The Guardian 5 April, 2006
Global briefs
PALESTINE: The Palestine National Information Centre has released a report describing the impact of the Israeli occupation on the everyday lives of Palestinians covering the period since the start of the second Intifada (popular uprising) in 2000. The report documents the loss of life and homes, confiscation of land, disruption of livelihoods, bulldozed buildings, trees uprooted, animals killed and water wells and beehives destroyed. The report says 4,298 Palestinians have been killed, including 801 children and 272 women. About 9,200 prisoners are held in 28 detention camps. Of these, 1,389 are of high school or college age, 319 are children as young as 11 years old and 205 are teachers. The report also documents the whole or partial destruction of 71,470 Palestinian homes and 645 Palestinian government buildings. It says 12 universities have been closed, 1,125 schools having experienced extended closures, 272,000 workers are unemployed and the poverty rate is 53.5 percent.
JAPAN: Local and regional elected officials joined young families, students and the elderly for a rally in Ginowan City, Okinawa, last month to voice their opposition to plans for a new US air base on the coast of Okinawa. The 35,000 demonstrators heard conservatives and progressives alike speak out against the plans, urging the Japanese Government to heed Okinawan residents, many of whom carried signs saying, "We won’t yield an inch anywhere in Okinawa for a new US base." Akamine Seiken, a deputy to the Parliament and member of the Japanese Communist Party, told the rally, "Constructing the base plan is the worst option for residents. Let us reject it." Ginowan City Mayor Iha Yoichi voiced an additional demand of the rally, calling for closure of the US Marine base camp at Futenma.
PORTUGAL: In a meeting hosted by the Portuguese Communist Party, representatives of 23 European Communist parties and other left forces met in Lisbon last month to exchange views on the social and political situations in each country, common problems and the European Union. The discussion included security and cooperation in Europe, the attack on labour and public services, the increasing restriction of individual rights under the pretext of the "war on terror," and the struggles against racism, xenophobia and anti-communism. Participants expressed support for the dissolution of NATO and removal of all foreign troops from European soil, and opposition to the Bush administration’s war on Iraq. They reaffirmed making Europe and the Mediterranean a place of peace, progress and demilitarisation.