"Johnnie Cochran Dies"

Cochran Dead at 67
Johnnie Cochran Jr., arguably America's most famous criminal lawyer, died Tuesday. Before he was stricken with his brain tumor, Cochran had been working on a variety of cases, including a large-scale effort for African-American slavery reparations.

Famed Attorney Johnnie Cochran Dies
Prominent attorney Johnny Cochran has died. He first gained fame as an early advocate for victims of police abuse, then achieved worldwide notoriety for successfully defending football star O.J. Simpson on murder charges.

Phishers Target Yahoo Messenger
The attack starts with an IM message from a users' buddy list. The message directs the users to a site where they log in and reveal their Yahoo identity and password. The phisher then gains access to all of the users personal ID stored as part of the individual's Yahoo account.

UN Envoy for West Africa Calls On
Bissau-Guineans to Unite Against Rising Tensions
The United Nations special envoy for West Africa today called on the people of Guinea-Bissau to unite in respecting the new 19 June election date, a month later than earlier scheduled, and to do their utmost to put in place a political environment conducive to peaceful, free and transparent elections.

Africa now 'deals with Africa's problems'
The way Africa dealt with the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, reiterates that "we did it because Africa decided to deal with Africa's problems," says Gertrude Mongella, the president of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP).

Police seek interdict to prevent Cosatu demonstrations
Limpopo police are reportedly seeking a court interdict to prevent the Confederation of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) from staging demonstrations on the eve of the Zimbabwe elections at the Beitbridge border crossing. The march is expected to be followed by a night vigil on the border.

Kenyan Nobel Prize Winner Named to Head AU Council
The African Union (AU) has appointed Kenyan Nobel peace laureate Wangari Maathai to lead its newly-formed Economic Social and Cultural Council.

S. Africa extends condolences to quake-struck Indonesia
South African President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday extended South Africa's condolences to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after a huge earthquake that struck off the coast of Sumatra.

New Law in India Drives Up Africa's Cost of Halting Aids
THE Indian government's recent moves to curtail the copying of patented medicines have received a mixed response in SA. Critics warn this threatens the future supply of cheap drugs, but manufacturers hope that India's new patent laws will boost their prospects.

PM urges end to Somali fighting
Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi has appealed for an end to fighting in the town of Baidoa which has left at least 14 people dead.

War Tax Resistance Grows
Increasing numbers of Americans say the U.S. government is involved in immoral and illegal wars around the world and are refusing to support this with their tax money. The invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and the indiscriminate killing of civilians, for example, are outlawed by international law.

The Bush Bolsheviks Rock Kyrgyzstan
Washington's coup in Kyrgyzstan was an extraordinary example of imperial muscle flexing. Like the other recent regime changes in Ukraine, Georgia and Serbia, the fomenting of the "tulip revolution" was financed and supported by American NGOs working with opposition groups inside Kyrgyzstan. The pattern is unmistakable, but nonetheless breathtaking. Within a matter of hours the 14-year-old regime of Askar Akayev was swept away under the pretext of fraudulent elections and replaced with Washington’s favorite Kurmanbek Bakiev. Currently, the situation is fluid and there is no certainty as to whether Bakiev or the new head of security, Felix Kulov, will retain the top spot in the new government.

Should U.S. Recruit Non-citizens?
As the Roman Empire went into terminal decline, and fewer Roman citizens enlisted to fight the endless imperial wars, Roman rulers turned increasingly to the services of foreign mercenaries -- ultimately, with disastrous results. Max Boot, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, has urged Washington to emulate that self-destructive policy. "It is hard to pick up a newspaper without reading about Army and Marine Corps recruiting and retention woes," wrote Boot in a recent syndicated column. "Nonstop deployments and the danger faced by troops in Iraq are making it hard for both services to fill their ranks. The same goes for the National Guard and Reserves."

Al-Arabia correspondent detained with Falluja films
Iraqi police have arrested a correspondent of Al-Arabia television network with film tapes shot in the town of Falluja in his possession at Baghdad International Airport. Wael Issam was detained at the airport, Network workers said, but failed to clarify if he was leaving the country or coming in.

Not the first Italian target of US covert 'silencers'
High-level European intelligence sources report that the 51-year old slain Italian SISMI military intelligence agent, Dr. Nicola Calipari, killed by U.S. sharpshooters while accompanying the freed Italian hostage-Il Manifesto journalist Giuliana Sgrena-to Baghdad International Airport, was a prized target of opportunity for American assassins because of his knowledge about past Republican White House ties to Saddam Hussein's nuclear program.

Iraqi and US intelligence agents forced Syrians to make confession
The families and relatives of the Syrian citizens, who last week appeared on Iraqi state television making confessions alleging that they were Syrian intelligence officers, confirmed that those "officers" are merely leather dealers who left their shops at this small town to sell their products in the neighbouring Arab country.