Tomorrow July 7 will see the anniversary of a series of Terrorist events which occured in London and the UK in 2005. Apart from the list of dead and wounded the legacy of those events are continuing counter-terrorism laws and powers which were rushed through the UK's parliament at that time. To date there has been no official public inquiry into the Terrorist events from July 7th to July 22nd 2005.

The inquest into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes in Stockwell Tube station London on the 22nd of July 2005 has been scheduled for 22nd September 2008 at Southwark Coroner's Court to be presided over by High Court Judge Sir Michael Wright QC. The setting of the inquest date was originally adjourned pending completion of the Health & Safety trial against the Office of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, which concluded in October 2007 with a guilty verdict. read full story / add a comment

Below is the first paragraph of the graphic account -in text and images- of the aftermaths of a suicide bombing in Iraq.

The photographer, Zoriah, -who you may be familiar with through earlier posts- has since had his embed assignment cancelled by the Marine Corps for posting the blog on his site, which includes pictures of dead soldiers.

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The EU’s plan to keep the illegal Lisbon Treaty ‘legal’ (=’alive’) has so far enjoyed the full support of the Irish Government and recently entered the stage where it turned out that “We didn’t need full vote on Lisbon: FG”
(http://www.independent.ie/national-news/we-didnt-need-f....html)

This essentially means that the Government is considering the option to finally discard the referendum NO, and to effectively overthrow the Constitution of Ireland by ratifying a new constitution, the Lisbon Treaty, on behalf of the people of Ireland.
“The official decision on Lisbon should enter into legal force + comments”
(http://www.indymedia.ie/article/88222)

1. The plan to keep the illegal Lisbon Treaty ‘legal’
2. What the poll results really reveal
3. Democracy: luxury or obligation? read full story / add a comment

Come join us! read full story / add a comment

Shell are starting the dredging operation to begin laying the offshore part of the production pipeline to pump the raw gas from the Corrib field to their installation at Bellanaboy. The project has been criticised for separating the planning aspects of the offshore pipeline from the nine kilometres of onshore production pipeline which they want to cross the bog landscape and special areas of conservation around Rossport, county Mayo.

The company have not got planning permission for route of the onshore pipeline, but are pressing ahead with the offshore pipe.

Natural Resaources Minister Eamon Ryan, who once supported the local community in their fight against Shell's scheme, has made no statement in reaction to the Department of Transport's announcement (below). read full story / add a comment

Singer David Gray has spoken out and condemned US interrogators for playing loud music which includes one of his own tracks as a form of "torture". "Only the novelty aspect of this story gets it noticed... Guantanamo greatest hits," he said.

"What we're talking about here is people in a darkened room, physically inhibited by handcuffs, bags over their heads and music blaring at them." That is nothing but torture." "It doesn't matter what the music is - it could be Tchaikovsky's finest or it could be Barney the Dinosaur." "It really doesn't matter, it's going to drive you completely nuts." read full story / add a comment

Ref: Greenore Port Consultation: 1st and 2nd July 2008 in Greenore Assembley Room in respect of claiming the foreshore for 300 metre pier etc. read full story / add a comment

Four years ago on July 7th 2004 at 09:47 an explosion occurred on a No. 30 double-decker bus in Tavistock Square, London.

13 people died.

A shudder of terror went through all those who realised that a bus bomb could not be prevented, like perhaps a metro or subway bomb, with metal detectors or sniffer dogs that terror was compounded by the death and casualty figures in comparison to the total of 39 deaths for 3 rush hour underground trains. It was amazing anyone could survive. One did and has written a book which Amazon withdrew from distribution in March 2008.
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Lionbridge stalls the court and tries to defend its actions as the case gets more political. read full story / add a comment

Anti-War Vigil
"Stop Irish Participation in the War!"
"U.S. Military Out of Shannon & Iraq!"

GPO, O'Connel St. Dublin
July 7th.
Monday 4pm-6pm
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Yesterday Choice Ireland picketed the WRC on Dorset street - they intend to picket every Saturday (1pm) this month to highlight "the lies, bullying, and manipulation of the WRC". read full story / add a comment

Twelve years in solitary confinement, 6 more years in "ordinary" prison, four years since his release confined to the prison of Israel with inhuman conditions imposed, fighting another six months sentence for having spoken to journalists, will Mordechai Vanunu ever be a free man again? It's time to end this inhumanity and let Mordechai Vanunu go free at last. His fate may now lie in the hands of the Israeli people. I hope some Israeli voices will support him in his trial on 8 July. read full story / add a comment

In a move which is shocking in its cynicism and casual brutality the HSE in Laois, and I assume nationally, has stopped a free taxi service which had enabled parents with children in foster care to visit their children once a week. This attack on a marginal group with many health and social disadvantages is a clear indication of how theGovt intend to make the poor pay for its recession. The old , the sick and the poor yet again. We must organise to defend basic social services against these slash and burn tactics. read full story / add a comment

Organise! and the WSM picketed Starbucks in Belfast city centre today from 12 to 1 pm. Despite the miserable weather around 12 people joined the picket and leafleted passers by and potential customers outside the coffee shop. At the start of the picket 3 people had gone inside to leaflet customers and staff. There was a very positive response to the picket however one person was falsely accused of assaulting a Starbuck's member of staff after leafleting staff and customers inside. read full story / add a comment

Shell to Sea is currently drawing persistent attention to the flouting of EU/ Irish law in relation to the Wildlife Act of 1985 amended in 1995. It received statutory significance through its signing by the then, Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Michael D Higgins read full story / add a comment

Despite Israeli and International court rulings to the comntrary the Israeli army continues to build the Apartheid Wall, promotes the expansion of settlements and shoots live bullets, rubber bullets and tear gas at protestors or indeed anyone they decide to target. Mairead Maguire reports from Bil'in. read full story / add a comment

Photos taken Thursdaymorning from Cobh
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People either know who Habermas is, or they don't. He's not the type to get quoted a lot, but if you go to university and study marxism, sociology, philosophy or aesthetic criticism - you will be required to read some Habermas and remember how to quote him.

He has written an article explaining why he believes the Irish voted "No!" to Lisbon. read full story / add a comment

Includes text no longer available on the Oireachtas timeline for this issue. read full story / add a comment

MP Peter Pilz (Green Party) Visits Martin Balluch in Prison
Directly followed by a press conference outside the entrance to the prison

Today MP Peter Pilz visited DDr Martin Balluch in the Josefstadt
prison in Vienna. He described how he had to pass through three
security checks before being able to speak to Martin over a telephone
and see him through a glass screen. Their conversation was overheard
and documented by a prison official. At a press conference directly
after the visit Mr Pilz told the press that he now had an inkling as
to what it's like to be locked up on remand.

The opportunity to put questions to the Green Party Minister was
seized by members of the press.

MP Pilz's main contention is that, despite the Public Prosecution's
accusations collapsing like a house of cards, so much so that not much
is left over apart from the ominous paragraph 278a (criminal
organisation), the 10 animal protectionists are still imprisoned.

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