Thousands flee renewed Myanmar violence.

Published on Oct 27, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish : Thousands of displaced people have surged towards already overcrowded camps in western Myanmar and neighbouring Bangladesh, the UN has said, after new communal violence that has left dozens dead. Tens of thousands of mainly Muslim Rohingya are already crammed into squalid camps around the state capital Sittwe after deadly violence between Rohingya and Buddhists began in June.

Israeli navy seizes European Gaza aid ship.

Published on Oct 20, 2012 by Euronews : A pro-Palestinian ship loaded with humanitarian supplies has been seized by Israeli warships to prevent it docking in the Gaza Strip. The Estelle, registered in Finland, had on board around 30 activists from various countries including five members of the European Parliament and a former Canadian MP.

The vessel was escorted to the Israeli port of Ashdod.Israeli military spokeswoman Avital Liebovitch said: "Since we have a maritime security blockade according to international law, we had to intercept them in order for them not to break this blockade. The interception was done quietly, peacefully. No one was hurt."

It was the latest in a series of vain attempts to deliver supplies to Gaza.Amjad al-Shawa, a Palestinian activist from Gaza said: "We worry a lot about what will happen to those people as they were attacked by five Israeli military boats in international waters."

Israel says the blockade, imposed in 2006, is to prevent arms reaching Palestinian militants.The Estelle put into several European ports en route to its destination. A spokesman for the mission said the ship was carrying building materials, toys and educational items.

McKinnon Will Not Be Rendered To Torture But Five Others Already Have

16 October 2012 : CagePrisoners welcomes the Home Office’s decision to block the extradition of Gary McKinnon.  (pic with mum, left) It must come as a great relief to Gary and his family who have valiantly battled against the odds to secure this outcome for a decade.  There can be no doubt that this is the right decision. However, the timing of the announcement when it comes so soon after the extradition of five other men must call into question the consistency of the Governments application of human rights.

The Home Office ought to have moved to block the extradition of the other five men, Talha Ahsan (who has also been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome), Babar Ahmad, Adel Abdul Bary, Khaled Al-Fawwaz, and Abu Hamza on human rights grounds.  Countless academics and experts in human rights, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, have stated that solitary confinement as practiced in American ‘supermax’ prisons constitutes torture.  As the Home Secretary well knows, these men  face potential lifetime sentences in brutal conditions of isolation in ADX Florence and elsewhere.

Board Member of CagePrisoners and former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Omar Deghayes said: “Human rights are for everyone, regardless of their skin colour, faith or culture.  We are truly travelling down a frightening path in which certain individuals are seen as more ‘human’ than others.”

CagePrisoners would like to extend its warmest congratulations to Gary and his family. CagePrisoners have warned against the emergence of a two tier legal system where Muslims are afforded less protection and the rights ignored – the latest twist in the extradition cases appears to confirm that the government has no concern for such fears.

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Western sanctions take toll on Iranian patients.

Published on Oct 15, 2012 by PressTVGlobalNews : Pharmacy shelves in Iran used to have different types of medicine from the European Union countries, but now they are virtually empty, thanks to the new anti-Iran sanctions imposed by the European Union, which won this year's Nobel Peace Prize for fostering peace and human rights.

US, allies wage economic war on Iran

The havoc hitting Iran’s national finances should leave no-one under any illusions. The country is facing economic warfare from the US and its European allies. In financial terms, it is equivalent to attacking the country with a weapon of mass destruction.

The disruption and hardship being inflicted on Iranian citizens is criminal and unspeakably callous. But let’s make no mistake: the suffering of Iranian people is the direct result of conscious decisions being made in Washington, London and Brussels. These sanctions on Iran’s oil and banking industries are outrageous acts of aggression based on specious and malicious claims about the country’s legally entitled civilian nuclear development. The sanctions are unwarranted, criminal acts of war and crimes against humanity, initiated by Washington and its Western lackey governments.

It is important to understand the source of aggression. Recently, some commentators and analysts have overplayed the rift between Washington and Israel with regard to Iran. Some have taken delight at the rebuffs issued to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the White House. When US President Barack Obama declined to grant Netanyahu a personal meeting at the White House during the UN summit last week, some commentators interpreted this as another slap from Washington to Israel over its belligerence towards Iran. There was even a hint of hope that the White House is as last coming to its senses about Netanyahu’s nuttiness.

Other commentators have lamented the supposed excessive influence of Tel Aviv on American government foreign policy. In this view, the reason why America is so hated around the world is because of Zionists hijacking Washington’s foreign policy in general and towards Iran in particular.

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