Graphic Silence

Neda Agha-Soltan, becomes the face of the Iran protests

E.Rich — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:17:17 +0000

The bloody video of her death on Saturday, circulated in Iran and around the world, has made Ms. Agha-Soltan, a 26-year-old who relatives said was not political, an instant symbol of the anti-government movement.

Iran's Version of Hanging Chad's

E.Rich — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:20:10 +0000

Supporters of Iran's defeated reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi planned fresh protests today as the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appeared to rule out any change to the outcome of last week's disputed poll by referring to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the "elected president".

North Korea threatens nuclear war

E.Rich — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:44:47 +0000

North Korea has warned of a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula while vowing to step up its atomic weapons programme in defiance of new UN sanctions.

Don't Ask - Supreme Court denies Military Gays

E.Rich — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:40:56 +0000

Opponents of anti-LGBT discrimination were outraged over the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on June 8 to reject a challenge to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy--especially since the decision was made possible with the help of a brief filed by the new Obama administration.

Group protests demolition of Montreal Red-light district

E.Rich — Sat, 23 May 2009 20:36:42 +0000

Cause for concern or mere progress? Montrealers will be interested to know that our so-called red-light district of lower St-Laurent is currently slated for some controversial renovations by a group called Angus Development Corp.

British tourist stung 500 times as bees invade French art gallery

justin — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:15:25 +0000

A group of British tourists were seriously injured after being attacked by a swarm of bees while visiting an art gallery in France.
...
In what witnesses described as a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock horror film, thousands of the potentially lethal bees descended on a dozen victims.
The worst injured was an English woman in her 20s who sustained at least 500 stings all over her body.

DC approves same-sex marriage law

justin — Sat, 09 May 2009 07:27:41 +0000

Washington DC city council has voted to recognise same-sex marriages conducted in other US states.

As Washington DC is not a state, the decision will now have to be approved by Congress before it can become law.

...
In Washington DC, the city council voted 12 votes to one to pass the resolution recognising same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

Violent worker protests in Europe imply Socialism is gaining in popularity

E.Rich — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:02:10 +0000

With capitalism increasingly under fire, is Marxism making a comeback in Europe?

Today’s as good a day as any to consider the question – it is May Day, traditionally a day highlighted by left-wing and workers’ protests.

"Swine Flu" the name, under the microscope

justin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:40:44 +0000

What to call the new strain of flu raising alarms around the world has taken on political, economic and diplomatic overtones.

Pork producers question whether the term "swine flu" is appropriate, given that the new virus has not yet been isolated in samples taken from pigs in Mexico or elsewhere. While the new virus seems to be most heavily composed of genetic sequences from swine influenza virus material, it also has human and avian influenza genetic sequences as well, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Teenage Somali Pirate charged in New York

E.Rich — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:40:50 +0000

A Somali teenager who was involved in taking the American captain of a cargo ship hostage off the coast of Somalia has appeared in court in New York to face charges of piracy.

Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse will be the first person in more than a century to be tried in the US for piracy. He was captured and taken aboard the USS Bainbridge shortly before US snipers killed three of his fellow pirates holding Richard Phillips, captain of the Maersk Alabama.