Palestinian Political Child Prisoners in Israeli Prisons

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• 310 children are still in jail including 11 girls

• 4% of children without charges (administrative detention)

• 2% of child prisoners are girls

• 56% of child prisoners pending trial

• 65% of the children are held within Israeli proper

• 25% of child prisoners are sick

Since the outbreak of Aqsa Intifada in September 2000, about 3,000 Palestinian children have been arrested. During 2004, the Israeli forces arrested 451 Palestinian children. Up to now, there are 321 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons and detention facilities. 65% of them are held within the Israeli proper far from their place of residency.

Millions of babies' lives could be saved

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Simple, inexpensive treatments could prevent the deaths of three million babies every year, doctors and child advocates have announced. According to studies published in the medical journal The Lancet, each year four million babies under a month old die, and three-quarters of them die in the first week of life. But the research shows that most could be saved through 16 basic interventions, such as encouraging mothers to breast-feed and providing antibiotics for sick babies... The research shows that the majority of these babies die from infections, premature birth, or problems during the birth itself, says Paul, and that most of the preventive measures are very cheap and simple. For instance, 500,000 babies die every year from tetanus infections. But these deaths could be prevented if their mothers received tetanus vaccinations, which only cost 20 US cents per shot. And most premature babies simply need extra warmth, feeding and prompt treatment of infections, which requires proper training of midwives, mothers-to-be and their families.

An Open Letter to UNESCO
Double Standards on South Africa and Israel

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PACBI's call for academic and cultural boycott of Israel is specifically premised upon Israel's systematic and ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people which takes three basic forms: its illegal occupation of Palestinians territories; its system of racial discrimination against its own Palestinian citizens; and its denial of the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties, in contravention of UN resolutions.

Niger cancels 'free-slave' event

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The government of Niger has cancelled at the last minute a special ceremony during which at least 7,000 slaves were to be granted their freedom. A spokesman for the government's human rights commission, which had helped to organise the event, said this was because slavery did not exist. It is not clear why the government, which was also a co-sponsor of the ceremony, changed its position. At least 43,000 people across Niger are thought to be in slavery.

Lost Treasures from Iraq. New pictures by Joanne Farchakh.

The cultural price of the war.

I just hope that one day the cultural heritage - what little there is - of US will be vandalized in the same manner.

Israeli units target Palestinian boys

If Syria Is Expected To Withdraw from Lebanon, Shouldn’t Israel Withdraw From the Occupied Territories?

According to the US, Syria is an evil occupier in Lebanon, whereas Israel is just "protecting itself" with the occupation of West Bank and Gaza. Those 450 000 Jewish settlers in the occupied areas are there just to protect the poor suffering Jews of Israel. Etc.

So, the cruel occupation, ethnic cleansing and stealing of land by Israel is portrayed in US as a brave fight for it´s own survival, whereas Syria´s interference in Lebanon and it´s attempts to control country through it´s proxies - a tactic often used by the US itself - is then portrayed as a worser thing.

Freed Italy hostage arrives home. More.

True to the their nature, the Americans claim that it was all the fault of the Italians and that their "brave" soldiers just did they duty. What they did was that they thought they were "just" killing a few Iraqis for fun, and if there would have been Iraqis instead of Italians in the car, this would have just been a very minor incident in the western press. Hopefully that CNN reporter will himself get the same treatment.

A literature link: Jehat.com.

Scientists unearth world's oldest biped skeleton. More.

Of course, several earlier hominid species were most likely bipedal, but this seems to be the best proof of early bipedalism so far - at least according to the team that found the new skeleton. I have to admit though, that the quickness of the announcement of the finding surprises me. A scientific description is unlikely to come quickly, as the whole remains of the skeleton are yet to be excavated.

US, UK, France, Russia, Saudi Arabia etc are screaming that Syria must withdraw from Lebanon. If we now leave aside the obvious case of Palestine and the double standards there, we can ask, why are these countries so eager to end the Syrian interference in Lebanon and so unwilling to say and do anything similar about Western Sahara? Why are they not demanding Moroccan withdrawal from Western Sahara? Why aren´t the media filled with demands and threats from Bush, Blair, Chirac, Straw etc to Moroccan government&king declaring that Morocco will become "a pariah state" if they don´t withdraw and that the "whole world is against them"?

Deluge-hit Palestinians Blame Israeli Separation Wall

Unilateral Give, Unilateral Take

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On that festive Sunday, few wanted to be reminded that after approving disengagement - practically in the same breath - the government decided to build its notorious "separation barrier" on a line that will unilaterally annex, in effect, 7% of the West Bank. The principle of unilateral action, Sharon demonstrates, can work in two directions. But this was not just another of his notorious tricks. The Labor Party is a full partner to the decision on the barrier, which annexes to Israel the large urban settlement of Maaleh Adumim and the Etzion Bloc.

Justice, Indonesian style.

Hopping mad over 'hobbit'. Scientists fight over fossil skull and bones of humanlike creature

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Morwood insisted Thursday that Jacob and his colleagues have not only destroyed some of the bone specimens, but had even glued one broken bone together to hide the damage. "We are disgusted with some of the material that has now been returned," Morwood said. "It's appalling -- severely and irreparably damaged. Some has been washed and dissolved in acetone to make it impossible to extract any DNA for analysis."

Jews have become a minority in Israel and the Occupied Territories. That should make Israeli Jews more eager to support withdrawal from West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Hopefully.

The best example of Homo floresiensis wasn´t a a sick Homo sapiens, but a member of maybe a surprisingly intelligent species, having quite advanced features in it´s small brain, according to a new study of the skull. More.

Maximum pain is aim of new US weapon

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The US military is funding development of a weapon that delivers a bout of excruciating pain from up to 2 kilometres away. Intended for use against rioters, it is meant to leave victims unharmed. But pain researchers are furious that work aimed at controlling pain has been used to develop a weapon. And they fear that the technology will be used for torture.

Was the ancient city of Mari - in current Syria - an early, purposedly built center of metallurgy?

Face up to the facts on the ground
Britain and Europe are funding Israel's occupation and expansion

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Donors (mostly European states) now pretty much accept they have done the reverse of helping the Palestinian people achieve their independence. The facts on the ground created by Israel - and the international community's refusal to tackle them politically - have turned their engagement into one of funding the occupation. The World Bank, EU, UN, international agencies and donor countries have all come to the same conclusion. Their diplomats wander around international meetings, dispirited and bullied, with a profound awareness of their complicity, but no understanding of how to get out of it - or, as in the British case, aligning themselves entirely with the US and Israeli position. The unwillingness to tackle the facts on the ground now manifests itself in a public event that conceals the donor states' responsibility for creating and perpetuating this political disaster. The aim is to mask direct political assistance to Israel by offering economic assistance to the Palestinians.