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Tuesday 21 February 2006


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Middle East

MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 50 for 25 November – 1 December

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENTS:

EGYPT: Rights bodies urge laws against FGM
EGYPT: Elections continue amidst reports of intimidation
IRAN: UNICEF ready to assist Qeshm quake victims
IRAN: Rights groups call on UN to investigate executions based on sexual orientation
IRAQ: Ahwazi refugees overlooked by government
IRAQ: Families of grave victims seek compensation
IRAQ: Rights groups urge fairness in Saddam trial
IRAQ: Humanitarian activities to go on despite kidnapping
IRAQ: Female politicians demand greater representation
JORDAN: Reforms necessary to prevent terrorism, says ICG
YEMEN: Despite progress, malaria remains a serious threat
YEMEN: Somali refugees protest perceived injustices
YEMEN: Study highlights local journalists’ complaints
YEMEN: Stigma, ignorance hampering fight against HIV/AIDS

EGYPT: Rights bodies urge laws against FGM

Siham, 47, remembers the day she underwent female genital mutilation (FGM) as if it were yesterday.

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EGYPT: Elections continue amidst reports of intimidation

Standing outside a polling station in a suburb of Egypt’s second-largest city Alexandria, scores of supporters of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood protested throughout Saturday as runoffs for the second round of parliamentary elections were held in nine provinces.

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IRAN: UNICEF ready to assist Qeshm quake victims

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is ready to provide assistance after a moderate-sized earthquake struck the Persian Gulf island of Qeshm in southern Iran over the weekend.

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IRAN: Rights groups call on UN to investigate executions based on sexual orientation

Human rights groups fighting for gay rights have called on the United Nations to act on reports of executions based on sexual orientation in Iran.

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IRAQ: Ahwazi refugees overlooked by government

Hundreds of Ahwazi refugees in southern Iraq are living in deteriorating conditions, with little access to basic services such as education and healthcare, say UN officials

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IRAQ: Families of grave victims seek compensation

Relatives of the victims found in a mass grave discovered in the city of Talafar in early November are calling for compensation, particularly for those who have left orphans and widows behind.

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IRAQ: Rights groups urge fairness in Saddam trial

Deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and his co-defendants, whose trials in Iraqi law courts have recently resumed, must be guaranteed a fair trial and respect for their civil liberties, say rights groups.

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IRAQ: Humanitarian activities to go on despite kidnapping

NGOs working in Iraq will continue their activities until further notice despite the recent kidnappings of Western aid workers in the capital, Baghdad, relief workers said on Monday.

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IRAQ: Female politicians demand greater representation

Iraqi women politicians of all stripes demanded greater representation in their respective political parties on Tuesday, at a meeting organised by US-based NGO the National Democratic Institute.

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JORDAN: Reforms necessary to prevent terrorism, says ICG

New security measures taken in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in the capital, Amman, must be complemented by political, economic and cultural reforms if Jordan is to avoid similar incidents in the future, according to a new report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.

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YEMEN: Despite progress, malaria remains a serious threat

With 60 percent of Yemen's population at risk of malaria, the disease represents one of the biggest health challenges for the country's 19.7 million people.

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YEMEN: Somali refugees protest perceived injustices

An ongoing sit-in by hundreds of Somali refugees demanding better living conditions or resettlement in a third country in the Yemeni capital, Sana, turned into a hunger strike on 24 November

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YEMEN: Study highlights local journalists’ complaints

There is an urgent need to train professional journalists in Yemen, a recent study conducted by the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) and the International Federation of Journalists has found.

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YEMEN: Stigma, ignorance hampering fight against HIV/AIDS

Ali (not his real name) is living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. He says that, from the day he was diagnosed, he has been an outcast, a pariah with whom few want to associate.

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[ENDS]

Theme(s)	Other

Other recent MIDDLE EAST reports:

MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 61 for 10 - 16 February 2006, 16/Feb/06

MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 60 for 3 - 9 February 2006, 12/Feb/06

Journalists hoping to improve reporting on HIV/AIDS, 9/Feb/06

MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 59 for 27 January - 2 February 2006, 5/Feb/06

Gulf support for quake likely to continue into reconstruction, 2/Feb/06

Other recent reports:

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Donors pledge support for humanitarian crisis, 21/Feb/06

ANGOLA: Ready to play larger security role in Africa, 21/Feb/06

CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap, 17/Feb/06

SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 270 for 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

WEST AFRICA: IRIN-WA Weekly Round-up 317 covering 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

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