The weekend clash between Darfur rebels of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudanese forces had reportedly left 500 people death - 400 rebels and 100 soldiers.
The clash has also left 30 civilians dead and 200 others hospitalised for injuries.
A raid on Omdurman, Khartoum’s twin city across the River Nile, on Saturday had severed diplomatic relations between Sudan and Chad, with the former accusing the latter of supporting the rebel fighters.
But Chad has denied the allegations and closed its border, accusing Sudan of planning to attack its territory.
Sudanese security arrested and detained more than 300 people in connection with the attack, including Sudan’s Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi. Mr al-Turabi was interrogated for several hours before he had been released.
State security agents have since been conducting house-to-house search for suspected rebels in the city.
Calm is slowly returning in Khartoum where some check-points have been removed, although they remain on strategic bridges and in Omdurman.
Some offices and businesses, offices and banks have reopened on Tuesday. But the movement of vehicles have been slowed down by the many police and military checkpoints, with security agents checking identity documents. Those without identity papers have been taken for questioning.
Though the government had announced to have repulsed the latest rebel incursion, but JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim said his troops would be back.
Both Salva Kiir, President of South Sudan and Vice President of Sudan and the Presidential Adviser Minni Minnawi have all condemned the latest attack.
Minnawi, a former rebel commander, had urged the Sudanese government to avoid effecting arrests on “ethnic basis”. He feared that Darfurians resident in Khartoum could be linked to the rebellion without justification.
Human rights workers have expressed worry that the detained people could be mistreated and tortured. Such fears have been dismissed by the government, promising to give fair military trial to suspects.
This is mainly intended for an LDS audience to understand the importance of the times in which we live and the wars we are faced with and selecting the best presidential candidate
Iraq: UN agencies call for international help to clear mines
“It is a very special time in our lives,” Jolie told to us.
Jolie, a U.N. goodwill ambassador, spoke on behalf of Iraqi children’s right to education.
In addressing the Council on Foreign Relations, Jolie correlated education with displaced children’s being able to regain a sense of stability and normalcy amid a raging war.
“The best way to heal children of conflict from trauma is to have them focus on their future,” she said.
The 6 April 2008 , In Baghdad ,Marking the third annual International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on 4 April, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called for a global effort to help Iraq in its mine clearance operations.
“In addition to insecurity, Iraqis live amid one of the greatest concentrations of landmines, unexploded ordnance [UXO] and other explosive remnants of war [ERW] in the world,” the agencies said in a joint statement.
David Shearer, Deputy Special Representative for the UN Secretary-General and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, called for increased efforts to cleanse Iraq of ERW.
“They inflict life-long injuries, deny access to productive land and undermine freedom of movement, including for the delivery of humanitarian relief. We need to increase efforts to reduce the harm they cause, and treat their victims,” Shearer said.
Danger of UXOs
UNICEF made mention of the danger that UXOs posed for children, who often mistake small bombs for toys. It said a quarter of the 565 UXO Iraqi victims in 2006 were under 18.
“The risk to children from UXOs is unacceptable,” Roger Wright, UNICEF representative for Iraq, said. “The damage they inflict extends beyond the physical, restricting children’s ability to go to school safely and enjoy a normal childhood. Comprehensive awareness and risk education is essential as their best defence.”
These calls were echoed by Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, who appealed to the international community to provide materials and technical support to his country’s Environment Ministry and its Mines Commission for operations to remove about 25 million mines littered in some 4,000 minefields nationwide.
“There are also some 90 million pieces of unexploded ordinance scattered as munitions, bombs and other explosive devices - and these are very hard to deal with due to the limited capabilities of the government,” Salih said at a press conference held in Baghdad on 4 April.
Further to my post of last week, it turns out Riverbend was one of the last Iraqis able to escape to Syria without a visa. Syria used to allow any Iraqi to stay six months without a visa, but in the last few days imposed restrictions which mean that most Iraqis must apply to the Syrian embassy in Baghdad for visas before crossing the border. Jordan imposed similar restrictions two years ago. Syria is struggling to cope with the estimated Iraqi 1.4 million refugees living there. Puts the UK’s ‘refugee problem’ into perspective.
The American actress Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and their four children have settled this week in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera for a long stay, witnesses reported.
Accompanied by a squad of nurses and bodyguards, they laid their luggage at the villa Maryland, sumptuous style Florentine remains of 4,000 square metres owned by their friend Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft.
Arriving earlier this week on the peninsula, the couple planned to remain in France until the end of the pregnancy of Angelina Jolie, who is six months pregnant.
They should make an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival when the film “Changeling” by Clint Eastwood.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are the parents of three children they have adopted, Zahara, Pax and Maddox, Shiloh and they had together.
A coalition of 16 of the world’s biggest cities, five banks, one former president and companies and groups that modernize aging buildings on Wednesday pledged investments of billions of dollars to cut urban energy use and releases of heat-trapping gases linked to global warming.
GLOBAL WARMING CONCERN
“Cities use more than 75 percent of the world’s energy and generate more than 75 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases….accounting for 50 percent of energy consumption in newer cities….here in New York City, according to the mayor’s recent report, buildings account for more than….there are 950,000 of those buildings….they use more light to generate more heat than light…..the heating and cooling systems…..often run all night while no one is using them….if all buildings where as efficient as they could be….also we would be saving a ton of money in our utility bills….it’s expensive to take an existing building….in 16 major cities around the world….as quickly and as inexpensively as possible.”
CO2 EMISSIONS permits, internationals policies, directives on openning markets, electricity production, environmental design, energy services…
WERI work to develop a sustainable development startegy, whose two main parameters are getting control over climatic changes by the fight against greenhouse effect and Energy economies.
WATER AND ENERGY RELIEF INTERNATIONAL
Recents development in Water and Energy sectors
WATER AND ENERGY PRIVATISATION
Competition and Regulation
In most african countries, neither competition or regulation are very effective.Market are smaller than in other regions and so likely to be less competitive. Only a handful of investors are operating in Africa at present and this further reduces the credibility of competition.
While water privatisation has not so far been widespread in Africa, Governements are increasingly voicing commitment to private ownership, with strong encouragement (or coercion) from World Bank.The same three French companies dominate the privatisation transactions that have taken the place and public sector alternatives are rarely considered.
One of the problems is that Africa has limited attractions for investors in WATER.This is in part because users cannot afford high tariffs and private companies may not be able to generate sufficient returns.Rather than reconsidering policy options in the face of such constraints, privatisation is still pushed.As a result, government are increasingly tied into long-term contracts which are awarded in haste with ineffective competition or regulation.
WERI Reports sets out recent developments in Water and Energy Privatisation in Poorest countries. We provide an overview of the main developments troughout the region and look at some of problems that have arisen. this reports shows that there is a certain pattern to the way that energy and water privatisation policies are being adopted throught Africa.With litlle experience non which to base the policy, governements are scrambling to attract investors and to privatise.Privatisation is universally promoted by World Bank which continue to use the one -size-fits all framework which has dominated their policies for decades.Nearly all research of privatisation is Africa is sponsored by World Bank.What is needed is more information on realities of privatisation in Africa so that an alternative and more pragmatic approach can be presented
Donors,Financial impact, Procedures, Democracy
Nearly all African countries have loans from World Bank, and loan agreements usually have terms (conditions) attached.In last two year privatisation of energy ( frequently) and water (sometimes) is included amongst these conditions.Substancial amounts of concessional laon funding -including eligibility for debt relief-depends on achieving privatisation targets.This means that privatisation are often hastily implemented, with extensive concessions offered to attract investors as governements bargaining position is weakened.
Recommendations:
Privatisation needs to be considered as just one of range of policy options that might be used to improve service delivery.It must not be treated as the replacement of public sector.Where private concessions are awarded, it is essential that the state has an adequate regulatory mechanism in place to monitor and enforce contracts terms.Given the major institutional and financial resouces that such a regulator would absorb,restructuring the public sector may be a more cost-effective option.
“Thanks to Council Representants ,Reliefs workers, Goodwill ambassadors and Leaders. Who help us to constitute the general framework in which policies of various members countries are involved”.
Circle of Blue Highlighted at Clinton Global Initiative
At the Clinton Global Initiative last months in New York, former EPA Administrator William K. Reilly announced to an audience of world leaders, ambassadors, scholars and CEOs Circle of Blue’s commitment to elevate the freshwater crisis to a global priority and to generate the knowledge, civic will, technology, and resources to help solve it. Circle of Blue was one of the selected projects highlighted during the climate and energy session, and was personally recognized by former President Clinton.
