Tutti i temi: Asia Occidentale

31.05.2005 The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri set off a chain of events in Lebanon leading to Syria's military withdrawl from the country and new elections. Now it appears that Hariri's son is sweeping to victory in the polls, but is anything really changing in Lebanon?

30.05.2005 This is the webcast of "Empire and Resistance, from Vietnam to Iraq" by Tariq Ali. The London-based Ali was a leader of the movement against the war in Vietnam, and remains a prominent figure in today's anti-war movement. He visited Vancouver recently.

27.05.2005 With confidence in the Pentagon at its lowest levels since the Vietnam War, explaining away the Abu Ghraib tortures as the work of a few "bad apples" is insufficient, says Col. Daniel Smith (Ret.), arguing that the repeated reports of prisoner abuse in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay point to a larger problem--one for which the Pentagon's senior policymakers should ultimately be accountable.

27.05.2005 The House of Representatives rejected a measure Wednesday calling on President Bush to devise a plan for an Iraq withdrawal. With talks of a pullout taboo a few months ago--by even progressive lawmakers--some argue that the proposal--and the 128 "yay" votes it received--indicates a change of attitude in Congress toward Iraq.

26.05.2005 ARBIL, Iraq, May 26 (IPS) - The two main Kurdish parties have still not reached agreement on setting up a regional government and parliament after elections held Jan. 30.

26.05.2005 President Mahmoud Abbas' White House visit this week--the first between a Palestinian leader and President Bush--will likely be feted as an example of the Middle East's democratic potential. But it will also serve as an example of democracy's uncertainties, says journalist Howard LaFranchi, as Bush refuses to lessen support for Israel and Congress is unwilling to finance Palestinian aid.

26.05.2005 High level "celebrations" of the opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline have made no reference to the continuing disregard for the rights and safety of people who live in its path. BP is the major shareholder.

23.05.2005 Domenica mattina 22 maggio nel piccolo villaggio di Halt-El-Thabit tre jeep dell’esercito israeliano e due bulldozer hanno demolito illegalmente l’unica casa presente nel suddetto villaggio. Nessun ordine di demolizione era stato consegnato alla famiglia che ha dovuto lasciare l’abitazione in cinque minuti cercando di salvare il maggior numero di cose personali. La famiglia è composta da undici persone che hanno assistito alla demolizione della casa senza poter far nulla. L’operazione dell’esercito è durata circa 15 minuti e subito dopo i soldati hanno lasciato l’area. La casa era stata costruita nel 1998 vicino alla grotta dove la famiglia aveva vissuto in passato e dove sarà obbligata a vivere da oggi. L’area di Massafer Jatta è indicata dalle Nazione Unite come la più povera della Cisgiordania. Qui gli abitanti vivono in grotte, chi perchè non può permettersi una casa, chi perchè non riceve l’autorizzazione a costruire dall’Amministrazione Israeliana, la quale ,secondo gli accordi di Oslo, ha il totale controllo dell’area.

23.05.2005 Yhdysvallat on jo kahden vuoden ajan ilmoittanut pyrkivänsä parantamaan Irakin ifrastruktuuria ja luomaan alueelle lisää työpaikkoja. YK:n kehitysohjelman, UNDP:n uusi raportti kuitenkin paljastaa että tuloksia ei ole saatu aikaiseksi. Irakin kansalaisten elämänlaatu on heikkoa, sähköä ei ole aina saatavilla, juomavesi on usein saastunutta ja neljäsosa alle 5-vuotiaista kärsii aliravitsemuksesta.

21.05.2005 In data 15 aprile 2005 le autorità militari israeliane si sono presentate dal sindaco del villaggio di Abud informando che per erigere la barriera di sicurezza prenderanno circa 600 ettari (6000dunam) di terra del villaggio molti dei quali coltivati a ulivi. Inoltre il tracciato attuale del Muro-Barriera porterà via al villaggio: la chiesa antica di S. Barbara, luogo di pellegrinaggio e simbolo della identità cristiana della comunità, la zona archeologica del paese, con tombe giudaiche di più di 2000 anni fa, con importanti affreschi e bassorilievi, una grande cisterna di acqua potabile.

21.05.2005 Rachel Corrie was killed by a Caterpillar bulldozer whilst protesting against the actions of Israeli troops. Caterpillar also makes boots which are sold in UK department stores. You can play a part in persuading the stores to remove these products from the shelves.

19.05.2005

Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) helps families build small rooftop greenhouses. © Grassroots International

Jake Miller's photo essay titled "Haiti: Water for Life" documents the impact of one of the worst dry seasons in Haiti. In "Gardens Against the Wall" Jennifer Lemire and Stephanie Sluka Brauer show how the Wall physically separates Palestinian farmers from their land and livelihoods.

19.05.2005 Two years of failure by the US-led administration in Iraq to improve the infrastructure and create employment opportunities may be creating an environment which allows the insurgency to flourish. A UNDP survey reveals the miserable quality of life endured by ordinary Iraqis.

18.05.2005 Internews Network will be providing grants between $5,000 and $20,000 to NGOs and individuals in Middle East and North Africa that propose innovative projects related to monitoring information media, educating professionals and students, and supporting new media programs or publications designed to improve the situation of women and youth in the region.

18.05.2005 A Canadian authority on genocides of the 20th century is surprised that Israelis and Armenians have not shown greater affinity with the victims of Rwanda.

16.05.2005 Though it hailing January's Iraqi elections, the U.S. government has prevented the new Shi’ite government from taking full control of its own intelligence services, even moving sensitive files to the U.S. military headquarters and launching an Iraqi secret police organization that reports only to the CIA--not to any Iraqi agency or official.

14.05.2005 Amnesty International considers Jeremy Hinzman to have a genuine conscientious objection to serving as a combatant in the U.S. forces in Iraq. Amnesty International further considers that he took reasonable steps to register his conscientious objection through seeking non-combatant status in 2002, an application which was rejected. Therefore, if he is forcibly returned to the U.S. and imprisoned, Amnesty International would adopt him as a prisoner of conscience.

13.05.2005 The Open Media Fund for the Middle East and North Africa opens its second round of funding to support diverse media in the region.

13.05.2005 George Galloway may be exercising the headline writers on the oil-for-food scandal but the real target of the Senate committee is Kofi Annan. This useful analysis unpicks some of the myths about the shortcomings of the UN programme.

13.05.2005 The Community Youth Mapping effort in Egypt--based on a similar program in the U.S.--is teaching students how to collect community data and discover untapped resources in their neighborhood. On-the-ground observations by Shoroke Zedan illustrate how these students are not only learning more about their communities, they are uncovering a wealth of new job opportunities.