"Patriarch of the Twelve Tribes of Israel passes on"

Bush Lobbies Argentina, Mexico, and Canada to Contain Chávez
The Bush administration has continued to pursue a strategy of containment with respect to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Frías, most recently in private conversations between US President George W. Bush and other world leaders. In previous criticisms of Venezuela, the US has not provoked the desired reaction among Latin American leaders, many of whom are vocally supportive of Chávez. In a phone conversation with Argentinean President Nestor Kirchner, and in meetings with Mexican President Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, US President George W. Bush articulated his preoccupations with Venezuela.

The State of the World? It is on the Brink of Disaster
Planet Earth stands on the cusp of disaster and people should no longer take it for granted that their children and grandchildren will survive in the environmentally degraded world of the 21st century. This is not the doom-laden talk of green activists but the considered opinion of 1,300 leading scientists from 95 countries who will today publish a detailed assessment of the state of the world at the start of the new millennium.

Patriarch of the Twelve Tribes of Israel passes on
VERNON Carrington, revered by members of the Twelve Tribes of Israel rastafari organisation as the Prophet Gad, passed away at his home last week. He was 69. Prophet Gad, who has been ailing for sometime, is credited by some of his followers for resurrecting the biblical Twelve Tribes of Israel in Jamaica in 1969, three years after the state visit of late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1966.

Disease fears spread in Africa
At least three African nations are on alert after an outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg virus claimed a record toll in Angola, as a senior official in the worst-affected area on Wednesday accused Luanda of apathy.

SOUTH AFRICA: Firearms amnesty a success, say experts

UN seeks more aid for troubled West Africa
West Africa faces a year of intense political danger and donors must remain committed to a region where disgruntled ex-fighters roam, locusts have wreaked havoc and war is a constant risk, United Nations bodies said on Wednesday.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Says He'll Resign

Venezuela Talks Cover Social Issues, Terrorism
The leaders of Spain, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela planned wide-ranging talks Tuesday aiming to deepen trade and political alliances, and lay out a common stance on subjects from fighting terrorism to easing poverty.

Even surrender is not an option

A Report on United States War Crimes Against Iraq
to the Commission of Inquiry for the International War Crimes Tribunal

Where the rich stash their cash
Nick Mathiason on a new study that reveals the amazing wealth the super-rich hold in offshore tax havens - depriving governments of hundreds of billions of dollars - and the looming crackdown by the world's tax collectors

Brazil: "No longer to subordinate to IMF"
Brazil announced Monday that it will not renew the stand-by credit agreement it signed with the IMF in September 2002 because the good shape of the national economy makes it superfluous