NYMHM: Blood diamonds still glitter, Uganda peace, Iran's other little problem

Wed Oct 31 15:58:54 PDT 2007

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 NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * October 31, 2007 * Vol. 6, No. 44

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

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QUOTED: 

   "There are a lot of powerful countries meddling in a weak state 
   and a lot of strategic interests involved."

   -- An anonymous regional analyst on Niger's burgeoning
   uranium rebellion (see "Africa's Resource Wars II," below).  

CONTENTS:

   *Top Stories*
     Iran's other little problem -- inflation
     Resistance deepens to Afghan poppy spraying
     A taste of old Russia

   *Uganda*
     New hopes and hurdles for Uganda peace

   *Africa's Resource Wars I*
     Blood diamonds sullied, but still glitter

   *Africa's Resource Wars II*
     Uranium ignites Niger strife

   *Dissent*
     Old wounds deepen for government critics

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 TOP STORIES
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 > Iran's Other Little Problem -- Inflation

   Nary a word about Iranian President Ahmadinejad's nuclear 
   ambitions or headline-grabbing trip to the United States 
   appeared in a recent Agence France-Presse article. 

   Instead, the piece focused entirely on complaints about his
   economic stewardship, which experts say will push inflation
   to more than ...

   GET THE WHOLE STORY: 

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004445.html

 > Resistance Deepens to Afghan Poppy Spraying 

   A secretive test-spraying of "harmless plastic granules" over 
   Afghan poppy crops has revealed deepening opposition to drug-
   eradication efforts backed by the United States. 

   The program, intended to gauge reactions to future spraying
   of real herbicide, provoked questions and outrage from local
   farmers all the way up to Afghanistan's President ...

   GET THE WHOLE STORY: 

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004446.html

 > A Taste of Old Russia

   European authorities are decrying a move by Russia to cut the
   number of international observers at its upcoming December 2 
   vote from 465 to 70 individuals. 

   A spokeswoman for the Organization for Security and Cooperation 
   in Europe, which organizes vote-monitoring teams, said the plan
   would greatly reduce its capacity for "meaningful ...

   GET THE WHOLE STORY:

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004447.html

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 UGANDA
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 > New Hope and Hurdles for Uganda Peace

   Overshadowed by the Darfur conflict, one of Africa's most bloody
   and intractable rebellions inches closer to resolution. 

   Reconciliation is on the agenda in Uganda, where an unprecedented
   meeting between elected President Yoweri Musevini and leaders of
   the Lord's Resistance Army is scheduled for the capital city of 
   Kampala, reports The Monitor, a leading newspaper there. 

   The LRA, renowned for extraordinary cruelty in ...

   GET THE WHOLE STORY: 

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004448.html

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 AFRICA'S RESOURCE WARS I
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 > Blood Diamonds Sullied, But Still Glitter

   Delegates from 70 countries and international groups will meet
   in Brussels next week to discuss progress in stamping out trade 
   in "conflict diamonds."

   Also called blood diamonds, the rare gems are unearthed in war 
   zones and are used to fund militant operations. SABC News reports
   that the multinational Kimberly Process has successfully reduced
   the trade from 15 to one percent of all diamonds sold on the 
   world market.

   An opinion piece in The News, a Liberian newspaper, even 
   notes that Sierra Leone, once riven by civil war fueled by 
   diamond smuggling, now seeks to develop a lucrative tourist 
   industry focused on its "spectacular" beaches.  

   But Reuters reports that Belgian authorities also seized 14 
   million euros worth of ...

   GET THE WHOLE STORY:

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004449.html

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 AFRICA'S RESOURCES WARS II
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 > Uranium Wealth Ignites Niger Strife

   Africa's struggle with mineral wealth and regional poverty has
   a new poster child, as Tuareg nomads in Niger take up arms for 
   a greater share of the booming uranium trade there. 

   Niger is not only the continent's leading uranium exporter, it is
   also one of the most impoverished -- a situation exacerbated by 
   progressively severe drought. 

   According to ISN Security Watch in Switzerland, a nascent rebellion
   by Tuareg rebels has claimed the lives of 50 soldiers, although 
   the government claims the attacks were by drug smugglers and 
   robbers, and has deployed "thousands" of troops to the region. 

   The situation is further complicated by the presence of foreign
   mining companies, which have been the target of rebel attacks --
   but are also blamed for exacerbating the ...

   GET THE WHOLE STORY: 

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004450.html

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 DISSENT
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 > Old Wounds Deepen for Government Critics

   A snapshot of anti-government and protest movements in Bolivia,
   Zimbabwe and the Philippines reveals little progress towards 
   healing old wounds. 

   In fact, some appear to be deepening. 

   In eastern Bolivia, opposition to the socialist government of 
   Evo Morales is digging over attempts to nationalize lucrative
   natural gas fields for the benefit of the impoverished ... 

   GET THE WHOLE STORY: 

   http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004451.html

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Editor: Josh Wilson
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