World

Dispossessed of home and hope

Israeli anthropologist Jeff Halper believes Ireland should make a stand against the Israeli occupation and destruction of Palestinian territories and homes. Interview by David Shanks

An Israeli activist, recently visiting Ireland, has been critical of the Irish government's refusal to support the Palestinian cause and alleges that two companies in Ireland have been involved in projects for the Israelis.

 

Viva L'Espagna

The hills, the parks, the two superb museums, Guernica, Goya, the metro, the weather and the bernabau were the highlights of Madrid in April. A city in the middle of the vast expanse of the Iberian Peninsula, the capital not because of any evident geographic advantages but because it is at the centre, between the autonomous communities of Castile and León and Castile-La Mancha. Later the Moors were here and it was Philip II, who moved the capital from Seville to Madrid in 1561.

Africa's undiscovered gem

Unspoilt landscapes, the majestic Blue Nile Falls and age-old traditions – Ethiopia offers visitors a cultural experience counterpoised by the vibrancy of its cosmopolitan capital, Addis Ababa. By Eoghan Corry

Irish Troops placed on alert

One day after 180 Irish troops arrived at Goz Beida in Eastern Chad, the United Nations put the town on high alert and severely restricted humanitarian movements having received reports that an armed group from Sudan was due to arrive imminently. The Sudanese-backed Chadian rebels aim to take control of Chad by attacking the capital, and very nearly succeeded earlier in 2008. Goz Beida was under constant nighttime aircraft surveillance the week that the Irish troops arrived.

The historic wronging of Palestine

The state of Israel came into existence 60 years ago on 14 May 1948.  In the months before and after this declaration, Jewish forces drove around 750,000 Palestinians from their homes.  Over 500 villages were emptied of their Palestinian population and most of them were destroyed so that those expelled had no homes to which to return.

FBI 10 most wanted

The Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US has published its Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list since the 1950's on the initiative of J. Edgar Hoover, as a way of promoting capture of the desperados. Those on the list are not ranked, possibly as a way of avoiding competition between criminals for the number one spot, and explaining the position of Usama bin Laden.

Child sex tourism in Nepal

The children's rights agency, Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN) was established in Nepal in 1987 to campaign for the rights of the child and against child labour. It is financed by the European Union and Groupe Développement, an international NGO which (according to its web site) works to address the loss of resources and livelihoods of people, growing inequalities in income and access to wealth and resources, and comodification of vulnerable people and children. In December 2003 it undertook a survey of children in Nepal engaged in child sex tourism

Another view of Fairytale in Kathmandu

A hero's tragic flaw is one which is self-inflicted. The poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh welcomes a film crew into his life in Nepal, and the resulting damning documentary, Fairytale of Kathmandu, has become defamatory evidence 

By Dermod Moore 

Iraq Body Count rises

The total number of people killed in Iraq from the invasion in March 2003 up to 24 March 2008 is between 82,408 to 89,928, according to the website iraqbodycount.org.

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