As the Olympics near, converns over the effects of pollution in China’s capital are growing. Air pollution has been on the agenda for some time, with the authoritarian government resorting to drastic measures and mobilising armies of farmers to seed clouds, and planning emergency factory closures at a moment’s notice. But the New York Times [...]

In an oh-so-unexpected turn of events, Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe was today announced as the landslide winner in the country’s presidential elections. Despite it being a somewhat hollow victory due to intimidation, killings, and the opponent being forced to pull out resulting in an uncontested election, the BBC reports that he was rapidly sworn in [...]

Reuters reports on the Israeli Transport Minister’s recent comment that an attack on Iran looks “unavoidable”. Shaul Mofaz made the claim to an Israeli newspaper on Friday, saying that UN sanctions were not enough. While Iran isn’t exactly a master of tact – and, indeed, may or may not be trying to build a bomb [...]

By Balakov on Flickr – original here. I love this pic, though I had a hard time choosing which one to post as the whole Classics in Lego set is class

“The upshot is that if Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft, or so on received a wiretap order for text or voice flowing through their IM networks, they could (and would) be able to comply because the services are centralized … [Skype couldn't] Which means that it’s the most privacy-protective mainstream method of communicating through voice or instant [...]

The Guardian reports on the Treasury Select Committee’s recommendation that, after 2011, census data should come from government databases rather than manual form-filling. While on the face of it it may seem a sensible, time-saving proposal, this raises many questions – both about technical and feasibility aspects, and surrounding civil liberties and data protection. Regardless [...]

The BBC reports that more than 100 countries (thankfully, Britain included) have agreed to ban current designs of cluster bombs. These weapons are dangerous not only at time of use but also for many years afterward, as unexploded bomblets essentially become landmines littering the ground. However, while the number of signatories is positive news it’s [...]

I saw this last month but didn’t get round to blogging it. Showing what can be achieved when big business considers social issues, YouTube software has been adapted to help analysts from the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) find child pornography. In turn, this will allow solutions to be developed to [...]

“Burma is still exporting rice even as it tries to curb the influx of international donations of food bound for the starving survivors of the cyclone that killed up to 116,000 people … The continuing rice sales looked like just another facet of the Burmese regime’s insensitivity to the suffering of its own people as [...]

Scotland on Sunday have a fascinating article about the plight of Sudanese children who are abandoned by their parents. Until recently they were not considered orphans in Sudan, and 80% of those in the country’s orphanages died of neglect. However, a recent law and fatwa have drastically changed this only a few years, helping Sudanese [...]

“The EU started with the premise of a ‘right to a private life’ and allowed only limited data collection exceptions to that right. Search engines can only hang on to European user data for six months, must generally treat IP addresses as ‘personal information,’ and must comply with the rules even if they are based [...]

“The United Nations is using the mapping programme Google Earth to highlight the plight of millions of refugees and its humanitarian work to help them … Users can explore the lives of those in exile by clicking on exact locations in the refugee camps to see photos of the facilities, such as health clinics, schools, [...]

As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela Mark Thomas Rating: I read quite a lot, and as I like giving my opinions (that’s what this blog’s for, after all) I thought I’d start writing some reviews However, as external websites provide fuller information on the books, the authors, and other readers’ opinions than I’ll ever [...]

“As many as eight Tibetans may have been killed when paramilitary police opened fire during protests in Sichuan province, according to Tibetan support groups. They say the protesters were gunned down in the Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture when police used automatic weapons on the crowds on Thursday evening.” China continues its murderous behaviour against unarmed [...]

“Britain was accused yesterday of abandoning 91 Iraqi interpreters and their families to face persecution and possible death when British forces withdraw.” I found this story yesterday but didn’t have a chance to blog it. Unlike other countries, including the US and Holland, Britain will not relax the rules on asylum for those people who [...]

The Olympic stadium in Beijing won’t be the only thing covered in a cloud of smog next year. Chinese authorities also seem to be doing their best to create a smokescreen over other issues in the country, ranging from spitting in public to major human rights abuses. While lifting the cloud of smog which hangs [...]

“[Tony Blair said,] ‘Our values are not western values. They are human values, and anywhere, any time people are given the chance, they embrace them.’ These sentences betrayed a total ignorance of the range of customs, convictions and prejudices that govern human behaviour in a multitude of different societies.” Jenni Russell hits the nail on [...]

“It is a misconception that recycling costs less. The current production is so geared towards quantity and subsidised for this type of production that, when you make it by hand and recycle the products, you are actually fighting against a lot of economic forces in the market that make you more expensive.” PingMag has an [...]

“Four Muslim men have been jailed for their part in protests at the Danish embassy in London, against cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.” While it goes without saying that the things that these men were promoting were disgusting and wrong, this case still worries me somewhat. Were their calls to bomb Britain and Denmark, for [...]

“The jury system may be a cornerstone of our judicial procedure, but for the Japanese, it is a piece of foreign exoticism.” More4 News reports that Japan plans to introduce jury trials for the first time. Currently, only 0.13% of people are acquitted in court and the majority of prosecutions are brought after “confessions” to [...]