We are know the Law of Nations or a Nation's Law?

Watches Law of Nations or a Nation's Law?


Displaying the audacity of courage against the cowardice of despair and revenge, Navi Pillay, the UN Human Rights Chief, has just called for an investigation and full disclosure of the legalities and circumstances surrounding the Obama Administration's raid against Osama bin Laden, leader of Al Qaeda. It is a courageous act in the sense that, for years the United States has disregarded the idea of an international order, one built on mutual agreements and an honorable trust to comply with the laws of the United Nations.

The United Nations developed and was finally realized only after centuries of illegal invasions, military raids, and utter chaos between nation-states that caused millions of unnecessary deaths. It was Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century Christian theologian, who first proposed the idea of "the law of nations." He made a clear distinction between the laws of individual states-to keep peace and order-and the possibility of the "law of nations" which all states should obey and which would govern the relationships between them.

In the 16th century, the Spanish Jesuit theologian Francisco Suarez elaborated on Aquinas' "law of nations." He wrote that a nation should always respect another nation's natural laws, or the right to their own life, their own sense of liberty, their own property, and their own happiness-popular sovereignty. Later, the Dominican Francisco de Vitoria advocated laws "created by the authority of the whole world" and not just pacts or agreements between certain states. Such laws would be created and agreed upon by the authority of the whole world.

As a result of World War I and II, a new urgency prevailed regarding the prevention of wars and their horrific consequences. Initially, the United Nations was formed as a collaborative system that would solve international conflicts while enforcing peace, security, and the international rule of law. In practice, though, five permanent security council members have often used the United Nations for their own nationalistic self interests. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the hegemony of a single superpower, the United States, has disregarded the "law of nations" by acting as a global policeman.

The role of the United States an imperial power that is undermining the United Nation's rule of international laws, was evident right after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The Bush Administration rejected overtures from the Afghani authorities and the Taliban, who wanted to work through the United Nations and with the United States in capturing, arresting and trying Osama bin Laden. Not only was this a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and "the law of nations," but so were the preemptive wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, including their ongoing military occupations.

This self-absorbed "United Nations" within a United Nations has also dishonored its commitment to the Geneva Conventions by pursuing torturous acts against suspected enemy combatants at secret locations. It has even captured and detained indefinitely hundreds of innocent civilians from other nations. The military raid that assassinated Osama bin Laden violated Pakistan's air space and its national sovereignty. It was another violent act that blatantly disregarded the international rule of law. It sends a clear message to other nations that the United States considers itself outside of the "law of nations."

One must also wonder what Americans would think if a foreign nation like Iraq or Afghanistan-both of which had hundreds of thousands of people killed due to America's preemptive wars and its ongoing military occupations-violated United States airspace by sending in military hit-men and assassinated George W. Bush or Dick Cheney in their multi-million dollar buttressed mansions? How would Americans respond if Chile sent their special forces to South Kent, Connecticut and captured Henry Kissinger to be imprisoned and then tried for instigating Chile's own Sept. 11, 1973?

The United States and its policies and laws might generally appear benign, but it is not immune to the distortions of self-interests and committing acts of injustice and revenge. As the United States monopoly of power comes to an end, Americans must be vigilant against becoming a rogue (but dying) superpower. They must guard against their leaders destroying the "law of nations" and resorting to a kind of hyper-revenge. The preemptive invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and the assassination of Osama bin Laden regrettably points to a new and fatal code: An eye for a body, and a tooth for a nation.

Dallas Darling (darling@wn.com)

(Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John's Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for www.worldnews.com. You can read more of Dallas' writings at www.beverlydarling.com and wn.com//dallasdarling.)
Coppied by http://article.wn.com/view/2011/05/07/Law_of_Nations_or_a_Nations_Law/

Watches Sea Shepherd sinking a stunt claims captain

Sea Shepherd sinking a stunt claims captain



ELIZABETH JACKSON: A former member of the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd has accused the organisation of deliberately scuttling its vessel the Ady Gil to win public sympathy.

The Sea Shepherd organisation denies the claim and the millionaire benefactor after whom the vessel was named says he doesn't know what to believe.

Samantha Donovan reports.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: In January the collision between the Sea Shepherd's high-tech trimaran the Ady Gil and a Japanese whaling vessel made headlines around the world.

The crew of each vessel accused the other of deliberate ramming. The Ady Gil sank two days later.

Pete Bethune the man who captained the trimaran has now claimed on Radio New Zealand that it was deliberately scuttled as a publicity stunt.

PETE BETHUNE: The boat was definitely salvageable. It was still rock solid from the engine room and the sponsons back. It would have stayed afloat for sure.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Pete Bethune claims that not all the crew knew what was planned - only himself, Sea Shepherd leader captain Paul Watson and another crew member.

PETE BETHUNE: It was done in the evening when there was very few people outside. And it was just made to look like we just went for a trip out to the boat.

The really dishonest thing about it is if they really wanted to scuttle the boat they should have just come clean and said, look we can't lose more time against the whalers. We are going to leave the boat here and scuttle it.

But instead they scuttled it but did it secretly. And I was ordered not to tell any of the crew, not my family and especially not Ady Gil. Now Ady Gil was the owner of the boat.

Just so dishonest and I am embarrassed for my role in it.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: A month after the Ady Gil sank Pete Bethune boarded the Japanese whaling vessel that had collided with it.

He was arrested and spent five months in prison.

Earlier this week Sea Shepherd said it had cut all ties with Pete Bethune claiming that he had given false testimony to the Japanese authorities about captain Paul Watson.

On its website Sea Shepherd strongly denies Pete Bethune's claim about the Ady Gil.
Coppied by http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s3032895.htm

Watch Pakistan orders nearly half a million to evacuate

Pakistan orders nearly half a million to evacuate

Filed Under: Flood, Weather, Disasters (general), Evacuation(General), Foreign Aid, Relief & Aid Organisations
THATTA—Pakistan ordered nearly half a million people to evacuate towns on Thursday as rising floods threaten further havoc in a country straining to cope with its worst humanitarian disaster.

Torrential monsoon rains triggered massive floods affecting a fifth of the volatile country – an area roughly the size of England – where a US official warned that foreign aid workers are at risk from Taliban attacks.

Villagers in the south fled from where the Indus delta merges with the Arabian Sea, trailing north in vans laden with furniture or crowded into buses, or in carts pulled by oxen. Some people were on foot, leading their livestock.

Water lined the road from Hyderabad to Thatta town, as workers frantically used bulldozers to dig embankments only just higher than the flooding, and where people camped out under open skies or in makeshift tents.

The catastrophe has already affected more than 17 million people and left eight million dependent on aid to survive.

The Pakistani government has confirmed that 1,600 people have been killed and 2,366 wounded, but officials warn that millions are at risk from diseases and food shortages.
Coppied by http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20100827-288993/Pakistan-orders-nearly-half-a-million-to-evacuate

Lean on me: Beyonce grabs Jay-Z for support as she topples in skyscraper heels on Portofino getaway

We saw the Lean on me: Beyonce grabs Jay-Z for support as she topples in skyscraper heels on Portofino getaway
he's no amateur when it comes to wearing skyscraper heels.

But the cobbled streets of Portofino were a challenge too far for Beyonce who nearly ended up on her famous behind during a romantic stroll with husband Jay-Z.

Stumbling as she tried to walk down a gentle incline, the former Destiny's Child singer was forced to grab hold of her rapper husband - and wisely kept her hand on his shoulder for the rest of the trip.


Romantic geataway: Beyonce and Jay-Z take a walk through the fishing village Portofino during their holiday in Italy

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1305223/Beyonce-Jay-Z-holiday-Portofino.html#ixzz0xP709T4l
The couple, who married in April 2008, are currently on holiday in the popular Italian Riviera fishing village.
Earlier the pair were spotted in the town of Portoferraio, exploring and taking pictures before heading out for a boat ride together.
But wisely, Beyonce had opted for a pair of flip-flops on that occasion.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1305223/Beyonce-Jay-Z-holiday-Portofino.html#ixzz0xP731x4z

Unsteady: Beyonce stumbles in her towering heels and grabs onto her husband for support

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1305223/Beyonce-Jay-Z-holiday-Portofino.html#ixzz0xP7LkUIU

Hold on tight: Beyonce decides to keep a grip on Jay-Z in case of any more trips

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1305223/Beyonce-Jay-Z-holiday-Portofino.html#ixzz0xP7cPFhc
Jay-Z will have plenty to smile about during the holiday, having just been named the highest-earning hip hop star for the second year running.
Forbes reports that the music mogul now has a fortune totaling $63 million (£41m), acquired through music, business ventures and endorsements.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1305223/Beyonce-Jay-Z-holiday-Portofino.html#ixzz0xP7f0duE

Skyscrapers: Beyonce opted for an impractical pair of camouflage-print boots


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1305223/Beyonce-Jay-Z-holiday-Portofino.html#ixzz0xP7siJNX
Coppied by http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1305223/Beyonce-Jay-Z-holiday-Portofino.html

Ballack warns Lahm over Germany captaincy

Germany coach Joachim Loew will have to choose between Lahm and Ballack
Watches Ballack warns Lahm over Germany captaincy
Injured Germany captain Michael Ballack has warned World Cup skipper Philipp Lahm he expects to take back the armband on his return to fitness.
Lahm, 26, led Germany to third place in South Africa in the absence of Ballack and wants to keep the role.
But Ballack, 33, said: "This is no issue for me. I am the captain.
"A player cannot request in what position he wants to play and it is the same with the captaincy. One should respect this. There are hierarchies."
Ballack was ruled out of the tournament because of an ankle injury suffered playing for Chelsea against Portsmouth in last season's FA Cup final.
The midfielder, who signed a two-year deal with Bayer Leverkusen in June, saw his country play impressively in South Africa before they lost to eventual winners Spain in the semi-finals.
Ballack, capped 98 times by Germany, added: "Philipp has made his claim at a moment that I feel is inopportune. I was injured and could not defend myself.
"I am going to talk to Philipp about this business."
Lahm last week told the Bild newspaper: "It is clear I would like to retain the captaincy. The job is a lot of fun for me. Why should I then voluntarily give up the role?"
The issue is dividing opinion in Germany with midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and ex-skipper Lothar Matthaus taking different sides.
Despite being Lahm's club-mate at Bayern Munich, Schweinsteiger, told newspaper Die Welt: "For me, it is Ballack who is the captain.
"Philipp took on the role solely because Michael was injured."
But Matthaus has said: "I don't mean that in a spiteful way but Ballack was arguably holding up a number of players who've now blossomed."
Coach Joachim Loew, who has yet to sign a new contract with the German football federation, has not commented on the situation.
Coppied by http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8822906.stm

We know this South African Weakest Link host Fiona Coyne found dead

South African Weakest Link host Fiona Coyne found dead

Fiona Coyne's sharp wit made her perfect for the role
TV presenter Fiona Coyne, who hosts the South African version of quiz show The Weakest Link, has been found dead at her home, police have confirmed.

Captain Stephen Knap, of Cape Town police, said Coyne's housekeeper found the star's body at her home in Fish Hoek on Wednesday.

He refused to confirm reports that the 45-year-old had killed herself.

"We've opened up an inquest and the course of death will be determined from that," he said.

Coyne is also a playwright and actress, and wrote the book Who Moved My Ladder? The Working Woman's Guide to Success.

She beat 500 hopefuls to the job and flew to London to train with British Weakest Link presenter Anne Robinson in 2003.
coppied by http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11035601

We are saw this Sri Lanka's Sarath Fonseka 'expects jail sentence'

Sarath Fonseka was once a close ally of President Rajapaksa
Sri Lanka's Sarath Fonseka 'expects jail sentence'

Former Sri Lankan armed forces chief Sarath Fonseka says he expects he will soon be given a jail sentence.

A military court last week sentenced him to be stripped of his rank as a general and dishonourably discharged from the armed forces.

Mr Fonseka, 59, said he expected to receive a jail sentence from a second military court trying him on charges of corruption.

He said he believed the verdict was already planned.

The former general spoke to reporters at the Sri Lankan parliament, to which he was elected in April and which he can attend under military escort.

Mr Fonseka said he would appeal against the first court-martial verdict - which found him guilty of dabbling in politics while still military chief - although he played down the sentence removing his rank, medals and pension.

"Whatever I did for the country, I didn't expect anything in return," he said.

"When I served the country for 40 years, I did not expect medals. I did not expect promotions. I did not expect money. I didn't work on a contract."

'No rule of law'
Mr Fonseka accused Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the government of harassing opposition politicians and he alleged that there was no rule of law on the island.

"They are trying to create a lawless situation, lawlessness in the country," he said.

"That is not in the long-term interest of the country. If there is no law and order in the country, people are not safe."

There are still several other legal cases pending against the former military chief.

The government says he was planning a coup and assassinations earlier this year. It says the law will take its course.

Sarath Fonseka, once very close to President Rajapaksa and his powerful brothers, says he is being victimised for daring to challenge Mr Rajapaksa in presidential elections.
Coppied by http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11033368

We are see the wikiLeaks must strike a balance

WikiLeaks must strike a balance
Editor's note: Jean-François Julliard is general secretary of the international press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders.
Paris, France (CNN) -- Last week Reporters Without Borders released a letter calling on WikiLeaks to take down the names of civilians identified as having collaborated with the International Security Assistance Force and with NATO forces.
In our view making the names of Afghan civilians public could put them at risk of reprisals from the Taliban or other insurgent forces in Afghanistan.
Some news reports and some pundits portrayed our statement as an unequivocal condemnation of WikiLeaks, but this is not the case.
Reporters Without Borders supports the continued existence and work of WikiLeaks, and we are ready to take part in any discussion about the problems inherent in managing and disclosing vast amounts of critical information.
But we also believe that to continue their work, WikiLeaks and other websites likely to publish documents from whistle-blowers need to ensure that the information disclosed does not pose an avoidable threat to the security of civilians. Pointing that out does not amount to, for example, support for the Pentagon's request that WikiLeaks remove all documents from its website or a call for outright censorship.
In fact, WikiLeaks has published useful information, and we hope it can continue to serve journalists and the wider public. We have spoken out strongly against the Pentagon's request that WikiLeaks remove all documents from its website and against the detention of the alleged source of the leaks, Pfc. Bradley Manning.
We've also criticized proposed amendments to the federal shield law that would exclude whistle-blowing sites such as WikiLeaks from any legal protection of sources. We are not disputing the importance of the Afghan War Diary. Indeed, it is more important than ever that there be an outlet for information governments want to keep secret.
Too often, government departments and agencies resort without justification to declaring documents classified or secret to conceal information that is of public interest. Exaggerated and at times unsubstantiated safety concerns have been used to block important information from being made public in the past. The Pentagon, the Bush and Obama administrations are no strangers to these tactics. Whistle-blowing sites deserve, and have, our support.
However, the case of the war logs illustrates the difficulties that will arise when dealing with the sheer mass of information that may become available. Even the largest news organizations in the world would be overwhelmed, and -- for the moment at least -- WikiLeaks does not command resources of that scope.
coppied by http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/08/19/Julliard.wikileaks/index.html?hpt=C2#fbid=BRhT0Nxv594&wom=false

music industry makes Brazil: how to make a profit by giving music away

watches Brazil: how to make a profit by giving music away
BELEM, Brazil — On the poor outskirts of Belem, the club Mansao de Forro was starting to fill up by midnight on a swelteringly humid Thursday night. Girls in tight jeans and heels sipped drinks from plastic cups while boys in long shorts circled around them.

As the hit "Amor Virtual" — Virtual Love — began to play, a dark-haired boy in blue flowery shorts spun around a tall, elegant blonde girl while her friends watched, shaking their hips. The sound of "tecno-brega," Belem’s indigenous computer pop, never fails to get the dance-floor moving. “I like it because you can dance to it,” said Jessica dos Santos, 18, a waitress. “All my friends like it.”

"Tecno-brega," literally cheesy techno, is a brash mixture of tinny electronic beats and shrill, sugary vocals. Produced locally, it has developed a unique business model. In tecno-brega, music is given away for free.

All over the remote Amazonian state of Para, from speakers strung from lamp posts in tiny villages to booming Belem car stereos, you will hear little else. “This is our sound, our rhythm,” said Jose Roberto, a computer programmer for the Brazilian Air Force who runs Belem’s bregapop website — tecno-brega’s biggest portal. “It is its own universe. That’s why I wanted to spread

Tecno-brega artists distribute their music for free via DJs, street vendors and the internet, hoping to build a reputation and gain lucrative live shows. In Brazil, pirated Hollywood DVDs and CDs by major artists are openly sold on the streets. In tecno-brega, there are no official releases — groups make and produce their own CDs. “If you don’t have an official CD,” observed Roberto, “then what is piracy?”

The model of free music distribution, which started with tecno-brega in Belem, has now spread to other "ghetto" music forms like Rio Funk.

The sound began around 2000, evolving out of an earlier local music style called "brega," or cheesy. Prompted by cheap computer technology, producers began mixing romantic Brazilian brega pop with electronic music and rhythms like reggaeton and reggae from the nearby Caribbean. Its pioneers were the group Calypso — judged the most listened-to band in Brazil in a 2007 survey —who pull in crowd of 30,000-plus for live shows.

“The crisis in the music industry is widely talked about,” said Ronaldo Lemos, from the respected Brazilian research institute Fundacao Getulio Vargas — one of the authors of an extensive 2008 study on tecno-brega’s unique industry and business model. In Brazil alone, CD sales fell from 94 million in 2000 to 52.9 million in 2005. “Tecno-brega is an industry that makes millions, but it is a completely different model of business,” said Lemos. “It doesn’t see technology as an enemy but as an opportunity.”
coppied by http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/brazil/100729/music-piracy-techno

Iraq: US troops leave with a latte

A U.S. soldier walks past Iraqi military police vehicles lined up at a U.S. army base west of Baghdad on July 29, 2010. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)
We are saw this Iraq: US troops leave with a latte
At Victory Base Camp in Baghdad, soldiers from the last American combat brigade in Iraq are packing up their coffee grinders, their pirated DVDs and their tangled memories for the long journey home.

They line up outside the Green Bean coffee shop ("Honor First, Coffee Second") in 90 degree evening heat for the smoothies and lattes that have replaced the packets of instant coffee dissolved in purified water that were popular in the early days of the war back in 2003.

Most of them haven’t fired a shot in combat during their entire deployment over the past year. Most, but not all, are happy about that.

Over the past seven years, the military invaded a country, denied there was an insurgency, fought an insurgency and largely subdued it, but some of these latest soldiers to serve here have never made it off the base.
Coppied by http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/iraq/100813/iraq-us-troops-leave-latte

Watches this 'Jarhead' bear gets out of a jam in Florida

The cub was in a life-threatening situation because it could not eat or drink
We are saw this new image enjoy 'Jarhead' bear gets out of a jam in Florida
A bear cub in Florida, which had a plastic jar stuck on its head for at least 10 days, has now been freed.

The cub, affectionately nicknamed "Jarhead", got its head stuck in the container while rooting through rubbish around the town of Weirsdale.

The cub was days away from death as he had not been able to eat or drink, biologists who rescued the bear said.

They sedated the mother bear before grabbing the cub, pinning his ears back and prising off the container.

Residents began calling the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at the end of July to report sightings of the bear cub with his head stuck in a jar.

The cub, his mother and two siblings regularly foraged in the bins around Weirsdale.

'Tough little bear'
Biologists set traps in different areas, but the wary bears kept clear.

After eight days of sightings, two days went by without any reports of the bear family, and the scientists feared the cub could have starved to death.

But on Friday, the bears returned.

The FWC team, including a specialist bear-response agent, went to the scene.

They shot the mother with a tranquiliser dart before wrestling Jarhead to the ground long enough to get the plastic container off his head.

"But the tough little bear lived up to its US Marine moniker and did not give up without a fight," the FWC said on its website.

The scientists then placed the sleeping mother in a trap, where the three cubs eventually joined her.

After a day under observation in the trap, the bear family were released and have not been seen since - a result the FWC describes as "good news indeed".

"Although the story appears to have a happy ending, it truly illustrates one of the worst things that can happen when wildlife gets into garbage," the FWC said.
Coppied by http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10977657