A series of controversial hearings into the "radicalisation of the American Muslim community" is starting in the US. The Republican congressman holding the hearings says some Muslim leaders are not co-operating enough with the police and FBI. But many US Muslims say they are being unfairly singled out, and some fearthe hearings will only increase Islamophobia in the US.
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Monday, March 14, 2011
Friday, November 12, 2010
Aung San Suu Kyi release: live coverage
Burma's military rulers are reportedly on the verge of releasing the country's pro-democracy leader from house arrest. Follow live updates here
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Peter Walker
guardian.co.uk, Friday 12 November 2010 09.43 GMT
Article history
"12.14pm: The Guardian's Jack Davies in Rangoon has contacted us to say Aung San Suu Kyi will now not be freed today as she is demanding unconditional release. This is what he says:
Aung San Suu Kyi appears set to spend one extra, but likely final, night under house arrests, as she negotiates the terms of her release with the Burmese junta.
The regime signed the order this afternoon authorising her release. But Aung San Suu Kyi is understood to be demanding an unconditional release while the regime is attempting to restrict her from travelling around the country and limit her freedom to meet with supporters.
At dusk, U Win Tin, the NLD co-founder, appeared at the military roadblock outside the gates of her house where hundreds of supporters had gathered. He said Aung San Suu Kyi had been told she "could go this day", but that it was likely it would be one more night before she emerged in public because of an impasse in negotiations."
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Peter Walker
guardian.co.uk, Friday 12 November 2010 09.43 GMT
Article history
"12.14pm: The Guardian's Jack Davies in Rangoon has contacted us to say Aung San Suu Kyi will now not be freed today as she is demanding unconditional release. This is what he says:
Aung San Suu Kyi appears set to spend one extra, but likely final, night under house arrests, as she negotiates the terms of her release with the Burmese junta.
The regime signed the order this afternoon authorising her release. But Aung San Suu Kyi is understood to be demanding an unconditional release while the regime is attempting to restrict her from travelling around the country and limit her freedom to meet with supporters.
At dusk, U Win Tin, the NLD co-founder, appeared at the military roadblock outside the gates of her house where hundreds of supporters had gathered. He said Aung San Suu Kyi had been told she "could go this day", but that it was likely it would be one more night before she emerged in public because of an impasse in negotiations."
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Which Bottom Billion?
"With all the MDG stats flying around at the moment, you may have missed a new paper that presents one simple statistic that will, over time, revolutionise how rich countries use aid and support development. It is this: more poor people live in middle-income countries (MICs) than low income countries (LICs). Lots more.
According to Andy Sumner (at the Institute of Development Studies), who wrote this paper, approximately three quarters of the world's 1.3 billion poor people today live in MICs, with the others living in LICs, mostly in Africa."
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Proposition 8: Long road to the Supreme Court - CNN.com
Proposition 8: Long road to the Supreme Court - CNN.com
Proposition 8: Long road to
the Supreme Court
August 4, 2010 -- Updated 2101 GMT (0501 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Proposition 8 is California's voter-backed ban on same-sex marriage
- Federal judge rules Prop 8 unconstitutional
- The case will undoubtedly end up up going to the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
Thirty US billionaires pledge to give away half their fortunes to charity | Technology | guardian.co.uk
Thirty US billionaires pledge to give away half their fortunes to charity | Technology | guardian.co.uk
The next question is how can we efficiently and effectively spend this money.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
U.N.: African nations face food crisis - CNN.com
U.N.: African nations face food crisis - CNN.com:
United Nations (CNN) -- U.N. officials are pleading for immediate economic assistance for four African countries where people are facing malnutrition in the wake of a drought last year.
The coming weeks ahead will be the toughest for these countries in the Sahel -- the stretch of African countries including Niger, Chad, Mali and Mauritania -- as they make their way into the rainy season and scrape by with the little food they have since last year's harvest, officials said.
...
"What we need now is urgent action from international leaders and donors to make sure that people have access to food now and in the future," Rooijmans said. "While for the future we should indeed invest in long-term measure to avoid this type of crisis from happening again, at this very moment it is about urgent short-term action."
Saturday, July 3, 2010
If Guinea Can… | Analysis & Opinion |
If Guinea Can… | Analysis & Opinion |
If Guinea can pull off free and fair elections this weekend, it will lay the foundations for what could be one of Africa’s most unexpected and significant good news stories.
If Guinea can pull off free and fair elections this weekend, it will lay the foundations for what could be one of Africa’s most unexpected and significant good news stories.True, any new government must still deal with widespread poverty, a shattered economy and an army that just nine months ago was involved in mass killings and gang rapes of opposition marchers.
But such has been the catalogue of military putsches, tainted votes and constitution-tinkering by incumbents in the immediate neighbourhood that a genuine election in Guinea should send a signal across West Africa and beyond.
. . . click on the link in the title to read the full articleBut such has been the catalogue of military putsches, tainted votes and constitution-tinkering by incumbents in the immediate neighbourhood that a genuine election in Guinea should send a signal across West Africa and beyond.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
BBC News - Women in north Italy to be paid not to have abortions
BBC News - Women in north Italy to be paid not to have abortions
Pregnant women in northern Italy are to be offered 4,500 euros (£3,700; $5,500) not to have abortions.
The idea comes from the governor of the Lombardy region, Roberto Formigoni, who says no woman should end a pregnancy because of economic difficulty.
The women would have to prove they are in financial hardship in order to qualify for the 18 monthly payments.
The policy has been welcomed by anti-abortion campaigners, but critics have condemned the move as propaganda.
Mr Formigoni, a political ally of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, said he wanted to support "the family, motherhood and births".
A spokesman for the Italian Bishops' Conference responded to the new policy by saying: "Anything that respects life is to be applauded."
Lombardy has set aside 5m euros ($6.1m, £4.2m) for the scheme, officials say. The women will receive 18 monthly payments of 250 euros.
But the policy has also been criticised as a short-term solution to a life-long responsibility.
Writing on the Italian paper La Repubblica's website, Cinzia Sasso questioned what mothers would do after the first 18 months, and said the number of people that could receive aid under the money allocated was "laughable".
Sara Valmaggi, an opposition politician, said volunteers who are to work on the project could not act as a substitute for public sector health workers.
Abortion has been legal in Italy since 1978.
BBC News - Thailand's red-shirts still reeling after protests
BBC News - Thailand's red-shirts still reeling after protests
Streets once the scene of violence have returned to normalIt has been two weeks since the Thai military moved to end a bitter nine-week political protest in Bangkok.
The streets of the capital have been cleaned and are now clogged with traffic once more. The charred wreckage of a huge shopping centre stands testament to the arson, which followed the protest leader's surrender.
But in most respects life is rapidly returning to normal.
Eighty-eight people were killed and more than 1,000 injured during the long occupation of parts of the city by anti-government demonstrators known as the red-shirts.
The protesters came to the capital to demand early elections, claiming that the current government is undemocratic.
With the bloody confrontation now over, the government is still in place, several red-shirt leaders are in detention, gunmen from the movement's armed wing are on the run and Thailand appears more divided than ever.
The capital may be recovering but in the north-east of Thailand, red-shirt supporters are still reeling.
FrustrationsI first met Tongsri and Prachob in March as they were preparing to join the rally in Bangkok. I met them again inside the protesters' fortified camp in the capital's commercial centre.
Wirat LimsuwatActing Governor, Udon ThaniThey've been storing up these emotions for many years
They were still there at the very end, witnessing the battle as advancing soldiers came under fire from militant gunmen on the red-shirts' side.
Now, safely back at home in the north-eastern province of Udon Thani, the couple are struggling to come to terms with all that has happened.
As the monsoon rains beat down on the roof of their two-room house, they sat on the concrete floor surrounded by red T-shirts, red head bands and a red flag - the cherished uniform of the anti-government protest movement.
"Why is it so difficult to get real democracy? What happened to Thailand?" Tongsri asked me, her face betraying a mixture of bitterness and bafflement.
"I can't accept they used the army to kill people."
As news of the military operation spread, local red-shirt supporters in Udon Thani vented their frustration on the most obvious symbol of government power they could find - the town hall.
The building has been wrecked, gutted by fires started by petrol bombs thrown through smashed windows.
Charred bits of wood hang from gaping holes in the building's facade and piles of glass and debris still litter the entrance.
It is not clear if this violence was premeditated or spontaneous but there was real hatred behind it. Hatred which the acting governor, Wirat Limsuwat, now has to deal with.
"They've been storing up these emotions for many years," he told me.
"This province has been called the capital of the red-shirts. So it will take a long time to counter that."
UndergroundBack in March, Udon Thani's red-shirts were in an excited, expectant mood. But now, the community centre where they gathered to collect donations and make their plans is almost deserted.
Kwanchai Praiphana is one of several red-shirt leaders still in police custodyPhotographs of smiling crowds of red-shirt protesters still adorn the walls. Several feature the local leader, Kwanchai Praiphana, currently in police detention in Bangkok.
The door to the local radio station is locked. It was shut down under government imposed emergency laws.
The fear is that without places to meet openly the anti-government movement might go underground and become further radicalised.
The government says it is determined to prosecute those it describes as terrorists, but has also tried to reach out to peaceful protesters who have genuine grievances.
The deputy chairman of the governing Democrat party, Kraisak Choonhavan, believes those efforts have been consistently thwarted by the exiled former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and subsequently found guilty on conflict of interest charges.
Mr Thaksin still enjoys a loyal following among much of the red-shirt rank and file.
"People were being trucked in [to the protest] with financial support from his supporters," said Mr Kraisak.
TongsriRed-shirt protesterIf there's another red-shirt rally I'll go - I can't stop now
"MPs, local entrepreneurs and himself, fanning complete hatred for the government."
Given that level of anger and the fact that the red-shirts clearly do not trust the government or the state media, how can the authorities persuade former protesters that their concerns will be addressed?
That, Mr Kraisak agrees, is a major challenge.
"If the government continues to propagate one-sidedness and does not allow the opposition to voice their sentiments or issues at all, it will be difficult for Thailand to be labelled a true democracy," he says.
The government says it is determined to press ahead with its self-described road map to national reconciliation.
If that is to have any chance of success someone will have to convince people like Tongsri and Prachob.
Back at their small holding, Prachob played me a local folk tune on the two-stringed guitar he made himself.
It is sometimes derided by trendy Bangkokians as "hillbilly music" - yet another grievance to add to the list.
"I'm ready to do it all again," said Tongsri as she dug at some weeds in the yard. "If there's another red-shirt rally I'll go. I can't stop now."
Thailand's deep divisions, so brutally exposed by weeks of bitter protest, are far from being healed.
BBC News - DR Congo human rights activist found dead in Kinshasa
BBC News - DR Congo human rights activist found dead in Kinshasa:
"A leading rights activist in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been found dead in the capital, Kinshasa.
Floribert Chebeya's body was discovered, partially clothed, on the back seat of his own car.
A BBC reporter says Mr Chebeya had received regular threats from police in the past, and had been ordered to meet the national police chief on Tuesday.
Rights group Amnesty International says oppression of activists in DR Congo is growing."
Floribert Chebeya's body was discovered, partially clothed, on the back seat of his own car.
A BBC reporter says Mr Chebeya had received regular threats from police in the past, and had been ordered to meet the national police chief on Tuesday.
Rights group Amnesty International says oppression of activists in DR Congo is growing."
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
France backs Africa for UN seat - Africa - Al Jazeera English
France backs Africa for UN seat - Africa - Al Jazeera English
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| UPDATED ON: MONDAY, MAY 31, 2010 23:31 MECCA TIME, 20:31 GMT | ||||||||
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BBC News - Namibia HIV women sue over forced sterilisation
BBC News - Namibia HIV women sue over forced sterilisation
Three women in Namibia are suing the state for allegedly being sterilised without their informed consent after being diagnosed as HIV positive.
The women say the doctors and nurses should have informed them properly about what was happening.
The rights group representing them, the Legal Assistance Centre, says it has documented 15 cases of alleged HIV sterilisation in hospitals since 2008.
A march in their support is taking place in Windhoek as the case begins.
The BBC's Frauke Jensen in the capital, Windhoek, says there are around 300 people on the march.
Most of them are women, and they have been chanting slogans such as: "My body, my womb, my right", and holding placards reading: "Why did you sterilise me?"
They are also planning a sit-in protest on Wednesday at two of the hospitals where the alleged sterilisations took place, our reporter says.
'Equality for all'The women taking their case to court want 1m Namibian dollars ($130,000, £90,000) in compensation from the health ministry.
Gladys Kamboo, a spokesperson for the ministry, said she could not comment on the case while it was being heard in court, but insisted that the ministry had not done the women any intentional harm.
The Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) says the High Court has granted that the women's identities should not be revealed to prevent "further discrimination and stigmatisation because of their HIV status".
"We want a health system based on human rights which promotes equality for all," the LAC's Amon Ngavetene told the BBC News website.
He explained that when HIV-positive women go to hospital they are sometimes, at the discretion of the doctors, advised to undergo a sterilisation operation.
Mr Ngavetene said these women are not always given a clear idea of what the procedure involves and dangerous pre-existing conditions are not always taken into account.
There may also be a language barrier in a country where there are 11 indigenous languages, he said.
As well as the march in Windhoek, other solidarity marches are planned on Tuesday in South Africa, Zambia, the UK and the US.
Monday, May 31, 2010
BBC News - Israeli forces storm Gaza aid ship
BBC News - Israeli forces storm Gaza aid ship
I do realize that it's more complex than this, but it's hard to wonder why Hamas/the Palestinians are so pissed when Israel blocks ships bringing in badly needed aid.
"The six-ship flotilla left international waters off the coast of Cyprus on Sunday and was expected to arrive in Gaza later on Monday.
Israel has said it would stop the boats, calling the campaign a "provocation intended to delegitimise Israel".
An economic blockade was imposed by Israel after the Islamist movement Hamas took power in Gaza.
Israel says it allows about 15,000 tones of humanitarian aid into Gaza every week.
But the United Nations says this is less than a quarter of what is needed.
Hamas, a militant palestinian group that controls the Gaza strip, has fired thousands of rockets into Israel over the past decade."
Saturday, May 29, 2010
BBC News - Brain gain: African migrants returning home
BBC News - Brain gain: African migrants returning home:
Very Very good news!
"Africa may still be suffering from a chronic brain drain but some of the continent's elite are turning their backs on the West and taking their talents back home according to film-maker Andy Jones."
BBC News - Malawi pardons jailed gay couple
BBC News - Malawi pardons jailed gay couple: "A gay couple jailed in Malawi after getting engaged have been pardoned by President Bingu wa Mutharika."
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Op-Ed Columnist - Sister Margaret’s Choice - NYTimes.com
Op-Ed Columnist - Sister Margaret’s Choice - NYTimes.com: "“The mother’s life cannot be preferred over the child’s,” the bishop’s communication office elaborated in a statement."
This really does show how misogynistic the upper echelons of the Church can be. Clearly the bishop who made this statement is male (not that all men agree with his opinion, but I believe it takes someone who could never find himself in that situation to pass a judgement like this).
This really does show how misogynistic the upper echelons of the Church can be. Clearly the bishop who made this statement is male (not that all men agree with his opinion, but I believe it takes someone who could never find himself in that situation to pass a judgement like this).
'If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament' -Florynce Kennedy
Sister Margaret’s Choice
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
We finally have a case where the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy is responding forcefully and speedily to allegations of wrongdoing.
But the target isn’t a pedophile priest. Rather, it’s a nun who helped save a woman’s life. Doctors describe her as saintly.
The excommunication of Sister Margaret McBride in Phoenix underscores all that to me feels morally obtuse about the church hierarchy. I hope that a public outcry can rectify this travesty.
Sister Margaret was a senior administrator of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix. A 27-year-old mother of four arrived late last year, in her third month of pregnancy. According to local news reports and accounts from the hospital and some of its staff members, the mother suffered from a serious complication called pulmonary hypertension. That created a high probability that the strain of continuing pregnancy would kill her.
“In this tragic case, the treatment necessary to save the mother’s life required the termination of an 11-week pregnancy,” the hospital said in a statement. “This decision was made after consultation with the patient, her family, her physicians, and in consultation with the Ethics Committee.”
Sister Margaret was a member of that committee. She declined to discuss the episode with me, but the bishop of Phoenix, Thomas Olmsted, ruled that Sister Margaret was “automatically excommunicated” because she assented to an abortion.
“The mother’s life cannot be preferred over the child’s,” the bishop’s communication office elaborated in a statement.
Let us just note that the Roman Catholic hierarchy suspended priests who abused children and in some cases defrocked them but did not normally excommunicate them, so they remained able to take the sacrament.
Since the excommunication, Sister Margaret has left her post as vice president and is no longer listed as one of the hospital executives on its Web site. The hospital told me that she had resigned “at the bishop’s request” but is still working elsewhere at the hospital.
I heard about Sister Margaret from an acquaintance who is a doctor at the hospital. After what happened to Sister Margaret, he doesn’t dare be named, but he sent an e-mail to his friends lamenting the excommunication of “a saintly nun”:
“She is a kind, soft-spoken, humble, caring, spiritual woman whose spot in Heaven was reserved years ago,” he said in the e-mail message. “The idea that she could be ex-communicated after decades of service to the Church and humanity literally makes me nauseated.”
“True Christians, like Sister Margaret, understand that real life is full of difficult moral decisions and pray that they make the right decision in the context of Christ’s teachings. Only a group of detached, pampered men in gilded robes on a balcony high above the rest of us could deny these dilemmas.”
A statement from the bishop’s office did not dispute that the mother’s life was in danger — although it did note that no doctor’s prediction is 100 percent certain. The implication is that the church would have preferred for the hospital to let nature take its course.
The Roman Catholic hierarchy is entitled to its views. But the episode reinforces perceptions of church leaders as rigid, dogmatic, out of touch — and very suspicious of independent-minded American nuns.
Sister Margaret made a difficult judgment in an emergency, saved a life and then was punished and humiliated by a lightning bolt from a bishop who spent 16 years living in Rome and who has devoted far less time to serving the downtrodden than Sister Margaret. Compare their two biographies, and Sister Margaret’s looks much more like Jesus’s than the bishop’s does.
“Everyone I know considers Sister Margaret to be the moral conscience of the hospital,” Dr. John Garvie, chief of gastroenterology at St. Joseph’s Hospital, wrote in a letter to the editor to The Arizona Republic. “She works tirelessly and selflessly as the living example and champion of compassionate, appropriate care for the sick and dying.”
Dr. Garvie later told me in an e-mail message that “saintly” was the right word for Sister Margaret and added: “Sister was the ‘living embodiment of God’ in our building. She always made sure we understood that we’re here to help the less fortunate. We really have no one to take her place.”
I’ve written several times about the gulf between Roman Catholic leaders at the top and the nuns, priests and laity who often live the Sermon on the Mount at the grass roots. They represent the great soul of the church, which isn’t about vestments but selflessness.
When a hierarchy of mostly aging men pounce on and excommunicate a revered nun who was merely trying to save a mother’s life, the church seems to me almost as out of touch as it was in the cruel and debauched days of the Borgias in the Renaissance.
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