From nymhm at lists.artsandmedia.net Wed Jan 3 14:05:59 2007 From: nymhm at lists.artsandmedia.net (nymhm@lists.artsandmedia.net) Date: Wed Jan 3 14:07:19 2007 Subject: News You Might Have Missed * January 3, 2007 * Vol. 6, No. 1 Message-ID: <459C28C7.6080708@artsandmedia.net> Editor's Note: In the coming weeks and months, we will be experimenting with different ways to write and format the NYMHM newsletter and Web pages. We welcome your feedback on this process! Send your comments, criticism and advice to: feedback (at) artsandmedia (dot) net ============================================================================= NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * January 3, 2007 * Vol. 6, No. 1 Important but overlooked news from around the world. NYMHM is a free service of Newsdesk.org. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Online this week: http://newsdesk.org/archives/001023.php - RSS: http://newsdesk.org/news/atom.xml - Donations: http://artsandmedia.net/contribute/ - Merch: http://cafepress.com/newsdesk/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUOTED: "As fishermen and residents of the area, we will be ready to die for this cause." -- A Trinidad Fishermen's Association spokesman says plans for a huge aluminum smelter will destroy the local fishing economy. (see "Alcoa's Woes," below). THIS WEEK: The Bush Administration is hiring lawyers, Dubai takes heat over fears of terror exports, gays in Turkey face a new censorship push, cigarette smokers and aluminum smelters alike are mired in a battle of the bans, and fast-food is fingered for a surge in childhood kidney stones and ballooning baby fat. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOP STORIES ............................................................................. > The Bush Investigations Ahead of an expected surge in Democratic subpoenas, the White House is hiring at least four new attorneys, the Baltimore Sun reports, including specialists in white collar and securities investigations. The Sun notes that this is a far cry from the "hiring spree" that preceded President Bill Clinton's impeachment. Republican are also launching a new PR firm to support any other officials and corporations caught up in the probe. Bush spokesman Tony Snow said the agency is "certainly independent of the White House." > Palestine by the Numbers The human rights group B'Tselem has tallied up the human cost of Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2006. Israeli deaths by terrorism dropped to 17, including one minor and six soldiers. In Gaza and the West Bank, the Palestinian death rate tripled to 660, of which 141 were minors, and 322 "noncombatants." The Independent (U.K.) reports that the Israeli government doesn't dispute the numbers, but rather the use of the word "noncombatant." > The Waters of Lebanon Layers of sludge "as much as two meters thick" drift offshore of Lebanon's capital, and citizens say the decades of backed-up raw sewage have made the Beirut River smell "unbearable." Critics blame government apathy and incompetence, the Daily Star reports, and complain that new treatment plants are years from completion. One conservationist said U.S. funding for 42 wastewater facilities has produced only a handful that are even "partially" functional. Sources: "Bush is bracing for new scrutiny" Baltimore Sun, December 26, 2006 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.investigate26dec26,0,7071390.story?coll=bal-home-headlines "Palestinian death toll triples this year" Independent (U.K.), December 30, 2006 http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2112575.ece "Untreated waste fouls Lebanese waterways" Lebanon Daily Star, December 29, 2006 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=78076 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- WORLD ............................................................................. > Dubai Exports Blamed for Terror Citing an "alarming lack of export oversight," the U.S. accused the United Arab Emirates of giving Iran and Syria access to electronics it fears could be used by Shia militias in Iraq to make explosives. Dubai Customs denied the charge, saying that it has been cooperating with anti-terrorism efforts, Agence France-Presse reports. The customs agency also said the United States did not share any details about suspect shipments, and that the accused company did not violate any export controls or break UAE laws. > Former Mosque to Stay Catholic A plea to turn the Roman Catholic cathedral in Cordoba, Spain, into an ecumenical temple open to all faiths has been rejected as confusing, the BBC reports. Originally a Moorish mosque, the cathedral is a U.N. World Heritage Site and a tourist attraction. Spain's Islamic Board said security guards often prevent Muslims from praying there, and called for joint use to promote co-existence. Sources: "UAE rejects U.S. criticism on export of sensitive material" Agence France-Presse, December 29, 2006 http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=125123&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17 "Spain cathedral shuns Muslim plea" BBC (U.K.), December 28, 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6213665.stm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- HUMAN RIGHTS ............................................................................. > Gay Censorship Battles in Turkey As its editor stands trial on morality charges, Turkey's only gay and lesbian lifestyle magazine said in a statement that the action negates freedom of speech of all homosexuals. The magazine, published by an NGO previously threatened with closure, ran a special edition in July on pornography, Adnki.com reports. > Philippines Named "Housing Rights Violator" Hundreds of thousands of the poorest Filipinos have been evicted or made homeless, according to Bulatlat magazine, as polluted, crowded shantytowns are privatized, occupied by troops and demolished. An activist group say the government allows "systematic" violation of housing rights across the country. > Bahrain Labor Law Ignored Dozens of migrant workers in Bahrain have been injured or killed after being hurled from the backs of open trucks in traffic accidents, Gulf News reported. An activist says a ban on such transport practices is routinely ignored. Sources: "Turkey: Editor of gay magazine to stand trial" ADNKronos International (Italy), December 27, 2006 http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Politics&loid=8.0.371356085&par=0 "'Enforce ban on firms transporting workers in open vehicles'" Gulf News (United Arab Emirates), December 30, 2006 http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Bahrain/10092966.html "RP is 2006 housing rights violator" Bulatlat (Philippines), December 31-January 6, 2007 http://www.bulatlat.com/news/6-47/6-47-up.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SMOKING BANS ............................................................................. > Butts Out Around The World? In Hong Kong, a longtime smoker insists his regular chess games in the park will remain tobacco-friendly, despite government promises to enforce a new ban on lighting up outdoors. Ohio bar owners had mixed reactions, from disdainful to supportive, to a shipment of empty matchboxes listing a suicide hotline phone number, and promoting a new smoking ban there. And in Pennsylvania, a pair of bar and cafe owners backed by R.J. Reynolds lost a lawsuit claiming a local smoking ban hurt their businesses, and violated a weaker state law. The judge suspended the ban until May, asking legislators to clarify the situation. Sources: "Smoker ready to defy ban in parks" The Standard (China), December 29, 2006 http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=1&art_id=34980&sid=11523984&con_type=1 "Bar, restaurant patrons can smoke till May" Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, December 23, 2006 http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/today/s_485550.html "Campaign: Smoking ban not matter of life, death" Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 23, 2006 http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1166866974220980.xml&coll=2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALCOA'S WOES ............................................................................. > "We will be ready to die for this cause" A year of "stormy protests" has caused Alcoa to scuttle a proposed $1.5 billion aluminum smelter in Trinidad, Reuters reports. New plans to build the plant further south have prompted equally fierce opposition by villagers afraid that pollution and emissions would devastate the local fishing economy. In Texas, a labor union is feeling the effects of an air pollution lawsuit that has forced Alcoa to decommission and upgrade a power plant there. Sources: "Alcoa smelter gets cold shoulder in Trinidad" Reuters, December 29, 2006 http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=39650&newsdate=29-Dec-2006 "Alcoa to shut down three units of power plant" Temple Daily Telegram (TX), December 29, 2006 http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/local/2006/12/29/37204 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- FAST-FOOD CHILDHOOD ............................................................................. > A Plague of Baby Fat and Kidney Stones A third of America's three-year-olds are overweight, largely among low-income families without easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables, the Boston Globe reports. But the problem is deepened by sedentary lifestyles, and poor examples offered by obese adults. Doctors say the fast-food habit may also be causing a surge in childhood kidney stones. The painful condition, usually only found in adults, is often caused by an excess of salt and lack of water, according to the Baltimore Sun. Sources: "Obesity battle starts young for urban poor" Boston Globe, December 29, 2006 http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/12/29/obesity_battle_starts_young_for_urban_poor/ "For children, a painful trend" Batimore Sun, December 29, 2006 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.kidney29dec29,0,7029664.story?coll=bal-health-headlines ============================================================================= Editors: Julia Scott and Josh Wilson ............................................................................. SUPPORT PUBLIC-SERVICE MEDIA Newsdesk.org and News You Might Have Missed are commercial-free, and available at no charge. We welcome your tax-deductible contributions: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=695 ............................................................................. News You Might Have Missed and Newsdesk.org are free services of Independent Arts & Media: http://artsandmedia.net/ ............................................................................. E-mail list powered by Group D Communications: http://www.groupd.com/ ............................................................................. DISCLAIMER: All external links are provided as informational resources only, consistent with the nonprofit, public-interest mission of Independent Arts & Media. Independent Arts & Media does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations and does not have a copyright on any of the content located at these sites. ============================================================================= From nymhm at lists.artsandmedia.net Wed Jan 10 17:07:05 2007 From: nymhm at lists.artsandmedia.net (nymhm@lists.artsandmedia.net) Date: Wed Jan 10 17:11:35 2007 Subject: NYMHM: Iran's cell phone police, CIA greenlight on Hizbollah Message-ID: <45A58DB9.1090209@artsandmedia.net> ============================================================================= NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * January 10, 2007 * Vol. 6, No. 2 Important but overlooked news from around the world. NYMHM is a free service of Newsdesk.org. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Online this week: http://newsdesk.org/archives/001034.php - RSS: http://newsdesk.org/news/atom.xml - Donations: http://artsandmedia.net/contribute/ - Merch: http://cafepress.com/newsdesk/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS WEEK: Iran's cell phone police are on patrol, Russia and the U.S. get some realpolitik in their arms-industry earnings, war-crime rapes remain largely unprosecuted, there's a spot of good news amidst the gloom for migrant workers, San Francisco art students are censored ... and Bush's document declassification is too. QUOTED: "Not renewing our license is like President Bush one day announcing that NBC is going off the air because it was involved in a conspiracy against the United States." -- Venezuelan RCTV General Manager Marcel Granier says his network was shut after President Hugo Chavez accused it of supporting a failed 2002 coup (see "Censorship," below). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOP STORIES ............................................................................. > Sunnis, CIA Target Hizbollah Fearing the growing strength of Shia Islam and the influence of Iran and Syria, President Bush as "authorized the CIA to take covert action" against Hizbollah, The Telegraph reports. The move will support the government in Lebanon, and is backed by "mainstream" Sunni Arab nations, which in return have agreed to spur new Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. > Iran's Cell Phone Spies A member of Iran's parliament has criticized a new group of plainclothes officials who seize and erase citizens' cell phone if they contain independent news, political jokes, and other "illegal" messages, according to ADNKronos. This follows other bans on satellite TV and 10,000 Web sites. > Afghans Unarmed and Dangerous NATO-led forces will shoot small children pointing replica guns at them if they look real enough, warned officials. The force already mistook about 1,000 civilians for insurgents and killed them in the past year. "CIA gets the go-ahead to take on Hizbollah" The Telegraph, January 10, 2007 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/10/wleb10.xml "Iran: Special police corps charged with controlling cell phones" ADNKronos International (Italy), January 4, 2007 http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Politics&loid=8.0.373441661&par=0 "Kids with toy guns worry NATO troops in Afghanistan" PakTribune.com (Pakistan), January 06, 2007 http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?165059 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- WEAPONS TRADE ............................................................................. > U.S., Russia, Israel Follow the Money In Washington, emergency supplemental budgets have sparked a "feeding frenzy" for weapons contractors, a military official told the Wall Street Journal. Case in point: The Pentagon's request for an additional $99.7 billion to buy weapons that won't be ready for years, and aren't intended for Iraq or Afghanistan. Overseas, the United States ended sanctions against a Russian military firm that's working with Boeing, but imposed new ones against other weapons companies that sell to Iran and Syria. Russia condemned the move as "illegal," and said the U.S. is denying itself economic opportunity. Israel has taken its place among the world's top five weapons exporters with $4.4 billion in sales last year, primarily to India and the United States. Officials report sales to the U.S. jumped from $300 million in 1999 to $1 billion in 2006. "Pentagon redefines 'emergency'" Wall Street Journal, January 2, 2007 http://www.blogowogo.com/blog_article.php?aid=485456 "Moscow slams U.S. sanctions on its military firms" Reuters, January 6, 2007 http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2007-01-06T135215Z_01_L06742392_RTRUKOC_0_US-RUSSIA-US-SANCTIONS.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C3-politicsNews-2 "2006: Israel defense sales hit record" Jerusalem Post, January 1, 2007 http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1167467639780&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- WORLD ............................................................................. > Kalahari Homeland Denied ... Again A group of Basarwa Bushmen returning to their ancestral homeland were turned away at the border of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, despite winning a court case against the government. Officials claimed only the plaintiffs and their children would be allowed back in. > Rape Victims' Voices Unheard Although up to 500,000 women in Rwanda alone were estimated to have been raped, U.N. tribunals prosecuting genocide there and in the former Yugoslavia have had only 34 successful convictions for rape as a weapon of war. "Khoisan denied entry to Kalahari reserve" Independent Online (South Africa), January 5, 2007 http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=vn20070105033715146C452480 "International justice failing rape victims" Institute for War & Peace Reporting, January 5, 2007 http://www.iwpr.net/?p=tri&s=f&o=328311&apc_state=henh ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CENSORSHIP ............................................................................. > Student Magazine, Venezuelan TV Shut Down The Art Institute of California-San Francisco has fired a part- time professor who claimed the school's confiscation of a student magazine was a First Amendment violation. The former professor and his students claim that the Institute has censored other works in the past. Administrators say the magazine, which included criticism of the school's corporate funders, has since been approved for publication. In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez has come under fire from the Organization of American States and Reporters Without Borders for closing Venezuela's oldest and largest TV network. He accuses network operators of supporting a failed 2002 coup against him, an event they claim to have covered as a news event only. "Teacher fired; accused school of censorship" San Francisco Chronicle, January 4, 2007 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/01/04/BAG31NCF5E1.DTL "Chavez blasted for pulling plug on TV network" Los Angeles Times, January 5, 2007 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4450963.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- MIGRANT WORKERS ............................................................................. > Workers Abused, Praised in Different Countries Rebels in India's impoverished Northeast are targeting migrant workers to stir anger over high unemployment there. According to the Associated Press, 67 workers were killed or wounded in the space of a week, the latest violence in a region home to "dozens" of insurgent groups and long-simmering ethnic conflict. A human rights advocate says foreign maids in Bahrain have been "specifically excluded" from labor protections, leading to widespread abuse. The Gulf Daily News reports that maids from South and Southeast Asia are frequently overworked, beaten, sexually abused and driven to attempt suicide. Contrary to public fears, 500,000 workers from Poland, Hungary and other former Soviet countries have reduced unemployment and boosted production in the U.K., a study finds. They also take lower wages, however, which reduces labor-bargaining powers. "More than 50 killed in Indian violence" Associated Press, January 6, 2007 http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6327021,00.html "'Bring domestic workers under Gulf labour law' call" Gulf Daily News (Bahrain), January 3, 2007 http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=166209&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=29289 "'Little evidence' of migrants adversely affecting UK job market" 24dash.com (U.K.), January 4, 2007 http://www.24dash.com/centralgovernment/14921.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS & COMMENTARY ............................................................................. > "Declassified" Documents Withheld Numerous exemptions built into the Bush Administration's historic declassification of government files at least 25 years old means very little of it will ever reach the public. Writing in the Los Angeles Times, history professor Jon Weiner says the exemptions cover any information obtained from confidential sources and foreign governments, or through wiretaps. "Government documents are declassified in name only" Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2007 http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-wiener4jan04,0,2227134.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail ============================================================================= Editors: Julia Scott, Josh Wilson ............................................................................. SUPPORT PUBLIC-SERVICE MEDIA Newsdesk.org and News You Might Have Missed are commercial-free, and available at no charge. We welcome your tax-deductible contributions: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=695 ............................................................................. News You Might Have Missed and Newsdesk.org are free services of Independent Arts & Media: http://artsandmedia.net/ ............................................................................. E-mail list powered by Group D Communications: http://www.groupd.com/ ............................................................................. DISCLAIMER: All external links are provided as informational resources only, consistent with the nonprofit, public-interest mission of Independent Arts & Media. Independent Arts & Media does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations and does not have a copyright on any of the content located at these sites. ============================================================================= From nymhm at lists.artsandmedia.net Wed Jan 17 17:20:25 2007 From: nymhm at lists.artsandmedia.net (nymhm@lists.artsandmedia.net) Date: Wed Jan 17 17:21:55 2007 Subject: NYMHM: German "eco-mafia"; strides for women; Peru cocaine Message-ID: ============================================================================= NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * January 17, 2007 * Vol. 6, No. 3 Important but overlooked news from around the world. NYMHM is a free service of Newsdesk.org. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Online this week: http://newsdesk.org/archives/001049.php - RSS: http://newsdesk.org/news/atom.xml - Donations: http://artsandmedia.net/contribute/ - Merch: http://cafepress.com/newsdesk/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS WEEK: A German "eco-mafia" is dumping toxics in Eastern Europe, Peru cocaine revives the Shining Path, Shiites and Sunnis are at odds in Detroit, the Gates Foundation retreats on principle, women take strides in Yemen and Zimbabwe, and a newspaper pushes a peace plan for Iraq. QUOTED: "[I]t is naive to suggest that an individual stockholder can stop that suffering. Changes in our investment practices would have little or no impact on these issues." -- Patty Stonesifer, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on oil investments linked to pollution and health problems in the African nations it serves (see "Global Giving," below). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOP STORIES ............................................................................. > "Eco-Mafia" Targets Eastern Europe Hungarian police say that 10 illegal toxic waste dumps are the work of a German "eco-mafia" that offers a cheap but hazardous alternative to incineration. The Budapest Times reports that a local mayor, his wife and several companies are suspects in a dumping scheme that has also struck the Ukraine. > Peru: The New Colombia Resurgent Shining Path militants protect Mexican drug cartels that bypass Colombia to bring an efficient and ruthless cocaine trade to Peru. Speaking to El Universal, some analysts blamed prohibition for creating the cartels, and said coca eradication isn't offsetting market growth worldwide. > Canada Brainwash Lawsuit Montreal resident Janine Huard won $66,000 from the CIA for trauma from an electroshock and brainwashing program it sponsored with Canada from 1950-1965. But the Montreal Gazette reports that Canadian officials want to shut her and hundreds of others out of any further government settlements. "Illegal German waste dumps found" Budapest Times (Hungary), January 15, 2007 http://www.budapesttimes.hu/?do=article&id=2190 "Mexican cartels settling into Peru" El Universal (Miami/Mexico), January 13, 2006 http://www.mexiconews.com.mx/miami/22944.html "Class action sought in brainwashing case" Montreal Gazette, January 11, 2006 http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=25e1dfaa-f1ac-4253-94c9-90abc4009e22&k=71082 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM ............................................................................. > Hate Speech in England British officials want a preacher "closed down" for using a false name to post calls for violence against Ethiopian "infidels" and others. The messages appeared on a password-protected Web site that has about 700 members, and may have inspired other European- born extremists to smuggle weapons and fight alongside al Qaeda in Somalia, the Times of London reports. > Sectarian Detroit Iraq comes home to Detroit, where Sunnis angered by the hanging of Saddam Hussein are blamed for vandalism and threats against local Shiite businesses and mosques. Community leaders say that the attacks were the work of a few individuals only, and the FBI has promised to investigate any civil-rights violations. "U.K. preacher in secret Web call for jihad" Sunday Times (U.K.), January 14, 2007 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2546266,00.html "Islamic group calls for federal probe into vandalism of buildings" Associated Press, January 10, 2006 http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS02/701100352/1001/news ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- GLOBAL GIVING ............................................................................. > Questions for Gates Foundation, Nigeria Funds Although the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation spends millions on health and anti-poverty campaigns in Africa, the charity also derives almost half of its $35 billion endowment from investments in oil companies blamed for widespread pollution and health problems there. In a letter to the Los Angeles Times, CEO Patty Stonesifer defended the investments, saying that it is "naive" to think that stockholders can affect corporate practices. In Nigeria, presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar was indicted for his alleged role in the disappearance of $125 million meant to combat a "brain drain" of oil and gas industry experts; he claims outgoing president Olusegun Obasanjo spent it to illegally bankroll a third elected term. "Gates Foundation may shift billions into ethical stocks" Guardian (U.K.), January 12, 2007 http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/&articleid=295555 "Gates Foundation to keep its investment approach" Los Angeles Times, January 14, 2007 http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-gates14jan14,1,7694464.story?coll=la-news-a_section&ctrack=1&cset=true "Science and technology millions missing in Nigeria" SciDev.Net (U.K.), January 13, 2007 http://www.scidev.net/content/news/eng/science-and-technology-millions-missing-in-nigeria.cfm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- WOMEN: RIGHTS & SAFETY ............................................................................. > Progress in Yemen, Zimbabwe A Western-educated Yemeni woman said she would break a law against women in politics by forming a party dedicated to gender equality. GulfNews.com reports that Sumaya Ali Raja, who was invited to deliver her message to a traditionally all-male council, got a mixed reception from conservatives, but was welcomed by the Socialist Party and others. Legislators in Zimbabwe finally passed a bill protecting women from domestic abuse ... ten years after it was introduced. Activists say that one in four women there are victims of abuse, and linked domestic violence with high rates of murder and HIV infection. "'Good omen' for Yemeni women" Gulfnews.com (UAE), January 13, 2007 http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Yemen/10096531.html "Zimbabwe: New law hope for abused women" Integrated Regional Information Networks (UN), January 11, 2007 http://www.kenyanewsnetwork.com/artman/publish/article_2239.shtml ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- IRAQ: MOVING FORWARD ............................................................................. > A Peace Plan's Ambition A "blueprint" for stability in Iraq, proposed by former defense minister Ali Allawi, would replace American troops with an international security force, negotiate security treaties, and establish a "Middle Eastern Confederation of States" to bolster civil society and establish a collective supreme court. The Independent, which published Allawi's original proposal, reports that the plan also calls for a decentralized Iraqi government divided into regions, and a World Bank-funded reconstruction council. "The Iraqi proposals" Independent (U.K), January 5, 2007 http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2129988.ece "From all corners, support grows for Iraq peace plan" Independent (U.K), January 6, 2007 http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2129987.ece ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALLEGATION & PERSPECTIVE ............................................................................. > Claims of Counterfeit Cover-Up A German newspaper alleges the United States is secretly printing the counterfeit bank notes the Bush administration has publicly charged North Korea of forging, allegedly to finance its nuclear weapons program. The newspaper cites anonymous sources and does not suggest a motive, according to a blog item on AlterNet. > The Doctor of Haifa Street Speaking on a cell phone with a CBS correspondent, a famed Iraqi surgeon and one-time guest of President Bush describes hiding with his family in a dark, bullet-scarred home along Haifa Street in Baghdad as insurgents and U.S. troops battle outside. "Is the CIA counterfeiting dollars and blaming it on North Korea?" AlterNet.org, January 9, 2007 http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/46471/ "Trapped on Baghdad's deadliest street" CBS News, January 12, 2006 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/12/eveningnews/main2357914.shtml ============================================================================= Editor: Julia Scott, Josh Wilson ............................................................................. SUPPORT PUBLIC-SERVICE MEDIA Newsdesk.org and News You Might Have Missed are commercial-free, and available at no charge. We welcome your tax-deductible contributions: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=695 ............................................................................. News You Might Have Missed and Newsdesk.org are free services of Independent Arts & Media: http://artsandmedia.net/ ............................................................................. E-mail list powered by Group D Communications: http://www.groupd.com/ ............................................................................. DISCLAIMER: All external links are provided as informational resources only, consistent with the nonprofit, public-interest mission of Independent Arts & Media. Independent Arts & Media does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations and does not have a copyright on any of the content located at these sites. ============================================================================= From nymhm at lists.artsandmedia.net Wed Jan 24 16:29:55 2007 From: nymhm at lists.artsandmedia.net (nymhm@lists.artsandmedia.net) Date: Wed Jan 24 16:31:28 2007 Subject: NYMHM: Afghans fight back for schools, U.S. attorneys "fired" Message-ID: ============================================================================= NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * January 24, 2007 * Vol. 6, No. 4 Important but overlooked news from around the world. NYMHM is a free service of Newsdesk.org. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Online this week: http://newsdesk.org/archives/001141.php - RSS: http://newsdesk.org/news/atom.xml - Donations: http://artsandmedia.net/contribute/ - Merch: http://cafepress.com/newsdesk/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS WEEK: Afghans fight back for schools, the swastika again divides Europe, Los Angeles grapples with gangland "ethnic cleansing," Sunnis make a new push for peace in Iraq, a Pentagon official bashes Guantanamo lawyers, Feinstein says key federal prosecutors have been fired, and bankruptcy may fell the Headwaters redwoods ... or not. QUOTED: "The Lebanese people are poor, and the taxes are already too high. We can't afford to pay them. I've got four sons and only one of them is working. I came all the way from Hermel hoping that Siniora would hear my voice." -- Souad, a Lebanese mother who came to Beirut to protest a new tax aimed at privatizing industry and reining in debt (see "Middle East: Democracy," below). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOP STORIES ............................................................................. > Citizens Secure Schools in Afghanistan The Taliban denies responsibility for arson attacks that have destroyed more than 100 Afghan schools, a huge setback in a nation where only half of all children attend classes. Some communities are even closing new schools in fear of vengeful militants, but a new government program has citizens banding together and sometimes arming themselves to successfully fend off attacks. > U.S. Weapons Disappear in Iraq Corruption infests Iraq's Ministry of Defense like "termites," reports The Times of London. As many as 14,000 U.S. guns have been diverted to insurgents, Iraqi Army officials steal the salaries of "ghost" soldiers who appear on the roster but are absent from the ranks, and efforts to audit the total number of troops have proven futile. > A Digital Revolution for India Farmers, With Risks Illiterate Indian farmers will now be able to access government subsidies through a fingerprint-scan ATM without sacrificing a percentage to corrupt middlemen. But some fear the new technology will provoke criminals to chop off fingers to access accounts. "Neighborhood watch for Afghan schools" Institute for War & Peace Reporting, January 19, 2007 http://www.iwpr.net/?p=arr&s=f&o=328655&apc_state=henh "How ghost soldiers are bleeding the Iraqi army of guns and money" Times Online (U.K), January 19, 2007 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,174-2554802,00.html "Thumb-print banking takes India" Wired.com, January 19, 2007 http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72284-0.html?tw=wn_index_2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- FREE SPEECH: THE SWASTIKA ............................................................................. > Hindus, the Holocaust and the Limits of Hate Speech Germany hopes to use its E.U. presidency to push through a controversial law criminalizing Holocaust denial and incitement to hate crimes in all 27 European member states, many of which oppose the measure on free speech grounds. Hate-based crime is on the rise in Germany. Religious groups in five countries also oppose the law, saying its ban on swastika displays will affect 2.5 million European Hindus who still regard it as a sacred symbol. "Germany pushes for E.U.-wide law on Holocaust denial" Deutsche Presse-Agentur (Germany), January 19, 2007 http://www.ejpress.org/article/13126 "Hindus oppose swastika ban in E.U." Press Trust of India, January 18, 2007 http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=011836 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- RACISM ............................................................................. > L.A. Targets Gangs for Hate Crimes The Southern Poverty Law Center says a powerful Latino gang based in the California prison system has widened its feud with a rival African American gang, and is now engaged in an "ethnic cleansing" campaign that targets blacks indiscriminately. The latest victim, 14-year-old Cheryl Green, was fatally shot after straying too close to the "forbidden line" that divided her neighborhood down the middle, NBC4 in Los Angeles reports. Race- based attacks there have spiked in the past few years, and state and federal agencies are teaming up for a crackdown. "L.A. blackout" Intelligence Report (Southern Poverty Law Center), Winter 2007 http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=722 "Injunction to be filed against 204th street gang" NBC4.TV (Los Angeles), January 19, 2007 http://www.nbc4.tv/news/10787387/detail.html "No age of innocence in gangland's turf war" New York Times, January 21, 2007 http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/no-age-of-innocence-in-ganglands-turf-war/2007/01/20/1169096027814.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- MIDDLE EAST: DEMOCRACY ............................................................................. > Loyal Opposition in Iraq, Lebanon A new organization of 500 Sunni scholars and clerics have vowed to stand with Iraqi officials and Shiites to "close the gaps and divisions among the Sunni authorities," according to United Press International. The move puts them in potential conflict with the Sunni Islamic Scholars Association, Iraq's highest Sunni authority and a dedicated opponent of the government and the political process. In Lebanon, a tax to privatize key industries and secure new loans for debt relief drew opposition from a coalition of Hizbollah, Christian, Druze, Sunni and leftist partisans. They say the tax will harm already-impoverished Lebanese, and neglects development and agricultural needs. "New religious Sunni group declared in Iraq" United Press International, January 19, 2007 http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070119-071755-4363r "Lebanon's new battleground" Al-Ahram Weekly (Egypt), January 18-24, 2007 http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/828/re83.htm "Donors promise generosity in Paris despite turmoil in Beirut" The Daily Star (Lebanon), January 25, 2006 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=78931 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- NATION ............................................................................. > Redwood Protections Run Deep Protections woven into the deeds on 200,000 acres of old-growth redwood trees in Northern California may come in handy now that their owner, Pacific Lumber, has filed for bankruptcy. Taxpayers put up $480 million in 1999 to protect the smaller Headwaters Grove, but the deal came with extensive habitat protections covering the rest of the property. > U.S. Attorneys "Fired" by White House Sen. Dianne Feinstein says the federal attorneys who prosecuted the BALCO steroids case and the bribery trial of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham have been forced to resign. She blames a provision of the Patriot Act that allows the president to replace U.S. attorneys at any time, and seeks its repeal. > Christians-Only Health Plan Stands A cost-sharing medical program that covers 19,000 churchgoers, and collected $42.8 million in monthly premiums in 2005, can continue to operate in Kentucky. A court rule that the plan is not health insurance, does not guarantee payment of medical bills, and is not subject to regulation. Critics say this may be confusing to some customers, the Associated Press reports. "Redwood protections expected to stand" San Jose Mercury News, January 21, 2007 http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/16512580.htm "U.S. attorney was forced out, Feinstein says" San Francisco Chronicle, January 19, 2007 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/19/BAGE1NLGHJ1.DTL "Judge says Christian health plan OK in Ky." Associated Press, January 19, 2007 http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070119/NEWS/701190352/1002/business ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMENTARY ............................................................................. > Lawyers Bashed for Representing Guantanamo Detainees A Pentagon official apologized for what two Atlanta law firms called a "crass attempt at economic blackmail." But a columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution says Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Charles Stimson should be fired for suggesting that the firms, which provide pro bono representation to Guantanamo inmates, were taking money from terrorists. "U.S. official terrorizes Atlanta firms" Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 18, 2007 http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/bookman/stories/2007/01/18/0118edbookman.html ============================================================================= Editors: Julia Scott, Josh Wilson ............................................................................. SUPPORT PUBLIC-SERVICE MEDIA Newsdesk.org and News You Might Have Missed are commercial-free, and available at no charge. We welcome your tax-deductible contributions: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=695 ............................................................................. News You Might Have Missed and Newsdesk.org are free services of Independent Arts & Media: http://artsandmedia.net/ ............................................................................. E-mail list powered by Group D Communications: http://www.groupd.com/ ............................................................................. DISCLAIMER: All external links are provided as informational resources only, consistent with the nonprofit, public-interest mission of Independent Arts & Media. Independent Arts & Media does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations and does not have a copyright on any of the content located at these sites. ============================================================================= From nymhm at lists.artsandmedia.net Wed Jan 31 16:27:08 2007 From: nymhm at lists.artsandmedia.net (nymhm@lists.artsandmedia.net) Date: Wed Jan 31 16:28:57 2007 Subject: NYMHM: Guns or butter for Turks, Kurds; Calif's undocumented economy Message-ID: ============================================================================= NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * January 31, 2007 * Vol. 6, No. 5 Important but overlooked news from around the world. NYMHM is a free service of Newsdesk.org. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Online this week: http://newsdesk.org/archives/001148.php - RSS: http://newsdesk.org/news/atom.xml - Donations: http://artsandmedia.net/contribute/ - Merch: http://cafepress.com/newsdesk/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS WEEK: Florida gun licensing goes astray of the mark, Turks and Kurds ponder butter or bullets, California's undocumented economy runs deep, birth control battlefronts open in Chile and North Dakota, populations and poverty swell African cities, Philippine domestic labor laws backfire ... and Saudis deepen a sectarian divide. QUOTED: "When it rains our homes are often flooded because garbage blocks the canal, making it difficult for the water to flow. And we have to sweep up plastic bags and other trash that washes into our rooms." -- Lagos, Nigeria, resident Iyabo Aduni, who lives with her three children in a shack near one of the city's many illegal garbage dumps (see "World," below). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOP STORIES ............................................................................. > Florida Gun Licensing: Off Target? Carry a gun into a courthouse or airport in Florida, and you'll get off with a misdemeanor if you have concealed-weapon permit. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that such loose regulations and a four-person licensing office for over 410,000 gun owners have enabled hundreds of convicted criminals to retain their gun permits. > Guns or Butter for Turkey, Kurds A secret meeting by the Turkish parliament has sparked fears of possible border-crossing military action against Kurdish rebels based in Northern Iraq. But experts say it's election-season bluster at a time when trade between Iraqi Kurds and Turkey is reaching highs of $3 billion annually, Al Jazeera reports. > Pakistan Party Seeks U.S. Troops Disclosure Pakistan denies that there are U.S. troops on its bases, but says "select" air bases have been opened for anti-terrorist operations. A parliamentary committee wants access to revenue and financial records from the operations, including undisclosed real estate projects around bases by developers using military names. "Errors, weak laws keep concealed weapons in questionable hands around Florida" South Florida Sun-Sentinel, January 29, 2007 http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-gunmain29jan29,0,2778683.story "Turkey mulls 'invading' Iraq" Al Jazeera, January 26, 2007 http://www.aina.org/news/20070126083321.htm "Pakistani lawmakers demand details of U.S. military presence" Indo Asian News Service, January 29, 2007 http://www.dailyindia.com/show/108308.php/Pakistani-lawmakers-demand-details-of-US-military-presence ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- IMMIGRANT LABOR ............................................................................. > California's Undocumented Economy The coast side town of Pescadero worries that new immigrant restrictions will stifle the economy, and cost its schools as much as 60 percent of their students. Family farmers there are already losing workers to the higher- paying construction industry, the San Mateo County Times reports, and fear the new rules will put them out of business. In San Diego, competition is stiff for a pool of up to 400,000 undocumented workers in restaurants, construction, agriculture and childcare. The underground economy produces affordable services and housing, KPBS TV reports, driving a regional biotech and telecom boom. And at nearby Pitzer College, protestors say the arrest of 761 immigrants under "Operation Return to Sender" unjustly targets "good people" who contribute to the community, according to the San Bernardino County Sun. Activists say the raid is counterproductive as President Bush calls for a new U.S. guest-worker policy. "Farmers fear workers won't return" San Mateo County Times (CA), January 20, 2007 http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_5052047 "Undocumented workers have large impact on local economy" KPBS (CA), January 25, 2007 http://www.kpbs.org/tv/programs/full_focus?id=5802 "Marchers will protest sweeps of immigrants" San Bernardino County Sun (CA), January 25, 2007 http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_5082330 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTRACEPTION & ABORTION ............................................................................. > A Morning After for Chile, North Dakota Chile's President Michelle Bachelet has issued an executive order legalizing free "morning after" contraception to teens without parental consent. The issue has split the ruling party in a socially conservative nation where divorce was only legalized in 2004. Supporters say the new rules will provide equal access to contraception for low-income Chilean women, according to the Santiago Times. In North Dakota, the legislature overwhelmingly passed a "trigger ban" on abortion that would take effect the instant Roe v. Wade were overturned. A second bill, which was defeated, would have banned abortion immediately and prosecuted women for seeking the procedure, the Bismarck Tribune reports. "Chile's governing coalition divides on morning after pill" Santiago Times (Chile), January 22, 2006 http://www.tcgnews.com/santiagotimes/index.php?nav=story&story_id=12780&topic_id=1 "Chile to Resume Contraception Handout" Associated Press, January 30, 2006 http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/01/30/international/i122523S80.DTL "North Dakota abortion ban hinges on Roe v. Wade" Bismarck Tribune, January 26, 2007 http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2007/01/26/news/update/doc45ba79cef0cd6440845752.txt ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- WORLD ............................................................................. > Africa's Urbanization Struggle In Lagos, Nigeria, waste produced by 13 million residents fills up canals and spreads disease and contaminants into the soil and waterways. Despite a $20 million World Bank loan, the city's poorest residents live in shacks next to illegal dumps and burn garbage to make room for more housing. > A Maid's World A program to make Filipino domestic workers more competitive has backfired, advocates say, by mandating costly training programs even for veteran maids. Delays caused by the new regulations are prompting clients to hire Indonesians instead, a blow to Philippine workers that pay huge job placement fees. > Saudi Sectarian Crackdown A human rights group has accused Saudi Arabia of a "grave violation" of religious freedom by arresting and/or deporting dozens of Ahmadi Muslims. A religious minority predominant in India and Pakistan, Ahmadis follow a different spiritual leader and are considered heretics by the ultraconservative Saudi regime. > Iraq's Once and Future Army "Hundreds of thousands" of officers in the former Iraqi army are divided by loyalty and resentment. Iraq's Azzaman newspaper reports that many are behind anti-U.S. insurgent groups, and threaten or kill others seeking work with the new regime, even as government factions provoke abuse and violence at recruiting centers. "Lagos pays the price of population surge" Integrated Regional Information Networks (U.N.), January 26, 2007 http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/258b51db585a94ac0f1f6b2e397c442d.htm "HK maids to hold protest rally over new restrictions" Philippine Daily Inquirer, January 29, 2007 http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/news/view_article.php?article_id=45961 "Saudi Arabia accused of harassing South Asian sect" Agence France-Presse, January 26, 2007 http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070126-040301-4118r "Militiamen kidnap and kill 10 former army officers" Azzaman (Iraq), January 25, 2007 http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2007-01-25\kurd.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIEWPOINT ............................................................................. > D'Souza Book Shifts 9/11 Blame A libertarian editorialist accuses conservative pundit Dinesh D'Souza of "demagoguery" and a lack of academic credentials for claiming that the September 11 attacks were motivated by Arab outrage at a Western culture of contraception, abortion, atheism and homosexuality. "Demagoguery posing as scholarship" The Independent Institute, January 29,2007 http://independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1899 ============================================================================= Editors: Julia Scott, Josh Wilson ............................................................................. SUPPORT PUBLIC-SERVICE MEDIA Newsdesk.org and News You Might Have Missed are commercial-free, and available at no charge. We welcome your tax-deductible contributions: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=695 ............................................................................. News You Might Have Missed and Newsdesk.org are free services of Independent Arts & Media: http://artsandmedia.net/ ............................................................................. E-mail list powered by Group D Communications: http://www.groupd.com/ ............................................................................. DISCLAIMER: All external links are provided as informational resources only, consistent with the nonprofit, public-interest mission of Independent Arts & Media. Independent Arts & Media does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations and does not have a copyright on any of the content located at these sites. =============================================================================