‘Festive, Righteous Anger’: Occupy Makes May-Day Comeback With Massive Demonstrations

By Sarah Jaffe and Anna Lekas Miller and Sarah Seltzer and Julianne Escobedo Shepherd and Alex Kane and Joshua Holland

Yesterday, Occupy recaptured the public’s attention with rallies, marches, parties, and yes, arrests all over the country.

All over the world, May 1 is celebrated as International Workers’ Day. Yesterday, May Day also marked the reemergence of the Occupy movement, with events in cities all over America. AlterNet’s reporters were in the field — here are their dispatches from New York and the Bay Area …

Read more » AlterNet

Imperialism didn’t end. These days it’s known as international law

By: George Monbiot

A one-sided justice sees weaker states punished as rich nations and giant corporations project their power across the world

The conviction of Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, is said to have sent an unequivocal message to current leaders: that great office confers no immunity. In fact it sent two messages: if you run a small, weak nation, you may be subject to the full force of international law; if you run a powerful nation, you have nothing to fear.

While anyone with an interest in human rights should welcome the verdict, it reminds us that no one has faced legal consequences for launching the illegal war against Iraq. This fits the Nuremberg tribunal’s definition of a “crime of aggression”, which it called “the supreme international crime”. The charges on which, in an impartial system, George Bush, Tony Blair and their associates should have been investigated are far graver than those for which Taylor was found guilty.

The foreign secretary, William Hague, claims that Taylor’s conviction “demonstrates that those who have committed the most serious of crimes can and will be held to account for their actions”. But the international criminal court, though it was established 10 years ago, and though the crime of aggression has been recognised in international law since 1945, still has no jurisdiction over “the most serious of crimes”. This is because the powerful nations, for obvious reasons, are procrastinating. Nor have the United Kingdom, the United States and other western nations incorporated the crime of aggression into their own legislation. International law remains an imperial project, in which only the crimes committed by vassal states are punished. ….

Read more » guardian.co.uk

Sindh cities rocked by more than 16 blasts

Bombs target ATMs, bank branches across Sindh

By Web Desk / Sarfaraz Memon

KARACHI: At least four people were injured as a series of bombs went off outside various bank branches and Automated Teller Machines (ATM) in different cities of Sindh early Wednesday morning, Express News reported.

The bombs had targeted bank branches and ATMs in Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Sukkur, Dadu, Larkano, Kotri, and Badin.

Unknown assailants targeted seven branches of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) in Sukkur, Ranipur, Dadu, Dokri, Nawabshah and two branches in Larkano.

The two branches in Larkano located on Bakrani Road and VIP Road — were attacked by low-intensity bombs.

Senior Superintendent of Police Hyderabad Haseeb Afzal Baig said that at least 500gms of explosives were used in the bombs.

A watchman named Sammo sustained injuries when assailants hurled cracker bombs outside a local bank in Dokri.

Express News reported saying that at least 11 blasts occurred in Hyderabad.

The first blast was heard between 5:30-5:45am. ….

Read more » The Express Tribune