Thursday, February 5, 2009

The United Nations relief agency United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is demanding that Hamas return food and blankets intended for Gaza Strip civilians in Palestine, which was seized by Hamas’ Ministry of Social Affairs.

According to UNRWA, the supplies were seized on Tuesday by Hamas police. The 3,500 blankets and 406 parcels of food were intended to help 500 families affected by the recent Israel–Gaza conflict.

“UNRWA condemns in the strongest terms the confiscation of its aid supplies and has demanded that it is returned immediately,” wrote UNRWA spokesperson Christopher Gunness in a press release.

“They were armed. They seized this. They took it by force,” Gunness added, speaking to the press. He called the incident “absolutely unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, The Palestinian Information Center, a Hamas-centric website, reported that Ismail Haniyeh‘s government denies the UNRWA allegations. Further, it says that the supplies were put in police custody after Hamas learned that they were only being distributed to Fatah supporters.

“UNRWA did not do what it said it would do, and began distributing its aid to groups that tie their activities to political activism,” said Ahmad Kurd, the Hamas official in charge of the Ministry of Social Affairs, to the Associated Press.

John Holmes, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said, “The United Nations cannot accept under any circumstances the diversion of aid by a party to a conflict.”

“We are very concerned, but this is an isolated incident, we hope,” said Alix de Mauny, of the European Commission, which is among the largest donors of aid money to the Palestinians. “We will react accordingly if this develops beyond an isolated incident.”

However, Israel indicated that it believes that Hamas routinely seizes aid meant for civilians.

“We have said in the past that we know Hamas is stealing humanitarian aid and donations from international organizations,” said Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesperson.

Gunness denied that assertion. “Does anyone really think that the Americans, who are our single largest donor, or the Europeans, who are our largest multination donor, would give us aid in the generous way they do if they thought that aid would go to terrorists?” he said.

Aviation articles by Wikinewsie Iain Macdonald.

This Category ‘sub-page’ will display up to 500 articles which one of the project’s contributors has written on a specific topic.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

The Greek parliament has approved an austerity bill proposed by the government to help rescue the country’s ailing economy.

The proposal, which includes increases in taxes, as well as salary and pension cuts, passed with 172 members of parliament supporting, 121 opposing, and several abstaining; the proposal needed at least 151 votes to pass. There are 300 total parliament seats.

The vote comes after a debate that took the entire day. Meanwhile, rallies and strikes are being held around the country to protest against the measures; the protests have occasionally turned violent, with a firebomb attack on a bank killing three people yesterday.

The Eurozone and the International Monetary Fund had asked for austerity plans to be implemented so that Greece can access a rescue loan package worth US$146 billion in order not to default on debts. The austerity programme is estimated to save $38 billion. Greece also aims to lower the public deficit to less than 3% of the GDP in four years; at the moment it is at 13.6%.

Prime minister George Papandreou described the situation to parliament ahead of the vote, saying: “The situation today is simple – either we vote and implement the deal or we condemn the country to bankruptcy […] The future of Greece is at stake. The economy, democracy and social cohesion are being put to the test.”

Papandreou also expelled three Social deputies from his parliamentary team when they abstained from voting; however, his bloc still has a parliament majority of 157 MPs.

Finance minister George Papaconstantinou also commented that Greece will default on some of its $12 billion debt on May 19 if action is not taken, saying: “The state’s coffers don’t have that money. And because the only way for the country to avoid bankruptcy and suspension of payments is to take the money from our European partners and the International Monetary Fund.”

Opposition parties, however, say the measures will put too heavy a burden on the populace; the leader of the conservatives, Antonis Samaras, commented: “The dose of the medicine you are administering is in danger of killing the patient. You know that these measures have sparked a social explosion […] The citizens of this country have to believe there is a way out. Because whoever cuts pensions of €700 cannot convince anyone.”

Monday, February 14, 2005

Three U.S.-government sources have reported the existence of U.S. military drone flights made over Iran, carrying surveillance equipment and particle filters capable of detecting nuclear materials. Confusingly, U.S.-military sources denied the overflights.

Iranian military personnel said they were aware of them, and sightings had prompted a number of UFO reports in the area of Iranian nuclear installations. They viewed them as provocative and probably designed to trick the Iranians into turning on their radar so that the US could determine potential targets.

Because Iran does not have political ties with the US, it has formally issued its objections to the flights through Swiss diplomats.

[edit]

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Ecuadorean police clashed with Amazon Indians protesting new laws they fear will increase oil drilling, leaving one person dead and at least 49 others injured on Thursday.

Authorities said the violence occurred Wednesday in Morona Santiago province, a major oil producing region. The clash came after three days of demonstrations in which indigenous groups had blocked roads in the jungle region to protest laws they say would encourage more oil drilling. The officials say one protester was killed and 40 police and nine protesters were injured.

“We can confirm that there are 29 policemen injured and one civilian is presumed dead,” said government minister Gustavo Jalkh. He denied that the police opened fire on the protesters, although he said security officials had used “progressive force” to clear a highway blockade. The Ecuadorian Indians had blocked highways across the country since Monday to demonstrate against the laws.

At a news conference late Wednesday, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa blamed the protesters for the clash. “Tremendously violent groups armed with shotguns and rifles waited for police and met them with gunshots”, the president said, repeating his call for dialogue with the indigenous people to address their concerns.

For years, indigenous communities in Ecuador have accused oil companies of damaging the environment and the health of community members while operating petroleum facilities. Several such conflicts between the indigenous communities and government have occurred in several Andean countries in the recent past, such as in Peru, where a government crackdown at a road blockade in the Amazons killed ten Indians and 23 police officers in June.