Three strikes could be out

A UN report into legislation, such as the HADOPI law in France or the DEA in the UK, which allows suspension of internet connection, says that the measure may be contrary to human rights principles. The Telegraph says:

“The Special Rapporteur urges States to repeal or amend existing intellectual copyright laws which permit users to be disconnected from Internet access,” says [Frank] La Rue’s report, which will be presented to the UN’s human rights council today.

The UK government have mumbled something about how they think there are "balancing rights" of intellectual property, which suggests that Cameron and Clegg don't quite understand what a fundamental human right is.

Geri Halliwell brings order to Nepal

As if being a woman in Nepal wasn't bad enough, your best hope of your government taking domestic violence seriously is a visit from Geri Halliwell:

"[Prime Minister Medhav Kumar] was really cool - forward thinking. He wants to educate women and look after their maternal health.

"My presence apparently gave the confidence for that new prime minister to speak out about violence against women because there was a western presence there. Suddenly he thought, 'Okay, this is cool to do it'. It was having that diplomacy and saying 'We can learn from each other', basically."

It wasn't that he thought "Clearly, this is an issue nobody gives a honk about, otherwise the UN might have sent someone with a bit more clout than Halliwell to take us to task. I'll just tell her what she wants to hear, and wait until they send in someone with more gravitas. Like Ellen."

I might be being really unfair, though: perhaps ContactMusic just failed to detail the signed agreement to bring forth legislation changing the status of women in Nepali culture that Halliwell had secured?

Akon attempts to reposition himself as the first choice when Kanye West is unavailable.

Taking a break from throwing people off stages, dry-humping children and giving kids vouchers for sex toys, Akon has decided to exercise his social conscience:

R&B star Akon has launched a song to commemorate the victims of the slave trade, past and present.

He debuted "Blood Into Gold" at the United Nations, New York, on Wednesday - the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery.

He is, of course, on a mission:

"I will do my part to spread the word - a lot of my US friends are not aware of the history [of slavery]," he said.

Really?

"[Slavery] is a big situation for us - the younger generation."

But you just said that a lot of your friends are not aware of it? Although quite what "a big situation for us" means isn't entirely clear, so perhaps the not being aware of it is the big situation.

It's actually a bit of a shame - clearly, Akon is quite genuine about his desire to connect with history, but just lacks any insight or the ability to process any thoughts on the subject at all:

"It's very important for me because it was the slaves that opened the door for me personally.

"Seeing how far we've come, I'm honoured to be a part of it and I will do my part to spread that word.

"As people, we should stop using each other for money purposes."

Perhaps you should find someone else's words to spread, Akon.

Actually he has, as, wisely, the organisers didn't put him in charge of the song:

On "Blood Into Gold" he collaborates with Emmy-award winning musician Peter Buffett, who was asked by the non-profit organisation, Culture Project, to write a song for the "Breaking the Silence, Beating the Drum" event.

Akon summed up his thoughts succinctly:

“You know, when you reflect on slavery, and you reflect on modern day, just how we are living together, this could have never happened, years, you know how we remember it. And just to be moving in a forward light in the future to see Mr. Obama becoming the president, and how far we even took to become a unit as people to make a decision of that, you know, magnitude, it’s just incredible.”

That was the best quote that the UN could find for their press release. At the same event was Niles Rodgers:

“I grew up and I didn’t really have a voice, my mother didn’t have a voice, I didn’t have a voice, and today I walk into the General Assembly. I am standing on stage with people who just to me are amazing and I realize that the power of music and the power of art and the power of dance, gives me the ability to communicate a message that is bigger than I could have ever imagined.”

At the same event was Gilberto Gil:

“One of the obligations of the human race is to constantly struggle for harmony, you know, understanding, balance, peace, and so many, many, many words that we can use to define this necessity, this perennial necessity of being together, living together, taking care together of our planet.”

How was it that Akon ended up being pushed in front of the microphone?

And talking of Bono...

Guess who's blogging from the UN for the Financial Times?

Well, yes, Jeffrey Sachs is. But he's sharing an account with Bono.

It's a chance for Bono to actually expand on some of his thinking - to be fair to him, in brief TV interviews, he's doomed to come across like a glib ingenue who is over-fond of hanging out with the rich and powerful, because TV can't really cope with complex thoughts. So, given a blogging platform, does Bono manage to convince the world that there's more to him than some well-learned briefs, a lot of goodwill but something slightly empty at the heart of his efforts?

One of the things we discussed with President Barroso (before drawing up a hit list of who we go after) was the fact that Europe is a thought, but not yet a feeling. People think about Europe, but they don’t ‘feel’ it. Sometimes it’s easy to see why.

Perhaps it's unfair to expect Bono - a stadium rock lyricist, after all - to be able to express himself in anything other than slogans.

For those of you, the many of you, questioning aid on this site, you’re not wrong to suggest that it’s not the only answer. Of course it’s not. It’s trade, it’s governance, it’s private investment. But aid is critical… ask Germany, ask Ireland. See it as a leg-up, not a hand-out.

But surely he could steer clear of the cliche?

Dave Mustaine is the John Bolton of hard rock

Dave Mustaine has written a song about the United Nations. A whole album, in fact.

It's not especially positive about the body - the cover, for example, features a plane flying into the UN building. Interesting. We wonder how many other buildings in New York someone could depict being the subject of a 9/11-style attack without, at the very least, Bill O'Reilly camping out on your doorstep, demanding you be swathed in orange dungarees and relocated to someowhere south of Florida.

Obviously, Mustaine isn't in control of his facts, and UN Dispatch takes great delight in wading through the spite to show that he's basing his distrust on misundestandings, half-truths, lies and ignorance. Oh, and some Book of Revelations stuff:

The threat is real, the Locust King has come
Don't tell me the truth; I don't like what they've done
It's payback time for the United Abominations

This is where things get weird. 'The Locust King' is drawn from the Book of Revelation, Chapter 9. Mustain's decision to use apocalyptic literature found in Revelation is quite, uh, revealing. He seems to be sympathetic to a fundamentalist doctrine known as pre-millenialism, in which an anti-Christ is said to rule the world during a period of tribulation before the messiah (Christ) returns. Some modern day pre-millenialist sects believe that the United Nations (or the Secretary General), is either literally the anti-Christ, or is setting the geopolitical conditions in which the anti-Christ will rise. Mustaine seems to believe this lunacy as well.

Iran funds Hamas, and attacked the US in the seventies, there was no stinking UN

I think Mustaine may be confusing Hamas for Hezbollah, the Iranian backed militant group in Lebanon. Agents of Hezbollah bombed US marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, when the United States and other international forces were part of a UN sanctioned mission to end the bloody Lebanese civil war. Mustaine may also be referring to the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979. In this case, obituaries of the recently deceased UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim noted that securing the release of 14 Iranian-held American hostages in 1981 was one of the most significant achievements of his otherwise unremarkable tenure.

What has been Mustaine's reaction to being skewered?

Apparently, not knowing what he's talking about doesn't matter, as - if we've got this right - not blowing out his backtrumpet would infringe his Constitutional rights:

"I would rather feel right and be wrong with the semantics or facts in the song and have expressed my right to free speech, than to feel wrong and be right and sit back, like the rest of the cowards of the world, not saying anything."

Right, Dave. You don't think if you're going to issue a political statement it might be a good idea to at least check your facts first? Because speaking out against things that don't actually exist makes you look a little paranoid. And a lot like Richard Littlejohn.