Labour plans to cut costs of elections abandoned

It is not often I say this, but well done Jack Straw.

The Justice Secretary has announced that plans to close polling stations,replace polling cards with e-mail or call centre contacts and limit the number of hours during one can vote on election days, as reported in The Times yesterday, have been abandoned.

Although this plan was presented as a way to save money (from the party who brought you the Millenium Dome in 2000), I believe that it would have had the effect of further reducing participation in a basic human right.

Dizzy, in a fascinating analysis, alleges that: "the proposals themselves [were] rather blatantly designed to stifle the non-Labour vote and silence opposition of the fringe candidates who threaten to split their core vote".

He goes on to mention that reducing the number of polling stations will have a huge effect on those in rural areas: "What sort of voters live in rural areas? Couldn't perhaps be non-Labour voters could it? What about the elderly and infirm?"

The cost of participating in elections would have increased, and Dizzy regards this as a way of preventing Labour votes going to the British National Party: "Then there is a rather nifty idea of increasing the deposit for candidates. An excellent way to reduce the number of candidates on the ballots to only those from well-funded organisation. Handy if you're seeing your vote leak like a bucket full of holes to the BNP in former Labour strongholds. The best way to tackle the BNP is to make it harder for them to stand then they won't split your vote right?"

While I have no proof that these proposals were created in order to prevent a decrease in the Labour vote, I regard them as anti-democratic and shameful, and am glad they are not going ahead.

The annoucement by Jack Straw, who claimed he had not seen these plans, was only made after The Times got hold of the documents and published them yesterday.

The Ministry of Justice told The Times yesterday that the draft proposals were "work in progress", also saying that the paper they were contained was part of the normal negotiations with the Treasury during a spending round.

The Times reports that other proposals included reducing pay for election staff, transferring the running of the elections from local councils to the Electoral Commission and having fixed-term parliaments.

The latter idea of fixed-term parliaments is actually quite a good one, meaning that the Prime Minister cannot call an election when it suits him or her. David Cameron argued for these in May.

However, every other proposal published by the Times yesterday would have further reduced participation in British politics.

Death threats for Sri Lankan journalists who reported on alleged executions of Tamil rebels

Two newspaper editors recieved deaths threats last week after reporting on alleged video footage of Sri Lankan government soldiers executing Tamil prisoners.

Frederica Jansz and Munza Mushataq, editors of The Sunday Leader, recieved the handwritten letters on 22nd October, according to ARTICLE 19.

The newspapers’s previous editor Lasantha Wickrematunge was assassinated in January, three weeks after receiving a similar death threat.

After his death, The Sunday Leader published a posthumous editorial by Wickrematunge where he blamed the Sri Lankan Government for attacks on journalists, saying: "Electronic and print media institutions have been burnt, bombed, sealed and coerced. Countless journalists have been harassed, threatened and killed. It has been my honour to belong to all those categories and now especially the last."

Journalist and former Convener of the Sri Lankan Free Media Movement Uvindu Kurukulasuriya told ARTICLE 19: "The Sri Lankan government has failed to investigate the murder of Lasantha and bring his killers to justice and now there are the same death threats against his successors."

ARTICLE 19 has called on the Sri Lankan government to immediately investigate the death threats against The Sunday Leader editor-in-chief Frederica Jansz and news editor Munza Mushataq, and to ensure the safety of both women.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered an investigation, the BBC reports.

The footage, which was shown on Channel Four earlier this year, can be seen at Channel Four's World News Blog.

A recent US State Department report has also highlighted allegations that Sri Lankan troops or paramilitaries killed Tamil civilians during fighting with Tamil Tiger rebels.

Suren Surendiran, a member of the British Tamils Forum, claimed in the Guardian on Monday 26 October that "Sri Lanka has committed nearly every form of crime against humanity".

Phil Woolas is wrong on Zimbabwe

Immigration Minister Phil Woolas has announced that the Home Office will begin removing 10,000 failed asylum seekers from Zimbabwe, according to Alan Travis in the Guardian.

Repatriation packages worth up to £6,000 will also be offered to failed asylum seekers to go home voluntarily.

Woolas commented on the Home Office Website: "The situation in Zimbabwe is improving under the Inclusive Government, and we will be looking to normalise our returns policy progressively as and when the political situation develops".

Is this the same Zimbabwe where President Mugabe's Zanu-PF has been accused of attacking Movement for Democratic Change spokespeople, where two Zimbabwe Election Support Network staff members can be arrested for "conducting a meeting without first seeking police clearance" and where there are still concerns over lack of press freedom?

Recently, the United Nations' torture investigator was refused entry to Zimbabwe, telling the BBC "I have never in any other country been treated in such a manner."

Amnesty International Africa Programme Director Erwin van der Borght said: "Dozens of human rights and MDC activists are on trial for simply exercising their internationally recognised rights, including the rights to freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression. Some of these people were victims of enforced disappearance in 2008."

Zimbabwe is still a dangerous place. The forced removal of asylum seekers needs to be opposed by people across the political spectrum.

I would note that the Left are vocal about the Middle East, with Sussex University's student union voting to boycott Israeli produce in Union stores, but mostly silent on Zimbabwe.

It has been left to the Right and moderates in Britain to speak out against Mugabe. This must change.

Large turnout for vigil against hate crime in Trafalgar Square

Tonight's vigil against hate crime had an excellent turnout, with Trafalgar Square packed with people holding candles.

Held in response to the murder of Ian Baynham, those present heard speeches from a number of supporters, including Darren Johnson MEP, a representative from London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard and Europe Minister Chris Bryant.

A sea of candles was laid out near Nelson's column, and some were also used to spell out "No". No to hate crime and homophobia.

At nine o' clock, a two minutes' silence was held before comedian Sue Perkins read out the names of some of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual people murdered in Britain in the past ten years.

Comedian Stephen K.Amos ended the event by reminding those present that "we shall overcome", before the Gay Men's Chorus sang You'll Never Walk Alone, a beautiful end to the vigil.

Pinknews.co.uk reports that 1,192 homophobic offences were recorded between September 2008 and September 2009, showing how much there is to overcome.

The London vigil was organised by 17-24-30, whose name remembers the three bombings carried out against the gay community by nail bomber David Copeland in 1999.

Liverppol vigil in response to homophobic attack on PC James Parks:

A vigil will be taking place in Liverpool on Sunday 1st November outside Superstar Boudoir in Stanley Street, where trainee police officer James Parks was attacked on Sunday 25th October.

The vigil is organised by the Friends of Liverpool Gay Community and Scene, and will begin at 8pm.

Rwandan milita leader Desire Munyaneza convicted of genocide

The first case brought under Canada's 2000 War Crimes Act has seen former milita leader Desire Munyaneza sentenced to life without the prospect of parole for 25 years for genocide committed in 1994.

According to the BBC, Desire Munyaneza was accused of leading a militia whose members raped and killed dozens of Tutsis, and of orchestrating a massacre of between 300 and 400 Tutsis in a church.

The judge wrote that Desire Munyaneza: "chose to kill, rape and pillage in the name of the supremacy of his ethnic group, reminding us that every time a man claims to belong to a superior race, a chosen people, humanity is in danger." How true the latter comment is.

A profile of the milita leader can be seen on Trial Watch.

The Rwandan genocide of 1994 saw the murder of hundreds of thousands of Tutsis and moderate Hutus by exteremists Hutus.

In related news, the trial of former Bosinan president Radovan Karadžić continues in the International Criminal Court.

Vigil against hate crime in Trafalgar Square on Friday 30th October in memory of Ian Baynham

A candelit vigil will be taking place in Trafalgar Square, Central London on Friday 30th October opposing hate crime.

Ian Baynham, from south-east London was attacked there last month in a homophobic assualt, dying in hospital.

Organiser Ian Healey told the News Shopper: "I'm angry that another person has been killed, and for all the pain and grief that this will cause his friends and family for years to come.

“I think it's important that his death is not in vain and that it provokes us all to do what we can to try and prevent this happening again."

The vigil starts at 8pm, with a two minuite silence at 9pm. The Gay Men's Chorus will be singing and the London Gay Wind Symphony Band will be playing, while Sandi Totsvig will be compering. It ends at 10pm.

Nearest tube is Charing Cross, on the Bakerloo and Northern lines, and other tubes and bus routes are nearby.

Paul Birrell, Chair of PrideLondon told Gay UK News: "I am sickened and saddened by this needless death. This is the fourth homophobic murder in London in the last 12 months and this has to stop!

"I am confident the Metropolitan Police will bring Ian's killers to justice and we will offer them any and all assistance in doing so. I urge Londoners to join us in Trafalgar Square on Friday, 30th October to remember Ian"

At least a dozen honour killings a year in Britain, many more unreported to police

According to police estimates, at least twelve people are murdered each year by relatives who have accused the of "dishonouring" them.

Many of these cases have involved forced marriages, but according to Tracy McVeigh in the Observer, honour-based violence has also occurred due to girls wearing makeup or talking to boys.

Many honour killings are also hidden from the police, made to look like accidents or forced suicides.

Support groups around Britain are working to combat this problem. The Henna Foundation is based in Cardiff, and Karma Nirvana, set up in Derby by Jasvinder Sanghera, whose sister was forced into a marriage, has recorded 300 calls a month.

In Leeds, HALT Domestic Violence has already helped issue one injunction using the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.

According to Claire Ward, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, there have been 64 forced marriage protection orders between the act's implementation on 25 November 2008 and 31st August 2009.

Clearly, more needs to be done to prevent forced marriage and honour killings in the UK.

Diana Nammi, who runs the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation in London, has told the Guardian that: "Those who are lagging behind now are the religious leaders. They may pay lip service to change but they have networks and contacts and they are not trying to change anything.

"Sharia courts are letting Muslim women down and I am sorry to say that the British government is turning a blind eye to these courts. We have civil laws that cover every individual; none of these religious courts provide the same rights and protections for women."

In London, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced an increase in the number of specialist prosecutors dealing with honour-related violence.

Acting Chief Crown Prosecutor for London, Nazir Afzal OBE, who spoke at the conference where this was announced, has also presented a short DVD on honour-related crime which will be sent to every police officer in Britain.

Pressure now needs to be put on religious leaders to condemn honour-related violence, both in their preaching and when visiting those who worship with them.

Former Bosnian President Radovan Karadžić to be tried tommorow for war crimes

Radovan Karadžić, the former President of Bosnia, will go on trial tommorow at the International Criminal Court, located in the Netherlands.

Karadžić is charged with eleven counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1992-6 Bosnian War, including his role in the siege of Sarajevo, the treatment of detainees in prison camps and the Srebrenica massacre, where over eight thousand people were killed.

One of those who will testify against him is Dzezana Sokolovic, whose seven year old son was killed by a Serbian sniper during the siege of Sarajevo in 1994.

During the four year siege, 10,000 people were killed or went missing, with the capital's population reduced by over half to 334,663 in 1995 due to deaths and forced migration.

The former president, who denies all charges, refuses to attend the start of the trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, according to the New York Times, claiming that he needs more time to prepare his defence.

A few days ago, he asked to delay the trial by ten months. He has also claimed that that US diplomat Richard Holbrooke offered him immunity from prosecution in return for withdrawing from politics, an argument rejected by the court.

Director of the Sense news agency Mirko Klarin has told the Guardian that he believes a defence counsel may eventually be imposed.

The trial of Slobodan Milosevic, also accused of war crimes during the Bosnian War, took four years and was still taking place when the former president of Serbia and Yogoslavia died.

Anthony Dworkin, of the Crimes of War Project, which studies war crimes law, told the Telegraph: "The court has learned lessons from the Milosevic trial so I think it will be a bit different...They will be a bit tougher on him, and they have narrowed it to the key points. I also think it will be relatively uncomplicated to link Karadzic to the ethnic cleansing campaign in Bosnia. He was much closer to events on the ground than Milosevic, and many of the other people who served alongside him in the Bosnian Serb leadership have already been convicted

Radovan Karadžić was arrested in July 2008 in Belgrade, after twelve years in hiding. He had assumed the identity of Dragan David Dabić, a practitioner in alternative medicine, and sold amulets on his website.

Also awaiting trial are Karadžić's former security chief Jovica Stanisic and nationalist leader Vojislav Seselj.

Britain criticised over attempts to send back asylum seekers to central Iraq

The United Nations refugee agency has criticised European countries for sending asylum seekers back to central Iraq, according to the BBC.

Unlike the relativly safe Kurdish region in Northern Iraq, where failed asylum seekers have been sent back to up until recently, central Iraq is plagued by bombings and oppression from extremists.

Britain, Denmark and Sweden were cited by the agency as three examples of countries who have sent asylum seekers back to this area.

Last week, it emerged that Iraqi army officers at Baghdad Airport blocked an attempt by the British Government to send back 39 Iraqi detainees, allowing ten to voluntarity disembark and the rest to return to the United Kingdom.

Sandy Buchan, the chief executive of Refugee Action, told the Guardian: "If Baghdad is now deemed to be safe then where on earth is deemed dangerous? The Foreign Office itself has stated that even peaceful and non-political aid agencies like the Red Cross are not safe from attack.

"We believe that people who come from areas where there is widespread violence or human rights abuses should be granted temporary humanitarian protection until the situation in their country changes."

Asylum seekers have also been deported back to Afghanistan, according to the Daily Telegraph, which highlights the £120,000 cost to British taxpayers.

Asylum seekers in Britain forced to live on £5 a day:

Even those asylum seekers who are allowed to remain in Britain aren't allowed to work, instead recieving benefits which will be cut to £5 per day.

In a letter to the Sheffield Star, Graham Jones from Sheffield Amnesty International Group rightly says: "There is no point in creating a situation in this country where thousands of people live below the survival line. Much better to give them the opportunity to work legally or give them adequate support."

Of course, making asylum seekers live on benefits paid for by the taxpayer also allows political parties to use them as scapegoats at election time, including the British National Party.

Taliban threaten to attack voters in Afghanistan elections

The Taliban has contacted news agencies with a statement warning of violence against those taking part in the Afghanistan elections on November 7th.

According to the BBC, Taliban forces fired rockets at polling stations during the elections in August, while at least two voters had their ink-stained fingers cut off.

"The Islamic emirate (of Afghanistan) once again informs all the people that no one should participate in this American process and should boycott the process" the statement warned, according to Al-Jazeera.

The election could also be affected by the threat of candidate Abdullah Abdullah to pull out unless officials from the government-appointed Independent Election Commission (IEC) were replaced.

Richard Holbrooke, the special U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has however told Radio Free Europe that he believes extra troop numbers and greater experience will make this election a success.

Campaigning for the Novemeber 7th Afghanistan elections began today.

Southeast Asian nations launch new human rights commission

A new human rights commission was launched by Southeast Asian nations today at a summitt in Hua Hin, Thailand, according to Al Jazeera.

The Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights will be able to promote human rights, according to the New York Times, but will not be able to investigate governments or impose sanctions.

The commission has already faced hostility from the powerful, with the governments of governments of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Singapore refusing to meet with nominated representatives today.

Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian representatives refused to attend, while the remaining representatives, many of whom were chosen by their governments, were not allowed to speak at the meeting, according to Malaysian national news agency Bernama.com.

Yuyun Wahyuningrum, an Indonesian human rights delegate who walked out of a meeting with government representatives today, told the New York Times that human rights groups supported the creation of the commission, but were concerned that it was not independent enough, with commissioners chosen by governments without outside consultation.

Rafendi Djamin, of the Asean Human Rights Commission, told Al Jazeera: "Everything cannot be done instantaneously. Yes, criticisms will arise, but the need to pay attention to human rights is vital, and the commission will be in its development stages for some time to come."

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand, who formally launched the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, said that US$200,000 is available to fund the body.

As Al-Jazeera reminds me, Asea includes an absolute monarchy, a dictatorship and two communist states, while the host city of Thailand has deployed tens of thousands of soliders and police both in Bangkok and Hua Hin in order to prevent anti-government protesters storming the venue as they did in at the East Asian Summitt in Pattaya.

Let us hope the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights does make a difference.

New theme for Newsjiffy

I have many interests.

I am interested in local news from Walthamstow, national and international news, Web 2.0, financial news and transport news.

All these, as well as other topics, have featured on my blog during the two and a half years it has been running.

One interest of mine is human and animal welfare. I have therefore decided to blog mainly on human rights, with the occasional animal-related post as well.

All around the world, people are facing hardship.

In Britain, we have just heard that the worst recession for generations is continuing to contract, destroying jobs, savings and often hope. Extremism is flourishing, and we are all being told that it is partly out fault by the elite for borrowing too much. I didn't, and neither did the majority.

I hope that this blog will go some way to publicising the opression faced by people around the world, from homosexuals in many parts of the UK to opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran.

Over the next few months, I will see how well this works.

My posts from before October 2009 can still be read on here.

Life imprisonment proposed for homosexuals in Uganda

A proposed new bill currently being debated by the Ugandan Parliament will allow a life sentence for homosexuality.

The bill, tabled by Ndorwa West MP David Bahati and seconded by Moroto County MP Obua Benson Ogwal, would also sentence to death anyone who has gay sex with a disabled person or someone under eighteen, according to PinkNews.

Bahati, who says his bill will protect children, youths and the "traditional family", dubbed this new crime "aggravated homosexuality".

The "promotion" of homosexuality will also become illegial. Punishable by a fine and five to seven years in jail, this would include funding gay organizations and publishing material on homosexuality.

Kate Sheill, Amnesty International’s expert on sexual rights, told Pink News: "Certain provisions in this bill are illegal; they are also immoral. They criminalise a sector of society for being who they are, when what the government should be doing instead is protecting them from discrimination and abuse."

In Uganda's Independent, Bob Roberts Katende says: "Though I may care about homosexuals existing in society, but eliminating them through death is a totally different thing. I think there are a host of less callous avenues to deal with the problem."

Uganda's Penal Code Article 145a already prohibits "carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature", used to oppress gay people, according to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

Oppose this new law against homosexuality (scroll down halfway when you click this link).

The author of the GayUganda blog also has some ideas on how Ugandans and those outside Uganda can oppose this law.

See the content of the bill.

The Ugandan tabloid Red Pepper is another instrument of homophobia in that country, referring to "bum shafters" in a foul anoymous article entitled "We have homos in cabinet".

Why not let them know what you think at infoATredpepper.co.ug

Estate agent wasting electricity in Walthamstow

Is there really any need for the estate agents Lifestyle Property, located at 306 Hoe Street Walthamstow, to have a television showing Sky News in their window?

Is anyone really going to stand on the pavement outside watching it, especially when they cannot hear the sound, and can only really know what is going on from the news ticker at the bottom.

Much as I like Sky News, I don't think estate agents need to be using the earth's natural resources to broadcast it to the street outside.

I won't be using Lifestyle Property until they stop wasting electricty. I'll also be avoiding any other estate agent with a television stuck in its window. What's wrong with the little cards they usually use?

What examples are there of shops wasting electricty in your area?

Book Review: True Blue Strange Tales from a Tory Nation by Chris Horrie and David Matthews

I've not only read most of Chris Horrie's and David Matthew's books, but have met the authors as well due to their connections with the University of Westminster, where I studied an MA in Journalism. Chris interviewed me back in February 2007, while David taught me for the Feature writing segment of the course, which I found hugely interesting.

I was invited to the book launch as well, but due to another commitiment I couldn't go, though one of my friends went to the launch party at the Cobden Club in Kensal Road, West London near Westborne Park tube.

It was hardly surprising that I'd obtain a copy of their combined efforts, an observation of the modern Conservative Party and their cherished causes narrated by Chris Horrie. Call me biased, but it's rather brilliant.

Chris and David join the local Conservative Party in Richmond, an upmarket area of South West London, during the 2005 election campaign in order to discover more about what makes modern Tories tick .

They travel round Britain to meet conservative people engaged in conservative pastimes, such as the members of Rodmell's cricket team in Sussex and Countryside Alliance members at the Royal Show in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire.

Highlights include a rather bigoted speech given at a Conservative Way Forward dinner in London by former Industry Secretary Cecil Parkinson, where he allegedly praised Ian Smith and white minority rule in Africa, the difference between how Michael Howard and Boris Johnson campaign, and Chris Horrie's reaction to the Richmond Tories putting a huge Conservative sign up in his garden.

David Matthews and Chris Horrie conclude at the end of their hilarious tour of True Blue England that most members of the Conservative Party are elderly, more kindly than the majority of British people (though I would hold up a number of exceptions from their leaders, including former Conservative candidate and Conservative Party member Ian Oakley, documented in the book), and slightly unsure of how to relate to people who aren't white.

I would recommend anything written by Chris Horrie or David Matthews (this does sound a bit gushing I agree).

David Matthews has written Looking For a Fight, about the world of boxing, and Man Bites Dog, about dog racing, while Chris Horrie has written a number of books on the media including Tabloid Nation: From the Birth of the Mirror to the Death of the Tabloid Newspaper and Citizen Greg, about former BBC director general and current chair of the British Film Institute Greg Dyke.

David is still teaching journalism at the University of Westminster while Chris is teaching journalism at Winchester University.

One million empty homes across Britain

Given the number of homeless people on Britain's streets, it is a national scandal how many homes are empty.

The Guardian reports on London mansions left to rot, and quotes this disturbing statistic:

One million homes are expected to be empty in the UK this year, despite 1.8 million Britons being on the waiting list for social housing, according to Inside Housing magazine's Empty Promises campaign

One way you can help is to support the Empty Homes Agency, an independent charity.

Inside Housing is also running a campaign against empty homes.

If you know a home which has been empty for several months, report it at the Empty Homes site.

In Waltham Forest, the borough which contains Walthamstow where I live, there are 2,715 homes empty according to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

This is a shocking situation. All political parties need to provide a response to the empty homes crisis.

Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg, what are your ideas to end this scandal?

Sheffield Social Centre squat evicted:

One way that empty properties are used is squatting.

Recently Pisgah House,a derelict listed building owned by the University of Sheffield, was squatted and turned into a social centre.

After eviction the social centre moved to a former National Health Service building, which they have also been evicted from.

Events that took place had included workshops on squatting and eviction, a reading group and a discussion on climate change.

You can see an interview with a member of the squatting group on the Forge Media website, which is the website for Sheffield University's student media, as well as a comment piece on the Sheffield Activist Network, who use the squat.

Good luck to the Sheffield squatters: those who are opposed to squatting should bear in mind that if leaving a home empty for a period of six months or more was made illegal then there would be less need for squatting.

Students at the University of Sheffield should also protest at the waste of an empty building as well as university funds used to evict squatters.

Leaving a building empty for a long period should be a crime when there are people sleeping on the streets.

Sky News and Channel Four explore new ways to promote content online

Sky News, where I interned for three weeks in April 2008, launched a live online feed this week, according to the excellent Medianetwork.

You can access the online feed by visiting the Sky News homepage and scrolling down to Watch Live News on the right, just below Latest News in Video.

Julian March, Senior Executive Producer for Sky News Online, said: "The enhancements we have launched today on skynews.com reinforce our total commitment to video on the site. Breaking news in video is right at the top of our offering. We're delighted to showcase the great quality of Sky Player, and to give non-Sky customers access to just one of the many channels available to subscribers."

Medianetwork also reports that Channel Four has decided to upload shows to the video sharing site Youtube after broadcasting them on television.

According to Business Week, the first full-length content will appear in the new few months, with the partnership between Channel Four and Youtube running for three years.

CEO Andy Duncan told the London Daily News:

"Making our programmes directly accessible to YouTube's 20 million UK users will financially benefit both Channel 4 and our independent production partners and help bolster our investment in quality British content. It demonstrates our ability to strike dynamic commercial partnerships to help underpin our future as a commercially funded, not-for-profit multi-platform public service network".

The London Daily News reports that Michael Grade has hinted that ITV may do the same.

It is interesting that Channel Four already has a watch again service, 4ondemand.

One wonders if not enough people are aware of 4ondemand, as Basheera Khan in the Telegraph writes, or if Channel Four is trying to stem the flow of unauthorised clips of their shows on Youtube.

Sadly, only United Kingdom users will be able to view the shows. Youtube allows the uploader to filter by country those who view the clips.

The Scottish Daily Record also reports that imported programmes will not be uploaded.

Transport for London cuts will reduce mobility for disabled people

Many of the responses to Mayor of London Boris Johnson's announcments on how he will fill a £1.7bn funding gap have unsurprisngly focused on the rise of an Oyster pay as you go bus fare from £1.00 to £1.20 (for non-Londoners, Oyster cards are pre-pay cards that can be used on London's integrated), as well as the rise of most Tube pay as you go fares by 20p.

However, one of the most disappointing outcomes of these cuts, which has rarely featured in the media, is the decision to "scale-back" step free access at six London Underground stations.

Building, a magazine about the construction industry, names the six stations as Osterley (Piccadilly Line, station nearest Sky News' offices), Greenford (Central Line, National Rail interchange), West Kensington (District Line), Amersham (Metropolitan Line, National Rail interchange), Ladbroke Grove (Hammersmith and City Line) and Newbury Park (Central Line).

It is shameful how hard it is for disabled people to get around London.

Out of 270, only 56 are step free. You can see how sparse the coverage is via the tube map.

On the Victoria Line, for example, only Tottenham Hale and Brixton are step-free.

It would have been nice if step-free access had been made a priority, and the replacement of bendy buses, which are actually more disabled-friendly than a packed double-decker, put back or cancelled instead.

The Government loves trying to get as many people off disability benefit as possible with rhetoric designed to appeal to people who have no idea of what being disabled is like.

Maybe more people with a disability would be able to work if they could actually commute in.

Trafigura gagging order on toxic waste dumping memo overturned by blogosphere and Twitter users

Fantastic news that the gagging order brought by the law firm Carter-Ruck (as seen on a semi-regular basis in the pages of Private Eye) on behalf of the Swiss oil trader Trafigura, has been abandoned.

The order was intended to prevent the media reporting three questions asked in the House of Commons by Paul Farrelly MP to Jack Straw about the alleged dumping of toxic waste by Trafigura along the Ivory Coast in 2006, including a report called the Minton Report into the dumping.

The questions are:

"To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of legislation to protect (a) whistle-blowers and (b) press freedom following the injunctions obtained in the High Court by (i) Barclays and Freshfields solicitors on 19 March 2009 on the publication of internal Barclays reports documenting alleged tax avoidance schemes and (ii) Trafigura and Carter-Ruck solicitors on 11 September 2009 on the publication of the Minton report on the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast, commissioned by Trafigura.

"To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will (a) collect and (b) publish statistics on the number of non-reportable injunctions issued by the High Court in each of the last five years.

"To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mechanisms HM Court Service uses to draw up rosters of duty judges for the purpose of considering time of the essence applications for the issuing of injunctions by the High Court."

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As Adam Timworth reports, the Guardian had the sense to tweet about this (which means posting a message on Twitter). This was picked up by other users, and the Spectator also blogged on this.

Tweets with a link to the Minton report, which can be read on the excellent Wikileaks, were sent out by users with the hashtag #tragfigura, enabling others to search for updates. The topic also became a "trending topic", meaning it was one of the topics most talked about on Twitter, with the hashtag #tragfigura on the front page.

Realising that their use of Britain's vile libel laws to prevent honest reporting had failed, Carter-Ruck have now given up on the gagging order! Hooray!

If you want to read more articles on the subject of Trafigura or the British libel laws, Joanne Jacobs has done a fantastic job of collating links on these subjects.

You can also see emails from Trafigura staff about the dumping of toxic waste on the BBC's Newsnight subsite.

As John Cook in Gawker says:

While we're outraged and incensed and filled with righteous anger about the ability of a multinational company to, however briefly, blatantly and unabashedly gag the press...we have to admit that we're thrilled by the outcome here. We never would have heard of Trafigura if the idiots hadn't tried to pull this off, and chances are, neither would you.

Turkish EU bid not helped by blocking of gay websites

Turkey is currently negotiating with the European Commission about joining the European Union, having first made its application to accede on 14th April 1987. A report on the country's progress will be published on Wednesday.

Cecilia Malmstrom, the Swedish minister for European affairs, has told Chinaview that "I think it is too premature to [talk] about the outcome of these discussions"

The country must satisfy the European Commission on on each of the 35 chapters of European Union law (acquis communautaire).

Currently, a number of areas, including transport policy, judiciary and fundamental rights and Justice, Freedom & Security, are rated as "Considerable efforts needed."

Perhaps Turkey would go some way to solving the latter two if it did not try and censor the internet.

Pinknews.co.uk reports that gay websites HadiGAYRi and GayBiLe are blocked for Turkish visitors.

Between May 23, 2007 and 4th March 2009, Turkey's Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) blocked 1,631 sites, according to the CyberLaw blog, including Youtube and the Facebook game Farmville.

The TIB are able to shut down websites without a court order if it believes they violate the law. They claim that the two blocked gays sites encouraged prostitution, which is denied by both sites' owners.

Ismael Alacaoglu, project coordinator at KAOS-GL, an Ankara-based gay group, told The Nation: "We are concerned about [these sites] being blocked.

"It's a kind of violence against freedom of expression. There are very few places in Turkey where gay people can gather and meet each other, and these two websites are among them

I doubt tommorow's report on Turkey's progress in complying with European Union standards will be positive.

Attack on corruption in Russia by hedge fund owner

Philip Aldrick in the Daily Telegraph reports that William Browder, the owner of Hermitage Capital Management, has created a Youtube video attacking the Russian state for alleged corruption.

The video is in response to charges filed by the Russian Interior Ministry on Thursday October 8 against Hermitage Capital Management’s legal adviser, Sergey Magnitskiy, as well as claims from them against Browder.

Browder currently on Russia's Federal search list, charged with tax evasion. A former Putin supporter, he was described as a "threat to national security" by the Russian Government, and refused entry.

Since then, he has faced regular harrasment from Russian police, according to a detailed New York Times article.



He has also set up a blog about his hedge fund.

As I blogged last year, a hedge fund is a leveraged fund ( meaning its positive or negative potential has been enhanced) which uses strategies to improve on standard investment returns.

Hermitage Capital Management is an activist fund, meaning that its economic power is intended to be used for change. In this case, it is intended expose corporate corruption in the companies it is holding, including Russian state energy company Gazprom, in which it is a shareholder.

Jason Bush blogs for Reuters on the story, claiming:

Given the circumstances, the latest allegations against Browder will command little credibility outside Russia. According to court documents recently submitted by Hermitage in the US, the criminal case against Magnitsky was initiated by the same police officers previously accused by Hermitage.

If Russia does request Browder’s arrest and extradition, legal authorities in Britain are also likely to consider the findings of a recent report into the case by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which slams Russia’s criminal justice system. The report states that Hermitage was “the victim of the corruption and collusion of senior police officials and organised criminals.”

Should we cut the number of Members of Parliament in Britain?

Both the Tories and the Liberal Democrats have hinted that they want to cut the number of Members of Parliament in Britain.

The Conservative proposal is to cut 60 MP'S from the current 650, while the Liberal Democrats want to cut 150.

This is of course popular with the general public.

Popular culture has always painted MP's as corrupt, venal and foolish (such as the sitcom The New Statesman), and the recent expenses scandal show how true this is for many, though of course not all, of the occupants of the House of Commons.

However, Members of Parliament are relied upon by many people to raise their cases in the House of Commons and intervene on their behalf in their constituency.

Having less MP's will mean that people with problems such as issues with local government, antisocial behaviour or a problem with recieving their student loan will have less chance of the MP having time to work on their behalf.

I feel that cutting the number of Members of Parliament will disadvantage those who rely on their MP for help.

If you want to save money, why not cut the salaries of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers, and perhaps the salaries of Members of Parliament as well?

How about £45,800 for the latter rather than £64,766?

The argument that people will only want to become MP's if they are paid well assumes that people are only interested in making money.

Tory electoral reform, according to Conservative party chairman Eric Pickles, will also include redrawing the boundaries to "make all constituencies equal in voting size."

Iain Dale gives his view on why this is a good idea, while Lewis Baston disagrees.

Baston also (partly) agrees with me on the question of cutting Members of Parliament:

It might not necessarily be a bad idea; the number of MPs should be determined by the need of constituents for representation and the needs of parliament to function well as an institution. However, the Conservative rationale is cost-cutting. It is doubtful that cutting the number of MPs will really make much of a saving in terms of public spending – after all, the same amount of constituency casework will just end up being done by fewer MPs. There is also the possibility that unless the number of ministerial jobs is sharply reduced, there will be more executive dominance of parliament than we have already.

The Yorkshire Ranter has written a good post on how important constituency work is.

Over 2,000 people die per day from armed violence, according to Oxfam report

Since the UN General Assembly first voted to work ‘towards an Arms Trade Treaty’ to protect civilians worldwide in December 2006, almost 2.1 million people have died as a result of armed violence, working out at over 2,000 per day, according to a report published today.

Entitled "Dying for Action", the report was created by charity Oxfam and 11 other NGOs who support the international Control Arms campaign.

Oxfam calls for the UN General Assembly to vote to start negotiations in 2010 for an effective Arms Trade Treaty, as well as sufficient time for negotiations to occur in 2010 and 2011,to be concluded at an international conference in 2012.

During this process, governments are instructed to negotiate to ensure that the treaty works.

Jan Egeland, Director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and Former UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, writes in the report's foreword:

"They will tell us, again and again, that it cannot be done. That the proliferation of conventional weapons cannot be controlled through a global negotiated effort. That we have to live with automatic guns and other weapons of mass misery traveling from conflict to conflict, without effective controls, with a trail of death and destruction among defenceless civilians.

"I remember the same was said when the efforts to curb the scourge of landmines and cluster bombs started. But like-minded governments and civil society made inter-governmental agreements possible that may signal the beginning of the end for those horrific types of arms...

"Only a forceful, unambiguous and verifiable convention can control transfers and do away with the networks of illegal arms brokers that supply our generation's weapons of mass killings and mass misery."

Oxfam says that an effective arms trade treaty must ensure:

"that no international transfer of arms or ammunition is authorised where there is substantial risk that the transfer will be used in serious violations of international human rights or humanitarian law, acts of genocide, or crimes against humanity, facilitate terrorist attacks, a pattern of gender-based violence, violent crime, or organised crimeor violate UN Charter obligations."

Read the Dying for Action report (PDF)and support the Control Arms campaign.

Protests over job cuts at University of Leeds on 8th October

This Thursday, a joint day of action will take place with UNITE, the University and College Union (UCU) and UNISON opposing proposed job cuts at the University of Leeds.

The event will start at 12:30pm outside the Edward Boyle Library on the University of Leeds Campus.

According to the University and College Union at Leeds College of Arts and Design, a seperate insititution: "Over the summer we have seen 20 voluntary severances in the School of Healthcare and over 30 in the Faculty of Biological Sciences (FBS). The [University of Leeds] has stated that it is looking for 60 jobs to go in FBS and has made clear its determination to achieve this level of cuts. Reviews are taking place in at least five other schools and institutes throughout the university."

The University of Leeds has told the Yorkshire Evening Post that compulsory redundancies would be avoided "where possible" and that staff and trade unions will be consulted.

It has also been reported by the paper that biological sciences will recieve at 20% funding cut, while changes to the National Health Service funding contract will see 33 jobs axed at the School of Healthcare.

As Ian Rosser reports, University of Leeds's vice-chancellor Michael Arthur received £244,000 in 2008. I hope he will take a pay cut of at least £150,000 in order to reflect these troubled times, as well as bringing his salary in line with the hard working academics under him.

The UCU has alleged job cuts at several other Northern universites, including York and Sheffield, although these universities deny this.

The Government has told the Higher Education Funding Council for England – which funds teaching and research – to save £180m starting in the next academic year, according to the Yorkshire Post.

It would be nice if the pay of those at the very top of all affected universites was reduced to reflect the hard times we are all in.

I guess with the "people don't want top jobs unless they get top money" mentaility, that won't happen soon unless students and staff unite to demand fairer wages for those at the top.

Which student union will take the first step?

Newspaper Society challenges council newspapers

I have been rather critical on this blog about Doncaster mayor Peter Davies, but I must be fair and offer him some praise for scrapping Doncaster council's Doncaster News. The Doncaster Free Press must be glad as well.

However, nine out of ten local councils still have their own "newspaper", according to the Newspaper Society, which has written to the Audit Commission and the Office of Fair Trading to ask for an investigation into how taxpayers’ money is being used to fund these papers.

Lynne Anderson of the Newspaper Society told the Daily Telegraph: "We don’t have an issue with councils communicating with taxpayers about the services they offer, but we now have weekly newspapers from the town hall which take third party advertising and compete hand to hand with independent newspapers.

"I don’t need my council telling me how great it is all the time."

As I blogged in July, Andrew Gilligan and Roy Greenslade are worth reading as to why council newspapers are bad for local democracy as well as a waste of taxpayers' money.

Council plans to launch Internet TV channel:

Greenslade reported last month on Carmarthenshire County Council's plan to develop an internet televison channel,Carmarthenshire TV, that will cost £30,000 a year.

The majority of these costs will be paid by the Welsh Assembly, although Carmarthenshire County Council will drop one issue of their council magazine Community News, which cost £114,000 to produce and distribute in 2008.

While it is important that councils communicate better with residents, one wonders why councillors cannot simply film videos and put them on the existing council website, to avoid local residents thinking that they are watching an unbiased media report, or give a video interview to the Carmarthen Journal.

Also, while councils need to communicate essential information and promote campaigns, they should not be "spinning" news to make themselves look better.

Sadly, The Times reports that the Newspaper Society has been "rebuffed".

Gawker on American mayors who hate bloggers

Having reported on North London mayor Brian Coleman's dislike of bloggers, it was interesting to read a Gawker story by John Cook (who kindliy links to my post on Coleman) about Portsmouth, Ohio mayor Jim Kalib, who sent an abusive response to Robert Forrey in reply to his request for town records relating to the building of a local park.

Cook also links to a Gawker article by Ryan Tate on Salisbury, Maryland mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman, who earlier this year accused bloggers of being mostly responsible for her city being "under siege".

As with Coleman, Kalib and Tilghman are simply afraid of their deeds in office being examined. None of them deserve any votes.

BNP on Question Time 22nd October: Watch Nick Griffin make a fool of himself

The date of the Question Time broadcast with Nick Griffin has been confirmed as October 22nd.

I walked past a Socialist Workers Party stall today on my way to Walthamstow Library, and one of the petitions being signed said "Keep the BNP off the BBC", with a rather nice cartoon of a person throwing a swastika in the bin.

Bectu, the TV techinican's union, says it will support any member who refuses to work on the programme, while MP and anti-apartheid campaginer Peter Hain told Socialist Worker: "I will refuse to appear on Question Time until its producers meet with me to justify their reasons.Giving the BNP this kind of free publicity elevates them to a level of respectability that they do not deserve."

Unite Against Fascism will also be demonstrating outside the BBC's Wood Lane centre during Question Time, and want to bring "shame on the BBC", which is really nice.

I respect their desire to oppose fascism, but I disagree with them on this issue.

I will be watching the British National Party's leader make a complete fool of himself at 10:30pm on 22nd October 2009, and I hope anyone reading this blog who has access to BBC1 will as well.

I want to see David Dimbelby and audience members question Nick Griffin on:

BNP youth leader Mark Collett's comments in Young Nazi and Proud on National Socialism.

His comments that "We affirm that non-Whites have no place here at all and will not rest until every last one has left our land" and "The ‘extermination’ tale is a mixture of Allied wartime propaganda, extremely profitable lie and latter witch-hysteria", as reported by The Times.

Comments by BNP press officer Phil Edwards in 2005: 'Black kids are growing up dysfunctional, low IQ, low achievers that drain our welfare benefits and the prison system and probably go and mug you."

Why BNP London Assembly Member Richard Barnbrook did not tell the truth about murders in Barking and Dagenham, east London.

Why, if the British National Party is representative of the British people, have they done so poorly outside of Barking and Dagenham?

Why the BNP London manifesto proposes removing bus lanes.

A Hope Not Hate Redbridge leaflet was left on my wall, which claims that a motion to be debated at the BNP conference calls for single mothers on benefits to have a curfew of 9pm and skirts of at least knee length.

Hadleigh Roberts makes an excellent argument against those who oppose inviting the British National Party on Question Time.

My only concern is that Jack Straw, filling the government slot, will not do a good job at tearing Nick Griffin apart. We do not know who else will appear, but Pickled Politics would like to see Vince Cable, David Davis, and Shami Chakrabarti from Liberty.

Ian Hislop is on next week by the way, so it should be worth a watch.

Buy the Guardian today: Excellent free first aid booklet

Buy the Guardian today and be prepared when an accident happens.

Today's free gift is a booklet from the International Red Cross, which provides a handy guide to first aid as well as explaining how to resuscitate adults,children and infants, what to have in a first aid kit.

At the back, several myths about first aid are exposed, and there is a list for emergency contact numbers.

I'm impressed that the Guardian have given away such a useful free gift.

They've also got a supplement promoting Grazia for anyone who is interested in that kind of lifestyle, with a rather nice event guide at the front.

On April 28th, I passed a course in Basic First Aid For for Appointed Person taught by the British Red Cross. I would strongly recommend it.

London Evening Standard to become a free newspaper: What next for the London Lite?

Looks like I might start taking free newspapers from vendors on the way home from Highbury and Islington tube, as the London Evening Standard is going to become a free newspaper.

Currently I read the paper online, but it's nice to have some news to read on the Victoria Line commute, although unlike some of the litterbugs who left discarded Metros on my tube this morning I'm going to recycle the paper myself each day.

Given that Associated Newspapers are also keeping the London Lite, it will be interesting to see how the two papers are distributed. Will the London Lite eventually become a supplement of the London Evening Standard, or will it be completly merged to form one paper?

Perhaps the London Lite will be given away during the morning only so the Evening Standard can be given away at the usual time.

Homophobic hate crime in Kent

Hot on the heels of the tragic deaths of Fiona Pilkington and Francecca Hardwick, one wonders if any lessons have been learnt.

The excellent Pinknews.co.uk reports on gay couple Keith Stepney and John Mead being driven from their home after weeks of homophobic abuse, including missiles, graffiti and bigoted verbal abuse.

They have claimed that Kent Police did not take their reports seriously. Three people were arrested in relation with the numerous incidents (over 100 in a six week period), but, disturbingly, one was only given a warning, while the other two were released without charge.

It is ironic that Kent Police are fourth on Stonewall's Workplace Equality Index.

Several of the comments on the story reflect the abuse gay people face by bigoted locals. The comments of John Mead are worth reading, and I would suggest that Kent Police's complaints unit also takes a look.

Pete and Michael say: "We have had homophobic abuse for over eight years, it got worse with gangs of youth walking up our drive, trying to smash our front door and throwing stones etc at our car, we also had garden furniture broken and pushed over. We reported to the Cheshire Police and our MP and at first the abuse was not taken seriously by them, as the abuse got worse the Police had meetings with us and nightly patrols were instigated, we have been informed that any further homophobic abuse will be acted upon. We also have a PCSO whom calls on a regular basis. If anyone in Cheshire is having problems with homophobic acts against them, please report this to the Cheshire Police."

Just like disabled people, more needs to be done to protect gay people from hate crime.

However, given the bigoted atittudes of a small minority of parents at Kent's Bromstone Primary back in June, who were unhappy at gay issues being raised during a school assembly, there is a long way to go to educate people that it is okay to be gay.