SAUDI MINISTRY FOR ISLAMIC AFFAIRS LAUNCHES FIRST LIVE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF PRAYERS FROM TV STUDIOS IN MAKKAH

Dubai, 29/10/2003: The Saudi Ministry For Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Dawa and Guidance has launched the first ever live English translation of Ramadan “Taraweeh” prayers from TV studios at the Sacred Mosque in Makkah.

The project was launched under the directives of the Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs H.E. Sheikh Saleh Bin Abdel Aziz Al Sheikh and with the cooperation of team of Islamic scholars and translators lead by Sheikh Wajdi Bin Hamza Al Ghazzawi who developed the translation system being used for this historic project.

The unique English translation has been noted for its clarity and adherence to the correct universally recognized interpretations of Islamic teachings. The translation program itself was developed by experts in both translation and Quranic recitation with great precision, automating the Arabic to English translation process without loss of accuracy while utilizing computers and CG equipment.

The TV feed of the new translation, wholly owned by the Saudi Ministry For Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Dawa and Guidance, is being broadcast via Saudi TV Channel 1 to various international satellite channels covering Ramadan prayers from Makkah for millions of viewers around the world.

Viewers around the globe has recorded their satisfaction with the launch of the new translation that will help them follow Ramadan prayers in Makkah’s Sacred Mosque closer than ever before. The step is also seen as an opportunity to open a window to a deeper understanding of Islam for an international TV audience. (keralamonitor.com)

India, Bangladesh hold trade talks

Renewal of trade agreement soon

Oct 28: The Bangladesh-India trade talks at the Joint Secretary level on non-tariff barriers, revision and renewal of the Bilateral Trade Agreement as well as the first round of negotiations on the proposed bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) were held in Dhaka on 20-22 October 2003. The two delegations were led by Mr. Elias Ahmed, Bangladesh Ministry of Commerce and Mr. S. Ramasundaram, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India respectively.

Following sustained dialogue over a period of two years, the two sides successfully reached agreement on a revised draft for the bilateral Trade Agreement signed in 1980. The Agreement is likely to be signed in the near future after the approval of the respective governments has been obtained. The new Agreement will reflect the long-standing goodwill and spirit of cooperation between the two countries and the asymmetric nature of their economies and trade, which would also form the basis for the proposed bilateral FTA.

During the first round of negotiations on the FTA, India made a detailed presentation on the success of its FTA with Sri Lanka (in operation since March 2000) and the prospects for a FTA between Bangladesh and India. Both countries reiterated their commitment to conclude the FTA at the earliest, reflecting the current global sentiment on regional trade arangements (RTAs). Both sides also initiated discussions on issues relating modalities, time frame, negative lists, phase-out periods to zero duty and rules of origin.

Both sides discussed in detail their respective lists of NTBs that were exchanged in mid-August this year. The recent issue of mandatory certification by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for certain Bangladeshi products of export, notably cement, was discussed and India offered a concessional dispensation whereby imported clinker (the major raw material for cement) could be certified by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), instead of by BIS. This would considerably reduce the licensing period for Bangladeshi cement. Bangladesh's request for a similar approach for a few more products would be considered by India. As a long-term solution, both countries agreed to start negotiations immediately for mutually recognising each other's standards. India requested for the withdrawal of the continuing ban on land route for a number of Indian exports, notably cotton and other types of yarn. Bangladesh agreed to remove this ban once the problems related to the informal trade were resolved. India also raised the long pending application of a joint venture promoted by Sun Pharma of India and the adverse impact this would have on future Indian investments especially in view of the proposed FTA. Bangladesh agreed to take this up with the authorities concerned for early resolution.

The talks were held in a warm and cordial atmosphere reflecting the close and friendly relationship between the two countries. It was proposed to hold the next Joint Secretary-level Trade Talks in Dhaka in April 2004. -Keralamonitor.com

All party meeting on electoral reforms

Oct 28: The Government will be convening a meeting of leaders of all recognized political parties on October 29, 2003. The meeting will discuss the rules providing for the system of open ballot for elections to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and other proposals on electoral reforms.

The Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2003 provides for introducing the system of open ballot for elections to the Rajya Sabha. The Minister of Law & Justice and Commerce & Industry, Shri Arun Jaitley, had assured during the consideration of the Bill by the Parliament that the proposed rules would be discussed with political parties before finalization.

Apart from the system of open ballot for election to Rajya Sabha, the meeting will discuss amendment of the Constitution to confer upon the other Election Commissioners the same protection in the matter of removal from office, which is currently available to the Chief Election Commissioner under clause (5) of Article 324. Enhancement of the security deposit for contesting Parliamentary and Assembly elections; enactment of a legislation to provide that salaries, allowances and pension of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners, and other administrative expenses of the Election Commission shall be charged upon the Consolidated Fund of India are the other issues to be taken up at the meeting. -Keralamonitor.com

Government frames mechanism for oil PSUs sharing under recoveries on LPG and kerosene

Oct 28: The Public Distribution System (PDS) Kerosene and Domestic LPG are domestic fuels of mass consumption. PDS kerosene is largely consumed by the economically vulnerable sections of the society and LPG is used not only for domestic cooking but also is being encouraged as a clean environment friendly auto fuel. There are about 7.1 crore LPG connections which cover about 38% of the population in the country.

PDS kerosene and domestic LPG continue to be subsidized products post Administered Price Mechanism (APM). The Government had earlier notified "The PDS Kerosene and Domestic LPG Subsidy Scheme, 2002" on 28th January 2003 for administering post APM subsidies on these products. The Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) could vary retail selling prices keeping in view the international prices after taking into account the rate of subsidy.

The issue of post APM pricing of PDS kerosene and Domestic LPG was re-examined by the Government and it was decided on 11.09.2003 that OMCs i.e. IOC including IBP, BPC and HPC will not increase the selling prices of these products during 2003-04. The resultant under-recoveries of approximately Rs. 106 per cylinder of LPG and Rs. 3 per litre of PDS kerosene amounting to approximately Rs. 8200 crore for 2003-04 by OMCs would be absorbed/shared amongst the oil companies during the current year. The amount of actual under recoveries would, however, depend on international prices of these products, growth in domestic production, taxation structure and other related factors.

Government has considered the matter and decided that the following broad mechanism for sharing these under recoveries amongst the public sector oil and gas companies under the administrative control of this Ministry during 2003-04:

OMCs would strive to make up for about 1/3rd of the projected under recoveries by cross-subsidization through other retail products. The balance under recoveries of OMCs would be equally shared amongst OMCs and upstream sector. The Government considers this as an equitable sharing of the subsidy burden between the two sectors.

Considering that Oil India Ltd. is a relatively smaller company, with its operations concentrated in North East Region, it is exempted from sharing the under recoveries. Within the allocated sharing of burden of upstream sector companies, the contribution of ONGC and GAIL would be broadly in the ratio of each company's PAT (profit after tax) during 2002-03.

The contribution from ONGC and GAIL which comes to approximately Rs 2400 crore would come in terms of appropriate discounts on the prices of crude oil, LPG and Kerosene supplied by them to different OMCs. On the average ONGC/GAIL would allow a discount of $ 2.35/bbl on crude oil and 20% in LPG and kerosene prices, determined on the import parity basis. The revenue of State Governments in terms of royalty of crude oil will not be affected. Petroleum Policy and Analysis Cell (PPAC) under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas would issue detailed guidelines in this regard. -Keralamonitor.com

Two Pakistani fishing boats apprehended

Oct 28: India Coast Guard has apprehended two Pakistani fishing boats Al-Shaina and Al- Kabootar about 60 nautical miles at West of Dwarka in Gujarat, yesterday. The Pakistani boats have been apprehended by Coast Guard Ship - Tarabai for fishing in maritime zone of India without valid licence or permit. All the 11 Pakistani fishermen have been captured and about 800 kgs of fish catch also confiscated. The boats have been escorted to Okhapur near Dwarka for further investigations.h additional fans. -Keralamonitor.com

World Mining Congress & Expo 2003

Oct 28: The president of India Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam will inaugurate the 19th World Mining Congress and Expo 2003 here on November 1, 03. This is the second time that India is hosting the 5-day Congress , the first mega event for the mining industry in the new millennium. The 12th Congress was held in India in 1984. The theme of the Congress is "Mining in the 21st Century-Quo Vadis".

Nearly 2000 delegates from more than 60 countries including Australia, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Iran, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, South Africa, U.K. and USA will attend the event. Mineral rich States Like Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are participating on a large scale by involving their concerned organisations and industry.

The World Mining Expo 2003 is being concurrently held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi during November 1-5, 2003. State of the art technology in the field of mining, equipment, machinery from the world over will be on display at the Expo. International industrial giants in the field like Terex, Mining, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Eimco Elecon, FFE Minerals, Ingersoll Rand, Joy Mining, De Beers etc. are represented in the display.

The overseas presence of companies is complimented by domestic players like Coal India Ltd., Neyveli Lignite Ltd, Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd, ONGC, SAIL, Sterlite Group, Essar, Jindals, TISCO, NMDC and Voltas. The presence of Small Scale Units, supported by SIDBI- also an important segment of the Expo. It is expected that more than 50,000 visitors will interact at the 5 day Expo which may generate business worth Rs. 5,000 crore. -Keralamonitor.com

Dr.Joshi to lead India at Edinburgh Commonwealth Education Ministers Meet

Oct 28: The Minister for Human Resource Development and Science & Technology, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi left New Delhi this morning for Edinburgh to lead the Indian delegation at the Commonwealth Education Ministers Conference beginning today. Dr. Joshi will be chairing a round-table on "Universal Primary Education", tomorrow, a great honour for India and recognition of New Delhi's success in trying to achieve universalisation of elementary education. India is already nearing 75 per cent literacy rate and has brought down the non-literates by 30 million despite increasing population.

The commonwealth conference is eager to listen to Dr. Joshi and to learn about India's experience in universalisation of elementary education. Dr. Joshi will be presenting a country paper on India's experiences and strategy to achieve the goal of education for all by 2015, as per Dakar resolution.

The Round-table will focus on policy and commonwealth cooperation in relation to universal primary education. In specific, the barriers in achieving this goal will be discussed in detail including gender disparities in education, use of distance education to overcome hurdles, supporting education in difficult circumstances and mitigating the effects of HIV/AIDS on education systems.

The theme of the Conference is "Access, inclusion and achievement : closing the gaps." Another significant aspect of the conference is a keynote address by Nobel laureate Prof. Amartya Sen. Prof. Sen will offer his views on the theme of the conference and host a question/answer session. At the end of the conference the Edinburgh communique and action plan will be issued. India is also expected to play a greater role in the drafting of the communique. Dr.Joshi would underscore the tremendous potential in distance learning and offer India's support in this to fellow member nations. -Keralamonitor.com

Environmental clearance to become mandatory for big urban projects

 

Oct 28: Concerned by the seriousness of continuing pollution of rivers and other water bodies, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has decided to bring new projects relating to construction of new townships, industrial townships, settlement colonies, commercial complexes, hotel complexes, hospitals, office complexes for 1000 persons or above or discharging sewage of 50, 000 litres per day and above or with an investment of Rs. 50 crores and above and new industrial estates having an area of 50 hectares and above under the purview of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA). Industrial estates having high pollution potential will also be brought under EIA irrespective of area.

A draft notification to this effect was issued by the MoEF today in pursuance of a directive of the Supreme Court to "amend the Rules under the Environment (Protection) Act so as to require the environment impact assessment for the purposes of the town planning Acts". The Supreme Court in Writ Petition No. 4677 (C) of 1985 in the matter of news item "Hindustan Times AQFM Yamuna Vs. CPCB and others" related to pollution of river Yamuna, had observed on 4th December, 2001, as under :

"The learned Solicitor General submits that in relation to town planning the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 would be applicable and whenever any decision is taken in regard to town planning, environment impact assessment must first be undertaken, clearance obtained and then the decision taken. Unfortunately, the Rules under Environment (Protection) Act as such do not cover town planning. In regard to this aspect, the learned Solicitor General wants to address arguments and give suggestions to the Court as to what effective orders can be passed with a view to prevent the river Yamuna from becoming history."

Over the years it has been found that the major source of pollution of the rivers, lakes, coastal waters originate from discharge of untreated sewage from cities, towns and other settlements. The Central Government, after taking into account the seriousness of the above issues had constituted an Expert Group in 1982 to draw up procedures for the Environmental Impact Assessment of new townships and also laying down broad guidelines for such assessment. Further, the Government, in order to control pollution from various sources including industrial, domestic, biomedical wastes, etc. has taken up several steps/legal measures.

Under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), pollution abatement works in 157 towns along 31 rivers in 18 States have been undertaken. Despite these efforts, the sewerage system and sewage treatment capacity already provided under NRCP including the Ganga Action Plan are not adequately maintained by the respective local bodies, resulting in partial achievement of the objectives of NRCP.

Talking about concern for environment at various levels, even for construction of a house in a Panchayat area, plans are approved only after the provision of a septic tank. For an industrial project, an effluent treatment plant is necessary and for an industrial estate a common effluent treatment plant is necessary. On the other hand, local bodies/development authorities in towns have been approving new construction projects of various categories and sizes without any concern for the environment.

Under the Draft Notification it is now envisaged that proposals relating to projects shall be submitted subject to the following conditions:

(1) Project proponent intending to implement the proposed project in a phased manner or in modules, shall be required to submit the detailed project report of the entire project covering all phases or modules for appraisal under Environment Impact Assessment.

(2) Project proponent intending to take up projects of very urgent nature during the pendency of the draft notification shall be required to submit a certificate from the concerned local bodies/authorities with regard to the availability of sewage treatment capacity in their existing sewage treatment plant for incremental quantity to be generated by the project. Such projects can be considered by the Government for environmental clearance on a priority basis on the receipt of the complete proposal with all relevant documents subject to verification of such documents.

(3) New construction projects where construction work has not come up to the plinth level on the date of issue of this draft notification shall require clearance under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification.

(4) In the case of new Industrial Estates, where the construction work has not commenced or the expenditure does not exceed 25% of the total sanctioned cost on the date of issue of this notification shall require clearance under Environment Impact Assessment Notification.

(5) In respect of projects covered under Clauses 3 and 4 above, application for environmental clearance shall be submitted by the project proponent within 30 days of finalization of this draft notification.

The Draft Notification seeks objections and suggestions in respect of the proposal made in the Draft Amendment in writing for consideration of the Central Government within the period of 60 days from today. Based on the receipt of the suggestions/objections, the Ministry would take further necessary ction in the matter. The draft notification is available on MoEF's website: www.envfor.nic.in. -Keralamonitor.com

Bankrupt imprisoned for deception

Oct 28: A bankrupt who forged letters in an attempt to get his bankruptcy order annulled was sent to prison for nine months at Swansea Crown Court today for perverting the course of justice.

John Bowyer, 54, was made bankrupt with debts of £105,630 following action by one of his creditors.

Mr Bowyer subsequently applied to the court for an annulment of the
bankruptcy order, arguing that he was soon to receive a substantial
amount of money from the sale of his matrimonial home and would
therefore be able to pay the petitioning creditor's debt.

To support his application, Bowyer forged a letter, purporting to be
from a firm of solicitors acting for a creditor bank, stating that
they supported the application. He also forged a letter from a second
firm of solicitors showing that the petitioning creditor's debt had
been repaid in full. The letter was supposedly faxed by the
solicitors, but investigations showed that it had been faxed from a
public library.

The bankruptcy order was annulled, but reinstated following an
investigation by the Insolvency Service.

Following a criminal investigation by the DTI, Mr Bowyer was charged
with perverting the course of public justice and four counts of using
forged instruments.Mr Bowyer pleaded guilty to all charges at Swansea Crown Court on 7
October 2003.

Sentencing Bowyer, His Honour Judge Jenkins QC, said: "This is a
serious and pre-meditated case of deceiving the Official Receiver and
subsequently the courts. Perverting the course of public justice is
so serious that the only option is imprisonment." -Keralamonitor.com

UN News

Another Car Bomber Strikes Iraq, Killing Four In Fallujah

Oct 28: A day after a series of suicide bomb explosions rattled Baghdad, killing 35 and wounding 200, another car bomber struck in Iraq this morning, this time in Fallujah, killing at least four people.

Police and witnesses said today's bombing occurred when a man driving a Toyota detonated his explosives-packed car in front of the Fallujah power station, close to a police station.

Witnesses said the attacker may have abandoned the vehicle because security was too tight around the police station. All the victims were believed to be bystanders.

The attack came just hours after four U.S. soldiers were reported wounded in ambushes in northern Iraq. One soldier was injured when insurgents attacked his convoy in southeastern Mosul, and three others were wounded when their patrol was attacked by rocket-propelled grenades in Tal Afar, just west of Mosul (Slobodan Lekic, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Oct. 28).

The chief British representative of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, Jeremy Greenstock, said the suicide bombings that occurred in Baghdad yesterday smacked of tactics associated with "foreign elements."

"There were suicide attackers in most - probably all - the bomb explosions ... and that is a sign of foreign terrorist tactics, rather than the Saddam loyalist elements that we're still trying to chase down," Greenstock said.

U.S. General Mark Hertling also said yesterday's attacks bore the hallmarks of "foreign fighters."

At least 35 people were killed and more than 200 injured yesterday in bombings at the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross and three Iraqi police stations. The victims included eight Iraqi policemen, 26 Iraqi civilians and one U.S. soldier (BBC Online, Oct. 28).

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan yesterday condemned the bombing of the Red Cross headquarters as a "crime against humanity."

U.N. Spokeswoman Marie Okabe said Annan was "deeply dismayed at the latest series of terrorist attacks which took place in Baghdad," and condemns them "in the strongest possible terms" (U.N. release, Oct. 27).

Coalition Accounts For Iraq Oil Funds

The U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority said yesterday it had spent $666 million of the $3 billion that has been deposited in the Development Fund for Iraq, which was authorized by the U.N. Security Council in May to hold oil revenue and other money for Iraq's reconstruction.

The coalition said $433 million has gone to the Finance Ministry budget, $125 million for wheat purchases, $92 million for a currency-exchange program, $8 million for security equipment, $6 million for oil equipment and $2 million for electricity equipment (Reuters/Los Angeles Times, Oct. 28).

 

Liberia's New Leader Heeds Complaints From Rebel Group

 

Oct 28: In an apparent reconciliation attempt, Liberian transitional leader Gyude Bryant has agreed to reconsider several nominees for senior government posts supported by the country's main rebel movement, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy.

Bryant's decision, announced yesterday, came after LURD rebels blocked off a main road separating Monrovia from rebel-dominated areas north and west of the city, preventing U.N. aid vehicles from leaving the capital. The rebels were protesting Bryant's rejection last week of five nominations for key government posts in the transitional authority formed to guide Liberia until 2005 elections.

"Because Bryant and his clique are rejecting our nominees, we deem it necessary to take this action and give strict orders to our men to get back to Tubmanburg for further orders," General Aliyu Sheriff, LURD chief of staff and one of the nominees, said on Saturday.

"We are not allowing any relief agency to come in our controlled territory now. We want the U.N. to know what Bryant and his clique are doing," he added.

Yesterday, relief workers said the United Nations and other groups were negotiating with LURD to reopen the blocked road to humanitarian traffic. "They have indicated they can allow some to pass," one worker said (Integrated Regional Information Networks, Oct. 27).

A U.N.-led disarmament effort outside the capital has also run into obstacles, as rebels are demanding money in exchange for the guns they are scheduled to turn over in December.

"When you bring in your arm, you should receive money," said Mohamed Sherif, a rebel spokesman. "We suggested $200 for each gun."

According to U.N. deputy special representative to Liberia Souren Seraydarian, the United Nations has rejected the gun-buying scheme. Instead, U.N. officials plan to offer counseling as well as job training and schooling to still-armed fighters, who will be eligible for $300 for taking part in a nine-month rehabilitation program.

It is unclear whether rebels intend to stand by these new demands or are simply hoping for a few extra concessions ahead of the disarmament, scheduled to begin in December (Austin Merrill, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Oct. 26).

Charles Taylor Should Face Sierra Leone Court, Bryant Says

Bryant said yesterday that Charles Taylor, Liberia's banished ex-warlord, should stand trial for his role in neighboring Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war.

"I think Taylor should go to the court in Sierra Leone and face the tribunal and exonerate himself from the charges made against him," said Bryant. "It's only honorable that Taylor do that."

Taylor's lawyers have said he is immune to indictment because he was head of state at the time (AP/CNN Online, Oct. 27).

U.N. Mission Assessing Situation In Buchanan

A U.N. mission to Liberia's second city, Buchanan, is assessing the humanitarian situation there, the United Nations said Friday. UNICEF, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the Food and Agriculture Organization are donating drug kits to a looted hospital, delivering supplies to refugees at a Catholic mission center and handing out agricultural tools and kits to farmers outside the city. The food situation in Buchanan has improved due to falling rice prices, the mission said (U.N. release/AllAfrica.com, Oct. 24).

 

Israel Says It Won't Kill Arafat; Qureia To Form New Government

 

Oct 28: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday at a meeting of European Union lawmakers that Israel would not assassinate Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat despite the Israeli Cabinet's decision in principle last month to "remove" him, the Los Angeles Times reports.

"You don't have to worry - he's alive, and not only that ... but he's very active in taking all the steps that [lead] to the murder of children, civilians, old people," Sharon said. "But I don't see any plans to kill him, although the man is responsible for the death of hundreds and thousands of mostly civilians" (Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times, Oct. 28).

Arafat has asked Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia to form a new government by next week, the Palestinian foreign minister said today.

Qureia, who currently heads an emergency cabinet that is to expire Nov. 4, accepted Arafat's offer, the foreign minister, Nabil Shaath, said (Lara Sukhtian, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Oct. 28).

In other news, Hezbollah forces yesterday fired mortars and rockets at Israeli military outposts in southern Lebanon wounding an Israeli soldier, according to AP.

Israel responded to the attack with airstrikes and artillery fire, targeting suspected guerrilla hideouts near the Israeli-occupied Chebaa Farms, AP reports (Hussein Dakroub, AP/Yahoo! News, Oct. 27).

Yesterday both U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and his senior envoy for the Middle East condemned Israel's continuing demolition of Palestinian-owned buildings, saying the destructions were illegal.

"The secretary general reminds the Israeli authorities that house demolitions amount to collective punishment, which is a clear violation of international humanitarian law," a spokeswoman for Annan said.

"Such actions are also counterproductive towards Israel's legitimate security concerns, for they foster anger and despair among Palestinians," Terje Roed-Larsen, Annan's Middle East envoy said in a statement.During the past month, 2,000 people have been left homeless as Israel destroyed some 200 buildings in the Gaza Strip, Annan's spokeswoman said (U.N. release, Oct. 27).

Global Fund Chief Calls For Fourfold Expansion

 

Washington Oct 28: Despite a financial squeeze that has forced the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to scale back its giving, Executive Director Richard Feachem yesterday ventured that the fund should aim high and strive to quadruple its annual grant awards to at least $6 billion.

"We need to cruise at $6 [billion], $7 [billion], $8 billion a year," Feachem told reporters and health specialists gathered at the Brookings Institution for a briefing on the Global Fund's progress. "We need to be at that high cruising altitude rather than the low."

The fund, which in January 2004 will mark two years since its founding, awarded $1.5 billion this year in two funding rounds to fight the three diseases. But it appears to be under pressure. Next year it is making firm plans for only one round of funding, estimating it will award about $1 billion in grants to those governments and nongovernmental organizations whose proposals are judged worthy by the fund's Technical Review Committee. A second round could follow if the fund's international donors are more generous than anticipated.

Some observers speculated that the most recent round of funding, announced at the trustees' Oct. 15-17 meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, signaled that the fund was in trouble. Not only was it significantly smaller, at $623 million, than the $884 million announced at the previous round in January, but about $100 million of it will have to be taken from next year's pledges because donations fell short. The fund gets about two-thirds of its money from governments. The rest comes from corporations, charities and other private sector players.

Feachem acknowledged that the latest round of funding was "much smaller than we thought it would be," but played down long-term consequences for the Geneva-based organization, saying it had made some miscalculations and learned from its mistakes. He did not elaborate.

Feachem also would not say exactly where he thought the money might come from to fund his expansive vision for the Global Fund, although he expressed confidence in the feasibility of the $3 billion annual donation plan proposed by French President Jacques Chirac at the G-8 summit in Evian, France, in June. Under that plan, the United States and the European Union each would pledge $1 billion a year to the fund, and all other players, public and private - a category that includes Japan, Canada, Australia and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - would pledge a combined $1 billion.

In addition, Feachem said the $23 million European Development Fund represented a trove of potential support that the Global Fund's staffers were working hard to "liberate" from a bureaucratic bottleneck in Brussels, a line that drew some laughter. Feachem cautioned, however, that some European cities are "half-asleep" on the issue of HIV/AIDS, which he described as the "worst disaster in human history," and that ignorance complicates fundraising in capitals.

Feachem explained his sense of urgency about dramatically scaling up the fund's fight against HIV/AIDS. While the other two infectious diseases, malaria and tuberculosis, are serious and need attention, Feachem said, they are also-rans compared to HIV/AIDS. That disease, he said, threatens the very existence of some African countries. "That is not hyperbole," he said. "They will cease to exist."

To illustrate his own conviction about the need for immediate mobilization against the disease, Feachem told the audience its emergence had reversed his lifelong effort to resist being a "health activist."

"I have never seen anything intrinsic about health that makes it more important than anything else in development," he said. "I always say, if you have another development dollar, educate a girl, and definitely don't give it to a doctor."But along comes AIDS, and AIDS is: the house is burning down. And all the previous fire plans, the structural renovations, the redecorating the living room - all the things we do to our development house - don't matter," he said. "The house is burning down."

By Traci Hukill
U.N. Wire

Iran Says It Warned Of Al-Qaeda's "Fanatic Nature"

Oct 28: Iran has told the United Nations that it warned the world of the "fanatic nature" of the Taliban and al-Qaeda networks long before anyone else, Reuters reports.

While Iran submitted a report to a U.N. Security Council sanctions committee on Afghanistan about a month ago, an extensive list of suspected Taliban or al-Qaeda associates accompanying the document was only delivered several days ago, said Chilean Ambassador Heraldo Munoz, chairman of the panel.

The committee is responsible for enforcing an embargo on travel and arms deals and a freeze on the financial assets of the Taliban, al-Qaeda and its associates by compiling a list of suspects (Evelyn Leopold, Reuters, Oct. 28).

Iran has refused to reveal the names of al-Qaeda suspects still in its custody, although it gave the Security Council the names of 225 suspects it detained and returned to their countries after they illegally entered Iran (U.N. Wire, Oct. 27).

Iran for years opposed the former Taliban rulers that harbored Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, which is blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran did not authorize any sort of activity by the Taliban, Osama bin Laden or al-Qaeda in its territory from the early days of their domination over Afghanistan due to their sectarian, reactionary and fanatic nature," the Tehran government said in the report, which was released yesterday.

"Moreover, proper warnings were issued by the Islamic Republic of Iran to the international community regarding the threat they posed against regional and international peace and security," the report said (Leopold, Reuters).

 

Notions Of Manliness Faulted For HIV/AIDS Spread

 

Oct 28: The U.N. Division for the Advancement of Women says "ideologies of masculinity" are putting males and their partners at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.The group, which met in Brasilia, Brazil, last week in advance of a U.N. meeting on the status of women in March, examined the role of males in combating the spread of HIV/AIDS and promoting equality in work.

"Ideologies of masculinity and 'manliness,' which encourage men to display sexual prowess by having multiple partners, by stressing aggressiveness and dominance and lack of responsibility in sexual relationships, put men themselves and their partners at risk," the group said in a statement issued at the end of the four-day conference.

The group also said that work relations that were not supportive of responsibilities at home result in economic inequalities for women.

The U.N. Committee on the Status of Women will discuss the findings of the Brasilia conference during its March meeting (U.N. release, Oct. 23).

UNICEF To Kick Off D.R.C. Measles Vaccination Campaign

Oct 28: UNICEF will launch a measles campaign early next month to vaccinate more than 1 million children in southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the agency announced Saturday, adding that it is "urgently seeking funds" for measles vaccinations in the D.R.C.

The campaign comes in response to a recent measles outbreak in Mutena in the southern Kasai Occidental province. Children between the ages of 6 months and 15 years will receive the vaccination, and children between the ages of 6 and 59 months will be given a vitamin A supplement to better fight infections, UNICEF said.

The vaccinations will be conducted at local health posts, schools and churches in Kasai Occidental province. Social mobilization teams plan to travel to different towns, reminding families of vaccination dates and locations.

While measles remains among the leading killers of children under age 5 in the D.R.C., emergency vaccination programs have effectively targeted the disease in the past. A mass measles campaign last year following the Goma volcano eruption "helped cut down to near zero the number of registered deaths this year due to measles in those areas vaccinated," said UNICEF D.R.C. Chief of Health Mohamed Cisse.Japan, Canada and the United States are helping fund the vaccination campaign (UNICEF release/ReliefWeb, Oct. 25).

German-Czech Border Is Haven For Child Prostitution, Study Says

Oct 28: The German-Czech border has become a hotbed for child prostitution, a region where children and infants are sold into prostitution by their families, UNICEF said today.

In a study released in Berlin by the U.N. children's rights group and ECPAT, an anti-child exploitation organization, bus stops, gas stations and rest stops in the area have turned into "bazaars" pairing children from Eastern and Central Europe with German sex tourists and pedophiles, mostly men from the German states of Bavaria and Saxony. The study says that the pedophiles seek to have sex with children because they are less likely to have AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases.

Cathrin Schauer, the author of the report, has been studying the region since 1996. She conducted 500 interviews with child prostitutes and spoke with 200 children who had escaped the sex trade as well as older prostitutes, social workers and border police.

"In some districts, they wait in cars or apartment windows. Women with small children in their arms look out for sex tourists and hand the children over into cars," the study said. Usually, the children are paid between $6 and $30. Some are only given sweets. Violence and even torture are common, the study said.

Most of the victims are from large families who are driven to prostitution by deep poverty. "I used to beg the Germans for money in their cars," one 12-year-old girl said. "We have no money at home. Then I started going off with the drivers."

UNICEF's "Children are not for sale" campaign aims to stop child trafficking and other forms of exploitation (Agence France-Presse, Oct. 28).

Namibia's AIDS Orphan Crisis To Worsen, UNICEF Warns

 

Oct 28: Even if the HIV/AIDS epidemic is brought under control, the number of children in Namibia orphaned by the disease will continue to grow for decades, a UNICEF representative said last week.

There are currently more than 82,000 orphans in Namibia and, according to the government, that figure could more than double by 2015, the Namibian newspaper reported Wednesday.

UNICEF's representative in Namibia, Khin-Sandi Lwin, said last Tuesday that while many organizations are doing commendable work in caring for vulnerable children, some organizations are using their operations as businesses.

Her concerns were based on a recent assessment visit to two regions that she said left her "disturbed" and "deeply concerned" about the commitment of some projects, the Namibian reported.

"We must be much more conscious of those who are trying to exploit the situation," she said at a meeting of more than 60 representatives from affiliates of the Church Alliance for Orphans who were attending a training workshop in the capital, Windhoek. "If tangible results can't be shown or there is any hint of abuse [of support], these funds can dry up," she warned.

Lwin also urged that the clergy be more involved in initiatives for supporting orphans (Lindsay Dentlinger, Namibian, Oct. 22).

Netherlands, EBRD Establish "Carbon Fund"

Oct 28: The Netherlands and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced yesterday they will invest 32 million euros in a "carbon fund" to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Netherlands will funnel the money through the bank, which will then acquire carbon "credits" for the Netherlands' account from energy projects in several countries that will join the European Union next year, and also from projects in Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.

The project will help the Netherlands meet emission-reduction targets agreed to under the Kyoto Protocol, since emission-cutting projects usually cost less in Central and Eastern Europe than in industrialized countries.

It is also expected to contribute to the establishment of a European market in carbon credits (EBRD release, Oct. 27).

Forest Forum Seeks To Boost Investment For Protection

Oct 28: The Forest Investment Forum, a two-day conference in Washington last week that assembled nearly 150 heads of private companies, financial institutions and leading conservation agencies from around the world, called for an end to illegal logging, which results in annual losses of revenues and assets worldwide exceeding $10 billion.

An estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide depend upon forests for their livelihoods, 90 percent of land-based biodiversity is found in forest areas, and forests play a critical role in regulating climate change and filtering drinking water. Despite their importance, however, over-logging threatens many of the world's richest forests with extinction.

A statement by the forum's hosts - including the World Bank, World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Wildlife Fund - said participants strongly agreed that controlling illegal logging and forest corruption, as well as creating well-managed protected areas, would be key to sustainability. The forum also recognized that substantial investment in policy and institutional development would be necessary to stave off forest depletion.

The growing demand for forest products, particularly in developing countries, could help spur investment in the forests sectors in those areas, the hosts also noted.

"Inaction is not an option," Odd Gullberg, head of the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, said Thursday. "Population growth, rising standards of living and industrialization are placing pressure on forest products and services. Investment in forestry, which increases each year, can support responsible forestry if businesses, governments, financial institutions and NGOs work together."

Over the next year, the forum's hosts will work to build up a consensus among stakeholders on key forest sustainability issues, and will help explore small-scale funding options and ways to engage small- and medium-sized businesses in the campaign for protected forests (World Bank release, Oct. 23).

Economists Convene To Discuss Protecting Africa's Economies

Oct 28: The Economic Commission for Africa convenes today in Washington for its fourth "Big Table" conference to discuss how to better protect African economies from the adverse effects of external shocks, such as commodity price fluctuations or weather, and how the World Bank and International Monetary Fund can effectively help African governments' reduce poverty.

The one-day meeting brings together African finance ministers and development ministers from throughout the developing world, as well as the heads of the World Bank and IMF.

The "Big Table" meeting series was launched by the ECA and its international partners to foster frank and open discussion about the major obstacles to Africa's sustainable economic development, the commission said (UNECA release, Oct. 28).

Canadian Donation To Improve African Water, Sanitation

Oct 28: Canada signed an agreement yesterday with the U.N. Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) to give more than $10 million for African water and sanitation projects.

Through the UN-HABITAT Water and Sanitation Trust Fund, the contribution will help African cities promote investment in the water and sanitation sector, provide sanitation and hygiene education in schools and demonstrate innovative approaches to providing services to the poor.

At the signing in Nairobi, UN-HABITAT Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka called the donation an "important step" toward the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people without access to clean water and adequate sanitation by 2015.

Also at the signing ceremony was Susan Whelan, Canada's international cooperation minister, who said that issues concerning water need to given more attention by governments.

"Unfortunately, in many countries, governance in the water sector is weak and water does not have a sufficiently high priority on the public agenda," she said. "We need to increase public awareness, including the awareness of governments, about the importance of safe water and sanitation services" (U.N. release, Oct. 27).

U.N. Refugee Official In Afghanistan Warns Of Insecurity

Oct 28: Increasing violence in Afghanistan has made the situation "too dangerous" for U.N. workers to travel freely, and the country needs more money and troops to achieve economic and political stability, a senior U.N. official said yesterday.

Filippo Grandi, chief of mission for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Afghanistan, said there were "worrying signs" of trouble brewing in the country. Grandi named political divisiveness, slow reconstruction progress and the emergence of a class of wealthy and independent, albeit low-ranking, commanders who have profited from the drug trade.

Factional fighting in the north of the country threatens security, while southern Afghanistan remains destabilized by the infiltration of former Taliban fighters from Pakistan, Grandi said.

"After the war, Afghans do not speak to each other in the same way physically as they used to speak to each other before the war. I have heard this in Bosnia, I have heard this in Rwanda, I have heard this in other post-conflict countries," Grandi said.

Grandi urged the international community to respond with money and troops to prevent the country from returning to chaos.

"If we let crises like Afghanistan, countries like Afghanistan, slide back into poverty, underdevelopment, conflict, we may be able to afford to forget them for a while, but they would strike back as Sept. 11 showed," he said, referring to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States (Shino Yuasa, Agence France-Presse/ReliefWeb, Oct. 27).

Insecurity in Afghanistan is also preventing internally displaced people from returning home, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday at a meeting with the Displaced Persons Council in Kabul.

Karzai offered reassurances to a group of displaced Pashtuns from the north, calling for tough measures to stop the violence and a change of leadership that will see certain governors, chiefs of security and commanders in the northern provinces being replaced with authorities not linked to any of the warring factions (UNHCR release, Oct 27).

In related news, the UNHCR has stepped up a home-building program for 270,000 returning refugees in anticipation of the start of winter. According to agency spokesman Peter Kessler, 13,000 of the 52,000 homes slated to be built this year have reached completion, and another 27,000 are under construction. However, security problems, as well as the scarcity of building supplies and the inadequacy of roads, are hampering the effort (U.N. release, Oct. 24).

More trouble for aid workers surfaced last week in Afghanistan's eastern Laghman province when the Taliban reportedly distributed a pamphlet to authorities and residents threatening to kill Afghan women working for foreign nongovernmental organizations, according to Reuters.

"Those women who are working with foreign NGOs will definitely suffer punishment of death," the pamphlet said (Reuters/ReliefWeb, Oct 24).

Rising Crop Prices Said To Be Threatening Tanzania's Poor

Oct 28: With maize prices this year up as much as 140 percent in some regions of Tanzania, a program funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development is urging the government to immediately release its grain reserves to protect the country's poor from hardship.

In a report released last week, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) warned that with food crop production having fared so badly last year and with more farmers reliant on food supplies from markets to survive, the government needs to take action to keep the poor from turning to any "extreme (self-damaging) coping mechanism, such as selling product assets."

The group also urged international donors to respond to an August appeal for food aid. "If the donor contributions are delayed further, the affected poor farmers will leave home in search of jobs or income-generating opportunities, to the detriment of tending their fields," FEWS NET said.

Average wholesale maize prices have risen by 10 percent since last year in Sumbawanga, up to 75 percent in Dodoma and Arusha, and up to 140 percent in Dar es Salaam and Mwanza, according to FEWS NET estimates (Integrated Regional Information Networks, Oct. 28).

U.N. Urged To Take Action On Commodities Markets

Oct 28: A group of independent economic advisers reported on commodity trends and issues to a U.N. General Assembly panel yesterday, stressing the importance of giving developing countries equitable access to commodities markets.

The 15-member group of advisers was formed at the request of the General Assembly to address the situation of developing countries that rely on commodities as their principal source of export revenue, employment, income-generation and domestic savings. In these countries, commodities also serve as the driving force behind investment, economic growth and social development.

The advisers' report stressed the need for equitable, enhanced and predictable market access for commodities of key importance to developing countries. It also addressed the oversupply problem, the possibility of strengthening capacity and institutions, compensatory financing schemes and a new international diversification fund.

The advisers agreed that national governments need to give priority to commodity issues, but also urged the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to create a new partnership between businesses, governments, producers, traders and civil society in the commodity area by June 2004.

UNCTAD Secretary General Rubens Ricupero participated in the discussions at the General Assembly meeting and agreed that commodities have been unjustly excluded from the agendas of most international organizations. He also said that the UNCTAD conference scheduled for next year would provide an excellent opportunity to combine constructive thinking about commodities with strong political commitment (U.N. release, Oct. 27).

 

Global Meeting On Right To Food Begins At FAO

Oct 28: Governments, nongovernmental organizations and other civil society groups from around the world came together yesterday to kick off a three-day meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Food.Delegates to the meeting, which is being held at the Rome headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization, are to discuss how to translate into practice the universal principle that everyone has a right to food.

The group will try to reach consensus on a set of voluntary guidelines that supports the progressive realization of the right to adequate food within the context of national food security.The group was created at the request of member states during the 2002 World Food Summit.

According to both the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights developed nearly 20 years later, adequate access to food is both an individual right and a collective responsibility.

The right to adequate food as contained in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is recognized by 147 countries, and some 21 countries have already enshrined food rights in their national constitutions (FAO release, Oct. 27).

Overloaded U.N. Tribunal For Rwanda Gets More Judges

Oct 28: The U.N. Security Council yesterday gave its unanimous approval to a resolution seeking more short-term judges for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda so it can come closer to finishing its workload by 2008, when the tribunal is scheduled to end.

Resolution 1512 raises the number of short-term judges the tribunal may have at any time from four to nine. The new figure brings ICTR in line with the other war crimes court, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

The resolution arose from a request by the ICTR. Last month Judge Erik Mose, the tribunal's president, said that at the current rate the court would not finish its trials until 2011. He said the extra judges should enable the court to approach, if not actually achieve, the 2008 target date set earlier this year by the Security Council (U.N. release, Oct. 27).

U.N. Envoy Finds Guinea Bissau Outlook "Not Encouraging"

 

Oct 28: A senior U.N. official said Sunday that "the economic, political and social situation" of Guinea Bissau was "not very encouraging," and that there was little hope for optimism, News24 reported yesterday.Youssef Mahmoud, director of the Africa division of the U.N. political affairs office, had just concluded a weeklong visit to the West African nation in an effort to redefine the mandate of the U.N. Peace-building and Support Group in Guinea Bissau.

Following a period of political and military unrest in the country from June 1998 to May 1999, a U.N. mandate for the peace-building group was established to consolidate peace and national reconciliation. It was due to expire at the end of 2002 but was extended to December 2003.

According to a U.N. source, the mandate will be extended until the country's transition process is completed in 18 months.Mahmoud said efforts that had been made by international institutions to help the country out of crisis "have not yielded palpable results" (News24, Oct. 27).

 

Karzai Fires Northern Afghan Governors, Removes Warlords

Oct 28:The government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai restaked its claim to authority in northern Afghanistan Sunday as it sacked several provincial governors and announced a plan to remove the region's two fractious warlords to Kabul and take command of their forces.

Under the terms of the deal, to which the two commanders have reportedly agreed, General Abdul Rashid Dostum and General Atta Mohammad will take jobs in the capital, while their troops will be joined under new neutral leadership.

"It is time for the north to be governed by the pen, not the gun," said Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali Sunday night in Mazar-e Sharif.

Each of the longtime adversaries has said he wishes to disarm his forces, but not until his rival does. An Oct. 9 cease-fire agreement ended the latest round of skirmishes between the two and prompted the central government to send 300 police officers from Kabul to take over security in the city.

Observers reportedly question whether the government's move will have the desired effect, as it is agreed that lower-level commanders rather than Dostum and Mohammad are responsible for most of the unrest. U.N. adviser Michele Lipner suggested that the presence of the two warlords might in fact be a stabilizing factor. "There is a very fragile balance of power here," she said. "If you move them out, things may become unbalanced" (Pamela Constable, Washington Post, Oct. 28).

The Karzai government is working hard to establish a foothold in the provinces but denies that it is ineffective outside of Kabul. Karzai on Sunday rejected as "essentially mistaken" U.N. Undersecretary for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno's report to the Security Council Friday, which warned of a renewed Taliban insurgency and said serious security problems remained, including Kabul's loss of control in some border provinces.

"There is not a single district in the areas referred to in the report where the central government does not exercise full control," Karzai said (Agence France-Presse/ReliefWeb, Oct. 27).

The Washington Post reported Friday that reform of the Tajik-dominated Defense Ministry, a key step toward establishing unity in the ethnically divided country, became a reality last week as 22 new senior military officials took their posts. The Post reported, however, that many rights groups and other observers expressed doubts as to whether the new group would be able to change the institution (Constable, Washington Post, Oct. 24).

Meanwhile, 27 international peacekeepers arrived Saturday in the northern city of Kunduz in the first deployment of International Security Assistance Force troops outside the city of Kabul. The Kunduz force is to reach 150 by the end of the year, according to its German commander.

The deployment is a pilot project for a larger operation that would post peacekeepers in key provincial cities in an effort to make the countryside safer. Kunduz, which is also the scene of a new pilot disarmament project, is considered a fairly secure city (Integrated Regional Information Networks, Oct. 27).

In related news, U.S. forces attacked Taliban and al-Qaeda fugitives in southeastern Paktika province today, killing 22. The blitz followed fighting Saturday near the border town of Shkin in which 10 suspected enemy fighters and two U.S. civilian workers were killed (CNN.com, Oct. 28).