Global Briefs
USA: Hundreds of American soldiers have been killed in the US's recent wars. But tens of thousands return only to develop terrible medical problems. An estimated 573,000 veterans were involved in the Gulf War (1991). Official reports give the number of casualties in battle as 148 killed and 467 wounded. However, the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs are paying out medical disability payments to 221,000 Gulf War veterans. Another 52,000 have claims in for the same status. In other words, 39 per cent of all the vets who fought in the Gulf War have already been determined by the military to be disabled. If the outstanding claims are recognised then the figure would be almost 50 percent! The rate of approved medical disability claims during World War II was 6.6 per cent; in Korea it was five per cent, and Vietnam 9.6 per cent. Depleted uranium was extensively used in the 1991 war and is being widely used in Iraq now.* * * BRITAIN: Britain has bowed to pressure from the US to keep the name of Victor Bout, an arms trafficker, off a list of those subject to planned UN sanctions. Bout, previously described by British officials as a "merchant of death", is allegedly being used by the US to help supply coalition troops in Iraq.* * * CHINA: China will spend US$1.4 billion on poverty relief programs in 2004. Government spending on anti-poverty measures has been consistently high in recent years. The 2004 allocation represents an increase of almost US$100 million over last year.* * * INDONESIA: Indonesia's former ruling Golkar party was pronounced the winner of April's general election with 21.6 per cent of the vote. President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI-P) was second with 18.5 per cent. It was way below the 1999 result when it won more than a third of the votes. The first direct presidential elections will take place in July.* * * HAITI: Hundreds of Haitians, many barefoot, were repatriated by two US Coast Guard cutters after being caught at sea foiling their attempts to start new lives in the USA. Most of those interviewed said that they were fleeing political persecution and an upsurge in violence, looting, vandalism and accompanying fear. The US coastguard said that it had returned 651 men, women and children. A total of 1948 Haitians have been found at sea and returned home so far this year compared with 1490 in the whole of 2003. Earlier in the month Caribbean officials indefinitely postponed a meeting of national security ministers with US Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge because of major differences over Haiti. The 15-member regional bloc, Caricom does not recognise the US-installed Haitian interim government. The Caribbean community has called for a UN investigation of Haitian President Aristide's departure from Haiti in February this year.