News - Regions and territories: North Ossetia

May 25th, 2008 by johnnyshi

Online interracial dating service
ssia’s smallest regions, mountainous North Ossetia has fallen prey to the spillover from the violent unrest that plagues its neighbours in the volatile North Caucasus.

This was starkly dating free online senior
in September 2004, when armed attackers stormed a school in the town of Beslan. In the violent end to the siege 330 people were killed; more than half of them were children.

OVERVIEW


OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attackers were international terrorists with links to Chechen separatists and funding from al-Qaeda. He accused them of seeking to unleash violence across the North Caucasus in order to strike at Russia’s south.

Ousted Chechen separatist president Aslan Maskhadov, who was killed just six months later, condemned the seizure of the school but blamed Russian policy in Chechnya, describing the attackers as “madmen” seeking to avenge the Chechen people for atrocities carried out by Russians.

The only attacker thought to have survived was later sentenced to life best dating online senior
. Campaigners continue to accuse the Russian dating online pearz service
of a cover-up and want further investigation into events leading up to and during the siege.

History

Ethnic Ossetians and Russians make up most of the population of North Ossetia. Russian influence in the area increased in the 18th century with the founding of a military outpost at Vladikavkaz.

In the early 1920s the territory was part of the short-lived Soviet Mountain Republic - made up of six districts including Chechnya and Ingushetia. Autonomous status was given to the districts in 1924; in 1936 North Ossetia became an autonomous Soviet republic.

North Ossetia has a history of loyalty to Moscow but this has not exempted it from internal conflict and violence in recent years.

Woman and boy grieve for victims of Beslan on first anniversary of siege

Remembering the victims: The Beslan siege ended in a bloodbath

A nail bomb attack on the central market in the capital Vladikavkaz in 1999, which killed 60 people, was blamed on Muslim extremists. Russian military targets in North Ossetia have been attacked on several occasions in recent years with scores of personnel killed.

North Ossetia fought a bloody conflict with its western neighbour, the Russian republic of Ingushetia, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Ingush forces, in pursuit of a historical claim to Prigorodny district on the right bank of the Terek river, were repelled in 1992 with the support of Moscow. Hundreds died in the fighting, and many ethnic Ingush civilians fled North Ossetia for Ingushetia. A peace agreement has yet to be reached.

The North Ossetian and Ingush sides have made conflicting claims about the extent of the return of Ingush refugees to North Ossetia.

Ossetians divided

Just over North Ossetia’s border with Georgia, separatists in the breakaway Georgian enclave of South Ossetia have clashed with Georgian troops amid a political stalemate over the territory’s status.

Thousands of South Ossetians fled to North Ossetia in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and amid the violence that followed South Ossetia’s declaration of independence in 1991.

North Ossetia maintains strong ethnic links with the territory, where separatists continue to demand independence, or rule from Moscow.

Rich in resources - including unexploited oil and gas reserves - North Ossetia is the most industrialised and urbanised republic in the North Caucasus. It also has tourism potential; plans for a ski resort were announced in 2003.

OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA

  • Status: Republic within Russian Federation
  • Population: 700,000
  • Capital: Vladikavkaz
  • Area: 8,000 sq km (3,000 sq miles)
  • Main religion: Christianity
  • Languages: Ossetian, Russian
  • Currency: Rouble

LEADERS


OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA

President: Taymuraz Mamsurov

Taymuraz Mamsurov was put forward for the leadership by Russian President Vladimir Putin and approved by the republic’s parliament after the resignation of Aleksandr Dzasokhov in June 2005.

North Ossetia's President Mamsurov

Taymuraz Mamsurov, regarded as a Kremlin loyalist

He is a leading member of the North Ossetian branch of One Russia and is regarded as a staunch Kremlin loyalist.

He had been chairman of the republic’s parliament since 2000 and was chairman of its government for two years before that.

Mr Dzasokhov, president since 1998, was heavily criticised in the republic over the North Ossetian authorities’ failure to prevent bloodshed in the September 2004 Beslan school siege. As a senior official at the time of the siege, in which his son and daughter were amongst the hostages, Mr Mamsurov has also faced criticism in its aftermath.

He has spoken of the people of North and South Ossetia as an “integral whole” and issued a joint statement with his South Ossetian counterpart on boosting links.

Mr Mamsurov was born in Beslan and was 50 when he became leader. He trained as a civil engineer.

MEDIA


OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA

Most media outlets are owned by, or under the influence of, the republic’s government. Observers say TV, radio and press news content is dominated by official information.

The press

  • Severnaya Osetiya - owned by Ossetian parliament and government
  • Osetiya Svobodny Vzglyad (Ossetian Free View) - private

    Television/radio

  • GTRK Alania - state-run
  • Alania Radio - entertainment-based

  • News - Plans to erase university bias

    May 24th, 2008 by johnnyshi


    The names of students applying to university should be withheld to avoid racial dating free internet online service
    , a report says.


    The Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) has made the proposals, saying ethnicity may be identified through an applicant’s name.


    Hefce is calling on the University and College Admissions Service to give “urgent consideration” to the idea.


    While finding no evidence of widespread racism, Hefce said applicants to law schools may face discrimination.


    The research indicated applicants from all ethnic minorities, apart from Chinese applicants, had lower than expected offer rates when applying to study law.


    For example, Canada dating free in personals service applicants are 7 percentage points less likely to be offered a place than their white peers, after taking other factors into account.


    Hefce is urging the Committee of Heads of Law Schools to commission an investigation into the application process for students wishing to study law.


    But the Hefce research did not find evidence to back up a previous study which found evidence of discrimination against ethnic minority students applying to “old” universities.


    However, applicants from Pakistani backgrounds had a slightly lower than expected offer rate across the whole higher education sector.


    Names withheld


    Withholding names may go some way to preventing racial discrimination, Hefce says.


    “Ethnicity may be identified through the applicant’s name and so we recommend that Ucas gives urgent consideration to a long standing proposal to withhold applicants’ names for the first stages of the application process,” the report says.


    “This would reduce the possibility of discrimination being exercised and would build confidence in the application process.”


    Sir Howard Newby, chief executive of Hefce, said: “It is clear from this analysis that prospective students from ethnic minorities should not be put off from applying to study at the most highly selective universities.


    “Gaining a place may not be easy, but applicants from ethnic minorities will, in general, have similar chances of gaining an offer as equivalently qualified white applicants.


    “This is good news, but we do need to do more research in this area, particularly with respect to ethnic minority students who wish to study law.”


    A spokesman for Ucas said it was open to making changes to the application process, but said consultation was necessary.


    “Ucas would consider initiatives to make admissions to universities and colleges fairer but would have to consult with its member black dating online service
    before any changes such as this are made,” said the spokesman.


    “If there is a groundswell of opinion requesting change, then we will start a process of consultation.”


    Professor Michael Gunn, chair of the Committee of Heads of Law Schools, said the black dating online service
    welcomed the report findings.


    “There’s a need for further research,” Professor Gunn told the BBC News website.


    “We’re talking to Hefce about funding that research. We need to look at the data and get more up-to-date data.”

    News - Country profile: Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

    May 22nd, 2008 by johnnyshi

    catholic online dating services
    datingfreeonlineuk.wordpress.co.za/2008/05/16/news-bailiffs-clear-travellers-plots/”>100 free online dating service
    xxdateonline.com/2008/01/01/news-regions-and-territories-kaliningrad/”>free online dating tipas spared the inter-ethnic violence that raged elsewhere in the Balkans following the break-up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s but it came close to civil war a decade after independence.

    Rebels staged an uprising in early 2001, demanding greater rights for the ethnic Albanian minority. The conflict created a wave of refugees and the rebels made territorial gains.

    OVERVIEW


    OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA


    After months of skirmishes, EU and Nato support enabled the president, Boris Trajkovski, to strike a peace deal. Under the Ohrid agreement, Albanian fighters laid down their arms in return for greater ethnic-Albanian recognition within a unitary state.


    Acknowledgement of ethnic-Albanian rights was formalised in amendments to the constitution approved by parliament in late 2001. Ethnic Albanians account for about a quarter of the population.

    In August 2004, parliament approved legislation redrawing local boundaries and giving ethnic Albanians greater local autonomy in areas where they predominate.

    Recognition of the republic’s progress from the brink of civil war came in December 2005 when the EU leaders agreed that it should become a candidate for membership. The EU has urged Macedonia to crack down on corruption ahead of accession talks.

    In November 2006 Nato leaders announced that Macedonia - along with Albania and Croatia - can expect to be invited to join the organisation at its next summit in 2008. Both President Branko Crvenkovski and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski welcomed the move.

    The country’s name remains a contentious issue. It is still referred to formally as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

    International recognition of the country’s split from Yugoslavia in 1991 was held up over Greek fears that its name implied territorial ambitions toward the northern Greek region of Macedonia. Greece lifted a two-year trade blockade only after the two countries signed an accord in 1995.

    The UN continues to act as mediator between Skopje and Athens in an effort to resolve the dispute.

    OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA


    • Population: 2 million (UN, 2003)

    • Capital: Skopje
    • Area: 25,713 sq km (9,928 sq miles)
    • Major language: Macedonian, Albanian
    • Major religion: Christianity, Islam
    • Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 76 years (women) (UN)
    • Monetary unit: 1 denar = 100 deni
    • Main exports: Clothing, iron and steel
    • GNI per capita: US $2,830 (World Bank, 2006)
    • Internet domain: .mk
    • International dialling code: +389

    LEADERS


    OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA

    President: Branko Crvenkovski

    FYR Macedonia president

    President Crvenkovski has his sights on EU entry


    A former centre-left prime minister and leader of the Social Democratic Union, Branko Crvenkovski moved on from both jobs when he was elected president in April 2004, two months after his predecessor, Boris Trajkovski, died in a plane crash.

    As prime minister, he won praise in the West for supporting reconciliation with the substantial Albanian minority.

    He became president just after the country formally submitted its application to join the EU and he pledged to make entry a key goal.

    Macedonia’s presidents are directly elected for a five-year term. The president appoints the prime minister. Legislative power is vested in parliament.

    Prime minister: Nikola Gruevski

    PM Nikola Gruevski

    Nikola Gruevski wants to foster economic revival

    Nikola Gruevski, leader of the centre-right VMRO-DPMNE, was asked to form a government after elections in July 2006. The outgoing coalition was led by the Social Democrats.

    The vote was seen as a test of the Orhid peace deal that ended an ethnic Albanian uprising in 2001. There was relief when it passed off relatively peacefully.

    The prime minister’s party won 44 seats in the 120-seat parliament and went on to gain a majority in parliament through a deal with the Democratic Party of Albanians and three small parties. There were protests in some areas after the largest Albanian party, the Democratic Union of Integration, which was part of the outgoing coalition, was left out.

    Mr Gruevski said he aimed to tackle corruption and organised crime and to foster economic revival and job creation. He said he would work for the country’s swift entry into the EU.

    The prime minister is a former World Bank economist, amateur boxer and stage actor.

    His predecessor, Vlado Buckovski, a former defence minister, took office in late 2004.

  • Foreign minister: Antonio Milososki
  • Finance minister: Trajko Slavevski
  • Defence minister: Lazar Elenovski

    MEDIA


    OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA

    The constitution guarantees freedom of speech and access to information.
    State television, which has three national channels, faces competition from private networks.


    Broadcasters are loosely regulated; there are many unlicensed radio and TV stations.


    Following privatisation, the leading newspaper publisher is still partially government-owned.


    Some journalists reacted to the 2001 uprising by ethnic Albanian guerrillas by using what Radio Free Europe described as less-than-responsible language and words of outright hate.


    But the media reported fairly responsibly overall, according to the OSCE representative on media freedom.

    The press

  • Nova Makedonija - state-subsidised daily
  • Utrinski Vesnik - private, daily
  • Dnevnik - private, daily
  • Vreme - private, daily
  • Vecer - state-subsidised daily
  • Makedonija Denes - private, daily
  • Vest - private, daily
  • Fakti - Albanian-language
  • Forum - weekly
  • Aktuel - private, news weekly

  • Focus - private, weekly
  • Start - political weekly

    Television

  • MTV - state-owned, operates three national networks and satellite network
  • A1 - private, national
  • Sitel TV - private, national
  • Kanal 5 - private

    Radio

  • Macedonian Radio - state-owned
  • Kanal 77 - private, national
  • Antenna 5 - private, national
  • Radio Ros - private, national


    News agencies

  • Makfax - English-language pages
  • Macedonian Information Agency (MIA) - state-run, English-language pages

  • News - Regions and territories: Crimea

    May 21st, 2008 by johnnyshi


    specialty dating meet sexy woman
    /passionsonlinedating.webloog.com/2008/05/09/news-veteran-feels-at-home-on-d-day-beach/”>Contact dating free online servicec of Crimea, a part of Ukraine, lies on a peninsula stretching out from the south of Ukraine between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It is separated from Russia to the east by the narrow Kerch Strait.

    The Russian Tsars and Soviet elite spent summers on its subtropical southern shores which still attract holidaymakers and, latterly, wealthy property developers.

    OVERVIEW


    OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA

    Crimea was annexed by the Russian Empire during the reign of Catherine The Great in 1783 and remained part of Russia until 1954 when it was transferred to Ukraine under the then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Ethnic Russians still make up the bulk of the population, Ukrainians under a quarter and the Muslim Crimean Tatars about 12%.

    Sevastopol, Crimea

    Sevastopol: A key base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet

    Known in ancient times as Tauris, the area came under Greek and Roman influence before being targeted by a succession of invaders. The Mongol Tatars arrived in the 13th century. A Crimean Tatar Khanate with its capital at Bakhchisaray was formed in 1443 and later became an Ottoman vassal state. It outlived the other two Tatar Khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan which were conquered by the forces of Ivan The Terrible in the 16th century.

    Rival imperial ambitions in the mid 19th century led to the Crimean War when Britain and France, suspicious of Russian ambitions in the Balkans as the Ottoman Empire declined, sent troops.

    Tatar deportation

    Given autonomous republic status within Russia after the Bolshevik revolution, Crimea was occupied by the Nazis in the early 1940s. The Tatars were accused of collaboration by Stalin and deported en masse to Central Asia and Siberia in 1944. Many did not survive.

    Only as the Soviet Union collapsed were they allowed to return. By the time over a quarter of a million did so in the early 1990s, it was to an independent Ukraine where they faced very high unemployment and extremely poor housing conditions. There have been persistent tensions and protests over land rights. The allocation of land to Crimean Tatars remains a highly contentious issue. Ethnic and political tensions are aggravated by economic hardship. Corruption and organised crime are major problems.

    The years following Ukrainian independence saw political turbulence in Crimea. Political figures from the local Russian community sought to assert sovereignty and strengthen ties with Russia through a series of moves declared online dating astrology service
    by Kiev.

    Yalta

    Yalta: The port city is a mecca for tourists

    The 1996 Ukrainian constitution stipulated that Crimea would have autonomous republic status but reasserted that Crimean legislation must be in keeping with that of Ukraine. Crimea has its own parliament and government with powers over agriculture, public infrastructure and tourism.

    The Crimean Tatars have their own unofficial parliament, the Mejlis, which states its purpose as being to promote the rights and interests of the Crimean Tatars.

    23 alternative dating tension

    The port of Sevastopol is a major naval base and has been home to the Black Sea Fleet since Soviet times. Following the collapse of the USSR, the fleet was divided up between Russia and Ukraine. Agreement was reached granting Russia a lease for the use of Sevastopol as a base until 2017. Its continuing presence there has been a focus of tension between Russia and Ukraine.

    This tension has taken a new twist as the Ukrainian president looks to strengthen ties with Nato. Russian protesters took to the streets to disrupt free online dating services
    for Nato-led naval exercises off Crimean shores in summer 2006. Some months later, Crimean voters rejected NATO membership in an unofficial referendum which was declared illegitimate by the authorities in Kiev.

    There is a rumbling border dispute between Moscow and Kiev in the Kerch Strait. Tensions rose sharply in late 2003 after Russia started building a causeway between the Russian coast and the island of Tuzla, just off Crimea. Russia said it was motivated by fears about coastal erosion but Ukraine suspected a political motive.

    As Moscow keeps a close watch on Ukraine’s relations with Nato and the West, it has a particular eye on developments in Crimea.

    OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA

    • Status: Autonomous republic within Ukraine
    • Population: 2 million
    • Capital: Simferopol
    • Area: 26,100 sq km (10,077 sq miles)
    • Languages Ukrainian (official), Russian, Crimean Tatar
    • Ethnic groups Russians, Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars,
    • Religion: Christianity, Islam
    • Main industries: Tourism, agriculture, ore, mining, chemicals

    LEADERS


    OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA

    Chairman of Supreme Council: Anatoliy Hrytsenko


    Anatoliy Hrytsenko became chairman of the Crimean Supreme Council following parliamentary elections in March 2006. The Party of Regions, of which Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych is leader and of which Mr Hrytsenko is a member, took 44 out of 100 seats in those elections.

    Before his appointment he was first deputy chairman of Crimea’s Council of Ministers. He also served as chairman of the Crimean Supreme Council from 1997 until 1998.

    Anatoliy Hrytsenko was born in 1958.

    Prime minister: Viktor Plakyda

    The Crimean prime minister is appointed by the Crimean parliament with the approval of the Ukrainian president.

    Viktor Plakyda took the post in June 2006 following elections to the Crimean parliament

    Chairman of Crimean Tatar Majlis: Mustafa Jemilev

    MEDIA


    OVERVIEW FACTS LEADERS MEDIA

    Crimea’s media landscape is in a state of flux as rival business groups and their political backers compete for the attention of the peninsula’s many ethnic communities.

    In recent times significant new players have entered the market, while established outlets have closed.

    Almost 100 broadcasters and around 1,200 publications are registered in Crimea, although no more than a few dozen operate or publish regularly.

    Outlets catering for the ethnic Russian majority dominate, supported by a mix of state and private funding. Crimea’s ethnic Russians are also served by Russia’s main Moscow-based television channels, which can all be received on the peninsula.

    Other broadcasters and publishers cater more specifically for the Ukrainian and Tatar minorities.

    While there has been a modest decline in the number of Ukrainian-language publications based in Crimea over the past few years, many Ukrainian-language papers published elsewhere in Ukraine are available on the peninsula.

    Tatars too can choose from a range of outlets. Crimea’s first Tatar-owned, Tatar-language TV channel launched in September 2006.

    The only full-time Crimean news agency functioning at present, QHA, is also a Tatar venture. Most other Crimean news agencies do not have their own reporters and borrow material from each other, effectively functioning as news portals.

    The press

  • Krymskaya Pravda - pro-Russian daily
  • Krymskaya Gazeta - Crimean government daily
  • Krymskoye Vremya - privately-owned pro-Russian daily
  • Pervaya Krymskaya - weekly
  • Sobytiya - weekly
  • Golos Kryma - Russian-language Tatar weekly
  • Qirim - Tatar-language daily

    Television

  • Black Sea TV - privately-owned
  • Crimea TV - state-owned
  • ATR - Tatar-owned

    Radio

  • Lider - privately-owned
  • Trans-M - privately-owned

  • News - Asia heralds Year of the Rooster

    May 20th, 2008 by johnnyshi


    Communities across Asia have been celebrating the lunar new year and the start of the Year of the Rooster.


    In China, millions of people and migrant workers have travelled home for the festivities.


    President Hu Jintao visited one of China’s poorest regions, Guizhou, where he prepared traditional cakes.


    In Vietnam, traditional dishes made from chicken were off the menu as the country battles to contain a deadly outbreak of bird flu.


    In the Indonesian province of Aceh, ethnic Chinese have held somewhat muted new year celebrations.


    Many gathered at temples to mourn the dead from last year’s tsunami disaster. An estimated 600 Contact dating free online service died in the disaster.


    Businesses and government offices across Asia were closed on Wednesday to mark the beginning of year 4072 in the Chinese calendar.

    LUNAR NEW YEAR
    Model roosters in China - 8/2/05
    Dates from 2600 BC
    A complete cycle takes 60 years, divided into 12 year elements
    Each of these 12 years is named after an animal
    The year you were born is said to influence your absolutely free online dating service
    Rooster years can often bring bad luck
    Past Rooster years: 1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993
    In pictures: New Year celebrations
    Send us your experiences


    In Beijing, tens of thousands of people braved the icy wind to visit temples and pray for good fortune.


    “I hope my work will go smoothly and my parents will have good health,” civil servant Liu Yijue told the French news agency AFP.


    Millions of other Chinese had already left the cities to travel back to their hometowns to be with their families for the most important holiday of the year.


    In Hong Kong, hundreds of people trekked to the Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree to write a wish on a piece of paper, tie it to an orange and throw it into the tree’s branches.


    In Malaysia, where 30% of the population is ethnic Chinese, many people are said to have ignored a ban on fireworks, to set off firecrackers to mark the start of the new year.


    In Taiwan, newly appointed Prime Minister Frank Hsieh said he wished for improved relations between Beijing and Taipei in the coming year.


    “I wish for good weather in Taiwan and happiness for the people. I also hope for cross-strait and social stability, and a prosperous economy,” he is quoted as saying.


    In the Chinese mainland, President Hu - who spent the holiday at the home of a family from the impoverished Miao minority in China’s south - also spoke of social cohesion.

    Local residents burn incenses and pray for luck at Hsing Tien Temple in Taipei, 9 feb

    Many Taiwanese went to temples to pray for the coming year


    “Our country is a united, multi-ethnic socialist country. Every ethnic group has made an important contribution to our nation’s development and progress,” he said.


    Even the people of secretive North Korea are reported to have joined the new year celebrations, according to the state’s official KCNA news agency.


    Pyongyang is said to be festooned with colourful decorations and national flags.


    In contrast to the top rated online dating service review
    atmosphere, an 100 free online dating service
    human rights group said on Wednesday that the number of executions in China had soared in the run-up to the new year holiday.


    According to Amnesty International, at least 650 people were executed in the two months leading up to the new year - 200 of them in the last fortnight.

    News - Croat suspect denies war crimes

    May 19th, 2008 by johnnyshi

    Croatian war crimes suspect General Ante Gotovina has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes at the Hague tribunal.


    He was online sex dating
    there on Saturday from Spain, where he was arrested last Wednesday, after four years on the run.


    He is charged with atrocities against Croatian Serbs during the Balkan wars, including the murder of 150 in Krajina.


    Tens of thousands of Croats dating game online rpg
    on Sunday in Split in support of a man some regard as a hero.


    Indictment


    The 14-page indictment was read out to the defendant in court.


    “Gotovina knew or had reason to know that forces under his effective control were about to murder Krajina Serbs,” it said.

    CHARGES AGAINST GOTOVINA
    Persecutions on political, racial and religious grounds, deportation and other inhumane acts (forced displacement) - three counts of crimes against humanity
    Other inhumane acts - one count of crimes against humanity
    Murder - one count of violations of the laws or customs of war
    Plunder of public or private property and wanton adult compare dating online site
    of cities, towns or villages - two counts of violations of the laws or customs of war


    “Gotovina failed to take necessary and reasonable measures to prevent the commission of such acts or punish the perpetrators thereof.”


    Prosecutors accuse him of belonging to a joint criminal enterprise with the late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and others.


    The indictment, dating from 2001, says they planned the ethnic cleansing of Serbs from their dating online single uk
    republic of Krajina in Croatia, during Operation Storm in 1995.


    Gen Gotovina is charged with responsibility for the alleged murder of about 150 Serbs, persecution, and the deportation of thousands.


    About 200,000 Serbs - many elderly - were forced out of the region during the offensive.


    Nato search


    Gen Gotovina, 50, was the tribunal’s third-most-wanted suspect.


    He was seized in Spain’s Canary Islands.

    GEN ANTE GOTOVINA
    Born 12 Oct 1955
    Fought in French Foreign Legion
    Commanded Croatian forces against Serb forces in Krajina region, 1995
    Early retirement, 2000
    Indicted for war crimes in Krajina, 2001
    Arrested in Tenerife, Dec 2005
    Profile: Ante Gotovina

    The Hague’s chief prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, is pressing for the two top fugitives, Bosnian Serbs Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, to face justice.


    Nato troops stepped up the search for Mr Karadzic on Monday, searching property in Pale - the suspect’s stronghold during the Bosnian war.


    They searched the home of former St John Radio director, Dragan Stajcic, who Nato says is suspected of being part of Mr Karadzic’s support network.

    News - Commission for Africa: Yared Mussie

    May 17th, 2008 by johnnyshi

    Godwin Emejuobi:

    Port Harcourt, Nigeria

    “God is the help of Africa”

    Kasozi Lubega:

    Kampala, Uganda

    “Gain power without conflict”

    Ousman Njie:

    Cairo, Egypt

    “Reaffirming British interests”

    Samantha Smit:

    Lusaka, Zambia

    “Teachers and textbooks”

    Iqbal Jhazbhay:

    Pretoria, South Africa

    “Development and stability”

    Yared Mussie:

    Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    “Uncompetitive in business”

    Trevor Simumba:

    Freetown, Sierra Leone

    “We have to help ourselves first”

    Amboka Wameyo:

    Arusha, Tanzania

    “Africa should be trusted”

    African voices: See where our panel live

    Enlarge Image

    Political security for the government and its citizens is both a basic but yet a paramount necessity for economic growth to take place.

    Once political stability is guaranteed, the Commission should create a system or programme in which developed nations’ companies and agencies partner with African business communities in efforts to upgrade their business management in terms of human resource and technology.

    Such a programme will in the future accommodate the enmeshing of business culture and investment between Africa and the rest of the world, thus in effect making Africa a real actor in world affairs.



    Meles Zenawi is enthusiastic about the role the Commission can play


    Click here to read Africa diary: Ethiopia’s challenge by the BBC’s world affairs dating india online site web
    , Peter Biles

    Africa must be able to compete in the global market and add hard currency value to its raw materials by turning them into finished products.

    Finally, the last but by no means least of the problems is the issue of debt.

    Debt is a real obstacle for already impoverished African states who are struggling just to attain basic needs and sustainable growth.

    And so a way must be found to entirely cancel all their foreign debts.

    But a further step must be taken to prevent more debt accumulation by issuing grants instead of loans.


    Your comments:



    If we have the same objective, that is, the economical well being of Africa, without a hidden agenda, we all will arrive at the same conclusion


    Seifek, USA

    All the comments on this subject are valid. However, there is one thing for sure. No condition in Africa is a permanent condition. In the long run, all conditions are temporary. Be it political, economical, social or cultural, we Africans as brothers and sisters need to fight corruption in the continent and need to have the same objective. If we have the same objective, that is, the economical well being of Africa, without a hidden agenda, we all will arrive at the same conclusion. It is time, with all the due respect for all, to stop bickering at each other and start working towards economics of interdependency.

    No one country is mutually exclusively successful without including other nation states. We have to avoid the pit falls and the land mines of corruption as well as dictatorship in the continent. That is, we have to stop the negatives and do more of the positives. I sound more largest online dating
    ; however, my dream is more visionary. Visionary is where it starts! As they say, it is what it is. Tell me about economics of Africa, I will listen. Tell me about the starving children of Africa who have died before the age of two, I will listen. However, if you tell me about bickering at each other, I have no time.
    Seifek, USA

    I agree with you about the problem for Africa to eliminate poverty and HIV, but also malaria. The African government needs to have a positive attitude for the people and then we will eliminate a bad culture and develop a good culture.
    Tesfaye, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia



    Africa needs a genuine cancellation of debts and establishment of fair trade agreements


    Haile, Norfolk, USA

    I don’t agree with your opinion regarding the so-called African commission created by Mr Tony Blair. African Commission? What for? Africans don’t need any messiah like Mr Tony Blair. In the first place, what was the basic need and urgency for the creation of such forum while there exists a bunch of indigenous organizations that can work in the given environment? If Mr Tony Blair is for real, he should have never voted against the poor African farmers at the WTO summit.

    Our problems are ourselves; the continent is suffocated by those merciless, inapt, and corrupted leaders. If his motives are genuine and he has got the guts, he has to tell to those blood suckers to abide by the rule of law. Mr Tony Blair has to tell his counterparts in Europe and the USA to freeze the accounts of those corrupted leaders and their families as he has been doing against some alleged terrorist free michigan specialty dating site
    . Moreover, what Africa needed is not a replica of organizations or commissions. Africa needs a genuine cancellation of debts and establishment of fair trade agreements.
    Haile, Norfolk, USA

    Seifek has a point, Africa will never be free online dating in canada
    viable until its tribal disputes are resolved - too many countries are in the middle of some form of civil war. A United States of Africa is not however the way to resolve these problems. All countries have some form of internal friction but most can over come tribal differences and put the country first. Too many times in Africa politicians represent the needs of their tribe over the country, this leads to internal disputes and helps create totalitarian states. Until people within African countries accept that the country must come first development is going to be hard to achieve.
    Rob, Bristol, UK



    The only way Africa will enjoy an economy of interdependency is by removing the economic boundaries


    Seifek, USA

    Your comment is absolutely on the money. In order to have economic growth, the foundation is political stability, and then the division of Africa into tribalism and nationalism. The only way Africa will enjoy an economy of interdependency is by removing the economic boundaries. Benefits of economies of scale can only come from large scale of production and large scale market for consumption. It is time that we created a United States of Africa.
    Seifek, USA

    To Seifek, USA: You have to be joking! Africa is not ready for United States of Africa. We are about a century and a half away from that! We all have to develop economically at the same pace for us to be equals in that way. However, I do believe that if Africa cut out the middle men and traded by themselves, they could do wonders.
    Juliet, Harare, Zimbabwe



    Stop the blame game and face the reality


    Agyenim Boateng, USA

    My brother, stop the blame game and face the reality. How do you expect Africa to be competitive in business when every loan, grant and gift given to us to support our economy is stolen by our so-called leaders? The sad part is where the stolen money ends up; back to foreign accounts of our politicians in developed nations. Who are the richest people in Africa? Are they not politicians? How did they earn their wealth? The African way… corruption and stealing from the masses. We need to face the ugly facts and uproot them from our societies instead of blaming the white man for the problems we’ve created ourselves.
    Agyenim Boateng, Elk Grove, USA

    To Agyenim Boateng, USA: I agree with you. We cannot keep blaming the West every time we think or search for solutions to our problems. But we must also inform them in every way that their evil/cynical intentions are not welcomed these days in Africa. Look at Belgium, who can disagree with me that it is not all the gold and other resources of the Congo (Ex-Zaire) that built that nation. And France with its reliance on exploiting the African continent. Russia and China have done nothing to help the African continent, but they always come there to exploit and at the same time criticise US policies. These nations were critical of the war in Iraq simply because they wanted to gain favour from Islamic countries of the Middle East. Petrol, diamond, gold is all the business. I am not in support of the war in Iraq but I want to be realistic, the West must understand that people from developing nations cannot be fooled every time.
    Rexon, Cameroonian in UK/Sweden

    To Agyenim Boateng, USA: You are right, corruption is definitely a major problem in Africa. I know we must all ask ourselves where does all development money from the World Bank, IMF and UN go to. Yes I am pretty sure that a good portion of that money is canada dating online service
    to some top leaders to buy luxuries. But also I know for a fact that some of that money that is made available to local governments and agencies dealing with let’s say HIV/Aids does not all get used for some reason. There would be money available in the budget but perhaps maybe only half of it used. And in the end what happens is that in the coming year that same donor aid fund will not be there again because they see that it is not being used and they will either give the money to some other country or entirely just not give that amount of funds next time around. Our governments need to inform civil societies of funds that are readily available from donor nations that essentially go to help the public at large.
    Yared Mussie, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia



    Past is past, and we must move on to the present and future, and look for better solutions


    MJ, USA

    To Agyenim Boateng, USA: Who is blaming who and what? Nothing in the article said anything about anyone blaming the white man for Africa’s many problems. At the same time not all of the problems that Africa has were created by ourselves if you really take a good look at it, but anyway, past is past, and we must move on to the present and future, and look for better solutions. If Africa can push themselves to join institutions like the UN Security Council (as a permanent member), and continue to be more forceful in WTO talks and negotiations and become and remain united on issues then gradually the continent will improve. Countries should trade within the continent more and more also to boost trade so that economies will grow. More focus should be given to education, the environment, healthcare and resources as well.
    MJ, Woodbridge, Virgina, USA

    Posted in Ethnic dating | No Comments »

    News - Labour ‘facing minorities test’

    May 15th, 2008 by johnnyshi

    Labour’s duty to ethnic minorities will be tested by its choice of candidate to fight a general election in the “least white constituency”, a race group says.


    Operation Black Vote (OBV) says the case for “all-black” shortlists will be stronger if a white candidate wins the all-women contest to stand in West Ham.


    OBV is urging the five black and Asian candidates in the multi-ethnic east London constituency to “unite”.


    It says one of two white candidates will win if the black vote is split.


    Black dating online service


    Ethnic minorities make up 8% of the United Kingdom population but only 2% of MPs - 13 out of 659.


    If ethnic minorities were represented in the House of Commons in proportion to their numbers in the population, there would be 42 ethnic minority MPs.


    The Labour party leadership has admitted it needs to address the issue surrounding the number of ethnic minority MPs, but the party was unavailable for further comment ahead of Saturday’s contest.


    Party chairman Ian McCartney recently announced a consultation exercise on all-black shortlists.


    A spokesman for OBV, which describes itself as an initiative to focus ethnic dating on the black democratic deficit in the UK, said Saturday’s contest was so close that second preference votes would be “critical”.

    West Ham’s ethnic mix
    White: 45%
    Black: 28%
    Asian: 18%
    Mixed race: 4%
    Chinese: 5%
    Female lists ‘bar minorities’


    Ashok Alternative dating services said: “We have asked some of the candidates who aren’t the front-runners to ask their supporters to give their second preference to one of the two front-runners,” Mr Vishwanathan said.


    OBV has argued the failure of all-women shortlists so far to deliver an ethnic minority prospective parliamentary candidate for the next election means Labour should introduce ethnic minority-only shortlists.


    The Commission for Racial Equality is also calling for ethnic minority-only shortlists in certain dating online sim
    such as those in West Ham.


    Figures from the 2001 Census showed the constituency of West Ham, where veteran MP Tony Banks is standing down, has an ethnic minority population of 55%.


    “It would be terribly disappointing if in the least white constituency in the whole of Europe, we didn’t have a minority candidate,” CRE chairman Trevor Phillips said last month.


    Tories ‘on course’


    Twelve of the 13 black or Asian MPs at Westminster represent Labour. However, critics such as OBV say the Conservatives, who currently have no minority MPs, are on course to get more new ethnic MPs elected to the next Parliament than Labour.

    MINORITY MPs
    Diane Abbott (Lab)
    Paul Boateng (Lab)
    Parmjit Dhanda (Lab)
    Mark Hendrick (Lab)
    Piara Khabra (Lab)
    Oona King (Lab)
    Ashok Kumar (Lab)
    Khalid Mahmood (Lab)
    David Lammy (Lab)
    Mohammad Sarwar (Lab)
    Marsha Singh (Lab)
    Parmjit Singh Gill (Lib Dem)
    Keith Vaz (Lab)


    The Conservatives have selected a black man - Adam Afriyie - for Windsor and an Asian - Shailesh Vara - for North West Online dating game
    . Both seats are currently held by the Tories.


    They also have two ethnic minority candidates in seats with only a slim Labour majority.


    To date, only two candidates of ethnic minority origin - Sadiq Khan and Shahid Malik - have been selected by Labour to stand in seats currently held by the party.


    An Asian woman, Yasmin Quereshi, has been selected to stand in Brent East in north-west London after an open selection contest.


    Brent East had been the long-time seat of Ken Livingstone.


    The Lib Dems won a by-election there called in the wake of the death of Paul Daisley after a long battle with cancer.



    Posted in Ethnic dating | No Comments »

    News - BBC’s China Week selections

    May 14th, 2008 by johnnyshi

    From 7-13 March, BBC News is taking an especially close look at China, asking what the country’s rapid change means for its own people, and for the rest of the world.


    Listed below are some of the programmes you can listen to or watch. More details are available from programme webpage listed on the right.


    All times are for UK audiences.


    CHINA WEEK TV AND RADIO

    A selection of China Week broadcasts

    Time

    Channel

    Programme

    Mon 7th

    0600-0900

    Radio Five Live

    100 free online dating service
    - Tour of Shanghai

    0600-0930

    BBC 1

    Breakfast - Working Life

    0645 onwards

    News 24/BBC World

    China Live

    0900-1200

    Radio Five Live

    Victoria Derbyshire - Education

    1206

    World Service

    Outlook - Beijing One Year On

    1645

    World Service

    Analysis - Democracy

    1800

    BBC 1

    Six O’Clock News - Economy

    1906

    World Service

    China’s World

    2200

    BBC 1

    Ten O’Clock News - Economy

    2230

    BBC 2

    Newsnight - Class Structure

    Tue 8th

    0600-0900

    Radio Five Live

    Breakfast - Beijing Olympics

    0600-0930

    BBC 1

    Breakfast - Business With China

    0900-1200

    Radio Five Live

    Victoria Derbyshire - Shanghai

    1206

    World Service

    Outlook - Beijing’s Students

    1602

    Radio 4

    Nice Work - Working Life

    1800

    BBC 1

    Six O’Clock News - Freedom/Rights

    1906

    World Service

    China’s World

    2200

    BBC 1

    Ten O’Clock News - Freedom/Rights

    2230

    BBC 2

    Newsnight - 100 free online dating service

    Wed 9th

    0600-0930

    BBC 1

    Breakfast - Family Life

    0645 onwards

    News 24/BBC World

    China Live

    1206

    World Service

    Outlook - Dating in Beijing

    1800

    BBC 1

    Six O’Clock News - Three Gorges Dam

    1906

    World Service

    China’s World

    2200

    BBC 1

    Ten O’Clock News - Three Gorges Dam

    2200

    BBC 4

    Beijing Boot Camp - military training

    2230

    BBC 2

    Newsnight - Tianjin, China’s Third City

    Thu 10th

    0600-0930

    BBC 1

    Breakfast - Economic Impact on Daily Lives

    1206

    World Service

    Outlook - More from Beijing

    1645

    World Service

    Analysis - Quest for Raw Materials

    1800

    BBC 1

    Six O’Clock News - Ethnic Minorities

    1906

    World Service

    China’s World

    2235

    BBC 1

    Question Time - From Shanghai

    Fri 11th

    1206

    World Service

    Outlook - More from Beijing

    1230

    BBC 1

    China: From Rags to Riches?

    1645

    World Service

    Analysis - China and Walmart

    1906

    World Service

    China’s World

    2200

    Radio 4

    The World Tonight - Usa online dating site
    in Shanghai

    Sun 13th

    1000-1155

    Radio Five Live

    From Chongqing

    1406

    BBC World/World Service

    Talking Point from Beijing


    Posted in Ethnic dating | No Comments »

    News - Bailiffs clear travellers’ plots

    May 13th, 2008 by johnnyshi


    Police and bailiffs have moved onto a online specialty dating ads
    site in Essex to clear part of the land after the district council declared the camp illegal.


    About 50 officers supported an dating meeting online service
    order from Basildon Council to enter the site at Five Acres Farm, Hovefields Drive, Wickford.


    Bailiffs have used diggers to clear four vacant plots.


    The council is prevented from evicting families after injunctions were granted pending judicial review hearings.


    ‘Ethnic cleansing’


    Grattan Puxon, a travellers’ representative, who was on site on Tuesday said: “These planning chat dating online uk
    are a smokescreen for ethnic cleansing. There is no other word for it.”


    A spokesman for Basildon District Council told the BBC: “Police will secure the site to prevent further incursions.


    “Injunctions obtained by travellers pending judicial review hearings prevent Tuesday’s action being extended to these occupied plots.”


    The council said Hovefields had been the subject of a number of enforcement notices dating from 1998 and travellers were occupying the site illegally.


    The site near Basildon is home to about 40 families with between 10 and 14 seeking a judicial review of the council’s decision which was taken on 24 January, to evict them.

    Posted in Ethnic dating | No Comments »


    Close
    E-mail It