Full coverage: Governance

30.07.2004 "Non è affatto avviata una nuova stagione di concertazione con le parti sociali: l'unica novità apportata dal neo-ministro Siniscalco è che finalmente conosciamo la reale, catastrofica situazione dei conti pubblici del nostro paese" - commenta il Forum del Terzo Settore che ha promosso un incontro con l'Associazione delle ONG italiane. Duri anche i commenti delle organizzazioni sindacali che bocciano decisamente il Dpef, presentato dal governo alle parti sociali e annunciano un "autunno caldo".

30.07.2004 For the first time since independence, three states - Kerala, Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh - have told the Indian government that they don’t need any more primary school buildings.

30.07.2004 For the first time since independence, three states - Kerala, Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh - have told the Indian government that they don’t need any more primary school buildings.

30.07.2004 Usvajanjem Odluke o ucescu gradjana u vrsenju javnih poslova, posmatrane opstine Podgorica, Kotor i Kolasin ce zaokruziti zakonski okvir koji bi trebao da omoguci znacajno veci kvalitet ucesca gradjana nego sto je to bilo u prethodnom periodu. Akti kao sto su Zakon o lokalnoj samoupravi, Statut Opstine i Odluka o ucescu gradjana u vrsenju javnih poslova predstavljaju mehanizme na osnovu kojih gradjani mogu ocekivati ali i zahtijevati da njihova gradjanska pravu budu u potpunosti ispostovana.

30.07.2004

What we think of Russia

Since 1997 when the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives exchanged a series of letters with the chairman of the Russian Duma, the dialogue between American and Russian legislators continues till the present with the creation of a study group – the only official exchange between both legislatures.

30.07.2004 From the belief that there isn’t enough food to feed the world’s population, to the notion that civil liberties have to be curtailed in order to guarantee access to food for everybody, food and development experts argue that 12 popular myths distort our knowledge of the roots of hunger and obstruct our vision of what we can do to end it.

30.07.2004 Civil rights experts believe released offenders face “strong structural disadvantages” that impede against their chances of rehabilitation into the workforce. While several states restrict ex-offenders from public employment and licensed occupations, federal law bans them from welfare programs and public housing that could improve their chances of getting private jobs because employers only hire individuals with fixed address.

30.07.2004 The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced the commencement of formal investigation into war crimes in Uganda this week. The investigation, prompted by a request from the government of Uganda, will look at the conduct of both rebel and government forces in the 18-year conflict in the northern part of the country.

29.07.2004 Most parties of the national minorities, but also minor political parties in the political scene of Vojvodina, protested the high election threshold in the proposed new legislation on electoral system in the province. Parties of the minorities are dissatisfied by the fact that the new rules for election of members of parliament of multinational Vojvodina don't provide for a positive discrimination of the minorities.

29.07.2004 E’ stato presentato al Forum Sociale delle Americhe il nuovo rapporto Social Watch, intitolato quest'anno "Paure e miserie" e dedicato al tema della sicurezza.Per Roberto Bissio è importante che la societa' civile eserciti una forte pressione sui governi in vista del summit alle Nazioni unite previsto ad ottobre 2005 per verificare gli impegni rispetto agli Obiettivi di Sviluppo del Millennio (MDG). Le Ong raccolte in Alliance2015, hanno presentato un rapporto che rappresenta la grande differenza tra la retorica e i risultati dell’Europa sugli obiettivi. Tra i paesi che si stanno sviluppando per raggiungere gli obiettivi ci sono Burkina Faso, Mali e Madagascar.

29.07.2004

Dollar bills

Though “the day of reckoning” is still far off, financial analyst David Francis believes that there are concrete indications - - such as decreased interest in U.S. bonds and stocks, and the sliding value of the dollar - - that foreign investors are less enthusiastic about the American economy. If the U.S. trade deficit continues to rise at its current rate, there will come a point when foreigners will decide not to hold their dollar assets, a situation that will likely raise interest rates and hurt economic expansion in the U.S.

29.07.2004

India Pakistan Summit 2001 © Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep

There are many indications that the United States is losing its influence in South Asia, says Ahmad Faruqui. From the worsening situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, through Washington’s lukewarm relations with India’s new government, to the disappointment of Pakistanis at the Bush administration’s continued support for the repressive government of General Musharraf, U.S. policy in the region is clearly under pressure.

29.07.2004 With "outrage and bitterness," Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is closing all its medical programs in Afghanistan. Today's decision follows the June 2 killing of five MSF workers in a deliberate attack. Given the government's failure to respond, the group says it cannot assure the safety of its volunteers. MSF has delivered humanitarian medical assistance in Afghanistan since 1980.

28.07.2004 When they signed the 2003 First Ministers' Accord on Health Care Renewal, Canadian leaders said they were working in partnership to sustain and enhance public medicare. But nowhere did they commit to public delivery of heath care. A new report documents over 90 major privatization initiatives that have played out since under the banner of "innovation."

28.07.2004 After more than 10 years of frozen cooperation, the European Commission wants to re-open consultation with Togo and has agreed a roadmap for the resumption of financial support. The key test is to hold free and fair elections within the next 24 months and European monitors will be working in the country over that period.

28.07.2004 Political talks between the Togolese government and opposition parties officially opened under pressure from the European Union (EU) despite the absence of main opposition parties.

28.07.2004 Preku 20,000 lugje se sobraa pred Sobranieto na Republika Makedonija minatiot ponedelnik, 26 juli, za da protestiraat protiv predlozenite izmeni vo teritorijalnata organizacija na Makedonija.

28.07.2004

Women reading the WSF programme under the shade of the trees © Michael York/NI

Out of more than 180 countries in the world, only 12 are currently headed by women. There are five women vice-presidents, four governors-general and four major opposition leaders. While 15.4 per cent of members of national parliaments worldwide are women, only 6.4 per cent of the seats in Arab states’ parliaments are held by women. These facts and many more are now available in a new report on the status of women in world politics.

28.07.2004

© International Confederation of Free Trade Unions

Middle East expert Conn Hallinan believes that recent revelations of the Israeli government’s instigation of Kurdish separatism in Iraq, Iran and Syria are reminiscent of colonial Britain’s divide-and-conquer strategy using “ethnicity, religion and privilege to construct a society with built-in divisions.” However divide and conquer fails in the long run, but only after it inflicts stupendous damage, engendering hatreds that still convulse countries like Nigeria, India and Ireland.

28.07.2004

Millions still depend on food aid in Zimbabwe © IRIN

The Zimbabwean government is preventing humanitarian agencies from providing assistance to about 150,000 farm workers who lost their jobs and housing because of the government’s land reform program. The workers are former employees of commercial farms that were seized by the government and re-distributed to war veterans.