IN THIS ISSUE

EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
Euro-Med Journalist Prize for Cultural Diversity
International Conference on Women and Desertification (29 May - 1 June 2006)

NEWS
ECONOMY & TRADE
Beirut 'missed out on $2.5 billion' by failing to tax quarries
IDAL predicts foreign direct investment in Lebanon will exceed $2 billion
U.S.-U.A.E. free-trade talks to resume in May
Doha puts freeze on free-trade talks with Washington
White House renews ban on exports to Syria
ENVIRONMENT
Environmental clubs in Lebanon swap green ideas
DEVELOPMENT AID
PM Siniora seeks funding to improve conditions for Palestinian refugees
Social Fund for Development in Yemen
GENDER
Bulgarian 'saw nurses tortured in Libyan jail'
Dubai shelter sees dramatic rise in number of abused women
Pink-colored glitter-flecked box-shrine baby
Qatari woman's plight to be brought before UN committee
Vatican may loosen condom ban
Women's rights activists in Iraq demand stronger political role
HURRIYAT
Catholic leaders condemn 'unethical' abuse of foreign workers in Lebanon
Dubai workers stage demonstration
New Iraqi Human Rights NGO Network
Palestinian civil servants protest to demand wages
Pope calls for respect of Christian rights in Muslim countries
PKK guerrillas sacrifice love, marriage and a family for their cause
Riffat Hassan: A New Dialogue on Islam
HEALTH
Medical group paints grim picture of West Bank, Gaza
ICT
First Ever Community Radio Station in Jordan (UNESCO and UNIFEM)
POLITICS
Egyptian Parliament renews emergency law
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Siniora lauds steps to make life easier for people with disability
YOUTH & CHILDREN
Child abuse often goes unnoticed in Jordan
Cocaine and heroin make comebacks among unsuspecting Lebanese youth

REPORTS, BOOKS & ARTICLES
DEVELOPMENT
Impacts of policies on poverty: absolute poverty lines
GENDER
Best practice guidelines for creating a culture of gender equality in the private sector
Beyond tools: Technology as a feminist agenda
Gender equality and trade-related capacity building: a resource tool for practitioners
Looking for equality: a gender review of national MDG reports
Maternal Mortality among Palestinian Women in the West Bank
Researching violence against women: a practical guide for researchers and activists
Reforming Family Laws to Promote Progress in the Middle East and North Africa
Supporting women's ICT-based enterprises: a handbook for agencies in development
Women's ICT-based enterprise guidebook
Women and Migration
MICRO-FINANCE
Building a National Strategy for Microfinance in Egypt
Making microfinance work in the Middle East and North Africa
Microfinance In the Arab States Building inclusive financial sectors
Sustainable Microfinance Industry in Jordan
YOUTH & CHILDREN
New documentary depicts hard life of Lebanon's working children
2006 State of the World's Children: Excluded and Invisible

RESOURCES
Astraea Foundation
Alliance of Civilizations launches its website
Hivos Fund
The Little Green Data Book 2006
The Middle East Program Overview of Save the Children