The only security of all is in a free press

As civil liberties have been constrained in the name of a “war on terror” even the free press has found itself gagged.  (And not just traditional media but bloggers too.)  The Economist concludes a four part review of civil liberties with a discussion of the rationalisation of controlling free speech even though for national security.  …
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Conflict wipes out aid in Africa

The cost of conflict on African development was approximately $300 billion between 1990 and 2005, according to new research by Oxfam International, IANSA and Saferworld. This is equal to the amount of money received in international aid during the same period.  The study Africa’s Missing Billions is the first time analysts have estimated the overall …
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The New Role of Corporate Leadership in Global Development

Doing Business with the World – The New Role of Corporate Leadership in Global Development  (pdf 3.2 MB) by the WBCSD Development Focus Area shows how companies can contribute to global sustainable development through their core businesses in a way that is profitable for the companies and good for development. It offers a business perspective …
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King John and all that – fighting for habeas corpus

The Economist’s penultimate paper on civil liberties discusses detention without trial. When I heard the history of King John of England playing fast and loose with people and how his own barons and courtiers had to rein him in and force him to contract to behave ethically (Magna Carta 1215), it was one of those …
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Koreas may be coming closer

North and South Korea agreed in early October to press their superpower allies for a peace treaty to end the world’s oldest and bloodiest cold war conflict, as the leaders of the divided peninsula ended their second summit in more than 50 years. Kim Jong-il and Roh Moo-hyun, said they would urge China and the …
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US administration torture policy uncovered

In 2005, after the US Justice department declared torture abhorrent in December 2004, the Bush/Cheney administration obtained from the Attorney General an expansive endorsement of the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence Agency. That secret opinion provides explicit authorisation to barrage terror suspects with a combination of painful physical and psychological tactics, …
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The reality of India

As India celebrates its 60th anniversary and the stock market pushes to new highs, it is appropriate to remember the complexity of the Indian sub-continent. The following article is a short, stark illustration of the reality that there remains much inequality and pain in the lives of the majority who are poor. While this will …
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Bush vetoes child health, to help cigarette manufacturers

US President Bush vetoed a bill to expand a children’s healthcare insurance scheme, after it was passed with a large majority (67-29) in the Senate.  Congress had approved the bill by 265-159. It is only the fourth time Bush has used his veto power in the course of his presidency. The vetoed bill proposed higher …
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North Korea agrees to halt nuclear arms for food, for now

North Korea agreed to a specific timetable for the North to disclose all its nuclear programs and disable all facilities in return for 950,000 metric tons of fuel oil or its equivalent in economic aid by the end of the year. The agreement does not discuss when North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons. …
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