Wawakilishi wa Baraza la Mpito la Waasi wa Libya, wanatarajiwa kukutana na maafisa wa Ikulu ya Marekani mjini Washington hii leo. Waasi hao wanatarajiwa kuishinikiza serikali ya Rais Barack Obama kulitambua rasmi baraza hilo, baada ya Ufaransa na Italia kufanya hivyo.
Wakati huo huo, Mwendesha Mashtaka Mkuu wa Mahakama ya Kimataifa ya Uhalifu ya The Hague, Luis Moreno-Ocampo
amesema kwamba atatoa waranti wa kukamatwa kwa watu watatu Jumatatu ijayo wanaoonekana kuhusika na uhalifu dhidi ya ubinadamu nchini Libya.
Majina ya watu hao yatatangazwa siku hiyo na wanadiplomasia wanatarajia kwamba kiongozi wa Libya, Kanali Muammar Gaddafi atakuwa wa kwanza katika orodha hiyo.
Obama akabiliwa na wakati mgumu Mashariki ya Kati
Rais Barack Obama
Huku Waziri Mkuu wa Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, akielekea Washington hivi karibuni, Rais Barak Obama anakabiliwa na maamuzi magumu juu ya kutimiza ahadi yake ya suluhu ya mataifa mawili huru ya Israel na Palestina.
Changamoto inayomkabili Rais Obama imeonekana kuwa ngumu zaidi kufuatia matukio ya hivi karibu na hasa maridhiano yaliyofikiwa hivi karibuni kati ya Hamas na Fatah chini ya upatanishi wa Misri.
Maridhiano hayo yameungwa mkono na pande zote za utawala wa Palestina na kundi la Hamas ambalo serikali ya Marekani inaliangalia kama la kigaidi.
Rais Mahmoud Abbas wa Palestina amelitaka pia Baraza Kuu la Umoja wa Mataifa kuitambua Palestina kama dola wakati litakapoanza vikao vyake mwezi Septemba.
Rais Mahmoud Abbas wa PalestinaHatua zote hizo zimepingwa na kulaaniwa na serikali ya Netanyahu na kulaaniwa kwa nguvu zote na wale wanaojulikana kama ni "wapiga-debe wa Israel", ambao wanaungwa mkono na wabunge wa kutosha ndani ya mabunge yote mawili ya Marekani.
Tayari wabunge wa ngazi ya juu katika mabunge hayo wameshatishia kuondoa msaada wa kiasi cha dola milioni 400 unaotolewa kila mwaka kwa Mamlaka ya Palestina, hadi pale utawala huo utakapotafakari kubatilisha uamuzi wake wa kushirikiana na Hamas.
Aidha wabunge hao wamemtaka Rais Obama kupinga juhudi za Palestina za kutaka kuwa na dola huru. Lakini wataalamu wa masuala ya Mashariki ya kati wanahisi hiyo ni hatua ambayo Marekani haitakiwi kabisa kuichukua.
Waziri Mkuu wa Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu
Mara kadhaa Rais Abbas ana matumaini makubwa kwamba Uingereza na Ufaransa zitaunga mkono hatua ya Palestina kuwa dola huru mnamo Septemba katika kikao cha Baraza Kuu la Umoja wa Mataifa. Anasema kwamba Palestina itatumia nafasi hiyo kumtaka Rais Obama kutimiza ahadi zake.
Wataalamu wanasema wakati ambapo Marekani inazitaka nchi za Kiarabu kuwajibika katika kutekeleza matakwa ya watu wao, kupinga mshikamano wa Wapalestina ambayo ni hatua iliyokuwa ikililiwa na Wapalestina kwa miaka mingi sasa, kutatuma ujumbe mbaya kwa Wapalestina na kwa ulimwengu wa Kiarabu kwa jumla.
Aliyekuwa mpatanishi katika masuala ya kutafuta amani, Aaron David Miller, anasema Rais Obama anahitajika kuchukua hatamu za kudhibiti diplomasia ya Mashariki ya Kati.
Netanyahu atalihutubia bunge la Marekani mnamo Mei 24 kama alivyodokeza spika wa bunge hilo, John Boehner. Boehner ameongeza kusema kwamba Marekani na Israel ni marafiki na washirika wa dhati na kwamba hotuba ya Netanyahu inasubiriwa kwa hamu na bunge lake.
Kabla ya hapo, Netanyahu atakuwa na mazungumzo na Rais Obama katika Ikulu ya Marekani tarehe 20 Mei.
MWANAMKE Salima [28] amejikuta akipelekwa kituo cha polisi na mume wake baada ya kumchana mwanae na kiwembe mdomoni.
Salima alipelekwa kituoni baada ya mumewe kukasirika na kitendo alichokifanya cha kumuadhibu mtoto kwa kumchana na viwembe
Salima alichukua umamuzi huo, baada ya mtoto wake huyo kumtukana tusi la nguoni na kushikwa na jazba na kumuadhibu kwa nia hiyo ili iwe fungisho kwa mtoto huyo asirudie kutamka tusi hilo
Alichukua uamuzi huo wa kumuadhibu mtoto huyo wa kumzaa mwenyewe kwa kukasirika na kutamka tusi ambalo hakutegemea kama angetamka mtoto wake huyo
Aliagiza kiwembe dukani na kuanza kumchana na kiwembe katika midomo yake hali iliyopeleka kuzua varangati kati ya wazazi hao wawili baada ya baba kushindwa uvumilivu kuona mwanae anaugulia kwa maumivu ya vidonda
HAta hivyo mume wa mwanamke huyo aliamua kwenda kutoa taarifa kituo cha polisi na mwanamke huyo kutakiwa kufika kuituoni kwa mahojiano
Mtoto aliyejeruhiwa na mama yake huyo alitambulika kwa jina la Ramadhani [6.5]
Mubarak ashikiliwa kwa siku 15 zaidi
Mke wa aliyekuwa rais wa Misri, Hosni Mubarak, Suzanne Mubarak anashikiliwa mahabusu kwa siku 15 akichunguzwa kwa madai ya rushwa.
Muda wa kushikiliwa kwa Mubarak pia umeongezwa kwa siku nyingine 15, huku polisi wakichunguza jinsi wanandoa hao walivyopata mali zenye thamani ya mabilioni ya Euro wakati wa utawala wa Mubarak wa miongo mitatu.
Rais huyo wa zamani wa Misri pia amehojiwa kuhusu matumizi ya nguvu dhidi ya waandamanaji waliokuwa wanapigania demokrasia.
Wakati huo huo, kwenye mji mkuu wa Misri, Cairo, maelfu ya waandamanaji wamekusanyika kwenye uwanja wa Tahrir. Kuna maandamano ya aina mbili, ya kwanza yakitaka kuwepo umoja kati ya Wakristo wa madhehebu ya Coptic na Waislamu na maandamano mengine yakiunga mkono haki za Wapalestina.
Taliban yahusika na mashambulio Pakistan
Kundi la Taliban nchini Pakistan limedai kuhusika na mashambulio mawili ya mabomu ya kujitolea muhanga ambayo yamewaua kiasi watu 80 nje ya chuo cha kijeshi cha Charsadda kaskazini-magharibi mwa Pakistan.
Msemaji wa Taliban, ameyaita mashambulio hayo kama ni ya kwanza katika kulipiza kisasi kutokana na kifo cha Osama bin Laden na kwamba mashambulio zaidi yatafuata. Polisi wamesema washambuliaji hao, ambao wanaonekana walikuwa na taarifa zote, waliwashambulia makuruti kadhaa ambao walikuwa wanajiandaa kwenda likizo.
Hilo ni shambulio kubwa la kwanza kufanywa na wanamgambo tangu kiongozi wa mtandao wa kigaidi wa al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden alipouawa katika operesheni iliyofanywa na kikosi maalum cha Marekani nchini Pakistan tarehe mbili ya mwezi huu wa Mei
'China na Afrika zisihusiane kwa bidhaa nafuu tu'
Rais wa Afrika ya Kusini, Jachob Zuma (kushoto) na wa China, Hu JintaoWaziri wa Biashara wa Afrika Kusini, Rob Davies, ataka biashara kati ya China na Afrika lazima iende mbele zaidi ya uingizwaji wa vitu vya bei nafuu barani Afrika
Waziri Rob Davies amesema ni muhimu kujenga soko la ndani na soko la walaji wa ndani pia iwapo Afrika inataka kusonga mbele.
Amesema nchi barani Afrika zinahitaji kuchukua nafasi na kuanza kuzalisha badala ya kutegemea soko la nje madini na soko linalotegemea bidhaa kutoka nje.
Mahusiano kati ya China na bara la Afrika yanahitaji kuondoka kutoka kusafirisha malighafi China na uingizwaji wa bidhaa za bei nafuu, na kuelekea kwenye mahusiano yatakayolinufaisha bara hilo kiviwanda zaidi.
Waziri Rob Davies amesema licha ya kuwa China imetoa nafasi nzuri kwa bara la Afrika, lakini uhusiano huo upo katika hatua ambayo bara la Afrika sasa lisikubali ongezeko la kiasi cha kile ambacho tayari kinacho. Lakini bara la Afrika liangalie jinsi ya mahusiano hayo na China yataanza kuchangia katika masuala muhimu zaidi barani Afrika.
Maliasili ya barala la Afrika, imekuwa yakinunuliwa upesi na China, kuchochea uchumi wake unaokuwa kwa kasi, na madini ni bidhaa kubwa inayonunuliwa na nchi hiyo, wakati bidhaa kubwa zinazotoka china kwenda Afrika ni vifaa vya umeme ua vya kiufundi.
Liu Guijin, mwakilishi wa Masuala ya Afrika katika wizara ya mambo ya nje ya China, amesema China sasa itawekeza zaidi na kuelekeza nguvu katika kujenga viwanda.
Liu Guijin amasema kwa mfumo uliopo sasa hivi wa bishara katika ya China na Afrika sio mzuri kwa mtizamo wao kwa sasa, akimaanisha uhusiano wa kibiashara baina ya bara la Afrika na Marekani, Umoja wa Ulaya na Japan.
Kuna umuhimu wa nchi zilizoendelea, China na nchi za Afrika kukaa pamoja na kupanua mfumo wa biashara na uchumi wa bara la Afrika.
Liu Guijin amesema pia, ni vyema nchi za Afrika kutumia vyema mapato yatokanayo na bidhaa ili kupanua mfumo wa uchumi wa nchi hizo.
Biashara kati ya China na bara la Afrika ulipanda haraka mwaka hadi mwaka hadi kufikia asilimia 4.3 na hasa katika miezi 11 ya mwaka 2010.
China imekuwa mbia mkubwa wa biashara na Afrika tangu mwaka 2009 na imemwaga fedha katika bara hilo, na licha ya kukoselewa kwa kuunga mkono serikali fidhuli kama Sudan, lakini imepongezwa kwa kuwezesha miundombinu ambayo inahitajika barani humo.
Martin Davies mtaalamu wa masuala ya ushauri wa Frontier Advisory, amesema mahitaji ya China ya raslimali ndio yaliyosababisha uchumi wa Afrika kukuwa kwa kasi na sio sera za uchumi wala mipango ya kiuchumi ya nchi za Afrika.
China ilitumia fedha nyingi katika miongo miwili iliyopita kuwekeza katika raslimali za kudumu hatua ambayo ilisababisha uchumi wa nchi hiyo kukua na kuimarisha mahusiano ya biashara na Afrika.
Martin Davies amesema mambo yakianza kupoa, basi uchumi wa China mwaka huu utashuka kwa asilimia kadhaa.
Amesema bara la Afrika lisileweshwe na ukuaji huo kwa sababu maamuzi yanayofanywa China hayatadumu milele
Ushawishi wa Uturuki kwa Syria ni mdogo
Waziri Mkuu wa Uturuki, Tayyip Erdogan Uturuki haijafanikiwa katika jitahada zake za kumshawishi Rais wa Syria Bashar al-Assad kufanya mageuzi badala ya kutumia mabavu, jambo linalodhihirisha kuwa ushawishi wa Uturuki kwa serikali ya Syria si mkubwa sana.
Kwa miaka kumi iliyopita, Uturuki, iliyo mwanachama wa Jumuiya ya Kujihami ya NATO imekuwa ikizipa usogo nchi za Magharibi na kutafuta kujenga ushawishi wake kwenye mataifa mengine, yakiwemo ya Kiarabu.
Lakini kufuatia mapinduzi ya hivi karibuni katika nchi za Kiarabu, picha mpya iliyoibuka, imeonyesha kuwa Uturuki haina ushawishi mkubwa katika nchi hizo, kinyume na matumaini yake.
Katika masuala ya kigeni, Uturuki imefuata sera ya kumaliza matatizo ya zamani na majirani wake, kuimarisha biashara na kuwa dola lenye usemi katika kanda hiyo.
Waziri Mkuu wa Uturuki, Tayip Erdogan, anasema wimbi la mapinduzi lilipoanza kupiga nchini Tunisia, alimshauri Rais al-Assad kufanya mageuzi nchini mwake. Alimpeleka mkuu wake wa upelelezi mji mkuu wa Syria, Damascus, kujaribu kumshawishi Assad kufuata njia ya mageuzi, lakini hakufanikiwa.
Miaka miwili iliyopita, Erdogan alipolaani mauaji ya Wapalestina yaliyofanywa na Israel katika Ukanda wa Gaza, kiongozi huyo aliheshimiwa katika ulimwengu wa Waarabu.
Lakini tangu wimbi la mapinduzi kuanza kusambaa Kaskazini mwa Afrika na Mashariki ya Kati, kiongozi huyo wa Uturuki anatazama kwa tahadhari jinsi viongozi wa Kiarabu wanavyotumia mabavu na kusababisha vifo vya waandamanaji wanaogombea demokrasia.
Kwa mujibu wa Walid Saffour, ambaye ni rais wa Halmashauri ya Haki za Binadamu ya Syria yenye makao yake mjini London, hivi sasa Iran ina ushawishi mkubwa zaidi nchini Syria kuliko Uturuki.
Saffour anasema ikiwa serikali ya Syria itasikiliza lugha ya mantiki, basi itafuata ushauri unaotolewa na Uturuki. Lakini viongozi wenye misimamo mikali katika serikali ya Syria huenda wakahamakishwa ikiwa Erdogan atawashinikiza kuharakisha mageuzi na kuacha kutumia nguvu dhidi ya wananchi wanaoandamana.
Majuma machache yaliyopita, Erdogan alisema kuwa yeye hana hakika iwapo Assad anazuiliwa kufanya mageuzi, ana wasiwasi kwamba mageuzi hayatosaidia au anashindwa kujiamulia.
Wakati huo huo, baadhi ya wachambuzi wanasema kuwa Uturuki inataka kuendelea na majadiliano pamoja na viongozi kama Muammar Gaddafi wa Libya na Rais Assad wa Syria, badala ya kuungana na wengine kuwalaani viongozi hao wanaohisi kuwa hawatoathirika hivyo kwa kuendelea na sera zao za mabavu.
Kwa upande mwingine, wakosoaji wanasema Erdogan anasita kuelemea upande mmoja kwa sababu ya maslahi ya kibiashara ya Uturuki nchini Libya na Syria
Tanzania yajikokota haki za binaadamu
Wanawake wa Kimaasai kaskazini ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania
Shirika la Kimataifa la Kutetea Haki za Binaadamu, Amnesty International, limezindua ripoti yake ambapo Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania inaripotiwa ikikokota miguu katika utunzaji wa haki hizo.
Kinyume na taarifa za hali ya haki za binaadamu za miaka ya nyuma, safari hii visiwa vya Zanzibar havikusimama tena kama doa jeusi kwenye taswira ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania linapohusika suala la haki za binaadamu.
Kwa mujibu wa ripoti hiyo ya Amnesty International, kura ya maoni ya Julai mwaka jana, ambayo iliamua kuundwa kwa serikali ya Umoja wa Kitaifa visiwani humo, ilifungua ukurasa mpya wa hadithi ya haki za binaadamu, katika sehemu ambayo iliyozoea matukio ya uvunjaji wa haki hizo kila ufikapo wakati wa uchaguzi.
Pamoja na kutaja kwamba, ucheleweshwaji wa kutangazwa matokeo ya uchaguzi mkuu wa 2010, kulikaribia kuirudisha Zanzibar kwenye machafuko, ripoti hiyo haikwenda mbali zaidi.
Ripoti ya Amnesty International ya mwaka 2011Ishaaq Ismail Sharif wa Kituo cha Haki za Binaadamu na Sheria cha Zanzibar, anasema kwamba ni kweli kwamba kile kinachojuilikana Zanzibar kama Maridhiano, kimebadilisha kwa kiasi kikubwa taswira ya haki za binaadamu visiwani humo, ingawa bado kuna mengi ya kufanywa, maana kuwepo kwa haki za binaadamu si kukosekana kwa virungu na risasi za vyombo vya dola tu.
#b#Lakini ni upande wa Tanzania Bara, ndiko ambako ripoti hii ya Amnesty International inakokutaja zaidi kwamba hali si ya kuridhisha sana, ambapo kubinywa kwa uhuru wa vyombo vya habari, ukandamizaji wa kijinsia, udhalilishaji wa watu wenye ulemavu wa ngozi na maafisa wa serikali kutokuchukuliwa hatua hata wanapovunja sheria, yametajwa kuwa kikwazo kikubwa.
Ripoti hiyo inataja vitisho vya mara kwa mara vya serikali dhidi ya baadhi ya vyombo vya habari kama dalili mbaya. Ikipigia mfano wa kutishiwa kufungwa kwa magazeti ya MwanaHalisi na Mwananchi, ripoti hiyo inasema kwamba, kumekuwapo na madai ya waandishi kadhaa kutishwa na maafisa wa serikali kwa sababu ya kuandika habari za kuikosoa serikali.
Amnesty International inaikosoa serikali ya Tanzania kwa kutoitisha uchunguzi juu ya matendo ya uvunjaji wa haki za binaadamu yaliyofanywa na polisi na makampuni binafsi ya ulinzi nchini humo, hapo mwezi Julai mwaka 2009, katika eneo la Loliondo, wilaya ya Ngorongoro, kaskazini mwa nchi hiyo, ambapo wanawake wa jamii ya Kimaasai walibakwa, familia kutenganishwa na watu kiasi ya 3,000 kuhamishwa makaazi yao.
Onesmo Ole Ngurumwa wa Kituo cha Haki za Binaadamu na Sheria chenye makao yake makuu jijini Dar es Salaam, na ambaye kituo chake kimekuwa kikifuatilia mkasa huu wa Loliondo kwa karibu. Ole Ngurumwa anasema kwamba tukio la Loliondo ni miongoni tu mwa matukio mengi ambayo Serikali ya Tanzania hufumbia macho maafisa wake wanapovunja sheria na kuvunja haki za binaadamu.
Hata hivyo, suala la mauaji ya watu wenye ulemavu wa ngozi, linatajwa kwamba limepungua sana katika kipindi cha mwaka mzima uliopita, huku kukitajwa majaribio nane tu ya mauaji, mawili yakihusisha ukataji wa viungo vya siri.
Lakini bado wanaharakati wa haki za jamii hii ya maalbino nchini Tanzania, wanaripotiwa kuendelea kulalamikia vitisho kutoka kwa washukiwa na polisi ikilaumiwa kuchukua hatua za taratibu sana kuchunguza kesi za udhalilishwaji unaowapata maalbino.
Kuhusu hali ya magereza nchini Tanzania, ripoti hiyo inasema kwamba taarifa zilizokusanywa na watafiti wao, zinaonesha kuwepo kwa hali mbaya katika magereza mengi nchini humo, ambapo mengi yao yanachukuwa watu kuliko uwezo wake, huku huduma za kiafya zikiwa na chini, na pia watoto kuchanganywa na wahalifu watu wazima.
Ripoti hii iliyozinduliwa kwenye makao makuu ya Amnesty International jijini London, Uingereza, inataja pia hali ya haki za binaadamu katika nchi nyingine za Afrika ya Mashariki, zikiwemo Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi na Kenya
Israel: Miaka 63 ya kwenda ukimbizi Wapalastina
Kambi ya wakimbizi wa Kipalastina katika Ukanda wa GazaIsrael yaadhimisha miaka 63 tangu kuundwa na Wapalastina walikumbuka janga hilo.
Majeshi ya Israel leo yako katika hali yqa tahadhari kubwa kukihofiwa kutatokea michafuko wakati Wapalastina wanalikumbuka janga lilowafika mwaka 1948 pale ilipoundwa dola ya Israel. Zaidi ya Wapalastina 760,000 leo pamoja na vizazi vyao wanakisiwa kufikia milioni 4.7 walifukuzwa kutoka makwao na kulazimika kwenda uhamishoni kutokana na mzozo uliofuata kuundwa dola ya Israel. Zaidi anayo Othman Miraji.
Msemaji wa polisi huko Israel amesema polisi wako katika hali ya tahadhari kubwa, na maelfu ya polisi wamewekwa ndani na kuuzunguka mji wa Jerusalem, pamoja na sehemu za kaskazini.
Bildunterschrift: Makaazi ya Wapalastina katika kambi yao mjini Tripoli, Lebanon Msemaji huyo alisema kwa sasa hawatazamii kutatokea chochote, lakini
Makaazi ya Wapalastina katika kambi yao mjini Tripoli, Lebanon Msemaji
huyo alisema kwa sasa hawatazamii kutatokea chochote, lakini wanataka kuhakikisha kwamba hakutakuweko fujo katika eneo la Msikiti wa al-Aqsa. Eneo hilo sio tu ni takatifu kwa Waislamu, umuhimu wake ukifuata Misikiti ya Makkah na Madinah, lakini pia ni mahala patakatifu kwa Wayahudi. Maelfu ya Waislamu wanatarajiwa kufika leo katika Msikiti wa al-Aqsa kwa sala ya ijumaa. Lakini polisi walisema kwamba kwa vile leo pia inakumbukwa siku ya al-Naqba-, kuhama kwa wingi Wapalastina baada ya kuundwa dola ya Israel, polisi wataweka vizuizi na watawaruhusu tu wanaume walio na zaidi ya umri wa miaka 45 na walio na vitambulisho vya buluu vya Israel kuingia katika eneo hilo. Wanawake hawatazuiliwa.
Wapalastina pamoja na Waarabu wanaoishi Israel leo wanatarajiwa kuanza kufanya milolongo ya maandamano kuikumbuka kwa huzuni siku ya al-Nakba. Kilele cha makumbusho hayo kitafikiwa jumapili ijayo.
Wanaharakati nyuma ya ule mtandao wa Internet ulio na jina la Intifada ya Tatu wamewahimiza Wapalastina wajiunge na uasi mpya, waandamane na kwenda katika majumba ambayo waliyakimbia au kulazimishwa kuyahama pale Israel ilipoundwa mwaka 1948
Wakimbizi wa Kipalastina walioko Misri, Lebanon, Jordan na Syria pia wataikumbuka siku hiyo kuanzia leo.
Polisi ya Israel imesisitiza kwamba wao watachukuwa hatua kali kuzuwia jaribio lolote la kutaka kuchafua usalama wa umma kutoka kwa mtu yeyote.
Jumanne iliopita, Israel ilisheherekea mwaka wa 63 tangu kuundwa, kwa mujibu wa kalenda ya kiyahudi.
Licha ya zaidi ya Wapaalstina 760,000- kwa makisio ya sasa pamoja na vizazi wao wanaotimia milioni 4.7- waliondoka Palastina wakati huo, lakini 160,000 walibakia na kuja kujulikana kuwa ni Waarabu wa Israel. Hivi sasa pamoja na vizazi vyao wanakisiwa kutimia watu milioni 1.3, hivyo kufanya asilimia 20 ya wakaazi jumla wa Israel.
Maisha Israel imekataa kurejea wakimbizi wa Kipalastina waliofukuzwa mwaka 1948, ikihofia kwamba kurejea kwa wingi watu hao katika maeneo yao ya asili kutahatarisha wingi wa Wayahudi katika Israel, ambako sasa kuna Wayahudi milioni 5.8.
Msikiti wa al-Aqsa na maeneo ya ibada ya Wayahudi mjini Jerusalem
Na kwa mujibu wa ofisi kuu ya takwimu ya Palastina ni kwamba kuna Wapalastina milioni 11 duniani kote, milioni 5.5 wanaishi sasa katika Ukingo wa Magharibi na katika Ukanda wa Gaza. Wakati inatarajiwa mwaka 2014 Warabu wa Kipalastina na wayahudi wa Israel watakuwa sawa kwa sawa kwa idadi, kila upande ukiwa na watu milioni 6.1, lakini itakapofika mwaka 2020 Wapalastina wanatarajiwa kufikia idadi ya milioni 7.2 na Wayahudi kuwa milioni 6.7.
Wakimbizi wengi wa Kipalastina, zaidi ya asilimia 60, wanaishi Jordan, Syria na Lebanon. Zaidi ya asilimia 16 wanaishi katika Ukingo wa Magharibi na asilimia 23 katika Ukanda wa Gaza.
India na Pakistan zinatazamanaje baada ya kifo cha Bin Laden?
Kibao kinachosomeka "Hatimaye Haki Imepatikana" baada ya kifo cha Bin LadenHuenda India inahofia kuwa kifo cha Osama bin Laden kitamaanisha Marekani kuharakisha kujiondoa Afghanistan na hivyo kuiachia ikikabiliwa na jirani mwenye makundi yenye silaha yanayodhibitiwa na hasimu wake, Pakistan.
Kwa India kifo cha Osama bin Laden kilichotokea ndani ya Pakistan kimethibitisha kile ilichokuwa ikishukia tangu muda mrefu, yaani aliyeitwa mshirika wa nchi za Magharibi alikuwa akipuuza mitandao ya wanamgambo katika ardhi yake.
Hofu hiyo iliimarishwa kufuatia mashambulio ya wanamgambo wa Pakistan katika mji wa Mumbai nchini India katika mwaka 2008.
Lakini serikali ya India itakuwa na wasiwasi zaidi ikiona ishara yoyote ile ya Rais Barack Obama wa Marekani kuviondoa haraka vikosi vyake kutoka Afghanistan kufuatia kifo hicho cha Bin Laden.
Hofu ya India ni kuwa Marekani ikiondoka kwa pupa, basi itaacha pengo litakalozibwa kwa furaha na Taliban na hasimu wake, Pakistan, inayomiliki silaha za nyuklia.
Serikali ya New Delhi ina wasiwasi kuwa hali iliyokuwepo Afghanistan katika miaka ya 1990 huenda ikarejea upya. Wakati huo, vita vya wenyewe kwa wenyewe na utawala wa Taliban uliendeleza makundi ya wanamgambo katika kanda hiyo na ulichochea mashambulio dhidi ya India.
Lakini Marekani imesema hadharani kuwa baada ya kumuondoa adui wake mkuu katika kanda hiyo, sasa itawajibika zaidi Afghanistan.
Juu ya hivyo, wachambuzi na wabunge wa Marekani wanaamini kuwa Rais Obama atashinikizwa kuvirejesha nyumbani vikosi vyake huku akikabiliwa na nakisi ya bajeti na kampeni ya uchaguzi ujao.
Kwa maoni ya Ranjit Gupta wa Baraza la Ushauri wa Usalama katika Taasisi ya Marekani na India mjini Washington, sasa Pakistan itazidi kuwa tatizo kwa Marekani na India.
Gupta anasema Marekani huenda ikazileta pamoja India na Pakistan, lakini sio kwa njia iliyokuwa ikitumia hapo awali kwa kuishinikiza India pekee. Sasa mpira huo upo upande wa Pakistan.
Katika kanda hiyo, India ni mfadhili mkubwa kabisa wa Afghanistan, ikisaidia miradi inayogharimu dola bilioni 1.3, kuanzia ujenzi wa bunge la Afghanistan hadi barabara kuu ya kuelekea Iran. Hiyo ni katika jitahada za kuwavutia Waafghanistan.
Marekani imefurahi kuona msaada huo, lakini mshirika wake Pakistan imedharau hadharani jitahada za India kupata ushawishi nchini Afghanistan.
India inatuhumiwa na Pakistan kuwa inawaunga mkono waasi katika wilaya ya Baluchistan inayopakana na Afghanistan. Lakini India inakanusha tuhuma hizo
Unaijua idadi ya watu duniani hadi mwaka 2100?
Maadhimisho ya Siku ya Watu Duniani huko Mumbai, IndiaMalighafi zinaendelea kuwa haba, joto linaongezeka na idadi ya watu inaongezeka. Sasa hivi mtu wa bilioni saba atazaliwa, kama inavyosema taarifa ya wakfu
wa Ujerumani unaoshughulikia idadi ya watu duniani.
Hakuna habari mbaya tu. Mnamo miaka ya '60 baada ya mwaka wa 1950 wastani wa watoto duniani ilipungua kwa nusu. Hayo ni matokeo ya maendeleo na maandalizi ya mipango mizuri ya uzazi.
"Idadi ya watu iliyopo duniani sasa inatokana na maandalizi mazuri ya mipango ya maendeleo. Idadi ya watu duniani ingelikuwa nyingine laiti pasingekuwa na mabadiliko tokea mwaka wa 1950." Hayo ameyasema Kaimu wa Kitengo cha Umoja wa Mataifa kinachoshughulikia hesabu ya watu duniani, Thomas Büttner.
Lakini habari hizo nzuri zinaishia hapo. Sababu ni kwamba katika nchi zinazoendelea ambako maisha ni magumu, watoto wengi wanaendelea kuzaliwa. Na endapo idadi ya watu wanaozaliwa kote duniani ingelindelea kama ilivyo hivi sasa, hadi kufikia mwishoni mwa karne hii pangelikuwapo binadamu bilioni 27. Yaani mara nne ya idadi ya sasa.
Kwa mfano, nchini Nigeria pangelikuwapo na watu bilioni mbili.
Lakini nchini Ujerumani idadi ya watu ingelipungua kwa nusu huku China wakipungua kwa milioni 500.
NigeriaHata hivyo, utabiri wa Umoja wa Mataifa unatoa picha nyingine kabisa, kwani unaonyesha vigezo vya miaka ya nyuma, manufaa ya uzazi wa majira, kupunguza idadi ya vifo vya akinamama wajazito na watoto na juhudi za maendeleo.
Katika msingi wa kigezo hicho kwamba idadi ya watoto kwa kila mama itapungua katika nchi masikini, Umoja wa Mataifa umepiga hesabu kwamba hadi kufikia mwaka wa 2100, idadi watu itakuwa bilioni 10.
Lakini ikiwa uzazi utabadilika miongoni mwa akinamama na kufikia wastani wa nusu mtotokwa kila mzazi, idadi ya watu itafikia bilioni 16 hadi mwishoni mwa karne hii. Watalamu wa Umoja wa Mataifa wanautathmini uwezekano huo kuwa mkubwa.
Kufikiwa idadi ya chini ya binadamu duniani hadi mwishoni mwa karne hii ni matokeo ya mafanikio ya sera za maendeleo na upangaji wa uzazi. Hata hivyo, kwa sasa sera hiyo haijakuwa na mafinikio makubwa sana. Kulinganisha na utabiri wa mwaka 2008, Umoja wa Mataifa umepaswa kufanya marekebisho ya hesabu zake.
Kwa mujibu wa marekebisho hayo, Umoja wa Mataifa unatarajia ongezeko la watu milioni 200 hadi kufikia mwaka wa2050. Mkuu wa wakfu unaoshughulikia idadi ya watu nchini Ujerumani, Bibi Renate Bäher ameeleza sababu ya ongezeko hilo kuwa ni kutopungua kwa wastani wa watoto wanaozaliwa mnamo miaka iliyopita, kinyume na matarajio yaliyokuwapo mnamo mwaka wa 2008.
Bibi Bähr ametahadharisha serikali duniani zichukuwe hatua za kukabiliana na hali hiyo kwa kutoa mfano baina ya Kenya na Thailand. Nchi hizo zilikuwa sawa katika kwiango cha umasikini miaka 40 iliyopita, lakini mnamo miaka ya '70, Thailand ilianzisha kampeni ya uzazi wa majira wa wastani wa watoto wawili kwa kila familia. Leo pana tofauti kubwa sana ya kimaendeleo baina ya Thailand na Kenya. Sasa Kenya nayo imetambua umuhimu wa kudhibiti idadi watoto wanaozaliwa.
Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem
Al-Masjid El-Aqsa is an Arabic name which means the Farthest Mosque. To understand its name, and its importance, it must be remembered that the roots of Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia today).
Ten years after the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) received his first revelation, he made a miraculous night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and to the Seven Heavens on a white flying horse called Al-Buraq El-Sharif. During his interval in Jerusalem, the Prophet stopped to pray at the rock (now covered by the golden Dome), and was given the commandment to pray five times a day.
Today, Muslims throughout the World use Mecca as the direction of prayers (Qibla). However, for 16½ months following the Prophet Mohammad's miraculous journey, Jerusalem was the Qibla.
During Prophet Mohammad's life (pbuh), he instructed Muslims to visit not only the mosque where they lived in Mecca, but also the 'Farthest mosque' from them which lay 2000 kilometers north, in Jerusalem. Hence the name Al-Masjid El-Aqsa, or Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the second oldest mosque in Islam after the Ka'ba in Mecca, and is third in holiness and importance after the mosques in Mecca and Medina.
The rectangular Al-Aqsa Mosque is 144,000 square meters, 35 acres, or 1/6 of the entire area within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem as it stands today. It is also called Al-Haram El-Sharif (the Nobel Sanctuary). The Dome of the Chain marks the exact central point of this Mosque.
Al-Aqsa Mosque holds up to 400,000 worshippers at one time, bearing in mind that the space required for each person is roughly 0.8m x 0.5m to enable the submissive kneeling in prayer. On Fridays at noon, during the fasting month of Ramadan, and particularly the 27th of Ramadan (Lailat El-Qadr), the area is filled to virtual capacity.
There are 11 gates to Al-Aqsa Mosque: 7 of which are open. Of the 4 closed gates, one is the Golden Gate.
Indications of any Muslim mosque the World over is the thin spiral minaret which always immediately adjoins the Mosque wall. Minarets are used to call Muslims to prayer five times a day, seven days a week throughout the year. At Al-Aqsa Mosque, there are four minarets: 3 square and 1 cylindrical from the Mamluk period.
There are no minarets on the Eastern side of Al-Aqsa Mosque because there were no inhabitants and thus no-one to call to prayer. After all, it was not till the late nineteenth century that Jerusalem began to expand outside the city walls.
Al-Aqsa is made up of 3 parts, narrow arcades run along one end, a huge atrium and a covered area at the south.
Running alongside the arcades are several family burial sites (maqamat). These persons contributed to the schools and charities in the vicinity of the Mosque run by the Supreme Muslim Council.
The atrium of Al-Aqsa Mosque is an oasis of peace and tranquillity inside a walled city of hustle and bustle. It has trees, lawns, fountains, the beautiful Shrine of the Dome of the Rock, small domed rooms and structures which are rooms for scholars, sheikhs and religious court offices, and a museum.
Before Muslims pray, they are required to go through a ritual ablution. There are manuablution areas, but the Cup is one of the oldest and most photographed fountains on the Mosque grounds.
In the center of the southern end of the atrium is the covered area of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Mihrab (niche showing direction of prayer) of the Mosque is located here. Al-Aqsa building (recognizable by its lead dome), was originally built nearly 1300 years ago by Muslim Caliph Al-Walid the son of AbdulMalek bin Marwan in 709 AD.
Throughout its history, Al-Aqsa was subject to successive restoration work due to damages caused by earthquakes, etc. The building now has the central nave and 6 aisles (the original covered area had 14 aisles).
The covered area of Al-Aqsa Mosque is a very simple, but large and imposing, rectangular structure. It has an area of 3500 square meters, and holds up to 5000 Muslims at prayer at one time. The Qibla facing south towards Mecca and the Rock within the Dome of the Rock are on the same central line.
There are 7 large gates to enter the Mosque's covered area, as well as 1 single door on both the eastern and western sides. There are over 100 clear and colored glass windows, 14 Arches, 27 Italian Marble columns on the eastern side, and the equivalent number of stone piers on the western side.
The outer dome was covered with Lead in 1985 replacing the Aluminum dome of 1964 in order to restore it to its original cover.
The inner dome, decorated with stucco work, dates back to the 13th century.
In accordance with Muslim tradition, men and women are permitted to pray within the covered area but in different sections, 3 times a day. The remaining two daily prayers as well as Friday noon prayers, Al-Aqsa is for men only. The covered part of Al-Aqsa Mosque was converted to a Knight's Hostel in part, and Chapel in part during the Crusader period. Restoration of Islamic atmosphere was done by Salahuddin Al-Ayyoubi.
In 1969, after 2 years of Israeli occupation, a fanatic Jew set fire to the covered area for the first time in its history. Repairing the damage from the fire still continues. Among the numerous sad losses was the beautiful handmade pulpit from Aleppo. It was a gift from Salahuddin Al-Ayyoubi and stood near the Mihrab (niche) in Al-Aqsa Mosque. This Pulpit, considered one of the most beautiful in the World, was made of over 10,000 interlocking pieces of Cedar and other wood, Ivory and mother of pearl affixed without a drop of glue or a single nail. A remaining section of this Pulpit is among the various artifacts on display at the Islamic Museum, in the southern corner of the Noble Sanctuary.
The restoration of the subterranean Marwani Musallah (praying place) was completed in 1996. It is 4000 square meters, and was tiled in a brief 2 months entirely by volunteers. The Marwani Musallah is mistakenly believed by some to be the site of King Solomon's stables, however its construction is actually entirely 8th century Umayyad.
In the middle of the 19th century Al-Aqsa Mosque was opened for Non-Muslim visitors. For Non-Muslims, the Mosque is open during fixed times on weekday mornings and afternoons on payment of an entrance fees. The Mosque is closed to Non-Muslims on Fridays throughout the year and all Muslim holidays.
Although in the past, everyone entered Al-Aqsa Mosque without shoes, now Muslims and tourists alike are permitted to enter Al-Aqsa with shoes. Shoes however, have to be removed to enter the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa's enclosed area as a sign of cleanliness and respect. Cameras likewise, are permitted in Al-Aqsa Mosque, but not inside any building. Visitors should ensure they are modestly dressed with arms and legs covered. Ladies should have a scarf to cover their hair. While on holy ground, intimate or personal contact must be avoided.
al-Nakba: the Palestinian "Catastrophe"
Al-Nakba Awareness Project is a small Domestic Nonprofit Corporation registered in Oregon. Our purposes are:
(1) education regarding the history of Israel in historic Palestine, and
(2) mobilization, advocacy and support for non-violent efforts to bring freedom, justice and equality to the Holy Land.
None of these conditions, which Americans take for granted as bedrocks of democracy, exists there today.
Our work relies without political compromise upon:
(1) historical truthfulness;
(2) adherence by all peoples to universally recognized human rights and the international rule of law;
(3) recognition of the Palestinians as the victims, not the aggressors, in this six-decade conflict, and not co-equal with Israel in responsibility for its origination or continuation;
(4) concern for not only the wellbeing but the rights of Palestinians as an abandoned and largely helpless people who have been cruelly victimized, subjected to institutional as well as legal discrimination within both Israel and their territories which Israel illegally occupies, and denied justice, the right of self-determination, protection by the governing power, and an equal voice with other citizens of the world;
(5) condemnation of our own country's abuse-enabling support and protection of their occupier and oppressor, and our failure to comply with both international and U.S. law in so doing.
We are an entirely volunteer organization with limited resources which we leverage by working in partnership with other local, regional and national organizations.
Our premise: There is a long history to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has been egregiously distorted by Israel, the Israeli lobby and its nationwide network that heavily influences our government and media, and consequently remains largely unknown to most Americans.
We draw upon a principle identified and demonstrated early in the history of psychology by the "Gestalt" school of perceptual psychology: the solution to a problem is inherent in its component parts once a sufficient number of these are visible. A puzzle can't be solved with too many missing pieces. Israel has relentlessly concealed key historical pieces of its own formation and development, without which a clear vision cannot emerge that would yield a solution. We attempt here to identify the essential missing pieces including historical information expunged from the "official story," disregarded international laws, and suppressed voices of reason, realism and justice among Palestinians, non-Zionist and anti-Zionist Jews, and all too few Americans. Without the unwitting and misguided beliefs of most Americans in support of our corrupted leaders, this website and the other efforts of our Al-Nakba Awareness Project would be unnecessary.
The central piece denied and evaded by Israel is the Nakba ("catastrophe" in Arabic) of 1948, when Palestinians were ruthlessly attacked, massacred and driven from their homes into refugee camps by Zionist terror groups, and never allowed to return in violation of international law. This is the deeply flawed foundation upon which Israel was established and upon which its entire subsequent society remains structurally unsteady, morally corrupt, legally culpable, and psychologically damaged. Israel has inevitably suffered from a "spoiled identity" (a concept of sociologist Erving Goffman) against which it defends by outright lies, hysterical accusations of "anti-Semitism" and other tranparent defense mechanisms, and the consequences to its Palestinian victims remain tragic and ruinous.
This pathological system has been aided and abetted by the United States, which stands alone in the world as a supporter and defender of Israel. Without understanding this pathological relationship, leading to an alteration in US policies toward Israel, no just or enduring solution will be possible.
This conflict is typically framed as a contest between "two sides" or "two narratives" that either blames the Palestinians as "terrorists" or implies a non-existent symmetry: equivalence of violence, blame for the conflict, suffering, legitimacy of claims, and responsibility for finding a solution.
In truth, the Palestinians are an invaded, dispossessed, occupied, brutalized, blockaded, and segregated people who have the right to resist under international law and have steadfastly done so for many decades in largely non-violent ways.
1948 refugee in UNRWA camp
1948 UNRWA refugee camp
Separated by barbed wire from their home
A fictitious account omitting Israeli lawlessness and ignoring the lonely and rightful Palestinian struggle for justice has been relentlessly recited and perpetuated by the American press and entertainment media under influence of the pro-Israel lobby and social influence network.
Our position is derived not from any "narrative" but from the empirical evidence: the abundantly documented history, established doctrines of international law including United Nations resolutions and international court judgments, ordinary morality recognized by civilized peoples, and commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Until the Nakba is acknowledged, its crimes addressed and restitution provided, there can be no justice or justice-based peace. Toward the goal of justice, without which enduring peace will remain elusive, this web site is committed.
* The key in our logo, many of which are still held by Palestinian refugees expelled in 1948, represents the Palestinians' right to return under international law, and has remained a cherished symbol of their steadfast resistance against dispossession, occupation, and subjugation by the state of Israel
No comments:
Post a Comment