Democracy & Civics

Outsourcing Motherhood

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Scores of impoverished Indian women are selling their services as childbearers to foreign couples who either cannot, or don’t want to, bear their own children, reports the Daily Mail. Using an Indian surrogate mother is less expensive and less complicated than paying a Western mother for the same services — and in some cases, the surrogate offers her own eggs as well. The number of surrogate mothers in India has nearly doubled in the past three years, while surrogacy agencies are springing up to handle the caseload. Indian doctors are helping make the arrangements, even setting up a bungalow for surrogate mothers with a cook, a cleaner and English classes, according to India’s Daily News and Analysis. They say becoming a surrogate for childless couples is a “noble deed.”

World

Canadian Officials Knew of Afghan Torture, Records Show

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Secret documents obtained by court order show Canadian ministers were well aware of torture, rape and other abuse occurring at Afghan prisons filled with detainees that Canadian soldiers had turned over to Afghanistan’s secret police. According to the Globe and Mail, Canadian inspectors noted that prison floors were covered in “blood and feces” and that some prisoners were shackled at all times, according to the government report. They also knew a juvenile detention facility had been overseen by a warden accused of rape, and that the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission was barred by police from investigating abuse of detainees in the prisons. Yet Gordon O’Connor, the defense minister at the time, told the House of Commons that the Commission “has assured us … it is able to monitor all the prisoners,” despite his being told otherwise by Canadian diplomats the day before.

World

Rendition Inquiry Looks to Ukraine

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An Italian European Union minister wants human rights officials to investigate “strong and specific” evidence that the Ukrainian government was complicit in building a prison on its military base to hold and torture CIA detainees, reports the EU Observer. The minister cites a document suggesting that a Gulfstream jet known to be used by the CIA landed in the country five times in August 2005, with Ukrainian approval. The Ukrainian government calls the charges “nonsense.” A previous report, adopted by the EU legislature, concluded there were “over 1,000” secret stopover flights in the EU since 2001, and that detention facilities were known to exists, “particularly in Poland and Romania.” Source:
“EU investigator targets Ukraine in fresh CIA allegations”
EU Observer, November 14, 2007

World

$40 Million Stolen from Nigerian Aid Plan, Ex-Official Probed

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British and Nigerian officials are investigating possibly illict payments from Shell and Chevron into the bank account of former Nigerian state governor James Ibori, reports the Sunday Times. Ibori allegedly laundered $40 million meant for education and engineering projects through British banks, using part of the money instead to buy luxury cars. The investigation is also scrutinizing payments from Shell and Chevron that went directly to Ibori’s businesses in Nigeria to pay for houseboats for oil employees. Though he has not yet been charged with anything, Ibori is “desperate” to prove his innocence. Source:
“Governor ‘hid stolen 20m’ in UK banks”
Times (U.K.), November 18, 2007
LEARN MORE ABOUT NIGERIA’S OIL INDUSTRY:
“U.S. Courts Tackle Foreign Abuses / Energy corporations question ‘law of nations'”
Newsdesk.org, July 26, 2004
“Nigeria I — Wiwa v. Shell”
Newsdesk.org, May 13, 2002
“Nigeria II — Bowoto v. Chevron”
Newsdesk.org, May 13, 2002

Democracy & Civics

Families Asunder over International Adoption Woes

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Several countries are tightening their adoption laws to avoid kidnapping scandals, such as the recent confrontation in Chad over a French charity group’s attempt to take 103 children out of the country. The new restrictions highlight the huge international demand for adoptions, and the lack of adequate safeguards, standards and corruption-prevention in many of the nations providing children for adoption. Another result of the changes, however, is thousands of disappointed American parents. The regulatory changes could affect as many as 4,000 children who were already bound for adoptive homes in other countries, reports the Lawrence Journal-World in Kansas. One prospective parent of a Nepalese child told the Journal-World that she feared for the health and development of children in overcrowded Nepalese orphanages.

Democracy & Civics

No Safe Haven: Oklahoma Shuts out Illegal Immigrants

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A new Oklahoma law targeting undocumented workers is among the most punitive in the nation, making it illegal to “hire, transport or house an illegal immigrant.” The law also authorizes police to help federal immigration officials enforce existing immigration laws. Employers found to have hired undocumented workers will be penalized, and the state will not provide any services to illegal residents beyond what is required by federal law. Proponents of the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizens Act say it reduces a growing “national security threat,” reports the government-funded Voice of America news service. But opponents say the law is discriminatory — and has already had unintended consequences.

Economy

Land Struggles Sour India Economic Zones

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Controversy follows the violent deaths of 21 protesters who opposed the creation of a “special economic zone” in India’s West Bengal district, reports Agence France-Presse. Activists say the deaths highlight the dangers of land seizures to create industrial areas that largely benefit multinational corporations. Such conversions are common in nations such as China, where small fishing and farming villages are transformed into economic powerhouses. The Indian villagers, from the district of Nandigram, oppose the local Marxist government’s plans to acquire 14,500 acres for an industrial park and petrochemical hub. Nearly 150 special economic zones already exist in India, employing 41,000 people.

Democracy & Civics

Tribal Loyalty May Bridge Iraq's Sectarian Divide

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Iraqi tribal chiefs from the Sunni-dominated Anbar province held talks last week with counterparts in Shia-dominated Qadissiya Province. Their goal — to find a peaceful, government-backed solution to the current sectarian violence in both provinces, according to the Azzaman newspaper. Although divided by religion, Sunnis and Shia are often members of the same tribe. Tribal leaders want to leverage this loyalty to stop the violence, oust al Qaeda forces, and support a push for “national reconciliation.” Source:
“Sunni, Shiite tribes unite to fight Qaeda”
Azzaman (Iraq), November 7, 2007

Democracy & Civics

FCC Tries to Sneak Through Looser Media Rules, Protesters Say

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Among the 200 people who signed up to speak at an FCC hearing on media consolidation in Seattle last week were many who are convinced the Republican-controlled panel has already decided to loosen existing media ownership rules. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, who was greeted with catcalls and boos at the meeting, wants a vote on changing ownership rules next month, reports the Seattle Times. The FCC loosened some of those rules in 2003, enabling a company to own more than one type of media outlet in a local market. But the move was struck down by a federal appeals court. Proponents say restrictions on media ownership aren’t an issue anymore because the Internet has given people access to more diverse media.

Democracy & Civics

Anti-Gay Russian Churches Growing in U.S.

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The beating death of a gay man by a group of Russian-speaking men in Sacramento this summer highlighted the growing trend of anti-gay extremists in western U.S. states that hail from Slavic countries. These men, second- or third-generation immigrants from Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union, are part of an international evangelical Christian movement known as the Watchmen of the Walls. The right-wing group has churches in Sacramento, Seattle and Portland that organize virulently anti-gay marches. Gay activists are routinely harassed during demonstrations, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Source:
“The Latvian connection/ West Coast anti-gay movement on the march”
Intelligence Report (Southern Poverty Law Center), Fall 2007