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The News from International Protection ©

 

Week: November 17th- November 24th 2008

 

The weekly listing of important stories in the fields of peace, human rights, development, and humanitarian affairs.

 

 

Dear friend,

 

You find here fifteen issues you should know about:

 

 

1)      China maintains hold on Tibet and tests Dalai Lama

 

“Chinese paramilitary police with riot shields and batons abruptly took up posts Monday on the main street of this Tibetan town, disrupting the bustle of Buddhist pilgrims in a reminder of China's determined control of the region.”

 

Source: Associated Press/ Yahoo News

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081124/ap_on_re_as/as_china_holding_tibet;_ylt=AvLIi99.ESdDiX6CxbrrB5FvaA8F

 

2)     Bombs kill at least 20 in Iraq ahead of pact vote

 

“A woman hiding a bomb under her long robe blew herself up Monday among Iraqis waiting to enter the U.S.-protected Green Zone, where lawmakers plan to vote this week on a pact that would let American forces stay in Iraq for up to three more years.”

Source: Associated Press/Yahoo News

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081124/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq;_ylt=Ar96fo9doUqtb_eXOM9aFYpvaA8F

 

 

3) U.N. envoy urges Congo leader to talk to rebel chief

 

Nigerian former President Olusegun Obasanjo urged Congo's president on Monday to talk with Tutsi rebel leader Gen. Laurent Nkunda to prevent the conflict in eastern Congo from escalating into a new war.”

Source: Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4AN88O20081124

 

4)     Zimbabwe rivals in new talks to end deadlock

 

“Zimbabwe's political rivals meet in South Africa on Tuesday for talks to end a political deadlock, amid mounting pressure from regional leaders for a deal to prevent the humanitarian crisis becoming still worse.”

Source: Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4AN1RI20081124

 

5)     North Korea Threatens to Snip Ties With South

 

“In a reversal of recent progress toward reconciliation on the divided Korean Peninsula, North Korea said Monday it would ban South Korean tourists from the ancient city of Kaesong and “selectively expel” South Koreans working in a joint industrial complex there starting Dec. 1..”

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/world/asia/25korea.html?_r=1&ref=world

 

6)     China Irritated with ‘Slanderous’ U.N. Report on Rights

 

“The Chinese government reacted angrily on Monday to what it called a slanderous United Nations report that alleges systemic torture of political and criminal detainees. The government said the authors were biased, untruthful and driven by a political agenda.”

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/world/asia/25china.html?ref=world

 

7)     Congo Crisis: More Help is Needed for Women and Girls in North Kivu as Sexual Violence Escalates

“Women and girls in eastern Congo's North Kivu province are once again suffering increasing levels of sexual violence amid renewed conflict, instability and widespread displacement of civilians.”

Source: International Refugee Committee/ Alertnet

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/237687/122753872654.htm

 

 

 

 

8)     Brazil floods kill at least 59, uproot thousands

 

“Rescue workers rushed to help stricken residents in southern Brazil on Monday after landslides and floods caused by heavy rain killed at least 59 people and forced more than 43,000 from their homes.”

Source: Alertnet/Reuters

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N24504325.htm

 

9)     NEPAL: Clock ticking for earthquake preparedness

“Kathmandu, one of the most seismically vulnerable cities in the world, is ill-prepared for the next big earthquake, experts warn.”

Source: Irin

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81632

 

10)   YEMEN: War-affected children suffer psychological disorders - study

 

“-Five months after a specialised facility for multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients was established at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, the lack of isolation wards is raising concerns.”

 

Source: Irin

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81623

 

11)   Sri Lanka: Human rights situation deteriorating in the east

 

“The Sri Lankan government should take immediate steps to address the deteriorating human rights situation in the country's Eastern Province, where there has been an increase in killings and abductions in recent weeks, Human Rights Watch said today..”

Source:  Reliefweb / Human Rights Watch

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VDUX-7LPTRQ?OpenDocument

 

12)   Anarchy in Somalia: The lawless Horn

 

“On November 15th pirates operating hundreds of miles from the coast seized the Sirius Star, a supertanker carrying 2m barrels of Saudi oil (see article). A dozen or so other vessels are already held by pirates. One of them—surrounded by American and Russian warships—contains a cargo of 33 T-72 tanks, enough to tip the balance in a small local war.”

Source: The Economist

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12637009&source=hptextfeature

 

 

 

13)   Zimbabwe on brink of collapse as outbreak of cholera spreads

 

“The situation in Zimbabwe may soon "implode" as a cholera outbreak spreads and basic services collapse, South African leaders and a group of international statesmen warned yesterday.”

Source: The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/25/zimbabwe-internationalaidanddevelopment

 

14) Anger at tagging plan to fight HIV in Indonesia

“People with HIV in Papua, Indonesia, who are deemed to be "sexually aggressive" may be microchipped to enable the authorities to identify, track and punish those who deliberately infect others under a plan which has the backing of the provincial parliament. ““

 

Source: The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/25/aids-hiv-human-rights-indonesia

 

15)  Katrina Kids: Sickest Ever

“Even before the storm, they were some of the country's neediest kids. Now, the children of Katrina who stayed longest in ramshackle government trailer parks in Baton Rouge are "the sickest I have ever seen in the U.S.," says Irwin Redlener, president of the Children's Health Fund and a professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.”

Source: Newsweek

http://www.newsweek.com/id/170370

 

Thanks!

 

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