Egyptians call on British Museum to return Rosetta Stone
CAIRO—The debate over who owns ancient artifacts has been an increasing challenge to museums across Europe and America, and the spotlight has fallen on the most visited piece in the British Museum: The Rosetta Stone. The inscriptions on the dark grey granite slab became the seminal breakthrough in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics after it was taken from Egypt by forces...
Justice critical to fighting sexual violence in conflict
Women’s rights are human rights, and universal in times of war and peace, a senior UN official told the Security Council on April 13, urging ambassadors to ensure accountability for conflict-related sexual violence. Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative working to end rape as a weapon of war, was addressing a high-level debate on strengthening accountability as a means to...
Protesting spreads through Africa over India’s proposed law on drug patents
GINNEWS India/Africa: Threat to Generic Drugs (Africa Focus, 03-07-2005)Drug Patents Draw Scrutiny as Bush Goes to Africa (CorpWatch, 07-09-2003) (GIN) - Protestors in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and other countries are denouncing a move by India, a key producer and exporter of generic anti-retroviral drugs, to pass new legislation that could eventually force inexpensive AIDS drugs off the market. Protestors, in Uganda and...
Indigenous and Afro Latino victims and unrest in Colombia
BOGOTA, Colombia—Forty-two people have died during anti-government protests that began two weeks earlier amid discontent fueled by growing poverty and inequality during the pandemic, Colombia’s human rights ombudsman said. The government agency added May 11 that 168 people had been reported missing during the protests, which were set continuing. On May 5, the human rights ombudsman said 24 people had...
Exploring Senegal and appreciating Africa
DAKAR, Senegal—“Bye, bye cold weather” and “As-Salaam Alaikum, Africa.” That’s what our group of 14, eight adults and six children, said as we boarded a nonstop plane to the Motherland for a 10-day trip to one of West Africa’s most popular destinations. Let the excitement begin! The capital of Senegal in Dakar is famous for its lively markets, access to...
War on terror returning to its cradle
JIM.LOBE Afghanistan: 'Taliban Taking Over' (FCN, 09-06-2006)A Timeline of Oil and Violence in AfghanistanThe "War on Terror" Exposed (FCN Webcast) WASHINGTON (IPS/GIN) - Five years after the CIA was putting the final touches on a brilliant campaign plan to oust the Taliban and its al-Qaeda allies from power, Afghanistan is back in the headlines here, and the news isn't good. An...
Who benefits from a divided Syria?
By Saeed Shabazz-Staff Writer- UNITED NATIONS (FinalCall.com) - As battles in Syria rage, there appears to be talk of breaking the country into pieces as a way to end conflict. But the question arises over whose interests would be served by cutting up the Arab nation? “The partitioning of Syria is the Israeli solution–their overarching goal is to weaken every Arab...
Economic woes dash job prospects in low-income countries: ILO
Soaring debt levels compounded by high inflation and rising interest rates have dashed job-seekers’ hopes in developing countries, the International Labor Organization (ILO) warned on May 31. In its new Monitor on the World of Work report, ILO shows that while in high-income countries, only 8.2 percent of people willing to work are jobless, that number rises to over 21 percent in low-income countries or one...
Poor stand with Venezuela’s president , despite country’s growing hardships
Venezuela “strike”: the anatomy of a US-backed provocation CARACAS (IPS)–The support of the poor, as well as the armed forces, with the exception of a minority group of dissident officers, has sustained President Hugo Chavez in the face of a month-long general strike by the opposition, which has staged the biggest protest demonstrations in the history of...
Protesting farmers return to camp after storming Indian fort
NEW DELHI—Leaders of a protest movement sought Jan. 27 to distance themselves from a day of violence when thousands of farmers stormed India’s historic Red Fort, the most dramatic moment in two months of demonstrations that have grown into a major challenge of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Farmers demanding the repeal of new agricultural laws briefly took over of...