UK Other Press Newswire Archive
Foreign Office colludes with US to cover-up torture of Binyam Mohamed
08-02-2009 11:37
A High Court ruling by two British judges regarding the torture of a Guantánamo detainee has unleashed a major political crisis.The judges have stated that they have been pressured by the United States into concealing evidence that should be made available in any country governed by the rule of law. This took the form of threats to withdraw security cooperation, instigated under the Bush administration and continued under Barak Obama's presidency.
The future of Azerbaijan- an eternal presidency, no foreign broadcasts, no freed
08-02-2009 04:09
In an interview with Day.az, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Lluis Maria de Puig expressed his regret over the broadcast ban of foreign radio stations as well as concern over recent constitutional amendments. These changes seriously undermine the possibility for a democratic state in Azerbaijan especially because Azerbaijan took the responsibility to abide by the principles of democracy, respect for law and human rights when joining the Council of Europe.Madagascar: More than 25 killed in march to presidential palace
08-02-2009 03:59
At least 25 people were shot dead today in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo during a march to the presidential palace called by the city's mayor Andry Rajoelina after he declared himself the leader of a new transitional government at a political rally. In the past weeks, a power struggle between the mayor and the president Marc Ravalomanana has led to both violence and looting.Israel's Subtle Propaganda Strategy
08-02-2009 03:41
Propaganda is most effective when subtly planted and the reader remains unaware that a commentary is actually indoctrination. Sometimes the writer is not cognizant that what he has published has been moved by its propaganda effect – sources for the material are actually misleading and publication is facilitated when the commentary fits a particular agenda.ASA, Home Office, BBC, M&S & Oxfam support Virgin Mad Men
07-02-2009 17:48
ASA will not 'intervene' to stop the RKCR / Y&R ad campaign despite stating that 'Council sympathized with the concern that the ad may invite unwanted attention to female staff’. RKCR / Y&R have contracts with the UK Home Office for their anti Prostitution, Domestic Violence, Child Protection on the Internet and Anti Rape campaigns as well for the BBC, M&S and Oxfam!Reporting of the Gaza Conflict
07-02-2009 17:17
We have spent the last month meticulously reading, watching, listening to and analysing what the UK media had to say about Israel’s operation in Gaza (within the limits of our scope of monitoring). Our objective has been to see whether the coverage was balanced, impartial and factually accurate. Had any lessons been learnt since Lebanon 2006 when, in the eyes of many, the media got it so wrong?"We're sorry" - false claims re police agent provocateur
07-02-2009 16:08
Back in June 2008, indymedia reported on claims by George Galloway that a police inspector had been seen in civilian clothes at an anti-war demonstration in Parliament Square inciting people to violence against the police lines. Much doubt was expressed as to whether Galloway could be seen as a reliable witness to these events and raised the question as to whether he'd find himself being sued for libel. (
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/06/401962.html?c=on#comments) Al Jazeera the hostile enemy
07-02-2009 13:36
Israeli officials said they plan to make it harder for the Arabic television network al-Jazeera to operate in Israel and the West Bank. Media reports said Israel will not renew the work visas of some Israeli-based al-Jazeera employees, and that the network's reporters will have less access to news conferences and briefings.Full article | 1 addition | 7 comments
Ben Goldacre receives legal warning
07-02-2009 13:24
You may enjoy Ben Goldacre's column in The Guardian. The Press Gazette reports: Medical journalist Ben Goldacre has been hit with a legal warning from London radio station LBC after he published an audio clip of an ‘irresponsible’ MMR phone-in on his website.Photographers snap into action over new law
06-02-2009 15:29
Comedian Mark Thomas is to join with NUJ members in an event to highlight the threat of a new UK law that could be used against press photographers taking pictures of the police.Dialect - Ex-RN Lieutenant-Commander and his fears of a coming UK police state
06-02-2009 01:35
http://www.bcfm.org.uk/
A Life On The Run
05-02-2009 20:13
New book describes young man's flight from war torn Africa. His hopelessness, refugee camps and eventual escape to the West.Affectionate racism?
05-02-2009 19:34
Having flicked on the TV over breakfast this morning, I was subjected to the somewhat absurd spectacle of BBC 1 controller Jay Hunt debating the meaning of the word "golliwog", and whether or not it's racist, with the morning news presenters.T he reason for this, of course, was the row over Carol Thatcher's sacking from The One Show for using the word to describe a black tennis player off-air. Hunt pulled out the dictionary definition, which was similar to this definition I just found online – "A doll fashioned in grotesque caricature of a Black male", so any argument for it not being racist was quickly put to bed (and if you want any further evidence, the fourth Google result for "golliwog" involves the BNP trying to argue that banning golliwog dolls is political correctness gone mad).Internet hosting prosecuted in Italy
05-02-2009 16:29
In the light of the excuses given for the recent Indymedia server seizer in Manchester, this story is highly relevant. In Italy, a rather disturbing prosecution is taking place. Google officials, including Chief Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer, are being criminally prosecuted for a video somebody else uploaded to YouTube.Israel: northern Israel Railways workers in wildcat strike
05-02-2009 15:30
Israel Railways workers in Haifa conducted a wildcat strike this morning, Thursday Feb 5th, in response to fraud charges against official union members, and replacement of workers not loyal to management.Prisoners of consciousness
05-02-2009 13:54
Azerbaijan has the highest number of arrested journalists (statement by Miklos Haraszti, special representative for media freedoms of OSCE's- http://www.today.az/news/politics/41219.html). He added that journalists in Azerbaijan are arrested every time they write about corruption or criticize authorities. Reporters Without Borders (the Paris - based media rights watchdog) included the Azerbaijani leader on its list of "Media Predators".
Bob Geldof's Production Company Threatens Cyber Libel Action
05-02-2009 13:06
Here's a blogger who's come under threat for criticising (UK) Kent County Council's internet-based Kent TV service. The station, paid for by tax payers in the county, is provided by Bob Geldof's production company Ten Alps. Private Eye reports (1229, p. 11):Gggollum Sues Tolkien for Cyber Libel
05-02-2009 12:33
Sir David Eady, possibly the most famous high court judge in the UK, was brought in to rule on the case of Christopher Carrie, who claims he was abused as a child by John Tolkien, a priest and scoutmaster, and son of the Lord of the Rings author. Mr Carrie was trying to sue Royd Tolkien, one of the writer’s great-grandsons and a bit-part actor in one of the massively successful Lord of the Rings films, over comments made on a website. The fact that Mr Carrie was behind the website only came out in the build-up to the court case. He had previously posted entries on the website under the name ``gggollum''.The Way of Izvestia: BBC as a Metaphor for State Propaganda
05-02-2009 09:26
By Muhammad Idrees Ahmad'The BBC cannot be neutral in the struggle between truth and untruth, justice and injustice, freedom and slavery, compassion and cruelty, tolerance and intolerance.' Thus read a 1972 internal document called Principles and Practice in News and Current Affairs laying out the guidelines for the BBC's coverage of conflicts. It appears to affirm that in cases of oppression and injustice to be neutral is to be complicit, because neutrality reinforces the status quo. This partiality to truth, justice, freedom, compassion and tolerance it deems 'within the consensus about basic moral values'.Trident condemned as barbaric and illegal by leading international judge
03-02-2009 21:12
At a conference on the legality of Trident nuclear weapons being held in Edinburgh this week, the former vice-president of the International Court of Justice has condemned Trident as "cruel, criminal and barbaric" and stated that non-violent resistance to nuclear weapons is legally justifiable and "every citizen's right". The conference has been jointly organised by the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy, Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre and Trident Ploughshares.