Full Coverage: Middle East

06/30/2006 An open-ended hunger strike will be launched on the Fourth of July in front of the White House and around the country, demanding U.S. troops return home from Iraq immediately. Find out how you can be involved.

06/29/2006 While Turkish immigrants traditionally identify themselves primarily with their native country, rallying behind their adopted homeland during the World Cup has made many feel more "German."

06/28/2006 Noi del gruppo romano Statunitensi per la pace e la giustizia scriviamo questa lettera per chiedere che il governo italiano ripensi alcuni "aiuti" che dà al nostro paese. Riteniamo questi "aiuti" contro gli interessi sia del popolo italiano sia di quello statunitense. Alcuni di questi "aiuti" sono il frutto di passate scelte di altri governi. Ci preme invitare il nuovo governo Prodi a un cambio di rotta. Cominciamo con il chiedere di ripensare la presenza in Italia di un certo numero di bombe nucleari di proprietà degli Stati Uniti, al momento 90, depositate nelle basi di Aviano (Pordenone) e Ghedi Torre (Brescia). Tale presenza comporta che sia gli Stati Uniti, "stato nucleare", sia l'Italia, "stato non-nucleare", finiscano per violare lo spirito del Trattato di non proliferazione nucleare del quale sono entrambi firmatari. Infine, il più noto "aiuto" è stato quello di mandare truppe in Afghanistan e in Iraq. È ora di ritirare tutte le truppe. Chiediamo al governo italiano di portare i suoi soldati a casa. Chiediamo di non sostenere le guerre statunitensi in alcun modo, e invece di sostenere i popoli dell'Iraq e dell'Afghanistan con programmi di cooperazione affidate alle ONG che operano da tempo in questi paesi.

06/28/2006 If President Bush wanted to deal with Iran by "bombing them back into the stone age" (as an American general put it during the Vietnam War), now would be the time. With everybody riveted to the World Cup, says Uri Avnery, who would notice?

06/28/2006 The Center for Development and Population Activities was awarded nearly one million dollars to provide Egyptian youths with opportunities for positive civic engagement. The project will last two years and will reach 1200 young people, aged 20-24, through week-long leadership camps.

06/27/2006 The US invasion of Iraq has moved Iraq from a secular to a more religious and violent society where women’s rights are being curtailed. Visit CODEPINK’s website to read their report Iraqi Women Under Siege and other recent articles about women in Iraq. You can also donate to support Iraqi women.

06/27/2006 With the news to have the smart card compulsory by next month, Bahrain is just one step away from a completely digitised economy. The law making smart card mandatory will make the Kingdom ahead of many countries in the region to switch over to the new digital economy.

06/26/2006 Israelin Magen David Adom -järjestö ja Palestiinan Punainen Puolikuu ovat tulossa Punaisen Ristin ja Punaisen Puolikuun liikkeen täysjäseniksi. Asia varmistui pitkien ja vaikeiden neuvottelujen ja äänestyksenkin jälkeen Sveitsin Genevessä.

06/22/2006 Roger Waters, founding member of rock group Pink Floyd, visited the East Jerusalem village of Abu Dis - and sprayed graffitti on the Israeli wall - ahead of his performance in the Arab/Israeli Peace Village today.

06/22/2006 Punaisen Ristin ja Punaisen Puolikuun liike päättivät vastikään kolmannen suojamerkin käyttöönotosta. Lähiaikoina myös hyväksytään Palestiinan Punaisen Puolikuun ja Israelin Magen David Adom -järjestön pääsy Punaisen Ristin ja Punaisen Puolikuun yhdistysten kansainvälisen liiton jäseneksi.

06/21/2006 The "alarming" humanitarian situation in various parts of Iraq has been underlined by the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which cites the example of a province in which food and medical supplies are running low, public services have almost ground to a halt and residents are reportedly trying to flee the area.
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06/20/2006 Following a legal ruling that three British men and a Canadian tortured in Saudi Arabia cannot sue the men responsible for their ordeal, the British government has been accused of ignoring the suffering of its own citizens while backing the servants of a state that routinely uses torture.

06/19/2006 Men and boys are critical partners in supporting girls’ education and improving family reproductive health. In Egypt, a country where domestic violence is a significant problem, the “New Visions” programs is helping change attitudes about HIV/AIDS and gender equality.

06/19/2006 More women are blogging in Saudi Arabia, getting the attention of censors and their conservative counterparts, reports Rasheed Abou-Alsamh.

06/19/2006 Bahrain's government moved into the hi-tech age yesterday with the launch of Bab Al Bahrain website. It will link all government ministries and help speed up services to citizens via the Internet.

06/16/2006 Two members of the US House of Representatives yesterday led the way in giving voice to what they describe as the growing majority of more than 60 per cent of the American people who believe that it was a costly mistake for Washington to go to war in Iraq and who want to pull troops out.

06/15/2006 Poverty is subjective, complex, and multidimensional. While poverty is primarily about income, limited access to the necessary natural resources for agricultural production is a major constraint to poverty alleviation in the dry areas.

06/15/2006 Ahead of the UN Security Council’s June 15th meeting, Amnesty International is urging both the UN and the Iraqi government to ensure that those who commit crimes under international law in Iraq be held accountable.

06/13/2006 Guilty or innocent, Arabs will be the last to leave Guantanamo, says Clive Stafford Smith.

06/13/2006 A major humanitarian emergency could develop in Palestine as a result of the withholding of aid from the Palestinian Authority, the International Committee of the Red Cross said as it stepped up its own spending in the area.
* OneWorld UK Palestine Guide