DUBAI, 4 December 2007 (IRIN) - Contents:

MIDDLE EAST: Anti-bird flu measures in wake of Saudi outbreak IRAQ-JORDAN: Iraq to give US$8 million to Jordan for hosting refugees IRAQ-SYRIA: More Iraqi refugees leaving Syria than entering IRAQ-JORDAN: New chance of education for Iraqi asylum seekers ISRAEL-OPT: Palestinian police boost security in Nablus ISRAEL-OPT: A mixed bag on the Annapolis agenda ISRAEL-OPT: The humanitarian impact of Annapolis OPT-ISRAEL: Israeli High Court orders stay on Gaza power cuts JORDAN: Mere suspicion of an illicit affair often leads to "honour killings" – study YEMEN: UNHCR to build more shelters in refugee camp YEMEN: Concern over increasing number of school dropouts

MIDDLE EAST: Anti-bird flu measures in wake of Saudi outbreak

Most countries in the Middle East, especially those bordering Saudi Arabia, have taken measures to prevent bird flu after an outbreak of the disease there in early November. About four million birds have been culled in Saudi Arabia since 12 November, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75583

IRAQ-JORDAN: Iraq to give US$8 million to Jordan for hosting refugees

The Iraqi government will give Jordan US$8 million to help host the estimated 500,000 Iraqi refugees now living in the country. The Iraqi ambassador to Jordan, Saad Hayani, said the money was to support education and health institutions which have come under financial pressure owing to the influx of Iraqi refugees since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75546

IRAQ-SYRIA: More Iraqi refugees leaving Syria than entering

For the first time since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, figures from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Damascus suggest that more Iraqi refugees are leaving Syria to return home than are entering the country.

On 27 November, the first Iraqi government-sponsored convoy of 17 coaches left Damascus for Baghdad, transporting up to 800 refugees back to Iraq.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75549

IRAQ-JORDAN: New chance of education for Iraqi asylum seekers

Thousands of Iraqi asylum-seekers who were denied education as a result of the turmoil in their own country will now have a chance to finish their studies: Jordan's government has decided to launch new education projects for asylum seekers, according to officials and activists.

"The Ministry of Education has prepared all legal documents to allow thousands of Iraqis who cannot study in regular schools to do home schooling that can be officially recognised," said Mohammad Ekour, director of students' affairs at the Ministry of Education.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75576

ISRAEL-OPT: Palestinian police boost security in Nablus

Palestinian militants in the Nablus area of the West Bank are in the middle of what seems to be a pincer movement - chased not only by the Israeli military but also by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which, under Acting Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, has taken it upon itself to crack down on the fighters.

[Read this report in Arabic: http://arabic.irinnews.org/ReportArabic.aspx?SID=448]

Palestinian security forces say they are going after "illegal weapons" and the misuse of arms. All factions, they say, will be treated equally in an attempt to end "chaos". The PA has arrested members of several groups, including the Islamic group, Hamas.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75497

ISRAEL-OPT: A mixed bag on the Annapolis agenda

The following are some of the core issues to be negotiated by the Israelis and Palestinians after this week's international conference at Annapolis, Maryland, USA, according to analysts and politicians on both sides.

Currently there are over 4.4 million registered Palestinian refugees, meaning those who fled Palestine in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and their descendants. This is the most volatile issue, as polls indicate that a majority of Palestinians want to see no less than a right of return to what is now Israel, while only a low percentage of Jewish Israelis are willing to allow in any Palestinians.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75531

ISRAEL-OPT: The humanitarian impact of Annapolis

Whatever happens in the Annapolis Middle East peace conference will affect another crucial conference – of the key donors to the Palestinians - which is scheduled to take place in mid December in Paris.

"If there is a feeling of momentum from Annapolis, donors will want to get in on the success," said one person involved in development and humanitarian projects in the occupied Palestinian territories, noting this could be seen as the sign of a successful conference.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75532

OPT-ISRAEL: Israeli High Court orders stay on Gaza power cuts

Israel's High Court instructed the state on 30 November not to cut power to the Gaza Strip pending clarification on exactly how electricity reductions would take place and what humanitarian impact they would have on the civilian population in the enclave.

However, the court did allow the continuation of cuts in fuel supplies - something that has been going on for over a month and which rights groups say is affecting tens of thousands of people.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75632

JORDAN: Mere suspicion of an illicit affair often leads to "honour killings" – study

A quarter of all women killed in Jordan for having an illicit relationship die merely because they were suspected of involvement in such a relationship, while only 15 per cent are killed after adultery is proven, a study by UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has revealed.

The study was unveiled on 25 November to mark the UN global campaign entitled Sixteen Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women, organised by UNIFEM.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75509

YEMEN: UNHCR to build more shelters in refugee camp

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will begin to construct new shelters for African refugees in Kharaz camp, 150km west of Aden, according to a senior UNHCR official. The project is funded by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO).

Saado Akram Qoul, head of the UNHCR office in Aden, told IRIN the project would initially comprise building 300 housing units and that it was scheduled to be completed in six months' time at an estimated cost of about 800,000 euros.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75505

YEMEN: Concern over increasing number of school dropouts

Abdu Rabou Mohsen al-Shahali, 13, has been working as a street vendor in Sanaa since he left his village in Hajjah Province four years ago.

"My father decided to stay at home after losing hope finding a good job. He had been variously employed as a farmer, a qat [mild narcotic] seller, and a porter but none of these jobs provided enough money to sustain our family. We left him there and came to Sanaa in search of a better life," he said.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75528

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