The United Nations

[Shammu]

ANNEX II

Vote on Palestinian Rights Division

The draft resolution on the Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat (document A/63/L.33) was adopted by a recorded vote of 106 in favour to 8 against, with 57 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, United States.

Abstain:  Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tonga, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

Absent:  Belize, Burundi, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Kiribati, Madagascar, Malawi, Mongolia, Niger, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu.

ANNEX III

Vote on Special Information Programme

The draft resolution on the Special Information Programme on the Question of Palestine of the Department of Public Information (document A/63/L.34) was adopted by a recorded vote of 162 in favour to 8 against, with 4 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, United States.

Abstain:  Cameroon, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga.

Absent:  Belize, Burundi, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kiribati, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu.

ANNEX IV

Vote on Peaceful Settlement of Palestine Question

The draft resolution on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine (document A/63/L.35) was adopted by a recorded vote of 164 in favour to 7 against, with 3 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Australia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, United States.

Abstain:  Cameroon, Canada, Tonga.

Absent:  Belize, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kiribati, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu.

[Shammu]

ANNEX V

Vote on Jerusalem

The draft resolution on Jerusalem (document A/63/L.36) was adopted by a recorded vote of 163 in favour to 6 against, with 6 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, United States.

Abstain:  Australia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Fiji, Haiti, Tonga.

Absent:  Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kiribati, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu.

ANNEX VI

Vote on Syrian Golan

The draft resolution on the Syrian Golan (document A/63/L.37) was adopted by a recorded vote of 116 in favour to 6 against, with 52 abstentions, as follows:

In favour:  Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against:  Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Palau, United States.

Abstain:  Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tonga, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

Absent:  Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kiribati, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS SIX RESOLUTIONS ON MIDDLE EAST, PALESTINIAN RIGHTS,

[Soldier4Christ]

U.N.’s Palestinian Solidarity Day is Really 365 Days a Year

If you had not marked today’s date on your calendars, folks, you may have missed the Big News. Today, November 24th, has been designated by that august body, the United Nations as its annual “International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People”.

Of course, no expression of “solidarity” with the Palestinians could go by without bashing the state of Israel.

Sure enough, that temple of world understanding in New York will feature a film that compares Israelis as Nazis (”La Terre Parle Arabe” or “The Land Speaks Arabic.”), a film that compares the “Zionist plan for Palestinians” with the Final Solution, as well as an exhibit that paints Israel’s 60 years of existence in a terrible light. Never mind the fact that 60 years ago-November 29, 1947, the same UN proclaimed two states, Israel and an Arab state side-by-side. The Jews accepted the idea. The Arab world rejected it and prepared for war. The UN lobby will be festooned with a display entitled; The Palestinians- 60 years of struggle and enduring hope.

In addition, there will be resolutions. There will be exhibits. There will be speeches-all condemning Israel for violations of human rights. The UN’s former Secretary General, the corrupt Kofi Annan has referred to November 29 as a “day of mourning-a day of grief.”

What you won’t see-what you won’t hear is this:

Nothing will be said about acts of Palestinian terrorism. There will be no mention of the airplane hijackings. There will be no mention of the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre of Israeli athletes. There will be no mention of the Achille Lauro takeover in the 1980s, when Palestinian terrorists took over a cruise ship. Nothing will be said about Leon Klinghofer, an elderly American Jewish passenger, who was murdered and tossed overboard-in his wheelchair. There will be no mention of the airport massacres carried out by Arab terrorists in Rome and Vienna in the 1980s. There will be no mention of the suicide bombings carried out by Palestinians in crowded buses, cafes and pizza parlors.

There will be no photos of Palestinians dancing in the streets and passing out candy on 9-11.

There will be no discussion of the corruption of Yassir Arafat.

There will be no discussion of the hanging or stoning of women in Iran for the “crime” of adultery. Similarly, there will be no discussion of the execution of homosexuals in Iran. There will be no discussion of rape victims being punished for the “crime” of having illicit sex in Iran and Saudi Arabia.

There will be no discussion of forced female circumcision in parts of Africa.

This “commemoration” is just another sad example of why the UN has no further justification for its existence. This body is just a collection of nations, the majority of which are corrupt, third world countries which don’t practice democracy, and have no respect for democracy. Human rights? How many of these countries know the first thing about human rights? How many of these countries can match Israel (the only democracy in the entire Middle East) when it comes to human rights?

So why does this useless body exist? Probably to transfer wealth from the developed world to their own sorry countries-where government leaders can siphon it off to Swiss bank accounts while their people live in extreme poverty. They certainly don’t exist to stop genocide (witness Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur and others). They certainly don’t exist to save people from natural disasters. When the tsunami struck Indonesia and Thailand a couple of years back, the US military was on the ground delivering food, equipment and medical supplies while the UN bureaucrats were scheduling meetings in Tokyo to decide what they should do first. Then, as American citizens were donating millions of dollars to relief agencies, the UN had the cojones to criticize the US and other developed countries for not doing enough! They seem to forget that, courtesy of the US taxpayer, our country pays almost 25% of their total budget.

It is high time for the US to form a coalition of democratic states and leave this thing called the United Nations in the dustbin of history where it belongs.

[Soldier4Christ]

Plan targets Shariah ban on leaving Islam
Christian ministry calls for recognition people can choose religion

With Shariah law cited as the source of justice in most of the Islamic world, and new encroachments by the drastic religious rules into the West, a Christian ministry has launched a campaign to do away with punishment for apostasy, the act of leaving Islam for another religious faith.

The effort launched by the Barnabas Fund said in addition to those in other religions, there are brave Muslim voices already calling for the apostasy law to be abolished

"Although only Muslim leaders can make this happen, we as Christians can help the process, by speaking up for freedom of religion and belief and by encouraging others to do the same," said Patrick Sookhdeo, the international director of the fund.

"We ask you to join us in our efforts and prayers to bring about change for those who choose to leave their Islamic faith, so that they are no longer subject to any penalty but are free to follow their new convictions without fear," he said.

The organization said there are Islamic arguments against the apostasy law as presently interpreted, which is, in fact, a death sentence for leaving Islam.

"Some scholars point out that the Quran has no clear statement about the need to punish apostasy in this life. Others doubt that the traditions about Muhammad's response to apostates are genuine," the organization said.

Read first-hand accounts from those who did leave Islam!

"Still others say that apostates who were killed in the early days of Islam were condemned not for changing their faith, but for rebelling against the Islamic state," the organization said.

The death penalty for apostasy, although not frequently publicized, is in fact imposed in some Islamic states.

"Islam is a one-way street. You can convert to Islam but you are not allowed to convert from Islam. All schools of Islamic law, Shariah, agree on this rule and specify the death sentence for an adult male Muslim who chooses to leave his Islamic faith," the Barnabas Fund said.

"Most also impose the death penalty on women apostates. The rule was established many centuries ago by Islamic scholars, but even today most Islamic religious leaders and many ordinary Muslim people agree with it."

Another significant impact of the law is its generation of "hostility" towards apostates.

"It is normal for converts from Islam to face persecution and violence. They may be arrested, either for apostasy or on a pretext. They may be attacked, beaten or even murdered by their own relatives. And those who commit the violence will probably not be punished for it," the organization said.

The full range of penalties for apostasy under Shariah includes losing a spouse and children and forfeiting property and inheritance.

WND reported recently when several U.S. lawmakers scolded the insurance giant AIG over its division that provides Shariah-compliant products in the United States, especially after the company benefited from billions of taxpayer dollars under the Wall Street bailout.

WND also reported this week when support for an Islam-sponsored plan in the United Nations to create an international precedent to protect Islam that also could be used to outlaw Christianity was losing support quickly.

The Barnabas Fund said the Islamic apostasy law also stands in stark contrast to Article 18 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was published 60 years ago.

It states, "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief..."

The organization has set up an online petition to collect support for its effort.

The Barnabas Fund is set up to support Christians where they suffer discrimination, oppression and persecution because of their faith.

[Shammu]

UN Admits: IDF Didn't Hit School
February 3, '09   
by Maayana Miskin

(IsraelNN.com) During the Cast Lead operation in Gaza, IDF tank fire near a United Nations school in Gaza was blamed for the deaths of dozens of civilians who had taken refuge in the building. The incident became one of the most highly publicized attacks in the war, and led to heavy international criticism.

Recent reports suggest that the incident was not accurately portrayed by senior U.N. officials. John Ging, the director of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, spoke to the Toronto Globe and Mail last week and agreed that no shell had actually struck the school building. Ging said he had never claimed that the school itself was hit, and he blamed Israel for confusion over where the strike took place.

Shortly after the alleged attack, Ging harshly criticized Israel for firing near the school, saying he had given the exact coordinates of the compound to the IDF. He charged that the IDF had failed to avoid hitting the building.

While admitting that Israeli fire had not hit the school compound, Ging insisted it made little difference. “Forty-one innocent people were killed in the street... The State of Israel still has to answer for that,” he said.

While many Israel news outlets reported that the strike had taken place near the school, several international media networks reported that the UN school building itself was hit. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs may have added to the confusion by releasing a report stating that Israeli fire “directly hit two UNRWA schools.”

Almost all reports said that the victims were primarily civilians who had fled to the school for shelter – a version of events cast into suspicion by the Globe and Mail report.

A teacher who was in the school at the time of the shelling reported that several people within the compound were injured, but that none were killed. Those killed were all outside in the street as the shells were fired, he said. Only three of those killed were students at the school, he added.

The teacher did not give his name, explaining that U.N .officials had told staff not to talk to the media.

The IDF responded to criticism over the attack by explaining that soldiers were simply responding to terrorist fire and did not mean to hit a civilian area.

UN Admits: IDF Didn't Hit School

[Shammu]

It has been known for a long time that, the UN is very anti-semitic. Now they're beginning to make themselves look STUPID as well.

Sad state of affairs, isn't it? That the World Body set up to make sure that the Jewish (and others) don't ever have to relive the Holocaust, would now happily put the Jews through the same thing again without batting an eye.

They're not only making themselves look stupid. They're also making themselves look dangerous, which is worse.

[nChrist]

It has been known for a long time that, the UN is very anti-semitic. Now they're beginning to make themselves look STUPID as well.

Sad state of affairs, isn't it? That the World Body set up to make sure that the Jewish (and others) don't ever have to relive the Holocaust, would now happily put the Jews through the same thing again without batting an eye.

They're not only making themselves look stupid. They're also making themselves look dangerous, which is worse.

Brother, as far as I'm concerned, the U.N. is synonymous with CORRUPTION and shouldn't be trusted for anything. If they were given a dime for operations, it would be 10 cents too much.

[Shammu]

Flying Pig Alert.........

UN Notices Hamas Child Abuse

Feb. 6, 2009
Ruth Eglash , THE JERUSALEM POST

The United Nations is ready to address Hamas's use of children as human shields during last month's IDF offensive in Gaza, the UN special representative for children and armed conflict told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

"We have not yet dealt directly with the human shield issue, but we will now mention it in our reports," Radhika Coomaraswamy said in an exclusive interview following a four-day visit to the region.

"It is still very difficult for us to say that it was actually happening and we still need to conduct a full investigation into what exactly took place... but we are not denying that it happened; it is absolutely possible that Hamas was using its civilians as human shields," she said.

However, Coomaraswamy said that the UN's policy not to meet with leading members of the Hamas government - because it was officially considered a terrorist organization - seriously hampered all types of humanitarian relief work in the Gaza Strip.

"It makes all our humanitarian jobs very difficult, because we cannot meet with Hamas at a political level," said Coomaraswamy, who this week met with high-level Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials, including PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad, as well as with many children in both Gaza and Ashkelon to hear about the conflict from a more personal angle.

Coomaraswamy, who was appointed to her position three years ago and reports directly to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said the work of UN aid agencies and other relief efforts over the past two and a half weeks since the fighting stopped meant that "basic humanitarian needs are being met" in Gaza.

However, "the children are still in urgent need of assistance, including the restoration of basic services and the immediate reconstruction of schools and hospitals," she said in a press statement later on Thursday.

"UNRWA says that in order to avoid a crisis it needs roughly 400 aid trucks a day, but at the moment only about 130-140 trucks are allowed in to meet with humanitarian needs," she told the Post.

In her press release, the UN representative also reiterated calls by the international community for Israel to open all its Gaza crossings "for regular, sufficient and facilitated humanitarian access."

"The amount and kinds of supplies allowed into Gaza must be significantly expanded for any real improvement to occur," Coomaraswamy wrote, emphasizing that "humanitarian agencies must not be hampered in assisting the population and their workers authorized easy access into Gaza."

She also stated that "Hamas must respect that humanitarian aid cannot be diverted."

Speaking to the Post, Coomaraswamy said that "some parts of Gaza have been completely destroyed."

"Many of the children I met there vividly described very troubling experiences. Besides their material needs, I think there is a much traumatized population that needs help," she said.

The situation in Gaza is still "very raw because it's only been two weeks," she said, adding that many of the children she met there on Tuesday were "obviously very angry at Israel, but they have been guided that way by their parents and others."

"My sense in Gaza is that after this conflict there seems to be greater identification with Hamas," she said.

However, she stressed, "my observations are based on only a one-day trip
to the area, and many times children surprise us."

The most surprising reaction from a child was during her visit to Ashkelon on Wednesday, Coomaraswamy said.

"The scale [of trauma and destruction] is nothing like in Gaza, but that does not take away from the fact that a lot of the children we met there expressed to me a great deal of fear," she said. "We met a lot of children who were so traumatized that they did not even want to go to school."

However, "While their speeches were quite tough at first, when I asked them if they were interested in meeting Palestinian children, the response was unbelievable. They said, 'Yes, of course we want to meet with them and play with them or hear their stories.' It was a response from the heart," Coomaraswamy said.

"I believe that if we can reconstruct Gaza as quickly as possible then there will be able to be some hope for the future," she said. "Even though they bear the brunt of the conflict, children remain strong advocates for peace."

"Every child has the right to live in safety and security. Children from the region have suffered enough. They deserve a better future," she said.

UN Notices Hamas Child Abuse

[Shammu]

Japanese: U.N. Man-Made Global Warming Theory Like 'Ancient Astrology'

Wednesday, February 25, 2009 4:04 PM

By: Jim Hirsen    Article Font Size 

Japanese scientists have made a dramatic break with the United Nations’ view on man-made global warming with a report asserting that “this hypothesis has been substituted for truth.”

Three of the five researchers involved in the report disagree with the view of the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that recent warming is due primarily to industrial emissions of greenhouse gases, and say it is instead driven by natural cycles.

The report was issued by the Japan Society of Energy and Resources, an academic group representing scientists from the energy and resource fields that acts as a government advisory panel. The report has been translated from the Japanese by The Register in Britain.

Kanya Kusano, Program Director for the Earth Simulator at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science & Technology, compares computer climate modeling used to support the man-made global warming theory to “ancient astrology.”

He states that the IPCC’s “conclusion that from now on atmospheric temperatures are likely to show a continuous, monotonous increase should be perceived as an unprovable hypothesis.”

Shunichi Akasofu, head of the International Arctic Research Center in Alaska, agrees: “IPCC’s theory that atmospheric temperature has risen since 2000 in correspondence with [carbon dioxide increases] is nothing but a hypothesis.”

Among the points made in the report:

# CO2 emissions began to increase significantly after 1946 and are still rising. Therefore, according to the IPCC, global atmospheric temperatures should continue to increase. However, temperatures stopped increasing in 2001.

# The global temperature increase up to today is primarily a recovery from the “Little Ice Age” that earth experienced from 1400 to 1800. This rise peaked in 2000.

# Global warming and the “halting of the temperature rise are related to solar activity.”

Despite the continuing controversy and uncertainty surrounding the claims of man-made global warming, efforts to influence major climate change legislation in Washington are heating up.

An analysis by the Center for Public Integrity found that more than 770 companies and interest groups hired an estimated 2,340 lobbyists in the past year to influence federal policy.

Politico.com notes that since 2003, the number of global warming lobbyists has risen by more than 300 percent, and “Washington can now boast more than four climate lobbyists for every member of Congress.”

Japanese: U.N. Man-Made Global Warming Theory Like 'Ancient Astrology'

[Shammu]

Cuba, Arab Bloc to UN: Israel Violates PA Children's Rights
 
by Hana Levi Julian

(IsraelNN.com) Cuba teamed up with a consortium of Arab countries at a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday to vent their anger against Israel.

The nations accused the Jewish State of grossly violating the rights of Palestinian Authority children during Israel’s counterterrorism Operation 'Cast Lead' in Gaza, reported the Reuters news agency. The charges were leveled during a debate marking the 20th anniversary of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, a document signed by most, but not all of the U.N.’s 192 member nations.

Operation 'Cast Lead', which was aimed at stopping the constant missile and mortar attacks by Gaza terrorists on Israel's civilians in the south, ran from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009.

Figures from an IDF investigation revealed that of the 1,100 – 1,200 reported casualties, 250 were civilians. “To Israel’s great sorrow, innocent civilians in Gaza have been harmed,” read a statement from Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry following the operation. “However, the figures of civilian casualties have been greatly exaggerated. Most of these figures come from Hamas sources, amplifying the number of civilians killed by including as “children” teenage Hamas fighters and as “women,” female terrorists.

A Yemeni member of the Arab consortium claimed the military operation, which specifically targeted Hamas and allied terrorists, “left children as the main victims, with many severely wounded, and even many cases of a serious pathological nature.” The Yemeni delegate, who spoke for all of the Arab states on the 47-member Council, called the 'Cast Lead' operation “a violation of every humanitarian law.”

A coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) countered the Islamic bloc’s accusations with pointed reminders of the atrocities committed in Muslim nations. The Islamic bloc, bolstered by African states, China, Cuba and Russia, holds a majority on the Council.

The NGOs charged that in Iran, as well as in Sudan, Yemen, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the governments actually execute children, and referred to the practice as “the ultimate barbarity: states killing their own children.”

An Italian delegate said pointedly that the Council should uphold and enforce the U.N. Convention’s ban on executing offenders who commit crimes while under the age of 18.

International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) representative Roy Brown said that 32 children had been executed by the five Islamic nations since 2005; of those, 26 had been put to death by Iran alone. He added that another 133 people who had committed crimes while under the age of 18 still remain jailed in Iran, awaiting execution.

Cuba, Arab Bloc to UN: Israel Violates PA Children's Rights

[Shammu]

What about the ARAB worlds violation of children, and human rights in the Arab territories. Before they complain they better look in their own backyard.

Hamas has already been caught be the UN on Child abuse. I'm postive if the UN look just a tiny bit, they would find abuse of children in all these arab world.

[Shammu]

Libyan diplomat to be named UN General Assembly president

2009-05-05

Libyan diplomat Ali Abdessalamm Al-Triki is expected to be elected June 10th as the UN General Assembly President for its 64th session, KUNA reported on Monday (April 4th). Al-Triki, who previously served as Libya's UN envoy and as Special Adviser to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, will replace Father Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann of Nicaragua in the rotating presidency. The next president must be an African and the African group of UN nations reportedly endorsed Al-Triki.

Libyan diplomat to be named UN General Assembly president

[Shammu]

Russia calls UNSC meeting on Mideast peace
Tue, 05 May 2009 08:04:05 GMT

Russia has invited UN Security Council ministers to a meeting to discuss the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a new push for Middle East peace.

Foreign ministers from members of the 15-member Security Council, as well as UN chief Ban Ki-moon, have been asked to take part in the one-day meeting to be held May 11 at the UN headquarters in New York.

"The main objective of the meeting is to give -- through the United Nations -- a new impetus to the Middle East peace process," Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters Monday.

For the month of April, Russia holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will chair the ministerial meeting aimed at "reaffirming the Council's involvement in the search for a Middle East settlement".

Churkin said neither Israel, the Palestinian Authority nor any Arab state would be invited to address the Council and that there were no plans to hold a meeting of the Middle East Quartet at the same time.

Russia -- a member of international Quartet on the Middle East peace process -- has repeatedly called on Israel to commit to a two-state solution which calls for the creation of a Palestinian state that would live side by side with Israel in peace.

The Quartet has also urged Israel to halt its settlement activities on Palestinian land, branding the Israeli move as an 'obstacle' to the peace talks.

So far, the new Israeli government under hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- who opposes Israeli-Palestinian peace talks -- has refused to support the principle of a two-state solution.

Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to expand illegal Jewish West Bank settlements.

Russia calls UNSC meeting on Mideast peace

[Shammu]

World "sleepwalking" into disasters: U.N. aid chief
Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:06am EDT

By Jonathan Lynn

GENEVA (Reuters) - The world is 'sleepwalking' toward preventable natural disasters whose effects could be cut significantly with a modest increase in spending on risk reduction, the United Nations aid chief said on Tuesday.

"The trends in disasters, particularly from climate change, are of enormous concern," said John Holmes, U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs.

"We can only expect that this kind of trend is going to continue," he told a news conference.

Holmes was speaking at the start of a four-day Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction which gathers over 1,800 participants from 169 governments and around 140 international and non-governmental organizations.

Risk reduction efforts had improved since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed more than 250,000 people, but much more was needed, Holmes said.

"We're still to some extent sleepwalking our way into disasters for the future which we know are going to happen, and not enough is being done to mitigate the damage," he said.

Holmes hoped the Global Platform would agree to spend around $3 billion a year on disaster risk reduction, representing about 10 percent of the $8 billion spent each year on disaster relief, plus 1 percent of the $239 billion development aid budget.

By comparison, disasters in 2008 caused approximately $200 billion in damage, Holmes said. While the cost two years earlier was a quarter of that, the trend was clearly rising.

"The most damaging disasters in developing countries can seem to cause the least damage because the property being damaged is less expensive ... but the real damage done to lives and livelihoods is much greater," Holmes said.

It was important global efforts to deal with climate change include disaster risk reduction and look at adapting behavior as well as mitigating the effects of disasters, he said.

About 90 percent of disasters are climate-related, said Holmes, who noted cyclones in Brazil in 2004 and Oman in 2007 had been of an intensity never before seen in those regions.

The massive earthquake in Sichuan, China, last year, and another earthquake in Italy this year had shown both the need for tough building codes and the importance of enforcing them.

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

Priorities for the Global Platform meeting include plans to disaster-proof schools and hospitals, build up early-warning systems, reduce human settlement in disaster-prone areas and restore and safeguard ecosystems.

Bangladesh, where many people live in a coastal area prone to flooding and cyclone-driven sea swells, has cut the death toll from disasters dramatically through early-warning systems.

But the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization estimates 60 of its members do not have adequate systems, Holmes said.

Most of the 10 biggest "megacities" of 25-35 million people are in dangerous coastal areas or earthquake zones. Nearly one billion people live in "informal settlements" or city slums, with the number growing by 25 million a year, as urbanization exposes more people to the risk of disaster, he said.

World "sleepwalking" into disasters: U.N. aid chief

[nChrist]

World "sleepwalking" into disasters: U.N. aid chief
Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:06am EDT

The world is sleepwalking if it believes a SINGLE thing that the U.N. has to say. The United Numb-Skulls need a rubber room that's sound-proof so that nobody has to listen to them.