2008 Woodie Awards
International Updates
Brian O'Connor
Issue date: 10/27/04 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
After a Rash of Kidnappings, Aid Worker Abducted
Margaret Hassan, a social worker and Iraqi citizen, was wrenched from her car last week and is currently held captive by an unknown organization.
Hassan, an Iraqi resident for over 25 years and the British-Iraqi Director of the CARE International, was traveling to her office when unknown assailants attacker her car - severely injuring the driver before capturing the woman. A few hours after his disappearance, the Qatar-based Arabic television station Al-Jazeera obtained footage of her kidnappers holding up her organization's identification card. Later footage also showed a severely distraught Hassan accompanied by a band of men making demands regarding her return. Unlike many other recent kidnappings in Iraq, the group holding Ms. Hassan hostage did not display any terrorist affiliations: there were no banners behind her, and the captors made no mention of other known terrorist groups.
According to the BBC, Ms. Hassan holds dual citizenship between Iraq and the United Kingdom. After the first Iraqi war in 1991, she moved to the war-torn nation in order to assist the citizens affected by both the fighting, and the regime of Saddam Hussein. The United Kingdom is still recovering from the kidnapping and beheading of Kenneth Bigley, another social worker in Iraq.
Turkish Cypriot Government Resigns: Reunification of Cyprus Hangs in Balance
Years of division, bickering, and violence precede the current drive for the reunification of Cyprus, a Mediterranean island claimed by both Turkey and Greece. As a Turkish-Cypriot referendum would not pass a congressional vote, the reunification process stalled, and the ruling Turkish government on the island handed in their letter of resignation.
"Today, we have relayed our resignation letter,'' stated Mehmet Ali Talat, the leader of the minority government on the island.
Within upcoming days, Talat and other Turkish Cypriot leaders will begin discussions on re-forming a government without having to resort to full elections before the electoral cycle reaches completion.
The schism that ultimately led to the dissolution of the government began over a United Nations-sponsored attempt at legally mending the divided island. As Turkish Cypriots took sides, the government began crumbling: Talat supported the plan, while his political rival Sedar Denktash did not. After the measure passed despite opposition, the Greek Cypriot state rejected the measure. Since the Greek Cypriot state is officially recognized while the Turkish state is not, the European Union recently welcomed membership to the Greeks, leaving Turkish Cypriots out of many discussions regarding the divided island.
Brazilian Officials to open Nuclear Facility to UN Inspectors
Three United Nations investigators recently received permission to examine Brazil's nuclear facility, helping to mend fences between the government and the International Atomic Energy Agency
The crux of the argument stemmed over a recently constructed uranium enrichment plant in Resende, a town roughly 100 miles from Rio de Janeiro. Partly controlled by the Brazilian Navy, the government has been hesitant about letting inspections take place - citing military concerns and refuting any desire for a nuclear weapons program.
Although Brazil has a favorable status within the I.A.E.A., the regulatory organization is afraid that a decision not to monitor the nation would set a bad precedent: nations like Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, and India could all claim that they use good faith while conducting their nuclear energy programs. The risk of alienating the nation from the regulatory agency is a factor in the decision to let three inspectors tour the facility in Resende.
"What has changed now is the attitude of trying to seek a solution that at the same time guarantees the preservation of our technology and permits the agency to be certain that there is no diversion of material within the factory," stated Odair Gonçalves, Brazil's president of national nuclear affairs and the man partly responsible for the recent cooperation between Brazil and the I.A.E.A.
In a Grim Reminder of Soviet-era Politics, Belarus' Presidential Opponent Arrested
After two nights of protest against the outcome of parliamentary elections, United Civic Party Chairman Anatoly V. Lebedko was badly beaten and arrested in a pizza restaurant in Minsk.
After a series of elections viewed as fraudulent by the European Union, the United States, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, referendums aimed at expanding President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko's term indefinitely are set to pass. Outraged and disenfranchised, many Belarusians took to the street: and the only powerful opposition party, the United Civic Party, is now leaderless to the chagrin and outrage of the myriad party members scattered throughout the former Soviet satellite state.
"It is complete cynicism," said Anatoly O. Dobrovolsky, deputy Chairman of the United Civic Party. "Lebedko does not pose a danger to anyone."
According to official statistics, the elections last Sunday showed that an overwhelming amount of Belarusians voted for a referendum that ended presidential term limits. Within those elections, opposition parties did not receive any new seats within Parlaiment. Lebedko, an outspoken opponent of the dominant political party, was considered a target for intimidation after the outcome of the elections.
From his hospital bed, Lebedko said, referring to Lukashenko's attack on him, "It is not the behavior of a winner, it is hunting."
Information courtesy of The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/
Margaret Hassan, a social worker and Iraqi citizen, was wrenched from her car last week and is currently held captive by an unknown organization.
Hassan, an Iraqi resident for over 25 years and the British-Iraqi Director of the CARE International, was traveling to her office when unknown assailants attacker her car - severely injuring the driver before capturing the woman. A few hours after his disappearance, the Qatar-based Arabic television station Al-Jazeera obtained footage of her kidnappers holding up her organization's identification card. Later footage also showed a severely distraught Hassan accompanied by a band of men making demands regarding her return. Unlike many other recent kidnappings in Iraq, the group holding Ms. Hassan hostage did not display any terrorist affiliations: there were no banners behind her, and the captors made no mention of other known terrorist groups.
According to the BBC, Ms. Hassan holds dual citizenship between Iraq and the United Kingdom. After the first Iraqi war in 1991, she moved to the war-torn nation in order to assist the citizens affected by both the fighting, and the regime of Saddam Hussein. The United Kingdom is still recovering from the kidnapping and beheading of Kenneth Bigley, another social worker in Iraq.
Turkish Cypriot Government Resigns: Reunification of Cyprus Hangs in Balance
Years of division, bickering, and violence precede the current drive for the reunification of Cyprus, a Mediterranean island claimed by both Turkey and Greece. As a Turkish-Cypriot referendum would not pass a congressional vote, the reunification process stalled, and the ruling Turkish government on the island handed in their letter of resignation.
"Today, we have relayed our resignation letter,'' stated Mehmet Ali Talat, the leader of the minority government on the island.
Within upcoming days, Talat and other Turkish Cypriot leaders will begin discussions on re-forming a government without having to resort to full elections before the electoral cycle reaches completion.
The schism that ultimately led to the dissolution of the government began over a United Nations-sponsored attempt at legally mending the divided island. As Turkish Cypriots took sides, the government began crumbling: Talat supported the plan, while his political rival Sedar Denktash did not. After the measure passed despite opposition, the Greek Cypriot state rejected the measure. Since the Greek Cypriot state is officially recognized while the Turkish state is not, the European Union recently welcomed membership to the Greeks, leaving Turkish Cypriots out of many discussions regarding the divided island.
Brazilian Officials to open Nuclear Facility to UN Inspectors
Three United Nations investigators recently received permission to examine Brazil's nuclear facility, helping to mend fences between the government and the International Atomic Energy Agency
The crux of the argument stemmed over a recently constructed uranium enrichment plant in Resende, a town roughly 100 miles from Rio de Janeiro. Partly controlled by the Brazilian Navy, the government has been hesitant about letting inspections take place - citing military concerns and refuting any desire for a nuclear weapons program.
Although Brazil has a favorable status within the I.A.E.A., the regulatory organization is afraid that a decision not to monitor the nation would set a bad precedent: nations like Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, and India could all claim that they use good faith while conducting their nuclear energy programs. The risk of alienating the nation from the regulatory agency is a factor in the decision to let three inspectors tour the facility in Resende.
"What has changed now is the attitude of trying to seek a solution that at the same time guarantees the preservation of our technology and permits the agency to be certain that there is no diversion of material within the factory," stated Odair Gonçalves, Brazil's president of national nuclear affairs and the man partly responsible for the recent cooperation between Brazil and the I.A.E.A.
In a Grim Reminder of Soviet-era Politics, Belarus' Presidential Opponent Arrested
After two nights of protest against the outcome of parliamentary elections, United Civic Party Chairman Anatoly V. Lebedko was badly beaten and arrested in a pizza restaurant in Minsk.
After a series of elections viewed as fraudulent by the European Union, the United States, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, referendums aimed at expanding President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko's term indefinitely are set to pass. Outraged and disenfranchised, many Belarusians took to the street: and the only powerful opposition party, the United Civic Party, is now leaderless to the chagrin and outrage of the myriad party members scattered throughout the former Soviet satellite state.
"It is complete cynicism," said Anatoly O. Dobrovolsky, deputy Chairman of the United Civic Party. "Lebedko does not pose a danger to anyone."
According to official statistics, the elections last Sunday showed that an overwhelming amount of Belarusians voted for a referendum that ended presidential term limits. Within those elections, opposition parties did not receive any new seats within Parlaiment. Lebedko, an outspoken opponent of the dominant political party, was considered a target for intimidation after the outcome of the elections.
From his hospital bed, Lebedko said, referring to Lukashenko's attack on him, "It is not the behavior of a winner, it is hunting."
Information courtesy of The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/