Malaria Kills more than 3000 Children every day in Africa Iraqis Stripped, Walked Nude thrugh Public Road by US Forces Amnesty says: Stripped naked and humiliated by US soldiers Eight feared dead in gas explosion in Toronto Profile: Tareq Aziz, former Iraqi deputy prime minister Qatar Foundation implements Oracle E-Business Suite
Iraqis Stripped, Walked Nude thrugh Public Road by US Forces
On 25 April 2003, the newspaper Dagbladet (Norway) published photos of armed US soldiers forcing Iraqi men to walk naked through a park. On the chests of the men had been scrawled an Arabic phrase that translates as "Ali Baba - Thief." A military officer states that the men are thieves, and that this technique will be used again.More
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Ousted Saddam unable to celebrate birthday
BAGHDAD, April 25- The Iraqis, who had been accustomed to festivities on birthdays of former President Saddam Hussein, have to consider exploring a new path -- living for their own euphoria. There will be no cheerful celebrations, no holidays and even no perceived reluctance, given the absence of the main character -- Saddam, a man who was toppled on April 9 following his 24-year ruleof the oil-rich country.
In the capital city of Baghdad, which has since been under US troops' occupation, Baghdadis could for the first time ignore the date -- April 28, when Saddam will turn 66 years old this year. Defying international opposition, the United States and Britain launched a war against Iraq on March 20, and the coalition troops ousted Saddam after 20 days of offensives. The US troops have been still searching for Saddam, who has vanished since April 9.
Saddam has liquidated all his rivals in the ruling Baath party and set up a dictatorial regime since the Iraqi strongman ascended to power in 1979. During his rule, he involved the Iraqi people in three devastating wars.
Iraq was involved in a bloody war with neighboring Iran in 1980-1988. Two years later, Iraq invaded the small emirate of Kuwait. Finally, Saddam went into war with the United States. In those wars, Iraq lost its army, millions of people and billions of dollars, and eventually it lost independence.
The Iraqis under Saddam's rule have been living in abject poverty due to strict UN sanctions imposed after the Iraqi invasionof Kuwait. While people fought their ways for living, Saddam snatched Iraqiwealth and spent a huge amount of money on arms industry, his palaces and luxurious lives of his own and his next of kin.
Previous celebrations throughout the country on April 28 every year were part and parcel of the plunder.The ousted regime had asked famous singers and dancers to perform on the birthdays, while Baathists had forced shop owners tolift banners to hail Saddam.Moreover, front pages of newspapers and magazines used to issue special supplements on such occasions. Radio and TV stations used to make special programs to mark them.These programs usually dealt with Saddam's heroism and his alleged victories despite the fact that during his stay in power, 5million Iraqis were left homeless. They fled the country for political and economic reasons. Penalties used to be executed against political foes who criticized Saddam's rule. Why has Iraq become a wasteland and been occupied by US troops -- a question the Iraqis ask.
Eight feared dead in gas explosion in Toronto
OTTAWA, April 25 At least eight people were feareddead in a gas explosion on late Thursday in Canada's largest city Toronto, reports reaching here said.Firefighters found two bodies on Friday under the rubble of a flattened strip mall in at western end of Toronto where police fear as many as six more people might have died.
The two-story mall with four shops and five apartments was leveled by the explosion and fire believed to have been caused by a natural gas leak, according to police sources. The blast tore a hole in the side of a two-story home next doorand blew out windows in stores across the street. Recovery crews were probing the rubble with a crane and heavy construction equipment as the search for more victims continued. Four people were sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and three of them were treated and released.
Profile: Tareq Aziz, former Iraqi deputy prime minister
BAGHDAD, April 25 -- Tareq Aziz, former Iraqi deputy prime minister, No. 43 on the US list of the 55 most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein's regime, has been detained by the United States, the US Central Command said Thursday in a statement.Aziz last appeared in public on March 19, the eve of the Iraq war, when he held a news conference in Baghdad to quash rumors he had been shot or had defected.
Aziz, the only Christian in Saddam's inner circle, has served as deputy prime minister since 1979. He served as foreign ministerbetween January 1983 and March 1991. He was minister of information between November 1974 and October 1977. He earned an international profile with his frequent public appearance during the 1991 Gulf War, but became less well-known inrecent years.
Born in 1936 in Tell Kaif, near the northern city of Mosul, Aziz majored in English literature at Baghdad College of Fine Artsand graduated in 1958.
He first met Hussein in the 1950s when he became involved with the revolutionary Baath Party that seized power in Iraq by overthrowing the British installed monarchy.Aziz contributed to ending a 17-year diplomatic stagnancy between Washington and Baghdad in 1984.
He met in 1983 with Donald H. Rumsfeld, then a private envoy from US President Ronald Reagan and now defense secretary. At the time, the US backed Iraq as a buffer against Iran's Islamic extremism.
It is believed that Aziz, who was widely perceived as the speaker of the Iraqi government, though not considered a decision-maker, could provide very valuable information on the fate of Saddam and his two sons, as well as the location of any hidden weapons of mass destruction.He was eight of spades on a list of the 55 most wanted Iraqi leaders issued by the US Defense Department on April 11 in the form of playing cards, with the order to capture or kill.
Iraqis Stripped, Walked Nude thrugh Public Road by US Forces
On 25 April 2003, the newspaper Dagbladet (Norway) published photos of armed US soldiers forcing Iraqi men to walk naked through a park. On the chests of the men had been scrawled an Arabic phrase that translates as "Ali Baba - Thief." A military officer states that the men are thieves, and that this technique will be used again.
No word yet from the newly liberated Iraqi people about some of them being summarily found guilty of theft, forced at gunpoint to strip, having a racist phrase written on their bodies, and then made to walk naked in public. No doubt the Arab/Muslim world is impressed by this display of "democracy," "freedom," "due process," and "no cruel or unusual punishment." We wonder if the soldiers will be using this technique on their comrades who stole $13.1 million in Iraq.
25 April 2003
Amnesty International expressed concern today at the disturbing article and images portrayed in the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet which show American soldiers escorting naked Iraqi men through a park in Baghdad. The pictures reveal that someone has written the words 'Ali Baba - Haram(i)' (which means Ali Baba - thief) in Arabic on the prisoners' chests.
The article quotes a US military officer as saying that this treatment is an effective method of deterring thieves from entering the park and is a method which will be used again; another US military officer is quoted as saying that US soldiers are not allowed to treat prisoners inhumanely."If these pictures are accurate, this is an appalling way to treat prisoners. Such degrading treatment is a clear violation of the responsibilities of the occupying powers," Amnesty International said today. "Whatever the reason for their detention, these men must at all times be treated humanely. The US authorities must investigate this incident and publicly release their findings."
Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention clearly states that "Protected persons are entitled in all circumstances, to respect for their persons, their honour, their family rights, their religious convictions and practices, and their manner and customs. They shall at all times be humanely treated, and shall be protected especially against all acts of violence or threats thereof and against insults and public curiosity". View the Full Report
