute their opponents.RIGHTS-US: Abu Ghraib Justice Ends With Enlisted Soldiers
Tuesday's acquittal of Lieutenant Colonel Steven Jordan on charges related to the Abu Ghraib prison abuses means that no officers have been found criminally responsible for the mistreatment of prisoners at the Iraqi prison near Baghdad.
POLITICS-US: High-Level Support Ebbs for Surge
Washington's policy makers are growing dissatisfied with the George W. Bush administration's troop surge in Iraq and a majority agrees that the world is becoming more dangerous for the United States, according to a poll released Monday.HEALTH-US: Defence Contract Workers Fall Through Insurance Cracks
New statistics from the United States Department of Labour offer greater insight into the number of defence contractors killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, but questions remain about compensation for injured or dead contract workers and their families.POLITICS-US: Polls Find Broad Support for Greater Altruism
The U.S. public rejects the idea that the United States should revert to a more isolationist foreign policy, but expresses dissatisfaction with the current role of the U.S. in the world and the destabilising effect it is having, concludes a compilation of recent public opinion polls.
FINANCE-US: As Iraq Costs Soar, Contractors Earn Record Profits
In a report to lawmakers earlier this week, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found that the war in Iraq could cost U.S. taxpayers over a trillion dollars when the long-term costs of caring for soldiers wounded in action, military and economic aid for the Iraqi government, and ongoing costs associated with the 190,000 troops stationed in Iraq are totaled up.US-INDIA: ‘123’ Nuclear Agreement Completed
India and the United States have announced a bilateral agreement permitting the export of U.S. civilian nuclear technology to India in exchange for a promise that the South Asian giant will allow International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) inspectors access to its nuclear facilities.ENERGY: Biofuels Pushing Up Food Aid Prices
A dramatic increase in the production of biofuels has led to rising food prices with serious implications for developing countries reliant on food aid to combat famine.
DEATH PENALTY-US: High Court Won’t Revisit “Dubious” Conviction
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the appeal of Troy Anthony Davis, convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Georgia, thereby removing one of the final obstacles to his execution.US-COLOMBIA: Dismal Rights Record Shadows Uribe Visit
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is back in Washington for the second time in just over a month to lobby for a U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (FTA) but he faces significant opposition from human rights groups and within the U.S. Congress itself.RIGHTS-US: Guantanamo Courts Hit Setback
The military tribunal system designed to prosecute terrorist suspects detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba hit a major snag when a U.S. military judge dismissed charges in cases against a man accused of being Osama Bin Laden's driver and another defendant who was 15 years old at the time he was detained by U.S. forces in Afghanistan.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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