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Tuesday 1 November 2005 |
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MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 33 for 29 July - 4 August 2005[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]Key Humanitarian Developments in Iraq YEMEN: Experts alert to danger of locust outbreak Agricultural and pest control experts are concerned at the potential for a locust outbreak in Yemen if swarms of the insects in neighbouring African countries, notably Sudan and Eritrea, migrate across its borders. Scattered groups of adult locusts have also been observed in their summer breeding grounds in the interior of Yemen, according to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). Full report YEMEN: Polio cases increase, follow-up vaccinations planned The Ministry of Health in Yemen has announced the completion in July of two rounds of a nationwide campaign to immunise children following a polio outbreak in May, and reported a high level of success in reaching vulnerable children. Yemen now has 369 confirmed polio cases, but the rate is slowing, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures. As of early July, there were 300 cases. Full report YEMEN: Journalists rail against “harsh treatment? during riots Yemeni journalists have complained that they were on the receiving end of harsh and regrettable treatment by police and security personnel, while covering the deadly riots in the country over a rise in oil prices last week. "More than 10 incidences of harsh treatment were recorded within only two days," said Hafez al-Bukari, General Secretary of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS). Full report YEMEN: Government urged to tackle human rights concerns The United Nations Human Rights Committee took issue with Yemen on Friday for not implementing many of the recommendations it had made during its last review of civil and political rights in the country in 2002. The committee, which monitors adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by those states that have signed up to it, appreciated the creation of a Ministry of Human Rights in Yemen in May 2003, as well as the declared commitment of the state to creating a culture of human rights. Full report SYRIA: Mass celebration eases cost of marriage to the poor More than 100 Syrian couples tied the knot with a mass wedding in the capital, Damascus, late last week in an effort to ease the financial burden on young people who cannot afford the huge cost of a traditional, individual wedding. “This event is very important,? said Abdel Razeq al-Mounis, deputy minister of Awqaf, or religious endowments. “It makes it easier for young people to get married and shows that the spirit of love and cooperation overcomes egotism. Full report SYRIA: Civil and political freedoms “still a concern? The Human Rights Committee of the United Nations has welcomed Syria’s signing on to several more international human rights treaties in the past four years, but regrets that most of the concerns it highlighted in 2001 are still issues today. Syria fell short of requirements in certain key areas, according to the committee, which monitors adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by those states that sign up to it. Full report MIDDLE EAST: Decline in breastfeeding raises malnutrition concerns ‘Inappropriate feeding practices’ are a major cause of malnutrition among children in the Middle East and North Africa region, according to aid workers promoting World Breastfeeding Week, which runs until Sunday. “Only about half of the mothers - or fewer - in MENA countries exclusively breastfeed their infants for up to three months,? said Mahendra Sheth, regional health adviser for the United Nations Children’s Fund in the Jordanian, capital, Amman. Full report EGYPT: HRW urges inquiry into alleged police brutality The international monitoring and advocacy group Human Rights Watch has demanded that President Hosni Mubarak investigate alleged police brutality during a peaceful political protest in Egypt at the weekend. “Police brutality against peaceful protestors is becoming the norm again in Egypt,? Joe Stork, deputy director of HRW’s Middle East division, said in a press release issued on Monday by the New York-based organisation. Full report IRAQ: Housing problems increase as conflict hits hearth and home //corrected version// Adel Abdel Sada is not proud of his home. Cobbled together from the wreckage of old buildings, cartons and bits of scrap, the ramshackle, jerry-built dwelling is all the 39-year-old unemployed security guard can afford. "I've lived here for four years since I lost my job," he said. "I built two rooms, a bath, a kitchen and a fence. I know no-one would like to live in a house like this, but what can I do? I need a home for my family.? Full report IRAN: Ganji near death as one of his legal team is arrested Hunger-striking political prisoner Akbar Ganji was near death, his wife told the student news agency (ISNA) on Friday. “When we were leaving his room, he went numb...I told them to re-attach the tube of drips with my permission so that he stays alive,? ISNA quoted Massoumeh Shafiie as saying. Saturday marked the fiftieth day of Ganji’s hunger strike and he has been refusing to receive his drip for several days. Full report [ENDS]
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