Everyday, I’ll try to post a summary of three non-geek articles I read today. This is my vain attempt at trying to spread awareness of these types of issues.

WHO
U.S. Troops

WHAT
Allegedly do major damage to Hanging Gardens of Babylon

WHEN
United Nations reported it today

WHERE
Babylon

WHY
To convert it into a base

FTA
The troops and their contractors caused “major damage” by digging, cutting, scraping and leveling while they were revamping the site to meet military standards, the U.N. cultural agency, UNESCO, said in a report.

More: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/07/31/iraq.babylon.damage/index.html

WHO
Israeli Government

WHAT
Admitted to use of white phosphorous, a chemical agent that causes severe burns

WHEN
During the attacks at the Gaza Strip

WHERE
Gaza Strip

WHY
To use as a weapon

FTA
“During the war, when we first started seeing the white phosphorous, the Israeli army said that everything it was using was in compliance with international law; it would not tell us whether or not it was using it,” she said.

More: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/07/200973020830886898.html

WHO
Two Egyptian Christians

WHAT
Were abducted and forced to convert to Islam

WHEN
Earlier this month

WHERE
Northern Egypt

WHY
Unclear

FTA
Two incidents of abduction of Coptic girls to force them to convert to Islam took place within one week in Upper Egypt. In both cases the Egyptian security predictably played a key role in the outcome of the cases.

More: http://www.aina.org/news/20090718111414.htm