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Sunday 25 December 2005 |
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MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 27 for 17-23 June 2005[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]Key Humanitarian Developments in Iraq IRAQ: Water main attack causes serious water shortages in Baghdad Two million Baghdad residents have been without drinking water since 19 June after saboteurs targeted a major water main in the capital. "The attack on the water pipes was a shock to all residents. Insurgents are not only killing innocent people but also destroying the daily lives of millions of people," Amer Salman, a senior Baghdad governorate official, said. Salman added that they were working hard to repair the main but said that it may take up to a week to have it functioning properly again, although small-scale pumping may start within two days. Full report IRAQ: Salaries increased to improve education Salaries have been increased and in some cases have doubled for university lecturers in Iraq in an effort to improve the dilapidated education system and encourage academics to return to the country to resume work. The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) said the new salaries would be effective from July. Full report IRAQ: Focus on treatment of foreign Arabs Ahmed Bodini, a Sudanese national, was driving his family home from a supermarket in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, when he was stopped at a checkpoint by government troops and interrogated. "The national guards made me get out of the car and started swearing at me and humiliated me in front of my family because they discovered that I was Sudanese. I was immediately handcuffed and blindfolded and taken for three days of interrogation at a prison and beaten," Bodini said. Full report IRAQ: Australian wheat safe for consumption, officials announce The Iraqi government has announced that Australian wheat, reportedly contaminated with iron dust, is safe for human consumption and is going to be discharged without delay. Baghdad thus finally cleared the 120,000 mt shipment of wheat, which has been stored in the southern port of Umm-Qasr since 18 April. The wheat was a part of a one million mt contract between Iraq and the Australian Wheat Board (AWB). Wheat is an important part of Baghdad's regular food supplies to needy Iraqis and a staple element in their diet. Full report IRAQ: Aid agencies call for access to Karabila Aid agencies and doctors have called on Coalition forces in Iraq to allow them safe access to the village of Karabila in the west of the country, as battles between troops and insurgents continue. "The situation is critical in the village of Karabila. Hundreds of injured people are inside the town requiring urgent medical treatment but have been prohibited to leave the village by US forces and we are not authorised to enter there," Dr Hamed al-Alousi, director at the nearby al-Qaim general hospital, said. Full report EGYPT: US call for democracy meets mixed reaction US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's calls for free and fair elections in Egypt has drawn mixed reactions from pro-democracy movements and the Egyptian government. After meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Rice delivered what the US State Department had termed a 'major policy speech' at the American University in Cairo in the heart of Egypt's capital on Monday. Full report EGYPT: Academic freedom essential for democracy, activists say Human rights activists in Egypt have reiterated a call for freedom and independence of universities saying this is essential to a successful democratic transformation in Egypt. The comments follow a Human Rights Watch Report (HRW) published in May which outlined limitations to academic independence and freedom in the country. Full report IRAN: Reformists on the ropes amid charges of vote rigging Iran's reformists were left reeling after a hard-line conservative candidate swept into second place in the presidential elections. Voters must now decide between Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and powerful ex-president and cleric, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in the country's first ever presidential election run-off on Friday. The shock win by Ahmadinejad prompted unprecedented accusations of ballot rigging by centrist reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi. On Monday, Tehran announced a partial recount in four cities to try and ascertain whether voting or vote counting irregularities had occurred. Full report IRAN: Nation receives praise from UN on World Refugee Day Top UN officials have praised Iran for hosting more refugees than almost any other country in the world, in remarks made in the capital, Tehran, marking World Refugee Day on Monday. "Iran still ranges among the countries that have the highest number of refugees in the world. This is a record which Iran and Iranian people can be proud of as a demonstration of a humanitarian commitment," UNHCR's resident representative in Tehran, Sten Bronee, said at a press conference. Full report SYRIA: Capital's water infrastructure to be upgraded Mains water supply pipes that currently lose around a third of their contents through leakage will be upgraded at the end of June, following an agreement between the Japanese government and Syrian authorities. The system carries water to around three million people living in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The mains supply pipes link the Fijeh Spring, 15 km west of the capital, with the city itself and constitutes the major source of drinking water for residents. Full report YEMEN: Challenge of improving electricity supply As summer temperatures soar to 40 centigrade, many Yemenis have to battle the constant heat without refrigeration, lighting, air conditioning or fans because of repeated power cuts. The erratic power supply is a consequence of an inadequate and antiquated electricity system that badly needs updating, observers say. Full report [ENDS]
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