Available data shows that many boat arrivals on the island are persons originating from Somalia and Eritrea.
According to preliminary figures for 2008, about 75 per cent of those who arrived in Italy by sea last year applied for asylum, and around 50 percent of those who applied were granted refugee status or protection on other humanitarian grounds.
- Bolivia’s divisive new constitution grants greater rights to indigenous people
Mr Morales, a socialist of Amerindian descent, has followed up his historic victory that made him the country’s first indigenous president with a triumph that will give a greater voice and share of land and resources to the country’s indigenous population. In the throng of miners in tin hats and indigenous women in bowler hats and heavy skirts there was an unmistakable sense of history on the march. After centuries of subservience to the “white” minority, they have mastered the country’s politics and reshaped its guiding documents.
But "the new charter risks further dividing an already polarised country". As an example, YahooNews points out that 2007 anti-government riots led to the deaths of 3 college students as well as an incident in September where "13 mostly indigenous Morals supporters died...when protestors seized government buildings to block a vote on the proposed constitution."
- International Court Begins First Trial :
Wearing a dark suit and red tie, Lubanga showed no emotion as his French lawyer, Catherine Mabille, said he pleaded not guilty to using children under age 15 as soldiers in the armed wing of his Union of Congolese Patriots political party in 2002-03.
Lubanga's militia ''recruited, trained and used hundreds of young children to kill, pillage and rape. The children still suffer the consequences of Lubanga's crimes,'' prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told a three-judge panel in his opening statement. ''They cannot forget what they suffered, what they saw, what they did.''
-Turkey changes some of its textbooks from "so-called genocide" of Armenians to "1915 events" (Via GlobalVoices)
- In Pakistan, Radio Amplifies Terror of Taliban
Using a portable radio transmitter, a local Taliban leader, Shah Doran, on most nights outlines newly proscribed “un-Islamic” activities in Swat, like selling DVDs, watching cable television, singing and dancing, criticizing the Taliban, shaving beards and allowing girls to attend school. He also reveals names of people the Taliban have recently killed for violating their decrees — and those they plan to kill.
- Skateboarding in Afghanistan Provides a Diversion From Desolation
“Afghan kids are the same as kids all over the world,” Percovich said. “They just haven’t been given the same opportunities. They need a positive environment to do positive things for Afghanistan and for themselves.”
The article also addresses the difficulties some girls have trying to participate:
But for Hadisa, a 10-year-old girl from a conservative family, skateboarding has not been accepted. She said two older brothers beat her with wires for skating with poorer children in September. Several friends said they had seen blood flowing from her leg.
“I’m not upset with my brothers for beating me,” Hadisa whispered on a recent day when she did not skate because her oldest brother was nearby. “They have the right.”
But some girls cannot skate enough because their window for participation is short. When Afghan girls reach puberty, they must be veiled and can no longer associate with men outside the family. Percovich said his indoor skate park could be part of the solution, with boys and girls in separate classes.
- Pope launches Vatican on YouTube:
The 81-year-old Pope's first YouTube message spoke of a new way to spread hope around the world:
"You must find ways to spread - in a new manner - voices and pictures of hope, through the internet, which wraps all of our planet in an increasingly close-knitted way," he said in Italian.
No comments:
Post a Comment