"Mama Africa says farewell"

Nigerian villagers 'beaten by oil rig troops'
Nigerian soldiers posted to protect an oil plant owned by the US giant Chevron invaded a nearby village and severely beat some local people during a hunt for stolen weapons, witnesses said.

Thousands flee as Darfur rebels renew attacks
An upsurge in attacks by Darfur's main rebel force, including the capture of a key government-held town, is undermining the latest internationally sponsored talks on bringing peace to Sudan's western regions, according to senior UN officials.

Mama Africa says farewell
After a career of more than 50 years, legendary singer and anti-apartheid activist Miriam Makeba has decided she will end her performing days with a farewell international tour which starts here on Monday.

Aborigines fear basic rights loss
INDIGENOUS people are being stripped of citizenship rights as a trade-off for such basic services as roads and schools under the Howard Government's new funding model, two Aboriginal leaders have warned

Oil firms scramble for market in the Sudan
As peace returns to southern Sudan after 21 years of fighting, many oil companies are fighting for the biggest share in the virgin oil market. Petrocity Enterprises, a Ugandan registered company, has emerged the biggest oil concern in southern Sudan.

S. Africa's Mbeki plays down Ivorian mediation row
South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Thursday it was up to the African Union and the United Nations to decide the next step in Ivory Coast's peace process, playing down a row over his mediation efforts.

IMF drops poor countries' debt
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to wipe out the debt of 18 of the world's poorest nations - inculding Ghana - after rich countries bridged differences that had threatened a pact first signed in July. The countries affected are: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia.

Pirates capture 2nd vessel
Pirates who have held a UN-chartered ship and its crew hostage for nearly three months have captured a second vessel carrying cement from Egypt, days after the collapse of efforts to release the first merchant ship and its load of food aid.

Image of Tut stirs debate
Computer-generated portraits of Tutankhamun in an exhibit coming to Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Art in December have sparked criticism and protests by black activists who say they depict the boy king as white.

Lessons of History
Should the imperialist power that conspired to put Saddam Hussein in power, that was directly complicit in his regime’s worst crimes, and that—through two wars and 13 years of sanctions—killed far more Iraqis than anything attributed to Hussein, now be entrusted with controlling Iraq and shaping its destiny? Should that power be believed when it now talks of being a force for liberation?

National Security Agency gets fix on Internet users
Internet users hoping to protect their privacy by using anti-virus software, Web anonymizers, false identities and disabled cookies on their computer's Web browser have something new to worry about – a patent filed by the National Security Agency (NSA) for technology that will identify the physical location of any Web surfer.

In 1 year, Halliburton's stock doubles as troop deaths double

Quartet: Disarm Palestinian fighters

Why Chavez is an imminent danger to the so-called 'civilized' world: Part II

Zimbabwe Govt Zeroes in On Remaining Farms

Flagrant abuse of Iraqi detainees revealed

US army plans to bulk-buy anthrax

Great Lakes water woes

Armed and dangerous - Flipper the firing dolphin let loose by Katrina

Bush plea for cash to rebuild Iraq raises $600

Chavez nails US again