Overseas news archive

31.03.2005 Zimbabwe goes to the polls today in an election condemned by most international observers as unfair. Echoing the call by the catholic archbishop of Zimbabwe earlier this week, an activist group in Zimbabwe has written an open letter to the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai calling for a peaceful popular uprising.
From: Zvakwana

30.03.2005 A governing principle of the ASEAN group of nations is that they should not interfere with each other's internal affairs. This permits Burma not only to be a member but also to Chair the group in 2006. Should the EU accept invitations?

30.03.2005 News of Monday's Indian Ocean earthquake triggered rapid movement of people away from high risk coastal areas. But this was thanks to old-fashioned acts of good community neighbours rather than expensive tsunami warning systems.

30.03.2005 The hesitant response of the international community to the behaviour of the King of Nepal has created a vacuum which is being exploited by the Maoist insurgency. A new report from the International Crisis Group calls for more decisive action from the UN Commission on Human Rights.
From: International Crisis Group

29.03.2005 The UN meets today to discuss future peace-keeping resources in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where nearly 4 million people have died in the civil war since 1996. Why does Kosovo enjoy the protection of more than double the peace-keeping forces currently in the DRC?

29.03.2005 Israel insists on continuing with construction of the controversial wall. Christian Aid says this will jeopardise and pre-empt efforts by the new Palestinian government to resolve the conflict.

29.03.2005 Robert Mugabe's old tactics of destroying printing presses owned by critical media don't work with new technologies. Internet service providers (ISPs) in Harare have so far resisted the President's efforts to force them to monitor their customers.
From: The Zimbabwean

26.03.2005 Despite the devastation of the Asian tsunami, Pakistani authorities appear oblivious to the elimination of potentially protective mangroves, largely due to construction of dams. Shazad Ali, OneWorld Volunteer Editor in Karachi, interviews the Deputy Director of WWF Pakistan.

24.03.2005 Despite his ruthless reputation, President Akayev of Kyrgyzstan has settled for low key tactics in dealing with the people's revolution in the southern provinces of the country. What will happen today as protests move to the capital Bishkek?

23.03.2005 It's not all bad news on corruption in Africa. An investigation by Transparency International in South Africa says that "tremendous progress" has been made in the post-apartheid period.
From: Transparency International

23.03.2005 Poor people in India and HIV/AIDS sufferers throughout the developing world may be unable to afford medicines following the new patents law passed in India. Oxfam says that the root of the problem is the TRIPS component of World Trade Organisation rules.

21.03.2005 Amnesty continues its efforts to persuade the international community to respond to the behaviour of King Gyanendra of Nepal. Nearly 2 months has passed since his suspension of the constitution and the subsequent repression of free speech.

17.03.2005 Concerns are mounting for the future availability of affordable generic medicines produced in India - which are crucial to the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients across the developing world. Implementing WTO regulations on medicine patents will put the Indian government in a tight corner.
From: MSF

16.03.2005 Amnesty International's report to be presented to election monitors in Zimbabwe is unequivocal in its assessment that citizens will be unable to participate in a free and fair democratic process.

16.03.2005 Events in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to cause concern; UN troops have been killed and thousands of people forced to leave their homes. With elections due in June, it is difficult to see how the country can find a stable path through the complexity of its ethnic groupings and interfering neighbours.

15.03.2005 Concerns about the suitability of Tunisia as the venue for November's World Summit on the Information Society will not be allayed by the death of the country's leading cyber-dissident at the age of 36. Zouhair Yahyaoui had been active in drawing attention to the country's poor record in freedom of expression on the internet.

15.03.2005 The UN Security Council is this week negotiating a resolution on Darfur, with little sign of agreement on the tough action needed to relieve the humanitarian disaster. This report paints a distressing picture of the situation and suggests that the peace agreement which ended the war in the south was a successful diversionary tactic by the Sudanese government.
From: International Crisis Group

10.03.2005 Uganda is a favourite with international donors and politicians. In an outspoken attack in London yesterday, the retiring head of Unicef says that it’s time to take a fresh look at the country’s failure to resolve the humanitarian crisis in northern Uganda.

10.03.2005 The predominantly state-owned media in Zimbabwe appear resolved to ignore or criticise the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the main opposition to Robert Mugabe's party in the election due on March 31. South Africa shows no sign of taking a lead in calling for fair standards of democracy in Zimbabwe.
From: Reporters Without Borders

10.03.2005 A new report from Amnesty International exposing Syrian human rights abuses against the minority Kurdish population does not come at a good time for the beleaguered country.