International issues

23 Reasons Why We Should be Careful About Uncritically Accepting Western Views of the Syrian Insurrection.

As insurrection in Syria lurches towards civil war, the brakes need to be put on the propaganda pouring through the Western mainstream media and accepted uncritically by many who should know better.

Cairo – Since its very beginning in January, the Egyptian revolution has been an all inclusive people’s movement: the Islamists, the Christians or Copts, men, women, the young, the elderly… entire families were there.

In this moment of history, and as a political party inspired by the current of Universalist Humanism, we find it necessary to analyse the present situation in order to develop proposals for action in the present global context. [Surely, this is a useful reference for others, Editor.] Statement from the International Humanist Party.

Geneva – Millions of people in Yemen are facing a severe humanitarian crisis, chronic deprivation, malnutrition and violence, the UN reports.

In 2011 the nine nuclear-armed nations will spend an estimated US$105 billion maintaining and modernizing their nuclear weapons, despite the International Court of Justice having declared it illegal to use and threaten to use such weapons.

The USA Africa Command, which America calls ‘Africom’, is a military structure of the Defence Department of America. Africom was formed in 2007 during President George W Bush’s second term of office.

New York – “There is a long way to go before the rights of Afghan women are fully protected,” says a UN report, noting that the government has not yet succeeded in applying a two-year-old landmark law to the vast majority of cases of violence against women.

Reporters Without Borders expresses its grave concern over parliament’s approval yesterday of the first reading of a bill toughening Israel’s libel laws, despite strong objections from Israeli journalists. The bill, provides for a steep rise in the amount of damages payable for articles judged to be defamatory.

Egypt’s military rulers have completely failed to live up to their promises to Egyptians to improve human rights and have instead been responsible for a catalogue of abuses which in some cases exceeds the record of Hosni Mubarak, Amnesty International said in a new report.

Bali – UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon challenged the Asia and Pacific region “to assume global leadership on issues of international concern, including climate change, sustainable development, access to food and energy, human rights and the empowerment of women.”