UPDATE! MORE INDIAN RAPE! Swiss Tourist Raped By Six Indian Men

Indian Police say six men have been arrested over the gang-rape of a Swiss tourist in central India, in an incident that has renewed focus on the rampant violence against women in India.

The woman was on a cycling holiday with her husband in the impoverished Madhya Pradesh state when six men attacked the couple on Friday night, sexually assaulting the woman, bashing the man, and robbing the pair. Concern remains high in India over the safety and status of women and girls in the nation of 1.2 billion. According to government statistics, one women is raped in the country every 20 minutes.

The Swiss foreign ministry in Bern released a statement on Saturday expressing deep shock at the “tragic incident”. The attack comes just three months after thousands took to the streets in nationwide protests following the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old student on a bus in New Delhi in December last year.In 2003, a 36-year-old female Swiss diplomat was abducted in the car park of a popular New Delhi auditorium, driven away by two men and raped. :: Read the full article »»»»

Google Maps Gulags

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The internet behemoth that is Google, has rolled out a super detailed map of North Korea, which even labels some of its remote and infamous gulags. Until now North Korea was pretty much a blank canvas to users of Google’s Map Maker, which creates maps from data that is provided by the public :: Read the full article »»»»

UPDATED! MR JONES?

That most despicable right-wing ranter, radio broadcaster and pseudo intellectual Alan Jones – not the wonderfilled sculptor - has done a Romney on himself. Last weekend the Sydney shockjock was guest speaker at an event for the Sydney University Liberal Club – SULC – where he firmly planted his foot in his mouth.

Known for his far right views, misogynistic statements, megalomaniacal cravings and hubristic rantings, Mr Jones managed to slip-in the ultimate in-bad-taste, bagging the recently deceased father of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. During the speech Mr Jones said that the PMs father died of shame!?

Unfortunately for Mr Jones, the Daily Telegraph had a journo in the room while his speech besmirched the Australian Prime Minister. Jonathan Marshall has so far posted an article, a SULC Tweet and a recording, on what will surely be egg on opposition leader Tony Abbott’s face. According to the Daily Telegraph Mr Jones “…told a group of 100 Young Liberals that John Gillard’s death was the fault of his proud child“

UPDATE! 1 + 5 + 8 October 2012: Mr Jones has apologised to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard for his woeful comments, he managed to do so without using the word SORRY!  Woolworths Staffer Quits Over Jones’ Rant :: Read the full article »»»»

A Shameful History! Australia’s Indigenous Deaths In Custody

In 1987 Australia setup the Royal Commission Into Aboriginal Deaths In Custody – RCIADIC 1987-1991 – The basis for the commision, as it’s title suggests, was in response to a growing public concern that deaths in custody of Aboriginal people were too common and public explanations were too evasive to discount the possibility that foul play was a factor in many of them.

The terms of the commision were broad, a brief outline suggested that between 1980 – 1989, 99 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders died in the custody of prison, police or juvenile detention institutions. They were 88 males and 11 females. Their average age at death was thirty-two years, Their deaths were premature. The circumstances of their deaths were extremely varied.

There seemed to be no common thread of abuse, neglect or racism that contributed to these 99 deaths. However, an examination of the lives of the victims showed that facts associated in every case with their Aboriginality played a significant and in most cases dominant role in their being in custody and dying in custody. To this day there remains almost a complete lack of understanding, and more importantly no solid prevention regime  to curb this vast waste of life.

Last year – April 2011 to April 2012 – 26,000 Indigenous Australians were taken into protective custody in the Northern Territory, and while this latest death is a tragedy, it is much much more than just a heartbreak for one family. It’s an imposing revelation, a sign of huge social problems that all Australians MUST rally against.

I note with trepidation that the 1934-35 Moseley Royal Commision – which looked very briefly at a similarly high proportion of indigenous deaths in custody – had similar findings to that of the 1987 RCIADIC. Of course the Moseley Royal Commision looked into increasing the powers of the Chief Protector of Aborigines, which it indeed did, leaving us with the stolen generation. We must surely be asking ourselves what we’re doing wrong here?

As the Northern Territory Coroner prepares to hand down his findings of the death-in-custody of an Aboriginal man, Kwementyaye Briscoe, in an Alice Springs Police Station, Australians must surely be asking what are we doing wrong?  ::

Read the full article »»»»

UPDATED! Sydney Muslims Join Worldwide Anti-US Protests

As Verity Penfold penned her summation of the latest Islamic uprising – Arab Spring Turns to Islamic Winter as Muslims Prove Unruly Ways – Sydney Muslims geared up for what was meant to be a peaceful protest. Several hundred protesters gathered in central Sydney with the intention of marching  to the US Consulate.

OPINION! …Islamic community leaders need to GET A GRIP! remove the RADICAL elements, CUT the rhetoric and calm the rest of us with a little unity and LEADERSHIP! The truth is always averagely simple! The Australian Public watches the news nightly on their tv sets, sat there with the kids, possibly gnawing away at dinner. Three nights in a row each and every tv station is running news on the escalating violence, destruction of property, the anti US protests in the middle east. On the fourth night the Australian public watches the tv news and that same fracas is occurring in it’s own city!?

UPDATE! Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister – and former Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr has waded into the discussion over Sydney’s Muslim riot, urging the Australian public not to blame the broader Muslim community for the behaviour of what he called a “Telephone Box Minority” Australia’s Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen has also chirped into the criticism and indicated he may cancel the visas of any “non-citizens” charged after the weekend’s violent protests in Sydney ::

Read the full article »»»»

Arab Spring Turns to Islamic Winter as Muslims Prove Unruly Ways

UPDATE! As this post is being penned news is coming in via wires and Reuters that there has been an explosion of protests around the globe, including protests in London and Sydney. The theme of the protests is similar to those occurring in the middle east.

Reuters has quoted a protester in London as saying that he doesn’t believe in freedom of speech, that no one is allowed to criticise his prophet. Oh the irony… When asked if he understood that he was exercising his right to free speech, he responded that he did, “but he wasn’t criticising Mohamed.”

It’s hard to believe, less than 2 years the world celebrated the Islamic worlds uprising for justice, a fight to right the many wrongs imposed upon it by corrupt and brutal regimes. The Arab spring that kicked of in mid December 2010 has smouldered on to what can now only be viewed as a brawl without a good cause.

While Syrians continue their territorial to-and-fro – displacing hundreds of thousands of refugees to bordering nations, and displacing millions of citizens within the war torn country - the rest of the Arab world is busy bashing down any symbol of westernisation.

Kicking off in Cairo on Tuesday, crowds of angry muslim protestors vented their anger over an anti-Islamic film released on youtube.com, the initial Cairo protest has been reported as consisting  mostly of hardline Islamists, supporters of the Salafist movement.

The protests have now moved to Tunisa – the original Arab Spring  - Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, as well as continuing in Egypt and Libya WARNING VIDEO CONTENT MAY BE OFFENSIVE :: Read the full article »»»»