Moria fires aftermath: More than 1,000 asylum seekers relocated from Greece
Nearly 140 asylum seekers were recently relocated from Greece to Germany through a European Commission-funded initiative that has relocated more than 1,000 people so far this year alone, three UN agencies have reported. The group included families with children with special health needs, and more than 50 unaccompanied children, most of whom had been transferred to the Greek mainland after...
No revolution in Iran, analysts say
DUBAI (IPS)–Iran is in the midst of its worst political crisis since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but forecasts of another revolution stemming from current student unrest and calls for greater openness are unfounded, regional analysts say. Instead, they say that the protests by students, angered by a Nov. 6 court decision against a moderate professor and Islamic thinker,...
Democracy or Theocracy?
Direction of Iraq's future gov't worries U.S. (FinalCall.com) - As both Shi’a and Sunni Muslim groups continue their protests, at times jointly, against U.S.-led occupation in Iraq, U.S. concerns are rising over the possibility of the formation of a theocracy–political Islamic rule–in post-war Iraq instead of the U.S. preferred democracy. Some observers have said the demands of competing Iraqi Shi’a Muslim...
Bush’s ratings plummet abroad too
/GIN Downing of US aircraft in Iraq brings home the harsh reality (Gulf News) WASHINGTON (IPS/GIN)–If President George W. Bush was surprised on his recent trip to Indonesia by the negative view the country's Muslim leaders had of his administration, he is unlikely to be reassured by two new surveys from Latin America and Europe. Nearly 90 percent of more...
Fight for reparations continue in Jamaica
MONTEGO BAY (IPS)–Although she is busy organizing a national conference on reparations for African slavery and helping collate information on its economic impact in Jamaica, Barbara Blake Hannah is sure that the project will not be completed soon. "It's not a tomorrow thing. I'm talking about for my grandchildren, but it has to begin now," she stresses. Ms. Blake...
Most Iraqis doubt U.S. will ever leave
JIM.LOBE ‘Why do they hate us?'–A new view surfaces (FCN, 07-27-2005) WASHINGTON (IPS/GIN) - Large majorities of Iraqis believe that the United States has no intention of ever withdrawing all its military forces from their country, and that Washington's reconstruction efforts have been incompetent at best, according to a new survey released January 31. At the same time, however, only 35...
Bush pushes to limit lawyers’ access to Guantanamo
A march towards martial law? (FCN, 11-06-2006) Bush Administration rejected as Supreme Court rules Guantanamo tribunals 'illegal' (BBC, 06-29-2006) Farrakhan calls for delegation to be sent to Guantanamo (FCN, 05-25-2005) Neo-con extermists push internment for American Muslims (FCN, 02-18-2005) Pentagon's Guantanamo tribunals are ruled illegal (FCN, 02-14-2005) NEW YORK (IPS/GIN) - As the impending new...
Africa rebukes Bush on African Command
(FinalCall.com) - President George W. Bush announced in February his plans to establish an African Command, and according to The Guardian, the plan has “hit a wall of hostility from governments” in Africa. “We’ve got a big image problem down there,” The Guardian quoted a U.S. State Department official as saying. “Public opinion is really against getting into bed with...
Military contractors accused of torture
After the shame: Prison abuse scandal deepens (FCN, 05-25-2004) NEW YORK - A former Abu Ghraib “ghost” detainee has leveled new torture claims against two U.S. military contractors, claiming that he was wrongly imprisoned and later released without charge. The suit against the contactors, filed in early May in Los Angeles federal court on behalf of Emad Al-Janabi,...
Activists demand U.S. attends race conference
NEW YORK (FinalCall.com) - The December 12th Movement, a Brooklyn-based advocacy group, spearheaded a March 21 national grassroots day of protest against a decision by the Obama administration not to attend the Durban Review Conference in Geneva, Switzerland April 20-24. The meeting is a follow up to a major international conference on race eight years ago. Standing in front of...