A Selection of News Stories (06/11/08)

Smith to unveil airport ID scheme (BBC News) - [text online]

Rebels force Congolese from town 9BBC News) - [text online]

Bin Laden son asylum bid rejected (BBC News) - [text online]

Foreign students fingerprint fear (BBC News) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Cross-border displacements: Spill-over from the crises in eastern DRC (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Situation report: Drought/Food Crisis in Ethiopia - 04 Nov 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

DR Congo: UNHCR confirms destruction of several camps for displaced Congolese (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Adverse trends - widening inequality, deepening conflicts placing dramatic pressure on UN refugee operation (ReliefWeb) - [text online]. See also the UN General Assembly full report - [report online].

Gulf of Aden: Boat people figures on the rise (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Uganda: Refugee communities damage wetlands (ReleifWeb) - [text online]

Somalia: Floods displace thousands, destroy farmland in Bardera (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Yemen: Funds needed to provide emergency assistance to flood victims (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Hastings murder suspect 'has fled overseas (Brighton Argus) - [text online]

Côte d'Ivoire: Road to national recovery and durable solutions still long (IDMC) - [Full Overview (html/pdf)]

Border officials work overtime to help Zimbabwean asylum seekers (UNHCR) - [text online]

First food reaches displaced Congolese in camps around Goma (UNHCR) - [text online]

Somalia: Stop attacks so help can get through (AMnesty International) - [text online]

IRAQ: Christians trickling back to their homes in Mosul (IRIN News) - [text online]

No end in sight for drought-hit Ethiopia, UN aid wing says (UN News) - [text online]

Progress slow but steady in implementing north-south peace pact in Sudan – UN (UN News) - [text online]

UN peacebuilding delegation visits Central African Republic (UN News) - [text online]

UN rights chief calls on Haiti to strengthen fight against impunity (UN News) - [text online]

Ban to attend high-level summit aimed at ending DR Congo crisis (UN News) - [text online]

ZIMBABWE: Hunting for good garbage to eat (IRIN News) - [text online]

DRC: Aid workers evacuated as militia fighting continues (IRIN News) - [text online]

NEPAL: IDPs call for urgent government action (IRIN News) - [text online]

Posted in: News.

A Selection of News Headlines (05/11/08)

Stoning victim 'begged for mercy' (BBC News) - [text online]

Georgian army chief is dismissed (BBC News) - [text online]

Britain closes door on 80,000 asylum-seekers (The Independent) - [text online]

Afghan veterans more likely to suffer from mental illness (The Independent) - [text online]

New plans for centre to detain asylum seekers (Buckingham Today) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Burundi Weekly Humanitarian News, 20 - 26 Oct 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Southern Sudan: Abyei displacement - OCHA Situation Report No.30; 25 Sep 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : OCHA Nepal Situation Overview Issue No. 35, 16 - 31 Oct 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Humanitarian action in Southern Sudan weekly bulletin, week 37, 14 - 20 Sep 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Yemen: Floods OCHA Situation Report No. 3 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Burundi Weekly Humanitarian News, 06 - 12 Oct 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Somalia Humanitarian Overview Vol. 1 Issue 9 - Sep 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Timor-Leste: Humanitarian update 11 - 24 Oct 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

New points system 'barrier to migrants' (The Guardian) - [text online]

Dozens dead or missing in latest Gulf of Aden tragedy (UNHCR) - [text online]

Boat people arrivals in the Mediterranean, Gulf of Aden already top 2007 (UNHCR) - [text online]

Dozens dead or missing in Gulf of Aden; boat people figures rise (UNHCR) - [text online]

Displacement in Democratic Republic of the Congo and region (UNHCR) - [text online]

UNHCR confirms destruction of several camps for displaced Congolese (UNHCR) - [text online]

Burundi: Detentions of Political Opponents Threaten Rights (Human Rights Watch) - [text online]

Georgia: More Cluster Bomb Damage Than Reported (Himan Rights Watch) - [text online]

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Emergency food and water for North Kivu displaced (ICRC) - [text online]

DR of Congo: Staff Evacuated From War Zone (Reuetrs AlertNet) - [text online]

D.R. of Congo: Life at the Ranger Refugee Campa (Reuetrs AlertNet) - [text online]

Asylum Update 4 Novemebr 2008 )ICAR RefBlog) - [text online]

UN human rights expert outlines priorities for addressing the scourge of racism (UN News) - [text online]

More patience needed in assessing UN human rights body, its President says (UN News) - [text online]

UN police take arduous route to deliver equipment to mission in Darfur (UN News) - [text online]

GLOBAL: Helping health providers treat trafficking victims (IRIN News) - [text online]

Senior UN official assesses status of stabilization force during visit to Chad (UN News) - [text online]

DR Congo: UN agencies stepping up relief efforts amid reports of fresh fighting (UN News) - [text online]

ZIMBABWE: Where's the Global Fund money? (UN News) - [text online]

Somalia: UNICEF speaks out against stoning death of 13-year-old rape victim (UN News) - [text online]

ZIMBABWE: The grey economy is the real one (IRIN News) - [text online]

Human smuggling across Gulf of Aden and Mediterranean Sea keeps rising – UN (UN News) - [text online]

DRC: Children most vulnerable as thousands need urgent aid (IRIN News) - [text online]

Amendment to electoral law bodes well for Iraq’s minorities, says UN (UN News) - [text online]

SOMALIA: Floods displace thousands, destroy farmland in Bardera (IRIN News) - [text online]

Posted in: News.

A Selection of News Headlines (04/11/08)

UN's Ban takes on DR Congo crisis (BBC News) - [text online]

UKIP rejects BNP electoral offer (BBC News) - [text online]

Rebel General Nkunda surrounds major town, vowing to liberate Congo (The Times) - [text online]

Bangladesh Army promises ‘battling begums’ a free and fair election (The Times) - [text online]

Aid starts to make its way through in Democratic Republic of Congo (The Daily Telegraph) - [text online]

Taliban forces advance across 'valley of terror' (The Independent) - [text online]

UN aid workers stunned to find camps empty (The Independent) - [text online]

Morocco bans magazine for insulting Islam (The Independent) - [text online]

Former PM returns for Bangladesh poll (The Independent) - [text online]

Bin Laden's secretary guilty of terror crimes (The Independent) - [text online]

Uganda: Focus shifts to securing durable solutions for IDPs (IDMC) - [Full Overview (html/pdf)]

UN appoints Nigerian to mediate peace deal (The Guardian) - [text online]

Countess meets Colombian refugees in Ecuador (UNHCR) - [text online]

Democratic Republic of the Congo: rushing priority aid to those who need it most (ICRC) - [text online]

Democratic Republic of the Congo: North Kivu population at risk as fighting intensifies (ICRC) - [text online]

Colombia: New Policy Options for a New Administration (Refugees International) - [text online]

Pakistan: One year after emergency, legacy of abuses lingers on (Amnesty International) - [text online]

Arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings in Colombia concern UN rights chief (UN News) - [text online]

Ban appoints envoy as UN aid convoy reaches rebel-held town in DR Congo (UN News) - [text online]

Worsening violence deepens humanitarian crisis in Chad, UN relief wing warns (UN News) - [text online]

Rwanda accedes to UN convention on commercial arbitration (UN News) - [text online]

Afghan returnee numbers this year top 276,000 – UN refugee agency (UN News) - [text online]

Another UN food convoy on its way to violence-stricken northern Sri Lanka (UN News) - [text online]

SOMALIA: "One message" on FGM/C in Somaliland (IRIN News) - [text online]

IRAQ: NGOs warn against encouraging large-scale refugee returns (IRIN News) - [text online]

MYANMAR: Agencies warn of continuing recovery challenges (IRIN News) - [text online]

Posted in: News.

A Selection of News Headlines (03/11/08)

Passport offer for Spanish exiles (BBC News) - [text online]

Aid convoy sets out in DR Congo (BBC News) - [text online]

EU envoys call for Congo action (BBC News) - [text online]

UK troops 'will not go to Congo' (BBC News) - [text online]

Brown meets terror suspects in Saudi jail (The Independent) - [text online]

British troops may protect aid in Congo (The Independent) - [text online]

UN convoy brings aid amid fears for Congo refugees (The Independent) - [text online]

DR Congo: Catastrophe looming unless UN troops receive reinforcements (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Liberia: More gender-based violence cases reported (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Chad: Armed attacks blocking aid in the east, over 470,000 refugees and IDPs might be affected (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Congo refugees forced back into danger zone in search of food (The Daily Telegraph) - [text online]

British troops may join aid convoys in Congo refugee chaos (The Times) - [text online]

Britain and France call for urgent action on Congo (The Times) - [text online]

Think tank: We are betraying Congo (The Times) - [text online]

Serbia Failed to Protect Minorities from Attack (Human Rights Watch) - [text online]

IRAQ: Calls to ensure detainees’ rights (IRIN News) - [text online]

Rehabilitating ex-combatants most immediate challenge for Nepal – Ban (UN News) - [text online]

Posted in: News.

A Selection of News Headlines (01/11/08)

Refugee fears prompt Congo talks (BBC News) - [text online]

Libya compensates terror victims (BBC News) - [text online]

Miliband seeks DR Congo solution (BBC News) - [text online]

Congo fighting is causing humanitarian catastrophe, warn aid agencies (The Daily Telegraph) - [text online]

Fleeing DR Congo army loots rebel-threatened town (The Daily Telegraph) - [text online]

Averting Renewed Regional War in Eastern Congo (Enough Project) - [text online]

Timor-Leste: IDPs returning home, but to ongoing poverty and lack of access to basic services (IDMC) - [Full Overview (html/pdf)]

DRC: Reports of burning and looting of IDP camps; HC's appeal; arrivals in Uganda and Rwanda (UNHCR) - [text online]

UNHCR and CEB sign an agreement in Geneva (UNHCR) - [text online]

Widows and orphans in Myanmar face dangers six months after Nargis (UNHCR) - [text online]

Welcome to Prague: first Myanmar refugees resettle in Czech Republic (UNHCR) - [text online]

UNHCR concerned for 50,000 displaced people in Congo after camps reportedly emptied (UNHCR) - [text online]

Human Rights Watch Reccomendations in Advance of EU-Russia Human Rights Consultations (Human Rights Watch) - [text online]

Zimbabwe's victims of violence can no longer wait for political solution (Amnesty International) - [text online]. Report - [full text].

UN and development bank partner to assist thousands of European refugees (UN News) - [text online]

UN agency seeks urgent funds to aid Palestinians uprooted from Lebanese camp (UN News) - [text online]

Greater efforts needed to meet gender equality objectives by 2015, says Migiro (UN News) - [text online]

Ban confers with leaders on ending conflict in eastern DR Congo (UN News) - [text online]

UNICEF appeals for support six months after cyclone devastates Myanmar (UN News) - [text online]

Top UN officials appeal for safety of civilians caught up in DR Congo fighting (UN News) - [text online]

Posted in: News.

A Selection of News Headlines (31/10/08)

'Human catastrophe' grips Congo (BBC News) - [text online]

Liberia ex-leader's son convicted (BBC News) - [text online]

Muslim artist gets death threats (BBC News) - [text online]

Drunk and in retreat, troops unleash wave of death on their own people (The Times) - [text online]

CIA officers could face trial in Britain over torture allegations (The Independent) - [text online]

Robert Fisk: Scandal of six held in Guantanamo even after Bush plot claim is dropped (The Independent) - [text online]

Congo conflict shows flaws in UN force (The Independent) - [text online]

Congo rebels warn of city occupation (The Independent) - [text online]

Iraqi Refugees: Plan for ongoing support in an unstable region (Refugees International) - [text online]. Also available as a PDF file - [full text].

DR Congo: Catastrophe looming unless UN troops receive reinforcements (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Liberia: More gender-based violence cases reported (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Chad: Armed attacks blocking aid in the east, over 470,000 refugees and IDPs might be affected (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Burundi Weekly Humanitarian News, 13 - 19 Oct 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Timor-Leste: Humanitarian update 11 - 24 Oct 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Flood ordeal for Palestinians stuck on Iraq-Syria border (UNHCR) - [text online]

An Iraqi Armenian teen shows the way to a new life (UNHCR) - [text online]

Zimbabwe: Victims of violence can no longer wait for political solution (Amnesty International) - [text online]

DRC: Catastrophe looming unless UN troops receive reinforcements (Amnesty International) - [text online]

Roll-out of new rules for foreign students (Home Office Press Release) - [text online]

Bangladesh: Poetry as a Bridge to Understanding (Refugees International) - [text online]

EU: Integration Policies Should Respect Rights (Human Rights Watch) - [text online]

DR Congo: International Leaders Should Act Now to Protect Civilians (Human Rights Watch) - [text online]

US: First Verdict for Overseas Torture (Human Rights Watch) - [text online]

DR of Congo: Confusion Reigns in Goma (Reuters AlertNet) - [text online]

Floods hit Palestinian refugees stuck in Iraq-Syria border camps – UN (UN News) - [text online]

Darfur: UN-African Union mission deplores killing of peacekeeper (UN News) - [text online]

UN advocate George Clooney calls for greater efforts to end DR Congo conflict (UN News) - [text online]

Ceasefire in eastern DR Congo holding as UN missions stretched to limit (UN News) - [text online]

DRC: Many aid agencies quit Goma (IRIN News) - [text online]

DRC: Government troops "on the rampage" (IRIN News) - [text online]

CAMBODIA: Concern over UN human rights role (IRIN News) - [text online]

Posted in: News.

A Selection of News Headlines (30/10/08)

UN urges end to DR Congo conflict (BBC News) - [text online]

Tech giants in human rights deal (BBC News) - [text online]

Georgia denies 'war crimes' claim (BBC News) - [text online]

UN peacekeepers braced for full-scale war in central Africa (The Times) - [text online]

Congo: the new exodus (The Independent) - [text online]

India: Floods displace 70,000 in northeastern area (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Chad: Armed attacks blocking aid in the east, over 470,000 refugees and displaced might be affected (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Pakistan: 20,000 displaced by earthquake, WHO warns of health risks (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

DR Congo: Aid agencies forced to cease operations due to intense fighting (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Zambia closes border to DR Congo refugees (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Sudan: UN peacekeeping medals awarded to UN-AU forces in North Darfur (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : The Humanitarian Monitor Occupied Palestinian Territory No. 29, Sep 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [full report] and [tables of indicators].

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Humanitarian action in Southern Sudan weekly bulletin, week 42, 19-25 Oct 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

ReliefWeb/OCHA Situation Report : Situation report: Drought/Food Crisis in Ethiopia - 28 Oct 2008 (ReliefWeb) - [text online]

Officers discover would-be illegal immigrants hiding in a Bentley (The Guardian) - [text online]

Donkey ambulance brings dignity and comfort to Darfur camp (UNHCR) - [text online]

Up to 45,000 Congolese flee IDP camp and flow into Goma (UNHCR) - [text online]

Displaced in Pakistan, between a rock and a hard place (UNHCR) - [text online]

Some 30,000 Congolese flee to IDP settlement in North Kivu (UNHCR) - [text online]

Isolated and abused: women migrant domestic workers in Jordan (Amnesty International) - [text online]

Colombia: One step forward, many to go (Amnesty International) - [text online]. For a copy of the report “‘Leave us in peace!’ Targeting civilians in Colombia’s internal armed conflict”, please see: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR23/023/2008/en

Colombia: ‘Leave us in peace!’ Targeting civilians in the internal armed conflict - FACTS AND FIGURES (Amnesty International) - [text online]

The human cost of armed conflict in the Philippines (Amnesty International) - [text online]. Download the full report at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA35/008/2008/en/66dc6dde-a5ad-11dd-98b9-d503e38a5523/asa350082008eng.pdf

Internet Rights Protection Initiative Launches (Human Rights Watch) - [text online]

Americas: Women’s Rights Defenders Seek Protection (Human Rights Watch) - [text online]

Zimbabwe: End Crackdown on Peaceful Demonstrators (Human Rights Watch) - [text online]

Iran: Attacks Escalate Against Women’s Rights Activists (Human Rights Watch) - [text online]

President’s Corner: Candidates Offer Sharply Different Visions for the UN (Refugees International) - [text online]

The Difficulties of US Asylum Claims Based on Sexual Orientation (Migration Information Source) - [text online]

Sudan: Humanitarian Access in Darfur (Reuters AlertNet) - [text online]

Aid workers have lost their sanctity in Afghanistan (Reuters AlertNet) - [text online]

CHAD: Armed attacks blocking aid in the east (IRIN News) - [text online]

Women vital to peace in post-conflict zones, Security Council hears (UN News) - [text online]

ZAMBIA: Border closed to DRC refugees (IRIN News) - [text online]

Ban highlights benefits of global migration in address to Philippine forum (UN News) - [text online]

DRC: Eric - “There’s real panic in town” (IRIN News) - [text online]

YEMEN: New body aims to boost humanitarian work (IRIN News) - [text online]

KENYA: Aid workers under siege (IRIN News) - [text online]

SOMALIA: Fleeing from the frying pan into the fire (IRIN News) - [text online]

Progress in Darfur undermined by ongoing conflict, UN peacekeeping chief says (UN News) - [text online]

Posted in: News.