ICC to investigate Afghan atrocities
The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court has revealed that he is probing atrocities allegedly committed by Western occupation forces in Afghanistan.
Amnesty International protests Cuba blockade
Critics of U.S. bullying of Cuba often focus on issues at the periphery of the central manifestation of U.S. aggression. In recent years issues such as the Cuban Five, new travel ban rules and Bush plans for capitalist takeover in Cuba have from time to time pushed the economic blockade off stage.
Sex-education effort raises storm clouds
An attempt to help educators around the world develop sex-education programmes as a way to reduce unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young people has become bogged down in controversy.
Abbas urges unity against land grabs
Tel Aviv announced on Monday that it has officially approved the construction of 366 new flats for Israeli settlers in illegal West Bank colonies.
And Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said that he intends to approve about 84 more soon.
The first new construction that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hawkish government has approved since taking office in March threatens to derail attempts to get Middle East peace efforts back on track.
Who won the Afghan elections? The Taliban
They are the ones who took front stage during the "electoral campaign" even while the proclaimed purpose of the voting, under supervision of US and NATO troops, was to demonstrate the normalization of the country.
US troops accused of hospital rampage
A Swedish charity accused US troops on Monday of going on the rampage in a central Afghanistan hospital last week.
UN suggests new possibilities for environmental fix
UNITED NATIONS-Good news on the environmental front is rarely forthcoming. Instead, nearly every credible, science-based report foretells of an ever-closer environmental cataclysm, and for good reason. Given all this, today's report from the UN Environment Program is a welcome sign.
WORLDNOTES: Poland, Mexico, Kenya, Israel, India, Cuba
Local media reported last week that the U.S. government likely will relocate long-range interceptor missiles planned for Poland to the Balkans, the Middle East, or placement upon naval vessels. The change affects radar installations intended for the Czech Republic. The UPI report cited as one news source the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, a U.S. lobbying group.
Japan’s voters sweep out ruling party
The Japanese Communist Party maintained its nine seats in the Diet after the historic elections Aug. 30 that swept the Liberal Democratic Party from power. For a half a century the LDP has ruled Japan.
Cuba constructs environmentally sustainable socialism
During a recent visit to Cuba, we stopped by an agricultural cooperative on the outskirts of Havana. Its farmers and cooperatives across the country are part of what’s widely acknowledged as the world’s largest organic farming experiment. Hundreds of thousands of farmers at the grassroots proudly proclaim themselves part of Cuba’s “environmental movement.”
