The Dominion - Britain

Britain enshrines right to ramble

Thu, 30 Sep 2004 22:01:28 +0000

On September 19th, six million acres of undeveloped and uncultivated private property was opened to Britons for the purpose of "rambling" – affectionately referred to as the British pastime of walking through bogs in the rain. Hikers and members of the UK's Ramblers' Association applauded the legislative move, though property owners expressed concern that their land would be inundated with troublemakers and ne'er-do-wells.

In the UK, where there is virtually no property that is not held privately, the issue of public access to the countryside is an important one. The first Freedom to Roam Act was introduced in 1884, though it was successively reduced in scope until 1914 when access to private property was restricted pending the owner's permission.

British Company to Raise Private Battalion

Wed, 25 Aug 2004 23:24:35 +0000

The Iraqi government's Army Transportation Command has awarded Aegis Defense Services of London a $293 million contract to raise a private battalion to provide armed protection for reconstruction projects in Iraq. The agreement charges retired Scots Guard Lieutenant-Colonel Tim Spicer with providing roughly 800 soldiers to act as 'close protection teams' for companies involved in oil, gas, and infrastructure development in Iraq.

Aegis Defence Services, which offers salaries up to three times that available in the British Army, is typical of the growing trend towards out-sourcing military services by nations. Some observers worry that an increased reliance on mercenary forces enriches those with political connections while eliminating avenues of accountability in the case of human rights abuses. Raising of military units by individuals at public expense has been a historical rule that was only broken by the nationalism leading up to the Second World War. Canada's own Lord Strathcona's Horse armoured regiment, which recently served in Afghanistan, began life as a cavalry regiment raised privately during the Boer War by businessman Donald Smith, Lord Strathcona. Others see the reliance on mercenaries as signifying the emergence of exceptions to the previously unquestioned global military dominance of the United States.

Bush Asked Blair to Back Iraq War Nine Days After 9-11

Wed, 07 Apr 2004 01:12:27 +0000

According to a recent article by the former British Ambassador to Washington, George W. Bush asked Tony Blair to support an invasion of Iraq at a White House dinner just nine days after the September 11 attacks. In the 25,000 word account published in Vanity Fair, Sir Christopher Meyer describes Tony Blair as agreeing, but expressing a desire to "concentrate on ousting the Taliban and restoring peace" in Afghanistan. Meyer adds that Blair also "said nothing to demur" when the prospect of an invasion was brought up.

» The Observer: Bush and Blair made secret pact for Iraq war

» The Independent: Blair told US was targeting Saddam 'just days after 9/11'

International News: January

Tue, 13 Jan 2004 05:30:00 +0000

Climate Change Could Wipe Out One Million Species: Study

Monarch butterflies are among thousands of species that scientists say could be endangered by climate change.

Between 15 and 37 per cent of the earth's life forms - over one million species - could be wiped out by climate change by 2050. This, according to the most comprehensive study to date on the effects of climate change on animal and plant life.

The results of the study, headed up by researchers at the University of Leeds in England, were published in the most recent issue of Nature. Scientists examined the habitats of more than 1,100 species, in light of changes in global temperature as predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The range of results leaves room for the possibility that some species could migrate to follow temperature changes or adapt to new conditions. But scientists also warn that climate change can interact with human-caused habitat destruction in unpredictable ways.

Independent:

Nature Magazine:

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British Whistleblower Faces Trial

In early 2003 the UN Security Council was debating a resolution sought by the US and UK to authorize the use of force on Iraq. On March 2nd the British Observer reported on a US-UK "dirty tricks" surveillance campaign aimed at six non-committed UN Security Council members.

British intelligence employee Katherine Gun admits that she was the person responsible for leaking the memo on the surveillance plot. She claims to have acted according to her conscience and now faces imprisonment on charges of contravening the Official Secrets Act.

Said Gun, "I intend to plead not guilty to the charge that I face under the Official Secrets Act. I will defend the charge against me on the basis that my actions were necessary to prevent an illegal war in which thousands of Iraqi civilians and British soldiers would be killed or maimed."

The UN Security Council resolution approving the use of force on Iraq was abandoned.

Kim Petersen

Google search for "Katherine Gun"

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China Restricts TV Advertising

The Chinese government instated new rules released yesterday which prohibit more than nine minutes of commercials per hour during prime time, according to the Los Angeles Times. Many television viewers and producers are positive about the change. Advertising industry representatives, however, are concerned that the rules may hamper market development.

"Too many restrictions could hurt society," Ye Lingyun of the Beijing Qianhuo Advertising Agency told the Times. "People do more than sit around watching television. They need to consume things. And without ads, they won't know what to buy."

The New Standard:

Germany Refuses to Apologize for Namibian "Genocide"; UK Compensates Families of Dead Iraqis

The Society of Threatened Peoples, a Berlin-based human rights group, has called on the German government to officially apologize for the "genocide" dating to the German colonization of Namibia. Between 1904 and 1907, an estimated 75,000 members of the 120,000-strong Herero tribe were killed during an uprising against the German colonial forces.

Berlin has repeated refused to officially apologize for its occupation of Namibia, which began in 1884 and ended in 1915. The Herero tribe has filed a lawsuit in the United States, in an attempt to gain reparations from the German government and from companies that allegedly benefited from the occupation.

The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) has paid thousands of pounds in compensation to the families of Iraqis allegedly killed by British troops, and is considering 13 other cases. The MoD has said that the payments are "ex gratia," meaning a favour not compelled by the legal right of the victims. "We do not accept admission of guilt. That is the policy," said a MoD spokesperson.

Adam Price, a Member of Parliament, was quoted as saying that "it is simply not acceptable for the military to be investigating themselves and deciding on an ad hoc basis whether or not to award ex gratia payments to the families of the deceased."

"We need an independent and fully impartial investigation into all of these allegations," said Price.

Guardian:

Mail and Guardian:

Int'l News: Software Patents, Immigrant Warriors, Arms in Africa

Fri, 12 Sep 2003 13:51:53 +0000

Fight over Software Patents Rekindled in Europe

Programmers protest software patents in Brussels. Photo: Indymedia Belgium

Around 400 programmers took to the streets in Brussels last week to protest proposed software patent legislation in the European Union. During the week, over 2,700 web sites replaced their front pages with a message protesting software patents.

Companies like IBM and Microsoft, which support software patent legislation, argue that patents are necessary to encourage innovation. In the US, large corporations make extensive use of software patents to protect their interests.
Critics, however, argue that software patents hinder innovation by making certain ideas off limits to small software developers. British Telecom, for example, holds a patent on the use of links in conjunction with a dialup network connection. If the patent were enforced, the company would have the right to demand a licensing fee from any company that wrote software to access the world wide web, or provided access to the web via a dialup connection.

There are currently over 30,000 software patents filed in Europe; many small software companies and independent programmers are claiming that they will be obligated to look through the entire list of patents before engaging in any new projects, effectively stifling innovation.

But according to well-known programmer and Free Software advocate Richard Stallman, large corporations have the resources and clout to avoid paying licensing fees. Companies like IBM, he argues, have a large number of patents, and can use these as leverage to avoid having to pay licensing fees for access to other patents. (Indymedia UK, Indymedia Belgium) --Dru Oja Jay

» Richard Stallman: Software patents – Obstacles to software development

» Indymedia UK: Netwide Protests against EU Software Patents Bring Temporary Victory

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Thousands of Non-citizens Serving in US Armed Forces

Many of the soldiers serving in the US armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq are not US citizens. According to the Pentagon, 37,401 non-citizens are currently serving as active duty soldiers. A US Department of Defence spokesperson said that "the military services have processes and programs in place to help service members expedite their citizenship". Since September 11th, 2001, it has become increasingly difficult for many immigrants to apply for US citizenship.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, British MP George Galloway accused the US of continuing a "long tradition of using its underclass as cannon fodder." During Vietnam "the proportion of blacks in the army was 40%, while in the US population the number of blacks was a quarter of that... nothing has changed," he said. (Al Jazeera) --Dru Oja Jay

» Al Jazeera: US attacked over green card soldiers

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Reporters Sans Frontières Releases Press Freedom Index

Jourralist advocacy group Reporters sans Frontières (Reporters without Borders) recently released the first systematic index of press freedoms. Canada ranked a close fifth behind Finland, Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands.
Based on a questionnaire distributed to foreign and local journalists worldwide, the index granted each country a score based on several criteria, including violence against journalists, state interventions and censorship practices. The index does not take professional standards or ethical practices into account. (Reporters Sans Frontières) --Dru Oja Jay

» Reporters Sans Frontières: Reporters Without Borders publishes the first worldwide press freedom index

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Venezuela to Stage "Fight" at WTO

Victor Alvarez, Venezuela's Chief trade negotiator, says that Venezuela will propose that "no new commitments be adopted" at World Trade Organization negotiations next week in Cancún. "It makes no sense for countries like ours to add new points to the WTO agenda when there's such a long list of issues that haven't been satisfied," said Alvarez.

Along with many other developing countries, Venezuela is insisting that Europe and the United States remove the estimated $300 billion in subsidies that their governments give farmers annually before other negotiations can be considered. Poor countries say that these subsidies make it impossible for them to compete in international markets. (Reuters) --Dru Oja Jay

» Reuters: Say no at WTO, Venezuela tells developing nations

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British Arms Exports to Africa Double

According to a report released by the Campaign Against Arms Trade, a British activist group, arms exports from British countries to Africa have doubled over the last three years. (Observer) --Dru Oja Jay

» Observer: British arms sales to Africa soar