Re: Iraq antiquities AND Rebuilding Iraq.... Guess you have to look around GST....and stop looking at some of the ultra liberal sites.... Seattle PI is VERY liberal, and even they have opened their eyes a little bit... both these links are current info....
Police save stolen Iraqi book worth £250,000
Maev Kennedy, arts and heritage correspondent
Wednesday July 7, 2004
The Guardian
guardian.co.uk
While scores of Iraqi archaeological sites are still being looted and thousands of objects are missing from the national museum in Baghdad, a small book that survived 1,000 years of turbulent history is now safe at Scotland Yard - and will be returned.
The £250,000 book turned up in a London auction room last year, but auctioneers were suspicious and called police.
The four-officer art and antiques unit of the Metropolitan police - the only squad of its kind in the UK - proved it was one of hundreds stolen from from Mosul's Awqaf library in 1995. It is thought to have spent several years in other Middle Eastern countries.
The book is a national treasure, one of the oldest surviving paper manuscripts in Iraq. It is a medical treatise, written in 1012 by Arab physician Mohammed bin Zakarai al-Razi. It was the most valuable of 464 books and other items stolen: 413 pieces have since been recovered.
Cont'd---------->
8888888888888
Rebuilding Iraq............One of MANY stories if you look............
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Progress claimed in rebuilding Iraq
Coalition authority points to roads, playgrounds, hospitals
By LISA HOFFMAN
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
seattlepi.nwsource.com
Though its leaders agree with critics who say an enormous amount of work remains to be done, Iraq's U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority says it made substantial strides in the past year in reconstructing a country wrecked by wars, 30 years of neglect and a spate of post-invasion looting.
Since the provisional authority's creation in May 2003, U.S. contractors and soldiers have rebuilt bridges and roads; rehabilitated water and sewer facilities; created landfills; built playgrounds; provided supplies to schools and orphanages; resuscitated hospitals and medical clinics; vaccinated millions; and instituted vocational training programs.
Even so, CPA head L. Paul Bremer admits his operation has been slow in doling out reconstruction money. With just $500 million of the $18.7 billion authorized by Congress having so far been spent, Bremer recently ordered a funding kick-start to accelerate the effort.
Among accomplishments cited by the coalition government, which will disband June 30.
GOVERNMENT
Turned over all 26 of Iraq's new ministries to Iraqi control.
Established 16 governate, or regional, councils, 192 city or sub-district councils, 392 neighborhood councils. As a result, 4.5 million Iraqis in 90 percent of the nation's municipalities have operating city or town councils.
Created more than 660 community associations devoted to grass-roots democracy. Hosted more than 10,000 "democracy development activities" in which more than 312,000 Iraqi participants learned about democracy.
Facilitated judicial reform, leading to more than 500 courts and more than 600 judges functioning independently from the executive branch.
Rehabilitated nine government ministries, Baghdad mayoral buildings and nine city halls in other municipalities. Provided furniture and office equipment to 40 directorates and agencies.
Instituted a mail ZIP code system.
HEALTH
Refurbished and equipped more than 240 hospitals and 1,200 health clinics.
Vaccinated more than 3 million Iraqi children under the age of 5 and more than 5 million ages 6 to 12, raising the total immunization rate of all Iraqi children to about 85 percent.
Vaccinated 700,000 pregnant women for tetanus and provided supplementary food to 240,000 pregnant and nursing mothers. Trained more than 1,000 health workers to treat and monitor malnourished children.
Restored two-thirds of potable water production. Distributed more than 1.4 million liters of clean water each day to residents of Basra, Kirkuk and Mosul, where water systems are still a problem.
EDUCATION
Rehabilitated more than 2,500 schools for the 2003-04 school year. Another 1,200 are projected to be finished by December.
Distributed 159,000 students' desks, 26,437 teachers' desks and chairs and 61,000 chalkboards to more than 3,900 high schools.
Distributed 58,500 teacher kits including rulers, geometric triangles, compasses, pens, attendance registers and chalk.
Donated shoulder bags containing notebooks, pencils, pens, calculators and rulers to 1.5 million high-school children.
Provided 8.7 million textbooks to primary and secondary schools.
Trained more than 32,000 secondary-school teachers and 3,000 supervisors in education and management skills.
Increased the salaries of teachers by 12 to 25 times their former paychecks.
Hired more than 36,000 Iraqis to rehab schools.
Given grants of $750 to every Baghdad public school for urgent needs. |
