NYMHM: the Palestinians; biotech plants; crowded prisons

Wed May 9 17:14:04 PDT 2007

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 NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * May 9, 2007 * Vol. 6, No. 19

 Important but overlooked news from around the world.
 NYMHM is a free service of Newsdesk.org.

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QUOTED: 

   "The Syrians are saying that we have 450,000 Palestinians already, 
   since 1948 and 1967, and that is enough."

   -- U.N. spokeswoman Sybella Wilkes (see "The Palestinians," below)

CONTENTS:

   *Top Stories* 
     Iraqi Sunnis have a new enemy: Al Qaeda 
     Sharia law imposed on Nigeria school dress codes  
     India welcomes illegal toxic waste

   *Crime & Punishment* 
     Packed into prisons, with no relief in sight

   *Genetic Engineering* 
     Biotech plants, and controversy, take root

   *The Palestinians* 
     There's no place like home

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TOP STORIES
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 > Iraqi Sunnis Have a New Enemy: Al Qaeda 

   Following ongoing violence against civilians, Sunni tribes in 
   the Anbar province of Iraq are joining forces to combat al Qaeda 
   militants, re-open local courts and boost political participation.
   This includes forming a new political party, called Iraq Awakening,
   which has its first convention this month.  

   The Sunni alliance, which includes former insurgents, also formed 
   the Salvation Council, which uses U.S. funds to train soldiers and
   rebuild medical centers and schools. But resentment over U.S. forces
   presence in Iraq may undermine the alliance long-term. 

 > Sharia Law Imposed on Nigeria School Dress Code

   All 2,000 private schools in the Nigerian state of Kano must now 
   enforce a strict Islamic uniform whether students are Muslim or 
   Christian, according to authorities tasked with imposing Sharia law. 
   All state schools in Nigeria already use the Islamic dress code. 

 > India a Target For Japan's Toxic Trash 

   India has illegally imported thousands of tons of hazardous chemicals 
   from Japan, including DDT and PCBs, for "recycling," the Indo-Asian 
   News Service reports. Now activists say a new trade pact, negotiated
   in secret, will bring even more Japanese waste and medical refuse 
   into India's shipyards, despite laws prohibiting such imports. 

Sources:

"Sunni join forces against Al-Qaeda"
Institute for War & Peace Reporting, May 4, 2007
http://www.iwpr.net/?p=icr&s=f&o=335327&apc_state=henh

"Nigerian province extends Islamic dress code to all schools"
Agence France-Presse, May 5, 2007
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Rest+of+the+World&month=May2007&file=World_News2007050585132.xml

"Treaty with Japan may legalize dumping toxic waste in India"
Indo-Asian News Service, May 8, 2007
http://www.indiaenews.com/india/20070508/50677.htm 

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CRIME & PUNISHMENT
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 > Packed Into Prisons, With No Relief in Sight

   Crowded jails from the Mexican border to North Carolina have
   prisoners packed into cells, sleeping in day rooms and struggling
   with overflowing sewers and waste water.    

   There's plenty of money in Arizona for boosted border patrols, 
   which capture more illegal immigrants who are then charged with
   felonies. But the Christian Science Monitor reports that funding 
   is in short supply for ... 

   GET THE WHOLE STORY:

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004270.html

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GENETIC ENGINEERING
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 > Biotech Plants, and Controversy, Take Root  

   The United States, Canada and Europe are grappling with standards
   for genetically modified plants, which promise economic and health
   benefits along with irreversible ecological damage.  

   In San Francisco, a federal judge issued the first-ever ban on 
   growing Monsanto's Roundup Ready alfalfa after tests showed it was
   contaminating non-genetically engineered crops -- something FDA 
   officials did not consider when ... 

   GET THE WHOLE STORY:

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004271.html

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THE PALESTINIANS
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 > There's No Place Like Home

   Underfunded, living in illegal camps and turned away from Arab 
   and Israeli borders -- the lot of the Palestinian grows ever 
   more dire. 

   In the Palestinian territories, a Western aid boycott against the 
   Hamas government has led to a strike last week by tens of thousands 
   of government workers who haven't 

   GET THE WHOLE STORY: 

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004272.html

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Editors: Julia Scott, Josh Wilson
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