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Tuesday 21 February 2006 |
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MIDDLE EAST: Weekly round-up Number 52 for 9–15 December 2005[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]CONTENTS: MIDDLE EAST: “Invisible? children suffering from neglect, says UNICEF Many children in the Middle East continue to suffer from abuse, exploitation and discrimination, while health and education services are not reaching those most in need, according to UNICEF’s 2006 State of the World’s Children report. Full report IRAQ: Elections get underway amid tight security Iraqis descended on polling stations on Thursday to choose the country’s first full-term democratic parliament, despite the threat of violence. Full report IRAQ: Morgue can’t cope with numbers of bodies arriving on a daily basis, doctors say Lack of space and a shortage of doctors to deal with corpses at Baghdad’s only mortuary is causing a delay in the release of bodies for burial. Full report IRAQ: Optimism high as preparations for national elections continue Expectations of a high turnout in tomorrow’s national elections remain high, as preparations for the contest continue countrywide. Full report IRAQ-SYRIA: Expatriates vote as refugees remain stranded on border Iraqi expatriates turned out in large numbers at makeshift polling stations in the capital, Damascus, to vote in Iraqi parliamentary elections. Full report IRAQ: NGO calls for accurate civilian death toll A Washington-based humanitarian organisation urged the US government this week to accurately count and identify all civilian casualties of the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq, following a recent announcement by US President George Bush that 30,000 Iraqi civilians had been killed to date. Full report IRAQ: New high-tech passports unpopular with locals A plan by the interior ministry to introduce a new generation of high-tech passports, ostensibly aimed at curbing the influx of insurgents into the country, has received mixed reactions amongst Iraqis. Full report IRAQ: Children of mixed marriages protest official discrimination Sarah Hussein, 12-years-old, prepares her bags with her mother before travelling to Syria. She is leaving Iraq because she no longer has a right to a free education, and her family cannot afford the US $1,000 asked of them by the Iraqi government for Sarah to continue her studies. Full report IRAQ: Many displaced in west fear returning home Hundreds of families remain displaced after US-led offensives earlier this month against insurgent activity in the cities of Ramadi and al-Qaim in the west of the country, according to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS). Full report JORDAN: Call for abolition of death penalty due to miscarriage of justice A miscarriage of the Jordanian justice system that led to the execution of a man wrongly convicted of murder in 2000 has become a new reason to abolish the death penalty in the Kingdom, human rights groups said. Full report JORDAN: Iraqi expats urged to vote in elections The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) is appealing to Iraqis living in neighbouring Jordan to vote in upcoming national assembly elections. Full report LEBANON: Leprosy still a problem Ever since Ahmad, 27, was diagnosed with leprosy three years ago, he has had to face the physical consequences of his condition, as well as the social stigma associated with a disease most think vanished from Lebanon long ago. Full report LEBANON: Al-Nahar editor-in-chief killed in car-bomb attack Journalists were shocked by the death of Gebran Tueini, editor in chief of leading Lebanese daily Al-Nahar, who was killed in the capital Beirut by two car bombs on Monday, according to initial security reports. Full report LEBANON-SYRIA: Final UN report on Hariri killing slams Syrian non-cooperation Syria has burned all intelligence documents relating to Lebanon and attempted to hinder a UN inquiry that found further evidence of the involvement of the Syrian intelligence services in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, according to the second report into the killing. Full report SYRIA: Workshop discusses effects of TV war coverage on children Filmmakers and talented youngsters got together with German experts in Damascus to discuss how television war coverage should best be presented to children at a recently concluded workshop entitled: “Children’s Programmes and Images of War?. Full report YEMEN: Ten-year plan aims at liberating judiciary After the government announced a strategy aimed at judicial reform last week, opposition groups and lawyers maintained that implementation of the ambitious plan would face an uphill battle. Full report YEMEN: Newspaper suspensions, alleged assaults raise press freedom concerns The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) has continued to express concerns over a perceived deterioration of press freedoms after the suspension of two local newspapers and the alleged beating of a press-rights activist by unknown assailants. Full report EGYPT: Experts ponder implications following election Last week saw the end of the third and final round of Egypt’s tense parliamentary elections, during which 12 people were killed amid attempts by state security to prevent voters from casting ballots. Full report EGYPT: Activists call appointments of women, minorities “fig-leaf? The appointment of five women and five Coptic Christians to parliament on 13 December will do little to address the fundamental problem of political exclusion, say activists. Full report MIDDLE EAST: Appeal to Arab world to give more to world’s poorest Activists launched a joint appeal to the Arab world on Friday in Dubai, the commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates, to donate more money to ease poverty in Africa. Full report [ENDS]
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