25 janvier 2009

Congolese warlord to go on trial at int'l court

The Associated Press, Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Hague, Netherlands: The International Criminal Court's first trial will bring hope to Africa's child soldiers and send a warning to the warlords who recruit them a Congolese activist who helped demobilize young fighters believes.

The world's first permanent war crimes tribunal begins its first trial Monday with Congolese rebel leader Thomas Lubanga facing six charges of recruiting children some as young as 10 years old and sending them to fight and die in battle.
"What gives hope is that this is something that has never happened before," said Bukeni Tete Waruzi, an activist who has helped demobilize hundreds of children from brutal militias in the east of Congo.

"This will be a great lesson. Warlords back in (Congo) will learn that no one is untouchable."

The case is finally getting under way more than six years after the treaty creating the court came into force. While Lubanga is relatively unknown outside Congo, judges at the court are expected to decide soon whether to issue an arrest warrant for a far bigger fish Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, accused by the court's prosecutor of genocide in Darfur.

The U.N. estimates there are 250,000 child soldiers fighting in more than a dozen countries around the world.

A special U.N.-backed court prosecuting atrocities in Sierra Leone's bloody civil war has convicted rebels for using child soldiers, but Monday's trial will be the first international criminal case to focus solely on that crime.

"This first ICC trial makes it clear that the use of children in armed combat is a war crime that can and will be prosecuted at the international level," said Param-Preet Singh, counsel in Human Rights Watch's International Justice Program.

Lubanga, who is expected to enter not-guilty pleas to the charges on Monday morning, insists he was trying to bring peace to Ituri, a region in eastern Congo wracked by years of conflict between rival groups seeking to control its vast mineral wealth.

He was leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots and its armed wing during the time of the alleged crimes in 2002-2003, and he still has strong support among his Hema tribe in Ituri.

Among Hema people, "he is seen ... as someone who has tried to protect his ethnic group," said Waruzi, who now works for Witness, a human rights group founded by musician Peter Gabriel. (...)

The Secret Policeman's Balls DVD

John Cleese / Shout Factory

In 1975, Monty Python's Cleese instigated the first of a series of benefit concerts that turned little-known Amnesty International into a major human rights organization. The late-night shows featured an all-star lineup of British comedians and musicians, from Peter Cook to Pete Townshend and Peter Gabriel. They also inspired Live Aid. This superb three-disc set has five shows and a documentary. 510 minutes.

Hear the World Magazine Special Issue Celebrates "The Voice"

Elle Macpherson, Peter Gabriel, Takahashi Murakami and Frank Sinatra are highlighted in special edition focused on the unique and myriad ways we make ourselves heard

Stäfa, Switzerland (PRWEB) January 23, 2009 -- The latest issue of Hear the World magazine takes an in-depth look at what it means to have (and hear) a voice. From appreciating an artist's unique perspective to appreciating the science that allows each of us to sound unique, the special issue addresses a variety of ways in which our individual "voices" resonate in our daily lives.

Hear the World, the magazine for the culture of hearing, is supported by the global Hear the World initiative, which is dedicated to raising awareness about the topics of hearing and hearing loss - a problem that affects 10% of the world's population. It utilizes a culture and lifestyle platform to address the topic of hearing. Always linking content to the subject of hearing and sound, the magazine's features focus on a broad range of topics, from music, to art, to nature, to anything else that makes life more beautiful.

Recent Golden Globe-nominee Peter Gabriel is on the cover of the issue. Inside, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, artist Takahashi Murakami, crooner Frank Sinatra, architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and German actor Sky du Mont are featured, among others.

The latest issue of Hear the World also features a new series of photographs taken by musician and photographer Bryan Adams in his role as official photographer for Hear the World. Images of Elle Macpherson, Lenny Kravitz, Jude Law, John Legend, Emilia Fox, and Charlie Siem are all captured in a pose of conscious hearing. And for the first time, Adams has contributed a portrait he shot of himself in the signature Hear the World pose.

Adams has photographed more than 30 international ambassadors for the initiative. Each of these artists lends his or her name to the initiative to help raise awareness about the importance of hearing as a global issue.

Hear the World is published quarterly and is available at select newsstands, such as Hudson News, and at airports internationally for $8 per issue. A free copy of the magazine can be ordered at www.hear-the-world.com. Net proceeds of the magazine benefit the Hear the World Foundation.

About Hear the World

Hear the World is a global initiative by hearing device manufacturer Phonak created to raise awareness about the importance of hearing. The initiative calls attention to the social and emotional impact of hearing loss and addresses prevention of and solutions to a problem that affects more than 10% of the world's population. In the context of the Hear the World initiative, Phonak has established the non-profit Hear the World Foundation to improve the quality of life of people with hearing loss through financial and technical assistance. The foundation is committed to the prevention of hearing loss as well as the support of people with hearing loss and their families.

About Phonak

Headquartered near Zurich, Switzerland, Phonak has developed, produced and globally distributed state-of-the-art hearing systems and wireless devices for more than 50 years. The combination of expertise in hearing technology, mastery in acoustics and strong cooperation with hearing care professionals allows Phonak to significantly improve people's hearing ability and speech understanding and therefore their quality of life. Phonak offers a complete range of digital hearing instruments, along with complementary wireless communication systems. With 2,500 employees worldwide, Phonak drives innovation and sets new industry benchmarks regarding miniaturization and performance. For more information please visit www.hear-the-world.com or www.phonak.com.

Gary Go - Wonderful Video

On Contactmusic.com :

Video for Wonderful from Gary Go.


Gary Go releases his new single 'Wonderful' on February 16 2009 through Decca Records. When Gary applied for a job at Peter Gabriel's recording studio 'Real World' in Bath, Peter told him he should concentrate at working on his writing. Those words stuck with Gary and quickly he was picked up by a record label. Gary Go will release his self-titled, self-produced album in early 2009. Gary will also be playing a few dates throughout February.
7 Feb Glasgow O2 Academy Glasgow
8 Feb Manchester Apollo Manchester
9 Feb Bristol Academy Bristol
11 Feb Wolverhampton Civic Hall Wolverhampton
12 Feb Roundhouse, London London
13 Feb Roundhouse, London London
17 Feb Luminaire, London (HEADLINE SHOW)

Gary Go - Wonderful


Click Here for all you need to know about: Gary Go

'Superman' on a crusade to find justice


Carne Ross doesn't dress in a pants-over-tights combo - not in public, anyway - but there's more than a whiff of the Caped Crusader about the former Foreign Office diplomat.

Since resigning in 2004 (after 15 years), Ross has offered his services to marginalised groups around the globe, helping governments in exile, states seeking independence and divided countries attempting to re-unify. Think Ghostbusters but with a suitcase full of UN resolutions instead of a proton pack.

Ross set up his not-for-profit consultancy Independent Diplomat four years ago. Responsible for Britain's Middle East policy at the UN Security Council from 1998 to 2002, he left the Foreign Office after giving evidence to the Butler inquiry into intelligence on Iraq.
'According to what I'd seen in the many years I'd been reading intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, there was no way it could sustain the claims the government was making,' says Ross speaking in New York, where he's now based.

'Also, I didn't think the war was legal in terms of the UN resolutions - and I felt the government had ignored available alternatives to war, such as a tougher stance on Iraq's illegal oil exports. Blair and Bush claimed that sanctions were falling apart, and this was simply not true.'

On secondment to the UN in Kosovo at the time of his resignation, Ross soon picked up his first client as a freelance diplomat. 'The Kosovan government had to deal with a highly complicated international diplomatic process to determine its final status,' he says.

'They weren't allowed a diplomatic service of their own and yet were required to navigate this obscure process.' After launching Independent Diplomat, Ross advised the Kosovars until independence early last year.

Other clients include a government in Eastern Europe trying to get into the EU; the government of Somaliland (a democratic state in the north of Somalia seeking international recognition); the government in exile of the Burmese opposition; the Polisario front in Western Sahara; and the government of Northern Cyprus which is recognised only by Turkey and is currently going through a UN talks process about re-unification.

Working on a freelance basis has convinced Ross of the need for a cultural shift in diplomacy. 'Many diplomats are operating in a kind of bubble, in real isolation from the problems they're grappling with,' he says. 'I felt that acutely as a British diplomat. Somehow, discussion in the Security Council was bloodless and boring, and yet we were dealing with genocide and invasions, issues of incredible human drama. That always bothered me.'

Bridging the gap

International Diplomat (the first of its kind) is a way of bridging that gap. 'When I was a British diplomat, I always liked to think what a nice guy I was and how helpful I was to the poor benighted people on the other side of the table - whether it was the PLO, the Polisario or the Kosovars - but at the end of the day, I was always working for London. That's what I was paid to do, but it meant that if I was giving them supposedly neutral advice about how to advance their cause, it was always coloured by what was best for us.'

Now, Ross is on the other side of the table. 'I'm not just a Western diplomat patronisingly telling them the way things work; I'm working for them. It's a different world view if you're a liberation movement based in tented refugee camps in the Sahara desert.'

Yet his former experience can be invaluable. 'One of the primary values of what we do is that people will tell us things that they won't tell our clients to their faces. It's just something about human nature, that humans will say what they really think to others rather than directly to people.'

Carne Ross is also pressing for UN reform, after arranging for the Kosovan prime minister to attend a meeting of the UN Security Council (SC) for the first time. 'I noticed that all too often the places we were discussing weren't actually present. I felt that people were getting a raw deal because they weren't properly involved in the diplomatic process about their country.'

New initiative

He's now working on an initiative called the Universal Right of Address. 'It would mean any party to a dispute being discussed by the UNSC would have the right to address the council,' he says. 'It makes obvious, logical sense, and would be easy to implement, but that doesn't mean they'll do it - because the UN is not really about making fair, just and right decisions; it's about status and power.

'For instance, as a big Serbia ally, Russia had major objections to Kosovo attending the meetings. But Russia is now keen to put other non-state actors in front of the SC, such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia, because of events in Georgia. 'Meanwhile, the Americans wanted the Kosovars there because they could support Kosovan independence, but they don't want South Ossetia. China doesn't like anybody. They don't want Tibet or the Xinjiang Province to get the right to speak.'

If Carne Ross is the Caped Crusader, there's one organisation that could lay claim to being an Avengers-style league of superheros. Informally created in 2001, after Peter Gabriel and Richard Branson discussed the need for a gathering of world leaders to tackle seemingly intractable problems, The Elders is a roving team of Nobel Prize-winners and national heroes aiming to spread peace wherever they go.

Powerful line-up

With a line-up including former South African president Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former US President Jimmy Carter, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Burmese human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi, it's based on the traditional model of village elders, who resolve conflicts in their local communities.

Except these conflicts are slightly bigger than the usual stolen goat: in the past year, various Elders have gone on missions to Sudan, Cyprus and the Middle East. A planned visit to Zimbabwe had to be cancelled after they were denied visas by president Robert Mugabe. They insisted they weren't planning to get involved in any political negotiations, though - something they view as an advantage.

At the official launch of the Elders in 2007, Mandela argued they were free from the external pressures typically associated with international bodies. 'The structures we have for dealing with these problems are often tied down by political, economic and geographic constraints,' he said.

And, in a line suggesting he could also see the superhero connection, Mandela added: 'The Elders can become a fiercely independent and positive force for good.' Now they just need a few special powers.

www.theelders.org

Reactions from Oscar nominees

Reuters, Fri Jan 23, 2009

(...) Peter Gabriel had never received an Oscar nomination before Thursday, though he has been nominated three times for a Golden Globe. His "WALL-E" songwriting partner and the movie's score composer, Thomas Newman, has now been nominated 10 times, engendering comparisons to Susan Lucci among his friends. "It never gets tired, and it's every bit as thrilling," Newman said. Gabriel, however, noted that they needed to shake off their bad luck, and told of a woman in Paris who tried to get married for 20 years, to no avail. On the counsel of a friend, she threw herself a fake wedding, inviting all her friends and drafted a fake husband. "Within four months, she met her man and had a real marriage. And they are still together. So what we have to do is get fake Oscars on both of our mantelpieces and visualize (the win)." Gabriel also said he didn't know how he was going to celebrate the news, " but it will involve alcohol."

Oscar nominee reactions

By ANGELA DAWSON, The Hour, Posted on 01/22/2009
(...) "It's always exciting and particularly with 'Wall-E,' because I worked on it for so many years. I think I started in late 2005, so it's kind of satisfying to see there's some recognition to that end. We sensed from the beginning that this animated movie was going to be different, but you never know how it's going to turn out. It always was a risky thing. Along the way, there were moments of doubt and moments of great pride. Ultimately, as it got close to being completed, all of us realized it was working. By the end of the movie you were just so involved with these two robots who were in love with each other. I went to England to meet with (co-writer) Peter Gabriel for a short period of time and we kind of hammered out the basic form of a song in about a day and a half. We talked from time to time and shared ideas from time to time digitally, and we kind of worked from there. We played the song for Andrew Stanton and the other people at Pixar and they approved it and liked it, and Peter did some additional work and we backed and forthed it and the song was kind of born." -- Thomas Newman, Best Song nominee for "Down to Earth" (with Peter Gabriel) and Best Score nominee for "Wall-E"