By David Swanson
It’s been two years since I wrote on this topic. At that time, at least 36% of U.S. mass shooters had been trained by the U.S. military. Since then, a grand total of nobody at all has written on the topic.

 

Washington, D.C. area - On February 14th, 2023, Valentine’s Day, organizers of the Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal and their supporters will serve a “Citation for Contempt” on the corporate offices of Raytheon in Arlington, Virginia for failing to comply with a “Subpoena” previously served on them on November 10, 2022. Raytheon, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and General Atomics have all been served and “Indicted” for their complicity in aiding and abetting the United States government in committing War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity, Bribery, and Theft. This action on Valentine’s Day is called “Melt Your Cold, Cold Heart.” Simultaneous actions will occur in San Diego, CA; New York City; Asheville, NC; and Syracuse, NY.

Roger Waters can rightly claim to be the mastermind behind Pink Floyd. He came up with the concept of and wrote all the lyrics for the masterpiece “The Dark Side of the Moon”. He wrote the albums “Animals”, “The Wall” and “The Final Cut” single-handedly. On his current tour “This Is Not A Drill”, which comes to Germany in May, he therefore wants to express that legacy to a large extent and play songs from Pink Floyd’s classic phase. The problem: Because of controversial statements he has made about the war in Ukraine and the politics of the state of Israel, one of his concerts in Poland has already been cancelled, and in Germany Jewish and Christian organizations are demanding the same.

An Agreement between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the French Republic on Cinematographic Co-Production was signed in Paris this week.

The Irish Anti-War Movement (IAWM) announced today that the Irish Neutrality League (INL) was formally launched, coinciding with the United Nations International Day of Peace, Wednesday 21st September.

By Janet Campbell

According to a recent AARP study, 90% of Americans over 65 want to stay in their homes as they age. Some can accomplish it solo, but others need additional help to age in place. The following guide explains how to tell if it's time for you to move in with an older loved one.

By David Swanson
There’s a lot of funny stuff in politics, but the most ludicrous has got to be these holdovers from the 1980s running around warning that we could all die in a nuclear war. The idiots have not realized that nobody cares, that they look like morons, and that they’ll only have seconds in which to point out that they were right. What sort of awards do they expect to be given in the space of a half a minute?

If the current Russian administration considers that the sanctions imposed by countries of the world due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine are meaningless, then Russia is also saying by the same token that it considers those countries as meaningless.

By David Swanson

For decades, the U.S. public seemed largely indifferent to most of the horrible suffering of war. The corporate media outlets mostly avoided it, made war look like a video game, occasionally mentioned suffering U.S. troops, and once in a blue moon touched on the deaths of a handful of local civilians as if their killing were some sort of aberration.

It is NOT OK for Russian President Putin to consider he has any right to invade an independent country on the pretext of lies.
It is NOT OK to ignore this.
Given world opinion on the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, humanity has the duty of removing such naligned people from power and of squeezing such corrupt garbage out of existence

In times gone by John Lennon said whilst alive that the world, in his opinion, was an insane place run by insane people.

A court in Schwerin, Germany will decide this week whether a British undercover police officer's spying was legal under German law.

U.S. Peace Council Statement
For weeks, the U.S. corporate media have been shrill in declaring that Russia, having positioned tens of thousands of Russian troops on the border, may be about to invade Ukraine. U.S. State Department spokesmen have been threatening Russia with punishing economic sanctions if there were an invasion. Daily, if not hourly, TV viewers are shown satellite images supposedly showing Russian troop concentrations on the Ukraine border, accompanied by unflattering photos of a scowling Vladimir Putin, depicted as the evil source of the new U.S.-Russia tensions.

The Live Music Support Scheme (LMSS) funding has been extended to the end of October to take account of the restrictions that currently remain in place for the live events sector. The extension is one of the measures announced today by Catherine Martin, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht Sport and Media.

It is time that the democratic world, and any of those who profess to believe in justice, truth and freedom - to take an effective and powerful stand against the hypocritical, discriminate and racist bully policies of the Israeli administration and to no longer give Israel sanction to continue its obscene actions.

By Reporters Without Borders
The press freedoms watchdog Reporters Without Borders is calling on International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to investigate Israeli airstrikes, which it  says it regards as war crimes.

By Freedom of the Press Foundation
Journalists - especially those without institutional newsroom support - rely on tools from major tech companies like Google and YouTube for newsgathering, production and distribution as a matter of course. As these information giants publicly wrestle with controversial content moderation decisions that dominate headlines and Congressional hearings, their decisions also run the risk of stifling routine reporting. When content is removed or an algorithm tweaked behind closed doors, news organizations and journalists are often left without any sort of transparency into the process or a clear path to appeals.

By Reporters Without Borders
After overlooking the fake news and hate speech that Trump posted throughout his four years as US president, Twitter unilaterally decided on 8 January to permanently close his @realDonaldTrump account and then, a few days later, 70,000 other accounts linked to the pro-Trump QAnon movement. Facebook, Instagram and Twitch also suspended the presidential accounts for an unspecified period, while Amazon then suspended the pro-Trump social media Parler.

By David Swanson
In the past 150 years, U.S. presidents have lied, cheated, stolen, warmongered, incited hatred and violence, driven inequality and corruption through the roof, taken over major powers from the Congress and abused them, gained the power of nuclear war and abused it through numerous threats, accelerated the destruction of the earth's environment, failed to protect the basic rights of people, pardoned their cronies for outrageous crimes, committed thousands of specific, open, public, and indisputable impeachable offenses, and been impeached for only two things.

In a 6 January hearing at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser considered Julian Assange’s application to be released on bail. She ruled against his release, stating that Assange had an “incentive to abscond,” and “as a matter of fairness” she needed to give the US government the chance to pursue an appeal, which it has indicated it intends to do. Baraitser stated that Assange’s mental health is being managed at Belmarsh prison, and that the prison has its Covid-19 situation under control.

What is deeply concerning about those expressing views that do not fully support the views of 'authorities' regarding the Covid-19 situation is not what they are saying, but that they are being prevented from saying it.

By Reporters Without Borders
After monitoring four weeks of evidence in the US extradition proceedings against Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reiterates concern regarding the targeting of Assange for his contributions to journalism, and calls again for his release. 

By Reporters Without Borders
An Indigenous Canadian journalist has been arrested and charged with criminal mischief in relation to his reporting on an Indigenous land dispute in southern Ontario. 

By David Swanson
The U.S. House of Misrepresentatives on Tuesday voted 324 to 93 (with 13 not voting) to defeat a proposal to move a mere 10% of military spending to human, environmental, and health needs. 

By David Swanson
"Good Morning! Would you mind staying a safe distance away?"

"Hi! Nice mask! Could you please wear it on your face instead of your chin?"

Helping people reduce the risk of spreading a deadly disease requires being willing to offend them.

And as they long for a return to normalcy, you should be preparing to be a lot more offensive.

By RSF.org
Press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling on the Phillipine judiciary to overturn a journalist convition and jail sentence following what RSF said was a Kafkaesque court case.

By EDRi.org
In EDRi’s series on COVID-19, COVIDTech, we explore the critical principles for protecting fundamental rights while curtailing the spread of the virus, as outlined in the EDRi network’s statement on the pandemic. Each post in this series tackles a specific issue at the intersection of digital rights and the global pandemic in order to explore broader questions about how to protect fundamental rights in a time of crisis.

Article by Chloé Berthélémy, EDRi Policy Advisor
In EDRi's series on COVID-19, COVIDTech, we will explore the critical principles for protecting fundamental rights while curtailing the spread of the virus, as outlined in the EDRi network's statement on the virus. Each post in this series will tackle a specific issue at the intersection of digital rights and the global pandemic in order to explore broader questions about how to protect fundamental rights in a time of crisis. In our statement, we emphasised the principle that states must “defend freedom of expression and information". In this second post of the series, we take a look at the impact on freedom of expression and information that the measures to fight the spread of misinformation could have. Automated tools, content-analysing algorithms, state-sponsored content moderation, all have become normal under COVID-19, and it is a threat to many of our essential fundamental rights.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns an op-ed by a pro-government military commander in Fiji defending curbs on freedom of expression and freedom of the press in order to enforce the lockdown imposed by the government to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Journalists covering the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and their journalistic sources have faced access denials and retaliation for their reporting on the virus, press freedoms watchdog Reporters Without Borders reports.

On the eve of the first anniversary of the killing of journalist Lyra McKee, Reporters  Without Borders (RSF) reported on the worrying press freedom climate in Northern  Ireland, including alarming ongoing threats to journalists covering organised crime  and paramilitary activities, and a troubling legal environment. RSF calls on the UK  authorities to address these serious issues as a matter of urgent priority to prevent  further acts of violence, and to improve the broader press freedom situation in  Northern Ireland and the wider UK. 

The Cuban Movement for Peace and Sovereignty of the Peoples has issued a strongly worded statement condemning what is says are the most recent warlike escalations undertaken by the President of the United States Donald Trump against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Cuba.

By David Swanson
When a few thousand people were murdered on 11 September, 2001, I was actually stupid enough - I kid you not - to imagine that the general public would conclude that because massive military forces, nuclear arsenals, and foreign bases had done nothing to prevent and much to provoke those crimes, the U.S. government would need to start scaling back its single biggest expense. By 12 September it was clear that the opposite course would be followed.

U.S Peace Council Statement
In early January 2020, the Trump Administration's assassination of a top Iranian general in Baghdad, Iraq brought the US and Iran to the brink of a major war. Understandably, that crisis shoved many other crises to the sidelines.

The Irish Anti-war Movement opposes the visit to Ireland by US President Donald Trump for many reasons but primarily because he is currently the world's top warmonger. The IAWM is calling on all Irish people who oppose war and racism to protest vigorously during his visit here. We call on those who wish to show their disdain with Trump to join the peace camp in Shannon Airport and the protests happening elsewhere this week including at the Spire in Dublin on Thursday evening, 6 June.

By David Swanson
"He enlisted in the Virginia National Guard in April 1996, according to spokesman A.A. Puryear. He was assigned to the Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team as a 13B cannon crew member. He was discharged in April 2002 and held the rank of specialist at the time, the spokesman said. His records did not indicate overseas deployments." -CNN on latest mass shooter

By Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is urging Myanmar’s highest authorities to end the nightmare of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo after the country’s high court today upheld their seven-year jail sentences on appeal.

A group of seven US Veterans for Peace took part in a protest against the U.S. military use of Shannon Airport in Ireland on Sunday 17 March.

By David Swanson
Villanova University is hosting a West Point Military Academy-supported event about “Just War” theory.

By Joy Hyvarinen, EDRi observer Index on Censorship, the United Kingdom
The Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 became law in the United Kingdom in February, after passing through UK parliament with less debate than many had hoped, while Brexit dominated the political agenda.

By David Korteweg, EDRi member Bits of Freedom, the Netherlands
According to the court, the mobile operator T-Mobile may continue to provide certain music services with preferential treatment to its customers in the Netherlands − a disappointing judgment showing the need for better rules.

By Iwona Laub, EDRi member Epicenter.works, Austria
Two and a half years after the adoption of the guidelines confirming strong protection for net neutrality in Europe, Austrian EDRi member epicenter.works published a study on the enforcement and status quo of net neutrality.

On February 5, 2019, the Court of Appeal of the Swiss canton Basel-Stadt confirmed that the Swiss corporation Mars One Ventures AG, one company of the Mars One group, is in administration. The company has a thirty day window to reverse the administration process.

By Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said that although it welcomes the inclusion of journalistic protections in specific clauses of the UK Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill, it remains concerned about the press freedom implications of a number of problematic provisions that were retained in the final version of the bill. The bill passed after a ‘ping-pong’ debate between the House of Commons and House of Lords, which reached final stages on 22 January 2019.

By Evelyn Austin, EDRi member Bits of Freedom, the Netherlands; translation by Winnie van Nunen
Sometime in late 2018, Facebook quietly added “Sexual Solicitation” to its list of “Objectionable Content”. Without notifying its users. This is quite remarkable, to put it mildly, as for many people sex is far from being a negligible part of life.

By Jesper Lund, EDRi member IT-Pol, Denmark
With its judgments in April 2014 (Digital Rights Ireland ) and December 2016 (Tele2 ), the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that blanket data retention was illegal under EU law. Rather than repealing their illegal data retention laws, EU Member States have instead adopted a tactic of ignoring the highest court of the European Union under the pretence of a “common reflection process” with an expert data retention working group under the Working Party on Information Exchange and Data Protection (DAPIX).

by EDRi member epicenter.works, Austria
Since 2016 the principle of net neutrality is protected in the European Union (EU). Net neutrality is a founding principle of the internet. It ensures the protection of the right to freedom of expression, the right to assembly, the right to conduct business, and the freedom to innovate on the internet.

Three victims of undercover policing say they were dismayed to learn that that they have been denied permission to proceed with their Judicial Review against the Home Secretary's decision not to appoint additional panel members to sit alongside Sir John Mitting in the first stages of the Undercover Policing Inquiry.

The first International Conference against US/NATO military bases is set to take place in Dublin between 16-18 November 2018.

A new exhibition, Images of Starlight 2018, featuring a collection of astronomy photographs by Irish amateur astronomers and photographers opens to the public from 11 November until 2 December 2018 at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin.

By David Swanson
One should not sell bombs to a government that abuses human rights, which means murders a man without using one of the bombs.

By Cory Doctorow
In September 2018, a key European vote brought the EU much closer to a system of universal mass censorship and surveillance, in the name of defending copyright.

By Index on Censorship
Index on Censorship has filed an official notification with the Council of Europe raising concerns about the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill’s impacts on media freedom in the UK.

By Open Rights Group
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that the UK’s mass interception programmes have breached the European Convention on Human Rights. 

Police Spies Out of Lives say that UK police are seeking to close down an undercover police relationships case after admitting serious human rights abuses.

PEN America has pledged to maintain fighting for thr freedom of jailed Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were found guilty by a court in Myanmar and sentenced to seven years in prison

Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders has condemned the arrests of journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey in Northern Ireland after the two men were detained on allegations of theft of confidential documents from the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, related to the police investigation into the murder of six men in County Down in 1994, widely referred to as the ‘Loughinisland massacre’.

By David Korteweg, EDRi member Bits of Freedom, the Netherlands
On 21 August 2018 it was revealed that Facebook rates the trustworthiness of its users in its attempt to tackle misinformation. But how does Facebook judge you, what are the consequences and... how do you score? Ask Facebook by exercising your access right!

The Pentagon has denied any responsibility in the events in Yemen in which 29 children were among dozens of civilians killed by a US-backed Saudi-led coalition airstrike.

The largest-ever contingent of Irish artists will be at this year's Edinburgh Festival with Theatre, Literature, Ballet and Contemporary Dance as part of Culture Ireland GB18.

World BEYOND War, in collaboration with Shannonwatch, is organizing a Peace Conference in Cloughjordan Eco-village, Tipperary, on Saturday the 8th of September, to investigate many aspects of war and militarism in relation to international law and conventions.

By David Swanson
Last May I was in Russia when fascists held a rally in my hometown of Charlottesville, not to be confused with their larger rally which followed in August. At the May rally, people shouted "Russia is our friend." I was on a Russian TV show called Crosstalk the next day and discussed this. I also discussed it with other Russians, actual friends in the human sense. Some of them were completely bewildered, arguing that Russia never had slavery and couldn't be the friend of Confederate-flag-waving people whom they saw as advocates for slavery. (Anti-Russian Ukrainians have also waved Confederate flags.)

By Anamarija Tomicic, Communications and Community Officer at EDRi 
In the early morning of 20 June 2018, German police forces raided several locations – the headquarters of the privacy group Zwiebelfreunde, and the homes of three of its board members, as well as the association OpenLab, which is part of EDRi member Chaos Computer Club (CCC) in Augsburg. Zwiebelfreunde promotes and creates privacy enhancing technologies, and educates the public in their use. The board members are not considered suspects but witnesses in an ongoing investigation.

Report by campaignopposingpolicesurveillance.com
There are renewed calls for a Northern Ireland Inquiry after it has been revealed that an undercover officer from a disgraced political policing unit infiltrated Northern Irish civil rights groups, including the Bloody Sunday march organisers.

By Chris Jones, Statewatch
Proposals for mandatory fingerprints in national ID cards to "facilitate free movement" will affect 370 million people
London, UK, 11 June 2018 - The European Commission has published a proposal calling for the mandatory inclusion of biometrics (two fingerprints and a facial image) in all EU Member States' identity cards. The demands to include fingerprints are an unnecessary and unjustified infringement on the right to privacy of almost 85% of EU citizens, as explained in a new analysis published today by civil liberties organisation Statewatch. (1)

By edri.org
The General Data Protection Regulation went into effect on May 25th and Privacy Policy updates have been flooding inboxes. GDPR enhances everyone’s rights, regardless of nationality, gender, economic status and so on. Unfortunately, the majority of individuals know very little about these rights and GDPR at large. The following guide is part of the GDPR explained campaign and provides a digestible explanation of individuals' rights and basic concepts in the EU’s new data protection regulation. 

Over 100,000 calves have been exported from Ireland so far this year. The majority of these have gone to veal farms in Spain and the Netherlands. The journeys can take over 50 hours. On arrival, the calves are kept in cages too small for them to turn around in, with bare slatted flooring.

By María Rosón, EDRi intern
In September 2016, the European Commission proposed a controversial draft for the new Copyright Directive that includes de facto mandatory automated upload filters for every internet user in the EU. 

The Irish Anti-War Movement has condemned Israel's killing of at least 58 Palestinian protesters at the Gaza border on 14 May and has called on the Irish Government to expel Israel's ambassador from Ireland.

Two leading US campaigners for 9/11 Truth, Richard Gage and Barbara Honegger, are to present the case for reopening the 9/11 investigation on a tour that will include London and Bristol, Zurich, Brussels and Utrecht.

The Irish AntiWar Movement (IAWM) today condemned the recent airstrikes by the US, Britain and France on Syria which were ostensibly conducted as a response to the alleged chemical attack on Douma last week.

By David Swanson - director World Beyond War
Donald Trump has just committed a murderous immoral criminal action and sought to depict it as law enforcement. Congress has sat on its hands, failed to cut off funding, and failed to move on impeachment. It is to be hoped that those Congress members who said such an attack on Syria would be impeachable will at least find the decency now to act after the fact.

by Police Spies Out of Lives
The Undercover Policing Inquiry has finally named Mark Cassidy as an undercover police officer, more than five years since his identity was first exposed, and more than two years since the Metropolitan Police issued a public apology for human rights abuses committed by him and other undercover police officers.

Part of what makes the Beatles so special is that no matter how much you know about the band already - no matter how many times you've listened to their songs, no matter how many books about them you've read, no matter how much trivia you know, no matter how long you've analysed them - there are always new things to learn.

Invasive Species week was launched on Friday 23 March by Environment Ministers at their British Irish Council (BIC) Ministerial meeting in Dublin. Ireland was represented at the launch by Minister Denis Naughten, Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

Changes to Employment Permit Regulations signed off this week by Business, Enterprise and Innovation Minister Heather Humphreys aim to make it easier for businesses in the hospitality and animation sectors to source workers from outside the EEA.

The British Ambassador in Dublin yesterday hosted a celebration of cultural connections between Ireland and Britain with Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan.

The current operators of Troy film studios in Limerick have announced their acquisition of Ardmore Studios Limited in Bray, County Wicklow.

There are those who believe that they can, with impunity, murder a civilian in public using a deadly nerve agent, as in the recent case of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, who was given refuge in the UK after caught spying for MI6 and released as part of a spy exchange in 2010.

by Diego Naranjo, EDRi
Discussions on the censorship machine continue at the level of the Council of the European Union
After the “compromise” text that Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Axel Voss presented to the European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI), the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council held a meeting after which they published new text on Article 13 of the copyright Directive.

The Petitions Committee has called in the Health Minister to answer questions on the Government's failure to publish a key report about vaccines. This is the direct result of people petitioning about the Meningitis B vaccine.

The Irish Anti-War Movement said today that the slaughter that is now taking place in Eastern Ghouta, as a result of the bombing of the civilian population by the Russian-backed Assad regime is utterly horrific and should stop immediately. While accurate casualty figures are difficult to ascertain it is clear that hundreds of lives, among them large numbers of children, have being lost.

Dublin’s eleventh Five Lamps Arts Festival was launched today and will take place around various venues in North Inner City Dublin from 7th to 11th  March. This year's festival's line-up includes up to fifty arts events with up to one hundred participating artists.

Ireland's first national Space Strategy for Enterprise by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovationaims aims to set out how Ireland can maximise the benefit of its investment in the European Space Agency (ESA) and in the European Union's (EU) flagship space programmes, Copernicus, Galileo and Horizon 2020.

A champion of open Internet and press freedoms has been lost with the passing of John Perry Barlow, co-founder of Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), who has died at the age of 70.

The Irish Anti War Movement has strongly condemned the apartheid Israeli state's ban on members of 20 international organisations that campaign for the rights of the Palestinian people being allowed to enter Palestine/Israel.

My EDRi member Statewatch, the United Kingdom
In the name of “preventing, detecting and investigating terrorist offenses and related travel”, all United Nations (UN) Member States should develop systems for processing and analysing Passenger Name Record (PNR), Advance Passenger Information (API) and “fingerprints, photographs, facial recognition, and other relevant identifying biometric data”, according to a UN Security Council resolution (no. 2396) on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts agreed on 21 December 2017.

By Hans de Zwart, EDRi member Bits of Freedom, the Netherlands
“You can’t uphold the law by breaking the law”
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) invited EDRi member Bits of Freedom to speak at their annual New Year’s Seminar. Hans De Zwart, Director of Bits of Freedom, talked about how the rule of law can only be defended by the European Union taking an exemplary role including by strictly adhering to the rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union and urgently taking action to be more transparent in its legislative processes.

The Breadwinner, funded by the Irish Film Board and produced by Cartoon Saloon, Kilkenny, is one of the five nominations for Best Animated Feature in the 2018 film Academy Awards.

A chance find of bones by a local hillwalker on a Mayo mountainside in 2016 led to the discovery that the natural boulder chamber in which the remains were found was used for human burial practice through the Neolithic period, from as early as 3,600 BC.

Irish Ministers have met with representatives of the European Investment Bank Group (EIB) and the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) for the formal agreement of  a counter guarantee through the European Investment Fund to allow for the roll out of €300m in funding to Irish businesses under the Government's Brexit Loan Scheme.

By Diego Naranjo, EDRi
Copyright discussions continue in the European institutions. On one hand, Axel Voss, the German conservative (EPP/CDU) Parliamentarian in charge of the dossier in the European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) is on some sort of a stand-by while the German government forms. On the other hand, the EU Council, composed of the relevant ministers in charge of the copyright Directive proposal, is speeding up.

By Diego Naranjo and Joe McNamee, EDRi
The European Union (EU) is currently reforming its copyright legislation. In September 2016, the European Commission proposed its controversial draft for the new Copyright Directive, that includes a mandatory “censorship machine” to filter all uploads from every user in the EU (Article 13).

Kim Bryan, Tom Fowler Chris Dutton, Terry Evans and other victims of undercover police spying and core participants in the Undercover Policing Inquiry, have launched a crowdfund to raise money to support their - and all core participants - full participation in the inquiry.

By Police Spies Out of Lives
Seven women psychologically and sexually abused by undercover policemen infiltrating UK protest groups have lodged a complaint to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

By Yousef Munayyer, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
Director Trump has just upended decades of US foreign policy by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This effectively hands Israel a blank political check for its illegal annexation of Jerusalem and legitimizes Israel's ongoing displacement and disenfranchisement of the city's Palestinian residents. Trump's move is politically dangerous, and morally egregious.

The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) is seeking expressions of interest from banks and other financial intermediaries to partner in a €300m Brexit Loan Scheme.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Freedom Voices Network have jointly launched Forbidden Stories, a project that aims to secure the data and information of threatened journalists and, when journalists are arrested or killed, to continue and publish their investigative reporting.

In view of the current Met Éireann status Orange wind warning, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has announced that the following sites will be closed to the public for tomorrow Saturday 21 October:

Innovative researchers in companies, Higher Education Institutes and public bodies are being encouraged to apply for the next stage of EU Horizon 2020 funding.

by Jeremy Malcolm, EDRi member Electronic Frontier Foundation
The ruthless efficiency with which the Spanish government censored the internet ahead of the referendum on Catalonian independence foreshadowed the severity of its crackdown at polling places on 1 October. EDRi member Electronic Frontier Foundation previously wrote about one aspect of that censorship; the raid of the .cat top-level domain registry. But there was much more to it than that, and many of the more than 140 censored domains and internet services continue to be blocked today.

Press freedoms watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling for the immediate release of Zhen Jianghua, the director of Across The Great FireWall (ATGFW.org), an anti-censorship website, and condemns the Chinese government’s continuing persecution of citizen-journalists and bloggers. 

Would you like to meet St. Doulagh on Culture Night? It takes place on Friday 22 September in St. Doulagh's Church, Ireland's oldest church still in continuous use as a Centre of Christian Worship (circa 7th. cent.) 

By Diego Naranjo, EDRi
A Council of the European Union document leaked by Statewatch on 30 August reveals that during the summer months, that Estonia (current EU Presidency) has been pushing the other Member States to strengthen indiscriminate internet surveillance, and to follow in the footsteps of China regarding online censorship.

Police spies targeting campaign groups across Europe are the focus of a European Parliament event on 6 September, where MEPs will hear from activists directly affected by undercover police, along with experts on state surveillance.

New EU regulations introducing new non-financial reporting requirements for some of Ireland’s largest companies take effect from today, Monday 21 August 2017.

Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald, T.D., today (Friday August 18 2017) announced that she has commissioned a major examination of the economic opportunities and impacts for Ireland arising from EU Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).

By EDRi member Bits of Freedom; translation by Philip Westbroek
On 11 July 2017, the Dutch Senate passed the bill for the new Intelligence and Security Services Act. With the Senate vote, a years-long political battle has come to an end: the secret services have been given dragnet surveillance powers.

The main ship's telegraph from the RMS Lusitania has been recovered from the wreck site off the Head of Kinsale and is undergoing preliminary conservation ashore. During a previous dive in July 2016, attempts to raise the telegraph were unsuccessful due to equipment failure.

By David Swanson
Yes, I'm going to tell you what's missing from this film without watching the film. Trump has, as promised, made me so sick of winning that I really could enjoy watching a defeat film, but I think I'll pass. If I'm wrong about what's missing from it (I mean one of the many things that are, no doubt, missing from it), I promise that I will eat an entire plan for victory in Afghanistan annually for the next decade.

Report by Reporter's Without Borders
Russia’s parliamentarians have given final approval to two laws intended to ban software that bypasses online censorship and tighten government control of search engines and messaging services. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) thinks they certify the death of a free Internet in Russia.

by Adam Wagner
The High Court has found that the Daily Mirror and The Sun were in breach of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 (1981 Act) in relation to their reporting of the Jo Yeates murder case. The proceedings were in relation to Christopher Jefferies, a school teacher who was arrested early on in the investigation. The court is now to consider penalties.

There is something grossly inconsistent in this week's published inquiry report into the rape comments made by Garda in Mayo following the arrest of two women at a Shell To Sea protest on 31 March 2011. Although the report, produced by the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission, refers to the comments as 'alleged', paragraph number 3 states: Whilst the audio on the recording is of poor quality during some sections of this conversation, an approximate transcript of the conversation has been prepared and supports these allegations.

Muntaha's sixteen-year-old son was abducted by Syrian security forces two months ago—one of 3000 Syrian "disappeared". India, Brazil and South Africa have close ties to Syria and could push for an international human rights delegation to find the missing, but they won't act without global pressure. Help find Muntaha's son:
Sign Here

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD today announced reforms to the Joint Labour Committee and Registered Employment Agreement wage settling mechanisms, following Government decision last Tuesday (26th July). The measures will radically overhaul the system so as to make it fairer, more competitive and more flexible so as to increase job-creation in these sectors. They will also reinstate a robust system of protection for workers in these sectors in the aftermath of the recent High Court ruling.

From mass arrests to surveillance, confidence in the Metropolitan police is at an all-time low
By Nina Power, guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 26 July 2011
Can confidence in the Metropolitan police sink any lower? Even before the past few weeks revealed the possibility of their complicity in the News of the World hacking scandal, and the past few months their brutal attitude towards the policing of students and other protesters, there were many who already had reason to mistrust those who claim to be "working together for a safer London".

By David Swanson
"Zeus did not want man to throw his life away, no matter how much the other evils might torment him, but rather to go on letting himself be tormented anew. To that end, he gives man hope. In truth, it is the most evil of evils because it prolongs man's torment." — Friedrich Nietzsche

By David Swanson
The murder spree in Norway was apparently the work of a Norwegian, not a group of foreigners, and for various other reasons the comparison is not exact. Nonetheless, it's tempting to wonder how many people would still be alive today if George W. Bush or Rudy Giuliani had spoken after the 9-11 attacks as Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg just did

On the 9th July, 31 years after I was sentenced to life imprisonment, the Parole Board delivered it's judgement on my continued imprisonment in clear and explicit terms recommending my transfer to an open prison in preparation for my probable release in 12 months time. The Ministry of Justice and prison system decided to ignore and effectively sabotage the recommendation, raising the question of exactly what real legal authority the Parole Board has over the prison system in determining how life sentenced prisoners are progressed towards release, and maybe more critically what real motives underlay senior prison management's attempts on occasion to subvert the recommendations of the Parole Board?

I John Twomey, am one of four people who have been convicted in the only trial without a jury in England for hundreds of years. I was tried with my brother-in-law Glen Cameron, Barry Hibberd and a man who us three met for the first time at court on trial, Peter Blake.

By David Swanson
I recently sat down for 90 minutes to speak with six Afghan judges, all of them women, and an English-Dari interpreter, a man. They spoke to me as individuals. They aren't preparing any investigations or indictments. The relevance of their being judges is that they know the law. They've studied international law, and they were visiting the United States to learn about our legal and political systems. They believe the United States is guilty of war crimes.

By David Swanson
A government that works for Wall Street and a war machine will sooner or later create schools that work for the same ends.

By Thomas Hammarberg, European Commissioner for Human Rights
People turn to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg because they feel unable to find justice at home. Though the majority of European states do comply with the Court's decisions, there are some which are strikingly slow to abide by their obligation to execute the judgments. This is serious—a prompt, full and effective execution of the Court's judgments is key for the effective implementation of the European Convention's standards in domestic law.

Process to provide improved services for workers and employers, cut costs to taxpayer
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton on Monday announced the first steps in his plan to streamline the State’s five employment rights bodies, announced in a speech in UCD on 1 July last. The principal measures include naming Ger Deering, Director of NERA, as the industry expert responsible for coordinating the streamlining process across the employment rights bodies; and Kieran Mulvey, Chief Executive Officer of the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) assuming leadership of NERA.

By David Swanson
Prisoners risking death by refusing food in the Pelican Bay supermax, and those hunger striking in solidarity in prisons around California are a judgment of our sickness. "The degree of civilization in a society," said Dostoyevsky, "can be judged by entering its prisons."

By Sam Pizzigati, RootsAction.org
Once upon a time in America, back a century ago, our nation's rich paid virtually nothing in taxes to the federal government. And that same federal government did virtually nothing to better the lives of average Americans.

"state visits by Windsor and Obama nothing more than an attempt to foster subservience to the political and economic establishment"
éirígí chairperson Brian Leeson has accused the Dublin government of treating the Irish people as fools after revelations about the massive costs of recent controversial state visits. Twenty-Six County justice minister Alan Shatter has been forced to concede that the cost to the tax-payer for the state visits by Elizabeth Windsor and Barak Obama in May will now be nearly twice the original estimate.

Dale Farm's representative in Brussels Patrick Egan met today (1pm) at the European Parliament with East Anglia MEP Richard Howitt to discuss possible ways to meet the crisis faced by the 90 families on the estate at present under threat of eviction.

By David Swanson
Statutes of limitations for torture not resulting in death have passed. The DOJ has refused to prosecute 99 of 101 cases of torture-to-death that it looked at. Obama has long since publicly told the DOJ not to prosecute the CIA for torture. Obama's torture of Bradley Manning has been widely ignored. Rendition has been established as normal. Torturers have published confessional/bragging memoirs. Habeas corpus has been formally ended. The Bagram-Gitmo archipelago is here to stay. Torture continues in Iraq, Afghanistan, elsewhere. Assassinations have been established as the truly big new fashion. Harold Koh has replaced John Yoo as the Guy Who Will "Legalize" Anything. We've got more illegal wars going at once than ever before. Congress has practically dropped the pretense of a rule of law. The President can't clear his throat without opposing "relitigating the past," as if on the planet he comes from it is common to litigate the future. And Human Rights Watch has chosen this moment to announce that Bush and Cheney might just have been responsible for torture?

By Graeme Hall, UK Human Rights Blog, July 12, 2011
In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that a mechanism should be put in place to review whether convicted sex offenders should remain liable after their release from prison to notify the police of where they live or plans to travel abroad. In June 2011, the government published draft legislation to "ensure that strict rules are put in place for considering whether individuals should ever be removed from the register." However, it is possible that the "strict rules" leave the government vulnerable to further legal challenges.

Open letter to President Obama
By David Swanson
"The fiscal good has to outweigh the pain," a nameless Democrat told the Washington Post regarding President Obama's latest proposal to massively cut Social Security, against the wishes of the vast majority of Americans, in order to fund a military 670% larger than the next largest in the world, keep in place tax cuts for billionaires, fail to tax corporations or estates or investments or carbon, and balance a budget that nobody gives a rat's ass about balancing when Wall Street comes asking for handouts.

Minister for Small Business, John Perry T.D., has highlighted the importance of encouraging more women who have the motivation, skills and ability to start their own business.

Government approves proposal for merger of agencies to create powerful consumer and competition enforcer
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD is to scrap the board of the National Consumer Agency when it is merged with the Competition Authority, after the Government today gave the go-ahead to the drafting of the Consumer and Competition Bill based on a draft scheme presented by the Minister to Cabinet.

By David Swanson
"What's the point?" "We never win!" "Why bother trying?" This time we won. This is the point. Congressman Buck McKeon and Senator John McCain proposed to give Obama and all future presidents dramatically expanded powers to launch wars. They wanted to do so as part of the same "Defense Authorization Act" in which the House was restricting Obama's warmaking in Libya.

Today, some 90 families at Dale Farm, the UK's largest Traveller community, were hand-delivered a final notice of eviction giving families until midnight on August 31 to abandon their homes, or face their entire community being bulldozed.The central government and Basildon Council have set aside over £18m for the eviction battle that could last three weeks. It will be the biggest clearance of its kind involving the ploughing up of 54 separate plots created on a former scrap-yard purchased by the Travellers ten years ago.

Blockade of Gaza now extended into Greek ports
Sabotage of MV Saoirse and Greek blockade demonstrates length that Israeli state will go to in order to maintain inhuman siege of people of Gaza
In a statement released on Sunday, Paul Murphy, MEP said: “The actions of the Greek government in choosing to enforce Israel’s blockade of Gaza in Greek ports is outrageous. With their masked commandos boarding the US ship, the Audacity of Hope, they have collaborated with the Israeli establishment to prevent humanitarian aid being brought to Gaza. Activists are working in Greece to try to bring pressure to bear on the Greek authorities to reverse the decision and I call on working people in Greece to protest against this action in the strongest possible terms. However, I feel it is likely that this will not be reversed and therefore this decision probably marks the end of the Freedom Flotilla II."

The International Criminal Court had plans to include blockades against coasts and ports in its list of acts of war in 2009.

Extract from address by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation,Richard Bruton TD at UCD Conference on dispute resolution regarding employment matters on 1st July 2011
High standards in the workplace requires a system where;
· both workers and employees understand their respective obligations within the system;
· compliance and prevention of disputes is recognised as best practice;
· credible enforcement and an effective, risk based inspection regimeprotects against abuses;
· accessible and timely adjudication where necessary.

The Irish-owned ship, the MV Saoirse, that was meant to take part in Gaza Freedom Flotilla 2 has been sabotaged in a dangerous manner in what has been described as an 'act of international terrorism' in the Turkish coastal town of Göcek, where it was berthed.

By David Swanson
The Declaration of Independence is best remembered as a declaration of war, a war declared on the grounds that we wanted our own flag. The sheer stupidity and anachronism of the idea serves to discourage any thoughts about why Canada didn't need a bloody war, whether the U.S. war benefitted people outside the new aristocracy to whom power was transferred, what bothered Frederick Douglas so much about a day celebrating "independence," or what the Declaration of Independence actually said.

By Harvey Wasserman
Humankind is now threatened by the simultaneous implosion, explosion, incineration, courtroom contempt and drowning of its most lethal industry.

* MEPs participating in the Freedom Flotilla II express their outrage at life-threatening sabotage of Irish and Scandanavia / Greek boats

* Call on EU leaders to support their demands for an independent and impartial enquiry into the sabotage of the MV Saoirse and Juliano by Israeli authorities

By David Swanson
There's a great deal of disappointment, even distress, in the air as news spreads that Dominique Strauss-Kahn might not be charged with rape (or attempted rape, or sexual assault). He's guilty, the victim's character is being attacked in order to protect him, and the Culture of Rape will emerge triumphant once again—or so I'm being told by various Emails, Tweets, etc.

By David Swanson
Johan Galtung, sometimes called the father of peace studies, predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union and the refusal of Egyptian soldiers to attack civilians. His prediction of the collapse of the US empire in 2020 appears to be on schedule. So, it was noteworthy when he predicted on Tuesday at the University of Virginia that the war in Libya would last 20 years. If, however, NATO and the opposition were to kill Gadaffi, he said, the fighting could go on for more than 20 years.

James Petras and Robin E. Abaya
Many critics of the ongoing Euro-US wars in the Middle East and, now, North Africa, have based their arguments on clichés and generalizations devoid of fact. The most common line heard in regard to the current US-Euro war on Libya is that it’s “all about oil”—the goal is the seizure of Libya’s oil wells.

By David Swanson
President Obama on Monday said he would "never hesitate" to use the U.S. military "unilaterally" to defend "interests" and "values," including "maintaining the flow of commerce." Fear of exactly that led the founders of this republic to give Congress the exclusive power to declare war. James Madison did not believe any single individual could be trusted with such power: "The strongest passions and most dangerous weaknesses of the human breast, ambition, avarice, vanity, the honorable or venal love of fame, are all in conspiracy against the desire and duty of peace."

By John Bowden, HMP Edinburgh
The use by the prison system of in-house psychologists to medicalise the personality of "difficult" prisoners and prolong their imprisonment has become wide-spread and institutionalised. Historically the involvement and collusion of prison-hired doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists in the ill-treatment and repression of prisoners has a long and infamous tradition. In the 1960s and 1970s compliant prison psychiatrists frequently and unlawfully assisted prison staff to control and subdue "unmanageable" prisoners by forcefully administering psychotropic drugs in a practice known as the "liquid cosh". Jail psychiatrists also provided their authority to facilitate the removal of rebellious prisoners to high-security mental hospitals such as Broadmoor and Rampton in a practise that became known as "Nutting-off". In the early 1990s prison doctors at Wormwoods Scrubs Prison in London were revealed to have conspired and colluded with prison staff in covering-up the physical brutalisation of prisoners in the jail's segregation/punishment unit. A number of prison officers were subsequently prosecuted for having assaulted prisoners and the British Medical Council called for removal of prison doctors from the council's register.

By Pat Kennelly
In Kabul, on the same day that Der Spiegel released photos documenting American soldiers posing with the bodies of civilians they murdered, the Transitional Justice Coordinating Group (TJCG), the umbrella organization for NGO’s in Afghanistan that are pursuing transitional justice, gathered Afghan, Australian, American, and German peacemakers to discuss methods to bring peace and security to Afghanistan. The photos present the grim reality that this conflict is characterized by civilian killing and violence.

By David Swanson
I may soon have an opportunity to meet with nonviolent activists in Afghanistan, an area of the world we falsely imagine has earned the name "graveyard of empires" purely through violent resistance. I was educated in the United States and learned in some detail about the lives of several morally repulsive halfwits who happened to have "served" in various U.S. wars, assaults, and genocides. But I was never even taught the name Badshah Khan. Were you?

By James Petras
One of the key distinctions between a capitalist and a non-capitalist (socialist, feudal, absolutist state) economy is the separation of state and private enterprise. In a capitalist state, economic enterprises are supposed to operate according to market principles, seeking to maximize profits and expand market shares. The state is supposed to act on behalf of capitalist enterprises, ensuring their protection and furthering their pursuit of profits and markets.

Have you ever seen someone sitting down and knocked backwards by the force of a rifle bullet hitting them in the back of the head?

By Patrick Kennelly
Three years ago in Bamiyan, a western province of Afghanistan, a multiethnic group of university students gathered for a three month workshop on peacemaking. The group of young leaders met weekly ultimately concluding that peace is impossible in Afghanistan. Undeterred by their conclusion these young people asked: “What do we do to change this reality?”

On the 8th anniversary of what it described as the disastrous US led invasion of Iraq in 2003 the Irish Anti-war Movement released the following statement:
• Western military intervention in Libya could make things worse for the Libyan peoples' struggle for freedom and democracy
• Do not trust western leaders stated intentions
• US-backed Saudi invasion of Bahrain exposes hypocrisy of western leaders
• Support the Arab peoples' protests for genuine freedom and democracy

by Dr. Abdullah Sayegh and Jim Roche, Steering Committee IAWM
The actions of western leaders in recent weeks show the disdain in which they hold the ordinary people of the region, including Libyan people. Contrast their expressed "deep concern" for the fate of the Libyan people with the mild commentary regarding the current treatment of protesters in Bahrain. The U.S. government—through its proxy/puppet monarchy in Saudi Arabia—is arming, financing and sending troops to Bahrain to violently suppress the protests that have been happening for weeks.

The UN and NATO's goal of disabling Gaddafi's ability to use military violence against the Libyan people deserves merit. Any tyrant who uses military forces to subdue and repress the indigenous population cannot be allowed to continue such despotic methods.

By Pat Kennelly
Last week, General Petraeus testified before Congress that the war in Afghanistan is making progress. While Petraeus may believe his comments, the situation on the ground contradicts his statements. Afghanistan is a country that is overwhelmed by decades of war filled with foreign military forces, armed opposition groups, and a struggling government. Since 2001, there is general consensus that American led ISAF has not resulted in progress for Afghanistan.

by Kathy Kelly
Kabul -- Before coming to Afghanistan, I spent a week with students and teachers from a Colorado College nonviolence class who invited me to join them for their retreat near Crestone, Colorado, in an area of the Rocky Mountains described as one of the ten most peaceful places on earth.

On the week that we mark going into another year of war, two peace  activists, Joy First and Malachy Kilbride, from the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance interrupted US Capitol tours in the rotunda. While on a tour the activists walked to the center of the rotunda and laid a funeral shroud on the spot where the US Presidents lie in state. They laid a copy of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights on top of the shroud and covered them. They read the statement below. Though the US Capitol police quickly surrounded them and questioned them, the activists were able to walk away. It is important for us to continue speaking out and know that we can do things like this and not get arrested.

The Secret Pact: its complete text, here presented as obtained by the European Deputy Patrick Le Hyaric.
"Improved Coordination of Economic Policies in the Euro Zone"
Danger! It contains the program of social regression that the states of the Euro Zone intend to implement in order to satisfy the voracious appetites of the financial markets.
Introduction by the journalist of l’Humanité
This document, dated 25 February and prepared by the president of the Commission, José-Manuel Barroso and the Council president Herman Van Rompuy, is the most recent avatar of a series of texts aiming to make the people pay for the debts contracted by the states in relation to the financial markets, ... debts contracted in order to save those markets. This test was presented last week to the countries of the Euro Zone, in order to prepare the extraordinary summit meeting on Friday.

But hope is certainly yours to take away
By Kathleen Kirwin
As I listened to a friend and colleague in Afghanistan a few days ago, the difference I discerned in his voice from previous conversations was visceral. That he unswervingly and joyfully dedicates his every thought, word and deed to advocating for peace in Afghanistan through peaceful means made his tone and tenor all the more heart-wrenching. Our phone connection was not clear, but I thought I heard him say something akin to: I never thought I would hear myself say that the Afghan people need hope now more than they need peace. What I know I did hear him say distinctly, however, was: “The people have nothing to lose now. They are being killed anyway.”

Libyan dictator Gaddafi's recent comment that external interference in his country's internal affairs would be 'illegal and immoral' can only be described as asinine when coming from a tyrant who has used live ammunition on his own people.

As a result of the extraordinary and tragic domino effect of Japan’s 8.9 magnitude earthquake last Friday, Ireland’s energy market could be cruelly impacted warns the energy unit of An Taisce the National Trust for Ireland.

By David Swanson
When I advocated the impeachment of George W. Bush, I did so despite, not because of, all the animosity it fueled among impeachment supporters. I didn't want retribution. I wanted to deter the continuation and repetition of Bush's crimes and abuses. Specifically, and by far most importantly—and I said this thousands of times—I wanted to deny all future presidents the powers Bush had grabbed. One-time abuses can be catastrophic, but establishing the power to repeat them can multiply the damage many fold, especially when one of the powers claimed is the power to create new powers.

By David Swanson
It's a simple point, but an important one, and one that gets overlooked. Whether or not you think a particular war is moral and good, the fact remains that war is illegal. Actual defense by a country when attacked is legal, but that only occurs once another country has actually attacked, and it must not be used as a loophole to excuse wider war that is not employed in actual defense.

Nazly Hussein speaks from outside the military courts which this afternoon (Friday 12th March) was supposed to address the people the army harrassed and arrested last Wednesday during a brutal attack on those occupying Tahrir Square. Nazly describes how several hundred plain clothes thugs were deployed against people in the square on Wednesday, who set about pulling down tents and beating people up. The army, under the pretence of ‘protecting’ those remaining in the Tahrir then began beating, arresting and electrocuting people within the the pro democracy movement. Over 170 people where arrested, most of whom where later released without charge. Many had been beaten and tortured with electrocution.
Full story + video

The EU Competitiveness Council's decision to authorise the use of the enhanced cooperation procedure for the creation of a single European patent has been called a major step forward by the Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, Richard Bruton.

By David Swanson
Michigan governors aren't breaking entirely new ground in the ongoing U.S. collapse into fascism. Sure, they'll be able to overthrow local elected governments and install cronies and corporations to rule over Americans without the pretense of public servants mediating. But the president of the United States can already do that to the entire country.

Midland’s-based environmental group, Just Forests, welcomes the announcement by the Labour Party to retain Coillte forests in public ownership.

By David Swanson
Wouldn't it be kind and generous of us to send the US or NATO or a UN-approved military into Libya to bloodlessly prevent the vicious slaughter of masses of people by a truly evil lunatic? Would it?

By David Swanson
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has declared that other nations are doing a better job of propagandizing the world and that the United States needs to do more. However, we already invest far more in foreign propaganda than in domestic public media, and virtually nothing in domestic media trust busting. The distinction between our domestic and foreign public media is part of what makes them both so weak in credibility (the other part is the size of the lies they tell), and Bob McChesney is right that we should invest in public media at home that actually reports on the U.S. government as on all others, and then share that abroad (if we actually want to model democracy rather than peddle a load of lies).

By Ann Wright
Army Private Bradley Manning faces a death sentence while an Army Specialist who mutilated the body of an Afghan gets “supervised chores”.

At a press conference today convened by the United Left Alliance in response to the programme for government agreed by Fine Gael and Labour Joe Higgins, Socialist Party/ULA TD for Dublin West said: "As we predicted, despite the media palaver about Fine Gael and Labour being incompatible they rapidly split the minute differences in their respective manifestos and have presented the public with essentially a continuation of the Fianna Fáíl/Green Party/IMF cuts programme."

Part 5 . Wikileaks vs Western Hypocrisy
By Karl F. Stewart
Objective journalism is a fallacy. The expression is a trite way of saying journalism is scientific, which is nonsense. All reporting is subjective. If a journalist is doing his or her job properly, then the individual is obligated to report the event in as clear a fashion as possible as deduced from one's personal understanding of the event. And a journalist has one of two options. The person can either lie through his or her teeth or try to report the event as honestly as possible.

By David Swanson
Brilliant and humane playwright Karen Malpede has produced another play that grabs America by the lapels, shakes it, caresses its cheek, and kicks its ass. The play is called "Another Life" and the life it leaves me thinking about is the life of our dreams.

By Ben Ferencz

After listening to that great introduction (Sandy Davies and David Swanson), you must have expected someone to come in here ten feet tall. Well, I used to be ten feet tall, but the problems of the world wore me down.

The Swiss State broadcaster sftv, has produced a short news item about the sale of Irelands forests covering all the angles. The report was made while they were in Ireland to cover the Irish election: they became aware of the issue and in particular the fact that Bertie Ahern was chairman of a Swiss owned company interested in buying Irelands forests.
Watch video

Moya Brennan, lead singer with Clannad and Goodwill Ambassador for CBM has called for the circumstances of women with disabilities to be recognised on International Women's day. CBM is Ireland's leading disability and development NGO working in the developing world (www.cbm.ie).

An Taisce, The National Trust for Ireland welcomes this week's decision of the European Courts of Justice about Ireland's transposition and implementation of the Environmental Impact Assessment directive (judgement c-50/09).

By David Swanson
People are doing journalism and the Washington Post is pissed. How to respond? Apparently the answer arrived at by Post editors is to just give up on any Americans who have been informing themselves and target those Americans who believe anything that super important people say. How else to explain an op-ed full of documented lies and published last Friday over the byline of two Democratic senators, Carl Levin and Jack Reed?

Alleged WikiLeaks source Pfc. Bradley Manning, who has been in US custody since last May, after he reportedly told a former hacker that he had passed thousands of classified US military documents and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, had 22 new charges filed against him on Tuesday by the US Army, including a capital offense — “aiding the enemy” — for which the government has said it will not seek the death penalty, although, as Wired explained, “under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the presiding judge ultimately decides what charges to refer to court-martial and whether to impose the death penalty.”
Full story

Watch Related Panorama video

By David Swanson
Statistically speaking, virtually nobody in the United States of America knows that we spend more on the military than the rest of the world combined, that we could eliminate most of our military and still have the world's largest, that over half of the money our government raises from income taxes and borrowing gets spent on the military, that our wars (outrageously costly as they may be) cost far less than the permanent non-war military budget, or that most of the financial woes of the federal and state governments could be solved just by ending a war in Afghanistan that two-thirds of Americans oppose.

By Kathy Kelly
Recent polls suggest that while a majority of U.S. people disapprove of the war in Afghanistan, many on grounds of its horrible economic cost, only 3% took the war into account when voting in the 2010 midterm elections. The issue of the economy weighed heavily on voters, but the war and its cost, though clear to them and clearly related to the economy in their thinking, was a far less pressing concern.

By Frank Brodhead
Does this Official Story make sense to you? According to the Official Story, sometime in the middle of last year a simple shopkeeper from Quetta (Pakistan) passed himself off as a high-ranking member of the Taliban and persuaded someone to introduce him to someone who would put him into contact with NATO command in Afghanistan. Then, “on behalf of the Taliban,” he had at least three “negotiating sessions,” possibly including one attended by President Karzai himself, in which he put forth very accommodating terms upon which the war in Afghanistan could be settled.

By James Petras
Most accounts of the Arab revolts from Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq and elsewhere have focused on the most immediate causes:  political dictatorships, unemployment, repression and the wounding and killing of protestors. They have given most attention to the “middle class”, young, educated activists, their communication via the internet, (Los Angeles Times, Feb. 16, 2011) and, in the case of Israel and its Zionists conspiracy theorists, “the hidden hand” of Islamic extremists (Daily Alert Feb. 25, 2011).

By David Swanson
Sweden banned censorship and guaranteed free speech in 1766, 10 years before the Declaration of Independence in the American British colonies, and—apart from shameful episodes of caving in to dictatorships and Nazis—has pretty well kept it in place. Sweden banned the death penalty and has not used it since 1910. Now, Sweden has an opportunity to punish the speech of a Nobel Peace Prize nominee with the death penalty by extraditing Julian Assange to the United States to be put on trial.

By David Swanson
Many discussions of lies that launch wars quickly come around to the question "Well then why did they want the war?" There is usually more than one single motive involved, but the motives are not terribly hard to find. Unlike many soldiers who have been lied to, most of the key war deciders, the masters of war who determine whether or not wars happen, do not in any sense have noble motives for what they do. Though noble motives can be found in the reasoning of some of those involved, even in some of those at the highest levels of decision making, it is very doubtful that such noble intentions alone would ever generate wars.

By David Swanson
There's a video available that has created quite a scandal this week. It shows a fashion designer in Paris telling someone he loves Hitler and that their mothers and forefathers would have all been gassed to death.

Ireland is joining the International LOFAR Telescope collaboration following the signing of a funding agreement between the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Trinity College Dublin to enable Ireland to join the collaboration. The agreement was signed on behalf of Trinity College Dublin by the Provost of Trinity College Dublin, Dr Patrick Prendergast.

By Robert Naiman, Policy Director, Just Foreign Policy
The development economist Amartya Sen famously asserted that famines do not occur in democracies. ‘’No famine has ever taken place in the history of the world in a functioning democracy,’’ he wrote, because democratic governments ‘’have to win elections and face public criticism, and have strong incentive to undertake measures to avert famines and other catastrophes.’’

Two years have passed since the Inauguration and Ceremonial Seating of the International Tribunal for Natural Justice on 15th June 2015 at Westminster Hall in London. The event marked the momentous occasion of the 800th anniversary of the signing of the western world’s most ancient and cherished legal treasure, the Magna Carta.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) deplores the simultaneous attacks that masked men armed with machetes and knives launched against four radio and TV stations in Gabon’s capital, Libreville, on 16 June in an attempt to get them to broadcast a threatening video message by a former presidential candidate.

Ireland has been elected to the Government Body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as a full member in Geneva for a three year term.  It is the first time Ireland has been a full member of the Governing Body of the ILO since joining the Organisation in 1923.

By David Swanson
Making Jeremy Corbyn the Prime Minister of the U.K. would do more for the world and everyone in it than either of the two available outcomes of any recent U.S. election could have done. Here in the U.S. I always protest that I am not against elections, I think we should have one some day. Well, now we have one - only it's across the pond.

by Pam Cowburn, EDRi member Open Rights Group, the United Kingdom
The terrorist attack in Manchester on 22 May has led to a relaunch of the encryption debate in the UK.

by Zarja Protner, EDRi intern
An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force has fallen, yet again, under public scrutiny for privacy violations of innocent citizens. An investigation by the Irish Independent newspaper has found that members of the public had their phones tapped without proper justification.

An Act for a certification scheme aimed at inventions developed by SMEs has now come into operation within the Knowledge Development Box initiative announced in the Finance Act, 2015, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O'Connor announced last week.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced the selection of the EIRSAT-1 satellite, led by University College Dublin and Queen's University Belfast, in partnership with five Irish companies to develop, launch and operate a Cubesat to be launched from the International Space Station. This will be Ireland's first ever satellite and is being developed under the ESA Education Office "Fly Your Satellite" ! 2017 Programme.

A Judge has this week ordered Police that they must disclose evidence in the legal case over undercover police officer Marco Jacob's abusive sexual relationships that happened while he deployed in Cardiff. This comes in the face of the Police consistently trying to avoid disclosing evidence around this case.

Today, there have been shocking revelations (1) about Andy Coles (deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire, and Tory councillor for Cambridge (2) being an undercover officer known as 'Andy "Van" Davey'.

By David Swanson
The Constitution suddenly seems to have bestirred itself and declared itself, through its many Washington spokespeople, to be in crisis.

Stream 3 of the Arts and Culture Capital Scheme, which will provide small capital grants to not for profit arts organisations goes online next week.

The Government this week launched its Framework for Town Centre Renewal program which aims to rejuvenate and enhance village and town centres throughout the country.

Media freedom is now at its lowest and worst state ever says press freedoms international watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF)—which has just released the 2017 World Press Freedom Index—and is in danger of reaching a tipping point in the state of media freedom, especially in leading democratic countries.

Four women deceived into relationships with undercover police in the UK have written to the Irish Prime Minister, the Minister for Justice and Equality, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade.

On Tuesday 18 April the five international judges of the Monsanto Tribunal presented their legal opinion. They have come to important conclusions, both on the conduct of Monsanto and on necessary developments in international law.

by Matthias Monroy, Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP, Germany
A database set up jointly by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube aims to identify “terrorist and radicalising” content automatically and to remove it from these platforms.

The European Council is scheduled to meet on 29 April 2017 to discus the UK’s announcement to withdraw from the European Union.

Filmaker, Short Story Author, Artist, and Radio Presenter Patrick O Neill will read two short stories from his recent collection ‘7 Doors’, which is the basis of a future film.

Limerick Writers' Centre and delighted to announce their 'Great Poets and Great Poetry' series of talks. Kicking off the series is writer Kathryn Guille who will give a talk on Shakespeare's Sonnets entitled: Characters in love: How Shakespeare's Lovers influenced the Sonnet.

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, held a gender policy workshop with representatives from Waking the Feminists and our National Cultural Institutions, as well as the Irish Film Board, the Arts Council, Culture Ireland and senior officials from her own Department.

The first meeting of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce Implementation Group, co-chaired by Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, and Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten TD, was held on Wednesday. The establishment of the Implementation Group is a commitment in the Action Plan for Rural Development.

By Zarja Protner, EDRi intern
Chapter One: The dark knights at a secret meeting 
It was the beginning of the year 2014 when the European Commission first announced the creation of an “EU Internet Forum”. But it would take almost two years and several meetings before its official launch on 3 December 2015.

On 16 and 17 October 2016, more than 30 witnesses and experts from all over the world gathered in The Hague for the Monsanto Tribunal. They presented their testimonies and analyses on the effects of Monsanto’s business practices to a panel of five judges from different continents. 

Members of the Retail Consultation Forum have been reassured by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation Mary Mitchell O'Connor that the challenges of the retail sector will feed into the Government's response to Brexit.

Certain equine activities will now be eligible funding under the current LEADER programme. Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Minister Heather Humphreys intends to amend the ineligible list of activities under the 2014-2020 LEADER Programme, which could benefit a wide range equine activities and rural tourism projects, such as equestrian centres and riding schools.  

Economic Development, Michael Ring T.D., has invited interested parties to comment on a proposed new model of community banking. The invite is part of a Programme for a Partnership Government commitment to investigate new models of community banking such as the Kiwibank model in New Zealand, or the German Sparkassen model of local public banks that operate within well-defined regions.

Bandon Grammar School has installed a water filtration system to become one of the first schools in the country to have access to fluoride free water.

Oklahoma County Court has found Trump Environmental Protection Agency nominee Scott Pruitt in violation of the state’s Open Records Act. The Center for Media and Democracy had filed a lawsuit against Pruitt for improperly withholding public records and the court ordered his office to release thousands of emails in a matter of days.

Report by Statewatch
Guidelines produced for border guards participating in an EU joint operation instruct the targeting of “migrants from minority ethnic groups, and individuals who may have been isolated or mistreated during their journey, as such people are often more willing to talk about their experiences.”

By David Swanson
For the past decade, the standard procedure for big coalition rallies and marches in Washington D.C. has been to gather together organizations representing labor, the environment, women's rights, anti-racism, anti-bigotry of all sorts, and a wide array of liberal causes, including demands to fund this, that, and the other, and to halt the concentration of wealth.

The European Parliament’s approval of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), negotiated with Canada, will boost goods and services trade and investment flows between the EU and Canada as it removes almost all tariffs on trade between the two parties, delivering jobs and growth for Ireland and Canada, said Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says it is deeply concerned by new proposals that threaten journalists with jail time of up to 14 years for obtaining leaked official materials, and would make it easy to categorise journalists, whistleblowers, and human rights defenders as ‘spies’.

Live entertainment events in Ireland—music: arts, theatre and comedy: family, attractions and exhibitions, generated a massive €1.7 billion of additional revenue over a 12 month period, supporting employment for nearly 11,500 people, according to a major new report published in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and IMRO.

Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom have agreed on new checks of passengers' identities on international trains. 

Joe McNamee, EDRi
We have heard a lot about fake news over recent months. We have heard urgent calls for action from politicians to deal with this new problem – governments should regulate truth, Facebook should regulate truth, new ministries of truth should regulate the truth. 

A new round of funding of €1.75 million has been made available from the Dormant Accounts Fund to support social enterprises that provide services to, or employment opportunities for, disadvantaged people. Organisations can apply for funding to cover capital costs and capacity building measures.

Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Heather Humphreys has announced that her Department will invest more than €28 million in towns, villages and rural recreation projects in 2017, as part of the Action Plan for Rural Development.

WASHINGTON, D.C.
Eleven days after the inauguration of President Trump, more than half a million people have joined the campaign and petition at ImpeachDonaldTrumpNow.org, calling on the U.S. Congress to initiate an impeachment investigation into President Trump’s violations of the U.S. Constitution—citing the Foreign Emoluments Clause and Domestic Emoluments Clause, as well as violations of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012 (STOCK Act). 

By David Swanson
Airport resistance is the biggest step forward by the U.S. public in years.

updated 31 January 2017
Press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says it is alarmed by the new administration’s repeated attacks on the media and blatant disregard for facts in the first three days of Donald Trump’s presidency. RSF calls on Trump and his team to stop undermining the First Amendment and start defending it. 

The Action Plan for Rural Development–the first ever whole-of-government strategy aimed at delivering real change for people living and working in rural Ireland–was today set in motion by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny and Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys.

By David Swanson
What are the grounds for impeachment?
They will likely be piling up rapidly. President Trump did use Day 1 to advise the CIA that the United States should have stolen all of Iraq's oil. But here is a place to start. We already have a president who is violating two clauses in the U.S. Constitution, one forbidding any gifts or benefits from foreign governments, the other forbidding the same from the U.S. government or any U.S. state. This is the result of Donald Trump refusing to separate himself from major business interests as past presidents have done. Those interests will also inevitably involve Trump in violating the STOCK Act which forbids the use of non-public government information to make a private profit.

Four women deceived into relationships with undercover officers have released a further joint statement criticising the new HMICS review into undercover policing, and demanding a full Public Inquiry into the undercover policing in Scotland. The statement refers to the undercover units as “political policing units, akin to the Stasi of East Germany”.

The Chicago-based West Suburban Faith-Based Peace Coalition is sponsoring a Peace Essay Contest with a $1,000 award to the winner, $300 for the runner-up, and $100 for third place. Essays have to be directed to a person who can help promote knowledge of the Kellogg-Briand Pact (KBP) and, from whom a response is expected.

By Zarja Protner, EDRi intern
In December 2016, the 33rd edition of the world’s longest-running annual hacker conference Chaos Communication Congress, organised by EDRi member Chaos Computer Club (CCC), took place. It featured many insightful lectures and workshops on issues related to security, cryptography, privacy and freedom of speech. When it comes to surveillance issues, a live appearance from Edward Snowden stole the show.

Former President of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, has been appointed chairman of the Personal Injuries Commission.

American award winning short story and essay writer Kerry Neville is to give a free talk in Limerick, followed by a question and answer session on creative writing (fiction and non-fiction).

The High Court order requiring the eviction of Dublin's Apollo House homeless residents on Wednesday 11 January falls on the day that the big freeze currently sweeping across Europe is expected to reach Ireland.

By David Swanson
“I understand that wars and militarism make us less safe rather than protect us, that they kill, injure and traumatize adults, children and infants, severely damage the natural environment, erode civil liberties, and drain our economies, siphoning resources from life-affirming activities. I commit to engage in and support nonviolent efforts to end all war and preparations for war and to create a sustainable and just peace.”

Chain store Supervalu is to continue sponsoring the annual Tidy Towns Competition until 2017. Making the announcement,  Minister for Regional Economic Development Minister Michael Ring said: "SuperValu has been the sole sponsor of this competition for the past 25 years and I am delighted to confirm that my Department and SuperValu will continue to work together to develop the competition over the next 5 years.  Together we have a shared vision to build on the strengths of the SuperValu TidyTowns competition and to ensure that it continues to grow and be relevant.  This competition has been running for almost 60 years and is stitched into the fabric of so many communities in Ireland and those communities benefit from the tireless work of the TidyTowns committees and volunteers.

The National Competitiveness Council (NCC) has published its Competitiveness Challenge 2016 report, outlining a range of actions designed to boost Ireland's international competitiveness. This year's report also includes the Council's Submission to the Action Plan for Jobs (APJ) 2016 which - recognising the important role that the APJ has played in delivering structural change - focuses on the more immediate actions which should be addressed in 2017.

By Reporters Without Borders
The UK Government has failed to respond to widespread public dismay over secret mass surveillance revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013. The Bill will not only put into statute the capabilities revealed by Snowden but extend surveillance even further. This is not just of grave concern for UK citizens. The impact of the Bill will be felt around the world. Authoritarian leaders with poor human rights records can now point to the UK when justifying their own surveillance regimes.

by Asli Telli Aydemir, EDRi member Alternative Informatics Association, Turkey
According to a new report by Freedom House, web freedom across the globe declined for the sixth consecutive year. Turkey was placed among the red-flag states in terms of web freedom in 2015-2016 and is now rated “not free” in “Freedom on the net 2016” report after repeated blocking of social media. The country's status score is “61/100 not free” with 13/25 for obstacles to access, 21/35 for limits on content and 27/40 for violations of user rights.

By David Swanson
Dear Democrats,
Are you finding yourselves suddenly a bit doubtful of the wisdom of drone wars? Presidential wars without Congress? Massive investment in new, smaller, "more usable" nuclear weapons? The expansion of bases across Africa and Asia? Are you disturbed by the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen? Can total surveillance and the persecution of whistleblowers hit a point where they've gone too far? Is the new Cold War with Russia looking less than ideal now? How about the militarization of U.S. police: is it time to consider alternatives to that?

Fluoride Free Towns, a national campaign group has called on the Minister for Health to sanction a moratorium on the State's Community Water Fluoridation policy pending investigations by both the FSAI's (Food Safety Authority of Ireland) Scientific Committee and the Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety into the issue of fluoridation induced birth defects.

Irish SMEs involved in research and development activities will soon be able to benefit by paying lower corporate tax through the Knowledge Development Box taxation scheme.

In condemning the continued bombardment of Aleppo, and other Syrian centres of resistance, by Russian and Syrian army forces, the Irish Anti-War Movement (IAWM) is repeating its call to the Irish Government to cease the use of Shannon Airport by the US Military, an act alone which the IAWM says would send a powerful message to western powers that we are sick of their perpetual warfare.

Open Web Fellows programme is an international programme designed to link developers, engineers, technologists and programmers with civil society organisations around the world. This article is written by Sid Rao, the Open Web Fellow who is spending ten months with the EDRi office in Brussels, working in cooperation with us to safeguard the internet as a global public resource.

Dublin Saturday, 15th October 2016
The Citizens' Assembly (the Assembly) met for the first time at Dublin Castle on Saturday 15 October. The Assembly is a body made up of the Chairperson, Ms. Justice Mary Laffoy, and 99 citizens randomly selected to be broadly representative of the Irish electorate, with a mandate to look at a number of key issues.

Imprisoned US soldier Chelsea Manning has ended a hunger strike after the army said she would be allowed to receive gender transition surgery, the American Civil Liberties Union has announced.

Over 12.5 million individual records of birth, deaths and marriages dating back to 1864 have now been added to the online Irish genealogical database at www.irishgenealogy.ie.

Press freedoms watchdog Reporters Without Borders has launched a petition calling on the Burundi authorities to reveal what happened to Burundi journalist Jean Bigirimana, who disappeared after being arrested.

Press freedoms watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is concerned about a bill drafted by British Prime Minister Theresa May when she was home secretary that would allow the police and intelligence agencies to intercept, gather and store the communications of tens of millions of people including whistleblowers, journalists and their sources.

British computer scientist and activist Lauri Love is facing extradition to the U.S. and decades in prison for protesting the persecution of U.S. internet activist Aaron Swartz.

Eight women who were affected by relationships with undercover officers, and who started Police Spies Out of Lives, have issued the following statement in response to the draft new guidelines for undercover policing issued by the College of Policing. The guidelines are out for consultation until midnight August 10th 2016.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling on the Bangladeshi authorities to rescind the blocking of 35 news websites that RSF said the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) implemented today without giving any official reason. RSF also calls for the withdrawal of all charges against Probir Sikdar, the editor of the Daily Bangla 71 newspaper and the U71news.com website, who is accused of defaming government officials on Facebook in August 2015.

A further 4,900 acres is to be added to the Wicklow Mountains National Park following purchase of the Dublin Uplands, in the area known popularly as the Featherbeds, by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

Capital funding of €1.85million has been provided to 15 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) to assist micro-enterprises in creating local jobs from projects that can be initiated this year.

Tim Cunningham and Richard W Halperin are this month’s guest poets at The Limerick Writers' Centre August 2016 'On The Nail’ Literary Gathering at The Buttery, 10 Bedford Row, Limerick.

By Joe McNamee, EDRi
Since 2002, European citizens' freedom of communication, the security of our communications devices, and the protection of our personal data in the online world have been safeguarded by the so-called e-Privacy Directive.

By EDRi.org
Keeping the internet free and open undoubtedly matters to Europeans: by the end of the public consultation on implementation of net neutrality rules, over half a million comments were sent following the SaveTheInternet.eu campaign.

By EDRi guest writer
On 15 July 2016, a coup d'état attempt against the Turkish government took place. Although tension in Turkey gradually escalated in the first half of 2016, nobody expected a military coup.

By David Swanson
Despite Ireland's officially neutral status and its claim to have not gone to war since its founding in 1922, Ireland allowed the United States to use Shannon Airport during the Gulf War and, as part of the so-called coalition of the willing, during the wars that began in 2001.

The National Competitiveness Council (NCC) annual benchmarking report shows that Ireland has climbed from 16 to seventh place in the IMD's annual World Competitiveness Yearbook 2016.

By David Swanson, director of World Beyond War
In planning an upcoming conference and nonviolent action aimed at challenging the institution of war, with the conference to be held at American University, I can't help but be drawn to the speech a U.S. president gave at American University a little more than 50 years ago.

The 2016 scoreboard results show that Ireland’s research and innovation performance has moved up two places from 8th to 6th in the overall ranking of 28 EU Member States.

Researchers and companies in Ireland have won a total of €274.7 million in funding from the EU Horizon 2020 programme for research projects. The Higher Education system accounted for €172.5 million of this total and companies secured €79.2 million, including €54.3 million for SMEs.

A new €9m capital investment scheme for arts and culture centres which will run from 2016-2018 and is focussed on enhancing the existing stock of arts and culture centres throughout Ireland is now open for applications. 

Element Pictures are taking over the management, completion and operation of the Picture Palace in Galway, which will receive final Government funding of €255,000 to complete the fit out of the cinema.

By David Swanson
The Chilcot report’s “findings” have virtually all been part of the public record for a decade, and it avoids key pieces of evidence. Its recommendations are essentially to continue using war as a threat and a tool of foreign policy, but to please try not to lie so much, make sure to win over a bit more of the public, and don’t promise any positive outcomes given the likelihood of catastrophe.

By Roger Cole, chair PANA
In November 2002 the Peace & Neutrality Alliance sought a meeting with the Irish Anti-War Movement and the NGOPA (Non-Government Organisation Peace Alliance) to seek to jointly organise a march against coming war on Iraq on 15 February 2003 and the use of Shannon Airport in that war. The three organisations appointed Roger Cole of PANA, Richard Boyd Barrett of the IAWM and Brendan Butler of the NGOPA to do so. On the 15/2/2003 in conjunction with similar marches all over the world, well over 100,000 people took part in the march in Dublin.

By The Irish Anti-War Movement
The Irish Anti-War Movement has welcomed the publication of the long awaited Chilcot Inquiry and the fact that it is a serious indictment of Tony Blair’s role in Britain’s involvement in the invasion and occupation of Iraq and the subsequent sectarian blood letting.

A short programme of court mandated works is now underway at the National Monument at Nos 14-17 Moore Street in Dublin. The works, which have been approved by the High Court, will help to safeguard and weather proof the National Monument buildings, which are under the ownership of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

A caricature of US presidential candidate Donald Trump failed to attract a buyer when it went on display at the MCM Comic Con Convention in Dublin and has been returned to the horror section of the Balla Bán Art Gallery.

Lunch time poetry readings return to Limerick’s Hunt Museum throughout July with eight poets booked to give readings in the Captain's Room four Thursdays in July from 1.00pm to 2.00pm.

The drafting of legislation has been approved as a matter of priority for the de-designation of 39 raised bog Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs) and the part de-designation of 7 raised bog NHAs.

Manufacturers in the chemicals, microelectronic and related sectors can now benefit from a new round of the tariff suspension/quota schemes.

By Jim Killock, EDRi member Open Rights Group, United Kingdom
The United Kingdom’s vote to leave the EU means that inhabitants of the country no longer have a clear idea what levels and kinds of protection of digital rights they will have in the future. Nearly all the relevant law is European. A lot depends on the kind of model of leaving the EU that the UK adopts.

Tech/Life Ireland, a new national initiative to brand Ireland as a top destination to pursue a career in technology was launched today by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, T.D. Tech/Life Ireland is funded by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and will be delivered in partnership with Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the tech industry to help attract up to 3,000 top tech professionals to Ireland each year.

Wageningen, 23rd of June 2016
Scientists of Wageningen University & Research have just brought life on Mars one step closer. The research group, supported by Mars One, found that vegetables growing on Martian soil are safe for humans to eat.

Over The Edge in association with Westside Arts Festival presents the 2016 Over The Edge Summer Open-mic at Westside Library, Seamus Quirke Road, Galway on Wednesday, 6 July from 6.30pm to 8pm

Broughshane, County Antrim is the overall winner of Ireland's Best Kept Town competition, 2016. The all-island results were announced today 21 June 2016 at an awards ceremony in Riddel Hall, Belfast.

Erol Önderoglu, Reporters Without Borders representative in Turkey since 1996, was placed in pre-trial detention by an Istanbul court on June 20, 2016, with two other intellectuals.

A Private Member's Bill to ban hare coursing will be introduced into Dail Eireann this Thursday 23 June and it is expected that a vote will be taken on it the following Thursday, 30 June.

This year's National Famine Commemoration will take place on Sunday, 11 September at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee, Heather Humphreys has announced.

By Center for Citizen Initiatives delegation currently visiting Russia
On June 16, the New York Times reported: “More than 50 State Department diplomats have signed an internal memo sharply critical of the Obama administration’s policy in Syria, urging the United States to carry out military strikes against the government of President Bashar al-Assad to stop its persistent violations of a cease-fire in the country’s five-year-old civil war.

A Letterkenny poet is among the runners-up in an international poetry competition run by the Poetry Kit.

A grant of €371,000 has been approved for the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) to carry out essential improvement works at the Garden Galleries at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham which will be used to house a world class Lucian Freud exhibition later this year.

Microfinance Ireland (or MFI), the not-for-profit Government Agency providing funded finance to micro-enterprises, is offering micro-businesses the opportunity to avail of a cut in its interest rates (down by 1%) from 1st July 2016.

Horizon 2020 (H2020) is the EU's Programme to support Research and Innovation. It has a budget of €75 billion and runs from 2014 to 2020. From January 2014-November 2015 Ireland had won €251 million. This performance has Ireland on track to achieve the national target of €1.25bn.

By Fabian Warislohner, EDRi intern
Several European countries lack clear legal provisions and transparent procedures when it comes to blocking and removal of online content. A comparative study published by the Council of Europe stresses that any restriction on the right to freedom of expression must be provided for by law, be proportionate and follow legitimate objectives. Blocking should only be a measure of last resort and applied with great caution.

By Norbert Bollow, EDRi observer, Switzerland
In June 2016, Swiss civil society activists are redoubling their efforts to collect signatures in support of a referendum vote on the revision of a surveillance law best known under the German acronym BÃœPF, “federal law concerning surveillance of postal communications and telecommunications”. This revision would legalise surveillance by means of IMSI catchers (fake relay antennas for mobile phone) and govware trojans (spyware used by the government). It would require even private persons and associations to be subject to internet wiretapping on their premises, mailservers, etc.

Radio Erena, Eritrea’s only independent and apolitical radio station, which broadcasts from Paris and is run by Eritrean exile journalists, has now been on air for seven years. The following report was published by Reporters Without Borders.

Amersfoort, 6th of June 2016 - Mars One released new information about the third round in the Astronaut Selection Program during a private Mars One event in Amsterdam. The third selection round is designed to trim down the remaining 100 candidates to forty through a series of group challenges. The candidates will compose the groups for the third round themselves.

The appointees of a new board to the National Concert Hall have been announced by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys. All appointees have been vetted by the Public Appointments Service and were found to have the requisite experience to serve on the Board.

The City of Orlando is releasing the names of victims of the nightclub shooting whose next of kin have been contacted.

Centenary Street Feasts are set to take place in gardens, parks and streets across the country on Sunday, 12 June. This year, as part of Ireland 2016, over 1,200 Feasts involving around 120,000 people are confirmed so far.

Up to 180 jobs for Irish language speakers are expected to become available in the EU institutions in Brussels and Luxemburg between now and the end of 2021. A recruitment campaign for the first 62 Translator positions has just been launched. 

Tadgh McGrath opens an exhibition of his work at Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar in Mayo on Saturday 11 June.

By David Swanson
In the early 1980s almost nobody from the United States travelled to the Soviet Union or vice versa. The Soviets wouldn’t let anybody out, and good Americans were disinclined to visit the Evil Empire. But a woman in California named Sharon Tennison took the threat of nuclear war with the seriousness it deserved and still deserves. She got a group of friends together and asked the Russian consulate for permission to visit Russia, make friends, and learn.

By Kirsten Fiedler, EDRi
In the past year, EDRi made numerous formal requests to get more information about the EU Internet Forum. This Forum was set up by the EU Commission to persuade companies to do "more" to fight terrorism. After months of obstruction from the European Commission, EDRi made a maladministration complaint to the European Ombudsman. As a result, a formal inquiry has been launched.

By Paddy Leersen, AK Vorrat Austria
Vienna, city of diplomacy and birthplace of countless international deals, will soon host crucial negotiations on the future of the open internet. On 3 June, EU Telecom regulators will gather in Vienna to discuss the implementation of new EU Net Neutrality laws. Following mass mobilisation in India and the USA, the expectations to deliver real net neutrality are high.

‘Losing Myself’, is the title of Ireland’s exhibition at the 15^th International Architecture Biennale Exhibition launched in Venice on Friday, 27 May. Ireland’s exhibition at Venice is an initiative of Culture Ireland in partnership with the Arts Council.

The Intercept has announced that it is broadening access to whistleblower Edward Snowden’s file archive.

The 2016 Sockies–the Social Media Awards for Ireland–saw 450 turn up in the RDS to experience an awards show that is unique and loved in the Irish events calendar.

A joint meeting of EU Competitiveness Ministers and Telecoms Ministers in Brussels today, attended by Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor, focused on progressing the European Commission's Digital Single Market Strategy, the flagship blueprint which aims to strengthen Europe's capacity to thrive in the digital age, for the benefit of consumers and businesses, and to create jobs and growth.

The constitutional status of water fluoridation in Ireland had been called into question and challenged in a letter written to key Government and health officals by Owen Boyden, Director of the The National Fluoride Free Towns Project.

Steve Luttrell, Publishing Editor of US-based poetry journal The Café Review since its founding in 1989, is guest poet at the White House Poetry Club in Limerick on Wednesday 18 May.

Prime Minister Perry Christie could face court proceedings seeking to imprison him, and other public officials, for failing to obey a Supreme Court Order to shut down the $12 million Blackbeard'€™s Cay development.

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) has announced two competitions to recruit Irish language speakers for positions in the European Union's institutions in Brussels and Luxembourg.

Mike and Austin Durack are the guest performers at Limerick City's White House Poets open mic night at the White House Bar in O'Connell Street on Wed 11 May.

A group calling itself the Anti Eviction Task Force today staged a protest at Limerick Court where 170 home evictions were planned.

By greenpeace - Greenpeace Netherlands
Amsterdam, 2 May 2016
Greenpeace Netherlands has releases secret documents of the EU-US TTIP negotiations on www.ttip-leaks.org where they will be made available for everyone to read, because democracy needs transparency.

A full week of events around sharing information about social media including a conference–Measurement.ie and awards show–The Sockies is scheduled to take place around Ireland from 23 to 27 May.
 

By Neassa Fitzgibbon
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) today staged a protest outside the EU Commission offices due to what they describe as ‘the potential sell-out of the EU beef farming sector in Mercosur and TTIP talks’.

By Walter van Holst, EDRi-member Vrijschrift, The Netherlands
On 14 April, the European Parliament adopted the deeply flawed EU Trade Secrets Directive. This is a sad state of affairs, that does not reflect well on the quality of the EU legislature, both on process and on substance.

By Ante Wessels, EDRi member Vrijschrift, the Netherlands
In February 2016, the European Commission and Canadian government published the final draft text of the EU—Canada trade agreement (CETA), prior to its approval or rejection by the Council of the European Union, European Parliament and, possibly, national parliaments.

By Maryant Fernandez Pacrez, EDRi
On 2 May Greenpeace unveiled documents on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), including the telecommunications chapter and EU’s Tactical State of Play of March 2016.

By Ton Siedsma and Evelyn Austin, EDRi member Bits of Freedom, The Netherlands
On 29 April, the final text for the Dutch dragnet surveillance bill was leaked. It turns out that Minister of the Dutch Interior Ronald Plasterk is still bent on granting the secret services the power to carry out bulk interception of innocent citizens’ communications.

As part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary programme official ceremonies to commemorate the executions of the fourteen Leaders of the 1916 Rising will take place between the third and the twelfth of May at the Stonebreakers Yard in Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin.

Business and employer bodies, trade unions and other interested parties are invited to respond to detailed proposals made in the report in advance of a response to the report being formulated.

A new bi-monthly poetry reading series starting in Limerick aims to bring to Limerick poets from mainland Europe and the UK to read with local and national poets, in keeping with the strategy of having a more European outlook when it comes to the arts in Limerick.

An t-Ardmhéara Críona Ní Dhálaigh officially opened Richmond Barracks at a special ceremony in Inchicore today.  One of nine ‘Permanent Reminders’, Richmond Barracks has been redeveloped by Dublin City Council as part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. It will open to the public in June 2016 as an interactive multimedia tourist attraction which will trace the story of the site from military barracks, to housing estate, to school.

By policespiesoutoflives.org.uk
On 27 April 2016 another crucial hearing will take place in London as part of the Public Inquiry into Undercover Policing. The one-day preliminary hearing is set to decide issues of ‘undertakings’ – what protections will be offered to witnesses giving evidence.

For 25 years the UK-based organisation Statewatch has been working to publish and promote investigative journalism and critical research in Europe in the fields of the state, justice and home affairs, civil liberties, accountability and openness. On Saturday 25 June Statewatch will mark the occasion with a day-long European Conference in London.

The first Strategy Statement of the Workplace Relations Commission, which aims to embed radical reforms which have been achieved and delivering improved services for business and employees who use its services, has today been launched by Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Minister Richard Bruton.

Just a scant handful of countries fall under the ranking of ‘Good Situation’ in the 2016 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index, published this week by RWB.

By Hannah Allam
WASHINGTON
With an urgency driven by President Barack Obama’s dwindling number of days left in office, supporters of the missing U.S. journalist Austin Tice gathered Monday outside the White House calling for the administration to make his release a priority before the president’s term expires.

Five years after the 25 January Revolution of 2011, the situation of media freedom in Egypt is extremely worrying, says press freedoms watchdog Reporters Without Borders.

The National Competitiveness Council (NCC) today launched its Costs of Doing Business in Ireland 2016 report. The report benchmarks the main business costs across over 50 indicators and focuses on areas where Irish enterprise costs are out of line to those in key competitor countries. The report concentrates on costs that are largely domestically determined such as labour, property, energy, water, waste, communications and business services, and considers both price levels, and changes in those levels (i.e. price inflation).

By Peter Michanek, DFRI
Every year about 200 representatives from the Swedish security industry meet to discuss security cameras. This year’s conference was particularly interesting. The Swedish government has appointed a commission to investigate possible changes in existing laws to make it easier to get permission to use surveillance cameras in public spaces, schools and workplaces.

By Maryant Fernández Pérez, EDRi
United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and Human rights, Ben Emmerson said “the central challenge for human rights in 2016 ensuring governments continue to support a human rights agenda” while seeking to end terrorism.

For six decades prior to 2003, approximately one trillion pounds of explosives were dropped by the U.S. military, NATO and other military allies in practice exercises on Vieques, Puerto Rico. Fifteen thousand people have signed a petition to the Pentagon, Congress, and the White House seeking action from the U.S. government.

A crucial security bug in Windows and Samba has today been disclosed.

The newly refurbished and historic Kevin Barry Recital Room has today opened to the public at the National Concert Hall as part of the 2016 Easter Rising commemorations.

By Dimi Dimitrov, Wikimedia Brussels
Wikimedia's Swedish chapter was sued in 2013 by BUS (Visual Arts Copyright Society in Sweden) for the site Offentligkonst.se, a site where you can upload your own images of public art so that others can easily find them. BUS claimed that Wikimedia Sweden violated copyright law by publishing images of public artwork online. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of BUS.

By Fabian Warislohner, EDRi intern
It is time for new courses in the EU copyright reform menu: How about a neighbouring right for publishers and an EU-wide panorama exception? In December, Commissioner Oettinger presented the what could only be described as the “appetiser”: Citizens should be able to access subscribed streaming services when going on holiday in the EU (imagine, you can use what you've paid for!). Now, the Commission is asking about ancillary copyright and dishes up the panorama exception in a public consultation. The consultation is open to participation until 15 June and EDRi will be collaborating in an answering guide along with C4C to help people respond to the consultation.

By Edri.org
The future of the open and competitive Internet in Europe (so-called ‘net neutrality’) will be decided in Europe in the coming months. After regulators in India and the United States ruled that Internet companies are not permitted to undermine innovation, competition and free speech, now it is Europe’s turn. Failure in the EU will have dramatic consequences for European businesses and citizens alike.

People with an interest in commercial agriculture are encouraged to make formal submissions to the Labour Court on the terms and conditions of those working in the sector. 

The April 2016 'On The Nail' Literary Gathering takes place on Tuesday 5 April 2016 at The Buttery in Bedford Row, Limerick, starting at 8pm, with this month guests poet Daragh Bradish and poet and author Gerry Hanberry.

Microsoft Corporation is to be purchased by Mr Binman–Ireland’s refuse collection service–for €229.

A remarkable new study published today by Spinwatch with significant new information, has implications for the UK Goddard Inquiry into child sexual abuse. The study shows that during the 1970s, the General Medical Council in Britain, the RUC and British Metropolitan Police withheld from the public important information about Morris Fraser, a Belfast psychiatric doctor who was a serial paedophile.

Dr Nora Khaldi, founder and CSO of Nuritas represents Ireland at the TEDxBinnenhof Ideas from Europe event in The Hague, in Holland tomorrow (Thursday 31 March).

It is wearisome to continually read in the western mainstream media that the Muslim world is full of terrorists determined to launch attacks on the West.

By John Chuckman
America is engaged in another of its sprawling and costly national election campaigns. A few of the events, such as the New Hampshire primary or the Iowa Caucus, I’m sure have participants seeing themselves as Thomas Jefferson’s sturdy yeomen doing their civic duty. But such humble and misty-eyed tableaux can be deceiving for the big picture is quite disturbing, including, as it does, billions of dollars spent and a lot of noise generated about things which will not change in any outcome.

Over 580 projects with Irish participation have won a total of €251m in competitive funding from Horizon 2020, the European Union's programme for Research and Innovation.

By Floris Kreiken, Bits of Freedom
Did you know that there are 340,000 dentists in Europe? And that they lobby about privacy? Who else lobbies? How do parties/groups create coalitions to persuade policy makers? What's the mayor of Amsterdam doing in Brussels? In this blog on the privacy lobby we describe the different parties that are lobbying.

By Jesper Lund, IT-Pol
When the EU data retention Directive was transposed into national law after its adoption in 2006, Denmark implemented one of the most excessive transpositions into national law. Danish Internet service providers (ISPs) were required to retain session information (source and destination IP addresses, port numbers, session type e.g. TCP or UDP, and timestamp) for every 500th internet packet. In June 2014, the response of the Danish government to the data retention judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) was to uphold the national data retention law, but rules on session logging were repealed. The Ministry of Justice could no longer argue for the necessity of session logging when, after seven years of collecting detailed information about internet usage for the entire population, the Danish Police could only point to a single case, involving web banking fraud on a minor scale, where this information had been useful.

By Elisabetta Biasin, EDRi intern
The Italian legislative proposal on net neutrality is currently being discussed by the Italian Parliament. Notwithstanding general provisions on the equal treatment of traffic for Internet access services, its amended text contains loopholes and provisions that raise concerns. The text, now containing references to EU Regulation 2120/2015 on net neutrality (and mobile roaming), generally fails to address its main issues, including prioritisation of traffic. 

By Paddy Leersen, EDRi intern
Last week, Advocate General Szpunar published his opinion in the McFadden-case before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

By Maryant Fernández Pérez, EDRi
EDRi firmly condemns the Brussels terror attacks as well as other acts of violence and terrorism around the world. While acknowledging the importance of combating terrorism and violent extremism, EDRi is concerned about the disproportionate and misguided responses by certain UN countries in pursuit of this aim.

The Irish Anti-War Movement has condemned the terrorist attacks in Brussels that left 31 people dead and many more injured and traumatised. 

While Kazakhstan continues to hound and oppress independent media, the coming election can hold no credibility and is nothing more than a ‘farce’, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said today.

A four-year jail sentence imposed on Correo del Caroní newspaper editor David Natera Febres has been described as iniquitous by press freedoms organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders has called on the Malaysian Prime Minister to take an active stand against encroaching press censorship.

By Joe McNamee, EDRi
Should we still be talking about “privacy” in a world invaded by bastard data? We all knew what privacy was when it came to our data. We had our names and addresses, we had our store cards, we had our medical records, we had our insurance, we had our travel tickets, and the list goes on. Some companies and government agencies had that data to carry out some specific tasks and these data needed to be protected to avoid misuse.

By Pam Cowburn, Open Rights Group
Last week, the UK government published the Investigatory Powers Bill, a new surveillance law that has been heavily criticised by privacy and free speech activists, the technology industry, lawyers and academics.

By Theresia Reinhold, EDRi
On 1 March 2016 13 civil society organisations, including EDRi, Amnesty International, Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO), European Association for the Defense of Human Rights (AEDH) and Fair Trials published a joint civil society statement called “Counter-terrorism: The EU and its Member States must respect and protect human rights and the rule of law”. 

By Patrik Wallström, DFRI
In the middle of January, a mid-sized Swedish Internet Service Provider (ISP) called attention to access blocking proposals made by a Swedish government committee on gambling regulation.

By Elisabetta Biasin, EDRi intern
On 8 July 2014, Italian MP Stefano Quintarelli submitted a law proposal which covers net neutrality, despite never mentioning those words. The draft law represents a positive input for network neutrality in Italy. This article explains why.

A former Metropolitan undercover police officer has been confronted by his former partner, campaigner Helen Steel. Steel had flown to Australia, where John Dines now has a role teaching police officers. David Shoebridge, Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, today made a statement explaining Dines’ former undercover role to the parliament, and expressing grave concern about the educational position he now holds.

Ireland MEP Deirdre Clune has said the current migrant crisis is the biggest threat to Europe since World War 2 and needs an immediate and comprehensive response from EU member state governments. She called on EU leaders, meeting in Brussels today, to implement a raft of previously agreed actions to tackle and deal with the migrant crisis.

Saved to Memory: Lost to View is a memoir written in prose and verse by Michael Durack and the book is to be launched on Friday 11 March in Quay Arts, Killaloe.

Social media is awash with chemtrail articles, comments and photographs from around the world.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has endorsed an Instanbul court decision to place leading daily Turkish newspaper Zaman under state control, a move that has drawn sharp rebuke and criticism from press freedoms organisation Reporters Without Borders.

Ireland will tomorrow (Thursday) mark World Wildlife Day. World Wildlife Day is a United Nations initiative that coincides with the anniversary of the signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), an international agreement between governments to regulate international trade in wild species of animals and plants to ensure that their survival does not become threatened by such trade.

On 25 February 2016, the National IHR Focal Point of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines notified PAHO/WHO of the country’s first case of Zika virus infection.

By Grattan Puxon
Ninety years after an historic Moscow convention held by the All-Russian Romani Union of the early Soviet era, and marking the 45th jubilee of that London event which gave birth to the post-war civil rights struggle, the congress opening in Skopje shortly promises something no previous gathering of its kind has had on its agenda. The introduction of representative democracy.

In 2020, the crew of the first one way manned space mission to Mars will depart to establish a human colony on Earth's neighbouring planet.

Variety Magazine, generally regarded as the most important paper in the entertainment industry, has rejected an advertisement placed and paid for by www.endtheoccupation.org and Jewish Voices For Peace, saying its anti-apartheid message is “too sensitive” and that it “would need to have a softer tone.”

Figures from the Government’s Central Statistics Office show that the value of goods exports for 2015 totalled €111,038 million, up 20% compared with 2014.

A new Bill has been drafted that would abolish the U.S. military draft if passed by Congress.

By Paddy Leerssen, EDRi intern
The principle of net neutrality requires that internet access providers carry data without discrimination on the basis of origin, destination or type of data. Net neutrality prohibits telecoms operators from blocking or degrading content applications or services. From a telecom operator's perspective, the goal is to move away from the “any-to-any” principle that is a key characteristic of the Internet, to a situation where they can sell access to their own customers.

By David Swanson
U.S. military recruiters are teaching in public school classrooms, making presentations at school career days, coordinating with JROTC units in high schools and middle schools, volunteering as sports coaches and tutors and lunch buddies in high, middle, and elementary schools, showing up in humvees with $9,000 stereos, bringing fifth-graders to military bases for hands-on science instruction, and generally pursuing what they call “total market penetration” and “school ownership”.

Statewatch is looking for a new home for its archive of 7,000+ paper documents on EU justice and home affairs policy.

The Limerick Writers' Centre is hosting an intensive one-day guide to getting published, facilitated by Sunday Times best selling author John Stack.

Britain's Foreign Secretary has cocked a snoot at a UN legal panel's conclusion that Julian Assange's three-and-a-half year refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London is a case of “arbitrary detention” and a “deprivation of liberty.” 

New regulations aimed at regulating certain practices in the grocery goods retaikl and supply sectors have been signed into law by the Government.