Tuesday, February 28th
Egypt Is Uneasy Stop For Sudanese Refugees
The Chilling Effect of Frozen Poultry ImportsIt is only mid-morning in Ghana's capital, Accra, but the day is already hot -- and business brisk at the Beyeeman Freezing Company Limited, which imports frozen poultry products. A basket to carry waterIn a well-ordered world, Gerard Latortue whould now be sitting quietly in a jail in The Hague, preparing to defend himself against charges of treason, terrorism, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and, possibly, genocide. Egypt Is Uneasy Stop For Sudanese RefugeesOn a dirt lane in the poor Arba wa Nus neighborhood, Malles Tonga, a Sudanese refugee, spoke loudly about the brutality of Egyptian police and blamed President Hosni Mubarak for their behavior. Suddenly, an Egyptian merchant emerged from a nearby dry-goods store, shouted an Egyptian slur for black Africans and yelled: "If you don't like it here, go home!" The use of the expletive exemplifies the plight of Sudanese who come to Egypt as refugees: They fear going home, but the welcome mat in Egypt, always thin of resources and tolerance, is almost threadbare. Bush in India: Just Not Welcome Pioneering sci-fi writer Octavia Butler has overcome many barriers and hardships
Tyehimba on 02.28.06 @ 08:51 PM CST [ link] [ No Comments]
Monday, February 27th
Young Black men are victims of 'statistical racism'
Young Black men are victims of 'statistical racism'Black boys are victims of statistical racism says a leading criminologist who believes that yearly crime figures only reinforce the negative stereotype of young black men as ‘a problem’ to society. Through extensive research Marianne Fitzgerald, a Professor of Criminality at the University of Kent has found that street crime is unrelated to ethnicity but has everything to do with poverty and social circumstances. The de Young Museum's Hatshepsut exhibit is misleading A major exhibit, "Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh," was on display at the newly renovated de Young Museum in San Francisco from Oct. 15, 2005, to Feb. 5, 2006. This important exhibit housed over 300 artifacts, owned by more than a dozen museums, that were created during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut (1500 BCE), who ruled Egypt during the 18th dynasty. Hatshepsut was the fourth of five women who ruled Egypt during the dynastic period, and records indicate that she may have been the most powerful of these African women. Museveni’s win faces challenges In spite of opposition challenge led by his former doctor, Yoweri Museveni won a first of an unlimited tenure since the Constitution was changed to remove restriction on presidents to two-five year terms. Religious violence toll at 127 Sectarian violence spread to three more Nigerian cities on Friday, claiming seven lives and raising the death toll in days of killings to 127. Crisis in Niger Delta Poses Intractable Problem The Nigerian press is reporting that attacks by militant Ijaw tribe youth on Shell oil facilities is threatening the long-term prospects for stability and commerce in the Niger Delta, sharply curtailing oil production and pushing up crude oil prices on the world market. Canada shares blame for Haiti’s messIn an important foreign policy test, the new Conservative government must come to terms with the shameful legacy of Canada’s role in Haiti over the past five years. This week’s Haitian election, with its suspiciously delayed count, its crushed ballot boxes with thousands of completed ballots found at a garbage dump, its banning of the most popular political party and jailing of its leaders, its “let’s decide in the middle of the night to reach agreement on a winner,” should be an embarrassment to every Canadian taxpayer. We paid for this mess to the tune of more than $30 million. Jamaica's ruling party hails its first female presidentIt’s euphoria for thousands in Jamaica as they celebrate the election of the ruling People’s National Party’s (PNP) first woman president in history and most likely the island’s first ever female prime minister. Portia Simpson Miller crossed the finishing line as the nation’s favourite to take over from current prime minister, PJ Patterson, who is due to relinquish the top post at the end of next month when he retires. GM Food Goes on Trial The fundamental rule of retail is: The consumer is always right. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has once again disregarded this rule by declaring the majority of European consumers wrong. Radiocarbon review rewrites European pre-history The ancestors of modern man moved into and across Europe, ousting the Neanderthals, faster than previously thought, a new analysis of radiocarbon data shows. Garífunas sign accord with new Honduras presidentHonduras’ new president, José Manuel “Mel” Zelaya Rosales, won the November 27, 2005 presidential elections because of his promise to look for resolutions to the country’s problems.... CHEIKH ANTA DIOP: A CELEBRATIONCheikh Anta Diop and W.E.B. Du Bois were jointly awarded the 1966 prestigious African World festival of arts and culture prize for scholars who had "exerted the greatest influence on African peoples in the 20th century". Diop’s scholarship benefited immensely from his impressive multidisciplinary studies in France between 1946 and 1960. He was a physicist, mathematician, philosopher, historian, linguist, anthropologist and Egyptologist. Shell locked in bitter legal battle over pollution in Nigeria Anglo-Dutch giant Shell, which is locked in a bitter legal battle over environmental damage in Nigeria's oil-rich southern Delta, is appealing against a hefty 1.5-billion-dollar (1.2-billion-euro) fine for pollution. White Blindness: Racism on ESPN? U.S., Europe back the occupier and punish Hamas Rewriting History'US jail in Afghanistan worse than Guantanamo'
Tyehimba on 02.27.06 @ 06:55 PM CST [ link] [ No Comments]
Friday, February 24th
Preval says Aristide cannot be barred from returning to Haiti
Preval says Aristide cannot be barred from returning to HaitiHaitian President-elect Rene Preval said yesterday that the constitution permits the return of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was forced to flee into exile following a violent rebellion two years ago. Preval, a former protégé of Aristide's who shares the ousted leader's strong support among the poor, said the former president could not be barred from returning to the volatile Caribbean nation. Museveni Surges Ahead in Key VoteUnofficial provisional results showed President Yoweri Museveni was gaining a comfortable lead in Uganda's presidential elections after about 3,500 polling stations reporting. Revealed: the brutality of the US reign of terror in IraqAbu Ghraib was no one-off. Simon Assaf reports on the documents that reveal systematic torture by secret US military units in Iraq and elsewhere – and the attempts to cover it up Shell told to pay Nigerians $1.5bn pollution damages A Nigerian court yesterday ordered Royal Dutch Shell to pay $1.5bn (£858m) in damages for polluting the Niger delta, a fresh blow to the company which was already reeling from a kidnap crisis and a wave of sabotage against its installations. Hamas vows revenge after Israel kills two Palestinians
Tyehimba on 02.24.06 @ 11:55 PM CST [ link] [ No Comments]
Thursday, February 23rd
South African Land for South Africans?
South African Land for South Africans? A 10-member panel has urged the government of South Africa to bar foreigners temporarily from selling or buying any more land in the country. 'Just because a child lives in the poor neighborhood, the police assume he is a criminal' Papua mine stopped by protestsProduction at a lucrative gold mine in the Indonesian province of Papua has been suspended because of a demonstration by local illegal miners. Ugandans to the Polls Today to Elect a President and 284 MPsThe Electoral Commission (EC) chairman, Badru Kiggundu, has appealed to the voters to turn up early in big numbers. "It is important to turn up early this time because the poll is three-in-one, necessitating voters to spend more time at the polling stations than before," he said. Kiggundu said the EC and the Police were monitoring the electoral environment closely to ensure peaceful elections. Supreme Court Protects Racism at Domino's PizzaThe Supreme Court rejected in an 8-0 decision an African American entrepreneur's effort to expand civil rights protections for minority contractors, ruling that he could not sue Domino's Pizza for allegedly violating his right to make and enforce business agreements. Court Renews Racial Discrimination Case The Supreme Court stepped into a dispute Tuesday over whether white managers can be sued for calling black employees "boys." The court unanimously overturned an appeals court decision that said the term "boy" alone was not evidence of workplace discrimination and ordered the court to reconsider the matter. Shani Davis….Cool as IceIce Man” Shani Davis has become the first African American to win gold in an individual sport at the winter Olympics and like those African Americans who have done something of this magnitude in the past, he has stirred up more than a little controversy. Although not quite as memorable as Jesse Owens showing up Hitler at the 1936 Berlin Olympics or John Carlos and Tommy Smith’s show of Black power at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, Shani Davis sure gave the world one to remember. For all those who did not catch the late night showing of the event and Shani’s post race reaction on NBC, here is the synopsis… Mozambique hit by massive quakeA huge 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Mozambique along the Indian Ocean coast, collapsing at least one building in the main port city and sending people fleeing into the streets. Buildings swayed and doors shook across the south-east African nation from the coast to towns bordering South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, but there was no immediate word of injuries. Nigerian militants issue pictures of hostagesNigerian militants released pictures of seven foreign oil worker hostages on Thursday, showing the men sitting on a bench with guns pointed at their heads. Nigeria oil 'total war' warning A Nigerian militant commander in the oil-rich southern Niger Delta has told the BBC his group is declaring "total war" on all foreign oil interests. Ugandans choose new leader amid claims of irregularities From the shores of Lake Victoria to a remote war zone in the north, Ugandans have voted in their first multi-party election for 25 years, with President Yoweri Museveni aiming to extend his two-decade rule. Five days of violence by Nigerian Christians and Muslims kill 150 Clashes between Nigeria's Muslim and Christian communities have left nearly 150 people dead and thousands displaced after five days of violence sparked originally by the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohamed. US interest should not be above the peoples of Ethiopia and EritreaTurning Racism Upside Down To See It Rightside UpPresident Bush, during a recent speech to a predominantly white audience, voiced his concerns about the state of affairs in American white communities. "The epidemic of whites involved in drunk-driving fatality accidents is deplorable," President Bush said. He cited the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2000 statistics that showed that white male drivers between the ages of 21-34 constituted the largest percentage of drunk (or impaired) drivers in fatal crashes and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Prevention Research Center's 1999 findings that of the 91,248 alcohol-related driving fatalities, 65,309 were committed by whites. UN peacekeeper sex abuse still "unacceptably high"UK terrorism laws 'cause abuses'Iran blames Israel for attack Documents Shed Light on Alleged DEA CorruptionPalestinians Are Being Robbed by Israel Victims of War Are Not To Be Seen Or Heard Or Mentioned
Tyehimba on 02.23.06 @ 09:18 PM CST [ link] [ No Comments]
Sunday, February 19th
Brothers in arms - Israel's secret pact with Pretoria
Sailing to PuntThe long-held belief that the Ancient Egyptians did not tend to travel long distances by sea because of poor naval technology proved fallacious last week when timbers, rigging and cedar planks were unearthed in the ancient Red Sea port of Marsa Gawasis, 23 kilometres south of Port Safaga. Brothers in arms - Israel's secret pact with Pretoria During the second world war the future South African prime minister John Vorster was interned as a Nazi sympathiser. Three decades later he was being feted in Jerusalem. In the second part of his remarkable special report, Chris McGreal investigates the clandestine alliance between Israel and the apartheid regime, cemented with the ultimate gift of friendship - A-bomb technology. Bayer earns $379m from Kenyan diabetes drugBacteria harvested from Kenya are being used by a global pharmaceutical company to manufacture a multi-million dollar diabetes drug, although the country is not making a shilling from the entire enterprise, a dossier prepared by a respectable American think-tank says. Rich-poor divide will challenge president-elect of HaitiPresident-elect Rene Preval has begun meeting rivals to build a parliament coalition as he embarks on an effort to patch deep divides between the country's small elite and the poor majority who propelled him to office. Aristide may go home - MbekiPresident Thabo Mbeki said on Sunday that former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide may be able to return home after consultation with Haiti's new president. Militants threaten tankers as hostages seized on oil barge Nigeria is facing a serious escalation in the conflict that has hit the oil-rich but poverty-stricken Niger Delta region, as rebels threatened yesterday to blow up offshore tankers, a day after seizing nine foreign hostages, including a British man. Terror threat: The great deception Iran demands Britain leave Basra
Tyehimba on 02.19.06 @ 09:29 PM CST [ link]
Saturday, February 18th
Cartoon protests turn deadly in Libya
Cartoon protests turn deadly in LibyaThe furore over the Prophet Muhammad cartoons hit a new peak on Friday night when at least nine people were reported dead in the Libyan city of Benghazi after a mob set fire to the Italian consulate. Niger: Dead Birds Raise Fears of Bird FluThe death of at least 400 chickens, turkeys and geese in Niger - which shares a 1,500-kilometre border with bird-flu-infected Nigeria - has government officials scurrying to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. Firestone Workers End StrikeNormal working activities have resumed at the Firestone Plantation Company in Harbel, Margibi County, following two weeks of strike action. According to our reporters who visited the rubber plantation, Firestone workers were seen carrying out their daily functions at their respective areas of assignments. US Push For UN Reform Angers Many Developing CountriesU.S. demands for reform at the United Nations have triggered an angry backlash among a bloc of mostly developing nations that comprise the majority of the membership. Many diplomats are complaining that the United States is trying to seize control of the world body. Eritrea expels six Italian NGOs - aid workers Eritrea has asked six Italian charities to leave the country, saying they did not meet the requirements of a law regulating non-governmental organisations (NGOs), aid workers said on Thursday. One of the poorest countries in the world with a gross domestic product per capita of about $130 per year, the Red Sea state has repeatedly expressed its desire to be self-reliant and independent of foreign aid. Costs escalate as Bushmen's case delayedProcrastination is pushing up the costs of Botswana's most expensive legal case ever, an activist group in London supporting an attempt by Bushmen to regain access to traditional land said on Saturday. Massive PR offensive to target IranChavez blasts US'The Americans are breaking international law...
Tyehimba on 02.18.06 @ 11:56 PM CST [ link]
Friday, February 17th
Zimbabwe clears IMF debt
Haitians, neighbors welcome Preval's presidential victory Haitians and their neighbors have welcomed the election of Rene Preval as president, amid signs aid was in the pipeline to help restore stability in the Hemisphere's poorest country. Zimbabwe clears IMF debt, escapes expulsionZimbabwe said Thursday it had paid 9 million US dollars to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to clear a longstanding debt over which the Bretton Woods institution had threatened to expel the country. This was part of a total 300 million US dollars the country owed the IMF under the General Resources Account (GRA), which Zimbabwe had failed to repay in the last five years due to foreign currency shortages. Firm pays heirs of ‘Lion’ song composerA U.S. company has settled a long-running legal dispute with a South African family over the copyright to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” one of Africa’s most famous tunes, lawyers said Friday. Nigeria steps up efforts to stop spread of H5N1 virus After a shaky start, Nigeria’s bid to prevent Africa’s first bird-flu outbreak from spreading to humans gathered momentum yesterday after President Olusegun Obasanjo vowed to work tirelessly to eradicate the virus. Zimbabwe said to be importing GMO maize Zimbabwe is importing unmilled, genetically-modified (GMO) yellow maize from Argentina, despite an official ban on such products, trading sources and other monitors said on Friday. From landless to landowners - the benefits of land reform- In the late 1990s – still the early days of South Africa's democracy – Joseph Makhadi couldn't afford to continue his studies at a local technical college. He dropped out and lived, unemployed, in a humble dwelling along with 10 members of his extended family. But in 2002, Makhadi and his family were among 700 households given title to a vast piece of rolling bush in South Africa's Limpopo Province, a result of the government's ambitious land reform programme. US asks Palestinians to return aid United States has asked the Palestinian Authority to return $50 million in US aid because Washington does not want a Hamas-led government to have the funds, the State Department said today. Nigeria oil 'total war' warningA Nigerian militant commander in the oil-rich southern Niger Delta has told the BBC his group is declaring "total war" on all foreign oil interests. Halliburton Detention CentersNow is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their country and become unapologetically paranoid. Paranoia should now be the normal state of mind for thinking people. Sneers and dismissive remarks about "conspiracy theorists" must be ignored. We don't want to end up like the proverbial frog who boils to death because the heat was turned up slowly. West applies double standards toward Iran Former British ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray told Iran's Al-Alam satellite television network earlier this week that Westerners have been applying double standards toward Iran's nuclear program. "The double standards are obvious in this regard. Israel has nuclear weapons, but London and Washington say nothing," he told Al-Alam. UN calls for closure of base at Guantanamo bay Climate change: On the edge Israel to choke off Hamas?
Tyehimba on 02.17.06 @ 09:54 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, February 16th
Colonialist powers seeking to block progress of independent countries
Colonialist powers seeking to block progress of independent countries“In the current situation, the colonialist countries have focused all their efforts on preventing the development of independent countries,” Iranian Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said in Caracas on Tuesday, underlining the fact that the West intends to trample upon Iran’s right to access peaceful nuclear technology. Multinationals looting Africa's diversityA newly-released report says that after illegally acquiring the resources from different countries, multinational firms have gone ahead to develop and patent products that generate for them hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. FAO Investigates Suspected Bird Flu Cases in Southern NigeriaThe Food and Agriculture Organization says it is investigating suspected cases of bird flu virus in three southern Nigerian states. If the cases are confirmed, they could have serious implications for Nigeria. Video nasty exposes British troop violenceA VIDEO of British troops beating four defenceless Iraqi youths has caused shock and anger across the world.Video footage of more violence from Iraq hit TV screens across the globe yesterday, providing new evidence of abuses by British troops stationed in the Basra region. Uncle Sam's Haiti ThugacracyThere can be no more heroic people on the globe than the citizens of Haiti, who have once again made known their choice for president. He is Rene Preval, the man who served as prime minister in Jean-Bertrand Aristide's first government in 1990, which was cut short by a U.S.-backed military coup, who went into exile with Aristide until 1994, and who served as a presidential surrogate for Aristide from 1996 to 2001. It is perfectly obvious that, for an absolute majority of Haitians, a vote for Rene Preval was a vote for Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was kidnapped by the United States and sent into exile in 2004. The thugs installed by the U.S. then proceeded to murder as many as ten thousand Haitians in an effort to wipe out Aristide's grassroots organization. Canada and France acted as Uncle Sam's junior partners in the theft of Haiti's national sovereignty, and enlisted the shameful assistance of the United Nations in the profoundly anti-democratic project. Brazil became complicit in the subjugation of the Haitian people, its so-called peacekeepers acting as muscle for the assassins masquerading as a government. Haiti: mass protests erupt over vote countNearly a week after Haitians went to the polls in the first election since the 2004 Washington-backed coup and subsequent US invasion, official results have yet to be announced, and the impoverished Caribbean country is spiraling into another intense political crisis. Burned ballots inflame Haitian election tensionsHaiti's electoral council said on Tuesday it would launch an investigation after burned ballots, many cast a week ago for former president Rene Preval, were found still smoldering in a state dump. Photos of STOLEN ballots found in garbage dump in Haiti Préval declared winner in HaitiHaiti's interim government and the electoral council have declared René Préval the winner of the presidential election, ending frantic negotiations to stop violent street demonstrations in the impoverished Caribbean nation. Africans vow to resist any US pressure on GMOs The US may push Africa to accept gene-altered (GMO) food now that the World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled the EU broke rules by barring GMO foods and seeds, but Africans vowed yesterday to resist. Africa-Brazil:Lula Includes Blacks On Foreign And Domestic AgendasBrazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returned to Brasilia Monday after his fifth tour of Africa, while the controversy over quotas for black and indigenous students in Brazil's public universities continues to rage. America's Masterplan is to Force GM Food on the WorldBrazil's sugar crop fuels nation's carsHamas leader woos SudanWhistleblower says NSA violations bigger
Tyehimba on 02.16.06 @ 08:47 AM CST [ link]
Wednesday, February 15th
Zimbabwe clears IMF debt
Zimbabwe clears IMF debtZIMBABWE has cleared its major debt arrears with the IMF, which it expects will to avert expulsion from the fund and unlock new foreign aid for its ailing economy. Harare court dismisses Tsvangirai appealHarare - Zimbabwe's Supreme Court rejected a request on Tuesday by the main opposition leader to hear his challenge to President Robert Mugabe's 2002 poll victory and to set aside a lower court ruling dismissing part of the case, a lawyer said. Egypt answers Zambia's SOSThe Egyptian government has donated 153 metric tonnes of relief mealie meal, worth K340 million, to Zambia. U.N. rushing aid to Sahrawi refugeesALGIERS, Algeria -- Tents, blankets and other emergency aid are being rushed to refugee camps in the Algerian Sahara that were hit by rare torrential rains, causing severe flooding, the U.N. refugee agency said. Three reported killed in Uganda protestRwanda, Uganda must help end Congo plundering -UNTerror suspect to be extradited to Spain A man who experts say has the mental age of an eight-year-old can be extradited to Spain to face terrorism charges, the high court ruled today. China, Togo eye on increased trade tiesBEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhuanet) - China and Togo agreed to further expand trade ties during the Togolese president Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe's first China tour since he assumed presidency last May. Tanzania calls for aid as food reserves dipDodoma - Tanzania on Monday appealed for 100 000 tons of relief food to help nearly four million people threatened by famine in the wake of a scorching drought that is ravaging several East African nations. Swaziland : Valentine horror!Valentine's Day turned out to be a nightmare for mother and daughter at Fairview as they watched helplessly as a police officer was stabbed once in the chest while trying to effect an arrest yesterday morning. Sudan withdraws controversial presidental decreesSouth Africa offers tax amnesty for small businessSomalia drought could soon turn deadlyThe worst drought to hit Somalia in a decade could soon begin claiming lives in the Horn of Africa nation, the international Red Cross warned on Wednesday. Kabbah to face Special Court for Sierra LeoneThe Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Mr. Frederick Carew, yesterday made an appearance before the Trial Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone to argue against the issuance of a subpoena warranting H.E. the President, Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah to appear before the Court to testify in the ongoing trial of Chief Sam Hinga Norman, Moinina Fofanah and Allieu Kondewa. The subpoena obliging the President to appear before the Court made it clear that the President does has factually valuable and indispensable information to assist the court with, and that in the drive to dispense justice as desired the court should not be deprived to such evidence. Sao Tome and Principe bans poultry import from Nigeria The government of Sao Tome and Principe has banned the import of poultry and other animal products from Nigeria due to the outbreak of bird flu in its Gulf of Guinea neighbor. Norway takes Rwanda genocide case Norway has agreed to become the first country outside Africa to try a Rwandan genocide suspect. Nigeria bans backyard poultry in AbujaPrime Minister says no bird flu in NigerNiamey, Niger, 15/02 - Niger`s Prime Minister Hama Amadou, said Tuesday no bird flu case had been reported in the country which shares a long border with Nigeria where the disease had been reported. Mozambique sacks 20 administration officials for illegal land salesMaputo, Mozambique, 02/14 - Twenty officials employed by the Municipal Council of Mozambique`s southern Matola city were sacked last year for involvement in illegal sales of plots of land, national news agency, AIM reported Monday. Indian currency may be used in Mauritius by touristsIndia and Mauritius are looking at whether the Indian rupee can be used by tourists visiting the island, national daily, the Hindu quoted on Wednesday, Mauritius Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Leisure and External Communications Charles Gaetan Xavier Luc Duval as saying. Assassin spiders flourishing in MadagascarLiberia's former exiles dominate new CabinetLiberian politicians who fled into exile as a bitter war raged in the West African country are set to dominate the country's first post-war Cabinet, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's appointments have shown.
Admin on 02.15.06 @ 07:25 PM CST [ link]
Monday, February 13th
The West's Debt to Africans
The West's Debt to AfricansAfrica is poor and destined to remain poor for quite some time because of bad governance, failure to develop natural resources, corruption, inadequate or non-existent primary educational, scientific and technical training. Western countries and Euro-America are rich, because they have good governance, have developed their natural resources, have credible legal systems that are able to deal effectively with corruption, have educated their populations, and have a wealth of scientific and technical skills. This script, for some, adequately contrasts the poverty and the wealth of nations. Africa’s Toil with OilIRAQ IN BLACKTHE COUNTRY DOMINATES WORLD NEWS, BUT OUTSIDE OF THE MIDDLE EAST, ITS HISTORY OF SLAVERY REMAINS LITTLE KNOWN. Powerful lobbying by black communities led to C of E slavery apology and the fight for reparations will continue, say activistsReports last week in the mainstream press made quite a meal of the Church of England (C of E) apology over its participation in what Europeans refer to as ‘The Transatlantic Slave Trade.’ Using emotional quotes from Archbishop Rowan Williams referring to “the shame and the sinfulness of our predecessors” and its “repentance and apology” not being “words alone”; once again the British establishment has tried to claim the moral high ground on the issue of ‘The African Holocaust.’ Nowhere in any of the news reports the mainstream media offered up was there any mention of the involvement of reparations movements, campaign groups and church leaders from the black communities. Police Shoot at Kenyans Protesting Muhammad CartoonsKenyan police have opened fire at hundreds of people demonstrating against cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, as protests across the Muslim world showed no signs of abating. Demonstrators demand Preval be declared president of HaitiSome 10,000 people demonstrated in the Haitian capital, demanding Rene Preval be declared president even though it was unclear if he could reach the 50 percent needed to win the election outright. The West Can't Save AfricaIt was the year that the West tried harder than ever to save Africa -- 2005. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last January, British Prime Minister Tony Blair called for "a big, big push forward" to end poverty -- to be financed by an increase in traditional foreign aid. He put that cause at the top of the agenda of the Group of Eight summit in Scotland in July. The G-8 agreed to double foreign aid to Africa, from $25 billion a year to $50 billion, and to forgive the African aid debt incurred in previous years to fund previous (unsuccessful) "big pushes." Rock celebrity Bob Geldof assembled well-known bands -- virtually none from Africa -- for "Live 8" concerts in nine countries around the world to urge G-8 leaders to "Make Poverty History." Rough trade: Diamond industry still funding bloody conflicts in Africa Iran's euro-denominated oil bourse to open in March: US Dollar Crisis on the HorizonThe President who cried al Qaeda Video shows British troops brutally beating Iraqi children inside military compound. Video shows corpse. How Not to Spot a Terrorist
Tyehimba on 02.13.06 @ 05:49 AM CST [ link]
Sunday, February 12th
A terrorist on every corner
Benin, Brazil endorse proposed Africa-Latin America summit President Mathieu Kérékou of Benin and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacia da Silva have underscored the need to hold a summit between African, Latin American and Caribbean countries as part of the South-South dialogue aimed at promoting economic and political rapprochement between the two continents. Lynchburg museum explains pain of racismLYNCHBURG Jim Crow was a real man who should have engendered sympathy. Instead, he became a symbol of an era that treated all black people with disregard, an era after slavery but before civil rights, an era when the Ku Klux Klan enforced its philosophy of white supremacy with deadly results. An American Indian's View Of The CartoonsThe old adage that was popularized in Hollywood westerns," White man speaks with forked tongue" had a special meaning. It denoted the deceit of European settlers who often lied to North American Indian people as they stole coveted lands and nearly decimated them as a people. The recent split tongue approach used in defending Danish racist cartoons as freedom of speech must be loudly condemned as just more attacks on the rights of Muslims to defend their lands, culture and self determination. The Tempest Over the Hamas CharterThe Hamas charter has been the subject of fairly extensive media coverage in recent weeks. A number of newspaper pieces have argued that the charter is unapologetically racist; some have gone even further. A terrorist on every cornerPresident Bush and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales insist that the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping of American citizens is a necessary "terrorist surveillance program." And polls show that most Americans support permitting the government to tap the phone calls and e-mails of those considered "suspicious." Cheney accidentally shoots fellow hunterVice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and injured a man during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, his spokeswoman said Sunday. South Africa's 'Harlem' restoredA suburb of Johannesburg that was once the "Harlem of South Africa" has had its original name, Sophiatown, restored. Venezuela strongly supports Iran's nuke issueVenezuela strongly reaffirmed its support for Iran's peaceful nuclear program, according to IRNA. Iran nuke works has not been diverted: S. AfricaSouth African Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna has said that based on investigations and analysis carried out so far by the IAEA, Iran has no deviated from its peaceful nuclear program, IRNA reported. 'White farmers are irrelevant'The government on Friday described Zimbabwe's remaining white farmers as unrepentant and irrelevant, and rejected their pleas for a halt to land seizures. Zimbabwe: Elephants And Humans On a Collision CourseAccording to the 2005 annual report by the Community Areas Management Programme or Campfire, an initiative to ensure sustainable wildlife management, elephants were responsible for 12 deaths last year, an increase from the 10 recorded in 2004. Blair vows to keep up pressure on aid for AfricaPrime Minister Tony Blair has vowed to keep up pressure for international help for Africa, saying the wealthy world still needs to make good its promises to give aid, trade and peacekeeping help. Air Force Revises Guidelines on Religion New tomb found in Valley of the Kings Report: Cheney linked to CIA leak 25 deaths linked to ADHD drugs Critical patch coming for Windows Media Player Judge shelves case over Jesus' existence IRI Election Manipulation in Haiti Whose Web Is It, Anyway? $8 million tax bill for $121,900 home U.S. prods likely Haiti victor to shun Aristide Hand back Falklands, Venezuela tells Blair Mardi Gras Revelers Find Solace in Satire U.S. Missionaries Leave Venezuela Outposts Mitsubishi, Historical Revisionism and Japanese Corporate Resistance to Chinese Forced Labor Redress America's Historic Debt to Haiti Autonomy vote for Pacific islands Whitewashing a Legacy
Admin on 02.12.06 @ 10:24 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, February 8th
Why the U.S. REALLY Exports its Ideals
We don't want to deal with Tsvangirai's meetingsCommenting on reports that Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Tsvangirai met former FBI and CIA agents in Zambia last week, Mwaanga said government knew that Tsvangirai had discussions which were inconsistent with the reasons he had given for coming into the country. Mwaanga said Tsvangirai went to Sun Hotel in Livingstone and registered under different names. He said after evaluation, it was found that Tsvangirai's visit was inconsistent with his status hence the decision by the Immigration Department to remove him from Zambia. Why the US REALLY Exports its Ideals Will Hutton of the British Guardian wrote on Jan 22nd an article entitled Why the US exports its ideals ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1692355,00.html ) of "freedom and democracy" – the new mantra. He implored readers that in spite of the cynicism and the blustering arrogance of the Bush administration, to have faith in the sincerity of the increasing call for democracy coming from the US on both sides of the political fence. South Africa land expropriation to start soon South Africa will from next month start large-scale expropriations of land from white farmers after years of compensation negotiations proved unsuccessful, a top official said on Monday. Tozi Gwanya, South Africa's chief land-claims commissioner, said the willing-buyer, willing-seller model will no longer apply to land-restitution claims, as many white farmers want more money than the government is prepared to pay. South Africa: GM Debate Fought On Cotton FieldsTaking a break from spraying his neat, one-hectare plot of young cotton plants with herbicide, Moses Mabika surveys the land that has been supporting his family for 45 years. He may not realise it, but he is standing at the epicenter of a heated debate about growing genetically modified (GM) crops in Africa Senegalese pay homage to Cheikh Anta Diop TuesdaySeveral events have been lined up to commemorate on Tuesday the 20th anniversary of the death on 7 February 1986 of Senegalese intellectual, politician and humanist, Cheikh Anta Diop, who strived "to reconcile the planet", Senegal`s foreign minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio revealed here Monday. In an exclusive interview with PANA in Dakar, Gadio said the events include a roundtable at Cheikh Anta Diop University, which was named in his honour, on the theme historical research for the reconstruction of Africa. Dr. Yosef Alfredo Antonio ben-Jochannan in his own wordsAuthor of 42 books, Egyptologist, retired Cornell University professor and activist, Dr. Yosef Alfredo Antonio ben-Jochannan, fondly called Dr. Ben, sat down with the Amsterdam News in the Harlem apartment he shares with his wife of over 40 years, Gertrude. During the interview the scholar philosophized on his life’s work, history, religion, and Black self-love, as he sees it. The Digital Divide Becomes a Digital DumpA large proportion of the old computers exported from advanced nations to developing countries can no longer be used and end up on informal rubbish dumps in poor countries, posing a threat to people and the environment. Prophet's Cartoon: Lawmakers Burn Danish, Norwegian FlagsSpeaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Alhaji Balarabe Saidu Gani, yesterday led his colleagues to burn the flags of Denmark and Norway, to protest recent cartooning of Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper. Africans studied astronomy in medieval timesAfricans studied astronomy in medieval times, according to an acclaimed South African astronomer who is researching old manuscripts which record the work of scholars from around Africa. Thebe Medupe, an astronomer at the University of Cape Town and the South African Astronomical Observatory has been analysing books and manuscripts for the last two years in a project which will see him eventually translate them and publish the results. Impact of Climate Extremes in Southern Africa Far ReachingLike other parts of Africa, southern Africa is experiencing longer and more intense periods of drought, with far reaching consequences for the region. Botswana's Bushmen ready to settle out-of-courtBotswana's San Bushmen fighting for rights to Kalahari land went back to court on Wednesday with lawyers mooting the possibility of an out-of-court settlement. US wins WTO backing in war over GM foodThe World Trade Organisation on Tuesday night ruled that Europe had broken international trade rules by blocking the import of genetically modified food, in a decision United States trade officials hailed as a victory. The Haitian Revolution and Black HistoryJust like in 1791, Haitians are today embroiled in a struggle against racist imperialism and colonization. The characters and terms have changed, but the game largely remains the same. A Small Matter of JusticeAmerica should consider paying reparations to victims of harmful U.S. foreign and domestic policy. Internet giants plan to charge for speedier e-mailsGuilty! International Commission Delivers Verdicts on Bush AdministrationParadise found in New Guinea jungle *LINK*
Tyehimba on 02.08.06 @ 01:42 PM CST [ link]
Tuesday, February 7th
Language As a Tool for Exclusion
45 Zimbabwean Immigrants FloggedSOME 45 Zimbabweans who illegally entered Botswana were each given three lashes in public at a customary law court in that country while six women claim to have been raped by soldiers before being deported. According to the Mmegi, a Botswana daily paper, the humiliating punishment was part of a joint operation by that country’s police and army to crackdown on illegal immigrants, mainly Zimbabweans working or selling wares in villages around Francistown. Botswana Diamond Production Reaches 31.9 million CaratsPope bids Burundi rebels reconsider violence Vatican, Feb. 07 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI hopes that the death of a Jesuit priest, killed by gunfire in Burundi on February 4, will prompt rebels to reconsider their violent approach. SOUTH AFRICA: Winning the war against malaria, so farWhite farmers set to lose landJohannesburg - South Africa will from next month start large-scale expropriations of land from white farmers after years of fruitless compensation negotiations, a top official told AFP on Monday. Brazilian president to visit AfricaBrazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced on Monday that he will leave on Tuesday for a five-day visit to four African countries -- Algeria, Benin, Botswana and South Africa. Lula to begin fifth trip to AfricaIn his weekly radio broadcast this morning, Lula said that one of the main commitments of his administration has been to strengthen ties with the African continent. Language As a Tool for Exclusion:
Reflections On Cameroon's National Bilingualism DayFebruary 3, 2006, was National Bilingualism Day in Cameroon. I didn't even know that such a day existed until I read about it in the Monday, January 30, 2006 online edition of the Government-owned daily, Cameroon Tribune. NASA to use Cape Verde as weather study baseThousands of Civilians Flee As Army Fights BanditsAt least 2,000 villagers in two provinces in the northwest of the Central African Republic are hiding in the bush without food while an equal number has fled to neighbouring Chad recently to avoid fighting between the army and bandits, local sources said. Leaders seek to lessen Chad-Sudan tensionsTripoli - African leaders are to seek to calm mounting border tensions between Chad and Sudan at a mini-summit in Libya later this week, the hosts said after a preparatory ministers' meeting on Monday. Comoros: AU Pre-Election Mission Reports BackAs the Comoros prepare for upcoming elections that will test their new power-sharing arrangement, South Africa is gearing up to do its part in ensuring the April elections are free and fair. Congo's Kabila asked to run for presidentA leading political party has asked Congo's President Joseph Kabila to be their candidate for elections due by the middle of this year, the first move towards him officially joining the presidential race. Annan outlines six options for Ethiopia-Eritrea borderUN chief Kofi Annan on Tuesday presented the Security Council with six options ranging from maintaining the status quo to a full withdrawal for the UN mission monitoring the tense Ethiopia-Eritrea border. Ethiopia: Struggling to End Food Aid DependencyThere is a joke told in Ethiopia that encapsulates the country's struggle with food aid dependency. In it, two subsistence farmers are talking about the year's poor rains and the impact on their harvests. The older, his face and hands worn from a lifetime of hard work, turns to his younger friend and offers some advice: "It is not the rains in Ethiopia you need to worry about, but whether it rains in America or Canada." UNICEF says drought worsening in Ethiopia The current drought in some parts of Ethiopia is posing a danger on the lives of around 56,000 children, UN officials said here Tuesday. Gabon's president sworn in for another term frica's longest-serving leader, President Omar Bongo of Gabon, was sworn in Thursday for another term as nearly a dozen of the continent's current and former leaders looked on. Gambian Political Parties Sign MOUIn what was described as a historic occasion and another step closer in enhancing peaceful and stable political environment in The Gambia, political parties in the country yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which should serve as a guide in the forthcoming presidential elections this year. Ghana Can Cultivate Plant For Malaria DrugGhana has been identified as one of the countries suitable for the cultivation of artemisia, a plant good for manufacturing of artesunate, a drug for treating malaria. Paradise found in New Guinea jungleScientists say they have found a "lost world" in an Indonesian mountain jungle that is home to dozens of exotic new species of birds, butterflies, frogs and plants. Analysis: 'I had long given up on the thought of finding new species' We were to encounter additional surprises - a "lost" bird of paradise that had long been forgotten, plus new species of butterflies, plants, frogs and mammals. These discoveries, and the lack of human presence in these mountains, told us one thing - this was an incredible biodiversity resource of global significance. Lies That Sell, Lies That Kill The Smoking Gun riding high on Frey expose Australia wheat bosses 'paid £128m in Oil-for-Food bribes to Saddam' Indigenous People Fight for Their Rights Cave drawings reportedly 25,000 years old Israel to Transfer $54M to Palestinians US prepares to hack the world Cuba Raises Flags Near American Mission Saddam team 'gives up' Lawyer: US turned down pleas to meet Saddam Mexico to probe hotel that expelled Cubans
Admin on 02.07.06 @ 02:56 PM CST [ link]
Friday, February 3rd
Africans must regain control
African Diaspora: Africans must regain controlThere are outside interests (working through local representatives/collaborators) whose main aim would be best served by our loss of ancestral knowledge. These are entities who know the truth in the saying "knowledge is power" and because their plans for 'full-spectrum domination' will never come to fruition for as long as they are not in control of ALL knowledge, they have been working for a while now to degrade the regard Africans have for their own ways of knowing and, for the products of those ways. HIV infection in Zimbabwe falls at last Researchers of the disease report that prevention programmes have cut the portion of Zimbabweans infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by 2.5%. The news has inspired those hoping that education campaigns advising people to change their behaviours could turn back the scourge of AIDS in Africa. Mbeki may speed up SA land reformSouth Africa may move more quickly on the emotive issue of land reform, said President Thabo Mbeki as he outlined this year's government's programme. UN official calls for ending arms sales to AfricaA senior United Nations aid official called on Thursday for a halt to arms sales to Africa, saying it would be more effective in addressing the continent’s poverty than charity rock concerts or debt relief. Libyan businessmen to boycott Danish productsLibya`s Council of Businessmen decided Monday to to stop importing into the country Danish products in protest against a campaign orchestrated against the Prophet Mohammed in the Danish media. Haitian cane-cutters struggle Large-scale sugar production began in the Dominican Republic in the 1870s. In many ways, little about the process has changed since then: The sugar cane still grows tall, wild, and sweet, and Haitian laborers - poor, desperate, and hungry - still work day in, day out, to cut it. Chad: New Janjawid Attacks Force More People Into CampsAsk Kaltouma Yaya Ato why three years into the Darfur conflict, she has only just decided to seek refuge in Chad, and the 80-year old says not a word. She simply rolls up the folds of her skirt to reveal traces of the Janjawid. RITA MARLEY: A philanthropist and a patriotUS expels Venezuelan diplomatResponding to Venezuela's expulsion of a U.S. naval officer from Caracas, the US State Department on Friday declared a senior Venezuelan diplomat persona non grata and gave her 72 hours to leave the United States. Rescue Efforts Continue in Red Sea Ferry DisasterRescue efforts are still under way to find possible survivors of an Egyptian passenger ferry that sank in the Red Sea early Friday, carrying roughly 1,400 people. There are conflicting reports about the number of survivors who have been rescued so far, with some sources saying it is about 100, and others saying it could be twice that many. It is feared that the death toll will be high. Muhammad cartoons row rages internationallyWhy ‘freedom of expression’ defence is questionable in the Muslim dispute with a Danish publication.Chappelle's StoryVenezuela expels US naval 'spy' U.S. firms eager to test oil potential off Cuba Botched Job: The UN and the Haitian Elections The End of the Internet? US official admits Iraq aid theft
Tyehimba on 02.03.06 @ 11:52 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, February 2nd
African science must regain control of local resources
African science must regain control of local resourcesKazhila Chinsembu says Africa risks being 'enslaved' by technology it doesn't own and urges African nations to regain control over their biological resources and indigenous knowledge. Brazilian Black Female Workers Make Half As Much As White Women Black and mulatto women in Brazil receive, on the average, around half of what white female workers are paid. This is one of the findings of a survey conducted by the Special Secretariat for Women's Policies, based on data gathered between July and September, 2005, in six Brazilian capitals. Land worth over R2-billion returned to claimantsLand worth R2,2-billion has been restored to South Africans who lodged land claims, the Land Claims Commission said on Friday. Tozi Gwanya, Chief Land Claims Commissioner, said out of 79 696 land claims lodged nationally, 68 730 have been settled -- benefiting 186 862 households. He said that land restitution had a role to play in achieving economic growth by focusing on achieving development and an improved quality of life. Finance:Groups Question World Bank's Role in Troubled MineWorld Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, who has sought to cast himself as a champion of transparency, is facing accusations that his office is suppressing a report on a Bank-backed mining project in Africa that allegedly contributed to the deaths of dozens of people. African 'biopiracy' debate heats upThe debate is intensifying over how local communities should share the benefits of research based on Africa's biodiversity while protecting the intellectual property rights of the researchers involved. Bush wants 'freedom' for ZimbabweUNITED States President George Bush has kept Zimbabwe on his international policy radar, declaring that the "demands of justice" require the country's "freedom" from President Robert Mugabe's "dictatorship". Egyptologists find goddess, Nubian king statuesEgyptologists have discovered two 3 400-year-old statues of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet and a rare statue depicting a king with Nubian features, an archaeological conservation director said yesterday. War goddess Sekhmet embodied the cruel powers of the sun, and was also responsible for both curing and causing illness. Experts Claim Official 9/11 Story is a Hoax A group of distinguished experts and scholars, including Robert M. Bowman, James H. Fetzer, Wayne Madsen, John McMurtry, Morgan Reynolds, and Andreas von Buelow, have concluded that senior government officials have covered up crucial facts about what really happened on 9/11. They have joined with others in common cause as members of "Scholars for 9/11 Truth" (S9/11T), because they are convinced, based on their own research, that the administration has been deceiving the nation about critical events in New York and Washington, D.C. Iranian anger as 'bullies' talk sanctionsFive Ways To Keep Your Google Searches Private Video Shows Officer Shooting Airman "God Given Right"
Palestine and Native America Mali farmers reject GM crops as attack on their way of life
Tyehimba on 02.02.06 @ 08:37 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, February 1st
Black History Has Not Motivated Whites to Remedy Racial Injustice
Black History Has Not Motivated Whites to Remedy Racial Injustice As we begin Black History month, it is increasingly clear that teaching about America’s longstanding mistreatment of blacks has not fostered majority political support for racial justice. The long history of America’s denial of voting rights to blacks did not stop the overt suppression of black voting rights in Florida in 2000, or in Ohio in 2004. Nor did our nation’s 200 year denial of any legal rights to Southern Blacks improve the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. The sad truth is that most white voters are unswayed by the facts of Black History, and since the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act have repeatedly elected governments firmly controlled by those whose political predecessors unleashed attack dogs against Martin Luther King, Jr. While Black History has inspired many people of all races to battle racial injustice, America's white majority remains unswayed. Coretta Scott King dead at 78Coretta Scott King, who worked to keep her husband’s dream alive with a chin-held-high grace and serenity that made her a powerful symbol of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s creed of brotherhood and nonviolence, died Tuesday. She was 78. Plans to offer Kenya 'Dog Food' as aid A dog food supplement will be provided as food aid for Kenya by the founder of a New Zealand dog food company. The manufacturer plans to donate powdered dog food packets for the starving children of Kenya to assist with their survival. The Truth about Institutional Racism in the British Media As quick as the furore over Sir Ian Blair’s comments about institutional racism in the media erupted, so the very institution at the heart of the argument – the mainstream media is already burying the story. But this accusation is not new and Sir Ian Blair was not the first person to raise this issue. Abramoff Tied to South African Apartheid-Era AssassinThe scandal is also making news in South Africa. That's because in the mid-1980s Jack Abramoff helped launch the pro-aparthed International Freedom Foundation. According to the South African Mail & Guardian, the IFF was promoted as an independent think tank but it was actually part of an elaborate South African military intelligence operation set up to combat sanctions and undermine Nelson Mandela's African National Congress. Experts Worried As 16 Local Languages Are About to VanishOn September 10, 1953, a Mr Ojambo arap Kishero wrote to the Bungoma district officer asking for a licence to hold a meeting that would help trace Bong'om people's history. For, he claimed, they were "losing their language". Skeletons discovered: first African slaves in New World Archaeologists have found what they think are the oldest remains of slaves brought from Africa to the New World. The remains, in a colonial era graveyard in one of the oldest European cities in Mexico, date between the late-16th century and the mid-17th century, not long after Columbus first set foot in the Americas. Bush's State of the Union - Endless War and Domestic Repression Bush vows aggressive foreign roleState of the Union speech: Bush declares war on the world Harry Belafonte on Bush, Iraq, Hurricane Katrina and Having His Conversations with Martin Luther King Wiretapped by the FBI There is No Stop Button in the Race for Human Re-Engineering Study Ties Political Leanings to Hidden Biases Pentagon Can Now Fund Foreign Militaries Chile gets its first U.S. F-16 warplanes Yes to Colombia, Chile & Pakistan; No to Venezuela Venezuela may buy Russian or Chinese warplanes Microsoft Joins 'Blackworm' D-Day Warning Chorus Starring in A Farce, A Monster Becomes A Hero We will not sell our people or principles for foreign aid Haiti: the forgotten occupation
Tyehimba on 02.01.06 @ 09:44 PM CST [ link]
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