Archive for October 12th, 2012

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12/10/2012

“Breaking the Nuclear Chain” Campaign

By Anna Polo | Pressenza* – The campaign “Breaking the Nuclear Chain” will be launched on 22 October 2012 by the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), IKV Pax Christi and Peace Boat.

We talk about this initiative and its objectives with Marte Hellema, Programme Manager Public Outreach at the GPPAC Global Secretariat.

Where did the idea get started?

Peace Boat, a GPPAC member and one of the organizations strongly involved in the campaign, has been working for a long time with Hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Organizing for them to be able to travel to world to tell people about what they went through and warn them about the dangers of nuclear weapons, to give testimony. Once you have ever met one of these people, it is very hard to deny their experience, and not recognize the inhumanity of nuclear weapons.

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Posted in Middle East, Mother Earth, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples, War Lords | 4 Comments »

12/10/2012

‘Strong UN Commitment’ to Nuclear-free Middle East Conference

Human Wrongs Watch

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reaffirmed his strong commitment to convene a United Nations-sponsored Conference on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction in Helsinki, Finland, in mid-December.

Ban (right) with Amb. Laajava, Facilitator for the 2012 Conference on the Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Ban on 11 October met with the Finnish Under-Secretary of State, Jaako Laajava, the Conference Facilitator, who briefed him on the preparations and prospects for convening the meeting after his talks this week in Cairo with senior representatives from the UN, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the League of Arab States, the UN reported.

UN secretary-general underlined the importance of the Conference, which is a unique opportunity for all States of the region to collectively enhance their security. “He urges all States of the region to participate in it,” a statement issued by Ban’s spokesperson said.

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Posted in Africa, Middle East, Mother Earth, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples, War Lords | 2 Comments »

12/10/2012

Egypt’s Film Makers Still Plagued by Censorship

Human Wrongs Watch

By Shahira Amin*

Cairo – It’s been nearly two years since the mass uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, but Egypt’s film makers are still plagued by censorship they say is stifling their creativity. Religion and sex remain high on the censors’ list of “taboo issues” as a tide of conservatism sweeps the country under Islamist rule.

**Image: Wisekwai | Wikimedia Commons

The recent rejection by the censorship committee of film maker Amr Salama’s script for a film on sectarianism recently stirred a new wave of controversy, fuelling fears of further restrictions on free expression under new Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

Seeking to allay the concerns, Egypt’s newly appointed Minister of Culture Saber Arab has given the green light for Salama’s script, affirming that “no changes are needed”.

Salama’s new film features a Coptic Christian adolescent seeking acceptance from his classmates after being transferred to a public school. Belonging to a different social class, he initially finds it difficult to fit in and decides against revealing his faith for fear of further discrimination.

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Posted in Middle East, Mother Earth, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples | 1 Comment »

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