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• Date: 31/10/2008

  Peoples and nations today: Chechnya

  

  DOSSIER. Although the official line is that the Chechen civil war is over, Chechnya continues to be one of the most unstable countries in Europe. The conflict between Chechen separatists and Russian unionists has not only worsened in recent years but has also become more complex, with new factors – such as Islamic fundamentalism and large numbers of refugees – coming into play.

• Date: 30/10/2008

  Democratic Society Party presents plan for northern Kurdistan autonomy

  

  The DTP, the only Kurdish party with representation in the Turkish Parliament, presents deputies with a 64-page document outlining proposals for state decentralization, more power to local governments and official recognition of Kurdish language and identity.

• Date: 30/10/2008

  Strasbourg court rules against Russia in human rights hearing

  NEWS IN BRIEF. Three Chechen citizens were detained by the army and found dead months later

• Date: 28/10/2008

  Dalai Lama announces new strategy and does not rule out independence

  

  Tibetan leader says he has ‘given up’ on his bid to adopt a ‘middle way approach’ in the conflict with China · Exiled Tibetan leaders to consider all means of non-violent protest when they discuss future strategies next month · Beijing wants to hold fresh talks with the Buddhist leader in the near future.

• Date: 28/10/2008

  600,000 people tune into the BBC in Scottish Gaelic during its first week on the air

  

  The launch of BBC Alba has surpassed expectation, even though it is still not available on the most popular satellite system · The results show that the new channel has drawn in not only Gaelic speakers, but a good share of non-Gaelic-speaking Scots, as well.

• Date: 27/10/2008

  Autonomists retain absolute majority in South Tyrol elections

  

  The South Tyrolean People’s Party, which has dominated politics in the province in recent decades, wins just over 50% of votes, down seven percentage points · The Libertarians, a populist party that wants unification with Austria, are the big winners of the election, tripling their support and becoming the second largest party in the provincial assembly.

• Date: 24/10/2008

  Colombia’s indigenous peoples protest against human rights violations

  Three fatalities so far in indigenous march towards city of Cali · President Uribe admits police opened fire during protests · Uribe and the leader of the protest to discuss indigenous demands.

• Date: 24/10/2008

  Peoples and nations today: Corsica

  

  DOSSIER. Conscious that their island is not merely a French region like any other, the people of Corsica have repeatedly called for self-government in the past, and despite frequent internal divisions, in recent years they have managed to find a chink in the armour of the centralized and homogenizing French state. Corsica’s political parties and its active civil society are striving to protect and promote the island’s valuable cultural, linguistic and ecological heritage.

• Date: 23/10/2008

  Around sixty Corsican councillors sign up to new nationalist federation

  ‘A Federazione di l’eletti’ is made up of departmental and regional councillors and mayors · Federation members describe themselves as nationalist, green and progressive · The alliance has been set up as part of efforts to restructure Corsica’s pro-sovereignty camp.

• Date: 22/10/2008

  Arctic states urged to preserve indigenous languages

  

  Representatives of Arctic communities in Canada, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Iceland and the United States take part in first ever Arctic Indigenous Languages Symposium, emphasizing the link between culture and sustainable development · The event is part of a week-long Working Group on Sustainable Development.