Top stories from DAWNS Digest.
Hurricane Sandy Slams Haiti With Deadly Force; Bears Down on US East Coast
From Boston to Washington,DC, Americans are bracing for an epic storm that has already killed scores in Haiti. “As Americans braced Sunday for Hurricane Sandy, Haiti was still suffering. Officials raised the storm-related death toll across the Caribbean to 65, with 51 of those coming in Haiti, which was pelted by three days of constant rains that ended only on Friday. As the rains stopped and rivers began to recede, authorities were getting a fuller idea of how much damage Sandy brought on Haiti. Bridges collapsed. Banana crops were ruined. Homes were underwater. Officials said the death toll might still rise. “This is a disaster of major proportions,” Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe told The Associated Press, adding with a touch of hyperbole, “The whole south is under water. (HuffPo http://huff.to/Q0l5bH)
Palestine to Seek UN Status Next Month
The Palestinian Authority will formally request a vote at the General Assembly for upgraded status at the United Nations on either November 15 or November 29. This is very much contrary to the wishes of the USA. “‘We will go to the U.N. regardless of any threats,’’ said Tawfik Tirawi, a senior member of President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement. ‘’I expect the Israelis to take punitive measures against us, if we win this status, but this is our choice and we will not retract it.’ This year, the Palestinians are seeking ‘’nonmember state’’ status in the U.N. General Assembly, where passage is assured. The 193-member assembly is dominated by developing nations sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Officials say they are looking for what they call a ‘quality’ majority that includes European countries as well, though Germany and Britain, for instance, have been cool to the Palestinian plan.” (Boston Globe http://bo.st/Q0lBq5)