Six In The Morning

Alaskan community revives legal bid for global warming damages

Native American people in Kivalina want to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for alleged destruction of their village

• Felicity Carus
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 November 2011 

A native American community in remote Alaska this week revived legal efforts to hold some of the world's largest energy companies accountable for allegedly destroying their village because of global warming.

The so-called "climigration" trial would be the first of its kind, potentially creating a precedent in the US courts for further climate change-related damages cases.

Attorneys acting for the 427 Inupiat people living in Kivalina made representations before an appeals panel in San Francisco on Monday, to claim climate change-related damages from Exxon Mobil, BP America, Chevron, Shell, Peabody Energy, the world's largest coal provider, and America's largest electricity-generating companies including American Electric Power and Duke Energy.

'Last dictator' spoof angers Mugabe faithful

A satirical South African advert for Nando's is ruffling feathers in Zimbabwe

ANGUS SHAW

 

HARARE

 

WEDNESDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2011

An advertisement for Nando's restaurants which pokes fun at President Robert Mugabe, calling him "the last dictator standing", has caused controversy in Zimbabwe where a militant youth group is calling for a boycott of the chain.

Jimu Kunaka, the head of Chipangano, a "brotherhood" of Mugabe loyalists, called for the South African chicken chain to remove the advertisement or face punitive action including a boycott.

The 60-second commercial shows Mugabe dining alone at Christmas, his empty table set for departed dictators including Muammar Gaddafi.

11/30/2011

 

Obscuring the Past

Intelligence Agency Destroyed Files on Former SS Members

By Klaus Wiegrefe

Preparations have already been made for Ernst Uhrlau's retirement party next Wednesday when he steps down from his post as the head of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Germany's foreign intelligence agency, on his 65th birthday. The office of the chancellor has selected a posh location in Berlin for his farewell party and Angela Merkel herself is expected to attend. Uhrlau, a member of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), will be turning over his post to Gerhard Schindler, a member of the business-friendly Free Democratic Party.

At events like this, the successes of the person retiring are usually celebrated. In Uhrlau's case, topping the list are his efforts to review the problematic history of the BND's creation after World War II. It has long been known that around 10 percent of the employees at the BND and its predecessor organization once served under SS chief Heinrich Himmler in Nazi Germany. In 2011, Uhrlau appointed an independent commission of historians to research the agency's Nazi roots.

Video of Nato air strikes released, Pakistan says apology not enough

Omer Farooq Khan, TNN | Nov 30, 2011, 05.46PM IST

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday released video footage to substantiate that the Nato(North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) air strikes at two military checkposts in the country's north-western tribal region on Saturday were not an accident. 

The attack had left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead and 13 injured.

Foreign minister Hina Rabbani on Wednesday told the senate's standing committee on foreign relations that the attack on the checkposts was not an accident and only an apology was not enough.

Clinton arrives in Myanmar on landmark visit

First visit by a US secretary of state in more than 50 years could herald broad rehabilitation of isolated nation.

Last Modified: 30 Nov 2011 12:09

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has arrived in Myanmar for a ground-breaking visit, in an effort to push for democratic reform in the country and renew ties with its leadership.

She is the first US secretary of state to visit the country in more than 50 years. The US had cut ties with the country after Myanmar's military seized power in 1962.

Clinton is expected to suggest specific reforms to the government during her visit, which follows a decision by President Barack Obama this month to open the door to expanded ties with the politically isolated country.

The UN and international human rights organisations had repeatedly issued reports of widespread and systematic human rights violations in Myanmar.

Global News Blog

Palestinian cooks know that pizazz doesn't always mean better food

At an annual Palestinian cooking competition, the most successful competitors know that more spices and fancier ingredients don't always translate to more success. 

By Daniella Cheslow, Correspondent

It’s a national dish that women have cooked for centuries, but Palestinian chef Agustin Shomali says cooks can easily ruin maftoul.

“They go to extremes,” Mr. Shomali says. “They think ‘the more spices, the better.’ ”

Shomali was one of five judges at the fourth annual Palestinian maftoul competition, held on a chilly Saturday in early November just outside Ramallah. About 200 people came to see and taste dishes made with the oversized, soft couscous hand-rolled with water and whole wheat flour.

Occupy LA Under Threat Of Eviction

All Updates Will Appear At The Top



La police making announcement that they are involved in an unlawful assembly
Al Jazerera is now showing a live stream of Occupy LA raid.
A police Sargent just stated that it was going to get very dangerous very soon. He told freedom to watch the corner
1,300 police on scene
police came out of city hall there police in hazmat uniforms
The LA Police have arrived at the park in full force They are pushing people around who are just sitting there doing nothing
Commander Smith of the L.A. police has stated that a tactical alert has been called.

The city of L.A. has created a media pool to like in New York to "Protect the Media" from "Injury."

Unconfirmed reports of more than 20 bus loads of police in riot gear are headed towards the occupiers

There are local media reports from Las Angles that law enforcement are massing near Dodger Stadium in what is  believed to be the cities attempt to evict the Occupiers from the front lawn of  city hall.

Link to the Live Stream

Myanmar Kachin Rebels fight For Independence

On Wednesday U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Myanmar a nation which has been isolated from the world community after the nullification of the 1990 election which was a landslide victory for the National Democratic League.   Human rights abuses have also contributed to this isolation with thousands of political prisoners jailed for simple opposition to the ruling military junta.  

Myanmar's problems don't end with the abuses mentioned above there have been long running conflicts between Myanmar's minority populations and the government.  

The Kachin Independence Army is one such group fighting against the rule of the military junta and for their own nation

  In October 2010 KIA commanders informed the BBC that they have "10,000 regular troops and 10,000 reservists", but the BBC had no way to confirm this,^[1] and in 2009 Thomas Fuller of the NYT estimated their numbers at about 4,000 active soldiers.^[2] The soldiers are divided into five brigades, plus one mobile brigade. Most are stationed in bases close to the Chinese border, in strips of territory held by the KIO.^[2] One brigade is stationed in northern Shan state, where there is a large Kachin population.^{[citation needed]}The KIA formed in 1961 in response to a military coup in Burma led by General Ne Win, who attempted to consolidate Burmese control over regions on the periphery of the state which were home to various ethnic groups. From 1961 until 1994, the KIA fought a grueling and inconclusive war against the Burmese junta. Originally the KIA fought for independence, but now the official KIO policy goal is for autonomy within a federal union of Burma.^{[citation needed]}The 1994 ceasefire agreement between the KIA and the Burmese junta froze the conflict in place.^{[citation needed]} The KIA has not disarmed or surrendered, and continues to recruit, train and mobilize soldiers.^[3] Prior to the ceasefire the KIA was predominantly a low-tech guerrilla force, but peace has provided the breathing room to establish a military academy and design rigorous officer training programs

Jingpo people

The Jingpho people or Kachin people (Burmese: ကချင်လူမျိုး; MLCTS: ka. hkyang lu. myui:, pronounced [kətɕɪ̀ɴ lù mjó];simplified Chinese: 景颇族; traditional Chinese: 景頗族; pinyin: Jǐngpō zú; also Jingpo or Singpho; endonyms: Jinghpaw, Tsaiva, Lechi,Theinbaw, Singfo, Chingpaw)^[1]) are an ethnic group who largely inhabit the Kachin Hills in northern Burma's Kachin State and neighbouring areas of China and India. The Jingpo form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they numbered 132,143 people in the 2000 census. The Singpho constitute the same ethnic identity, albeit living in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, an area also controversially claimed by China.
The Jingpo people are an ethnic affinity of several tribal groups, known for their fierce independence, disciplined fighting skills, complex clan inter-relations, embrace of Christianity, craftsmanship, herbal healing and jungle survival skills. Other neighbouring residents of Kachin State include the Shans (Thai/Lao related), the Lisus, the Rawangs, the Nagas, and the Burmans, the latter forming the largest ethnic group in Burma, also called Bamar.

Six In The Morning

Iran protesters break into UK embassy in Tehran

Protesters in the Iranian capital, Tehran, have broken into the UK embassy compound during an anti-British demonstration, reports say.

Militant students are said to have removed the British flag, burnt it and replaced it with the Iranian flag.

They were also shown live on Iranian state TV throwing stones at embassy windows and breaking them.

The move comes after Iran agreed to reduce ties following the UK's decision to impose further sanctions on Iran.

China bans adverts during TV dramas

Move intended to attract viewers, boost programme quality and follows directive last month to limit reality shows

• Associated Press
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 29 November 2011 

China has banned television stations from placing advertisements in the middle of TV dramas in an move to attract viewers and boost programme quality.

The ban, which takes effect from 1 January, means no commercials may appear during any drama series, whose episodes typically run for 45 minutes.

The order is the latest in a series since the ruling Communist party last month endorsed a programme to raise the entertainment and ideological value of cultural offerings to better hold the attention of Chinese people increasingly turning to the internet for alternate viewpoints.

Robert Fisk: A glimpse of real democracy – but it may prove too good to be true

The cops and soldiers were on the streets again ... ignored by the queues outside polling stations

ROBERT FISK 

TUESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2011

Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive? It had rained overnight, but with Egypt's pale and wintry sun came the crowds, lining up outside the polling stations with a patience and an enthusiasm that would put any European nation to shame.

I walked and walked, and some queues were half a mile – perhaps three quarters of a mile – in length, and gone was the old and corrupted voting culture of the past half-century. There were no cops to leer and to intimidate the men and women who arrived to choose their candidates, no one to tip voting papers into the Nile, no fraudulent figures to produce another rubber-stamp parliament. But my question mark on Wordsworth's all too brief enthusiasm for the French Revolution is necessary.

Trust issues stalk COP17 as UN climate talks open FARANAAZ PARKER AND SAPA - Nov 29 2011

In a speech to the 194-nation forum of the Conference of the Parties 17 (COP17) on Monday morning, President Jacob Zuma pointed to a series of disasters in the country as a sign of the impact of climate change.

"We have experienced unusual and severe flooding in coastal areas in recent times, impacting on people directly as they lose their homes, jobs and livelihoods," he said.

"Given the urgency, governments need to strive to find solutions here in Durban. Change and solutions are always possible, and Durban must take us many steps forward towards a solution that saves tomorrow today."

No more ‘business as usual’ with US

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

* PM says incidents such as NATO attack have alienated Pakistan

* Islamabad re-evaluating ties with US

* Alliance can only continue with mutual respect and mutual interest

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan vowed no more “business as usual” with the United States after NATO strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, but stopped short on Monday of threatening to break the troubled alliance altogether.

In response Pakistan has dug in its heels, reacting furiously to what it called an “unprovoked” strike.

In an interview with CNN, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said incidents such as the NATO cross-border attack further alienated the Pakistani masses, leaving his government isolated in its unpopular alliance with the US.

Saboteurs flying under Iran radar

By Mahan Abedin 

As Western nations impose yet more sanctions on Iran in the wake of the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report, the psychological warfare between the two sides continues to escalate. 

This psychological warfare has two dimensions; one visible and rhetorical and conducted through official and unofficial media and the other secret and centered on sabotage. In so far as the former is concerned Iran has risen to the challenge by superseding tough American and Israeli rhetoric with even tougher rhetoric. 

However, it is on the sabotage front - where Iran appears to be under attack from several directions - that the Islamic Republic is raising eyebrows even amongst its hardcore supporters by

displaying remarkable tolerance in the face of intolerable provocations. 

Sirhan lawyers: Bullet was switched and he was hypnotized before Robert Kennedy assassination

By Associated Press, Tuesday, November 29

LOS ANGELES — Lawyers representing convicted assassin Sirhan Sirhan argue in newly filed court documents that a bullet was switched in evidence at his trial and new forensic details show he is innocent of the 1968 killing of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

In the latest of many appeals filed on behalf of Sirhan, the attorneys are seeking to overturn his conviction. They repeated a previous assertion and presented reports from experts who said Sirhan was programmed through hypnosis to fire shots as a diversion for the real killer.

Random Japan

HIDE AND SEEK

• Apparently, a South Korean magazine, Weekly Chosun, claims to have tracked down Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota, alive and well and living in Pyongyang. North Korea admitted snatching a 13-year-old Yokota in 1977, but they claim she killed herself in 1994.
• The captain of a Chinese fishing boat was arrested in Japanese waters off Nagasaki after leading the Coast Guard on a chase. Sound familiar?
• The body of a 35-year-old Iwate man missing since the March 11 tsunami was discovered by his wife in a crushed car being kept at a temporary junkyard.
• A powered exoskeleton robot-like suit made by Tsukuba-based Cyberdyne, which would come in handy during nuclear accidents, “features computer-controlled, motorized limbs, which respond to a user’s movements.”
• The Daidogei World Cup of street performers featured 87 acts from 21 countries doing their thingat a Shizuoka park.

stats

• ¥428.3 billionAmount uncovered by the Board of Audit in “wasteful or misused government spending in 2010, including grants to local governments that agree to host construction of nuclear power plants”
• ¥1.79 trillionThe record “wasteful or misused” high, set in 2009
• 2,050,495People on welfare here in July, an all-time record for a month in Japan, according to a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry report
• 2,046,646The previous monthly high, set back in 1951 in the aftermath of World War II, when Japan started recording such data
• ¥576 billionAnnual loss the Tokyo Electric Power Company, operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, expects for the year ending in March
• ¥1.8 trillionTEPCO’s total deficit from the nuclear disaster, with Y1.02 trillion to be paid out in compensation
• 86 percentDrop in TEPCO shares since March 11
  
  

  LIGHT-FINGERED GRANNY

  • A 79-year-old Tokyo pickpocket, known as the “Depachika (department store basement) Sato Granny,” was arrested for trying to steal money from a person’s bag so that she could bet on the boat races. It was her 23rd arrest.
  • Not to be outdone, a real estate company employee was in hot water forusing some ¥600 million in maintenance fees to bet on the ponies.
  • A taxi driver from Chiba Prefecture and a 15-year-old girl were arrested for running a ring of six high school hookers.
  • A 25-year-old man in Australia was found guilty of manslaughter forbeating to death 67-year-old Magno Alvarado in a drunken ragethat he claims he doesn’t remember. The killer was apparently yelling that the victim was Japanese and deserved what he was getting, part of an expletive-filled racist rant.
  • A group of enterprising young university students from Shiga Prefecture has come up with a way of making T-shirts from used cigarette butts.
  • The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Peter Webber will direct the historical epic Emperor, “set in the days immediately following the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II.”
  • In Jakarta, 28 girls were chosen to be part of JKT48, “the first official overseas sister group of (Japanese idols) AKB48.”
  • Reina Ikeda, 24, a model who finished second in the “Miss Tokyo Girls Collection” fashion event in 2008 and who went by the stage name Laina, was dinged for illegal drug use.
  Yes I'm BlondeNow Give Me The Damn Cake
  Snatch Grab Arrested
  Now That's One LongPiece Of Meat
  
  
  
  Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011
  
  
  ANALYSIS

  DPJ, LDP face national-level splits

  Osaka victors' next target: Lower House

  
  
  By ERIC JOHNSTON
  Staff writer
  OSAKA — Sunday's overwhelming victories by Toru Hashimoto and Ichiro Matsui in the Osaka mayoral and gubernatorial elections have put Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and the established parties on notice as speculation grows that Hashimoto's local Osaka Ishin no kai group will field candidates in the next Lower House election.In the closely watched mayoral election, Hashimoto, the former governor, won with 750,813 votes to incumbent Mayor Kunio Hiramatsu's 522,641.