New Events

International

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

The Saker

Indymedia ireland

Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.

offsite link Fraud and mismanagement at University College Cork Thu Aug 28, 2025 18:30 | Calli Morganite
UCC has paid huge sums to a criminal professor
This story is not for republication. I bear responsibility for the things I write. I have read the guidelines and understand that I must not write anything untrue, and I won't.
This is a public interest story about a complete failure of governance and management at UCC.

offsite link Deliberate Design Flaw In ChatGPT-5 Sun Aug 17, 2025 08:04 | Mind Agent
Socratic Dialog Between ChatGPT-5 and Mind Agent Reveals Fatal and Deliberate 'Design by Construction' Flaw
This design flaw in ChatGPT-5's default epistemic mode subverts what the much touted ChatGPT-5 can do... so long as the flaw is not tickled, any usage should be fine---The epistemological question is: how would anyone in the public, includes you reading this (since no one is all knowing), in an unfamiliar domain know whether or not the flaw has been tickled when seeking information or understanding of a domain without prior knowledge of that domain???!

This analysis is a pretty unique and significant contribution to the space of empirical evaluation of LLMs that exist in AI public world... at least thus far, as far as I am aware! For what it's worth--as if anyone in the ChatGPT universe cares as they pile up on using the "PhD level scholar in your pocket".

According to GPT-5, and according to my tests, this flaw exists in all LLMs... What is revealing is the deduction GPT-5 made: Why ?design choice? starts looking like ?deliberate flaw?.

People are paying $200 a month to not just ChatGPT, but all major LLMs have similar Pro pricing! I bet they, like the normal user of free ChatGPT, stay in LLM's default mode where the flaw manifests itself. As it did in this evaluation.

offsite link AI Reach: Gemini Reasoning Question of God Sat Aug 02, 2025 20:00 | Mind Agent
Evaluating Semantic Reasoning Capability of AI Chatbot on Ontologically Deep Abstract (bias neutral) Thought
I have been evaluating AI Chatbot agents for their epistemic limits over the past two months, and have tested all major AI Agents, ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Perplexity, and DeepSeek, for their epistemic limits and their negative impact as information gate-keepers.... Today I decided to test for how AI could be the boon for humanity in other positive areas, such as in completely abstract realms, such as metaphysical thought. Meaning, I wanted to test the LLMs for Positives beyond what most researchers benchmark these for, or have expressed in the approx. 2500 Turing tests in Humanity?s Last Exam.. And I chose as my first candidate, Google DeepMind's Gemini as I had not evaluated it before on anything.

offsite link Israeli Human Rights Group B'Tselem finally Admits It is Genocide releasing Our Genocide report Fri Aug 01, 2025 23:54 | 1 of indy
We have all known it for over 2 years that it is a genocide in Gaza
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has finally admitted what everyone else outside Israel has known for two years is that the Israeli state is carrying out a genocide in Gaza

Western governments like the USA are complicit in it as they have been supplying the huge bombs and missiles used by Israel and dropped on innocent civilians in Gaza. One phone call from the USA regime could have ended it at any point. However many other countries are complicity with their tacit approval and neighboring Arab countries have been pretty spinless too in their support

With the release of this report titled: Our Genocide -there is a good chance this will make it okay for more people within Israel itself to speak out and do something about it despite the fact that many there are actually in support of the Gaza

offsite link China?s CITY WIDE CASH SEIZURES Begin ? ATMs Frozen, Digital Yuan FORCED Overnight Wed Jul 30, 2025 21:40 | 1 of indy
This story is unverified but it is very instructive of what will happen when cash is removed
THIS STORY IS UNVERIFIED BUT PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO OR READ THE TRANSCRIPT AS IT GIVES AN VERY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT A CASHLESS SOCIETY WILL LOOK LIKE. And it ain't pretty

A single video report has come out of China claiming China's biggest cities are now cashless, not by choice, but by force. The report goes on to claim ATMs have gone dark, vaults are being emptied. And overnight (July 20 into 21), the digital yuan is the only currency allowed.

The Saker >>

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Sadiq Khan?s Officials Suppressed Report Showing LTNs Don?t Cut Car Use Fri Sep 19, 2025 11:00 | Will Jones
Sadiq Khan?s officials suppressed taxpayer-funded research that showed low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) do not reduce car use after the London Mayor spent five years baselessly claiming LTNs are good for the planet.
The post Sadiq Khan’s Officials Suppressed Report Showing LTNs Don’t Cut Car Use appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Europe?s Days of Carbon Colonialism are Numbered Fri Sep 19, 2025 09:00 | Tilak Doshi
The delusional EU believes it can wield carbon tariffs as weapons. But its grandiloquent Net Zero scheme is destined to collapse under the weight of the bloc's utter economic irrelevance, says Tilak Doshi.
The post Europe’s Days of Carbon Colonialism are Numbered appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The Sceptic | Episode 51: Charlie Kirk, Free Speech and the Scourge of ?Anti-Fascism?, and Why Brits... Fri Sep 19, 2025 07:00 | Richard Eldred
In Episode 51 of the Sceptic: Michael Murphy on Charlie Kirk, free speech and the scourge of ?anti-fascism?, and Ben Pile on how the British public are going cold on global warming.
The post The Sceptic | Episode 51: Charlie Kirk, Free Speech and the Scourge of ?Anti-Fascism?, and Why Brits are Cooling on Global Warming appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Fri Sep 19, 2025 01:07 | 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 We Shouldn?t Welcome Right-Wing Cancel Culture Thu Sep 18, 2025 19:00 | Noah Carl
The Right has spent much of the last decade railing against cancel culture, and was arguably winning the debate. It would be a mistake to abandon that position now.
The post We Shouldn?t Welcome Right-Wing Cancel Culture appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Good news from Afghanistan

category international | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis author Monday October 11, 2004 08:49author by Michael Hennigan - Finfacts.com Report this post to the editors

The massive response of the Afghani people to the presidential election is very positive news after a quarter century of civil war and upheavel. This positive development should not be seen through the prism of the US elections.

Reports suggest that controversy surrounding Afghanistan's historic first presidential election eased Sunday when several major opposition candidates backed off from assertions that voter fraud and errors at polling places had rendered Saturday's vote meaningless and illegitimate.

Afghan and international officials praised the massive, peaceful demonstration of civic will shown by millions of voters, and they played down the complaints of voting irregularities initially made by 15 candidates.

Robert Barry, who headed the European delegation monitoring the election, said the opposition candidates' demands to nullify the vote were "unjustified" and would "put into question the expressed will of millions of citizens." He called for a "thorough and transparent investigation" of the polling complaints and said they should be "dealt with as the law provides."

The country faces many problems but there is some reason for hope. Afghanistan has made some progress in the past three years. Not only has most of the country enjoyed relative peace during that time, but per capita incomes have doubled, millions of children -- including most girls -- have returned to school, and infant mortality and other health measures have improved. Kabul and other cities are booming, a national road network is under construction and 3 million refugees have returned home. President Karzai recently ousted two of the most powerful warlords from their governmental positions, and about a quarter of the militia members around the country have been demobilised.

author by Thomaspublication date Mon Oct 11, 2004 13:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The Taliban were removed by violent means for "involved" with Ossama Bin Laden who Bush blamed for the "attacks" on "9/11".
"9/11" was a mass deception created by the CIA/Mossad to justify American and Israeli oppression of the Muslim poor.
Afghans are now the slaves of America.
Anyone who claims the "election" was "free and fair" is a liar.

This article should be deleted immediately.

author by Noelpublication date Mon Oct 11, 2004 14:19author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Thomas,

I'm curious, is there any truth to the rumour that Americans landed on the moon?

author by Michael Henniganpublication date Mon Oct 11, 2004 15:21author address author phone Report this post to the editors

shades of the Taliban here methinks!!

Viewing the election as a positive development is not a justification of the past quarter century of misery.

As to slaves, maybe you should find out what some of the salves under Taliban rule think about the situation- i.e female Afghanis.

author by Terrypublication date Tue Oct 12, 2004 03:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Apparently there are more voters registered in Afghanistan than there are those entitled to vote.

I think it should be clear that the election there be recognised for what it really is: a meaningless sham.

When we cast our minds back to Oct 2001 and we had Mrs Blair and Mrs Bush giving speeches about womens rights and then the much vaunted publicity for the yellow lunch boxes that were air-dropped and to kids looked no different to cluster-bomb bomblets, and of course all the fake promises of aid and reconstruction and democracy, it is clear how hollow the whole lot has been.

Instead not a lot has changed except one thing. The heavy use of Depleted Uranium weapons has contaiminated the groundwater in many places all over Afghanistan and has thus condemended these people to a never ending horror.

author by King Amdopublication date Tue Oct 12, 2004 22:46author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Pashtun hospitality is legendary. he will invite you into his home. He will give you food before himself, as a matter of honour he will lay his life down before yours. This is what makes it all real instead of empty worthless poncers. Now the Irish arn't so bad, but from the viewpoint where I'm at present here in blighty can you imagine a total stranger even giving you a ride in their car! It is this tribal wide (not just a few nice guys, but EVERYONE) love that the west seeks ultimate to destory and replace with shop mall separation and scism.

They will never ever ever ever succeed in destoying the values of honour and love in Pashtun society.

Tribal leadership, please be responsible. You have the right to defend Tribal Soverignty...but not to engage in any false 'world takover' trips. Don't egoise please, I know that you mean well, and only want me/us to experience Allah's love, but please leave it to Allah!

I also recommend that you forget the alien puritanical Saudi Wahabbbi
trip and get back into some good skunk.

Oh and forget about the bloody american election 'game' , 'cos its a very very sick one.

Allah Akbar,

King Amdo

PASHTUN TRIBAL SOVERIGNTY!

author by King Amdopublication date Wed Oct 13, 2004 18:25author address author phone Report this post to the editors

YOU ARE ZOMBIE.

author by MeatIsDinnerpublication date Thu Oct 14, 2004 13:11author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Thanks for your on-the-ground report from Afghanistan Terry. Good of you to travel out there in order to report back with empirical evidence. Much better than someone sitting in ireland just posting what they want to be true for political reasons.

Tell me, do you hope thet the election isn't a sham, for the sake of the afghan people, or are you happy enough to hope for the worst, so that you can blame the yanks?

author by Terrypublication date Fri Oct 15, 2004 00:53author address author phone Report this post to the editors

By the same token, did you travel out to Afghanistan and prove that the election is working great?

You, like me will have take your information from various news sources.

In my case, I used a simple bit of logic which was consistency of facts or so called facts from which to determine whether what is said is likely to be true, false, partially true or false, or whatever.

The situation in Affghanistan is bad and has been going right back to the Soviet Afghan war. It is a war torn country, run by warlords.

We were led to belive that back in 2001, the US arrived and drove out the bad guys and everything has been gradually getting better to the point where we are having elections.

Well that just doesn't add up. There is this concept, that since the bad Tailiban are gone, then what replaced them is good. No, they are also just as bad, maybe not equally bad, but bad all the same.

The next obvious thing is that the current bunch of warlords will most certainly be trying to steer things so that they remain in power, in their particular region. No surprise there. Then I hear that there are more voters registered than there are those entitled to vote. That's sounds possible. Then I hear, that the so-called indelible ink used to mart peoples hands when they vote, in fact isn't and comes off. Would it not then be reasonable to assume there would be a lot of repeat voting?

Or for example, the following text from: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/oct2004/afgh-o12.shtml
In comments to the Washington Post, presidential candidate Homayoun Shah Assefy said he had received many calls from polling places in southern and eastern Afghanistan complaining of irregularities that favoured Karzai. “This was not an accident. It was pre-organised. Yesterday I thought this was an historic day, but unfortunately it was a black day for democracy and the future of democracy in Afghanistan,” he declared.

The US and UN quickly stepped in to prevent the protest over the ink debacle from exposing the election as a carefully contrived charade. UN and Afghan election officials rejected calls for voting to be suspended. Behind the scenes, US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad began a round of meetings with opposition candidates aimed at pressuring them to back down. According to the New York Times, Khalilzad “suggested” to Qanooni that he “could best help his own political future by not appearing to thwart the will of the Afghans”.

Well aware who pulls the strings in Kabul, Qanooni and several other prominent candidates quickly backed down. Qanooni indicated yesterday that he would accept the outcome of a UN investigation into voting irregularities.


So, they are being pressurized in the background to say it's a legit election. This is to allow the mainstream press to report it so and is presumably where you read it is. So it all gets down to whether you trust that this is not happening, that no pressure was applied. Now why would such pressure be applied, perhaps so that the US govt, can use it to keep up the facade that they are there to bring democracy.

I can go on. It would appear instead, you don't like dealing with the messy reality. You seem to think, that it's all nice and tidy and everything is orderly. I wish it was that way too, but I am realistic enough to see that things don't happen just like that. If only it were so.

And to your last question, do I hope it's not a sham. I hope it's not, but unfortunately the evidence is to the contrary. Am I happy enough for the worst? Certainly not. And do I want to blame the yanks? No, it 's not about blaming the American people, but it is about blaming the government and administration of that country and all those others who aid them in their domination of Afghanistan. And if it had been Russia, or China that had happened to invade instead, then I would likewise critize them.

You may say, but the US govt. is bringing democracy? Sadly, history shows, invasions are never about bringing democracy. And again you may say, but the US is a democracy and therefore that rule does not apply. Again the history lessons still applies and besides outline exactly the mechanisms that would make it so.

Number of comments per page
  
 
© 2001-2025 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy