computerjoe's Clog

Is the suffering evenly shared?

Joe Anderson — Sun, 31 May 2009 10:15:13 +0000

No.

All life is precious but I think figures like this put the whole Palestinian conflict in context; over 10 times as many Palestinians have died than Israelis.

Clipped from news.bbc.co.uk

A year after the US-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace conference in Annapolis, the BBC looks at how things have changed on the ground and the progress made on both sides’ commitments.Read more at news.bbc.co.uk

Academics accurately describe government approach to immigration

Joe Anderson — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:08:43 +0000

I’m glad to see some other people have the guts to tell the government how they are pandering to racism.

Whilst non-compliance might be a legal grey area, it’s good that these folks actually care about their students and don’t want to join in the right-wing obsession with immigration scares.

Clipped from news.bbc.co.uk

University academics say they will boycott new visa rules for overseas students that would make them into “immigration snoopers”.

General secretary Sally Hunt said: “UCU members are educators not border guards.”

It deplored “this pandering to anti-immigration racism” and committed the union to “non-compliance with all such policing and surveillance duties”.
Read more at news.bbc.co.uk

What will they decide to do with North Korea?

Joe Anderson — Mon, 25 May 2009 10:05:09 +0000

What action, if any, will be taken against North Korea?

I suspect the DPRK are trying to test America and South Korea following the death of their ex-president.

Clipped from en.wikinews.org

North Korea’s official news agency is reporting that the country’s government has carried out a “successful” test of a nuclear weapon. Yonhap News Agency in South Korea also reports the possible test.

South Korean officials have called an emergency meeting to discuss the event. Russia is convening an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on Monday. Japan’s government has set up a special task force at the crisis management center in the prime minister’s official residence.
Read more at en.wikinews.org

Israel realise ‘There must be another way’

Joe Anderson — Sun, 17 May 2009 09:00:57 +0000

Lets home this happens.

Clipped from news.bbc.co.uk

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be prepared to endorse a peace process leading to an independent Palestinian state, his defence minister has said.Read more at news.bbc.co.uk

I’m tired of expenses

Joe Anderson — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:21:17 +0000

Not all MPs are greedy and newspapers point out some really trivial things and make them a big deal.

Clipped from www.birminghammail.net

CLARE Short today insisted “I am straight as a die” after she was accused of claiming thousands of pounds she was not entitled to from House of Commons expenses.

But she said: “This is not a scandal. It is a genuine mistake.

Details of the £8,000 over-payment emerged when her expenses claims were published by a national newspaper.

“I repaid the money because the fees office pointed out the error.”

Ms Short said she had always given the House of Commons fees office full details of her mortgage arrangements, and she believed they should have spotted the error sooner.
Read more at www.birminghammail.net

UK introduces guilty until proven innocent approach

Joe Anderson — Tue, 05 May 2009 06:34:47 +0000

No Commentary

Clipped from news.bbc.co.uk

She said a “presumption in favour of exclusion” was being introduced which meant that in future it would be up to the individual concerned to prove they would not “stir up tension” in the UK.
Read more at news.bbc.co.uk

Angels & Demons damaged by church?

Joe Anderson — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:25:08 +0000

I simply suspect the Roman Catholic Church were unhappy with this book, like the Da Vinci Code, making people think fiction is fact.

Clipped from news.bbc.co.uk

Director Ron Howard has accused the Vatican of trying to hamper the filming of his new movie, Angels & Demons, starring Tom Hanks.

A Vatican spokesman said the director’s claims were purely a publicity stunt.
Read more at news.bbc.co.uk

Discrimination or an over-reaction?

Joe Anderson — Sun, 03 May 2009 12:48:23 +0000

Were the Egyptian government trying to discriminate against Christian farmers or just over-reacting?

Clipped from news.bbc.co.uk

Pig farmers have clashed with police in Cairo as they try to stop their animals being taken for slaughter, reports say.

UN health experts have criticised the move as unnecessary and a mistake.

The authorities are carrying out a mass pig cull in what they at first said was a precaution against swine flu but now describe as a general health measure.

Pig-farming and consumption is limited to Egypt’s Christian minority, estimated at 10% of the population.
Read more at news.bbc.co.uk

Iran executes woman despite order not to

Joe Anderson — Sat, 02 May 2009 11:45:45 +0000

I wonder if Iran will prosecute the prison officials for murder if the Head of the Judiciary (who I presume to be some sort of judge) issued a stay.

Or do you think it was officially sanctioned so Iran didn’t have to deal with human rights groups?

Clipped from www.amnesty.org

Delara Darabi was executed despite her having been given a two-month stay of execution by the Head of the Judiciary on 19 April.

“This indicates that even decisions by the Head of the Judiciary carry no weight and are disregarded in the provinces,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.
Read more at www.amnesty.org

Portugal releases Somali pirates?

Joe Anderson — Sat, 02 May 2009 11:37:58 +0000

Is piracy not against international law? It ought to be!

Clipped from news.bbc.co.uk

The 19 pirate suspects were released because they had not attacked Portuguese property or citizens.
Read more at news.bbc.co.uk