"West Paralyzing African Economy"

The Storm After the Storm
Hurricanes come in two waves. First comes the rainstorm, and then comes what the historian John Barry calls the "human storm" - the recriminations, the political conflict and the battle over compensation. Floods wash away the surface of society, the settled way things have been done. They expose the underlying power structures, the injustices, the patterns of corruption and the unacknowledged inequalities.

What They Should Have Learned from a Hurricane Named Ivan
Twice recently, I've mentioned the experience of Cuba in dealing with that hurricane (which was a Category 5 when it hit Cuba) - 1.3 million people, more than 10% of the population, evacuated under the direction and with transportation provided by the government, not a single person dead, compared to 18 killed in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and 70 more in the Caribbean.

West Paralyzing African Economy: Mkapa
Tanzania president accused on Wednesday the West of paralyzing African economy through unfair trade relationship. President Benjamin William Mkapa who addressed the diplomatic community at the African Union said that the continent is losing many opportunities in the name of a globalized world.

Scholars Take On Germany Over Reparations
EURO-centric scholars cum experts and the German government have come in for some whipping for their stance on the Ovaherero reparation claim.

Big oil's bigtime looting
PRESIDENT BUSH yesterday told ABC-TV, ''there ought to be zero tolerance of people breaking the law during an emergency such as this, whether it be looting or price-gouging at the gasoline pump or taking advantage of charitable giving or insurance fraud." Zero tolerance is meaningless when the White House lets the biggest looters of Hurricane Katrina walk off with billions of dollars.

Amid stench of death, poor bear the brunt

Paris fires expose plight of migrants
The deaths of 24 African workers in two fires in France over the last week have led to protests over poor housing conditions and mistreatment

DfID fund PR campaign for failed policy in world's poorest country
The UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) is spending UK aid money on a public relations campaign to pursue a privatisation agenda in Sierra Leone. Documents obtained by development campaigners the World Development Movement (WDM) show that in June of this year DfID advertised for an “international consultancy” firm to both advise the Sierra Leonean government on privatising state enterprises, including water, and to run a communications campaign to promote privatisation.

Namibia govt reclaims 1st farm

Vice President: To Work For Peace In Darfur,Unity In Sudan
Southern Sudan’s new leadership will strive to bring peace to the western region of Darfur and to keep Sudan united, Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit said Thursday.

AU envoy secures Sudan commitment to solve Darfur crisis
The African Union mediator in the Darfur conflict secured Sudan’s President Omar al-Beshir’s commitment to support upcoming peace talks as he wrapped a three-day official visit Friday.

Indigenous knowledge in medicine…crucial to healthcare delivery
Mr. Agya Kwaku Appiah, President of the Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (GHAFTRAM) has stressed the need to tap indigenous knowledge in medicine for the benefit of the country.

Generic versions of killer drug Vioxx, banned in US, still on sale in East Africa
Generic versions of Vioxx, a painkiller estimated to have killed as many as 60,000 people worldwide, are still on sale in East Africa, months after it was withdrawn from drug stores around the world. While Kenyan and Ugandan authorities say they have withdrawn the drug, making its sale illegal, Tanzania is still "re-evaluating" it.

SWAZILAND: Community libraries prove the power of access to knowledge
African libraries are discovering new roles in society - no longer stuffy repositories of tattered books, but centres of community relevance where the youth can learn the habits of good citizenship.

COTE D IVOIRE: Rebels reject South Africa as mediators
The New Forces rebels categorically rejected South Africa as mediator in the Cote d'Ivoire crisis on Thursday, accusing Pretoria of being partisan after its report to the UN Security Council put the blame for the faltering peace process squarely with the rebels.

WEST AFRICA: Cholera kills nearly 500 people, more deaths feared
Cholera has killed 500 people across West Africa and UN officials fear the death toll will rise as cash-strapped health services struggle to cope, heavy rains continue, and populations start moving about to find work during the harvest season.

U.S. backs away from claims that Cuba has bioweapons program

The Defensive Shield of Lies and Deflections

Iraq government unity vanishes after stampede

Black people loot / White folks just do what it takes to survive

Lost in the Flood: Why no mention of race or class in TV's Katrina coverage?

Vacation is Over...
an open letter from Michael Moore to George W. Bush

Haiti's Aristide Seeks Priest's Freedom

Venezuela Suspends Issuing of Missionary Permits Following Robertson Comments