Washington's new anti-terrorism law could end up violating international treaties protecting detainees, with some provisions denying suspects the right to a fair trial, a key UN rights expert said today.Martin Scheinin, the United Nations' expert on protecting human rights in the fight against terrorism, said the Military Commissions Act signed into law earlier this month by US President George Bush contains provisions "incompatible" with US obligations to adhere to treaties on human rights and humanitarian law."One of the most serious aspects of this legislation is the power of the president to declare anyone, including US citizens, without charge as an 'unlawful enemy combatant' - a term unknown in international humanitarian law," said Scheinin, a legal expert from Finland.... http://www.irishexaminer.com censor News |
Editor - 22:46:00 10-27-06 |
AP Seeks Action on Detained Photographer |
The U.S. military's indefinite detention of an Associated Press photographer in Iraq, without charges, is an outrage and should be seen as such by the journalistic community, AP editors said Friday. ``We are angry, and we hope you are, too,'' AP International Editor John Daniszewski told a gathering of the Associated Press Managing Editors. In interviews, the leaders of APME and the American Society of Newspaper Editors shared frustration with the case of Bilal Hussein, who has been held by the military since April. Later they and the president of the Associated Press Photo Managers signed a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld urging him to release the photographer. The editors said Hussein's arrest ``has denied our readers a part of the story'' and given the military justice system ``a black eye.'' ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6176144,00.html
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Editor - 22:30:00 10-27-06 |
Foreign troops set stage for war |
Thousands of Ethiopian and Eritrean troops are in Somalia backing opposing sides in the struggle for control of the strategic country, according to a confidential U.N. briefing paper. The involvement of the two Horn of Africa rivals could set the stage for a regional war. Islamic radicals, said by the United Nations to be backed by Eritrea, held rallies in several Somali cities calling for a holy war on Ethiopia and the internationally backed Somali government it supports. The U.N. report dated Oct. 26 and obtained yesterday, cites diplomatic sources in estimating that "between 6,000-8,000 Ethiopians and 2,000 fully equipped Eritrean troops are now inside Somalia supporting" the internationally recognized government and the Islamic group known as the Council of Islamic Courts, respectively. "Both sides in the Somali conflict are reported to have major outside backers -- the government supported by Ethiopia, Uganda and Yemen; the Islamic courts receiving aid from ... http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20061027-102857-7325r.htm
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Editor - 22:26:00 10-27-06 |
Fighting Split, U.S. and Iraq Renew Vow to Work for Peace |
With recent events in Iraq causing growing strains between the Bush administration and the Iraqi government, the two governments issued a tautly worded statement through the American Embassy in Baghdad on Friday renewing their commitment to work together for peace and security in Iraq.The statement, remarkable for the fact that the two governments found it necessary, followed a meeting between Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and Zalmay Khalilzad, the American ambassador. The three-paragraph joint statement issued afterward appeared aimed at tamping down frictions between the governments while countering a growing perception in Baghdad and Washington that the increasingly grim situation here is driving a wedge between them.... http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/sf/nyt10_28_6_6.htm
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Editor - 22:00:00 10-27-06 |
White paper: Contractor hid performance details |
The Halliburton subsidiary that provides food, shelter and other logistics to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan exploited federal regulations to hide details on its contract performance, according to a report released Friday. The special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction found that Halliburton’s Kellogg, Brown & Root Services routinely marked all information it gave to the government as proprietary, whether it was or not. The government promises not to disclose proprietary data so a company’s most valuable information is not divulged to its competitors. By marking all information proprietary — including such normally releasable data as labor rates — the company abused federal regulations, the report says... http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2316554.php
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Editor - 21:55:00 10-27-06 |
U.S. journalist killed in Mexico's Oaxaca conflict |
Gunmen opened fire on protesters in Mexico's colonial city of Oaxaca on Friday, killing a U.S. journalist and wounding several people at road blocks set up by leftists pushing to topple a state governor.Will Bradley Roland, a cameraman working with Indymedia New York, was shot in the chest and died before reaching the hospital, the independent news group said on its Web site. Emergency services said the journalist died after being shot in the torso in one of two shootouts in the city. Nine people, mostly protesters, have been killed in a conflict that began in Oaxaca state five months ago, when striking teachers and leftist activists occupied much of the state capital, a popular tourist destination. ... http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2612616
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Editor - 21:35:00 10-27-06 |
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