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offsite link North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

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The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

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Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Declined: Chapter One Wed Dec 25, 2024 09:00 | M. Zermansky
Introducing Declined: a dystopian satire about the emergence of a social credit system in the U.K. that's going to be published in serial?form?in?the Daily Sceptic. Read episode one here.
The post Declined: Chapter One appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The Lobbyists Behind the Climate and Nature Bill Wed Dec 25, 2024 07:00 | Charlotte Gill
The Climate and Nature Bill threatens to decimate the UK economy by turbo-charging Net Zero. But where did it come from? Charlotte Gill dives in and finds a glut of Left-wing activists working furiously behind the scenes.
The post The Lobbyists Behind the Climate and Nature Bill appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Wed Dec 25, 2024 00:32 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Starmer Doesn?t Have a Feel for Politics and His Team Lacks the Skills to Run the Country, Says Vete... Tue Dec 24, 2024 19:00 | Will Jones
Keir Starmer "doesn?t have a feel" for the Labour Party or politics in general and his team lacks the skills to run the country, veteran Labour MP?Diane Abbott?has said.
The post Starmer Doesn’t Have a Feel for Politics and His Team Lacks the Skills to Run the Country, Says Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Church of England Tells Clergy to Edit Christmas Carols to ?Avoid Unnecessary Offence? Tue Dec 24, 2024 18:00 | Will Jones
The Church of England has told clergy in Birmingham to watch out for "problematic words" in Christmas carols that imply Jesus is the "true Messiah" or other religions aren't valid. And they wonder why the pews are empty.
The post Church of England Tells Clergy to Edit Christmas Carols to “Avoid Unnecessary Offence” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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Voltaire Network
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offsite link Statement by President Bashar al-Assad on the Circumstances Leading to his Depar... Mon Dec 16, 2024 13:26 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?112 Fri Dec 13, 2024 15:34 | en

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Diamonds to Dust in Disgust

category international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report author Thursday November 22, 2012 16:14author by Sean Clinton - Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign Report this post to the editors

Blood diamonds fund Israeli war crimes

On Saturday 24th November at 14:30 pm on Grafton Street, Dublin, Anne Clinton, a human rights activist from Limerick, will use a hammer to pulverise the diamond jewellery she got from her husband years ago in a public display of her outrage at jewellers for bankrolling Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
jewellers_small__funding_warcrimes.jpg

The action takes place just days before members of the Kimberley Process (KP) diamond regulatory system meet in plenary session in Washington to review the definition of a “conflict diamond” which presently excludes cut and polished blood diamonds.

Anne says: “Having learned that diamonds are a major source of funding for the Israeli military which is again mercilessly slaughtering and terrorizing innocent men, women and children in Gaza I can no longer tolerate wearing diamonds. When I look at any diamonds they now remind me of the horrific images of mutilated children in Gaza. What I once thought were symbols of love now have zero emotional appeal - they repulse me. Diamonds are worthless, human life is priceless. I want every woman, every mother, and every sister to think of the children in Gaza, murdered, maimed and terrorized by Israel, funded by over $1 billion per year of revenue from the Israeli diamond industry.”

In 2010, Israeli economist Shir Hever stated: "Overall the Israeli diamond industry contributes about $1 billion annually to the Israeli military and security industries … every time somebody buys a diamond that was exported from Israel some of that money ends up in the Israeli military so the financial connection is quite clear".

Diamonds are Israel’s most important export commodity, accounting for 30% of manufacturing exports, worth $22 billion in 2011. Even though diamonds from Israel fund the Israeli military which stands accused of war crimes by the Human Rights Council, the jewellery industry allows these diamonds to contaminate the diamond market masquerading as conflict-free diamonds.

Despite numerous calls for jewellers to end the trade all diamonds that fund human rights violations the KP insists the regulations should only apply to rough diamonds thus allowing cut and polished blood diamonds to evade scrutiny. If, as seems likely, the KP plenary refuses to broaden the definition of a “conflict diamond” and continues to allow cut and polished blood diamonds to contaminate the market, consumers can have no confidence in the ethical provenance of any diamonds.

Related Link: https://www.facebook.com/Israelblooddiamonds
author by Justin Morahanpublication date Fri Nov 30, 2012 01:32author address author phone Report this post to the editors

. . . and all associated with your brilliant video.

Anne, your great-hearted, generous smashing of your life collection of diamonds is a magnificent symbolic action deeply appreciated by all who live in hope for a better world.

You have struck an important blow for Palestinian rights, several such blows in fact, as you smashed those diamonds.

You have pointed to an important sourcing of the Israeli war crimes that continue at will and with US support against the people of Gaza and Palestine. You have given a voice to the voiceless, you have in part avenged the murdered children and civilians of Gaza.

Your words and actions rhyme splendidly.

Well done. Congratulations. This calls for some kind of serious celebration.

author by Sean Clintonpublication date Fri Nov 23, 2012 17:58author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This event will be streamed live at 14:30 via this link http://www.livestream.com/scalltest

author by Sean Clintonpublication date Thu Nov 22, 2012 16:18author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Earlier Today: KP – Conflict diamond definition change unlikely soon http://www.israelidiamond.co.il/english/News.aspx?boneI...12117

October 2012 - Israel’s greatest fear – its diamonds trade exposed http://www.opednews.com/articles/Israel-s-greatest-fear....html

May 2012 - Israel's blood diamonds: Why the free pass from regulators and civil society? http://rabble.ca/news/2012/05/israels-blood-diamonds-wh...ciety

May 2012 - Jewellers Profit While Palestinians Bear The Cost http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/7412

November 2011 - Civil society petition to Kimberley Process calling for ban on all diamonds that fund human rights violations https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8654956/Boycott-Israeli-Blood-...1.pdf

November 2011 - Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition, Brussels Communiqué calling of the inclusion of the cutting and polishing industry in the Kimberley Process http://www.pacweb.org/Documents/Press_releases/2011/KP_...l.pdf

November 2010 - Israeli economist Shir Hever evidence to the Russell Tribunal on Palestine (at 34 min.) http://www.russelltribunalonpalestine.com/en/1087/video...ssion

March 2010 - Israel’s Blood Diamonds http://electronicintifada.net/content/israels-blood-dia.../8754

Steinmetz Diamond Company, Steinmetz Foundation funded Israeli soldiers during Cast Lead https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8654956/Steinmetz%20Foundation.jpg

 
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