"Africa to push for permanent seats in UN"

Not paying bribes can brand you Bin Laden in Pak!
Failure to pay a bribe to Immigrationn officials in Pakistan may lead to you being branded as an Al- Qaeda terrorist and handed over to the American FBI.

Pakistan Denies US Claim of Joint Artillery Operation
Pakistan's army says it has never helped U.S. artillery troops in Afghanistan direct fire onto the Pakistani side of the border, and that no such cross-border shelling has ever taken place.

Venezuela shifts oil sales strategy
As relationship with the USA keeps on deteriorating, President Hugo Chavez sees new market partners in Russia, China, India, Iran and Argentina new market partners.

Castro Attacks 'Deranged' Bush and the EU
Fidel Castro called President George Bush "deranged" and belittled recent improvements in Cuba-EU relations in his first public remarks since Washington dubbed the Caribbean isle an "outpost of tyranny."

Scull of Egypt's biblical Pharaoh may be found
A scull recently found by Egyptologists may belong to Amun-her-khepeshef, the oldest son of Rameses II, who is amply described in the Bible as the ruler of Egypt during the Jewish exodus more than 3000 years ago. The scull was found in the Valley of the Kings, close to Luxor.

Ecuador trembles after hundreds of tremors
Hundreds of tremors off the coast of Ecuador in the past 11 days have sparked fears that a bigger quake could strike soon.

Chinamasa scoffs at group's application
The action by Zimbabweans living abroad to file a constitutional application seeking to invalidate the Government's decision to exclude them from participating in the forthcoming parliamentary elections was a political stance by the country's detractors to disturb the electoral process, the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, said yesterday.

'Iran did not buy uranium from Namibia,' govt
The government of Namibia says it was no secret that Iran has shares in Rössing Uranium Limited, a Namibian company. Windhoek however denies that Tehran purchased Namibian uranium. The United States accuses Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons.

Madagascar receives cyclone aid
At least 17 people were killed and thousands of people were affected by Cyclone Ernest and the ensuing tropical storm that struck south-western Madagascar last week. The cyclone victims are now to get swift food aid from the UN's World Food Programme (WFP), which started sending supplies of emergency rice to Madagascar today.

Djibouti in diplomatic row with France
The French government is concerned over its formerly excellent diplomatic ties with its ex-colony after Djibouti last week expelled six French aid workers. The Djiboutians reacting to a French court's summoning of the Djibouti intelligence chief in a new investigation into the death of a French judge in the country in 1995.

Nujoma gears up for new freedom fight
Namibian President Sam Nujoma, who began a two-day visit to Nigeria after attending the African Union summit, said that Africa was fighting for economic emancipation.

Accent on Africa: A new continent for outsourcers
NAIROBI Susan Mina, a Kenyan who has never stepped foot out of Africa, speaks English like the haughtiest of Brits. She can also put on a fair imitation of an American accent by swallowing all her words. Still, every once in a while, some Swahili slips out and that is not at all helpful as she tries to bolster Africa's role in the global explosion of outsourcing.

Scientist: Global warming hurts Africa
Rising global temperatures will hit Africa's poor the hardest, reducing their ability to deal with disease, feed themselves and earn a living, a scientist told an international conference on climate change Wednesday.

Zim in Team to Reform UN
ZIMBABWE was yesterday selected to be in the 15-member African Union Ministerial Committee to review a report on the reform of the United Nations and come up with the best option on how the continent should be represented in the Security Council, a crucial organ of the world body whose permanent members have veto powers.

Africa wants veto powers at Security Council - Mbeki
Africa wants veto powers for two new permanent seats it hopes to get on the Security Council in an historic reform of the United Nations expected this year, South African President Thabo Mbeki said.

Africa to push for permanent seats in UN
Africa is to ask for two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats in an expanded UN Security Council.

Nations unite to help Roma people
Leaders from central and eastern European countries are meeting to launch what is described as the first international effort to improve living conditions for the Roma - or Gypsies.

UK 'discriminated against Roma'
The government's immigration rules racially discriminated against Roma (Gypsies) seeking entry into the UK, the Law Lords have ruled.

In Darfur, Africa left to take lead
The UN says 'crimes against humanity,' not 'genocide,' were committed in Sudan; sends problem to world court.

Why Should We Shield the Killers?
Because of its hostility to the International Criminal Court, the Bush administration is trying to block prosecution of Sudanese officials for genocide.

South African labour federation deported from Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's authorities deported a delegation of South Africa's largest labour federation after it arrived in Harare for a second bid at a fact-finding mission to the southern African country.