The Bush Administration's fundamental view that a “shock and awe” invasion of Afghanistan would somehow compel the Taliban into compliance has failed. Instead the soft power of grass root initiatives are slowly taking shape. It is hard to believe that any progress for gender equality could be made in Afghanistan. An article in today's International […]
The Bible is the topic for the current World Synod of Bishops, which brings together Roman Catholic bishops from October 5-26. The goal is to encourage more interest in the Bible, and John Travis, with the Catholic News Service, has written that the decision was taken after bishops reflected on the fact that "only a […]
I couldn't pass up posting this AFP article reported today: “Afghanistan, Pakistan split over US presidential hopefuls From Pakistani tribesmen to violence-weary Afghans there are hopes but few expectations, on the frontline of the “war on terror”, that the next US president can solve the problem of Islamic militancy. US military incursions in Pakistan have made […]
YEMEN: Protecting women, children from violence A Netherlands-funded project is aiming to provide better protection for women and children exposed to violence and sexual abuse. In June 2008 Interior Ministry statistics revealed 2,694 cases of violence against women in 2007, with cases ranging from killing to harassment; 130 women died as a result, 88 of […]
Two weeks ago the Council on Foreign Relations, a New York-based think thank, hosted world leaders in town for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly for separate, public discussions about current issues in world affairs. Those distinguished leaders include: Ali Babacan, Turkey 's Minister of Foreign Affairs; Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of Argentina; Viktor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine; […]
On Friday, Fox News and Jennifer Lawinski took a critical look at a General Assembly Resolution 62/154 on religion, which was first adopted in 2007. The resolution, "Combating the Defamation of Religion," intends to prevent speech that offends religion. Fox News, although certainly not the highest authority on issues concerning the United Nations, does provide […]
It has been reported that more than 100,000 visitors attended Germany's "Open House Day for Mosques" on Friday. It is the 12th yearly open house (since 1997), and the program was organized by the Central Council of Muslims in Germany. It was also German unification day. Around 2,500 exhibitions were organized, and some reports linked […]
Marie Stopes International, a major London-based family planning organization, will no longer receive condoms supplied by USAID to African governments. The move comes in an apparent retaliation by the United States for the charity's work in China with the United Nations, which is accused by the Bush administration of condoning forced abortions. As The Guardian […]
The Irish Times notes that the Secretary-General's office has announced it will retain Rwandan General Emmanuel Karake Karenzi to serve as second-in-command of its Darfur peacekeeping force. Rwanda had threatened to withdraw from the force if Karenzi was removed. Karenzi served as a high-ranking officer in the Rwandan Patriotic Front during the civil war. The […]
The U.S. Congrees has passed the financial bailout bill (Washington Post – House Approves $700B Financial Rescue Package): In a dramatic reversal, the House today approved by a comfortable margin a $700 billion financial rescue package that will bring the greatest intervention of the federal government into the private marketplace since the Great Depression, […]
Unless you’ve been away on a several-month long vacation in another solar system, you know all about the incredible turmoil we’ve been experiencing in the world stock and money markets and in the “real economy.” Now that the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008,” with the “Troubled Asset Relief Program” at its core, has been […]
The Lebanese Al-Akhbar daily recently featured an in depth report on the bombing in Tripoli (Lebanon) earlier this week. Part of the report included schematics (in a 1, 2, 3, sequence) on how the attack is thought to have been executed (see below). It shows how the bus carrying army personnel was immediately hit after […]
The jihadist al-Yaqeen media center recently distributed a report on internet forums questioning Syria's claim that last weeks bombing in Damascus was carried out by extremists, suggesting it may have been a 'staged incident’. In it's conclusion, it describes the Syrian regime has one that has long fabricated terrorist events in order to suppress Islamist […]
“Child labor and poverty are inevitably bound together and if you continue to use the labor of children as the treatment for the social disease of poverty, you will have both poverty and child labor to the end of time.” – Grace Abbott (American Social Worker & Child Labor Reformer Director, Children's Bureau, U.S. Department […]
That time of year is once again here, the time for little fairy princesses, super heroes, goblins, witches and warlocks, to descend upon the streets in search of fun and candy. The Halloween weekend is full of fun and festivities for kids big and small, but we all know that the day quickly fades and […]