U.N. Rights Envoy To Visit Iran
Friday, October 17, 2003
The U.N. special rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression will visit Iran Nov. 4-10 at Tehran's invitation following postponement of the trip earlier this year.Ambeyi Ligabo, whose duties include gathering information about threats directed at journalists and others who disseminate information, plans to meet with Iranian authorities and U.N. representatives. He will also meet with activists, journalists and scholars (U.N. release, Oct. 17). More
Dawood Ibrahim is a "global terrorist": US (We are not better?)
HSBC on the move for a shift of its jobs to India
London, Oct 18: HSBC, one of the top banks in UK has announced its decision to shift 4,000 jobs to India, China and Malaysia in the biggest single export of finance positions to Asia.HSBC, has more than 45,000 staff in the UK and about 100,000 worldwide. Bill Dalton, HSBC's chief executive said the job cuts were "essential" for the bank's continued success. He said that the creation of new jobs in developing countries such as India, China and Malaysia is a very positive contribution to their economies. Unifi, the financial workers' unions, said it would fight the move "tooth and nail" and was considering industrial action. The bank said 1,500 positions would move from Britain in 2004, another 2,000 in 2005 and 500 more in 2006. -Keralamonitor.com
Foundation stone of Panipat refinery expansion project laid
Panipat, Oct 18 : Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today laid the foundation stone of Panipat refinery expansion project here. In a speech that followed, Vajpayee rejected the demand for right to self-determination in Jammu and Kashmir questioning how anybody capturing power through gun could indulge in such talks.
"There has been talk in Kuala Lumpur of right to self-determination (in Jammu and Kashmir). Does Pakistan have democracy? Does it have an elected government? "Those who rule at gunpoint are talking of right to self-determination. It is not right," he said addressing a gathering. He said that unlike in Pakistan, he was "an elected Prime Minister and will remain so till people wish.""We do not want anybody's land but we will not part with even an inch of ours," he asserted. Vajpayee also said that the parts of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan belong to India. The issue relating to their retrieval will be taken up whenever there is talk on the state. -Keralamonitor.com
AIR office in fire in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, Oct 18: In a major fire that broke out at the Air India Radio office here early morning much of the official records were destroyed, a Fire Department official said. The blaze broke out in the duty room of the AIR building and destroyed documents, furniture among other things. No casualty or injuries were reported in the fire which has been controlled. -Keralamonitor.comDileep Tirkey to lead 16-member team for Afro-Asian Games
New Delhi, Oct 18: Dilip Tirkey, is to lead the 16-member team named by the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) for the inaugural Afro-Asian Games starting in Hyderabad on October 24. Tirkey was the captain of the side before being replaced by the senior-most member of the team Dhanraj Pillai who took over the reins early this year. Pillai along with seven members of the team which won its maiden Asia Cup title in Malaysia late last month, have been "rested" by the IHF keeping an eye on important tournaments ahead. The team consists of Dilip Tirkey (capt), Devesh Chauhan, Bharat Chetri, Kanwalpreet Singh, Harpal Singh, Bimal Lakra, Vikram Pillay, Ignace Tirkey, Prabodh Tirkey, Viren Rasquinha, Len Aiyappa, Gagan Ajit Singh, Deepak Thakur, Prabhjot Singh, Sandeep Michael, Arjun Halappa which include two goalkeepers, three full backs, six mid-fielders and five forwards. -Keralamonitor.com
'Made in India' show organised by CII
Beijing, Oct 18: In the largest-ever 'Made in India' show organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), top officials of the Indian Steel Alliance (ISA) and the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) met and formed the first industrial level working group to step up bilateral cooperation. Chairman of ISA J J Irani said the working Group, the first industry level group, would discuss India-China cooperation in iron ore and steel and address issues and discuss specific areas of Cooperation between the two countries in this vital sector.Welcoming the move, CISA Chairman Wu Xichun said the decision to establish a formal link between the two countries was important and would ensure a smooth flow of information. He also proposed that the two sides could hold discussions on five specific areas including, potential of export for the next two to three years, establishment of long-term contract for import of iron ore from India, expand long-term purchase of iron ore and establish a joint venture in India for iron ore, reviewing the trade in iron and steel and cooperation on issues relating to multilateral agreements. Wu also announced that a delegation from China would visit India as a next step in the process in December 2003. -Keralamonitor.com
Dawood Ibrahim is a "global terrorist": US (We are not better?)
Washington, Oct 17: US in a significant move, has declared as "global terrorist" Mumbai underworld don Dawood Ibrahim based in Karachi with Pakistani passport, saying he has links with al Qaeda and is financing activities of Lashkar-e-Toiba and other Islamic extremists to destablise the Indian Government. Washington will now be requesting the United Nations to list him as a global terrorist. "Ibrahim Dawood alias Ebrahim Dawood alias Hassan Sheikh Dawood, Karachi, possessing Pakistani passport number 0869537 (individual category)" has been "specially designated global terrorist" and his assets within the US have been frozen, the Treasury Department announced yesterday.The US action would help India in mounting pressure on Pakistan to send back the fugitive to India, who is among the 20 most-wanted persons sought by New Delhi from Islamabad. He is wanted by India among other crimes, in connection with his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. US finding that Dawood Ibrahim was in Karachi and possessed Pakistani passport vindicated India's assertion that he is in Pakistan though President Pervez Musharraf has denied it. -Keralamonitor.com
UK News
Crewmen fall into harbour after excercise
LONDON Oct 18: At quarter to twelve this morning five crewmen from the ro-ro cargo vessel `St Rognvald' were rescued by a fast rescue craft (FRC) from Lerwick Harbour following an accident.
Following an exercise, and during recovery of one of the ships lifeboats, an aft recovery ring/hook is thought to have suffered a failure, throwing all five men 25 to 30 feet down the side of the vessel into the water, and leaving the liferaft swinging from the side of the vessel.
A nearby rig standby vessel immediately launched its FRC to rescue the crewmen, who were all recovered and taken by waiting ambulances to Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick for treatment. Two of the crew have now been discharged from hospital and have returned to their vessel whilst three of the injured crew members are to be kept in hospital for observation. Glynn Young, Watch Manager at Shetland Coastguard said: "The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) were informed of this serious incident and have indicated that they are sending two
officers to investigate. The will remain in situ on the side of the vessel until MAIB officers have inspected the vessel."-Keralamonitor.com
Yarmouth Coastguard co-ordinate rescue of seakayakers
Oct 18: Yarmouth Coastguard have co-ordinated the rescue of sixteen seakayakers today after they got into difficulty in rough, breaking seas off Wells Next the Sea, North Norfolk.
Yarmouth Coastguard received a radio Mayday call from the group
leader at 11:40hrs this morning reporting that one kayak had been
holed and a person was in the water. The group leader then requested
immediate assistance as they were in difficulties.Yarmouth Coastguard requested the launch of the Wells Inshore and All
Weather lifeboats and tasked the Wells Coastguard Team to proceed to
the scene and report back.The Wells Inshore Lifeboat was quickly at the scene and rescued the
person from the water and rushed him ashore for medical attention
from the Ambulance Service. The Inshore Lifeboat then returned to
collect a second kayaker, who had also been in the water but had
managed to get back aboard his kayak, was also taken to shore for
medical attention.The other 14 kayakers were then escorted back to the beach by the
Inshore Lifeboat where they were met by the Wells Coastguard team.Yarmouth Coastguard Watch Manager, Roly McKie said:
" The kayakers did the right thing and called for help as soon as
possible. Also, by having a radio they could make the emergency call
quickly and easily. We recommend that all sea users obtain a VHF DSC
Radio and keep it ready for use at all times. We would also highlight
the importance of obtaining the weather and sea conditions from the
Coastguard before going out on the water." -Keralamonitor.com
UN News
Annan Asks Muslim Leaders To "Unite Against Extremism"
Friday, October 17, 2003
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan told leaders of 57 Muslim nations gathered in Putrajaya, Malaysia, yesterday that a too-common sense of rising hostility between Islam and the West is "ugly, dangerous and wrong."
In prepared comments read by his special envoy to Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, the secretary general urged the ministers at the Organization of the Islamic Conference annual summit to join in a worldwide struggle against extremism.
"We must unite our efforts to address the extremism that is, alas, on the rise, not only in Islam, but among many faiths," Annan said.
Pointing to a distinguished history of Muslim people's achievements in politics, art, literature, mathematics and other disciplines, Annan said "there is nothing natural or inevitable" about the "sad state" in which many Muslims find themselves today and urged Muslims to adopt the moderate stance necessary to influence world affairs.
"Only when Muslims enjoy their fundamental rights and freedoms, only when the Holy Quran is understood as enjoining education for all, and when the creative talents of so many Muslims, including women, is harnessed to develop the Muslim communities - only then will the Islamic world be able to assert its influence in shaping world events for the better," Annan said.
Although the Islamic world has been "traumatized" by the suffering of many Muslims, and Palestinians in particular, Annan said, the violence of suicide bombings are not the answer.
"These acts of terrorism, abhorred and rejected by all of you, defile and damage even the most legitimate cause. They must be condemned and must be stopped," he said (U.N. release, Oct. 16).
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, whose country has been considered soft on terrorism, according to Agence France-Presse, today condemned extremism and urged fellow leaders of Muslim nations to strengthen their counterterrorism efforts.
"The bullets that kill women and children, terrorize those secured in their safety and destroy innocent communities do not come from rifles but from deviant thoughts and misguided interpretations of our great religion and its noble message," he said (AFP/Yahoo! News, Oct. 17).
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar today apologized for "any misunderstanding" that may have sprung from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's assertion yesterday at the conference that "Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them."
The Malaysian leader's remarks drew criticism from many countries as divisive and anti-Semitic. Syed Hamid said Mahathir's comments were intended to discredit violence and show "that if you ponder and sit down to think, you can be very powerful" (Patrick McDowell, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Oct. 17).
Slow Global Fund Flow Next Year
Friday, October 17, 2003
Amid concern that it will run out of money, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will cut the number of grants it awards in 2004, holding one round of giving compared with two this year.
The decision came during a meeting of its trustees in Thailand this week, where the fund announced $623 million in awards to 71 prevention and treatment programs in about 50 countries, a much smaller sum than the $884 million awarded during this year's first round of grants, in January.
An independent agency funded by governments, foundations and individuals, the Global Fund has awarded $2.1 billion in grants since its launch less than two years ago. Its pledge to help meet the World Health Organization's recently-announced goal of providing antiretroviral HIV/AIDS drugs to 3 million of the world's poorest people by the end of 2005 will require it to expand its role even further.
According to the Washington Post, the decision to hold only one round of grants next year is an acknowledgement that the current pace of grant-giving could prove unsustainable.
Anil Soni, adviser to Global Fund Executive Director Richard Feachem, says the concerns of large donors, including the fund's largest, the United States, are "legitimate." "But we have to balance it with the urgent need to save millions of lives," she adds.
In the current round of grant-giving, all the applications judged to be good enough - about a third of those proposed - will get money. The grants will help put 200,000 people on antiretroviral drugs, cover HIV/AIDS testing and counseling for 7 million people, provide 760,000 courses of tuberculosis treatment and buy 18 million mosquito nets to prevent malaria, the Post reports.
Of the $623 million awarded, $101 million will be paid for by donations pledged for 2004, since this year's funding is already committed. Although Feachem says he intends to avoid that practice in the future, the Global Fund's experience shows the difficulties of correctly predicting its resources and the demand for them.
While many countries support campaigns against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria outside of the fund, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, chairman of the fund's board of directors, said yesterday that some donors have not faced up to the magnitude of the AIDS epidemic and have been "a little stingy in their contributions."
Under the terms of the White House's five-year, $15 billion plan to battle the three diseases in 14 countries, the United States cannot be responsible for more than a third of the Global Fund's cumulative pledges. That condition is expected to cut significantly the $1 billion the United States has made available for the fund for next year (David Brown, The Washington Post, Oct. 17).
U.S. Troops, Iraqi Police Clash With Shiite Cleric's Supporters
Friday, October 17, 2003
Three U.S. troops died and seven were injured when they clashed overnight with loyalists of a Shiite Muslim cleric in Karbala, Agence France-Presse reported. The deaths brought the total of U.S. combat losses since the end of major hostilities to 100.
Two Iraqi police were killed and five were wounded in the attack, which began when Iraqis fired on a coalition patrol from rooftops near the al-Abbas mosque, the headquarters of Shiite cleric Mahmud al-Hassani (AFP/Yahoo! News, Oct. 17). Military police had been investigating reports of armed Iraqis gathering near the mosque after curfew (Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press/Los Angeles Times, Oct. 17).
Also yesterday, police in the northern city of Irbil shot and killed the driver of a car loaded with 220 pounds of explosives as the vehicle approached a government office.
Near the northern city of Hadeetha, a pipeline explosion yesterday was blamed on saboteurs. Because the oil in the pipeline was destined for domestic markets, Iraq will export 80,000 fewer barrels per day in order to make up for the loss until the pipeline is repaired (AP/Baltimore Sun, Oct. 17).
U.S. Senate Turns Half Of Bush's $20 Million Grant Request For Iraq To Loan
The U.S. Senate yesterday defied the White House by narrowly approving a plan to designate as a loan half of the $20 billion sought by U.S. President George W. Bush to rebuild Iraq. Bush wanted the $20 billion in its entirety to be a grant. Under the Senate's plan, the United States will forgive its $10 billion loan to Iraq if other nations write off Iraq's debt.
Yesterday the House defeated a similar loan plan. The two bodies will have to negotiate a settlement ahead of next week's donors conference in Madrid (Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post, Oct. 17).
In other developments, U.S. and British officials are reportedly rethinking the role of 10,000 Turkish troops pledged last week by Ankara. Protests by Iraqis have forced coalition authorities to consider alternate strategies for the Turks, including reducing their force, keeping them out of front-line roles and having them serve but not in uniform, the London Guardian reports (Ewen MacAskill, Oct. 17).
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is planning to cut the number of U.S. troops in Iraq from 147,000 at present to 113,000 next year (Jim Wolf, Reuters, Oct. 17). The news comes amid reports by the Stars and Stripes that more than 70 percent of U.S. troops in Iraq report "low" or "average" morale, and about a third say the mission is poorly defined, if at all (BBC Online, Oct. 16).
U.S. Submits U.N. Resolution On Women's Political Role
Friday, October 17, 2003
Washington- The United States, fresh from yesterday's U.N. Security Council victory on Iraq, is planning to table a resolution in the General Assembly today aimed at increasing the political participation of women around the world, Bush administration officials say.
U.S. Representative to the Commission on the Status of Women Ellen Sauerbrey told U.N. Wire this morning that even though the measure will be tabled today, final negotiations on the language will continue into next week.
A senior administration official told U.N. Wire yesterday that the proposal focuses on the role of civil society and the private sector in working with governments to eliminate laws and regulations that discriminate against women in the political process and encourage political parties to seek and train women candidates, as well as to promote initiatives to train women how to vote, govern and advocate effectively.
The watchword, this official said, is "civic responsibility" and trying to equip women so that they can compete in politics and so that governments do not discriminate against them.
"Disturbing Attempts" To Quiet Women
"We have seen disturbing attempts in some countries - for example by the former governments of Afghanistan and Iraq - to quiet the voice of women," Sauerbrey said Wednesday in a statement on the proposal.
Sauerbrey, a former minority leader of the House of Delegates in the U.S. state of Maryland, said that with her 30 years of involvement in politics, "I have seen firsthand that women are successful campaigners, organizers and mobilizers, but that they too rarely contest for public office."
"This is one reason," she said, "why so few women serve in elective office at all levels of government."
Sauerbrey said that women, particularly in poorer countries and emerging democracies, often do not know how to run campaigns or overcome barriers to their participation and that governments and civil society must give them the tools to learn.
She said the resolution includes basic principles on women's participation and integration into the political process, stating that women have the right to vote in all elections, run for and hold office, associate with like-minded individuals, publicly express their views and debate public policy.
"The resolution's action-oriented, concrete suggestions provide a blueprint for programmatic changes to increase women's participation, which we hope will be used throughout the international community," she said.
Sauerbrey said this morning that most of the debate has been over relatively technical language issues, rather than the policy recommendations in the proposal.
By Steve Hirsch
U.N. Wire
UNESCO Adopts Declaration On Human Genetic Data
Friday, October 17, 2003
Human genetic data now have their own standard-setting instrument framing the ethical principles that should govern their collection, processing, storage and use. The guidelines were adopted today by the UNESCO General Conference as it ended its 32nd session in Paris.
A declaration was chosen over a convention as it is not a legally binding instrument, and it facilitates consensus and allows for adaptations in a constantly evolving domain, UNESCO said.
The declaration's objective is to ensure the respect of human dignity and human rights, as well as freedom of thought and expression, including freedom of research.
"Each individual has a characteristic genetic makeup," the text of the declaration says. "Nevertheless, a person's identity should not be reduced to genetic characteristics, since it involves complex educational, environmental and personal factors and emotional, social, spiritual and cultural bonds with others and implies a dimension of freedom."
The declaration emphasizes that "prior, free, informed and express consent" is necessary to collect genetic data and that collectors may not pay or otherwise reward those from whom it is collected.
The declaration also stipulates that genetic data linked to an identifiable person not be disclosed to third parties, especially employers, insurance companies, educational institutions and families.
The declaration also addresses the issues of purpose, sharing benefits and storage of data (UNESCO release, Oct. 16).
HIV "Cocktails" Shown To Boost Life Expectancy By 10 YearsFriday, October 17, 2003
HIV drug combinations, known as Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART), have cut AIDS death rates by more than 80 percent and extended patient life expectancy by at least a decade and possibly more, scientists say.
According to an analysis in the medical journal The Lancet of 22 studies across Europe, Australia and Canada, death rates were halved after the cocktails became available in 1997 and declined by more than 80 percent by 2001, Reuters reports.
"Nine out of 10 people could expect to live for 10 years regardless of the age at which they became infected," said Kholoud Porter, of the Medical Research Council. "We haven't reached the medium yet so it could be 17 or 20 years - we can't really say at the moment."
Before HAART, only about half of people infected faced a life expectancy of up to 10 years at the time of infection. Those odds worsened with patients over 40.
HAART is still scarce in poor countries, however, and the U.N. Joint Program on HIV/AIDS estimates that 4.1 million people in Africa desperately need the treatments, Reuters says (Patricia Reaney, Reuters, Oct. 17).
PAHO, World Bank Form Partnership
Friday, October 17, 2003
The Pan American Health Organization and the World Bank announced Wednesday they are teaming up to provide health care practitioners and policymakers with a virtual forum in which to exchange information and ideas.
The "Health Partnership for Knowledge Sharing and Learning in the Americas" will use videoconferencing and Internet technology to allow health care workers and officials throughout the Americas to discuss health care policies and strategies, develop plans for implementing decisions and share best practices.
Bringing together PAHO's Virtual Campus of Public Health and the World Bank's Global Development Learning Network, the partnership will encourage dialogue through videoconferencing and continued education through online courses and workshops, with the goal of helping countries meet their own public health goals as well as the Millennium Development Goals (World Bank release, Oct. 15).
By Steve Hirsch
U.N. Wire
Ethiopian Practioners Abandon Circumcision To Prevent HIV
Friday, October 17, 2003
Local health officials warning that ritual circumcision can facilitate the spread of HIV/AIDS have succeeded in persuading 350 practitioners in Ethiopia's Gonder region to abandon the practice and other forms of genital mutilation, Integrated Regional Information Networks reported yesterday.
"The circumcisers and those engaged in harmful traditional practices have decided to abandon them after intensive sensitization work by health officers," the head of a regional social services center, Abebaw Gegit, told Ethiopian News Agency. HIV infection from genital mutilation was most often the result of instruments not being sterilized, officials had warned.
Loans will reportedly be provided to practitioners who halted the practice in an effort to help them find alternative livelihoods (IRIN, Oct. 16).
Africa Close To Phasing Out Leaded Gasoline, UNEP Says
Friday, October 17, 2003
A global initiative to phase out leaded gasoline is making significant inroads in Africa, with three countries announcing in Nairobi at this week's Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles they plan to remove lead from vehicle fuels by January 2004.
Ethiopia, Ghana and Mauritania became the latest countries to embrace the goal of phasing out lead, with many East and West African countries already further along in the process after participating in phaseout workshops last year. Southern African nations are expected to join the initiative soon, and Central Africa also plans to follow suit with workshops scheduled for early 2004.
Most of the continent is on track to be lead-free by 2005, according to the U.N. Environment Program, which is partnered in the alliance along with businesses in the fuels and vehicles industry and African and international nonprofit organizations. The partnership was launched last year at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg with the goals of improving air quality across the developing world and advancing better technologies to help cut exhaust fumes.
Leaded gasoline can cause severe environmental and health problems, and testing on soil and vegetables in Kenya by UNEP and Dr. A. O. Makokha of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology suggests that lead levels in many of the continent's urban areas are well above limits set by the World Health Organization.
Western Europe, North America, Asia and elsewhere have largely discontinued using leaded gasoline, according to UNEP.
"But much of Africa, mainly for technological reasons, a lack of awareness of the health risks and misconceptions about the impact of unleaded fuels on engines, has lagged behind. However, partly because of work already under way and the new impetus from the Global Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles, the situation is rapidly changing and a lead-free Africa is in sight," said Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's executive director.
UNEP is acting as a "clearing house" through which other participants can exchange information on the progress of phasing out lead, and the U.N. agency is also working with the Netherlands to provide direct support to seven African countries in their efforts to clean up their air (UNEP release, Oct. 17).
India, Bangladesh Cooperate To Save Tigers
Friday, October 17, 2003
India and Bangladesh are considering steps to transform the Sundarbans mangrove forests - currently shared by the countries and each a World Heritage site - into a transboundary peace park designed to save the endangered tiger population, the Times of India reported yesterday.
In a first step toward integrating the Sundarbans, the forest departments of India and Bangladesh expect to conduct a joint census on the tigers by January 2004.
"Tigers do not bother about boundaries marked on a map and freely cross over from one country to the other," said Project Tiger conservator AK Raha. "An accurate figure is not possible if census operations are carried out separately by the two countries. At any given time, some tigers from the Bangladesh side will be in the Indian Sundarbans and vice versa," he added.
Officials from the two governments, as well as from the United States and the U.N. Development Program, met recently in Durban, South Africa, to discuss the census and plans for a transboundary park, which officials from Global Tiger Forum say would "ensure a crackdown on poaching."
A peace park could lead to joint patrolling and monitoring by officials from both countries. There are 699 such areas around the world in 113 countries, according to the group.
Project Tiger also plans to begin radio-collaring the tigers, as the rough terrain of the Sundarbans makes ground tracking impossible. UNDP funds will be used for the project, Raha said (Times of India, Oct. 16).
East Asia, Fueled By China, Set For Record Economic GrowthFriday, October 17, 2003
East Asia is expected to see economic growth of 5.7 percent in 2004, fueled largely by a strong China and healthier global economic conditions, the World Bank said yesterday.
In a report on the state of the regional economy, the bank said it expected sustained growth. "With the quick passing of SARS - at least for the time being, clearer signs of recovery in the developed world, and healthier domestic conditions in East Asian economies, the prospects for a strong cyclical recovery and more sustained long-term growth are good," said World Bank Regional Vice President Jemal-ud-din Kassum.
Also helping fuel trade, he said, is the increasing economic integration of the region. "It is clear that East Asian firms are vigorously seeking opportunity within the region. This trend augurs well and will reinforce the sorts of policy decisions" of ASEAN.
The bank said growth in the region this year has been stronger than expected. It said China and Vietnam will finish the year with 7 percent to 8 percent growth rates, and Thailand will finish with nearly 6 percent growth. Overall growth for the region should come in at about 5 percent (World Bank release, Oct. 16).
Millennium Goal In Reach For Nine Latin American States
Friday, October 17, 2003
<>Nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean representing nearly 70 percent of the region's population could achieve the Millennium Development Goal of cutting extreme poverty in half by 2015, according to a study released yesterday by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
According to the ECLAC report, >Social Panorama of Latin America, 2002-2003, a five percent reduction in the Gini index - used to measure economic inequality - could decrease the time needed to eradicate extreme poverty by two to five years. It would also allow 12 countries to meet the Millennium Goal, instead of nine. Two countries in the region - Chile and the Dominican Republic - have already reached their goals.
"There is no time to lose if we are to reach the Millennium Development Goal - agreed by all the world's countries - of halving by 2015 the proportion of people who live on less than a dollar a day and the proportion of people who suffer from hunger," said U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan ( ECLAC release, Oct. 16 .
Annan Stresses Equitable Trade On International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
Annan says in a message marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty today that approximately 840 million people worldwide suffer from hunger, and as many as 24,000 die daily as a result.
Annan stressed that a free and equitable trading system is an "essential" component to economic equality. "Barriers shut out many developing countries from the markets of developed countries - stunting growth, stifling opportunity and starving millions of people who want to trade their way out of poverty," he said ( ).>
Experts Adopt New Guidelines On Ship Breaking
Friday, October 17, 2003
With the number of aged ships bound to be dismantled or "broken" soaring, experts on ship breaking have adopted new guidelines to improve health and safety conditions for workers who do the hazardous demolition work for as little as $1 per day.
Representatives from the world's major ship breaking countries - Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan and Turkey - and officials from the International Labor Organization, the International Maritime Organization and the International Metalworkers Federation, agreed on the guidelines during a meeting in Bangkok. Drawn up to help nations formulate their own rules and to provide a framework where none already exists, the guidelines promote medical assistance and protection to the workers, who lack union representation, housing, medical facilities and even clean drinking water.
"Ship breaking on the beaches in Asian countries represents the downside of globalization," said ILO's expert on ship breaking, Paul Bailey. "After industrialized countries of the western world are through using their ships, they get scrapped on beaches without dry-dock facilities or safety measures for workers. The challenge facing us is how this can be done in a safer manner. The guidelines will hopefully represent a practical development," he added.
According to the ILO, the demand for breaking ships is growing dramatically due to recent accidents involving aging vessels and new regulations that have sent younger ships to be recycled (ILO release, Oct. 15).
Funding Shortfall Prompts WFP Food Cut In North Korea
Friday, October 17, 2003
The World Food Program said Wednesday it will have to cut food distribution to 680,000 people in North Korea starting next month because of funding shortfalls.According to WFP spokeswoman Christiane Berthiaume, the agency needs $204 million to feed 6.4 million North Koreans. So far it has raised $102 million from donors. She warned that food shortages this winter are expected to be more severe than the past several years (JoongAng Ilbo/ReliefWeb, Oct. 17).
U.N. Rapporteurs Demand Protection Of Bolivian ProtestersFriday, October 17, 2003
Special rapporteurs of the U.N. Human Rights Commission are adding their voices to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's call earlier this week for the Bolivian government to protect demonstrators in the capital city of La Paz amid reports of as many as 53 protester deaths in recent weeks.
According to the rapporteurs on summary executions, freedom of expression, rights of indigenous people and human rights defenders, the police have been using excessive force to stop thousands of protesters, many of them from indigenous communities. More than 100 people have reportedly been injured during protests (U.N. release, Oct. 16).
Clashes between demonstrators and the police over the government's plan to export Bolivia's natural gas to the United States reached a fresh pitch this week. Protesters say the gas should only be sold abroad after the domestic demand is met. Indigenous communities are also protesting against the government's U.S.-sponsored campaign to wipe out coca, saying it has further impoverished them. Sixty percent of the Bolivian population lives in extreme poverty, on less than $2 a day (U.N. Wire, Oct. 15).
Yesterday tens of thousands of indigenous people marched on the streets of La Paz to pressure President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada to leave his post, blaming him for the deaths of around 74 people in a month of protests. The police reacted by firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who tried to approach the government's palace.
Sanchez de Lozada, who refuses to quit, said the demonstrations were a "coup against democracy."
According to Reuters, Bolivians are waiting for the president to either quit or be overthrown in a coup. Analysts have said it will be almost impossible for Sanchez de Lozada to finish his term in 2007 (Alistair Scrutton, Reuters, Oct. 17).
ICTY Convicts Three Bosnian Serbs For Role In Bosnian War
Friday, October 17, 2003
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia today convicted three Bosnian Serbs for ordering "unlawful arrest and confinement, cruel and inhumane treatment, deportation and forcible transfer" of Muslims and Croats who lived in the municipality of Bosanski Samac during the 1992-95 Bosnian war, Agence France-Presse reports.
Blagoje Simic, Miroslav Tadic and Simo Zaric were sentenced to 17, eight and six years respectively in prison for committing crimes against humanity (AFP, Oct. 17).
Simic, who was the highest-ranking local political leader and president of the wartime crisis staff in Bosanski Samac, received the toughest sentence for leading the persecution. Zaric will likely be set free, since he has served more than four years in U.N. custody and sentences are generally reduced by one-third, Associated Press reports.
According to prosecutors, more than 16,000 Bosnian Croats and Muslims were forced to depart Bosanski Samac under systematic attacks. Of the 33,000 Muslims and Bosnian Croats who lived in the region, fewer than 300 remained once the war was over (AP, Oct. 17).
U.N. Rights Envoy To Visit Iran
Friday, October 17, 2003
The U.N. special rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression will visit Iran Nov. 4-10 at Tehran's invitation following postponement of the trip earlier this year.Ambeyi Ligabo, whose duties include gathering information about threats directed at journalists and others who disseminate information, plans to meet with Iranian authorities and U.N. representatives. He will also meet with activists, journalists and scholars (U.N. release, Oct. 17).
Ligabo's trip was originally scheduled for July 17-27 but Iranian officials postponed the visit, citing scheduling problems. Tehran's request to delay the visit closely followed the death of a Canadian-Iranian photojournalist after her arrest for taking photos outside a prison (U.N. Wire, July 16).
Zahra Kazemi, 54, died July 10 from fatal head injuries suffered during a 77-hour interrogation subsequent to her arrest June 23. Attorneys for the Iranian intelligence agent charged in her death, Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, have until next month to prepare his defense. Meanwhile, the judge in the case has allowed Ahmadi to be released on bail (Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press/Montreal Gazette, Oct. 14).
Iranian rights activist Shirin Ebadi, in her first press conference in Iran since winning the Nobel Peace Prize Oct. 10, called Wednesday for political prisoners and journalists in Iran to be freed as soon as possible (Dareini, AP/Yahoo! News, Oct. 15). In the months prior to Kazemi's death, Iranian authorities reportedly arrested a dozen journalists and closed 90 publications as part of a crackdown on reformist media (U.N. Wire).
Annan Asks Muslim Leaders To "Unite Against Extremism"
Friday, October 17, 2003
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan told leaders of 57 Muslim nations gathered in Putrajaya, Malaysia, yesterday that a too-common sense of rising hostility between Islam and the West is "ugly, dangerous and wrong."
In prepared comments read by his special envoy to Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, the secretary general urged the ministers at the Organization of the Islamic Conference annual summit to join in a worldwide struggle against extremism.
"We must unite our efforts to address the extremism that is, alas, on the rise, not only in Islam, but among many faiths," Annan said.
Pointing to a distinguished history of Muslim people's achievements in politics, art, literature, mathematics and other disciplines, Annan said "there is nothing natural or inevitable" about the "sad state" in which many Muslims find themselves today and urged Muslims to adopt the moderate stance necessary to influence world affairs.
"Only when Muslims enjoy their fundamental rights and freedoms, only when the Holy Quran is understood as enjoining education for all, and when the creative talents of so many Muslims, including women, is harnessed to develop the Muslim communities - only then will the Islamic world be able to assert its influence in shaping world events for the better," Annan said.
Although the Islamic world has been "traumatized" by the suffering of many Muslims, and Palestinians in particular, Annan said, the violence of suicide bombings are not the answer.
"These acts of terrorism, abhorred and rejected by all of you, defile and damage even the most legitimate cause. They must be condemned and must be stopped," he said (U.N. release, Oct. 16).
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, whose country has been considered soft on terrorism, according to Agence France-Presse, today condemned extremism and urged fellow leaders of Muslim nations to strengthen their counterterrorism efforts.
"The bullets that kill women and children, terrorize those secured in their safety and destroy innocent communities do not come from rifles but from deviant thoughts and misguided interpretations of our great religion and its noble message," he said (AFP/Yahoo! News, Oct. 17).
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar today apologized for "any misunderstanding" that may have sprung from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's assertion yesterday at the conference that "Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them."
The Malaysian leader's remarks drew criticism from many countries as divisive and anti-Semitic. Syed Hamid said Mahathir's comments were intended to discredit violence and show "that if you ponder and sit down to think, you can be very powerful" (Patrick McDowell, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Oct. 17).
Ethiopia-Eritrea Peace Process At An "Impasse," U.N. Says
Friday, October 17, 2003
The peace process in Ethiopia and Eritrea has reached an "impasse" and is under "severe stress" due to wrangling over a bitterly contested border ruling, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission there said yesterday, Integrated Regional Information Networks reported.
The Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission was established by both countries three years ago to resolve their dispute over the 1,000-kilometer border, but Ethiopia has criticized the ruling, which awarded territories - including the Ethiopian-administered town of Badme - to Eritrea.
Legwaila insisted that there were no signs of impending war, but he appealed for further support from the international community to help resolve the crisis.
"We are now at the most important phase of the peace process, which is the demarcation of the border," Legwaila said. "As I have always said, without the demarcation of the border, no one in his right mind can consider the peace process successful" (IRIN/allAfrica.com, Oct. 16).
In the United States, House Africa Subcommittee Chairman Ed Royce held a hearing yesterday to consider passage of a proposed bill, the "Resolution of the Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Dispute Act of 2003," which lawmakers hope will help end the impasse.
Six of the nine-member subcommittee who were present voted in favor of the bill, and the legislation will now be sent to the full House International Relations Committee that must also vote favorably on it before the 435 members of the House of Representatives consider its passage.
"I want to be clear ... that this legislation is not anti-Ethiopia. And it's not pro-Eritrea," Royce said. "It creates an incentive for both parties to abide by the decision" of the border commission the two countries agreed to in 2000, when they ended their border war that lasted more than two years.
Royce added that the bill "suspends U.S. economic assistance to either of these countries if they fail in this." It does not, however, suspend food or medical assistance, peacekeeping funding, counter-terrorism initiatives, human rights or HIV/AIDS assistance, he said (Jim Fisher-Thompson, U.S. Department of State/allAfrica.com, Oct. 17).
U.S. Troops, Iraqi Police Clash With Shiite Cleric's Supporters
Friday, October 17, 2003
Three U.S. troops died and seven were injured when they clashed overnight with loyalists of a Shiite Muslim cleric in Karbala, Agence France-Presse reported. The deaths brought the total of U.S. combat losses since the end of major hostilities to 100.
Two Iraqi police were killed and five were wounded in the attack, which began when Iraqis fired on a coalition patrol from rooftops near the al-Abbas mosque, the headquarters of Shiite cleric Mahmud al-Hassani (AFP/Yahoo! News, Oct. 17). Military police had been investigating reports of armed Iraqis gathering near the mosque after curfew (Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press/Los Angeles Times, Oct. 17).
Also yesterday, police in the northern city of Irbil shot and killed the driver of a car loaded with 220 pounds of explosives as the vehicle approached a government office.
Near the northern city of Hadeetha, a pipeline explosion yesterday was blamed on saboteurs. Because the oil in the pipeline was destined for domestic markets, Iraq will export 80,000 fewer barrels per day in order to make up for the loss until the pipeline is repaired (AP/Baltimore Sun, Oct. 17).
U.S. Senate Turns Half Of Bush's $20 Million Grant Request For Iraq To Loan
The U.S. Senate yesterday defied the White House by narrowly approving a plan to designate as a loan half of the $20 billion sought by U.S. President George W. Bush to rebuild Iraq. Bush wanted the $20 billion in its entirety to be a grant. Under the Senate's plan, the United States will forgive its $10 billion loan to Iraq if other nations write off Iraq's debt.
Yesterday the House defeated a similar loan plan. The two bodies will have to negotiate a settlement ahead of next week's donors conference in Madrid (Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post, Oct. 17).
In other developments, U.S. and British officials are reportedly rethinking the role of 10,000 Turkish troops pledged last week by Ankara. Protests by Iraqis have forced coalition authorities to consider alternate strategies for the Turks, including reducing their force, keeping them out of front-line roles and having them serve but not in uniform, the London Guardian reports (Ewen MacAskill, Oct. 17).
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is planning to cut the number of U.S. troops in Iraq from 147,000 at present to 113,000 next year (Jim Wolf, Reuters, Oct. 17). The news comes amid reports by the Stars and Stripes that more than 70 percent of U.S. troops in Iraq report "low" or "average" morale, and about a third say the mission is poorly defined, if at all (BBC Online, Oct. 16).
Ivory Coast Bans Protest Demonstrations Following Violence
Friday, October 17, 2003
Following violent anti-government demonstrations last weekend, Ivory Coast's security minister placed a three-month ban on protest meetings, the BBC reports.
Security Minister Martin Bleou called the demonstrations "barbaric," and demanded that the Young Patriots, supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo, disband their unarmed militia groups. The most recent attacks were on power and water companies that the Young Patriots complained were not supplying the rebel-held south. After the French government sponsored peace talks in February, the Young Patriots brought Abidjan, Ivory Coast's main city, to a standstill, attacking French businesses and interests.
The Young Patriots are known to be close to the president, and have served as his voice when he has been unable to speak out. Bleou, on the other hand, is not a member of the ruling party, but was chosen as a neutral figure to aid in the peace process (BBC Online, Oct. 17).
A U.N. peacekeeping force made up of 5,000 French and 1,200 West African troops is scheduled to maintain stability in the region until at least Feb. 4, 2004 (
General Assembly To Meet Monday On Israeli Barrier
Friday, October 17, 2003 The U.N. General Assembly is to hold a special meeting on Monday to discuss Israel's West Bank barrier after the United States vetoed a resolution condemning it at the Security Council, Al-Jazeera reports today.
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte used the council veto, held only by the five permanent members - the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia and the United States - to shoot down the measure sponsored by Syria.
The wall separates many Palestinians from their farmlands and divides villages, but Israel says the wall would prevent Palestinians from crossing into Israel and carrying out attacks, according to the network (Al-Jazeera.net, Oct. 17).
In related news, Palestinian police yesterday arrested seven suspects in Wednesday's deadly convoy attack on U.S. diplomats, Associated Press reported yesterday.
The suspects were members of the Popular Resistance Committees, a group of dozens of armed men from various factions, which Israeli officials said formed after the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian fighting three years ago and has ties to Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas.
No Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for the attack (AP/USA Today, Oct. 16).
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the Jerusalem Post in an interview Sunday that expelling Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat "would not be good for Israel."
The prime minister added that "the likelihood of expelling him without harming him is low, not only because of his security guards, but because he would be surrounded by a human chain of Israelis" (Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post, Oct. 17).
