Guardian.co.uk,
Tuesday November 04 2008
… “The government has repeatedly tried to avoid debate on this, announcing the US can use the Menwith Hill base for missile defence the day before a parliamentary recess. These are major long-term strategic decisions which will affect our security for decades.” …
The Pentagon has decided to go ahead and buy a fourth satellite for the troubled Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), a satellite network intended to replace the 1970s-era Defense Support Program constellation. SBIRS originally was planned to have five satellites, but cost growth and technical difficulties prompted a revamp in 2005 and a new acquisition goal of three satellites. The Pentagon has changed its mind and will try to slowly get back to the original plan of eventually buying five satellites for SBIRS. Says Col. Roger Teague, the Air Force’s SBIRS wing commander, “Procurement of this fourth satellite will complete the SBIRS constellation that was initially envisioned.” In addition to revamping SBIRS, the Air Force started another system for the SBIRS mission called the Alternative Infrared Satellite System (AIRSS), which over the past year has become the Third Generation Infrared Surveillance System (3GIRS). No word on how this fourth satellite will affect the other satellite systems’ structures.
Prague (AFP) Oct 29, 2008
The Czech government Wednesday called for delaying a final vote on two agreements with Washington to deploy part of a missile shield system on Czech soil until a new US president takes office. The lower house of the Czech parliament Wednesday began a debate on the agreements to install a radar facility in the Czech Republic as part of a US missile defence system, which is strongly opposed by Russia.
But Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said his government now wanted to extend the ratification process by six more weeks so that the final vote on the agreements, which must be ratified by both houses of parliament, would take place after the inauguration of US President George W. Bush’s successor in late January.
“We want a delay to make sure about the attitude of the new American administration,” said Topolanek. …
www.spacewar.com/reports/Czech_govt_wants_vote_on_missile_shield_after_US_election_999.html
Hello friends,
Here are latest news from our struggle against the US Missile Defense:
This week was a very important week in our struggle. Both chambers of our parliament planned to vote on this issue. And none of them did!!!
Yesterdays and todays meetings of the chamber of deputies were a success for us – the government didn’t manage to get to the actual voting on the treaty ratification (due to the time constraints and the big number of speakers from the oposition). It seems that they won’t vote on it tomorrow, either (that will be the last day of this session), so this session will end without this issue being voted on.
Also, the Senate has decided not to vote on this issue today. We think that the letters that we all have sent to many of the senators had a strong influence on their final decision.
Both chambers may vote on this issue during their next sessions. However, there will be a very different situation in the Senate by then, since about one third of all senators will be replaced by the newly elected senators (most of whom are radar opponents!) The people in the chamber of deputies will be the same, but with the current turbulence within the government many things will surely change, so we may have much better chances then than we have now.
The Prime minister announced during the Wednesday session that he would like the debate about this issue in the chamber of deputies to be expanded by 60 more days. So it could take 120 days before the final ratification vote would take place in this chamber. The lower chamber of the parliament will probably meet again around November 11th, so we have time until then to continue our pressure. So far so good!
Thanks for your support! We won one very important battle. But the war is not over yet! So let’s keep the pressure strong.
With very warm greetings from Prague
Jan Tamas
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
PO Box 652
Brunswick, ME 04011
(207) 443-9502
www.space4peace.org
globalnet@mindspring.com
http://space4peace.blogspot.com (Blog)
Joint Committe on Human Rights: Policing and Protest
The Committee heard evidence from the first panel followed by the second panel, on Tuesday 21 October 2008 at 2 pm
CAAB was in the second panel.
Here is a video of the meeting.
Previous relevant posts on the CAAB website:
Submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (Posted October 24th, 2008)
CAAB submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (Posted October 13th, 2008)
Click the image to go to the website
2 October 2009 – 2 January 2010
CAAB plans to work with the Humanist Forum to bring them past Menwith Hill.
BBC News: 22 October 2008
Exiles of the Chagos Islands will not be able to return to their homeland, the House of Lords has ruled. … He added: “Our appeal to the House of Lords was not about what happened in the 1960s and 1970s. It was about decisions taken in the international context of 2004.” … The exiled residents had hoped that if the Law Lords ruling had gone in their favour, their heritage could be rebuilt around a new tourist industry. …
BBC News: 22 October 2008
Exiles of the Chagos Islands will not be able to return to their homeland, the House of Lords has ruled. … He added: “Our appeal to the House of Lords was not about what happened in the 1960s and 1970s. It was about decisions taken in the international context of 2004.” … The exiled residents had hoped that if the Law Lords ruling had gone in their favour, their heritage could be rebuilt around a new tourist industry. …
The Independent, Thursday, 23 October 2008
War has come to the world’s only Muslim nuclear state. Not just terrorist bombs, but pitched battles bringing refugees down from the mountains and even into Afghanistan. In a powerful dispatch, Andrew Buncombe and Omar Waraich report on the conflict which has left 200,000 people caught between the Pakistani Army, the Taliban and the tribal warlords.
There was a loud, sharp sound followed by flames and massive blast of wind that threw the young boy twenty yards through the air. It felt as if he had fallen off the mountain. When he pulled himself to his feet, dazed and battered, he discovered nine members of his family were dead and that his mother was badly wounded. All were victims of a deadly artillery shell fired by the Pakistani military battling with Taliban fighters in the country’s mountainous border region. …
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/exclusive-dispatch-pakistans-hidden-war-969784.html
The Independent, Thursday, 23 October 2008
War has come to the world’s only Muslim nuclear state. Not just terrorist bombs, but pitched battles bringing refugees down from the mountains and even into Afghanistan. In a powerful dispatch, Andrew Buncombe and Omar Waraich report on the conflict which has left 200,000 people caught between the Pakistani Army, the Taliban and the tribal warlords.
There was a loud, sharp sound followed by flames and massive blast of wind that threw the young boy twenty yards through the air. It felt as if he had fallen off the mountain. When he pulled himself to his feet, dazed and battered, he discovered nine members of his family were dead and that his mother was badly wounded. All were victims of a deadly artillery shell fired by the Pakistani military battling with Taliban fighters in the country’s mountainous border region. …
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/exclusive-dispatch-pakistans-hidden-war-969784.html
