November 2012

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Cruel Britannia: A Secret History of Torture

Picture: wwtu.it Video With the British High Court's judgement that a group of Kenyans can claim damages from the British government for abuses suffered during the Mau Mau rebellion, and on-going enquiries into the abuse of "terror suspects" in the War on Terror, the Frontline Club hosts a panel of experts to discuss Britain's record on involvement in the use of torture. The panel includes, Ian Cobain, author of the new book, Cruel Britannia: A Secret History of Torture. What constitutes torture and...

Even the Dead

Picture: Neil Aggett and Steve Biko courtesy South African History Archives and Wikipedia. Richard Pithouse - And then, despite the fear, I set off I put my cheek against death's cheek − Roberto Bolaño, 'Self Portrait at Twenty Years', The Romantic Dogs, 2006 On the 26th of September1940 Walter Benjamin – a brilliant writer struggling to the point of being short of paper, an intellectual acutely attuned to the poetic, Jewish and, in his own way, communist – found himself, for the second time in his life, in desperate flight from fascism. On the border between Spain and...

Oliver Stone on the Untold US History from the Atomic Age to Vietnam to Obama's Drone Wars

Picture: As seen on Democracy Now! Video Academy Award-winning Oliver Stone has teamed up with historian Peter Kuznick to produce a 10-part Showtime series called "Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States." Drawing on archival findings and recently declassified documents, the filmmakers critically examine U.S. history, from the atomic bombing of Japan to the Cold War, to the fall of communism, and continuing all the way through to the Obama administration. Contrary to what’s taught in American...

Forestry Workers: Lost in Globalisation

Picture: lewishamdreamer/Flickr Glenn Ashton - Exploitation and pay in the timber industry is the most extreme amongst any commercial sector in South Africa. While mining and agriculture workers have been in the news for protesting against exploitation in their respective industries, no such action has been evident amongst forestry workers. Working in the timber industry is the equivalent of running a marathon every day. Workers experience some of the highest rates of work related injuries, along with the lowest pay. There was a...

Israel Escalates Assault On Gaza Strip after Assassination Of Top Hamas Commander

Picture: As seen on The Real News Network. Video Israel plans to increase its assault on the besieged gaza strip after the high profile assassination of Ahmed Jabari, the head of Hamas' military wing. His 14-year-old son was also killed in the attack. The latest assault on Gaza has been likened to the 2008/09 Gaza war where over 1,500 Palestinians were killed -- 300 of them children. Gaza has been under non-stop aerial bombardment in the past two days, as Israel vows to expand its attacks. The assault has been dubbed "Operation Pillar...

The Battle for the Arctic

Picture: rtcc.org Video Al Jazeera's Fault Lines looks at the potential environmental impact of resource extraction in the Arctic, and what that might mean for the people who live there. The UN has imposed a 2013 deadline for the submission of scientific claims to the Arctic seabed. It is the precursor to a resource boom which would see Canada, the US, Russia, Norway and Greenland all attempt to exploit the region's resources. These Arctic countries are desperately mapping out their territories so they can tap...