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Sunday 25 December 2005 |
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MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 38 for 2-8 September 2005[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]Key Humanitarian Developments in Iraq IRAQ: Sunnis donate blood for Shi’ite stampede victims Sunni religious leaders have called on their followers to donate blood for Shi’ite victims of the tragic stampede in Baghdad last week. The call was made in good faith, following a reported shortage of supplies. Full report IRAQ: Rights groups condemn executions Human rights organisations have condemned the execution of three men, convicted of murder in Iraq, saying that it was a brutal decision. Full report EGYPT: Mubarak wins presidential election Hosni Mubarak has won 88.6 percent of votes cast in Egypt’s first contested presidential polls, the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) announced on Friday. Mubarak has been in power for 24 years. The result of Wednesday’s elections gives him another six-year term as president of Egypt Full report EGYPT: ‘Irregularities reported’ during election Egypt witnessed its first ever contested presidential elections on Wednesday, with more than 32 million eligible voters choosing a leader from 10 candidates. Full report EGYPT: Civil society banned from observing elections The Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) overruled an administrative court sentence passed on Saturday allowing civil society groups in Egypt to observe presidential elections from inside polling booths. Full report EGYPT: Vote against the president say rights groups Egyptians should boycott the coming presidential elections or vote for one of the opposition candidates, a group of local human rights organisations said on Saturday. Full report EGYPT: Interview with Secretary General of the National Council for Human Rights The National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), along with many other civil society institutions, is hoping to ensure that Egypt’s first multi-candidate presidential elections in 24 years and set for 7 September will be free and fair. Full report JORDAN-SYRIA: Iraqis in Syria and Jordan divided over constitution The debate over the newly completed draft constitution among Iraqis in Jordan and Syria, both hosting large communities of Iraqi expatriates, reflects the existing rifts among the country's divided religious and ethnic groups. Full report SYRIA: Focus on freedom of speech through the internet Writing individual websites – or blogging as it is better known – is helping young Syrians re-engage with politics, users say, with dozens of web logs or “blogs? coming on line in the last year, promoting freedom of speech. Full report SYRIA: Photos give freedom of expression to marginalised women Azah's photographs are joyous shots of church weddings in Syria, full of movement and colour. They represent this 20-year-old Christian's dream – a dream that was shattered when she fell in love with a Muslim man. Full report YEMEN: Leprosy still a major health problem, experts say Leprosy is not getting the attention it deserves from the Yemeni government, even as international organisations recommend sustaining national programmes to confront the disease, experts said. A three day meeting of national leprosy control coordinators from the Middle East and South Asia region that started on Tuesday in the capital, Sana, called for the elimination of the disease, especially among poverty stricken groups. Full report YEMEN: Greater efforts needed to reach UN goals A special media campaign to impress the importance of Yemen attaining the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was held in the capital, Sana, on Sunday. Full report YEMEN: Heavy rains heighten threat of locust infestation Agricultural experts are concerned at the potential for a locust infestation in Yemen, following heavy rains and flash floods over the past two weeks. Full report [ENDS]
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