http://uk.oneworld.net/article/country/968/ en_GB_uk Middle East http://uk.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/83744 As a deadly new strain of Black Stem Rust devastates wheat harvests across Africa and Arabia, and threatens the staple food supply of a billion people from Egypt to Pakistan, the areas where potentially crop and life-saving remnant wild wheat relatives grow are only minimally protected. http://www.digitalopportunity.org/article/view/160409/1/ Intel will work with Sheikh Muhammed Foundation to expand its Teach programme in Arab countries. Apart from training 2 million teachers by 2011, Intel also hopes to educate and develop the talent of Arab youth in the region. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/83482 Bloggers from Bahrain, Jordan, and Palestine voice their opinions on the prejudices surrounding HIV/AIDS in the Arab world and the criminalization of the disease in some countries of the region. http://www.digitalopportunity.org/article/view/159902/1/ Building on the popular culture of blogging, BBC’s ZigZagmag.net has created an interactive online space to enable aspiring Iranian journalists generate high quality content for a variety of BBC platforms. The virtual newsroom encourages learning and communication through discussions and training. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/82700 The 22-member Arab League recently introduced a regional policy to regulate satellite television broadcasting services that will "restrict freedom of expression and information," writes an international human rights watchdog. From: Human Rights Watch http://www.digitalopportunity.org/article/view/158144/1/ Blogging, internet chat rooms and sites have become the safest ways for gay Africans and Arabs to meet, while keeping their identities secret. Caution is after all crucial as homosexual acts are illegal in most countries in Africa and the Middle East. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/82417 The world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city - the $22 billion Masdar City in Abu Dhabi - will rely mainly on outside funding, the Government said after the cornerstone for the city was laid. From Gulf News http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/82010 To raise money and awareness for the plight of displaced Iraqis among neighboring Arab nations, the UN and the Arab League are launching a "massive" campaign featuring celebrities and refugee stories. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/82003 The League of Arab States will launch a massive fund-raising and public awareness campaign on Friday to help hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees. http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/156670/1/ SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 8 (OneWorld) - The heads of 21 international humanitarian organizations have sent a letter to George W. Bush, demanding the U.S. president address Iraq's "refugee crisis" during his week-long trip to the Middle East, which begins Wednesday. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/81906 "The United States has been so focused on the Middle East that it has missed the great movements of the world," including China's pragmatic and expansive investment in Africa and the rise of the left in Latin America, says Richard Rodriguez. From: New America Media http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/81593 Major neoconservative analysts rely on three faulty assumptions of Pakistan's stability, and this could "spell disaster for Pakistan as well as for global security," explains Najum Mushtaq. http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/81447 "By their very presence [at the Middle East Peace Conference to be held in Annapolis, MD], the Arab states are signaling they are willing to normalize ties with Israel without receiving any concessions on borders, East Jerusalem or refugees," says Jalal Ghazi. From: New America Media http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/81444 Domestic violence in the Russian Federation; sex slavery in India; self-immolation in Central Asian republics; gender-based violence and HIV; and 'compensation' marriages are the five underreported stories used by the UN Population Fund to launch a campaign against gender-based violence. From: UNFPA http://us.oneworld.net/link/gotolink/addhit/81109 When the US decided that its backyard would in future be a greater Middle East – from Pakistan to Morocco – it imagined that it could rearrange the region to suit itself. The results have been disastrous and will be long-lasting, says Alain Gresh.