LeapOne Launches Kingdom's First IBM Authorized Learning CentreNew training centre to boost Jordanian software development skills using open-standard technologies
Amman-Jordan, 1st August 2004 : LeapOne, an IBM business partner in Jordan, has announced today the launch of the first IBM Authorized Learning Centre which aims to provide training and education on IBM's WebSphere and Lotus software offerings, as well as the open-source Linux operating system. The training provided by LeapOne's IBM Learning Centre will help set new standards in the Jordanian software market and allow it to compete more effectively in the regional and global arena.
"We believe the IBM Learning Centre is an important milestone for the Jordanian ICT market. Not only will it provide software development and training for the next-generation of skilled labour, but it will provide a local support base for IBM business partners and customers in the Kingdom and the region that need to keep themselves up to date with the latest technologies that are being introduced in the market," said Dr. Yaser Abdehhadi, General Manager of LeapOne.
With a team of six certified IBM developers and four certified instructors, the learning centre will provide 16 to 40 hours of training for each course with trainees receiving an IBM certified developer certificate upon completion. LeapOnel is also granting Jordanian university students a 30% discount on training fees as part of an incentive plan to encourage them to take the course and advance their skills in software development. The center will also provide training courses to other IBM business partners in addition to providing outsourced services.
"IBM is working closely with its business partners in the Kingdom, investing in training and education initiatives that will help build Jordan's ICT sector," said Bashar Kilani, IBM's manager of software group, Middle East. "LeapOne has an extensive track-record in adapting advanced methodologies and delivering international standards-based training. We believe that Jordan's software industry has enormous potential and we are very much working towards supporting and developing this through the learning centre."
The center will deliver training on IBM's Software which includes DB2 Content management, WebSphere Portal, WebSphere Business Integration, Lotus WorkFlow, Wireless Communication using DB2 EVERYPLACE. In addition to a number of trainings on IBM products some of which are: WebSphere family of Products, DB2 Family of Products, Rational Rose Family of Products, Lotus Family of Products, AIX, AS400 in addition to many others.BMW Invites Young Musicians & Composers from Across the Middle East to Enter the BMW Composition Prize
4th BMW musica viva goes global for the first time
DUBAI August 1, 2004 Middle East musicians have been invited to participate in an international music competition, supported by BMW Group in association with Bavarian Radio, which has a total prize fund of Euros 25,000.
For the first time this year, the 4th BMW musica viva composition prize is open to international competitors. Young composers and musicians throughout the region have the opportunity until September 1 2005 to submit an unpublished work written specifically for the competition.
The BMW composition prize, under the artistic direction of Professor Udo Zimmermann, has been awarded every two years since 1998 as part of the musica viva concert series, which was started in 1945.
Composers up to the age of 40 can submit orchestral scores or works making extensive use of new instruments, electronics and multimedia. Prizes will be awarded, and the prize-winning pieces given their first performance by the Bavarian Radio Choir and Orchestra, in 2006.
The prizes, (1st prize: 10,000 euros, 2nd prize: 7,500 euros, 3rd prize: 5,000 euros, special prize: 2,500 euros) will be awarded by an independent jury of musicians and musicologists choosing from hundreds of international entries.
DMC Fines 50 Shops for Pest Control Violation
Dubai, 1 August 2004
Dubai Municipality’s Pest Control Section fined 13 establishments and issued warning notices to some 50 shops and establishments in various parts of Dubai that violated the prevailing pest control and surveillance procedures during the month of May.This came in the monthly report of the section, which noted that actions were taken against the violators during routine inspections carried out by the section.It also warned 60 establishments and fined 20 under the local order 82/93 pertaining to the control of public health pests in the emirate of Dubai. The section has also fined an establishment and warned two others under the local order 58/91, and issued notice to a retail outlet under the local order 57/91 for selling ready to use pesticides without having approval certificate.
The inspections were part of a series of measures taken by the section to preserve public health and prevent pest-borne diseases from occurring in the emirate.Foodstuff shops, construction companies, and other establishments have to comply with general cleanliness rules stipulated by the section and should be free from pests that are harmful to human health.
During the same period 15 Dubai Men’s College Public Health Diploma graduates received two day induction training in the lab. The report said the section has inspected according to the two parts inspection checklist, 13 private pest control companies in Dubai during May, 12 companies passed in both parts of inspection and one passed partly.
The section has also inspected two companies after receiving complaints, one of them was fined for using pesticides without authority and the other was served enforcement notice for not providing staff list and correct information to Pest Control Section. Also during May, four supervisor candidates from new private pest control companies appeared for examination and two of them passed and other two failed. One pest control operator candidate from a private company appeared for test but failed.
Middle East region's multi-billion dollar properties to be showcased at
Dubai Property Investment Show
Dubai August 1, 2004The Middle East region's multi-billion dollar property industry will be
the main focus of Dubai Property Investment Show 2005, the region's comprehensive
annual trade exhibition for the international and Middle East property
market. To be held from 1 to 3 February, 2005 at the Dubai International
Exhibition Centre, the show is geared to attract leading investors, major
customers as well as property developers from the international, local
and regional property market.Dubai Property Investment Show is being organised by one of the Middle
East's leading exhibition organisers, THE DOMUS GROUP, in partnership with
Strategic Marketing, under the patronage of the Deputy Ruler of Dubai and
UAE Minister of Finance and Industry, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al
Maktoum."Dubai Property Investment Show is a one stop shop for the international
and regional real estate industry, serious investors and major customers.
The event will give trade visitors an opportunity to interact and gather
information on the most lucrative property investrments available not just
in Dubai or the Middle East, but across the globe," said David Domoney,
Managing Director, THE DOMUS GROUP."Taking account of Dubai's location as the hub of a 1.5 billion population,
the show has been designed with a special focus on the property development
taking place in the Middle East region. Following rapid economic growth,
especially in the non-oil economy, the real estate market in several countries
in the Arab world is experiencing a boom. In Dubai alone, a pioneer on
many fronts, over US$ 50 billion of investment is underway in this decade
after the government introduced 'free-hold' property enabling foreign property
ownership for the first time. The city currently attracts over six million
people yearly for trade, travel and tourism and has a growing expatriate
work force that has chosen to make Dubai its permanent residence," he added."However Dubai Property Investment Show is not just a show for regional
residential sales. International developers seeking to attract Arab funds
and investment are also expected to participate. Dubai, with its central
location, is ideally placed to attract a wider profile of exhibitor and
visitor. The region's investors - corporate and private - are already major
buyers of property overseas, and the show's global exhibitor profile will
offer potential investors an opportunity to view the best international
property opportunities at a single forum," added Domoney.The event will cover commercial property including office and mixed-use
developments, shopping, leisure and entertainment centre, high and low-density
residential apartments and villa developments, resorts and hotels, trade
zones, special-purpose developments and land development. The expected
profile of exhibitors includes property developers, financiers, real estate
agents and consultants, designers and others involved in the real estate
industry in the UAE, the whole Arab region, Indian subcontinent and other
high-growth real estate markets of the world."Dubai Property Investment Show is the first trade-only show in the region
to offer the best of both the regional and international property markets.
We expect a high profile of institutional, corporate and private investors,
corporate property and facilities managers, leasing agents, corporate tenants
and officials of land departments, free zones, airport and port authorities
to attend the show," said Guy Guillemard, Marketing Director, THE DOMUS
GROUP.Dawood Al-Shezawi, Chairman, Strategic Marketing, THE DOMUS GROUP's partners
for the show commented, "With our combined strength and experience in the
exhibition industry, we are developing Dubai Property Investment Show as
a comprehensive event for anyone involved in the property and investment
business. Trade visitors will be offered the opportunity to participate
in a series of other workshops, site visits and development launches alongside
the main event. MEED, the region's leading international business magazine
will also host a major conference simultaneously on the 2nd and 3rd February,
2005. The whole occasion will be branded as International Property Week
to give out-of-town visitors and exhibitors maximum benefit from being
at the Property Investment Show in Dubai.The show will be divided into several zones, namely, Developers & Developments,
Agents & Consultants, Retail, Property Services & Suppliers and Professional
Associations & Property Media.
UAE Air Force starts program in IT skill enhancement for its personnel,
adopts world renowned ICDL training
July31, 2004The UAE Air Force Air Defence (AFAD) has announced plans to adopt the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) program, in an effort to bring basic IT proficiency to all its personnel. ICDL-GCC Foundation and UAE AFAD will jointly administer the program in a dedicated state-of-the-art training
and testing centre to be opened at the AFAD.ICDL is an internationally recognised computer proficiency standard, governed by the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL), the not-for-profit global regulatory body of the ICDL member countries, and administered by the ICDL GCC Foundation the regional governing body of the ICDL GCC member countries. The ICDL programme has been recognised by international organisations worldwide such as UNESCO and the World Bank, and has achieved remarkable success in the Middle East, with several education ministries, academic institutions,
government, and privet organizations adopting it as a benchmark for their personnel skills in an IT environment.Announcing the strategic tie-up, Major General Khalid Bin Abdullah Al Bu Ainnain, UAE AFAD General Commander, said, "The UAE AFAD has reached a crucial stage in the modernisation of our forces. With IT becoming part of every activity, it has become imperative for our young men and women
to acquire computer skills not only for advancing their knowledge, but also for doing any routine administrative function. After studying ICDL's global success stories in training all categories of people in basic IT
proficiency, we are pleased to announce this alliance with IDCL- GCC Foundation.""We are going through an era of qualitative change. At UAE AFAD, we are constantly engaged in building an elite fighting force which can defend our country and work for its future. With ICDL certification, we arm our
personnel with the essential tools to tackle the field of IT, which forms the part and parcel of the battlefield of the future," added Major General Khalid Bin Abdullah Al Bu Ainnain, UAE AFAD General Commander. As a result
of the new partnership, the ICDL certification program will be made mandatory for all new recruits and existing personnel of UAE AFAD."We welcome the decision of UAE AFAD to adopt ICDL certification for its personnel. This has once again demonstrated the quality of the ICDL program as the most practical way of learning, testing and certifying basic computer skills required in the everyday professional and personal use of computers,'
said Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL-GCC Foundation. "We are pleased to partner with the responsible people at UAE AFAD to assure that the delivering of the ICDL certification program to the elite personnel of the UAE AFAD
is as per the stringent international quality standards set by ECDL Foundation"The ICDL-UAE program covers the key concepts of computing, its practical applications and its use in workplace and society. The program will expose candidates to basic concepts of IT, computer hardware and software management and give in depth training in word processing, spreadsheets, databases
and presentation packages.JORDAN PLANS TO PROMOTE ITS AVIATION INDUSTRY INTERNATIONALLY
PARIS AND DUBAI KEY TO DEMO CAPABILITIES, SAYS PRINCE FEISAL
DUBAI 1st August 2004 Jordan will step up its international promotion of its aviation capabilities with planned participation in the Middle East Aviation Pavilion at Le Bourget, Paris next year and a full scale country pavilion at Dubai 2005 - the ninth international aerospace exhibition - being held in November next year.
Hopes for the international promotion were spelt out by HRH Prince Feisal Ibn Al Hussein, Chief of Staff of the Royal Jordanian Air Force during a visit to the first Middle East Aviation Pavilion at Farnborough International air show in the UK.
The pavilion, an initiative of Fairs & Exhibitions (F&E), organisers of the Dubai air show, was the first Middle East industry promotion at any international aerospace exhibition. F&E now says the pavilion will triple in size for the Le Bourget air show in Paris next June and HRH Prince Feisal said Jordanian participation is on the cards.
"I hope there will be a strong Jordanian presence in Paris. At this point in time we are unique in the region because we have two private sector companies producing aircraft currently in business - one a joint venture, which makes light aircraft for export, which is a first in the Middle East. We also have a number of companies involved in training and the supply of aviation services in Jordan. Ours is a growing aviation sector,” he said.
“It is essential that our aviation sector is progressed efficiently in the Middle East and that our achievements and capabilities are recognised internationally. In the past, progress was restricted to state-run enterprises not the private sector, but that has changed.”
HRH Prince Feisal also said a Jordanian country pavilion is very much on the cards for Dubai 2005, the ninth international aerospace exhibition, which will be held at the expanded Airport Expo Dubai in the United Arab Emirates from November 20-24 next year.
“Seabird Jordan and Jordan Aviation Industries were present with their light aircraft at the last Dubai air show but the Jordanian presence was scattered. The future though is strong and we will now work on developing a worthwhile pavilion,” he said.HRH added that though the Middle East has a developing aviation sector it needed to look for specialised markets.
“The aviation industry in the Middle East is strong in capabilities, support maintenance, airport development and duty free management with cutting edge processes. In terms of development, we have to find niche markets to build our capabilities. We have to ensure the industry is efficient and to build the bottom line.”
Prince Feisal also said he hoped for greater regional co-operation on the homeland security front.
“We would like to see something like the system in the EU in terms of handling travel visas and easing access to our countries. In order to be efficient, we need better co-ordination and exchange of information to build full confidence that will allow us to open up to the systems needed to build intra-Arab travel.
"In my role in the Middle East border control, I have noticed we have to become more holistic in our approach to homeland security. We are talking to international suppliers, in some cases companies have offered solutions or made specific recommendations. At our end we have to have proper exchange of information and co-ordination of various security elements at both national and regional levels.”
The first Middle East Aviation pavilion at Farnborough housed seven exhibitors from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabian participant Arabian Fuels Technology Center and Dubai’s Department of Civil Aviation have already committed to space in the Le Bourget pavilion and participation in Dubai 2005. F&E say other companies from throughout the region have shown interest following the inaugural pavilion's success.
“The interest is now mounting once companies in the region have realised what can be done and how they can put on a united and more impactful front to the international aerospace world,” said Alison Weller, Project Manager, F&E.“We are confident the Le Bourget pavilion will be virtually booked by the end of this year.”
Caption: HRH Prince Feisal at the ME Pavilion, Farnborough.
India and Thailand to sign protocol on Early Harvest Scheme
Dr. Manmohan Singh calls on Thai Prime Minister
July 30: The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, today called on the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, H.E. Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra on the sidelines of the first BIMST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand -Economic Cooperation) Summit at Bangkok.
The two leaders held discussions on various aspects of bilateral, regional and international issues. They expressed satisfaction at the excellent state of bilateral relations and agreed to enhance cooperation in specific areas.
The two leaders welcomed the completion of negotiations for implementing the Early Harvest Scheme under the Framework Agreement for establishing a Free Trade Area between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Republic of India and the finalisation of the Protocol by negotiators from both sides. Both leaders agreed that after completion of appropriate formalities, the protocol for implementing the Early Harvest Scheme would be signed by the Ministers of Commerce of both countries during the visit of Thai Commerce Minister, H.E. Mr. Watana Muangsook, to India in August, 2004. -Keralamonitor.com
Dubai Municipality Rules for Decent Behaviour in Public Transport Buses
Dubai, 30 July 2004 Qassim Sultan, Director General of Dubai Municipality, has issued an administrative decision approving the list of violations ýinside public transport buses in Dubai and their punishments and the list of items in the report form for the law-enforcing officials.
The Director General had earlier given several officials of the Public Transport Department with law-enforcing powers regarding the implementation of a code of conduct inside the public transport buses.
The Administrative Decision No.185 of 2004 is based on Local Order No.8 of 2000 issued to organise the activities of the Public Transport in the emirate of Dubai. The new decision entrusts the Director of the Public Transport Department to issue the necessary instructions to implement the above said regulations.
The local order, which was issued in 2000 pertaining to a code of conduct for bus passengers, suggests fines ranging in value from Dhs50 to Dhs1000 and/or police action against the violators.
Prohibited acts aboard the public transport buses and their respective penalties include: use of abusive language with driver, inspector or conductor or any other passenger (Dhs50 fine); misbehaviour or quarrelling with driver, inspector or conductor (Dhs100 fine); smoking inside the vehicle or in any of the public transport bus stations (Dhs50 fine); carrying any materials or equipment, which may disturb other passengers in any way or endanger their safety (Dhs50 fine); disturbing the driver by distracting his attention or hampering his visibility during driving (Dhs50 fine); using the emergency exit in public transport vehicles without the instructions issued by the authorized person (Dhs50 fine + damage costs); carrying inflammable materials, dangerous or sharp weapons (Dhs100 fine); eating and drinking inside the vehicle (Dhs50 fine); spitting or littering or committing any act that may dirty the vehicle from the inside or the outside (Dhs100 fine); promoting begging or any commodities in any way that amounts to sponsoring or advertising them, or distributing any banned publications (Dhs100 fine);
standing or sitting on any part of the vehicle which is not assigned for the use of passengers (Dhs50 fine); bringing animals inside the vehicle except guide dogs for the blind (Dhs50); refusing to get down from the vehicle when asked by the driver or inspector fur to overloading or because of committing acts that annoy other passengers or for reasons related to public safety inside the vehicle (Dhs100 fine); damaging, destroying or tampering with the equipment, instruments and seats of public transport vehicles or bus stops, sun shades or equipments of bus stations (Dhs50 fine + cost of damage and repair); quarrelling between passenger and another passenger (Dhs50); disembarking from the front door or embarking from the rear door except for women and children (Dhs50 fine); failure to pay the correct fare or retain the ticket till the end of the trip (Dhs200 fine); misuse of subscription card for uses other than mentioned or using other person’s card or using it from places different from mentioned on the card (Dhs200); carrying passengers inside the bus inside or outside the emirate without getting the Municipality permission according to the conditions specified by the department concerned (Dhs1000 fine).
In cases such as begging, consuming alcoholic drinks or committing forgery, case will be charged against the passenger and will be handed over to the police. In addition to the above mentioned fines, if need arises, the law-enforcing officials can handover the violator to the police in other cases also.
PRESIDENT TO GIVE AWAY COMPUTER LITERACY EXCELLENCE AWARDS
The President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will give away the Second Computer Literacy Excellence Awards for Schools-2003 at a function which is scheduled to be held here on 4th August, 2004. The Minister of Communications & IT, Shri Dayanidhi Maran and the Minister of State for Communications & IT Dr. Shakeel Ahamad will be present on the occasion. This year, a total of 56 Awards – 50 State Awards and 6 National Awards – will be presented. The Scheme has been well received through out the country and had an encouraging response from 35 States and Union Territories who have nominated 52 Schools (27 schools have been nominated under category A and 25 under category B) to compete for the National Awards.The Department of Information Technology instituted the scheme of Computer Literacy Excellence Awards for a School in the year 2002 to encourage incremental use of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) in the learning environment. In the first year of the Scheme, 21 schools were awarded on an all India basis. The DIT widened the scope of the Scheme for giving the Second Computer Literacy Excellence Awards by introducing two categories for the State Awards namely Category-A – Private/Government-aided and Category-B – Government/Municipal Schools.
The Award Scheme was widely publicised by the DIT through newspapers as well as the Department’s web site. The web site has been visited by more than a thousand schools from various parts of the country including remotely located small towns in the North-east.
Kamal Nath urged to return to Geneva for WTO talksJuly 30: The trade ministers belonging to the G-20 and the NG-5 have urged Mr. Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce and Industry, who is currently in Thailand for the BIMST-EC Summit, to return to Geneva to participate in the trade talks which are presently going on in order to break the stalemate in the negotiations over the draft. The G-20 includes countries like Brazil, China, South Africa, Kenya etc, while the NG-5 includes the US, the European Union, Australia and Brazil, besides India. Mr. Kamal Nath participated actively in the deliberations in Geneva with all the important trade groupings and strongly articulated India's concerns on the draft text of the framework for further negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). He left for Bangkok from Geneva on 29 July to join the Indian delegation accompanying the Prime Minister for the BIMST-EC Summit.
A revised version of the draft text was released by the WTO in Geneva this morning - 30 July - which is presently being studied and discussed by the delegations of India and other WTO member countries. -Keralamonitor.com
Raksha Mantri's Running Trophy for the best Hospital awarded
July 30: The Command Hospital, Eastern Command, Kolkata has bagged Raksha Mantri's Running Trophy for the best Hospital for the year 2002. Presenting the trophy, here today, the Defence Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee commended the role of Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) for its yeomen service in times of war and peace. He said AFMS has brought laurels to the nation whenever deployed as a part of the UN Peace Keeping Forces or India's Humanitarian Missions overseas. Citing the example of Iran's earthquake, where our medical teams were requested to extend their stay, the Minister said that, Kabul's request for the extended stay is a testimony to the efficiency and popularity of AFMS Team.
Mr. Mukherjee praised the military Doctors, Nurses and staff who are working in extremely inhospitable terrains like Leh and other hospitals at strategic locations. He praised the role of AFMS in providing succour during natural calamities, including the earthquake in Gujarat.
The Minister said the AFMS has kept pace with the advances in medical technology and adapted itself to the ever-changing requirements. He said the Medical Services is being given approximately 280 crore rupees annually as revenue expenditure and 100 crore for capital expenditure. He complimented AFMS and DGAFMS for taking lead in the automation of health care delivery system encompassing all facets of medical care.
Congratulating the Command Hospital, Kolkata for bagging the trophy, he said such a competition encourages continuous improvement in the spectrum and quality of health care services. He expressed the hope that the Command Hospital will strive to achieve higher standards in cure and care.
The Raksha Mantri's Running Trophy was instituted in 1989 to give recognition to the best functioning hospital among the Command Hospitals of the Army and equivalent status hospitals of Navy and the Air Force. Major General S Mukherjee Commandant of the Command Hospital, Kolkata received the Trophy. The hospital was also presented a cheque of 2 lakh rupees. The Defence Secretary Mr. Ajay Vikram Singh, Chief of Army Staff Gen NC Vij and Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy were present on the occasion. -Keralamonitor.com
Online train enquiryJuly 30: Indian Railways have introduced online train track enquiry to obtain the running position of important mail and express trains through the Internet.
Under the train track on net project, train enquiries can be made through the Internet website http://www.trainenquiry.com. On this website, arrivals, departures, train schedules and train running position can be obtained online.
This system would help a person to track down the time of arrival and departure of important mail and express trains at all major enroute stations. -Keralamonitor.com
Agriculture Secretary visits Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra
July 30: The Agriculture Secretary, Smt. Radha Singh visited some parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra along with some senior officers of the Ministry from the 24th to the 27th of this month to study the situation arising out of insufficient rains. The tour involved spot visits and interaction with State Government officers. North Gujarat and Saurashtra in Gujarat, Marathwada and parts of Vidarbha in Maharashtra and almost the whole of Rajasthan give cause for concern as sowing has lagged behind the normal pattern and at many places, farmers have had to undertake re-sowing. In Rajasthan, particularly, substantial areas are likely to remain unsown and brought under cultivation only as early Rabi.With one-and-a-half month of 'active monsoon' remaining and signs of revival in parts of Central India, it is premature to give a final verdict on prospects of kharif as a whole. The Agriculture Secretary had wide-ranging discussions with State Chief Ministers where contingent crop measures, availability of inputs and state of preparedness to deal with possible difficult situations were discussed. State Governments were also advised to initiate suitable measures for supply of drinking water and fodder in areas requiring immediate attention. State officials in Rajasthan were advised, in particular, to prepare for relief employment in areas vulnerable to distress. -Keralamonitor.com
Naga cease-fire extended by another year
July 30: Representatives of Government of India and NSCN (I/M) leaders met at Chiang-Mai in Thailand. After two days of intense discussions, it was agreed that the talks should continue in order to find a lasting and peaceful solution to the Naga issue. Finally, it was mutually agreed to extend the ceasefire for one more year up to 31st July, 2005. -Keralamonitor.com
Self Compacting Concrete
July 30: Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) technology has come as a boon to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) which is planning vast expansion of power generation within a short period of time. This new technology saves time, cost, enhances quality and has a green concept.
Since the free fall of SCC can be increased to as high as five metres against the existing limitation of 1.5 metre for conventional concrete, the height of the pours can be raised with lesser number of construction cycles. Constructability is greatly enhanced because of the user-friendly characteristic of fresh concrete. It is a "pour it and forget" technology but certainly needs curing. Due to its ability to guide itself into every nook and cranny in the form, the SCC can produce defects-free concrete. The number of pouring points is also reduced, eliminating the cumbersome procedure of pipe laying etc.
About 40 to 50 per cent of cement content can be replaced by supplementary materials like fly ash. With this, the cost of the concrete comes down greatly. The number of skilled workers needed is also drastically reduced. Cost of repairing the structure is minimum as defects are almost nil.
Since the concrete is capable of self-consolidating and reached difficult areas in moulds, manual variables in terms of placing and compacting concrete is also nil, leading to defectless, better-quality concrete structures. -Keralamonitor.com
Kanwal Jit Singh appointed DG, ITBP
July 30: Shri Kanwal Jit Singh, IPS of West Bengal cadre has been appointed Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Shri Singh is currently the Additional Director General in this Central Para-Military Force. -Keralamonitor.com
Justice Saraf Committee on Arbitration constituted
July 30: The Ministry of Law and Justice has constituted a Committee, to be popularly known as "Justice Saraf Committee on Arbitration", to study in depth the implications of the recommendations of the Law Commission of India contained in its 176th Report and the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2003. The Committee shall study all aspects relating to the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2003 and submit its Report to the Government. As part of the procedure adopted by the Committee, views and suggestions of the public are being invited on the implications of the recommendations of the Law Commission of India contained in its 176th Report and on the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2003, particularly from the legal fraternity and all persons interested in the Law of Arbitration.The text of the 176th Report of the Law Commission and of the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2003 are available on the official website (http://www.lawmin.nic.in) of the Ministry of Law and Justice. -Keralamonitor.com
World News
World Bank Increases Grant Support To AfghanistanOver half of nearly US$900m commitment in grants by mid 2005
Washington July 29: Nearly half a billion dollars of World Bank commitments to Afghanistan are expected to be in grant funding by June of next year. By then, total commitments from the International Development Association (IDA) are expected to be US$893 million, of which US$456 would be grant funding. The large proportion of grant funding to Afghanistan recognizes the scale of the challenge facing this nation as it recovers from a 20-year conflict.
Today the institution's Board of Directors approved a US$145 million package of assistance to the country. The package includes US$35 million in grant funding for education, a US$25 million credit for urban reconstruction, a US$80 million credit to support the Government's medium-term development strategy, and US$5 million in seed money for a private investment guarantee initiative. The credits are on IDA terms which carry no interest and just a small service fee.
The Kabul Urban Reconstruction Project will support reconstruction and rehabilitation in some of Kabul's most vulnerable neighborhoods, and, in so doing, help mend the urban fabric of this important city now struggling to accommodate many thousands of returnees. Building capacity in both the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing (MUHD) and Kabul Municipality is an additional critical component of the project.
Housing across Afghanistan is important, but, as a capital city, Kabul faces special challenges. It has become a magnet for people returning from displacement both within Afghanistan and from other countries where they had sought refuge. They have come seeking the security, facilities and social services that the capital offers. And they have come, in many cases, to escape confrontation with the current occupants of their former rural homes. For 20 years there has been little recording of land transactions, no clear system of title transfer or inheritance, and, in Kabul, no investment to sustain conventional urban services.
"The efficient delivery of services is essential for the development of urban areas," says Richard M. Beardmore, World Bank's Senior Urban Specialist. "The huge and sudden increase in the urban population of Kabul has created entire neighborhoods outside the city's already weak ability to deliver services. The majority of the urban poor live in informal settlements, often in bombed-out ruins. We are using this project as a pilot to help municipalities integrate these informal areas and deliver a minimal set of services to them rather than regard them as unauthorized developments to be removed."
A system of land tenure security will be worked out for residents. The costs of the project are estimated to be around US$52 million, and, in addition to today's approved IDA credit of US$25 million, further co-financing of about US$27 million will be sought from other donors to scale up the project.
The Programmatic Support for Institution Building of US$80 million is the first of a series of similar operations aimed at supporting the implementation of the government's medium-term development strategy. Since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001, impressive progress has been made to rebuild institutions and implement critical structural reforms within a stable macroeconomic framework. A new currency was launched in late 2002. Strong fiscal discipline has ensured macroeconomic stability. Budget execution and treasury functions have improved considerably, with parallel progress in the areas of financial management, procurement, and audit.
The objectives of this operation are to deepen, broaden, and sustain the reforms underway, particularly in the areas of public administration and fiscal management. These reforms will keep improving the government's own fiduciary standards, critical for poverty reduction assistance to be effective. It will also support improvements in the administrative capacity of ministries and sub-national governments, develop revenue policy and administration, and enhance civil service effectiveness.
"Without underestimating the tremendous challenges facing Afghanistan, we should acknowledge encouraging signs of increasing government capacity and tangible measures of economic improvement," says Alastair J. Mckechnie, World Bank Country Director for Afghanistan. "We are committed to helping Afghanistan create a sound and transparent institutional system, where all players - including both government and the private sector - can contribute to the country's reconstruction and development programs." -Keralamonitor.com
Afghanistan: World Bank Establishes Guarantee Facility For Investors In Afghanistan
Availability of Political Risk Insurance Expected to Kick-Start Private Sector Interest
Washington July 29: The World Bank today approved a credit to Afghanistan for the financing of a political risk insurance program. The Afghanistan Investment Guarantee Facility (AIGF) will significantly encourage foreign investment in Afghanistan by providing political risk insurance with coverage capacity of up to US$60 million. The World Bank's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) will administer the facility.
Three years into the rebuilding of Afghanistan, modern private investment is still weak, largely informal and unable to compete in the world marketplace. Perceptions of risk by investors and bankers have been a major obstacle to investment. The facility is designed to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) particularly in smaller projects critical right now to the country's economic development.
"The reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan will only succeed if there is a vibrant private sector capable of transforming the peace dividend into employment for its citizens and sustainable long term economic growth," says Praful Patel, World Bank Vice President for the South Asia Region. "This guarantee facility will help catalyze the much needed international and domestic investment."
MIGA is one of the few providers of political risk insurance operating in Afghanistan, meaning that the opportunities for standard risk-sharing with other private and public insurers are limited.
The IDA credit of US$5 million will be supplemented by a US$5 million soft loan from the Asia Development Bank (ADB) and US$10 million in insurance capacity from MIGA. This will be co-insured by the ADB in the equivalent amount of US$10 million. Together with support to be raised from private insurance, the total size of the facility is expected to be US$60 million, a significant amount for Afghanistan. The structure allows leveraging of the initial financing by six times. Germany is providing financing for technical assistance. ADB's contribution to this facility will be discussed at a board meeting to be held during the month of August.
MIGA, with 164 members, is the only global multilateral organization insuring investors against political risks. These risks include currency transfer restriction and inconvertibility, expropriation, breach of contract, and war and civil disturbance. The use of MIGA's underwriting policies and methodologies will ensure that only those projects that are financially viable and have a positive development impact in Afghanistan will be underwritten under the facility. Afghanistan became a member of MIGA in July 2003.
"MIGA's added value lies in opening up difficult or frontier markets to clients and partners and facilitating investments in high risk countries," says Yukiko Omura, MIGA's Executive Vice President. "This facility is unique in that it leverages the IDA funds and the ADB soft loans by up to six times, which allows more FDI into the country by bringing in investors that would otherwise be wary and so assist Afghanistan in its recovery from decades of conflict."
The facility is innovative also in enabling MIGA to extend its reach. AIGF will not only insure "traditional" FDI projects, but will extend coverage to loans and credits provided to local business by newly established foreign banks in Afghanistan. Additionally, AIGF will provide coverage to foreign loans to be used to finance local equity investment or the importation of critical capital goods for reconstruction.
This facility is similar to MIGA's Investment Guarantee Trust Funds in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the West Bank and Gaza. -Keralamonitor.com
UN News
India's AIDS Fight Undermined By Abuses Against Children
July 30: Children infected with HIV/AIDS are routinely discriminated against in India, and the government's failure to address this abuse is crippling its fight against the epidemic, Human Rights Watch warned yesterday.
In Future Forsaken: Abuses Against Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in India, the group says that many doctors will not treat or even touch infected children and that schools sometimes expel or separate children because they or their parents are HIV-positive. Orphanages and other residential institutions may deny entry to HIV-positive children.
"Children from families affected by AIDS may be denied an education, pushed onto the street, forced into the worst forms of child labor, or otherwise exploited, all of which puts them at greater risk of contracting HIV," according to Human Rights Watch.
About 5.1 million people in India are living with HIV/AIDS, including hundreds of thousands of children, according to official statistics.
"If the Indian government is serious about fighting the country's AIDS epidemic, it should stop ignoring children affected by AIDS and start protecting them from abuse," said Zama Coursen-Neff, senior researcher with the Children's Rights Division and the report's author.
Information about HIV is scarce in India, with fewer than half of all secondary schools offering any AIDS education, the report says. Also, the government does little to inform millions of Indian children who are not in school but on the streets, at work, in institutions, in nonformal schools and at home.
While some government officials have begun to speak out about the need to reach children viewed as "innocent victims" of AIDS, those who are particularly at risk, such as street children or child sex workers, are blamed for their situation and their needs are ignored.
To stop the epidemic's spread, the government needs to prohibit discrimination against HIV/AIDS sufferers, ensure that infected children receive medical care, increase access to schools, provide care to abandoned or orphaned children and expand education on the disease, the report says (Human Rights Watch release, July 29).
Asian Nations Make Headway On Human Trafficking AgreementJuly 30: Officials from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam concluded a meeting today in Bangkok on a framework they hope to sign in October to fight human trafficking in Southeast Asia, Agence France-Presse reports.
U.N. officials said progress had been made but warned that increased regional economic cooperation, such as easing customs procedures and opening transnational transportation routes, could lead to increased trafficking.
"Regional development represents a huge economic opportunity for people, but the ease of mobility created for the purposes of promoting economic opportunities and jobs also has a social downside. The downside is the increased trafficking of drugs and people," said Robert England, the U.N. resident representative in Thailand. "Such steps would make it easier to traffic methamphetamines and heroin and certainly easier to traffic people. Development is a two-edged sword," he said.
If the pact is finalized at the meeting in Yangon in October, it would be the first of its kind in the world. Several countries in Asia - where human trafficking is considered to be surging - have come under pressure for not acknowledging the extent of the problem.
England expressed reservations about whether the expected pact would be legally binding in the six nations.
"They have agreed it was binding in spirit, but in the letter of the law that might be going a little bit far at this stage," he said.
Some 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked globally each year (AFP, July 30).
Deforestation Puts Amazon River At Risk, Scientists SayJuly 30: Deforestation is hurting the tributaries that feed the Amazon River and could threaten the main trunk of the river if the trend is not reversed, scientists said yesterday on the last day of an environmental conference in Brazil.
Many of the Amazon's 7,000 tributaries are drying up and fertilizers and pesticides have greatly altered their ecosystems, according to a four-year study.
"So far this hasn't affected the Amazon River ... and we don't want to get to that point," said Alex Krutsche, a biologist at the University of Sao Paulo and one of the researchers working on the study.
While up to 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest's cover has been depleted - some 2.3 million square miles - little evidence of harm has been detected along the main trunk of the river, Krutsche said.
Brazilian law orders farmers not to interfere with the forest within 165 feet of any river bank, Associated Press reports.
"To save them [tributaries], we only have to follow the law," said Reynaldo Victoria, a University of Sao Paulo researcher. Enforcing the law, however, in an area larger than Europe, with minimal environmental authorities, is a big job.
"For now it's speculation to say whether the Amazon will disappear or not," Victoria said.
The findings were presented in Brasilia at the third conference on the Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (Vivian Sequera, AP/Environmental News Network, July 30).
Poverty Worst For Female-Led Families In Zimbabwe, Zambia, MalawiJuly 30: Female-headed households are disproportionately vulnerable to poverty and food shortages in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, according to surveys by the World Food Program and the Consortium for Southern Africa's Food Emergency.
In Zimbabwe, 34.5 percent of the 854 households surveyed were female-headed, according to an October study. Ninety percent of those households fell into two or more vulnerable categories, while 39 percent of their male-headed counterparts were in the same situation.
Of the 893 households surveyed in Zambia, 23.4 were female-headed, of which nearly twice as many were hosting orphans as male-headed households. An estimated 572,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS in Zambia.
Rural women were poorer than males, with over 50 percent of female-headed households falling into the "very poor" category, compared with 27 percent of male-led households.
"When looking at the same information disaggregated by gender, it seems obvious that as the level of household vulnerability rises, the more likely it is that the household will be headed by a female," the report said.
It also warned that as a whole, rural households in Zambia are increasingly turning to casual farm labor as a main source of income. The number of households with food stocks had dropped between the October 2003 survey and another conducted in March, from 24.2 percent with cereal stocks to 7.8 percent.
This was also a problem in Malawi, where 94 percent of the 793 households sampled had no cereal stocks in either October or March. The March survey also showed a jump by about 10 percentage points in the number of orphans from a May 2003 study, largely because of HIV/AIDS (Integrated Regional Information Networks, July 28).
FAO Launches Southeast Asia Network To Fight Bird FluJuly 30: The Food and Agriculture Organization today launched a veterinary network for Southeast Asia to help fight bird flu, the organization announced at the close of a three-day meeting in Bangkok.
The network will provide training and information exchange platforms for national laboratories and surveillance teams from 23 Asian countries.
"Our aim is to improve the quality of diagnosis and epidemiological data. This will help countries to judge the effectiveness of their control campaigns, identify weaknesses or share success stories," said Joseph Domenech, chief of the FAO Animal Health Service. "While individual countries have made some progress, only regional cooperation is likely to achieve success," he added.
The Southeast Asia network will include Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Two similar networks for South and East Asia will be launched soon, with FAO providing $1.2 million to create them (FAO release, July 30).
Experts meeting at the Bangkok conference emphasized that better surveillance and faster detection remains the best way to contain the virus that has already killed 24 people and millions of chickens (Ed Cropley, Reuters/Planet Ark, July 30).
West African Countries Plan To Coordinate Polio Fight
July 30: Seven West African nations where polio cases broke out after Nigeria's Kano state halted vaccinations nearly a year ago have agreed to a coordinated vaccination effort this fall, Associated Press reports.
Health ministers from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Togo agreed in the Nigerian capital of Abuja yesterday to hold three rounds of vaccinations on the same days between September and November.
The agreement marks the first public declaration by Nigeria and its neighbors to battle polio since the outbreak began last year.
"No country can be completely free until all the neighboring countries are declared free of polio," Nigerian Health Minister Eyitayo Lambo said.
U.N. officials report that vaccinations in Kano could begin today. Heavily Muslim Kano ordered the vaccinations suspended last August after rumors circulated the drugs had been altered by the United States in a plot to deplete the Muslim population.
Western Africa has detected 383 polio cases this year, 80 percent of the world's total, according to World Health Organization figures (AP/News24.com, July 30).
China Sees Drop In TB Cases With DOTS StrategyJuly 30: The number of tuberculosis cases in China has dropped by more than 30 percent in 10 years in provinces where treatment programs backed by the World Health Organization have been implemented, according to data published in The Lancet medical journal.
WHO-approved programs, known as DOTS (directly observed treatment, short-course), depend on health workers who make sure patients take their antibiotics properly.
With almost 1.5 million people diagnosed with TB every year in China, the country hopes to drastically cut TB cases as part of a larger global effort (Ania Lichtarowicz, BBC Online, July 30).
WTO Nations To Decide On Doha Round's Future TodayJuly 30: A new draft agreement under the Doha round of world trade talks was handed today to World Trade Organization's 147 member countries, which will have until midnight to approve or reject the text, deciding whether trade talks are to move forward (AFX News, July 30).
The draft calls for the elimination of farm export subsidies, a major demand of developing countries, and establishes other principles for reforming farm trade, according to diplomats involved in the talks in Geneva.
The document also presents guidelines for opening up business in industrial goods and services and authorizes the launch of negotiations for a customs code to combat corruption.
WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi called the draft text a "take or leave it" offer. If countries reject it, trade liberalization could be postponed for years (Armitage/Atkins, Reuters/Environmental News Network, July 30).
Today, Supachai said he was "very, very optimistic" that an accord would be reached by midnight (Reuters/Yahoo! News, July 30). According to trade sources, however, the deadline could be postponed until tomorrow (AFX News).
European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, who was given authority by EU ministers to negotiate on the proposal, said the EU is "making a big step forward" if it agrees to zero export subsidies. "Zero is terribly precise ... and hence the necessity to match this with an equivalent level of effort" by other member nations, he said.
He did not say whether all EU members accepted the proposal as it stands (Sam Cage, Associated Press, July 30).
Some observers expressed doubt that the agreement goes far enough. "They will come up with a paper, watered down, with minimum results, which will not solve the problems we have," said Pedro Camargo, former trade negotiator for Brazil. "We have to export more and more to buy less and less and this unfortunately will continue," he said of developing countries (Deborah Hayes, Agence France-Presse, July 30).
U.N. Warns Of Health Crisis In Bangladesh FloodsJuly 30: The United Nations yesterday said millions of people in Bangladesh are at high risk of contracting disease due to floods affecting South Asian countries that have so far killed more than 1,000 people, CNN.com reports.
In Bangladesh alone, almost 500 people have died and more than 25 million have been displaced. According to UNICEF, children are particularly vulnerable to disease and their situation is "extremely dangerous."
"The water in the cities is filled with filth and the children who are playing and walking through the water are vulnerable," said UNICEF chief of communications in Bangladesh Naseem-Ur Rehman. "They are easy prey to infectious diseases."
Rehman said that in Dhaka, where half the city is under water, sludge was gushing out of manholes and diseases such as acute respiratory infection, diarrhea, watery dysentery, jaundice, typhoid and scabies were being reported (CNN.com, July 29).
Agence France-Presse reports that in India's northeastern state of Assam, waterborne diseases killed 30 people, increasing the death toll in the state to more than 210 and in the country to at least 697.
"There were at least 30 deaths in the past three to four days due to waterborne diseases, mainly diarrhea and jaundice, breaking out in several flood-hit areas," an Assam Health Department official said. "Up to 10,000 people are reported to be suffering from various ailments in relief camps," he added (AFP/ReliefWeb, July 30).
Aid To Gaza Palestinians To Continue Despite U.N. Staff MoveJuly 30: U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees head Peter Hansen said yesterday that although some U.N. staff were relocated from Gaza to Jerusalem last week, the move will not interfere with providing aid to Palestinians in the region.
In a statement, Hansen said his decision to relocate the workers was due to "recent worrying developments" including extensive Israeli military operations in Beit Hanoun and increased unpredictability and insecurity faced by the staff in crossing into and out of the Gaza Strip at Erez.
He stressed, however, that UNRWA's headquarters and field offices in Gaza will continue to operate fully to support and help Palestinian refugees (U.N. release, July 29).
Somali Government Must Exclude Rights Abusers, Amnesty Says
July 30: As talks are underway in Nairobi for a transitional Somali parliament, Amnesty International wants assurances that warlords and those with records of human rights abuses will not get any power in the new government, the East African Standard reports.
Yesterday, Amnesty said killings, kidnappings and rape are still being employed as weapons in the ravaged country. It also expressed disappointment that the United Nations has yet to appoint a human rights adviser for Somalia.
"Somalia's new government must be committed to human rights and make a clean break with the gross abuses of the past 30 years, even though some of the perpetrators are still dominating the power-sharing," Amnesty's Martin Hill said at a news conference (East African Standard/allAfrica.com, July 30). "New violence and abuses must not be tolerated," the rights group said in a statement (Amnesty International release, July 28).
Hill also expressed concern about the difficulty some asylum-seekers were finding in the West.
"It is disturbing that Somalia refugees are being met with forced repatriation in some countries. Conditions for the return of refugees is not conducive and two killings were recently reported shortly after their return," Hill said (East African Standard/allAfrica.com, July 30).
Establishment Of Transitional Parliament Delayed
The launch of the transitional parliament was scheduled for today but has been postponed at least until Wednesday as the country's four major clans had not finished nominating members, Integrated Regional Information Networks reports.
Each clan has been allocated 61 seats. The selection process has been slowed by disputes over how to divide seats among the clans' various sub-clans.
Foreign ministers of the member states of the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development are mediating the peace talks. Members of IGAD include Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. Somalia is essentially a nonfunctioning member since it has been without an effective government for 13 years (IRIN, July 30).
UNODC To Fight Drug Abuse In Afghanistan
July 30: The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime has received a $1 million contribution from the Japanese government to help tackle Afghanistan's mushrooming drug problem, the U.N. agency said yesterday.
UNODC and its partners will target three of the country's four main poppy cultivation areas - Badakhshan, Nangarhar and Kandahar - where drug use is on the rise.
The U.N. agency will train personnel in health care, social work, education and community development to provide drug treatment and rehabilitation services. Teachers, police, mullahs and community leaders will also be taught how to prevent drug abuse, UNODC said.
Afghanistan's social and economic collapse following two decades of fighting and the widespread availability of opiates have led to the rise in drug abuse, the agency said (U.N. release, July 29).
U.N. Security Council Threatens Measures Against SudanJuly 30: The U.N. Security Council today approved a watered-down resolution on Sudan that threatens to take unspecified action if the government does not disarm the Arab Janjawid militias accused of indiscriminate murders, rapes and other attacks against black African villagers in the western Darfur region.
The resolution, adopted with two abstentions, did not include a reference to possible sanctions if Sudan failed to disarm the Janjawid (U.N. release, July 30). The United States, which sponsored the resolution, dropped the threat of sanctions yesterday after opposition from several Security Council states.
The Sudanese government pledged to crack down on the pro-government Janjawid in a July 3 agreement with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, but U.N. officials and others have said they have yet to see action (U.N. Wire).
Yesterday, Sudan welcomed the revised and toned-down resolution (BBC Online, July 30). Humanitarian groups criticized the weakened resolution, saying it was not strong enough and relied too much on the Sudanese government. One aid group that asked not to be identified said the international community was "perilously" close to failing in Darfur (Kim Gamel, Associated Press, July 30).
Amid continuing reports that militias were raping women in camps and attacking villagers, Annan yesterday called on Khartoum to protect civilians and live up to its pledge to disarm the Janjawid.
Over 1.2 million have been displaced and tens of thousands killed because of the Janjawid attacks and fighting between government forces and rebel groups (U.N. release, July 29).
13 Dead In Fallujah Fighting; Powell Visits Iraqi CapitalJuly 30: Thirteen Iraqia were killed and 14 wounded today when U.S. forces and insurgents clashed in the restive Iraqi city of Fallujah, while U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Baghdad for an unannounced visit, Associated Press reports.
The U.S. military said the fighting began when insurgents attacked a joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol with gunfire, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. The troops responded with fire and aircraft bombing raids, which reportedly struck a building the insurgents had fled to.
Iraq's inability to stop kidnappings became even more apparent today, AP says, a day after the execution of two Pakistani hostages. Also yesterday, an insurgent group linked to Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi threatened to behead a Somali truck driver it is holding hostage.
Another group calling themselves "The Holders of the Black Banners" are thought to be holding seven foreign truck drivers hostage, and have threatened to behead one of them by today if a string of demands, including a pullout by their company, is not met.
An official from the company, Kuwaiti transportation firm KGL, said one of its officials was being sent to Iraq to work with mediators.
Militants have taken hostage more than 70 foreigners in recent months in an attempt to splinter the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, deter other governments from joining and hinder reconstruction efforts (Jamie Tarabay, AP/Yahoo! News, July 30).
The new U.N. envoy to Iraq, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi of Pakistan, said yesterday that the execution of the two migrant workers from Pakistan would not deter his mission.
"This is truly a noble mission," he said, calling the killings "absolutely mindless and senseless" (Agence France-Presse/ReliefWeb, July 29).
Powell Promises To Speed Spending On Jobs, ReconstructionPowell pledged today in a meeting with Iraqi leaders that the United States will speed up spending to help Iraq create jobs and rebuild its infrastructure, and that doing so will make the country safer.
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh, who joined Powell at a press conference, said $9 billion in U.S. reconstruction funds would be disbursed by December.
"We want to rebuild the infrastructure. We want to create jobs," Powell said. "We want to show the Iraqi people that this money is being used for their benefit and do it as quickly as we can."
Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawer expressed confidence that national elections to be held in January will not be derailed by violence in the country. "We are working around the clock to make sure we are on time," he said (George Gedda, AP/Yahoo! News, July 30).
A national conference that was scheduled to begin Saturday and is considered a first step toward democracy was postponed, however.
The conference was postponed for two weeks at the request of U.N. officials, who wanted time to encourage wider participation and better prepare for the meeting, AP reports.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed the postponement, according to a spokeswoman. "The secretary general believes that a well-prepared national conference can provide a much-needed opportunity for Iraqi political forces and civil society," spokeswoman Marie Okabe said.
The three-day event is to assemble 1,000 delegates who will then elect a 100-member interim assembly with the ability to approve the budget, veto executive orders and appoint Cabinet replacements (Tarabay, AP/Yahoo! News).
U.N. Extends Mission In D.R.C.; 35,000 Flee FightingJuly 30: The U.N. Security Council yesterday extended its peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo until Oct. 1.
Diplomatic sources said the extension agreed to is short - extensions are more commonly for six months - because the mission's scope could change after Secretary General Kofi Annan issues a report next month on the situation in the D.R.C. (Agence France-Presse/News 24.com, July 30).
In yesterday's resolution, the council asked Annan to report by mid-August on how the mission is carrying out its mandate (U.N. release, July 29). The council also said it was "deeply concerned by the ongoing tensions and by the continuation of hostilities in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo," adding that the situation there "continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region" (AFP/News24.com, July 30).
A U.N. official said yesterday that violence over the last three weeks between loyalist and dissident Congolese government fighters has driven some 35,000 civilians from their homes in the eastern province of South Kivu (Integrated Regional Information Networks, July 29).
Security Council Extends Observer Mission In GeorgiaJuly 30: With peace talks between authorities in separatist Abkhazia and the Georgian government stalled, the U.N. Security Council yesterday extended its observer mission in Georgia until the end of January to keep the cease-fire lines stable.
The council called on both parties to "to spare no effort to overcome their ongoing mutual distrust" and "to take concrete steps to revitalize the peace process."
The 130-strong force was created in April 1993 after an agreement was brokered in Moscow to end the fighting that had forced nearly 300,000 people to flee.
The council also pushed for progress on the issue of refugees and internally displaced people, asking both sides to show a "genuine commitment" on returns of these people to their home areas (U.N. release, July 29).
U.N. Security Council Extends UNIFIL MandateJuly 30: The U.N. Security Council yesterday extended the mandate of the U.N. force responsible for overseeing the border between Israel and Lebanon, UNIFIL, through Jan. 31, 2005, citing mounting tensions in the area.
Earlier this month, a car bomb in Beirut killed a Hezbollah official. The next day, Hezbollah and Israeli forces exchanged fire, which resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and one Hezbollah fighter. Later that day, Israeli jets violated Lebanese airspace.
In the resolution, the council condemned all acts of violence, expressing "great concern about the serious breaches and the sea, land and continuing air violations of the withdrawal line" (U.N. release, July 29).
