PAX GAEA WORLD POST HUMAN RIGHTS HEADLINES (12/15)
- Dar war crimes cases head to International Criminal Court
- Ban Ki-moon sworn in as new UN Secretary General
- Africa mosquito net campaign receives hail from Bush
- Vietnam receives $4.5 billion pledge for infrastructure development
- Global warming, desertification may touch off refugee exodus of tens of millions
- Polluted Dominican Republic river to get 1/2 mil for clean up from UN
Darfur evidence to Criminal Court
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor says he is about to present evidence of the worst war crimes in the Sudanese region of Darfur. Luis Moreno-Ocampo told the U.N. Security Council he will submit evidence to ICC judges by February at the latest and, ahead of that step, he is introducing measures to protect victims and witnesses. According to the text of a statement he gave Thursday to council members behind closed doors, Moreno-Ocampo said his first case will focus on a series of incidents in 2003 and 2004. That is when conflict emerged in Darfur as government forces and allied militias clashed with rebel groups seeking greater autonomy. "The evidence provides reasonable grounds to believe that the individuals identified have committed crimes against humanity and war crimes, including the crimes of persecution, torture, murder and rape, during a period in which the gravest crimes occurred in Darfur," his statement said.The prosecutor later told reporters, "We are ready to present the first case to the judges. The case will show evidence of willful killings, massive rapes, torture and pillaging of entire cities. We are focused on the worst incidents and we believe we have enough evidence to prove who are the most responsible for these crimes committed in Darfur. United Press International (12/15)
New UN leader is sworn in and promises to rebuild trust
By Warren Hoge
UNITED NATIONS, New York: Ban Ki-moon of South Korea was sworn in Thursday as the next secretary general of the United Nations, and he pledged to rebuild faith in an organization that has been tarnished by scandal and riven by disputes between rich and poor nations. "You could say that I am a man on a mission, and my mission could be dubbed 'Operation Restore Trust': trust in the organization, and trust between member states and the Secretariat," he said. He added, "I hope this mission is not 'Mission: Impossible.' " Ban, 62, takes office on Jan. 1, succeeding Kofi Annan, 68, who is at the end of his second five-year term. International Herald Tribune (12/15)
Bush Celebrates Early Victories in Campaign Against Malaria
By CELIA W. DUGGER
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 — Malaria, a deadly tropical disease long overshadowed by AIDS, shared the stage with the president and the first lady on Thursday when the Bushes were the hosts of a forum at the National Geographic Society to raise the profile of this neglected scourge. The gathering highlighted the growing efforts of influential evangelical, business and charitable leaders to raise money and mobilize volunteers against malaria, which kills 800,000 African children each year. Their rallying cry: Donate $10 for a mosquito net, save a life. It also gave President Bush, whose reputation for compassionate conservatism has taken a beating during the grueling war in Iraq, a moment to bask in some of the early victories in the five-year, $1.2 billion campaign against the disease that his administration undertook a year and a half ago. New York Times (12/15)
Donors Pledge $4.45 Bln in Aid to Vietnam
By REUTERS
HANOI (Reuters) - Donors on Friday pledged $4.45 billion in aid to Vietnam for 2007, up a fifth from $3.7 billion this year, as the Communist-run country seeks to improve its under-developed infrastructure and sustain high growth. International donors urged Vietnam, which will become the newest member of the World Trade Organization on January 11, to accelerate its move to becoming a market economy. ``Vietnam, with its WTO membership, is entering a new stage of development,'' Asian Development Bank country director Ayumi Konishi told a news conference. ``Vietnam needs to be more competitive.'' Among the pledges, the ADB's are the largest at $1.14 billion. European Union countries promised a combined $948.2 million, followed by Japan with $890.3 million and the World Bank's $890 million. New York Times (12/15)
Droughts may set off exodus
West told to prepare for influx of people escaping environmental catastrophes
PETER GORRIE
Canada and other wealthy nations should prepare for a flood of environmental refugees, and treat them the same as those who flee political danger, international experts say. The number of people fleeing the spread of deserts or climate-change impacts such as drought and flooding is likely to hit 50 million within a decade and soar to between 135 million and 200 million by 2050, Zafar Adeel, a director of the United Nations University, said in an interview yesterday from Frankfurt, Germany while en route to a conference on the issue in Algiers, Algeria. Toronto Star (12/15)
The UN to cleanup one of the most polluted Dominican rivers
SANTO DOMINGO.- Environment minister Max Puig said last night that program the United Nations will provide U$500,000 for the cleanup of the Haina river, one of the Dominican Republic’s most polluted waterways. He said in addition that defense coalitions are being created for all the country’s rivers, mainly Haina, Isabela, Ozama, Higuamo, Yuna, Yaque del Sur and Yaque del Norte, with the participation of the City councils, the Government, nongovernment organizations and business associations. He said that in the Haina river defense coalition will participate the City councils of Bonao and Villa Altagracia, the mining company Falcombridge and other companies that benefit from that river basin. Dominican Today (12/15)
posted by Dave Carroll @ 12/15/2006 09:43:00 PM
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