Sheikh Mohammed visits Dubai eGovernment offices and commends its achievements Dubai - October 21, 2003 His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, visited Dubai eGovernment at its offices in the Emirates Towers yesterday (Monday October 20, 2003). The visit marked the second anniversary of Dubai eGovernment, which was launched by His Highness in October 2001. In a meeting with the 17 members of the Dubai eGovernment Executive Team, His Highness urged them to develop and incorporate the ambitious strategy into the next phase of the e-Government project. Sheikh Mohammed praised the efforts of the Executive Team and the cooperation between eGovernment and other Government departments. His Highness also congratulated the Executive Team on the achievements of the last two years, including the introduction of new technology channels, e-Services and initiatives and commended the 600 online services currently offered on its portal www.dubai.ae. Sheikh Mohammed advised the Executive Team to continue working towards achieving the ultimate goal of this project, which aims to turn Dubai in to an e-society that is fully equipped to conduct government transactions electronically. His Highness praised Tejari.com, which became the biggest online market place for business-to-business exchange in the Middle East. After the visit, the executive team expressed their appreciation to Sheikh Mohammed for his continuous support and his valued guidance over the last two years that has helped make the eGovernment concept in Dubai a reality. Sakhr launches new intelligent software solutions at Gitex Dubai 2003 Company unveils first Arabic Information Monitoring and Management System for National Defense and Security Organisations Dubai, October 21, 2003 Sakhr Software, the pioneering Arab company specialising in creating and developing software for the Arab World, today announced the launch of a host of new innovative software solutions at Gitex Dubai 2003. Sakhr is also showcasing other Arabic software solutions in partnership with its international partners, Microsoft and Oracle. "Gitex is an important launch pad for Sakhr's software solutions, since it is the premium networking forum for the IT industry and prospective users of cutting-edge technologies in the Middle East," said Fahad Al-Sharekh, Business Development Director, Sakhr Software. "This year, Sakhr has unveiled its new software solutions in the fields of national security and e-learning. The showcasing of Arabic software solutions in partnership with Microsoft and Oracle reinforces the company's position as the leading Arabic software provider in the region." "Sakhr views its participation at Gitex Dubai as an opportunity to optimize the application of Arabic software amongst the Arab IT users. The series of specialized workshops and seminars organized by Sakhr at the show provide an opportunity for IT professionals, high-level management and decision-makers to analyse the potential of the Arabic software solutions in the Sakhr portfolio," added Al-Sharekh. "We believe that there is high potential for further innovation in the field of Arabic software development, and we would like to use our participation in Gitex to network with end-users and refresh our understanding of and commitment to satisfying the IT needs of Arabic software users." Amongst the new software solutions launched by Sakhr at Gitex, the most significant is the Arabic Information Monitoring and Management System (AIMS). The first software solution of its kind in the Middle East, AIMS is based on a bilingual Arabic-English Natural Language Processing (NLP) system. Capable of monitoring information in the form of text, electronic files, video clips, internet websites, email, television or radio stream, the new software also incorporates a system for information analysis, automated categorisation, identification of keywords, trend and path recognition within the document and shifts between the usual patterns of captured information. AIMS has been conceptualised keeping in view the demand for comprehensive systems that can monitor, mine and process the flow of unstructured information irrespective of format, and is of great significance for research centres, security organisations and eGovernments worldwide, especially in view of increasing terrorism threats. Besides AIMS, Sakhr offers the localization, Arabization and integration of Dermalog Smart Border Control with its other solutions for Border Control Authorities. The Dermalog product range represents the latest and most efficient technology for border control worldwide. It has a modular design that can easily be customised to suit the highest requirements and standards of Border Control Authorities. The Dermalog Smart Border Control can read, identify and verify ICAO standard passports (with other formats being optional), Visa, ID Cards, 2D-Barcode PDF417 and arrival and departure cards. The system allows immigration officers to immediately examine all printed security features such as security seals, holograms and difference images to extract security features. Dermalog also provides project management, training, installation and continuing service support, as part of its total solution approach. Sakhr is holding a seminar on Dermalog on Wednesday, October 22, from 12 pm to 3 pm at the Emirates Towers Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road. Sakhr will also hold a seminar on its new system of eLearning portals, the first of its kind in the Arab World. Besides AIMS and Dermalog, Sakhr will unveil of a series of software solutions that introduce new eGovernance-related technologies to the region. Visitors to Gitex 2003 can analyse the potential of a new set of software solutions that Sakhr has developed in collaboration with its international partners, Microsoft and Oracle. These new software solutions include NasherNet, a bilingual content management system and the SET translation system, both developed on the basis of Microsoft technologies, and the new edition of 'Idrisi', Sakhr's Arabic search engine, as well as ArabDox, the comprehensive document management solution, developed in collaboration with Oracle. NasherNet is a web-based content and publishing system, which is capable of dealing with the full cycle of content management, from content gathering, creation and processing, to the final step of archiving and publishing via various eFormats. Already in use at the Executive Office in Dubai, NasherNet is demonstrating its seamless, comprehensive integration with Sail Lab's Arabic Media Mining and Management solutions for unclassified information sources that include both audio and video. SET is a comprehensive web-based bilingual machine translation system for Arabic to English and English to Arabic translation. The system includes exceptional features such as dictionary management and memory building specific to the needs of the organisation. Also in collaboration with Microsoft, via the DS Yellow and White pages Directory Services, Sakhr is demonstrating the potential of its Text to Speech (TTS) and Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) technologies. Capable of enabling the transformation of any PC saved text to natural male or female voice, TTS can also read dictated or non-dictated text and includes features such as an editor to build a personal voice dictionary and a corrector of common errors based on Sakhr's proof reading software. ArabDox is a comprehensive document management solution for unorganised and uncategorised documents and files. The solution is capable of creating and retrieving databases in Arabic. The complete integration of the Arabic language Optical Character Recognition (OCR and the Arabic search engine technologies into ArabDox, enables content and text search within optically captures traditional documents. Besides ArabDox, Sakhr is exhibiting the latest edition of 'Idrisi', its Arabic search engine, which is built on modern Arabic conjugation rules and which offers search and retrieve capabilities via a simple bilingual interface using web technologies. ArabDox and Idrisi run on Oracle back-end systems. ChevronTexaco Announces Double Success in Deep Water Block OPL 249 in Nigeria Two Wells: One a Significant Discovery, the Other an Extension To the Aparo Field SAN RAMON, Calif., Oct. 21 -- ChevronTexaco Corp. (NYSE: CVX) affiliate, Star Ultra Deep Petroleum Ltd. (Star Ultra Deep), today announced a significant oil discovery on its Nigeria deep water Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 249. Star Ultra Deep is 100 percent contractor equity holder and technical advisor to Oil & Gas Nigeria Ltd. The rank wildcat Nsiko-1 well, which was drilled to a total depth of 13,968 feet and in 5,674 feet of water, discovered a substantial amount of net hydrocarbon pay in multiple zones. One zone was tested in the well and flowed at 6,500 barrels of high quality crude per day under restricted flow conditions. The well was abandoned upon completion of testing operations. Appraisal drilling on the Nsiko discovery is planned for the first half of 2004. In addition, the Aparo-3 appraisal well confirmed the extension of the Aparo oil field onto OPL 249. The well, drilled in 4,270 feet of water to a total depth of 12,000 feet, encountered a substantial amount of net oil sand. The results from the Aparo-3 well indicate that the OPL 249 Aparo, OPL 213 Aparo, and Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118 Bonga SW discoveries share a common structure and thus should lead to a joint oil development by the OPL 249, OPL 213 (Texaco Nigeria Outer Shelf Ltd. is Operator with 100 percent interest), and OML 118 partners (no ChevronTexaco affiliate interest). "This latest exploration success is very exciting, especially as it follows so closely on the recent successful Usan appraisal well," said George Kirkland, president of ChevronTexaco Overseas Petroleum. "Nigeria deep water is an integral part of ChevronTexaco's growth strategy for West Africa and confirmation of this latest drilling success in OPL 249 further enhances our already very strong position there." Adding his comments, Jay Pryor, Star Ultra Deep and ChevronTexaco Nigeria/Mid-Africa strategic business unit managing director, said, "The Aparo and Nsiko wells on OPL 249 confirm its commercial viability. It further demonstrates ChevronTexaco's ability to deliver superior exploration results from a focused, high impact exploration program." In addition to OPL 249, the affiliate companies of ChevronTexaco Corp. in Nigeria hold significant deep water contractor equity in the following concessions: OPL 213 (Operator), OPL 214, OPL 222, OPL 216 (Technical Advisor), OPL 215 (Technical Advisor), OPL 250 (Operator), OPL 217, OPL 218, and OPL 318. Cautionary Statement Relevant to Forward-Looking Information for the Purpose of "Safe Harbor" Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some of the items discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements about the significance of the results of the appraisal and exploration drilling in deep water offshore Nigeria. The statements are based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections; are not guarantees of future performance; and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the company's control and are difficult to predict. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the results of additional testing, evaluation of development alternatives, local political events and general economic conditions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Unless legally required, ChevronTexaco undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. ChevronTexaco Announces Sale of North Buzachi Assets in Kazakhstan SAN RAMON, Calif., Oct. 20 -- ChevronTexaco Corp. (NYSE: CVX) announced today the sale of Texaco North Buzachi Inc. which holds a 65 percent interest in the North Buzachi oil and gas field located in northwest Kazakhstan, to the China National Petroleum Company International Limited (CNPC International Ltd.). Terms of the sale were not released. Commenting on the sale, Peter Robertson, vice chairman of ChevronTexaco Corp., said, "We've made this decision to sell our interest in North Buzachi as a result of the company's ongoing review of its global portfolio of assets and our desire to sell those that don't fit our long-term strategic objectives. "We are the leading oil producer in Kazakhstan and have a very strong and well balanced existing portfolio of assets including lead positions in the giant Tengiz oil field development (ChevronTexaco interest 50 percent), the Karachaganak gas/condensate development (20 percent) and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (15 percent). Our intent is to focus our investments in the continued expansion of these projects, growing significant additional value for the company well into the future." The North Buzachi oil field is located in western Kazakhstan, 120 miles north of the Caspian port city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, in the Mangistau Oblast. Estimated size of the field is about 1.5 billion barrels of oil in place of 20 degrees API crude with current production of approximately 8,400 barrels per day. The field is close to crude export infrastructure routing through existing pipelines to Russia giving access to Black Sea, Mediterranean, Baltic and European markets. Cautionary Statement Relevant to Forward-Looking Information for the Purpose of "Safe Harbor" Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This news release contains forward-looking statements about the planned sale of Chevron Texaco's interests in Kazakhstan. The statements are based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections; are not guarantees of future performance; and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the company's control and are difficult to predict. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the identification of a buyer and timing and terms of the sale of the company's interests; local and general economic conditions; and local political events. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Unless legally required, ChevronTexaco undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. UN News Israeli Strikes Kill 10 In Gaza Oct 21: Five Israeli air strikes within a 12-hour period yesterday killed at least 10 Palestinians, including seven civilians, as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon vowed to continue attacks on militants until the Palestinian Authority cracks down on them.According to Palestinian officials, the seven people who died at the Nusseirat refugee camp were bystanders killed on a busy main street by an Israeli missile targeting a car that was carrying three militants. The militants - who Israeli officials accused of having attempted to enter Israel to launch an attack - escaped, according to witnesses, although Israeli army sources said they were among the dead. Among the bystanders who died in Nusseirat were a doctor and others who arrived at the scene to help after the first strike.In other incidents yesterday, Israeli air strikes killed two Hamas members and a bystander. A Palestinian ambush that killed three soldiers in the West Bank over the weekend and the firing of rockets on Israeli border towns contributed to the ordering of the attacks, according to Israeli military correspondents. Yesterday's air strikes renewed the debate in Israel over the policy of targeted killings in crowded areas. Israel's vice premier Ehud Olmert said he considered the high numbers of civilian deaths "distressing" but added that strikes would continue, "especially in light of the murderous acts of terror groups." Speaking to Parliament yesterday, Prime Minister Sharon said that "the Israeli military will continue to foil terror attacks, capture murderers and liquidate terror organizations." He also reaffirmed Israel's commitment to remove Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat from power, saying, "Israel is determined to bring about his removal from the political arena" (Ibrahim Barzak, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Oct. 21). Some Israeli Arab legislators walked out during Sharon's comments, and Israeli opposition leader Shimon Peres, who has been instrumental in brokering the unofficial peace treaty to be signed next month in Geneva, accused Sharon of being uncommitted to achieving peace. "We are dealing with a nation that is fighting for its freedom, and don't take them lightly," Peres said (James Bennet, New York Times, Oct. 21). Arafat today called on world powers to take unspecified action over the air strikes, Agence France-Presse reports. "I appeal to the international community, the United Nations and the Quartet [that drew up the road map peace plan] to stop this military folly through which they (the Israelis) are looking to destroy our holy ground and our people," he told a group of journalists (AFP/Yahoo! News, Oct. 21). General Assembly Continues Discussion Of Security Fence Delegates from the 191 countries party to the U.N. General Assembly met yesterday and today to discuss two resolutions - backed by members of the Arab League, Non-Aligned Movement and Organization of the Islamic Conference - that would condemn Israel's construction of a barrier that cuts through the West Bank. One resolution calls on the International Court of Justice to issue an opinion on whether Israel is "under legal obligation to cease its construction of the wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory." The second declares the construction of the fence "illegal" and demand that it be "ceased and reversed." The proposals are virtually identical to a Security Council resolution vetoed by the United States last week, but the new resolutions are expected to pass given that no country has veto power in the General Assembly (Barbara Borst, AP/Yahoo! News, Oct. 21). Annan Envoy To Middle East To Step Down Norwegian diplomat Terje Roed-Larsen will step down from his position as U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's special representative to the Middle East, according to media reports cited by the Norway Post. Roed-Larsen, who has held the post for four years, has reportedly been offered a position as director of the International Peace Academy, a New York think tank that works closely with the United Nations (Rolleiv Solholm, Norway Post, Oct. 19). With Peace Expected In Sudan, HIV/AIDS Threat Looms Nairobi Oct 21: Isolated for two decades by war, southern Sudan is one of the few places in Africa today where HIV/AIDS statistics are hard to come by. The prevalence of HIV is believed to be low overall in Sudan - the Joint U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS put the figure last year at 2.6 percent among adults age 15 to 49 - but with the government and rebels making significant progress toward a peace agreement and with a health infrastructure in the south and other neglected areas that is insufficient to support even the most basic of health needs, health experts fear a disaster is on the horizon. In the central Nuba Mountains, an area the size of Austria that was particularly isolated from surrounding areas and countries during wartime, a report issued in June summarizing the first HIV/AIDS awareness program held in the area said, "HIV/AIDS awareness in the region is nonexistent." A consortium of aid organizations applied for, and last Thursday was approved for, $7.8 million from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over two years to fight HIV/AIDS in Sudan - pending board confirmation in January - although a grant agreement must be signed with the government before disbursement can begin. The 28 million beneficiaries of this funding would be those in northern Sudan, including displaced persons, and those in the south under areas of government control - which excludes most of the southern population. According to the Global Fund, "General denial and misconceptions have characterized the efforts to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Sudan." Not only do lack of knowledge and misconceptions pose challenges in Sudan, but some medical experts worry about how stigma of HIV/AIDS will be played out. According to Richard Oleko, a physician from the southern town of Juba who now works in the Nuba Mountains for Norwegian Church Aid and took part in the Nuba awareness program, "The moment someone is tested positive, it's a breakdown here. You will be isolated. No one will want to touch you." "I've talked to people and I know what's in the back of their minds," he said. "At the workshop, everyone wanted to be tested, but if they were tested positive, everyone would turn their back or would even think of killing that person," he added. "AIDS is definitely taboo here," said Hans Rietkerk, program manager with ZOA Refugee Care, a Dutch nongovernmental organization that has European Union funding for a two-year HIV/AIDS project in Sudan's Western Equatoria region. Oleko warned against introducing widespread testing for HIV in Sudan without first informing the public more about HIV/AIDS. "If you go around asking people, 'how do you get HIV?' they don't know," he said. Experts say some Sudanese wrongly believe they can be infected by sharing food or being in the same room with an infected person, and as is the case elsewhere in Africa, some believe they can protect themselves from AIDS by having sex with a virgin. "There are communities that still believe that in their community grouping, there is no HIV/AIDS," said Raphael Nyabala, reproductive health field officer with the National Council of Churches of Kenya at the Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya, home to 85,000 refugees, more than 60,000 of them Sudanese. According to Esther Mwanyika, HIV counselor with the International Rescue Committee at the Kakuma camp, "The stigma is there because this is a new thing for them. Sudanese don't think it's their problem," she said. "They're very secretive about it - they don't want to declare [their status]." The IRC has established two voluntary counseling and testing centers in the Kakuma camp since April of last year. Mwanyika said some of the refugees ask to be tested for HIV, but rarely women, due to cultural beliefs and traditional practices. "Men do not allow their women to be seen going for a test," she said. "Their perception is that if a woman is tested, she is promiscuous. Men take it that once they know their status, that will automatically be their wife's status." "People do not want to accept that their sister died of HIV/AIDS because it is shameful," said James Severino, chairman of the Equatoria United Youth Development Association in Yambio, a county in the southwest bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is also a crossroads of people coming from Central African Republic and Uganda. The prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS and knowledge about the disease among refugees is important because observers believe that if a peace agreement is reached, as many as 500,000 Sudanese refugees will return home, some of them likely infected with HIV and unaware of it. Some refugees have already returned this year from countries including D.R.C. and Central African Republic, after years outside Sudan. Peace in Sudan is also expected to open the country to increased traffic from the nine countries it borders, multiplying Sudan's HIV/AIDS risk. "This will be more dangerous than the Arabs," said Mary Biba Philip, county secretary of Yambio, comparing the HIV/AIDS threat to the government in the Muslim-dominated north of the country. "The first enemy now is HIV, because it kills more than the bullets kill," she said. "If the traffic starts to increase, truck drivers and so on, it will start to change," said Detta Gleeson, head nurse at the International Committee of the Red Cross hospital in Lokichokio, northern Kenya, which was established in 1987 to treat Sudan's war wounded. "Also, most of them [southern Sudanese men] have got more than one wife, so my best guess would be, it will start to take off," she said of the infection rate. She believes there is not much willingness among the Sudanese to be tested, however. "Sudanese generally don't want to know," she said. Yet there are some positive signs. Compared to Nuba Mountains, knowledge of HIV/AIDS is high in Equatoria. Rietkerk said he surveyed 900 people in rural areas of Yambio and neighboring Maridi counties to determine their knowledge of the disease and modes of transmission. "Ninety-nine percent know about AIDS of the people we interviewed," he said. "More than half could mention two ways or more to prevent AIDS. That was much higher than I expected." He also said men were better informed about AIDS than women. It is not uncommon in some southern Sudanese towns to see people wearing T-shirts with AIDS awareness messages, such as "AIDS Kills/Protect Your Family," and "Fight for Life, Fight HIV/AIDS." A local pastor in Yambio last month declared publicly in church, through a letter written by his son, that he has AIDS. He was too ill to deliver the message himself, and has since left Sudan to Uganda for treatment. The announcement was seen as significant because no one had publicly declared his status in the town before. Yambio's UNICEF-supported Information Center, which offers Internet and email services for a modest fee and has a meager library, also shows HIV/AIDS information videos. When U.N. Wire visited the center earlier this month, UNICEF's Operation Lifeline Sudan spokesman Ben Parker said 50 young people were watching the video at one showing that week. More than 3,000 people watched HIV/AIDS awareness videos at various facilities in town in August, UNICEF said. Performing arts groups are also reaching the public with HIV/AIDS awareness messages in Yambio and around the south. A folklore group in Rumbek, one of the south's main towns, reached 700 people with these educational messages, UNICEF said in its monthly report for southern Sudan for September. Young people U.N. Wire interviewed at two youth groups in Yambio talked openly about HIV/AIDS and their fear about the impact the disease will have on their generation in Sudan. The young men said they are willing to use condoms but in an economy where most are subsistence farmers, the price of 25 cents for a package of three sold in the market is prohibitive for most young people. They said there is no free condom distribution in their area. "We are really in a risky situation, we need help," said Daniel Owudada, administrative secretary of EUYDA. Dr. Brigitte Toure, who heads the UNICEF/Operation Lifeline Sudan health program, said the expected peace in Sudan presents risks regarding the spread of HIV/AIDS, "but it's also an opportunity. We should treat it as an opportunity," she said. By Angela Stephens U.N. Wire Reporters Without Borders Releases Global Press Index Oct 21: North Korea is the worst state oppressor of journalists, followed closely by a handful of other Asian nations, former Soviet states and post-revolutionary countries, according to a world press index released yesterday by international watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The Second World Press Freedom Ranking, compiled from questionnaires distributed to journalists, scholars, rights activists and jurists, listed Cuba as the second worst violator of press freedoms, followed by Burma (officially known as Myanmar), Laos, Eritrea, China, Iran, Vietnam, Turkmenistan and Bhutan. In these countries, RSF said, independent media outlets are nonexistent or constantly repressed. The group named Cuba the biggest prison for journalists and identified Burma, China and Iran as other places that imprison reporters. In a statement accompanying the index, RSF noted a general deterioration in press freedoms in the Arab world, largely owing to authorities' concerns about public response to the war in Iraq. The group also noted a "special situation" regarding the United States and Israel, and ranked each according to its respect for domestic press freedoms at home and then awarded separate - and much lower - rankings for performance outside their borders, i.e., in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, respectively. As a group, the former Soviet states fared poorly. Russia was 148th out of a possible 166. Uzbekistan was 154th, Kazakhstan was 138th, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan were tied for 113th and Kyrgyzstan came in at 104th (U.N. Wire, Oct. 21). "The people who lead these countries don't want to be criticized," RSF researcher for the former Soviet republics Caroline Giraud told International Regional Information Networks. "They have yet to develop a sense of democracy, and that's what press freedom is all about" (IRIN, Oct. 20). U.N. Gunman Sentenced To 27 Months Oct 21: After pleading guilty in April to firing seven shots outside U.N. headquarters in New York last October, Illinois native Steven Kim was sentenced yesterday to 27 months in prison. Kim, a 57-year-old postal worker, said he fired the handgun "to bring attention to the miserable life of North Koreans and take actions to relieve them." U.S. District Judge Robert Patterson said he believed Kim's claim that he only intended to publicize his cause, not hurt anyone, in the shooting. Prosecutors said that out of as many as four bullets that struck the building, two narrowly missed workers (Chicago Tribune, Oct. 21). Fallujah Continues Slow Boil As U.S. Casualties Mount In Iraq Oct 21: Unrest continued in central Iraq today as U.S. troops in the holy city of Karbala tried to quell a riot that erupted after a woman objected to a search by a sniffer dog. The trouble followed the fatal ambush yesterday of a U.S. paratrooper in Fallujah. That incident occurred after Iraqi insurgents attacked dismounted U.S. paratroopers with a homemade bomb and small-arms fire. The paratroopers returned fire, then detained at least nine Iraqis after raiding a mosque and houses in their search for the attackers. Two civilians were also killed in the incident. A journalist on the scene said one of the civilians had a gunshot wound in the back of his head and his hands tied in front of him with plastic bands similar to those used by the U.S. military when they arrest suspects (Robert Reid, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Oct. 21). On Sunday in Fallujah, a U.S. convoy was ambushed, setting off a series of huge explosions. U.S. commanders blamed the violence there on resistance fighters who have traveled north from the so-called Sunni triangle, where U.S.-led coalition forces are coming under heaviest attack (U.N. Wire, Oct. 20). In Karbala, U.S. troops fired in the air to disperse a crowd that threatened U.S. soldiers who had conducted a routine search of Iraqi Oil Ministry employee Amal Karim. The soldiers had told Karim to submit her handbag to a sniff-search by a dog, but she refused because the bag held a copy of the Quran. "When she refused," said a witness, "the American soldiers took the Quran out of her bag and threw it on the ground. Then the American soldiers handcuffed Amal." Scuffles between the U.S. soldiers and Iraqis followed, and tensions were eased only after officers of Iraq's newly formed army appeared. Coalition troops and Iraqi police in Karbala also arrested 32 people in raids against a group that seized an Iraqi official last week in a dispute over a bus - an event that triggered clashes between rival Shiite factions. U.S. officials said their targets were "criminal elements" in the city, where three U.S. military personnel were killed last week (Reid, AP/Yahoo! News).   Human Rights Watch Counts 94 Civilian Deaths A report released today by Human Rights Watch says at least 94 civilians have been killed in Baghdad since U.S. President George W. Bush declared the formal end of hostilities in Iraq on May 1.Human Rights Watch said it made its tally through Iraqi police records, reports by other human rights groups and Western news reports that named the dead. "The soldiers have been asked to go from killing the enemy to protecting and interacting, and back to killing again," the Human Rights Watch report quoted an unidentified U.S. commander as writing in a combat report. "The soldiers are blurred and confused about the rules of engagement. ... Soldiers who have just conducted combat against dark-skinned personnel wearing civilian clothes have difficulty trusting dark-skinned personnel wearing civilian clothes." Fred Abrahams, a Human Rights Watch official, said soldiers need to be made more accountable through investigations into shootings. "Soldiers need to know that they will come under review in legally questionable situations, and without that in their minds it creates an atmosphere where they are quicker to use lethal force," he said (Karl Vick, Washington Post, Oct. 21). $3 Billion Of Saddam's Money May Be In Syria The United States believes $3 billion controlled by Saddam Hussein's government is now in Syrian-controlled banks in Syria and Lebanon, the New York Times reported. The report said a delegation from the U.S. Treasury Department has been in Damascus for nearly two weeks in an attempt to get access to accounts established by former Iraqi government officials, but that Syrian officials have failed to cooperate.The United States fears the money is being used to finance terrorist activities directed against coalition troops in Iraq (Douglas Jehl, New York Times, Oct. 21). WHO Releases Health And Safety Guidelines For Water Sports Oct 21: Citing widespread contamination of coastal and inland waters and other hazards associated with swimming, fishing and other water sports, the World Health Organization yesterday released its global Guidelines for Safe Recreational Water Environments. According to the WHO's Western Pacific Region office, sewage-contaminated water is a major problem in Asia, where it usually manifests in mild gastroenteric symptoms but on occasion causes severe illness and even death. The WHO guidelines set values for what constitutes an acceptable level of intestinal enterococci - bacteria usually found in the gut - in public bathing areas. Prior to the guidelines, there had been no global consensus for determining an acceptable level of the bacteria. The guidelines also cover chemical and physical agents; dangerous aquatic organisms; exposure to cold, heat and sun; and injury and drowning. According to WHO statistics, an estimated 400,000 people drown each year in what are usually preventable accidents. The WHO will release related guidelines on swimming pools, spas and similar aquatic environments next year (WHO Western Pacific Region release, Oct. 20). HIV/AIDS Expert Urges Preventive Action In Mid East/N. Africa Oct 21: A World Bank specialist on HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa said in an interview published yesterday that the region has one of the lowest infection rates in the world, 0.3 percent, but that the region needs to take action because it is at risk of increased infection due to migration, poverty and conflict. A low prevalence rate of HIV in the region did not necessarily mean low prevalence rates would continue, Bachir Souhlal warned. "Examples from countries with high prevalence rates, like in Southern Africa, show that in the beginning, the prevalence rate is very slow, until it reaches the rate of 2 to 5 percent. After that, it increases exponentially," he said. Souhlal said it was important for traditional and religious leaders in the region to be challenged on the matter of HIV infection. "The voices of some of the people in the region who are very aware of the threats of HIV/AIDS, especially those of women, are not always heard," he said. For HIV/AIDS to be curtailed, innovative prevention programs in the region must be continued and expanded, Souhlal said. "For instance, there is a very interesting needle distribution to vulnerable groups program in Iran," he said. "And in Morocco and Lebanon, there are interesting programs focusing on groups at risk. As a matter of fact, Morocco is currently finalizing its national strategy on combating HIV/AIDS" (World Bank release, Oct. 20). Southeast Europe Cracks Down On Sex Trade Oct 21: The commitment to cracking down on sex trafficking among Southeast European nations has grown significantly during the past three years, with more victims and traffickers being identified and prosecuted, the New York Times reports today. An evaluation this week by the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative in Bucharest found 696 victims and 831 suspected traffickers detected by law enforcement authorities in 10 days of sweeps last month, compared with 237 and 239 last year. Criminal procedures have begun against 499 suspects, and 194 were arrested. Participating in the operations were Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia and Ukraine. SECI estimates that 200,000 women, including many minors, are trafficked through southeastern Europe each year. According to John Markey of the U.S. State Department, efforts to end trafficking are "becoming more institutionalized with the cooperation of participating governments," which are passing legislation and setting up police units to curb the sex trade. "Three years ago, these countries would not even admit they had a sex trafficking problem," he said (David Binder, New York Times, Oct. 19). UNEP Launches Renewable Energy Initiative October 21: The U.N. Environment Program has launched the Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative to encourage the financial sector to invest in renewable energy, the agency's director said yesterday. "Instead of climate change we need to create the climate for change," Klaus Toepfer told more than 600 members of the financial sector at the UNEP Finance Initiative Global Roundtable in Tokyo. "Although sustainable energy technologies such as solar cells and wind generators have advanced rapidly, the transaction costs and market uncertainty of many renewable energy projects has led most financiers to adopt a 'wait-and-see' attitude, which is compounded by an overall lack of information, experience and the tools needed to quantify, mitigate and hedge project and financial product risks," he added. The initiative will help financiers overcome these barriers and abandon what Toepfer referred to as the "business as usual" mindset in order to reduce the harmful environmental and social effects of inadequate infrastructure and the use of low-quality fuels (U.N. release, Oct. 20). Number Of Southern Right Whales Growing Oct 21: The number of southern right whales, which migrate annually between South Africa's southern coast and the southeast Atlantic, is rising at a rate of 7 percent per year, Reuters reported yesterday. According to an assessment made last year, 845 southern right whales were found during a seven-day aerial survey along the southern coast of South Africa, 169 more than the previous year. "In all of the southern hemisphere, there are estimated to be 9,000 to 10,000 right whales at the moment," said Peter Best, a zoologist with the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. "In the 1920s, their numbers were down to as low as 300 by some estimates." Right whales were so named because they were seen as being the "right" ones to kill by commercial whalers because they moved slowly and floated to the surface easily when killed by harpoons. They started to be officially protected in 1935, and since then their number has been growing steadily (Ed Stoddard, Reuters/Planet Ark, Oct. 20). APEC Summit Closes With Vow To Fight Terrorism, Nukes Oct 21: The two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit ended in Bangkok today with the 21 member nations vowing to work against terrorist groups and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction - issues that overshadowed talks on free trade, Associated Press reports. In a joint statement, APEC countries said they would work to "dismantle fully and without delay transnational terrorist groups that threaten the APEC economies." The statement also vowed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, although it did not specifically mention North Korea, which test-fired a land-to-sea missile yesterday. Although Japan pushed APEC members to cite North Korea in the final statement, other countries, including China and Russia, resisted. APEC leaders also agreed to better control the production, storage and sales of handheld anti-aircraft missiles, saying any missiles produced by member countries would not go to any "nonstate" users (Dirk Beveridge, AP/Yahoo! News, Oct. 21). APEC members also expressed support for the World Trade Organization's efforts to resume trade talks that collapsed last month in Cancun, Mexico (U.N. Wire, Oct. 20). The Financial Times reported that the APEC members agreed that the Cancun draft text written by Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Derbez should be used to direct trade talks and to resume negotiations. During the Cancun meeting, Derbez's text was dismissed by developing countries, which presented their own draft (Amy Kazmin, Financial Times, Oct. 19). However, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who retires at the end of the month after 22 years in power, reportedly called on developing countries to set a new agenda for trade talks, which according to the Financial Times would complicate the resumption of negotiations. "At Cancun, we could not agree to the agenda, simply because it wasn't our agenda," Mohamad said. "We want to be able to propose an agenda, an agenda which will be fair to [the] rich and the poor. That should be the agenda for the World Trade Organization meeting" (Harding/Kazmin, Financial Times, Oct. 20). Tourism Seen As Potential Boon To Poor Countries Oct 21: With recreational travel having risen dramatically, tourism is now one of the few ways in which the poorest countries can take part in the global economy, U.N. Deputy Secretary General Louise Frechette said yesterday at a World Tourism Organization meeting in Beijing. "Over the past half century, international tourist arrivals have risen dramatically - from 25 million tourist arrivals a year in 1950 to 715 million in 2002, " she said. Among all but a few of the least developed countries, the travel industry is now the primary source of foreign exchange, offering opportunities for job creation and infrastructure development, even in remote areas, Frechette said. Frechette urged that tourism be managed carefully to prevent environmental damage, to stave off the threat to indigenous cultures and to curtail sex tourism, especially child sex tourism, for which Frechette said "there can be no excuses for tolerance" (U.N. release, Oct. 20). U.N. Report On Palestinian Food Crisis Angers Israel Oct 21: A stinging U.N. report published today saying Israel's security policy is causing a food crisis in the Palestinian territories that could lead to a "humanitarian catastrophe" has infuriated Israel, France's Le Croix newspaper reported yesterday. Israel says U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Jean Ziegler, who wrote the report, did not mention the intifada or the suicide bombings by Palestinians that justify its policy on security in the occupied territories. Israel has taken the case before the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, complaining that Ziegler violated U.N. policy by making the report public before Israel had a chance to defend itself. In the report, the Swiss Ziegler, who was the first U.N. rapporteur accepted by Tel Aviv, talks about the effect that Israel's security wall has on food distribution, the daily said, citing an anonymous U.N. source in Gaza. "For us, this report is not legitimate," said Barnea Hassid, spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Paris. "We are prepared to talk with the United Nations and to receive other rapporteurs. But they have to come in good faith" (Guillemoles/Rebuffel, La Croix, Oct. 20, U.N. Wire translation). WFP Delivers 2 Million Tons Of Food To Iraq Oct 21: The World Food Program announced yesterday that it has delivered a record 2 million tons of food to Iraq since its emergency operation started on April 1. Up to 20,000 truckloads of food each month were sent from Rome to the country through Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Iran, Jordan and the Iraqi port of Um Qasr, the WFP said. "This is the largest amount of food assistance ever delivered in a single emergency operation over such a brief period," said WFP Executive Director James Morris. "The task of providing such volumes of food aid to the entire population of Iraq over seven months is an incredible achievement carried out under very difficult circumstances." With the completion of its emergency operation at the end of this month, the WFP will now focus on the renegotiations of oil-for-food contracts. Since August, the agency has negotiated 294 contracts for 2.2 million tons of food for delivery to Iraq until June next year, the agency said. "Although Iraq has benefited from a better cereal harvest and the lifting of economic sanctions, much of the country's population is poor and still in need of assistance," the agency said in a statement. "While a food crisis has been averted, the nutritional situation of several million mothers and children in central and southern Iraq is still cause for concern" (U.N. release, Oct. 20). FAO Issues Desert Locust Warning For West And East Africa Oct 21: The Food and Agriculture Organization yesterday issued an alert to inform governments and the international donor community of outbreaks of desert locusts in northwestern Mauritania, northern Niger and northeastern Sudan that could devastate crops. "The number of locusts is increasing rapidly. They are beginning to concentrate themselves into groups characteristic of an outbreak," the FAO's Locust Group said. "We need to address the problem now, before the situation deteriorates." Normally solitary, scattered insects, desert locusts can rapidly increase in number after rains and mild temperatures, the FAO said. As the rainy season ends and green areas shrink, locusts often group together in the few remaining green areas and start to change appearance and begin behaving as a group. Heavy rains in Mauritania following 30 years of drought have allowed the desert locusts to breed and increase in number, the FAO said. Control operations in Mauritania so far have covered several hundred hectares of land, and additional teams have been sent to the field, bringing the total to five survey teams, including two motorized control teams with pesticide-spraying capacities (FAO release, Oct. 20). Reporters Without Borders Releases Global Press Index Oct 21: North Korea is the worst state oppressor of journalists, followed closely by a handful of other Asian nations, former Soviet states and post-revolutionary countries, according to a world press index released yesterday by international watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The Second World Press Freedom Ranking, compiled from questionnaires distributed to journalists, scholars, rights activists and jurists, listed Cuba as the second worst violator of press freedoms, followed by Burma (officially known as Myanmar), Laos, Eritrea, China, Iran, Vietnam, Turkmenistan and Bhutan. In these countries, RSF said, independent media outlets are nonexistent or constantly repressed. The group named Cuba the biggest prison for journalists and identified Burma, China and Iran as other places that imprison reporters. In a statement accompanying the index, RSF noted a general deterioration in press freedoms in the Arab world, largely owing to authorities' concerns about public response to the war in Iraq. The group also noted a "special situation" regarding the United States and Israel, and ranked each according to its respect for domestic press freedoms at home and then awarded separate - and much lower - rankings for performance outside their borders, i.e., in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, respectively. As a group, the former Soviet states fared poorly. Russia was 148th out of a possible 166. Uzbekistan was 154th, Kazakhstan was 138th, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan were tied for 113th and Kyrgyzstan came in at 104th (U.N. Wire, Oct. 21). "The people who lead these countries don't want to be criticized," RSF researcher for the former Soviet republics Caroline Giraud told International Regional Information Networks. "They have yet to develop a sense of democracy, and that's what press freedom is all about" (IRIN, Oct. 20). Rights Group Disputes Figures On Kidnapped Chechens Oct 21: Movsur Khamidov, Chechnya's Kremlin-backed deputy prosecutor general, announced yesterday that more than 300 people have been kidnapped in the breakaway Russian republic this year, a decrease from previous figures. Anna Neistat, office chief of Human Rights Watch in Moscow, said the figure was an underestimate, and that at least 400 people had disappeared between January and July alone. Neistat also alleged that evidence links Chechnya's Russian-supported President Akhmad Kadyrov and Russian soldiers to the crimes in what she called their "idea of swift justice." "Most of the disappearances are summary executions, abductions after cases of mistaken identity, and people who have been tortured beyond recognition and who are then killed," Neistat said. Because the crimes are committed by the authorities, Neistat said, there was "absolute impunity" for the perpetrators. Of the victims, many were civilians, but others were law enforcement officials. Russian troops have been present in Chechnya since October 1999 in what Russia's then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called an "anti-terror" campaign. Since gaining de facto independence in 1996, Chechnya has been plagued by violence and kidnappings (Roshan Muhammed Salih, Al-Jazeera, Oct. 21). U.N. Peacekeepers In D.R.C. Deploy Beyond Bunia Oct 21: U.N. peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo deployed to four towns in the troubled northeastern district of Ituri over the weekend, marking the first time international forces have established stations outside the main town of Bunia since arriving in the country in June. The effort is being undertaken in hopes it will quell continued fighting in Ituri (Agence France-Presse/ReliefWeb, Oct. 20). Although warring factions in the country have declared a formal truce, ethnic rivals in the district continue to wage war. On Oct. 6, U.N. peacekeepers found the remains of 67 ethnic Hema civilians who had reportedly been slaughtered that morning by members of the Lendu group (U.N. Wire, Oct. 8). The so-called Ituri Brigade of peacekeepers, which now numbers about 3,400, will increase to 4,000 next month when Nepalese troops arrive. At that time, the peacekeepers will deploy to two more towns, U.N. Mission in D.R.C. (MONUC) commanders said. The force eventually will reach a total of about 4,600 (AFP/ReliefWeb). Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Khan told AFP yesterday that the number of U.N. peacekeepers in the country is insufficient. Her comments came as a delegation from the rights group was visiting D.R.C. "Deployment outside of Bunia is very limited at the moment," she said, adding, "Even when all the MONUC contingents are there, they will not exceed 5,000 soldiers, which is clearly insufficient to ensure security outside of Bunia" (AFP/Cyberpresse, Oct. 20, U.N. Wire translation). The peace in D.R.C. remains fragile. Rwandan Foreign Minister Charles Murigande yesterday backpedaled from statements made last week that his government would redeploy troops in D.R.C. if it felt undermined by its neighbor. The warning came on the heels of Murigande's accusation that D.R.C. was supporting extremist groups inside Rwanda bent on overthrowing the government. Similar allegations in 1998 led to Rwanda's support for the D.R.C. rebellion that sparked five years of civil war. Murigande assured Kinshasa, however, that Rwanda no longer had any troops operating inside D.R.C., and affirmed Rwanda's support of the peace process in Kinshasa (News24.com, Oct. 21). In related news, refugees from D.R.C. taking shelter in western Uganda are fleeing their makeshift settlements for fear of attack from other D.R.C. refugees. Many are going to Uganda's capital, Kampala, where their numbers are swelling the central business districts. "There are hundreds of us fleeing," said refugee Sarah Amoti Bahinduka. "Many of us were living in camps even after identifying the people who killed our relatives. We have reported them to the camp authorities and no action has been taken. So we are forced to go to Kampala." Some Ugandan officials reportedly say the refugees are fabricating horrific stories in order to get asylum to developed countries (Integrated Regional Information Networks, Oct. 20). Rebel Founder Becomes Liberian Parliamentary Leader Oct 21: Liberia's new transitional assembly yesterday elected George Dweh, a founding member of the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, to be its new speaker despite allegations that he is a murderer (Integrated Regional Information Networks, Oct. 20). Dweh was elected by 49 of the 72 members of Parliament, according to BBC Online. He was reportedly the only candidate for the job. Dweh promised to work with all members of the power-sharing government. "I will go beyond the factional level so as to reach all the members of the assembly," he said. Human rights groups have accused Dweh of committing atrocities during Liberia's 14-year civil war (BBC Online, Oct. 20). Last Thursday more than 100 female relatives of a man named Johnny Nah demonstrated outside the Parliament building, saying Dweh had helped murder Nah and his entire family. LURD, the group Dweh helped found, took up arms against ousted Liberian President Charles Taylor in 1999 and became the main rebel group (IRIN, Oct. 20). Last week Daniel Chea, Taylor's defense minister, was officially confirmed to his former post (IRIN, Oct. 16). Amid the controversy surrounding the selection of Liberia's new Cabinet members and other leaders, the United Nations Friday emphasized the need to select honest and qualified professionals for the important ministerial positions. "Every effort should be made that all members of the new government are appointed or elected based on their professional abilities," the U.N. Mission in Liberia said in a statement released in Monrovia. "Any setbacks at this early stage could adversely affect international commitment and future support," UNMIL warned (U.N. release, Oct. 19). Morocco Urged To Accept Peace Plan For Western Sahara Oct 21: After urging Morocco yesterday to accept a peace plan for the Western Sahara, which has been under Moroccan control since the 1970s, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan agreed to Morocco's request for more time to study the proposals. The United Nations in 1991 brokered a cease-fire in the guerrilla war between Morocco and the Polisario Front - a group challenging Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara - and a final referendum on the area has been repeatedly postponed. The most recent peace proposal was submitted by Annan's personal envoy, former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker, earlier this year. The Algerian-supported Polisario accepted the plan in early July, and Annan hopes to receive Morocco's response by the end of the year. Annan issued a report yesterday on Western Sahara to the Security Council, including a proposal to have the U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara mandate extended for three months, to Jan. 31, 2004. The Security Council will begin discussions on Western Sahara next Monday (U.N. release, Oct. 20).