mark simmons is a senior marine scientist for the humane society international and he joins us now from the u.k. japan says here that the international whaling commission is dominated by conservationists so the commission can fulfill its other goals in terms of managing the whaling industry do you think japan has a point there. now i don't think they have much of a point the international whaling commission is a meeting of nations it has eighty seven no eighty nine member nations it will have eighty eight when japan leaves countries come together and they make them use and they present their position that's not proven by conservationists already interest group this is a meeting of countries. japan has been doing the so-called scientific whaling that's what it calls it it says it will no longer now do that sort of whaling in the antarctic will instead be focusing on commercial whaling in its own waters how much of a step in the right direction is that in terms of not whaling in the antarctic you know i think we can be pleased that talk to go will be free from waggling the moment the japa

carl: a senior marine scientist for the humane society international joins us now from the u.k. pan says that the international whaling commission is dominated by conservationists, so the commission cannot fulfill his other roles in terms of managing the whaling inindustry. do you t think it is a point --o you think about has a point? >> no, i don't thinink it has mh of a point. the commission has 89 member nations. it will have 88 when japan leads. it is not driven by conservationists or any interest groups. it is a meeting of creditors. carl: japan -- meeting of countries. carl: japan and has been doing so-called scientific whahaling. it says it will no longer do that sort of waililing in the antatarctic and willll be focusn commercial whaling in its own waters. how much of a step in the right direction is that? >> i think we can be pleased that antarctica will be free from whaling. at the moment the japanese fleet is there, but in the coming season, the next season, it will be the first time pretty much the end of the second world war that there has not been whaling in these v

me is mark simmonds, who is a senior marine scientist with the animal protection group humane society internationalon to this decision? it is an extraordinary development. we saw forewarning of this at the last whaling commission meeting which was in september when japan threatened deviously to leave but it is still a very surprising and very historic development. japan says that when the agreement was put in place the decision that the commercial whaling should be stopped was seen as a commercial whaling should be stopped was seen as a temporary solution while ways of looking for a sustainable plan were sought and that just has not sustainable plan were sought and thatjust has not happened. is that a third perspective to say they did not intend to sign up to a permanent band? in 1882 when the ban was agreed, the moratorium on commercial whaling, the countries of the world realised there was no way they could manage whaling to make it sustainable. efforts have been made to try to find a way to introduce sustainability to this but it is really very difficult to achieve and effo rts really very diffi

only places in the wild by commercial whaling is permitted by and as a spokeswoman for humane society international she believes japan is returning to an era of pirate whaling by leaving the international whaling commission the idea but you see japan is walking away from the international body that is agreed under international law to be responsible for the management and conservation of weapons leaving that means that japan is walking away from international law rivera be concerned that they're beginning a new era of pirate whaling the un convention that the lure of the sea requires countries to cooperate in the conservation and management of marine the sauces and the international body for that cooperation is the idea of you see so japan is turning its back on an international agreement which has agreed several decades ago now back in ninety eighty two that there should be no commercial hunting of whales on the high seas or in countries coastal waters so japan is going to be operating completely outside the bounds of international will if it continues with commercial whaling once it's f.b.i. to s

by an n is a spokeswoman for humane society international she joins us now via skype from sydney and explain to us the impact of japan leaving the r.w.c. after all japan's been waiting for at least the last that he is despite being a possible. by leaving the international whaling commission the i.w.c. japan is walking away from the international body that is agreed under international law to be responsible for the management and conservation of whereabouts leaving that body means that japan is walking away from international law or hundred very concerned that they're beginning and new era of pirate whaling and the killer presumably japan will still have to abide by some laws around its maritime activities. un convention that the lure of the sea requires countries to cooperate in the conservation and management of maureen resources and the international body for that cooperation is the i.w.c. so japan is turning its back on an international agreement which has agreed and several decades ago back in ninety two that there should be no commercial hunting of whales on the high seas or in

the world where commercial whaling is limited because of the ban on is a spokeswoman for humane society international she believes japan is returning to an era of pirate whaling. by leaving the international whaling commission the idea that you see japan is walking away from the international body that isn't greed under international law or to be responsible for the management and conservation of where the world's leaving that body means that japan is walking away from international law and rivera consent that they're beginning and you era of pirate whaling the un convention to the lure of the sea requires countries to cooperate in the conservation and management of marine resources and the international body for that cooperation is the idea of the sea so japan is turning its back on an international agreements which has agreed and several decades ago now back in one thousand nine hundred two that there should be no commercial hunting of whales on the high seas or in countries coastal waters so japan is going to be operating completely outside the bounds of international law if it continues with comm

take these either old this vulnerable in society as the response ability of the international community and the concern or going as asians to protect the human rights to protect minorities protection you know on human rights why not the full children and for women particularly. in areas where conflicts are happening. i have participated in the paris peace conference to canada because. it was the had other than the verses of the end of the world the first war come out how many genocides how many wars have taken place and happened since the end of the world war one the victims are numerous the victims massive terror we the world have to acknowledge that we have failed to put and to the walls and to the genocides yes conflicts and problems and all over the place which we but also there are in this shit of and efforts to help the victors. without that of other burke chrisman i did and there have been the american didn't you and i wouldn't be able to enjoy my freedom today and to talk about. and to tell the world about their crimes as well the world about what happened to see this one and that's why all the victims need as say plays until they ge

society and women's rights activists in saudi arabia including some are but are we the saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful human rights activists someone maybe is a lecturer in international relations at lancaster university in the north of england he says saudi arabia could face a serious challenge of international pressure continues to mount. well i think if we look at the history of u.s. saudi relations it's been one that's been quite tranquil the saudis on really used to any of this type of. rhetoric from from such a prominent organ of the u.s. government so that quite hurt i think by this it's a very strong move that was that was passed on thursday and they're not particularly accustomed to it and so when you put that alongside what mr trudeau's been saying overnight and i think you have there in a very delicate position they're in a position they're not being particularly accustomed to over the past seventy years or so so yeah i think they're in a position where they're having to come out fighting it's important to remember that only canada and germany have said that they are looking into it jimmy has done with regard to some aspects of military hardware and canada

society to protect that order as well. in a tale of two cities again we see this propensity as human beings to gravitate to the extreme with this internal revolution as a reaction to many years of injustice perpetrated upon the poor and the oppressed by those in power of the aristocracy and a terrible thing and the french revolution came about to correct injustice but as we all know what happened was not the restoration of justice but an extreme in the opposite direction and further injustices were imposed once those that were oppressed became in power they perpetrated even worse injustices on those who had oppressed them. what we see in a tale of two cities is the example how injustice is not met just with that correction but in the opposite direction and the interesting part is dixon - - dickinson also writes about his own country, england following the french revolution and he was basically trying to convince his own country and the people that they could commit that same error of excess that they saw and the french revolution. so those two layers in the novel and then i wrote about this chapter in a way that i hope that we can see i

society women's rights activists in saudi arabia including some are battery we urge the saudi authorities to release them and all other peaceful human rights activists simon maven is a lecturer in internationalrelations at lancaster university of the north of england he says some of the arabia could face a serious challenge if international pressure continues to mount. well i think if we look at the history of u.s. saudi relations it's been one that it's been quite tranquil the saudis on really used to any of this type of. rhetoric from from such a prominent organ of the u.s. government so that quite hurt i think by this it's a very strong move that was that was passed on thursday and they're not particularly accustomed to it and so when you put that alongside what mr trudeau's been saying overnight and i think you have there in a very delicate position they're in a position they're not being particularly accustomed to over the past seventy years or so so yeah i think they're in a position where they're having to come out fighting it's important to remember that that only canada and germany have said that they are looking into it jimmy has done with regard to some aspects of military hardwar

crime and terrorism well this married with the fact that it's been an international crackdown on civil society a context in which human rights defenders are increasingly criminalized means that there's a huge gap within which human rights defenders are being targeted with in this game caught up with the national security rhetoric but all it's really doing is shrinking the space for civil society shrinking the human rights space for us all and increasingly violating privacy rights of people around the world are we entering an era now where information in all its forms whether it's on social media or elsewhere is is being essentially being weaponized now by governments. certainly information that's in the public all information can be weaponized if it's sort of used right i think the issue here is that we all still have a reasonable expectation of privacy and particularly for human rights defenders civil society people fighting for the rights of it all that reasonable expectation of privacy is being you know it increasingly synched and so i don't think that the weaponization of our private spaces is a legitimate way for