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The World Cup and South Africa

World cup season is upon us again bigger and louder than ever before. Most of the world has been wrapped up in football fever each fan transforming into the hopeful optimist, devoutly believing their team could go all the way regardless of the obstacles. As hosts of the world cup, South Africa has been galvanised in the football atmosphere, in which locals are part and parcel of the party atmosphere. Images of the jubilant colourful South Africans are normally shown as part of sport news, however there appears to be a worrying side to life in South Africa. As part of the football footage news teams have delved into the reality of life for the majority of poor South Africans. As well as extreme poverty leaving 50% under the poverty line, where a quarter are unemployed, other major problems such as crime, drugs, corruption and HIV are a daily norm for the local people. For those who can afford to, gated residences with private security forces are musts for those who seek to protect th

Why so much security for the G-20 Summit?

Next week, Toronto will be hosting the G-20 Summit. This meeting represents a gathering of finance ministers and bank governors from the elite Capitalist nations (America, Britain, France, Germany, etc), as well as other nations who have significant resources. The estimated cost to secure the Summit is $1.2 billion. Security measures for the event include: As reported in the Globe & Mail, the hiring of a "small army" of 10,000 police officers and 1,000 private security contractors A $5.5 million, 3 meter high, 3 kilometer long concrete/ metal fence circling the Toronto Metro Convention Centre. Anyone attempting to gain access to this security zone will be required to show government issued ID while being subjected to x-rays, and body searches The establishment of a "protest zone" at Queen's Park - about 2 kilometers away from the actual site of the meeting Sonic cannons also known as long-range acoustic devices (LRAD). As reported by the Toronto Sta

View on the News-10/06/10

British prisons: Inmates converting to Islam Prisoners are converting to Islam to win benefits and gain the protection of powerful Muslim gangs inside jails, the Chief Inspector of Prisons has warned. Up to a third of Muslim prisoners adopted the religion while serving their sentence, a new report by inspectors has found. Chief Inspector Dame Anne Owers also warned of the need for greater engagement with Muslim prisoners to prevent them turning to extremism. Her report said attempts to crack down on Muslim fanatics in jail are pushing inmates into the arms of extremists, claiming prison staffs treat all Muslims - including converts - as if they could pose a security threat. But this 'blanket approach' risks turning moderates into radicals. There are 10,300 Muslim prisoners in jails in England and Wales. The number has increased fourfold since 1994. Less than 1 per cent are behind bars for terror-related offences. Miss Owers said prison officers need to focus on individual pri