"S.Africa's Mbeki says sees fair Zimbabwe polls"

S.Africa's Mbeki says sees fair Zimbabwe polls
South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday he had no reason to expect fraud in Zimbabwe's March 31 general elections, which critics say are skewed in favour of President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF.

Fossett faces fuel crisis in round-the-world bid
Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett discovered a serious problem with the fuel system of his custom-built plane Wednesday, forcing him to consider abandoning his quest to become the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world without refueling.

UN: Drug Trafficking and Abuse On the Rise in Africa
The United Nations drug agency said drug trafficking and abuse are on the rise in many African countries.

Zimbabwe Textbook of Bad Governance, Says U.S.
The United States administration says Zimbabwe, under the leadership of President Robert Mugabe and the Zanu PF government, has become a textbook of bad and illegitimate governance on the African continent.

I am saying the United States of America, under the leadership of George Bush Jr, has become a textbook of bad, illigitimate, brutal and criminal governance in the whole world.

Mbeki: Zimbabwe elections will be fair
South African President Thabo Mbeki said Wednesday he does not believe anything will happen in Zimbabwe to prevent free and fair elections on March 31.

Development-Africa:
Putting Researchers And Policy Makers On the Same Page
Reports. They gather dust on the desks of journalists and bureaucrats - after having been opened with reluctance, and closed with speed. Months of work may have gone into their production; but all too often, the only use for these weighty tomes seems to be as doorstops.

S.Africa treasury says no to new tax amnesty
South Africa's Treasury will not support re-opening a tax amnesty offered to residents who illegally stashed money offshore years ago, despite calls for more time, a Treasury official said on Wednesday.

US slams abuse by SA police
Pretoria - The government reserved its response on Tuesday morning to a United States state department report criticising "widespread abuses" by South Africa's police and security forces.
"We are busy studying the report," said Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa.
"We will only be in a position to comment once we have studied it in full.
"The best judge of South Africa's human rights record and democracy is the people of South Africa," Mamoepa said.

South Africa rebuts US's human right report
South Africa rebutted a US official report and defended its human-rights record, saying the country was doing better than the United States in "many respects."

Rwandan president calls for more troops in Darfur
Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Monday called on the African Union to deploy a larger peacekeepingforce in Sudan's war-torn region of Darfur in an effort to end violence there.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a Year after the Coup d’État
While the rallies crowded the streets of Port-au-Prince to demand his return, elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide granted an exceptional interview to writer Claude Ribbe, which we publish completely. Aristide was kidnapped on February 29, 2004 by American Special Forces after being threatened by French emissaries. First detained in the Central African Republic, he is currently exiled in South Africa. 67 African and Caribbean states recognize him as the only legitimate leader of Haiti and denounce the puppet government of Gerard Latortue.

5,000 Years of Culture Stolen from Baghdad
Today, I was looking at some photos a friend of mine gave me of Baghdad in the late 1990s. Evidence of destruction by U.S. forces and degradation of the city because of the illegal embargo placed on Iraq were present, yet the city was still magnificent. Today, Baghdad resembles nothing of the city I saw in the photos. It is a destroyed city in which U.S. profiteers and mercenaries have set up a security area called "The Green Zone" where they can safely hide while reaping the benefits of murder and looting. Last April, I ran the following column, but it still is relevant today.

Uruguay, cuba restore full diplomatic ties
The new socialist government of Uruguay announced Tuesday to restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba, three years after they were downgraded by then president Jorge Batlle.

U.S. company's gold mine dismays Maya
Guatemalans want to protect their way of life
A U.S. gold and silver miner's project is at the center of a conflict between the Maya Indians' traditional values and an impoverished country's need to attract foreign investment.

Perestroika Was Inevitable: Gorbachev Says
On the eve of the 20th anniversary of perestroika, Mikhail Gorbachev, the first Soviet president, reaffirmed that he had no doubt that this political move was inevitable. He said he only regretted some miscalculations.

Abbas seeks Palestinian statehood 'as soon as possible'
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told the European Union today that he wants statehood "as soon as possible".