http://dfn.org/ Advancing freedom worldwide through information and technology. en-us daily 1 http://unix.dfn.org/TheGazaCrisisExplained.shtml Luke Thomas Current Events in the Middle East What is the reason for crisis in Gaza and what can be done to ameliorate the situation? The struggle in Gaza is essentially between Yassir Arafat, the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), and those loyal to him, and young political street militants. In this case, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (interestingly, this is an armed faction of Fatah, an organization founded by Arafat himself) poses the most serious challenge to the PA. Members of this group strongly object the method of governance chosen by the PA, and have accused it of corruption and ineptitude. http://unix.dfn.org/GMO.shtml Alicia Burns Current Events in Europe On July 19th, debate over the use of genetically modified (GMO) crops was once again at the forefront of the European Union agenda, when farm ministers failed to reach a consensus as whether or not GMO maize should be imported, Reuters reported. http://unix.dfn.org/DispatchesfromGhana.shtmlFranklin Cudjoe Current Events in Africa My country, Ghana, a small West African nation belongs to the club of African countries that got out of the shackles of colonialism over four decades ago, only to revert to a quasi pre-historic system of human organization, in the years immediately after Independence. The very leaders who had promised paradise during the struggle for independence with chants of "we prefer self-government in danger to servitude in tranquility" now decided to throw over board an all-inclusive approach to managing our resources.