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NewsPapers
- -01-19-05 Dislike of Bush Translating into Dislike of Americans (Guardian Unlimited)
"George Bush will be sworn in as president of the United States for a second term today in a lavish Washington ceremony, amid mounting international concern that his new administration will make the world a more dangerous place."
"Fifty-eight per cent of the 22,000 [from 21 countries] who took part in the poll, commissioned by the BBC World Service, said they expected Mr Bush to have a negative impact on peace and security, compared with only 26% who considered him a positive force."
"The survey also indicated for the first time that dislike of Mr Bush is translating into a dislike of Americans in general." 1-05
- -01-20-05 Iran Responds to Talk of U.S. Attack (CBS News)
"Iran has plans to defend itself should the United States make any aggressive moves, President Mohammad Khatami said Thursday, but he added that the possibility of an attack 'is very low' because Washington has too many problems in Iraq." 1-05
- -01-20-05 Yushchenko Declared New President of the Ukrain (MSNBC News)
"The Ukrainian parliament voted Thursday to hold President-elect Viktor Yushchenko’s inauguration this Sunday, capping a months-long presidential election marked by fraud allegations, mass street protests and multiple Supreme Court appeals." 1-05
- -01-30-05 Iraq Votes! (Bloomberg.com)
"Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said today the Iraqi National Assembly should work with the Sunni community to create a government and constitution after Sunni political parties boycotted the country's election."
" 'It is time to put the divisions of our past behind us,' Allawi said in a statement to the press aired live by broadcasters including Sky News. 'Let us march forward together -- Sunni and Shiites, Muslims and Christians, Arab and Kurds and Turkomen.' "
"Shiite Muslims account for about 60 percent of Iraq's population. Sunni Muslims and Kurds each account for about 20 percent. The country's main Sunni political party, the Iraqi Islamic Party, withdrew from the race Dec. 27 citing unfair and unsafe conditions, raising concerns over the legitimacy of the outcome." 1-05
- -01-31-05 Nepal's King Declares Emergency (BBC News)
"Nepal's King Gyanendra has sacked the country's government and declared a state of emergency."
"Phone lines have been cut, flights to the capital are cancelled and the press is being censored." 1-05
- -02-03-05 Annan Vows Action on Corruption (BBC News)
"UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has ordered disciplinary proceedings against the head of the oil-for-food programme in Iraq, Benon Sevan."
"The move came after an independent report accused Mr Sevan of unethical conduct undermining the UN's integrity."
"Inquiry head Paul Volcker revealed in the initial findings by his panel that Mr Sevan repeatedly asked Iraqis to allocate oil to a particular company." 2-05
- -02-10-05 North Korea: We Have the Bomb (Guardian Unlimited)
"North Korea declared itself a nuclear power yesterday, announcing that it had developed a nuclear weapon to protect itself from what it sees as an increasingly belligerent White House."
"The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, on a trip to Europe, urged North Korea to return to the negotiating table, saying it had no reason to fear an attack by the US."
"However, yesterday's statement from Pyongyang suggested that Ms Rice had helped to trigger its decision when she called North Korea an "outpost of tyranny" during her Senate confirmation hearings last month." 2-05
- -03-15-05 Kosovo Leader Attacked (Guardian Unlimited)
"Kosovo's president, Ibrahim Rugova, survived an apparent assassination attempt today after a bomb exploded as his convoy passed through the centre of Pristina." 3-05
- -03-21-05 Annan: U.N. Needs Thorough Overhaul (BBC News)
"UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has urged governments to endorse sweeping reforms of the organisation."
"They include enlarging the Security Council, setting out rules on when it can authorise military force, and an agreed definition of terrorism."
"The proposals are contained in a report aimed at ensuring that the United Nations remains at the heart of the world's security system."
" 'We will not enjoy development without security, we will not enjoy security without development, and we will not enjoy either without respect for human rights,' he said." 3-05
- -03-21-05 Poll: Citizens of 22 Countries Favor Enlarging Security Council (BBC News)
"There is overwhelming popular support for the UN to be reformed, according to a BBC World Service poll among the citizens of 23 countries."
"They favoured a more powerful UN and backed the idea of adding Germany, India, Japan and Brazil to the organisation's Security Council."
"Most wanted the Security Council to be able to override the veto power of the permanent members." The word "favour" is spelled "favor" in the United States. 3-05
- -04-07-05 Pope John Paul II (Awesome Library)
Provides biographical information on the late Pope. 4-05
- -04-07-05 Pope John Paul II's Funeral (MSNBC News)
"The public viewing of the body of Pope John Paul drew to an end on Thursday as the Vatican shut the doors of St. Peter's Basilica, paving the way for the funeral of the pontiff, which promises to be a gathering of influential political and religious leaders from around the world." 4-05
- -04-08-05 Pope John Paul II Funeral (Bloomberg News)
"It was young people like Bartek who made up much of the crowd today. They came to honor the only pope they had ever known, a man who managed to connect to young people throughout his papacy, even in the final years when Parkinson's disease and other ailments sapped his strength and left him unable to walk and barely able to speak."
"On April 18, the College of Cardinals will start the secretive election known as the conclave to select a new pontiff." 4-05
- -04-09-05 Prince Charles and Camilla Wed (CBS News)
" What would the bride be wearing? The answer: An oyster silk basketweave coat with a herringbone stitch and a matching chiffon dress. She also wore a matching straw and lace hat with feather details. Charles, in contrast to the military uniform he wore for his first wedding, donned formal morning wear." 4-05
- -04-19-05 New Pope - Benedict XVI Elected (Awesome Library)
Provides sources of information on the newly elected Pope. 4-05
- -05-14-05 Journalist: How the Uzbekistan Rebellion Started (Guardian Unlimited)
"When I arrived on the scene, I was able to piece together some of the events that led to the final explosion of public anger on the night of 12-13 May."
"Sharif Shakirov, the brother of one of the accused, told me that straight after the court hearings, officers of the National Security Service, the SNB, started arresting people who had been outside the court."
"The arrests continued through 12 May, and that night people went to try to get their friends and family members out of detention. They started at traffic police offices, and as numbers built up they moved towards a military unit based in the city, where they forced troops on to the defensive and seized Kalashnikovs."
"As the night went on, they went to the regional SNB building, where the newly- arrested people were being held. There was gunfire as SNB officers held off the crowds. Protest leaders said at least 30 people were killed, although there have been no verified casualty figures." 5-05
- -05-14-05 Uzbekistan on the Brink (Guardian Unlimited)
"The violence that has reportedly killed hundreds of protesters in eastern Uzbekistan appeared to be spreading to neighbouring towns last night, raising fears that the volatile Central Asian state could erupt into a full-scale revolution." 5-05
- -05-28-05 Europe to Lose Plants to Global Warming (U.S. Politics)
"More than half of Europe's plant species will be at threat or classified as vulnerable by 2080 as a consequence of global warming, a study published on Monday said."
The big losers will be the northern Mediterranean rim, southern Portugal and southwestern Spain and mountain regions, where vegetation will be badly hit by hotter weather and water stress, it warned." 5-05
- -05-30-05 Britain and Others Assess French Rejection of EU Constitution (Guardian Unlimited)
"Britain and other members of "new Europe" are planning to challenge Jacques Chirac to declare whether the EU constitution is dead or alive after the emphatic French no in Sunday's referendum." 5-05
- -06-01-05 Dutch Reject European Union Constitution (Bloomberg.com)
"The veto reflects concern that the Netherlands, the biggest donor to the EU's budget on a per capita basis, is losing sovereignty and influence in the enlarged 25-member bloc, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said. The rejection will probably kill the treaty, which requires the assent of all EU members to take effect. The euro dropped below $1.22 for the first time since September." 6-05
- -06-06-05 OAS Members Balk at U.S. Intervention Plan (MSNBC News)
"A U.S. proposal to intervene in Western Hemisphere nations to push democracy rankled the leaders of several South American countries debating the issue Monday at the meeting of the Organization of American States." 6-05
- -06-17-05 Iranians Electing New President (CNN News)
"Surveys show former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is likely headed toward a runoff against either a reformist candidate or a conservative allied with the country's powerful Shiite hierarchy."
"Seven candidates are vying to succeed President Mohammed Khatami, a reform-minded cleric barred from seeking a third term."
"Although Khatami was elected by landslides in 1997 and 2001, many of his initiatives were blocked by clerical hard-liners who hold vast power under Iran's Islamic system of government."
"With high unemployment and a sense of deep social dissatisfaction -- particularly among young people and women -- even conservative candidates talked the language of democracy and reform during the campaign. 6-05
- -06-20-05 Hariri Declares Victory in Lebanon (USA Today)
"The anti-Syrian opposition claimed victory Monday after unofficial results showed its candidates securing a majority in the Lebanese parliament, breaking Damascus' long political hold on its tiny neighbor." 6-05
- -07-01-05 Preemptive Attack Advocate Replaces Bolton (WorldPress.org)
"Moving into the old job of John Bolton, the administration’s hard-core unilateralist nominee to be the next ambassador to the United Nations, Robert G. Joseph is the right-wing’s advance man for counter-proliferation as the conceptual core of a new military policy."
"Within the administration, he leads a band of counter-proliferationists who — working closely with such militarist policy institutes as the National Institute for Public Policy (N.I.P.P.) and the Center for Security Policy (C.S.P.) — have placed preemptive attacks and weapons of mass destruction at the center of national security strategy."
"Joseph replaced John Bolton at the State Department as the new undersecretary of state for arms control and international security affairs." 7-05
- -07-02-05 Huge Protest for the Poor (CBS News)
"Tens of thousands of protesters clad in white streamed through the cobbled streets of Scotland's medieval capital Saturday, demanding that the leaders of the world's richest nations act to better the lives of the poorest." 7-05
- -07-02-05 Millions Gather for Live 8 (CNN News)
"Millions were gathering at concert venues across the world Saturday for a massive musical effort to focus attention on global poverty." 7-05
- -07-04-05 Battle Lines Drawn for G8 Summit (BBC News)
"Leaders and protesters from around the world are drawing out their battle lines ahead of the G8 summit." 7-05
- -07-04-05 Bush Rejects Agreement to Limit Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Bloomberg.com)
"President George W. Bush ruled out any accord on climate change at the Group of Eight summit that involves limiting carbon emissions as a threat to the U.S. economy."
" 'We know that the surface of the Earth is warmer, and that an increase in greenhouse gases caused by humans is contributing to the problem,' a statement from Bush's office said Friday. 'Though there have been past disagreements about the best way to address this issue, we are acting to help developing countries adopt new energy sources.' '' 7-05
- -07-22-05 Londoners Shaken By Police Violence (New York Times)
"It was around 10 a.m. on a sunny, summery Friday when London crossed a once-unthinkable line in its unfolding war on terror."
"The officer with the gun 'held it down to the guy and unloaded five shots into him,' Mr. Whitby said."
"The gunshots reverberated much further than the grimy confines of Stockwell station, in a hardscrabble neighborhood of south London. It was the first such shooting in memory. Between 1997 and September 2004, the police opened fire on 20 occasions, killing 7 people and wounding 11, according to the Metropolitan Police." 7-05
- -07-23-05 Man Killed by Police not Connected to Bombings (MSNBC News)
"Police identified the man who was chased down in a subway and shot to death by plainclothes officers as a Brazilian and expressed regret Saturday for his death, saying they no longer believed he was tied to the recent terror bombings."
"Friday’s shooting before horrified commuters prompted criticism of police for overreacting and expressions of fear that Asians and Muslims would be targeted by a 'trigger-happy culture' after two well-coordinated attacks in two weeks."
"The man shot at the Stockwell subway station was identified as Jean Charles de Menezes, 27. Witnesses said he was wearing a heavy, padded coat when plainclothes police chased him into a subway car, pinned him to the ground and shot him in the head and torso." 7-05
- -07-25-05 Italy Asks Interpol to Help Find Wanted CIA Agents (CBS News)
"Italian prosecutors want to extradite 13 purported CIA officials accused of kidnapping a radical Muslim cleric and transporting him to Egypt where he reportedly was tortured, and they've asked Interpol to help track down the Americans, a court official said Tuesday." 7-05
- -07-28-05 European Union Seeks Mandatory Limits on Gases (BBC News)
"The European Union says it will push for legally-binding global restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions.
"A spokeswoman's comments came after the announcement of a voluntary pact, based on new technology, between the US and five Asia-Pacific states."
"She also told BBC News that the new pact is unlikely to bring a significant reduction in emissions."
"The new pact will allow signed-up countries - currently the United States, Australia, China, India, South Korea and Japan - to set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions individually, with no enforcement mechanism." 7-05
- -07-28-05 Irish Republican Army (IRA) Commits to End Conflict (Bloomberg.com)
"The Irish Republican Army said it will end its 36-year armed campaign and use political means to achieve its goal of a united Ireland." 7-05
- -08-03-05 Starvation Disaster in Niger (CNN News)
Doctors Without Borders "has complained that the international community until recently ignored warnings of a prolonged drought and locust infestation in Niger, leaving more than a million people near starvation."
"This week alone, the Maradi camp took in more than 1,100 cases of severely malnourished children. That is the highest it's ever had and it keeps growing." 8-05
- -08-05-05 Russian Mini-Sub Stuck - Super Scorpio Rescuer (GlobalSecurity.org)
"The Super Scorpio remote operated vehicle (ROV) is equipped with remotely operated video cameras and robotic manipulators. Deep Submergence Unit (DSU) Unmanned Vehicle Detachment (UMA Det) personnel operate the vehicle from Naval Air Station North Island, CA. The US Navy has two Super Scorpio ROVs, each equipped with two heavy-lift hydraulic manipulators: one five-function and one seven-function position-feedback. Super Scorpios have a maximum operating depth of about 5,000 feet (1,524 meters)." 8-05
- -08-05-05 Russian Mini-Sub Stuck in Deep Ocean Waters (CBS News)
"A Russian mini-submarine carrying seven sailors snagged on a fishing net and was stuck with a dangerously limited air supply 625 feet down on the Pacific floor Friday. A Russian vessel arrived to tow the stranded sub to shallower waters as the United States and Britain rushed unmanned vehicles there to help in rescue efforts." 8-05
- -08-11-05 Hamas Offers to Help Smooth Gaza Exit (MSNBC News)
"The militant group Hamas has agreed to cooperate with the Palestinian Authority in ensuring a smooth transition during the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, officials said Thursday."
"Beginning Wednesday, Israel plans to uproot all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza, ending 38 years of control over the area, along with four small enclaves in the West Bank." 8-05
- -08-11-05 Iran Vows to Export Nuclear Fuel (Bloomberg.com)
"Iran rejected a resolution from the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency urging it to freeze a uranium processing program, and vowed to become a nuclear fuel exporter within the next decade." 8-05
- -08-11-05 Smoke from Indonesia Creates Crisis in Malaysia (International Herald Tribune)
"Malaysia declared a state of emergency in two coastal cities on Thursday as smoke drifting across the Strait of Malacca from forest fires in Indonesia blanketed parts of peninsular Malaysia in a noxious haze, forcing schools to close and the country's biggest seaport to shut down." 8-05
- -08-11-05 South Korea Backs North on Nuclear Program (International Herald Tribune)
"South Korea objected Thursday to a vital American stance in deadlocked nuclear disarmament talks on North Korea, saying that the North should be allowed to run a nuclear program so long as it is for peaceful use." 8-05
- -08-12-05 Sri Lanka in State of Emergency (CBS News)
"Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga declared a state of emergency Saturday, just hours after her foreign minister, an ethnic Tamil who led efforts to ban the Tamil Tiger rebels as a terrorist organization, was assassinated at his home." 8-05
- -08-13-05 Germany Warns U.S. on Use of Force in Iran (BBC News)
"German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has warned the US to back away from the possibility of military action against Iran over its nuclear programme." 8-05
- -08-13-05 New Dark Age for Iraqi Women (Guardian Unlimited)
"The principal of equality that existed in what was once one of the Middle East's most secular countries, and guaranteed women's rights even in the midst of Saddam's atrocities, is now under threat in the negotiation of the very constitution that many hoped would guarantee equality. Ironically, it is with the tacit agreement of millions of largely poorly educated Iraqi women." 8-05
- -08-14-05 Israel Begins Withdrawing from Gaza (CBS News)
"Israeli and Palestinian troops took up positions Sunday to launch Israel's historic withdrawal from the Gaza Strip after months of political wrangling and mass protests — a move that will redraw borders and reshape prospects for Mideast peace." 8-05
- -08-26-05 Bush Administration Bids to Derail UN Reform (Guardian Unlimited)
"Britain will join an international alliance to confront George Bush and salvage as much as possible of an ambitious plan to reshape the United Nations and tackle world poverty next week."
"The head-to-head in New York on Monday comes after the revelation that the US administration is proposing wholesale changes to crucial parts of the biggest overhaul of the UN since it was founded more than 50 years ago." 8-05
- -08-28-05 Civilian Casualties in Iraq (BBC News)
"Human rights groups say the occupying powers have failed in their duty to catalogue the deaths, giving the impression that ordinary Iraqis' lives are worth less than those of soldiers."
"Unofficial estimates of the civilian toll vary wildly, from at least 10,000 to about 100,000." 8-05
- -09-02-05 European Union Offers Oil to the U.S. (Guardian Unlimited)
"The EU today offered to provide oil to the US if requested as America ran short of fuel after the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina." 9-05
- -09-04-05 Egyptian Poll Monitors Banned (BBC News)
"Egypt's electoral commission says it will not allow independent groups to monitor Wednesday's presidential election, defying a court ruling." 9-05
- -09-07-05 Nations Still Waiting for U.S. to Accept Help (USA Today)
"Many of the nations offering aid to the United States after Hurricane Katrina — including India, South Korea, Japan and Germany — said Wednesday they were still waiting to hear back from Washington on whether their donations had been accepted."
"India, which regularly suffers flooding unleashed by monsoon rains, has a planeload of supplies waiting but nowhere to send it." 9-05
- -09-11-05 Historic Occasion - Israelis Complete Gaza Withdrawal (MSNBC News)
"Thousands of triumphant Palestinians poured into abandoned Jewish settlements early Monday, setting empty synagogues on fire and shooting in the air, as the last Israeli soldier left the Gaza Strip, completing Israel’s pullout after 38 years of occupation." 9-05
- -09-11-05 Koizumi Re-Elected as Prime Minister of Japan (BBC News)
"Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has won an overwhelming victory in lower house elections, according to results published by the media." 9-05
- -09-12-05 "Red Cross" May Become "Red Crystal" (BBC News)
"The Swiss government is hosting two days of talks in Geneva in an effort to agree on a new emblem for the International Red Cross."
"At the moment, the only two emblems recognised under the Geneva Conventions are the red cross and the red crescent."
"Some countries are reluctant to use either symbol and want a new emblem which has no religious connotations."
"There is a proposal for a neutral emblem: a red diamond on a white background, called the Red Crystal."
" 9-05
- -09-14-05 Poverty and the World Summit (BBC News)
"The initial aim of the UN World Summit was to review progress on attacking world poverty and meeting the Millennium Development Goals, the pivotal targets on issues such as education, health and hunger agreed five years ago at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000."
"Then, on 1 August, President Bush appointed John Bolton as his UN Ambassador. Shortly afterwards, the US produced a set of revisions, creating a document drastically different from that which had gone before."
"References to the Millennium Goals were removed in favour of a more general wording on assistance programmes and targets; pledges to resource the United Nations according to its needs were taken out."
"There have been some concessions by the US, such as restoring a reference to the Millennium Development Goals, but there are still major disagreements." 9-05
- -09-17-05 Iranian President Pledges Transparency for Nuclear (Bloomberg.com)
"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his government would initiate a new ``partnership'' with companies and other nations to create confidence that its nuclear program won't lead to development of atomic weapons."
"Ahmadinejad, who called the announcement a 'far-reaching step' to inspire confidence in his nation's peaceful intentions, also said Iran would continue talks with the U.K., France and Germany on the issue. He called on the UN General Assembly to establish a committee to study ways to achieve total nuclear weapons disarmament, while saying Iran would cooperate with the world body's Vienna-based nuclear watchdog agency."
"At the same time, Ahmadinejad said Iran would continue a program of nuclear enrichment for peaceful energy production." 9-05
- -09-19-05 Venezuela vs USA (WorldPress.org)
"As President Hugo Chavez adeptly leverages Venezuela’s oil wealth to forge an array of regional alliances that leave the United States out in the cold, U.S. — Venezuela tensions are heating up. Boosted by the rising prices of oil and the deepening regional anger over U.S. imperial arrogance, Chavez has proved able not only to construct a counter-hegemonic constituency in Venezuela among the country’s poor majority but also to piece together a regional network that is challenging U.S. political and economic dominance. Uncle Sam is becoming the odd man out in the hemisphere claimed as U.S. domain since the early 19 th century." 9-05
- -09-30-05 Heckler a Problem for Blair (CBS News)
"British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s normally smooth officials have been left gaping and groveling after one of the biggest PR fiascos of his Labour Party tenure."
"Two burly security officials bundled an 82-year-old man out of Labour’s annual conference this week after he heckled Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, during a speech on Iraq." 9-05
- -10-01-05 Five Million Face Starvation in Malawi (Guardian Unlimited)
"Famine is once again stalking Africa's poorest nations as new figures released on Friday show that the food crisis in Malawi is much worse than anticipated."
"Aid agencies now say that at least five million people face starvation this winter." 9-05
- -10-04-05 UN Opposes Changes to Iraq Constitution (Bloomberg.com)
"A new interpretation of Iraq's election law, which would make it harder for voters to reject the draft constitution, violates international standards and increases the risk of civil war, United Nations officials said."
"Iraq's National Assembly said on Oct. 2 that the constitution could be approved by a majority of people who vote, while it would take two-thirds of the total number of registered voters in at least three provinces to reject the charter. The constitutional referendum is scheduled for Oct. 15." 9-05
- -10-07-05 Detainees Protest Lack of Trials or Charges (BBC News)
"Inmates' lawyers say some 200 men have taken part in the fast which began in August. About 20 are being force-fed."
"Amnesty International disputes US figures and says that 210 detainees are currently refusing food, protesting against their detention without trial or charges."
"Many of the detainees have been held at the camp since it was set up in 2002, after the US-led offensive against the Taleban regime in Afghanistan." 9-05
- -10-07-05 Judge Gives Vatican Immunity on Abuse Case (USA Today)
"A federal judge in Kentucky has ruled that the Holy See is a foreign state that enjoys certain immunity protections, placing restrictions on a lawsuit by three men who allege the Vatican covered up the sexual abuse of children by priests.
"The ruling is significant because it says that the Holy See's religious activity is irrelevant to the immunity protections it enjoys as a foreign state. It could have implications for other cases in which the Holy See is named as a defendant in the clerical sexual abuse scandal." 9-05
- -10-07-05 Simulations for Better Driver Training (MSNBC News)
"A driving simulator similar to flight simulators used to train pilots can help people re-learn to drive after suffering a stroke."
"Nearly 75 percent of stroke patients trained on the simulator were able to pass an official driving test, compared with 42 percent of patients who completed standard training, Dr. Abiodun Akinwuntan of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and colleagues in Belgium report." 9-05
- -10-08-05 Gaza Poverty (BBC News)
"It is nearly a month now since the last Israeli tanks rolled out of the Gaza Strip. Determined that the homes of Israeli families would not fall into the hands of militant groups like the Hamas organisation, they have left little behind but rubble." 10-05
- -10-09-05 Villages Buried in Mud Slides, Become Mass Graves (BBC News)
"Diego Esquina, the mayor of Panabaj, said his village 'will no longer exist'."
" 'We are asking that it be declared a cemetery. We are tired, we no longer know where to dig,' he said." 10-05
- -10-10-05 Merkel to Become First Woman German Chancellor (Bloomberg.com)
"German Christian Democratic Union chairwoman Angela Merkel will become the country's first woman chancellor, wresting the top government post away from Social Democratic incumbent Gerhard Schroeder three weeks after a national election, a CDU official said." 10-05
- -10-17-05 Not Enough Tents in the World (BBC News)
"There are not enough warm tents in the world to protect refugees from the South Asia earthquake from the coming winter, a top UN official has warned."
"Andrew Macleod told the BBC that the emergency was so vast it was an even bigger challenge than the 2004 tsunami." 10-05
- -10-19-05 U.N. Appeals for Help (Bloomberg.com)
"United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed to the world today for more money, helicopters, trucks, heavy lifting equipment and tents to help earthquake- ravaged Pakistan as temperatures drop in remote areas." 10-05
- -11-01-05 Most Quake Needs Not Met (MSNBC News)
"The United Nations said on Tuesday that it had received less than a quarter of the $550 million sought for quake victims in Pakistan and that the lack of money could soon hamper efforts to save lives in remote areas."
"Agencies are racing to reach 200,000 people in mountainous parts of Kashmir hit by the Oct. 8 quake, which killed an estimated 80,000 people in total and injured 79,000 more." 11-05
- -11-09-05 Top Footballer Criticizes French Government (Guardian Unlimited)
"One of France's top football players has criticised the government's handling of the riots in major cities and urged authorities to address the problems fuelling the disaffection of youths in the suburbs."
"Defender Lilian Thuram, the most capped player in the French national squad, said the violence was the fruit of the economic and social deprivation in the banlieues - suburbs where the majority of the population are descended from Arab and African immigrants and unemployment rates often run as high as 40%." 11-05
- -11-10-05 Blair Defeated on Anti-Terrorism Bill (MSNBC News)
"The House of Commons’ vote to quash Tony Blair’s anti-terror legislation dealt the prime minister his first-ever defeat — an embarrassing setback that raises doubts about his political future."
"Blair had staked his authority on the plan to detain terror suspects for 90 days without charge and doggedly refused to compromise. But some 49 of his own lawmakers, including 11 former ministers, joined forces with opposition parties to defeat the measure Wednesday." 11-05
- -11-16-05 International Outcry Greets Allegations of Abuse in Iraq (Guardian Unlimited)
Ayad al-Samarrai, a senior official with the Iraqi Islamic party, a mainstream Sunni group, said "The party wanted an independent Iraqi inquiry established, with support from the US military and perhaps the UN, but with the powers to enter interior ministry buildings to investigate the widely reported accounts of abuse and torture. If no suitable Iraqi inquiry team could be set up, then an international investigation should be set up, he said. He said officials from Iraq's human rights ministry had tried to investigate but had been refused access by the powerful interior ministry."
" 'All those who were released from this prison were Sunnis,' Mr Samarrai said. 'It looks like part of a plan to make this community terrified, or to push them to leave Iraq or to leave their homes, or to force them into violence as they will think it is the only way to protect themselves.' " 11-05
- -11-22-05 Germany Has a New Voice (BBC News)
"The new German Chancellor Angela Merkel is stepping on to the European stage this week with visits to Paris, Brussels and London to try to re-establish a new German voice in European politics." 11-05
- -11-22-05 Merkel Plans Grand Coalition (BBC News)
"Germany's two big parties - Mrs Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) - have approved a coalition agreement setting out the policies of the next government for four years." 11-05
- -11-23-05 China Short on Water Supplies (CBS News)
"A Chinese city of 3.8 million people closed schools and was trucking in drinking water Wednesday after shutting down its water system following a chemical plant explosion that officials said polluted a nearby river with toxic benzene."
"The disaster highlighted the precarious state of China's water supplies."
"The country's 1.3 billion people and the factories and farms of its booming economy compete for scarce supplies. The government says all of China's major rivers are dangerously polluted."
"Due to its vast population, China ranks among countries with the smallest water supplies per person." 11-05
- -11-23-05 Dancers of Ibdaa (World Press)
"Earlier this month, I watched Palestinian folkloric dance and theatre performed by the Ibdaa dance troupe. The group is the third generation of dancers, consisting of ten boys and ten girls from the Dheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank. The troupe performed at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst campus, the first stop in a countrywide tour to raise money for the Dheisheh refugee camp." 11-05
- -11-24-05 Chinese River Pollution 100 Tons (BBC News)
"A blast at a Chinese plant 12 days ago sent the equivalent of 10 tanker-loads of toxic chemicals into the Songhua river, Chinese state media report." 11-05
- -11-25-05 Amnesty: Britain Accused of Approving Torture (Guardian Unlimited)
"Tony Blair has been accused of undermining decades of British campaigning for international human rights by using the war on terror to give a 'green light' to torture. Amnesty International is to launch an unprecedented global campaign tomorrow against the British Government after ministers admitted they would use information gained by torture to prevent attacks on the United Kingdom." 11-05
- -11-26-05 One Laptop Per Child (Laptopical.com)
"Thanks to the vision of Nicholas Negroponte, founder of MIT's Media Lab, and the innovative design and structure ideas of a handful of his colleagues, a lightweight, $100 laptop with WiFi wireless networking is set to arrive in Third World countries -- soon."
"This cheap laptop will be light; have no disk drives, but a gigabyte of main memory, using flash memory for storage; and be battery-free, using a crank to get your information loaded. Oh, and mesh networking capability is also in the works."
"The folks at E Ink in Cambridge, Mass., plan to make a plastic, tough, flexible video screen; Linux is offering its operating system for free; and Advanced Micro Devices has agreed to provide a microprocessor." 11-05
- -11-26-05 UN to Supply World's Rural Poor with Internet Access (Christian Science Monitor)
"Effort to link the world's rural poor to the Internet with a $100 computer gets a boost from the United Nations." The program is called "One Laptop per Child." 11-05
- -11-27-05 G8 Had a Mandate to do Much More (Guardian Unlimited)
"World leaders have broken promises made at the G8 summit last summer, according to a leading member of the Make Poverty History campaign." 11-05
- -11-28-05 Military Help with Humanitarian Aid (Guardian Unlimited)
"We need to examine new ways, possibly an efficient system of standby agreements, to work with responsible armed forces in emergencies like the earthquake in Kashmir. That would give us a far better chance of providing an effective joint response from day one." 11-05
- -11-29-05 Iran May Drop Voluntary Compliance With I.A.E.A. Requirements (WorldPress.org)
"On Nov. 20, four days before the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-member board began its three-day November meeting, the Majlis (Iran’s parliament) adopted a resolution requiring the government to cancel all its voluntary measures of cooperation with the I.A.E.A. if Iran is referred by the board to the U.N. Security Council for 'action.' "
"The Western corporate media presented the Majlis decision as a threat by Tehran to block U.N. inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities. However, Majlis member Kazem Jalali told Associated Press that the resolution required the government to only comply with its legal obligations under the 1970 international nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (N.P.T.) and Iran’s safeguards agreement with the I.A.E.A., signed in 1974."
"More than a year ago, I.A.E.A. director general Mohammed ElBaradei reported to the I.A.E.A. board that 'all the declared nuclear material in Iran has been accounted for, and therefore such material is not diverted to prohibited activities,' i.e., to the development of nuclear weapons." 11-05
- -12-01-05 Boldly Unveiling a Dark Secret (CBS News)
"Eighteen months ago, Rania Al Baz was a stunningly beautiful young Saudi woman, who prided herself on her modern life and her professional accomplishments as the very visible host of Saudi Television's morning show."
"After her husband beat her severely, "Doctors gave her a less than ten percent chance of survival. Her face was fractured in thirteen places, and she was severely concussed. While she was in a coma, fighting for her life, her father took photographs of her severely beaten face, and when she regained consciousness, she agreed they could be printed."
"The sight of what had happened to her very familiar face at the hands of her abusive husband tore the veil off the taboo subject of domestic abuse and sparked a debate throughout the Arab world. Domestic abuse, by its very nature, is difficult to quantify in every society. But in Saudi Arabia, where strict Islamic Sharia law is applied, there are no statistics and very rarely any kind of prosecution." 11-05
- -12-01-05 Malawi Poverty and Disease: Half Face Starvation (CNN News)
"This is one of the world's 10 poorest countries; life expectancy is a mere 37 years; two-thirds of the population live on less than a dollar a day; one in six adults is HIV positive, and nearly half the population of 12 million faces starvation in coming months if help doesn't arrive soon."
"That's 5 million people, which is half the population of London or New York City."
"Malawi is in deep trouble after a fourth straight season of failed rains, which made farmlands and fields bone dry. November was supposed to usher in the rainy season -- but the skies were a clear blue and no clouds are in sight."
"The majority of Malawians are subsistence farmers - and they are crying out for help."
- -12-02-05 Greenspan: America's Exploding Deficit Could Disrupt the Global Economy (CBS News)
"Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan expressed concerns Friday that America's failure to deal with its exploding budget deficit and worldwide efforts to erect trade barriers could disrupt the global economy." 12-05
- -12-04-05 Kazakhstan Exit Polls: Nazarbayev Leading (USA Today)
"Oil-rich Kazakhstan voted Sunday in a presidential election widely expected to give Nursultan Nazarbayev another seven-year term leading the most prosperous country in Central Asia."
"Four exit polls released after voting ended showed that Nazarbayev was re-elected by an overwhelming margin. The largest poll, surveying some 300,000 people, found him winning 86.9% of the vote."
"That poll was conducted nationwide by the Association of Sociologists and Political Analysts, an independent group." 12-05
- -12-11-05 Potential Progress on Global Warming (Guardian Unlimited)
"Of particular note is the agreement of India and China, the world's two new industrial superpowers, to play an active part in future negotiations. These two countries, which are now ranked as developing nations, are exempt from the Kyoto climate agreement, even though they are pumping out massive amounts of carbon dioxide from new power plants. In acknowledging this fact, India and China have sent a signal to the rest of the world that they understand that climate change is their problem as much as it is the West's."
"As Thorpe points out, the world faces a rise of a further 2C or 3C on top of the 1C rise it has experienced since the start of the Industrial Revolution. However, only a 60 per cent cut in current greenhouse gas emissions will produce a stabilisation around that level. To date, politicians have not even got close to debating the kind of industrial changes that could bring that about." 12-05
- -12-12-05 U.N.: Top Syrian and Lebanese Officials Linked to Assassination (CNN News)
"The latest report from U.N. investigator Detlev Mehlis says investigators still believe that 'top-ranked Syrian and Lebanese officials' were involved in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri." 11-05
- -12-15-05 Civilian Deaths Caused by Invasion of Iraq (BBC News)
"The campaign group Iraq Body Count has been recording the number of civilians reported to have been killed during the Iraq war and subsequent military presence."
"On 1 December 2005, it put the total number of civilian dead at between 25,685 and 29,201 and the number of police dead at 1,640."
"One study, published by the Lancet medical journal in October 2004, suggested that poor planning, air strikes by coalition forces and a 'climate of violence' had led to more than 100,000 extra deaths in Iraq." 12-05
- -12-15-05 Iraqis Vote on New Government (BBC News)
"Iraqis are electing their first full-term government since the US-led invasion in 2003 amid tight security."
"President Jalal Talabani called on Iraqis to vote, and make the election a day of national unity and celebration." 12-05
- -12-15-05 McCain Anti-Torture Amendment to Pass in Congress (MSNBC News)
"As passed by the Senate and endorsed by the House, McCain’s amendment would prohibit 'cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment' of anyone in U.S. government custody, regardless of where they are held. It also would require that service members follow procedures in the Army Field Manual during interrogations of prisoners in Defense Department facilities."
"In recent weeks, the [Bush] administration had sought to add language that would offer protection from prosecution for interrogators accused of violating the provision. But McCain rejected that, arguing it would undermine the ban by not giving interrogators reason to follow the law." 12-05
- -12-15-05 Who's Who in the Iraqi Elections (BBC News)
"The BBC News website looks at the parties and alliances contesting the 15 December parliamentary elections in Iraq." 12-05
- -12-16-05 Newsweek: Bush May Not Have Given Up on Using Torture (MSNBC News)
"Newsweek has obtained a draft of a less-known companion bill sponsored by two Republican senators, Lindsey Graham and Jon Kyl, and Democratic Sen. Carl Levin, in which the administration has won tougher language giving it the right to use information obtained from harsh interrogations overseas."
"In theory, this would permit U.S. military tribunals to use evidence obtained through torture or abuse in the prisons of other countries. The new Graham draft also adds more restrictions on the rights of terror detainees to sue or launch an action against the U.S. government outside of a narrow appeals process." 12-05
- -12-16-05 Sunnis Came to the Polls (Fox News)
"Turnout in what was a mostly peaceful election was overwhelming. Election officials estimated up to 11 million of the nation's 15 million registered voters took part in Thursday's vote, which would put overall turnout at more than 70 percent."
"So many Sunni Arabs voted Thursday that ballots ran out in some places. The strong participation by Sunnis, the backbone of the insurgency, bolstered U.S. hopes that the election could produce a broad-based government capable of ending the daily suicide attacks and other violence that have ravaged the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein."
"Sunni Arabs make up about 20 percent of Iraq's 27 million people, compared to about 60 percent for Shiites." 12-05
- -12-17-05 Protesters Active at WTO Meeting (USA Today)
"Police fired tear gas Saturday at hundreds of protesters who charged the convention center where delegates were wrapping up global trade talks. Security forces locked the doors and took up positions throughout the building."
"Hong Kong's security chief vowed robust police action to control the protests, the most violent during the weeklong meeting of the World Trade Organization. The demonstrators oppose the WTO's efforts to open up global markets." 12-05
- -12-18-05 Heroes Against Poverty and Disease (CNN News)
"The good deeds of an activist rock legend and one of the world's richest men and his wife carried the day in 2005, as Time magazine on Sunday named U2 frontman Bono and philanthropic couple Bill and Melinda Gates as its 'Persons of the Year.' " 11-05
- -4-16-05 Shanghai: Chinese Crowds Protest Against Japan (CBS News)
"About 20,000 anti-Japanese protesters rampaged in Shanghai on Saturday, stoning Japan's consulate and smashing cars and shops in a protest over Tokyo's wartime history and its bid for a permanent U.N. Security Council seat. Thousands of police watched but did little to restrain the crowd."
"Japan filed an official protest, complaining that Chinese authorities failed to stop the violence."
"The Shanghai government, however, blamed Japan for the protest, saying it was sparked by 'Japan's wrong attitudes and actions on a series of issues such as its history of agression,' the official Xinhua news agency quoted government spokeswoman Jiao Yang as saying late Saturday." 4-05
- 06-29-05 Canada Approves Same-Sex Marriages (Guardian Unlimited)
"Canada last night became the third country in the world to approve gay marriages when MPs passed a historic bill granting same-sex couples equal rights to those in traditional marriages."
"The bill was passed by the Canadian House of Commons despite strong opposition from religious leaders and conservative MPs." 6-05
- 08-01-05 King Fahd of Saudi Arabia Dies (Bloomberg.com)
"King Fahd, who led Saudi Arabia for 23 years as he balanced pro-Western policies and internal pressures from Islamic forces, died after years of worsening health, state television reported. His exact age isn't known, though he was in his early 80s."
"The king's half-brother, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, who assumed day-to-day power from Fahd following a 1995 stroke, now becomes monarch." 08-05
- 08-06-05 Russians Attempt Mini-Sub Rescue (MSNBC News)
"Russian crews labored late Saturday to drag up a mini-submarine snarled in a seabed antenna deep in the Pacific, hoping to get the seven trapped crewmen close enough to the surface to escape before their air supply ran out." 08-05
- 08-13-05 Bush Raises Possibility of Military Action Against Iran (BBC News)
"President George W. Bush yesterday raised the possibility of a U.S. military response to Iran's decision to restart its nuclear energy program."
" 'We've used force in the recent past to secure our country,' Bush added, when asked to elaborate."
"Western countries including the U.S., France and Germany, say they are worried the Islamic state will secretly develop nuclear weapons. Iran is the second-largest oil producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries." 8-05
- 08-17-05 British Police Mistake (International Herald Tribune)
"Britain was plunged into sharp new controversy Wednesday by a leaked official report that contradicts accounts of how the police shot and killed a Brazilian man who was mistaken for a suicide bomber." 8-05
- 08-20-05 Nkurunziza Elected President of Burundi (Wikipedia.org)
"Pierre Nkurunziza (b. 18 December 1963) is the President-elect of Burundi and chairman of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD). The CNDD was an ethnic Hutu rebel group in Burundi, but transformed itself into a political party." 8-05
- 08-22-05 Kurds and Shia Agree, Not Sunnis (Bloomberg.com)
"Iraq's Shiite political leaders prepared to send a draft constitution to the parliament later today while trying to persuade minority Sunnis to back the charter."
"Iraq is defined as a 'federal' republic in the draft, according to a copy seen by Reuters. Sunnis have expressed concerns about self-ruling Kurdish and Shiite regions, rich in oil reserves, being carved from Iraq."
"Sunnis oppose the idea of federalism, which they say will deprive them of access to Iraq's oil, the world's third-largest reserve of crude. Production and reserves are split between the predominately Shiite south of the country and the north." 8-05
- Editorial: G8 Summit and Global Warming (BBC News)
Journalist Susan Watts argues that Prime Minister Tony Blair must gain three agreements at the G8 in order to be successful. "He must pull off an agreement that says the science [of global warming] is compelling. This is the cornerstone, without which the rest is meaningless."
"Second - concrete moves towards cutting emissions, with a timetable. And third - recognition that urgent action is imperative." 7-05
News
- -01-23-05 Foreign Governments View Bush Speech as Arrogant (USA Today)
"Foreign governments and commentators are reacting with alarm, skepticism and defiance to President Bush's inaugural address, in which he promised to draw sharp distinctions between nations based on "oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right."
"Writing in The Guardian of Britain, commentator David Aaronovitch called Bush's aim of spreading democracy superior to "the dismal prospect" of doing nothing. But he said Bush needs to pursue the goal with less arrogance and more accountability. He said Bush 'seems to have terrified a good portion of the world.' " "The Age of Melbourne, Australia, described Bush's speech as 'bulging with the fervor of evangelical politics' and said 'the gap between the world of his rhetoric and global reality is now so wide as to be alarming.' "1-05
- -02-10-05 Prince Charles to Marry (MSNBC News)
"Prince Charles announced Thursday that he will marry his lover Camilla Parker Bowles, putting an official seal on a long romance that Princess Diana blamed for the breakdown of her tempestuous marriage to the heir to the throne. The announcement ruled out the possibility that she would become queen." 2-05
- -06-25-05 Rumsfeld Slams Iran's Elections (CNN News)
"Speaking on 'Fox News Sunday,' Rumsfeld said the Iranian government had paved the way for ultra-conservative Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to win the post."
"The Iranian president does not run the country, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameinei has the final word in matters of state in the Islamic theocracy. But the United States and others hoped the victor in the election would be someone they deemed more committed to democratic reforms." 6-05
- -11-05-05 Bush Leaves Rocky Summit (USA Today)
"President Bush left the Summit of the Americas Saturday with no more than he expected: a cold shoulder from some Latin American leaders, no consensus on a free trading bloc for the hemisphere and biting criticism from anti-U.S. protesters and Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez." 11-05
- -Editorial: Why Paris Is Burning (Time Magazine)
"Officially, the French state doesn't recognize minorities, only citizens of France, all of them equal under the law. But that republican ideal has seemed especially hollow over the past week as the children of impoverished, largely Muslim immigrants from the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa fought running battles with police throughout the banlieues, or suburbs, to the east and north of the French capital. On Sunday night, tear gas from a police canister filled the air in a Muslim prayer hall, sending worshipers out into the street gasping for air—and enraged at an act of desecration for which the police denied responsibility. By Wednesday, after five nights of violence, more than three dozen arrests had been made as the rioting spread from community to community—one official even warned that it threatened to become an "insurrection." And France's political class was embroiled in a fierce debate over how best to put a lid on their boiling banlieues." 11-05
- Asia's Devasating Quake (Awesome Library)
Reports on the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that has left 2.6 million seeking shelter. 10-05
- Editorial: Out of Darkness (Guardian Unlimited)
"Bereaved families, struggling to extract some tiny good from the tragic death of a child, have become some of the most formidable of modern campaigners." 8-05
- Editorial: The Murderables in England (WorldPress.org)
"The murder [by British police] of the Brazilian national marks an important step toward the reduction of constitutional guarantees in Europe, a step made with the approval — or apprehension — of the great majority of a public reasonably frightened by a terrorist attack that has transformed London, as yesterday’s Madrid, and perhaps tomorrow’s Rome, or who knows what other city, into a suburb of Baghdad."
"According to a survey published in London, two thirds of British Muslim youth are thinking of leaving the country where they were born and in which they hold a passport. And this is because they feel they have been made 'objectively suspect' and therefore 'murderable.' " 8-05
- Israeli Pullout Swift (CBS News)
"Jewish settlers sobbed and screamed, some of them ripping their shirts in mourning, as Israeli troops dragged them from homes and synagogues Wednesday, the beginning of the end of Israel's 38-year occupation of the Gaza Strip." 8-05
- Shukria Barakzai Named Worldpress.org's 2004 International Editor of the Year (WorldPress.org)
"In addition to her work in education and at Women's Mirror, Mrs. Barakzai was a member of Afghanistan's Constitutional Reviewing Commission. Nominated by President Hamid Karzai to this job, she worked for more than nine months reviewing each article of Afghanistan's Constitutional principles draft."
Although her work on the Commission has ended, the 500-member grand council, or Loya Jirga, adopted the new post-conflict Afghan constitution in early January 2004. Under article 22, it states that every Afghan citizen, whether male or female, has equal rights and responsibilities before the law."
Many women have called the constitution no less than a miracle in a country once dominated by conservative leaders and traditions. For Mrs. Barakzai, it is the first and most crucial step in gaining women's rights in the long term." 1-05
- -08-07-05 Russians on Mini-Sub Rescued (MSNBC News)
"Seven people on a submarine trapped for nearly three days under the Pacific Ocean were rescued Sunday after a British remote-controlled vehicle cut away undersea cables that had snarled their vessel, allowing it to surface." 08-05
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