Pakistani honey project wins World Challenge 08

Dear Friends and Supporters,

It gives us great pleasure to announce that Hashoo Foundation’s “Women Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming Project” – Plan Bee – is the winner of the prestigious BBC

World Challenge 08 Competition.

http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/html/index.php

The Hashoo Foundation Team, its Board of Directors, and the Women Beekeepers in the Northern Areas of Pakistan would like to thank you for taking the time to vote and participate

in this remarkable success.  Your contribution will help improve the economic and social well being of the Beekeepers and their families in the remote regions of Pakistan.

http://www.hashoofoundation.org/win_twc.html

The World Challenge 08 Final Competition and Award Ceremony will be broadcast on BBC World News on Sunday, December 21 at 7:30 AM; 3:30 PM; and 9:30 PM Central Time.

Please check the schedule for your Time Zone in the link below.

http://www.bbcworldnews.com/Pages/Schedules.aspx?

The World Challenge Awards Supplement will be published in Newsweek Magazine and will be available on Monday, December 22^nd.

Thank you again for supporting the Hashoo Foundation. Your vote truly made the difference!

With sincere gratitude,

Cristal

Cristal Montañéz Baylor
Executive Director
Hashoo Foundation USA

BBC World News Press Office

Media Centre, 201 Wood Lane, London, W12 7TQ

Pakistani honey project wins World Challenge 08

London, 19 December 2008. This Saturday (20 December) BBC World News broadcasts the final programme of the World Challenge 08 series, announcing Plan Bee as the winner. The Pakistani project helps female beekeepers boost their income by selling high quality honey.

The northern areas of Pakistan are among the poorest and most isolated regions in the country. Effective development assistance has yet to reach these hilly, remote areas and it is the women and children who are most affected. The only workable and sustainable solution is to capitalise on local resources, building on what is achievable as well as culturally acceptable. Established by the Hashoo Foundation, Plan Bee enables honeybee farmers to earn more than twice the price they would in the local market, while making the most of their skills and environment without placing pressure on the local ecosystem.

World Challenge is a major global competition that rewards businesses and projects that put something back into their communities. It is run by BBC World News, the BBC’s international news and information television channel, and Newsweek, the weekly global current affairs magazine, in association with Shell. Now in its fourth year World Challenge is still popular, with more than 71,000 people around the world voting online for their favourite finalist in the 2008 competition.

A special programme airs on BBC World News this weekend, showcasing the awards ceremony hosted by the BBC’s Zeinab Badawi, where Plan Bee receive a US$20,000 prize grant from Shell.

Two runner-up projects are each awarded US$10,000 by Shell. First runner-up is Agriculture School, which trains young people from rural Paraguay how to use sustainable and organic agriculture to generate income. Second runner-up is Shanti Sewa Griha, a Nepalese initiative dedicated to giving leprosy victims and others afflicted by disease and physical disability, a productive place in society.

Paul Gibbs, Head of Programmes, BBC World News says: “The quality of the projects and businesses featured in World Challenge should inspire many other entrepreneurs. Its continued success and popularity demonstrates the increasing international awareness and interest in outstanding global initiatives in the field of sustainable development. BBC World News is extremely proud of World Challenge.”

Rhona Murphy, Publisher and Managing Director, Newsweek International says: “World Challenge 08 has shown that the efforts of ordinary men and women all over the globe can make a huge difference, reinvigorating our communities while helping to restore the Earth. We are proud to collaborate with Shell and BBC World News on this innovative, solution-oriented programme.”

Roxanne Decyk, Director of Corporate Affairs, Shell says: “This year’s winner is a shining example of how a business can harness natural resources in a manner which is sustainable and benefits the wider community. All finalists this year have demonstrated innovative ways of tackling health, employment and environmental challenges in their communities, and World Challenge recognises their achievements. We look forward to continuing to support this inspiring competition.”

ENDS

For further information contact:

BBC World News Press Office

Tel: + 44 208 433 2419

E-mail: bbcworldnewspressoffice@bbc.com

Jan Angilella, Newsweek
Tel:   + 1 212 445 5638
Email: jan.angilella@newsweek.com

Synagogue attack stokes Jewish fears that Chavez is inspiring anti-Semitism in Venezuela

By FABIOLA SANCHEZ

Associated Press Writer

1:36 PM EST, February 6, 2009

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — As President Hugo Chavez intensifies his anti-Israel campaign, some Venezuelans have taken action, threatening Jews in the street and vandalizing the largest synagogue in Caracas — where they stole a database of names and addresses.

Now many in Venezuela’s Jewish community fear the worst is yet to come.

Chavez has personally taken care not to criticize Israelis or Jews while accusing Israel’s government of genocide against the Palestinians. He vehemently denies inciting religious intolerance, let alone violence.

But Venezuela’s Jewish leaders, the Organization of American States and the U.S. State Department say Chavez’s harsh criticism has inspired a growing list of hate crimes, including a Jan. 30 invasion of Caracas’ largest synagogue.

About 15 people overpowered two security guards at the Tiferet Israel Synagogue, shattering religious objects and spray-painting “Jews, get out” on the walls. Most worrisome, according to Elias Farache, president of the Venezuelan-Israelite Association, was their theft of a computer database containing many names and addresses of Jews in Venezuela.

Police are now posted outside and authorities are investigating, but nobody has been arrested.

One week before the attack, a Chavista columnist named Emilio Silva posted a call to action on Aporrea, a pro-government Web site, describing Jews as “filthy” anti-Chavez conspirators and exhorting Venezuelans to confront them.

“Publicly challenge every Jew that you find in the street, shopping center or park,” he wrote, “shouting slogans in favor of Palestine and against that abortion: Israel.”

Silva called for protests at the synagogue, a boycott of Jewish-owned businesses, seizures of Jewish-owned property, the closure of Jewish schools and a nationwide effort “to denounce publicly, with names and last names the members of powerful Jewish groups present in Venezuela.”

Aporrea later replaced the column with an apology that describes Silva’s posting as anti-Semitic and exhorts Chavistas to show more discipline by criticizing the Israeli government rather than its people or Jews in general.

Silva, a 35-year-old mathematics professor at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela, got the message. He told The Associated Press Friday that he couldn’t comment on the “controversial subject,” and that his “position is to condemn any act that goes against the integrity of any faith or conviction.”

But other anti-Semitic writings by Silva remained on the site Friday, including one posted on Jan. 19, a week before the synagogue attack. That posting also crudely criticized a Venezuelan archbishop for failing to condemn Israel’s Gaza offensive; offices of the Vatican have been tear gassed twice since then.

With criticism mounting, Chavez phoned Farache Thursday night in a conversation broadcast live on state television, and vowed to guarantee the safety of Venezuela’s 15,000 Jews. He condemned the synagogue attack. But he also suggested that it might have been an inside job, and demanded that Jewish leaders publicly recant accusations against his government.

Farache responded saying “we have acted in good faith and with the best intentions to guarantee the tranquility of our community.” He also said that Jews hoped to avoid being exploited by the opposition or by Chavez supporters in the leadup to Venezuela’s constitutional referendum vote on Feb. 15. “Our community is apolitical,” he said.

Hate crimes have escalated despite Chavez’s declaration that his government “rejects any type of aggression against any temple, be it Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, or any other.” A week before the synagogue attack, the Venezuelan Confederation of Israelite Associations gave the attorney general’s office a list of more than a dozen threats against Jews.

The group said one threat involved a rabbi who was leaving a Jewish school in Caracas when two men, one wielding a broken bottle, shouted: “Jew, we are coming for you!” A nearby taxi driver offered refuge and sped him away.

Other Jews have stopped wearing yarmulkes while walking to temple on Friday evenings. Simon Galante said he and his brother now fear for their safety after being accosted by men on motorcycles yelling “Murderers!”

“Thank God, nothing more occurred … we continued walking and ignored the comments, but it’s very sad,” said Galante, who joined a demonstration against the attacks this week.

For some, fear turned to outrage when Chavez suggested his adversaries could be trying to give ammunition to those who accuse him of anti-Semitism. This idea has been promoted in pro-government media outlets that have accused Jews of conspiring against the government.

Venezuela’s Jews include many survivors of World War II, as well as families that have been Venezuelan for two centuries. In the past, Chavez’s enthusiastic support of Iran and other enemies of Israel has done little to threaten their coexistence in an overwhelmingly Catholic country.

Now many Jews fear more trouble ahead.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Los Angeles, California-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, believes Chavez’s rhetoric “has encouraged this atmosphere of hatred which is now being directed against Jews.”

“His hostility against the state of Israel has a ripple effect,” Hier told the AP in a telephone interview. “Those who support him, and listen to his words, are disposed to dislike Jews.”

___

Associated Press writers Christopher Toothaker and Rachel Jones contributed to this report.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Washington Times Front Page: The new Che movie, HRF, and the Historical Record

Washington Times Front Page: The new Che movie, HRF, and the Historical Record

WASHINGTON, DC (January 27, 2009)—Human Rights Foundation (HRF) chairman Armando Valladares is extensively quoted in a review of the film Che, published in today’s Washington Times by reporter Sonny Bunch. Che, directed by Steven Soderbergh and released on January 24, depicts the life of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary best known for his friendship with Fidel Castro. What the film does not depict, however, are the violent tactics Guevara used to crush opposition and dissent to Fidel Castro’s revolution—leaving behind a bloody legacy in Cuba.

Actor Benicio del Toro, who portrays Guevara, walked out of an interview with the Times’s Sonny Bunch after refusing to address the film’s inaccurate portrayal of the historical record and the human rights violations committed by Guevara. Valladares, a survivor of Cuba’s concentration camps, stresses that the film threatens to obscure the reality of Guevara’s extremism and the scores of human rights violations he committed in pursuit of revolutionary ideals. “Che Guevara executed dozens and dozens of people who never once stood trial and were never declared guilty,” Valladares said.

Del Toro maintains that Guevara was simply “for capital punishment.” “That characterization is as absurd as saying that the murders carried out by Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pinochet, Somoza, and Ortega are understandable because these dictators were for capital punishment,” says Valladares.

HRF is an international nonpartisan organization devoted to defending human rights in the Americas. It centers its work on the twin concepts of freedom of self-determination and freedom from tyranny. These ideals include the belief that all human beings have the rights to speak freely, to associate with those of like mind, and to leave and enter their countries. Individuals in a free society must be accorded equal treatment and due process under law, and must have the opportunity to participate in the governments of their countries; HRF’s ideals likewise find expression in the conviction that all human beings have the right to be free from arbitrary detainment or exile and from interference and coercion in matters of conscience. HRF does not support nor condone violence. HRF’s International Council includes former prisoners of conscience Vladimir Bukovsky, Palden Gyatso, Armando Valladares, Ramón J. Velásquez, Elie Wiesel, and Harry Wu.

‘What I Want for You — and Every Child in America’

By President-elect Barack Obama

Publication Date: 01/14/2009 Next Tuesday, Barack Obama will be sworn in as our 44th President. On this historic occasion, PARADE asked the President-elect, who is also a devoted family man, to get personal and tell us what he wants for his children. Here, he shares his letter to them.

Dear Malia and Sasha, I know that you’ve both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn’t have let you have. But I also know that it hasn’t always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn’t make up for all the time we’ve been apart. I know how much I’ve missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me-about how I’d make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn’t seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours.

And I realized that my own life wouldn’t count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that’s why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation. I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren’t rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity. I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you’ll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other. Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility. That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something. She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better-and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It’s a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be. I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you’ve had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential. These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That’s why I’ve taken our family on this great adventure. I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.

Love, Dad

A coup against arbitration

Near the close of business on Friday, October 17, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) surreptitiously gave another legal coup.

Complying with the wishes of the President and after resorting to over-elaborate reasoning, the Constitutional Chamber decided that no arbitration, mediation, conciliation or any other form of dispute settlement would be binding on the VenezuelanState unless previously authorized by the government. This decision is in response to a petition for an interpretation of Article 258 of the 1999 Constitution filed by a group of lawyers sympathetic to the government, among them former justice Hildegard Rondón de Sansó.

Once again, the TSJ has disregarded the Constitution or interpreted it in line with Hugo Chávez’s wishes and objectives. The constitutional rule violated on this occasion establishes that “the law will promote arbitration, conciliation, mediation or any other alternative means for settling disputes.”

In the view of the justices of the Constitutional Chamber, the word “promote” does not imply accepting this mandate or making it compulsory or binding.

Apart from the fact that this interpretation looks biased, it seems that consideration was not taken of the fact that Venezuela is signatory to several international treaties that have binding clauses on arbitration, provided the contracts in question contain such a provision. These treaties include those of the InternationalCenter for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the World Bank, and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)

Now, with this decision, Hugo Chávez, the president of PDVSA, Rafael Ramírez, and former justice Rondón de Sansó can brag saying that the decisions handed down by international courts that do no suit their interests are either unconstitutional or not valid in Venezuela and, therefore, they will not abide by them.

But no matter how much they want to ignore it, the point is that Venezuela is under the obligation to accept the decisions of international arbitration courts in the disputes currently under way, among them those of ExxonMobil, Conoco Philips, and Vanessa Ventures, with whom the Venezuelan State signed contracts in which arbitration clauses have been included by mutual accord of the parties.

Were the Venezuelan Government to insist on disregarding the decisions handed down by the arbitration courts, there is a small problem it would find it difficult to solve: the other signatory countries of those treaties would acknowledge and abide by them. Consequently, Venezuela runs a serious risk in the event of a decision in favor of ExxonMobil, Conoco Philips or Vanessa Ventures for having improperly appropriated their assets. For example, PDVSA or any other state-owned company could be liable to confiscation measures abroad against oil tankers on the high seas, vessels loaded with aluminum, bank accounts or facilities outside Venezuela (e.g. Citgo).

That the government and its acolytes in the magistracy think that disregarding the decisions handed down by international arbitration courts will have no negative consequences for the country is naïve, not to say downright irresponsible. Sooner or later, the VenezuelanState will have to respond for the arbitrary actions and illegalities committed by those who today govern the country.

Hugo Chavez arrives in Russia to say hello from Fidel Castro and spend 30 billion dollars

Hugo Chavez arrives in Russia to say hello from Fidel Castro and spend 30 billion dollars

26.09.2008

Source: Pravda.Ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/russia/economics/106471-russia_venezuela-0

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who arrived in Russia with a short visit upon the invitation from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, had his first meeting scheduled with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Chavez said hello to Putin from Fidel Castro. Putin said during the meeting with Chavez that Russia and Venezuela had new horizons of economic cooperation to explore. In particular, Moscow is ready to consider an opportunity of cooperation with Venezuela in the peaceful use of nuclear power. Speaking about the expansion of bilateral ties, Putin emphasized the launch of Gazprom’s first drilling station in the Gulf of Venezuela, which is slated to take place at the end of October. “The cooperation between Russian companies and the Venezuelan state oil company has very good perspectives not only in Venezuela, but in third world countries too,” Putin said. “We have new opportunities opening in the economic field: energy, high technologies, machine-building and petrochemistry. We are ready to consider the question of the joint usage of nuclear power in peaceful purposes,” Putin said. As for the cooperation in the defense industry, Putin said that Russia was determined to realize the agreements on the naval cooperation too. A group of Russian warships is currently traveling to the Atlantic Ocean, Putin reminded. Hugo Chavez expressed his gratitude to Putin for the warm welcome in Moscow and said hello to the Russian prime minister from Cuban leader Fidel Castro. “When I was landing in Moscow I was writing a letter to my friend Fidel, and he asked me to say hello to you, and so did his brother, of course,” Chavez said. “Thank you, dear friend, for inviting me to Moscow,” Chavez told Putin in the Kremlin. Chavez also thanked Putin jokingly for making the visit happening before severe Russian winter weather. Putin pointed out in his conversation with the Venezuelan leader that Latin America was becoming a conspicuous link in the establishment of the multipolar world. Russia will give Venezuela a billion-dollar credit to implement the military and technical cooperation program. Moscow and Caracas have already signed a number of contracts within the scope of the program. The total amount of the signed contracts is evaluated at $4.4 billion, Interfax reports with reference to a source in the Kremlin. The source added that the two countries were running the military cooperation on the base of the intergovernmental agreement and in strict compliance with international obligations and legal norms. A source from the Russian defense complex said that Russia had already delivered 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles (AK-103, a new modification) to Venezuela within the framework of previously signed contracts. There will also be two plants opened in Venezuela soon to assemble the rifles and produce ammunition to them. The two countries also work on the contract to deliver 24 Su-30MK2 fighter jets to Venezuela and about 50 Mil helicopters. Venezuela plans to purchase 20 Tor-M1 missile complexes from Russia and three diesel-electric submarines. The contracts will total one billion US dollars. Venezuela also plans to purchase six non-nuclear submarines and several dozens of warships of different classes from Russia. Russian experts offer Venezuela 14310 Mirage patrol cutters, 12061E Murena-E air cushion amphibious assault landing crafts and mobile missile complexes capable of hitting sea-based targets at the range of up to 130 kilometers. The source added that Caracas plans to spend over $30 billion on military hardware and weapons before 2012 in accordance with the program to rearm the Venezuelan army.

© 1999-2006. «PRAVDA.Ru». When reproducing our materials in whole or in part, hyperlink to PRAVDA.Ru should be made. The opinions and views of the authors do not always coincide with the point of view of PRAVDA.Ru’s editors.

Venezuela: Human Rights Watch Delegation Expelled

(Sao Paulo, September 19, 2008) – The Venezuelan government’s expulsion of two Human Rights Watch staff underscores the Chávez administration’s increasing intolerance of dissenting views, Human Rights Watch said today. The government expelled José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, and Americas deputy director Daniel Wilkinson on September 18, 2008, hours after they held a news conference in Caracas to present a report that describes how the government of President Hugo Chávez has weakened democratic institutions and human rights guarantees in Venezuela.

Read complete here

Nicaraguan priest taking a top U.N. post

Father Miguel d’Escoto, fiery foreign minister when Nicaragua’s Sandinista guerrillas held power, is assuming a more diplomatic role as head of the General Assembly.

By Richard Boudreaux
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

September 16, 2008

UNITED NATIONS — Father Miguel d’Escoto stopped saying Mass 23 years ago when the Vatican suspended his priestly functions for refusing to quit Nicaragua’s revolutionary government. But he never stopped preaching.

From university lecterns, slum soup kitchens and diplomatic forums, he has voiced moral wrath over the plight of the poor and the might of wealthy nations, particularly the United States.

Today he is being promoted to a far bigger pulpit: the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly.

Trade Costs: Venezuela Worst

Special Reports     12:00 AM
Monday, September 15, 2008
Trade Costs: Venezuela Worst

WORST: Venezuela — here represented by its largest port, Puerto Cabello — has Latin America’s worst climate for exporters and importers, according to the World Bank. (Photo: IAFE)

Panama, the Dominican Republic and Chile have the best overall trade climate, while Venezuela and Haiti have the worst.
BY CHRONICLE STAFF

Venezuela has replaced Mexico as the most expensive country in Latin America to import to. It already was the most expensive when it came to exports, according to a Latin Business Chronicle analysis of new data from The World Bank.

Venezuela’s overall trade regime is now worse than countries like Eritrea, Zimbabwe and the Republic of Congo (which is the worst country  in Sub-Sahara Africa).

Meanwhile, Panama has replaced El Salvador as the least-expensive country in Latin America to export from, while Chile has replaced El Salvador as the least-expensive country to import to. Panama remains Latin America’s leader when it comes to the overall environment for exporting and importing containerized goods, while Venezuela is the worst country, according to our analysis of the bank’s Doing business survey for 2009.

Expulsion of U.S. Ambassadors to Venezuela and Bolivia

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesman

For Immediate Release                                                                           September 12, 2008
2008/718

Statement by Sean McCormack, Spokesman

Expulsion of U.S. Ambassadors to Venezuela and Bolivia

We regret the actions of both President Hugo Chavez and President Evo Morales to expel our ambassadors in Venezuela and Bolivia.  This reflects the weakness and desperation of these leaders as they face serious internal challenges and an inability to communicate effectively internationally in order to build international support.

The charges leveled against our fine ambassadors by the leaders of Bolivia and Venezuela are false – and the leaders of those countries know it.  The only meaningful conspiracy in the region is the common commitment of democratic countries to enhance opportunities for their citizens.  The only overthrow we seek is that of poverty.

As is well known in the region, we continue to focus on our larger positive agenda for the hemisphere, which we call a social justice agenda for the hemisphere.  The values that we and our democratic friends favor are carrying the day in the hemisphere.  Governments from center-left to center-right are implementing pragmatic policies designed to help their citizens prosper in a globalized economy.  These policies are favored by the vast majority of people in the hemisphere.  No country has ever improved the well-being of its citizens by antagonizing neighbors and refraining from fruitful integration with the world’s democracies.

Those who shout the loudest are not making the real news in the Americas.  The real story of our time is the quiet, evolutionary change promoted by pragmatic governments and their constituencies who want to improve the lives of their citizens.  Those changes will not occur over night, and we still have work to be done.  But we are on the right path, and will continue to work with our democratic partners to better the lives of our citizens.

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