Thursday, March 31st
SA's Aids challenge
Most Americans Say No Nations Should Have Nuclear WeaponsMost Americans surveyed in a poll say they do not think any country, including the United States, should have nuclear weapons. That sentiment is at odds with current efforts by some nations that are trying to develop the weapons and by terrorists seeking to add them to their arsenal. Condi's Pitch for a 'Different Kind' of Middle EastStraight from the horse's mouth (although some find in it echoes of the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, Chapter 65), this pithy remark expresses the State Department's attitude towards a large chunk of the planet. It cries out for translation and dissection. "We" of course means the United States, "coalitions of the willing" with shifting compositions, and most of all the GIs who comprised Rice's Afghan audience. "Broader Middle East" (also known as "Greater Middle East") is not a term often used by geographers but is applied idiosyncratically by the administration to North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Southwest Asia and parts of Central Asia. Geographers do not consider Afghanistan a Middle East nation; the fact that Bush and Rice do is significant for reasons that will become apparent. Health-Africa: Thou Shalt Not CondomiseMuslims and Catholics do not see eye-to-eye on many issues. But when it comes to practices which they fear will allow the encroachment of unacceptable secular values - abortion, gay marriage and condom use - they quickly close ranks to form a united front against the threat. Soweto survey reveals SA's Aids challengeSouth Africa may have the world's largest number of HIV infections, but more than one in seven township dwellers say they rarely or never use a condom when having sex. No Progress From Africa's LaboratoriesLaboratories found "in every African country" have not achieved anything for the past 30 years, and were unlikely to achieve anything in the next 30 years - this was expressed by a galaxy of world scientists who met in Nairobi last week. Prof Wangari Maathai to head new AU bodyKenyan Nobel prizewinner, Professor Wangari Maathai, is to head a new body aimed at bringing "people power" to Africans, the African Union (AU) announced on Tuesday. SA shipwrecks important US visitDurban and Cape Town have lost out on an opportunity to showcase South Africa because of a bureaucratic botch-up over an American carrier strike group's visit. Africa needs better charcoalA study finds making charcoal burning in Africa cleaner and more efficient could save millions of lives and slow the production of greenhouse gases. S.Africa trade union's Zimbabwe protest falls flatZimbabwe's election cited as test of freedomUS Demands For Abstinence Programs
Harms Africa's Ability To Fight AIDSIn a report released Wednesday, Human Rights Watch said Uganda's president has fallen under the influence of Christian conservatives in the United States and is now promoting abstinence more, and condoms less, among young people. Brazil urged to protect Indians Amnesty International has accused Brazil of failing to protect its indigenous population and set up long-promised reservations. Expert: Malnutrition Affects Iraq Kids Summit: Lula defends Venezuela from U.S. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva emphatically supported neighboring Venezuela Tuesday in light in recent criticism from U.S. officials. "We do not accept defamatory remarks or insinuations about an ally," said Lula at a summit in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, with the Brazilian leader, Chavez, Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero. "Venezuela has the right to remain a sovereign nation and to make its own decisions." High-ranking officials in the Bush administration have been ardently critical of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez in recent months, saying the leftist leader was guilty of starting an arms war and using the nation's oil revenue to create an authoritarian state similar to Cuba. More Colombians fleeing to Venezuela's cities, says UNHCRUkraine Thanks Cuba For Chernobyl Children Care Cuba has treated 18,153 children victims of the radiation fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, Ukraine's Health Minister Nykola Polischuk said on Tuesday. The Truth Seems Absurd"The lies that we have been told have become a part of our folklore. The bigger the lie, the more it is believed. Then, when the truth is told, it appears to be absurd." Nicaragua: Nemagon Workers Are Dying Members of the Miami University Students for Peace and Justice group traveled to Nicaragua March 11th-20th on a Witness for Peace delegation to learn about United States foreign policy. While in Managua, the delegation visited a protest camp of several thousand banana and sugar cane farmers who have been lethally infected by the chemical Nemagon.
Africa on 03.31.05 @ 06:11 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, March 30th
Patriarch of the Twelve Tribes of Israel passes on
Bush Lobbies Argentina, Mexico, and Canada to Contain ChávezThe 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 DisasterPlanet 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 onVERNON 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 AfricaAt 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 expertsUN seeks more aid for troubled West AfricaWest 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, TerrorismThe 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 optionA Report on United States War Crimes Against Iraq
to the Commission of Inquiry for the International War Crimes TribunalWhere 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
Africa on 03.30.05 @ 12:48 AM CST [ link]
Tuesday, March 29th
Johnnie Cochran Dies
Cochran Dead at 67Johnnie 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 DiesProminent 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 TensionsThe 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 demonstrationsLimpopo 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 CouncilThe 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 AidsTHE 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 GrowsIncreasing 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 KyrgyzstanWashington'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 confessionThe 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.
Africa on 03.29.05 @ 05:30 PM CST [ link]
Monday, March 28th
Foreign Debts Or Modern Slavery?
Hypocrisy charge dogs Blair rescue plan for Africa A trail of looted diamonds, greased palms and suspect arms deals suggests Britain is betraying its calls for action by other rich nations to stop shady corporate dealing in Africa, activists say. Mugabe fights Blair in Zimbabwe elections He has met him only once, eight years ago, but for President Robert Mugabe, Tony Blair is the bane of Zimbabwe's existence and the man to beat in key elections on Thursday. Venerable Scholar Who Has Taught East Africa's EliteDuring the 40-plus years that Prof Okumu has traversed universities in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, he has nurtured some of the most prominent scholars, politicians, administrators and technocrats. Can Tourism Help South Africa's Poor?South Africans voted to end apartheid in 1992. Four years later a government committee proposed that tourism be used as a development tool to support the economic, social, and environmental goals of the government and to empower previously neglected communities. Between 1994 and 2002, the number of foreign tourists grew from 3.7 million to 6.4 million, or 72 percent, reports South Africa's Department of Environmental Affaires and Tourism. Sudan to try war crimes' accused The Sudanese Government has announced plans to try 164 people for war crimes committed in the western region of Darfur. Foreign Debts Or Modern Slavery?THE unanimous resolution of the members of the Federal House of Representatives calling on the Federal Executive to stop further payment and the unending services of the country's questionable foreign debts has again adverted the attention of all and sundry to the oppressive and vindictive attitude of the creditor Nations; the helplessness, and widespread poverty ravaging the land as a result of the diversion of a chunk of the resources to service the excruciating weight of the dubious foreign debt overhang on the part of the debtor nation. Foreign Debt: Negotiation Not RepudiationWe suspect that even sensible creditors would see the logic in the recent motion by our House of Representatives asking the president to stop servicing Nigeria's eternally mind-boggling external debt. As patriotic citizens, we at Daily Trust are one with the House in this gallant attempt to redirect the enormous sums of money usually set aside to pay the interests and penalties that have accrued on the nation's debt to other areas of greater benefit to the people. Bravo Namibians, Rejoice LukumbaAfter eight months of protracted succession divisions in the Swapo leadership, Namibians put behind personal political ambitions and came together on March 21, 2005 to witness and celebrate the inauguration of their second republican President Hifikepunye Pohamba. Death Toll Rises in Angola from Hemorrhagic VirusReports from Angola say the death toll from an outbreak of the Marburg virus - a dangerous and deadly form of hemorrhagic fever similar to ebola - has risen to 122, the second-highest casualty toll ever attributed to the disease. Remoteness lures immigrants to IcelandCollision CourseEurope is in the process of trying to pass a new constitution, and it is going to be a delicate business. Le Figaro reported that, for the first time, more than half of French surveyed were against the new constitution, and the opposition asked Chirac to put his own political weight behind its passage. Uruguyans Learn from Bolivia, Not IndiaPrivatization has become a no-no word for George Bush since his handlers viewed polls indicating that the US majority fear that the word relates to them losing their future social security. But third world people have come to understand privatization as a euphemism for the externally mandated sale of their property to multinational companies. In several instances catastrophe has resulted from such sales. Brazilians Urge Lula to Reject U.S. Anti-Cuba ProjectBrazilian professionals and union leaders have urged the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to vote against the anti-Cuba project the U.S. has submitted to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.
Africa on 03.28.05 @ 05:23 PM CST [ link]
Sunday, March 27th
Travellers to Angola warned
Africa; Death toll from Ebola-like virus rises Four people died on Saturday from an outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in the provincial hospital of Uige in northern Angola, bringing the total nation-wide death toll to 119 in less than six months, authorities said. Travellers to Angola warnedAnother young woman died on Sunday of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in Angola, officials said, as the death toll in the deadly outbreak rose to almost equal the most serious outbreak ever recorded. Easy ways to aid AfricaPeople know that Africa is desperate -- that half the population lives on less than one dollar daily; that life expectancy has fallen to 46 because of the AIDS crisis. But people are mostly resigned to this. They believe, wrongly, that progress is impossible. They suppose, wrongly, that helping Africa would cost impossible amounts. Africa off the map More and more parts of Africa may be selling out to mass-market safaris but the Luangwa Valley in Zambia is not one of them. Nick Gordon revels in 'as glorious a wilderness as I have seen in 30 years' Zim media favours MugabeHarare - Zimbabweans tuning in to watch the news on national television these days first get to see a band of boisterous youths dancing and raising their fists in a campaign ad for President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF. Many Germans Want Berlin Wall Back, Study Finds Group: Tsunami Killed More Women Than Men Phony Iraq warriors beginning to surface Little Reporting on Paranoia in High PlacesJournalists often refer to the Bush administration's foreign policy as "unilateral" and "preemptive." Liberal pundits like to complain that a "go-it-alone" approach has isolated the United States from former allies. But the standard American media lexicon has steered clear of a word that would be an apt description of the Bush world view. Uraikat: The USA should not negotiate on our behalfThe US administration should not hold negotiations with the Israeli government on behalf of the Palestinian people, Sa'eb Uraikat, PA minister for the negotiations affairs, affirmed. Russia Running Out of RussiansSqueezed between emigration and growing economic problems, Russia is experiencing a serious population decline. Mbeki invites Ivorian leaders to SA for talksPresident Thabo Mbeki has invited Ivorian leaders and politicians to South Africa for more talks to try to bring peace to that country, a spokesperson said on Friday. Southern Africa in upbeat mood despite Zimbabwe As Zimbabweans prepare to vote in parliamentary elections on March 31 which the ruling party is expected to win, the country is viewed by much of the world as the regional trouble spot Critics accuse President Mugabe's government of backing the seizure of white-owned farms, rigging elections, and making the once prosperous country a pariah state. Inflation has fallen, but still stands at over 100 percent a year
Africa on 03.27.05 @ 06:34 PM CST [ link]
Saturday, March 26th
Zimbabwe, wider region faces drought, bad harvest
Venezuela VP Responds to Rumsfeld:
U.S. Wants to Destroy Latin American UnityVenezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel, released a statement yesterday, responding to comments made by U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld about Venezuela, during his recent visit to Brazil. "The Lord of War, Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense of the United States made statements following the same line of repeating the usual impertinences about Venezuela," said Rangel who also denounced the existance of a campaign seeking "to create enemies for Venezuela, among our friends." India dismayed as US resumes sales of jet fighters to Pakistan The White House rewarded a crucial ally in the war on terror yesterday, approving the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. Attacks claims 15 lives as Iraq insurgents strike backAfrica: West's biggest sin AFTER four decades, Africa's holocaust still continues. But, who really cares? The Polish-born British author, Joseph Conrad, wrote on what he had seen during his travels to Africa then, "the vilest scramble for loot that ever disfigured the history of human conscience". Oldest known elephant shrew found in U.S. Zimbabwe, wider region faces drought, bad harvest Sex for prisoners: a right or a privilege?South Africa's jails watchdog and prison officials have locked horns in a public row over proposals to allow consensual sex behind bars. SDC deplores humanitarian crisis in East AfricaNorthern Uganda and eastern Congo are in the grip of a "dramatic" humanitarian situation, says the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). India to send peacekeeping force to SudanWith the UN Security Council approving a 10,700-strong peacekeeping force for the conflict-ridden Sudan, decks have been cleared for India to dispatch 2,500 of its troops back in Africa for peace-keeping work Down and out! Who broke Africa?Economic development, growth and prosperity require investment, both foreign and domestic. However, investment does not occur in a vacuum but in an "environment," which is shaped by various government legislation, policies (taxes, duties, and subsidies), institutions, and attitudes. The Democratic Ideal and New ColonialismAfrica's women speak out The BBC News website asked some of the continent's influential female personalities for their views on the role of women in contemporary Africa. African Slavery and TraffickingEarly in March, the government of the West African nation of Niger canceled a ceremony designed to give 7,000 slaves their freedom. The human rights group Timidria planned to release the slaves in a region near Niger's border with Mali, but none of them appeared at the ceremony. The organization said Niger's government intimidated the slaves to keep them from showing up, a charge the government denies. Center challenges stereotypes about AfricaIt's your turn to pull out, Syria tells US"I don't think any country in the world would like to be regarded as an enemy to the US. If you don't believe me, go and ask the list of 30 countries that were invaded by your troops in the past 30 years," the Syrian envoy said. Sponsors 'manipulate' scientists One in 10 research scientists is under pressure to tailor findings to suit the work's sponsor, a survey suggests. Sponsors 'manipulate' scientists One in 10 research scientists is under pressure to tailor findings to suit the work's sponsor, a survey suggests. Sgrena's carThe United States promised 'full cooperation' (1) to Italian authorities in their investigation of the attack on the car carrying Giuliana Sgrena to the Baghdad airport. Apparently, 'full cooperation' doesn't include allowing the Italian investigators to actually see the car in which she was being driven, as the Pentagon has barred two Italian policemen from examining the car (2). This is the respect the Americans show their ally Italy, whose citizens are dying in the place of Americans in the illegal and immoral American occupation of Iraq. Touching the Revolution!
at IVIC and an interview of Dr. Alberta ZucchiThe blood of Simón Bolivar pulses through the veins of The Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Investigation (IVIC) and his spirit rests lightly on the consciousness of those who carry out the work of this prestigious institution. The same high performance engine that powers the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela's cities, barrios and countryside drives those who work at IVIC. Many examples of this phenomenon can be cited, but the best proof is to experience it personally by being there. Bolivar's spirit shows on the faces and in the pride these people have in their land, government and culture. Ex-soldier says he was asked to kill Haitian leaderAnel Belizaire, an ex-soldier in Haiti who recently escaped from the National Penitentiary in Port-au-Prince, says that someone from interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue’s office asked him last month to murder fellow inmate Yvon Neptune. Neptune is the deposed prime minister who served under exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He has been jailed for nearly a year without trial. Cuba and Cambodia Celebrate 45 Years of Diplomatic RelationsCuba is a rich country because of its human resources, said Eng Yeng, Cambodian ambassador to Havana, on Thursday. Canada Denies Refugee Status to American Cuban currency won't be tied to U.S.
Africa on 03.26.05 @ 12:04 PM CST [ link]
Friday, March 25th
World Marks TB Day Today
Democracy--or the US Military--On the MarchI don't understand all this talk about how US actions in Iraq and Afghanistan have inspired a "democracy movement" in the Middle East. Well, actually, I do understand it. People are desperate to derive something positive from all the horror wreaked upon the region by the American interventions, something to reassure themselves that what their country has done isn't so bad after all, that they themselves are not as gullible as they were starting to feel. World Marks TB Day TodayEthiopia 2nd in Africa in TB InfectionThe 'World Stop Tuberculosis Day' will be celebrated today in Ethiopia with themes Frontline TB care providers: Heroes in the fight against TB and Open windows and prevent TB. Africa: rise of tuberculosis Tuberculosis is at an all-time low in the USA and is declining in most parts of the world, but health officials, speaking out today to mark World TB Day, warn that the disease is very much on the rise in Africa. TB kills 1 person every 10 secsOne person is affected by tuberculosis every second, while another dies from the killer disease every ten seconds. Militias 'control' I CoastThe face of the Ivory Coast conflict has changed in the year since government troops broke up an opposition rally, killing 120 people according to the United Nations, with militias now dominating the crisis that threatens to spin out of control. UN peacekeeping force for SudanThe UN Security Council has voted unanimously to send 10,000 troops and 715 civilian police personnel to southern Sudan to support the implementation of a peace deal that ended a 21-year-old civil war, Xinhua reported. Ecuador Police Fire Tear Gas on Congress Police fired tear gas into Ecuador's Congress before dawn Wednesday to disperse opposition lawmakers who refused to leave after a legislative session that cut short a debate on candidates for attorney general. Populist Mayor Rankles Some in Mexico Don't Be Afraid of the WordRevolution. We need one in the United States, and we will most certainly have one. The only questions are when, and how. When will enough of us finally realize that our own government is a fascist and terrorist organization? How long can we, with a clear conscience, support a government that commits mass murder the world over for profit? How long will it take for the majority of the citizens of this country to realize that so long as our government engages in these actions, we are in danger of just retaliation by those who have suffered from its barbarous policies? American empire and inequality
both feed and reflect savagely selective moral concernsDominant United States media and policymakers express apprehension about the dangerous prospect of "nuclear weapons in the Middle East." By this they mean the prospect that Iran might be able to develop one or two such weapons at some point in the future. The interesting fact that Israel is already precariously armed to the teeth with thermonuclear weaponry is not for them a cause for trepidation. Days After Killings,
a Tribe Seeks a Cloak of Privacy for Its Grief The Chippewa Indians of the Red Lake Reservation have always set themselves firmly apart. They have their own license plates, which bow to Minnesota statehood but feature the tribe's name on top. For a time in the 1980's, non-Indians even needed a tribal passport to do business here or to drive across the reservation. Most American Indian tribes allow people to own plots of land - in Red Lake, the traditional ways of communal property still adhere. But the grief and shock unleashed when a troubled 16-year-old went on a shooting rampage here on Monday have shaken the walls of that cultural separation and raised questions about what holding the world at arm's length means, and what it costs.
Africa on 03.25.05 @ 01:34 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, March 24th
US Forces Fight Terrorism in East Africa
Venezuela criticizes Rumsfeld remarksCARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelan officials criticized remarks by the U.S. defense secretary regarding their efforts to improve the country's defenses, El Nacional reported Thursday. Calling Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld a "lord of war," Vice President Jose Rangel said his remarks were "inspired by his goal of getting involved in the internal politics of other nations and violating our [Venezuela's] sovereignty." Mugabe 'No 5' in AfricaHarare - Robert Gabriel Mugabe was born in Kutama Mission, 80km northwest of Harare, and was educated in Catholic missionary schools, qualifying as a teacher at the age of 17. Russia and Venezuela see eye to eye Russia and Venezuela share close or identical views on key international problems, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The dysfunctional society US billionaires on the rise - roads, bridges in decayI'll hold Blair to accountReg Keys wasn't interested in politics until his son Tom was killed in Iraq in a war he insists was 'illegal and immoral'. Which makes him the ideal candidate to stand against the prime minister in his Sedgefield constituency, he tells Stuart Jeffries In Mexico, burying soldiers killed in a U.S. warU.S. and Argentina Fail to Renew Military ExercisesLebanese students march on U.S. embassyCuba Says It Won't Be Condemned for RightsPolitical Prisoners in Haiti Haiti's Washington-installed Prime Minister, Gerard Latortue, has imprisoned hundreds of officials and supporters of Aristide's overthrown government, including former Prime Minister Yvonne Neptune and Interior Minister Jocelerme Privert. Both men, detained since June 27 without charge, have undertaken a hunger strike in protest. Neptune, who was hospitalized on March 10 for treatment of severe dehydration, has vowed to continue his fast until he's released. Once-Beautiful Baghdad Becomes Eyesore Battle for gas revenues fueling dangerous Baloch rebellionLast week, an explosion of violence killed dozens of people, including eight soldiers, risking another security crisis for President General Pervez Musharraf whose armed forces are already deployed in their tens of thousands elsewhere to interdict Al Qaeda and Taliban militants along the border with Afghanistan. TB cases at alarming levels in AfricaIn most areas of the world, the battle against tuberculosis is being successfully fought, but in Africa the disease has reached alarming proportions with a growing number of TB cases and deaths linked to HIV, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report released today. Ethiopian troops blamed for deaths, rape and torture A human rights group today accused Ethiopian troops of widespread killings, rape and torture against the Anuak population in an oil-rich western province. Ethiopian army stands accusedNairobi - Ethiopia's army has committed massive human rights abuses that may constitute crimes against humanity against the indigenous Anuak population in the country's southwestern Gambella region, a leading rights watchdog charged on Thursday. Mbeki, Commonwealth make up over Mugabe IN A sign of an easing of tensions between President Thabo Mbeki and Commonwealth secretary- general Don McKinnon, the two met for one-and-a-half hours in Pretoria yesterday. UN Development Agency Addresses Inequities in Africa's Great Lakes RegionMore than 70 senior officials from Africa are attending a United Nations regional workshop this week in Rwanda, learning to make poverty reduction programmes work and to create national networks between policy makers and scholars doing applied research. South Africa offers "revolving door" to desperate Zimbabweans Fresh off a van carrying some 25 "illegal aliens", the 21-year-old Zimbabwean casts a worried glance as he prepares to be fingerprinted, photographed and eventually put on a train back to Zimbabwe. US Forces Fight Terrorism in East AfricaThe commander of the U.S.-led Combined Joint Task Force in the Horn of Africa says terrorism is alive and well in the region, but his forces are working with local governments to make it harder for the terrorist groups to operate. The general spoke from Qatar via satellite with reporters at the Pentagon. Ugandan opposition supporters protest in capitalSouth Africa cracks down on corrupt businessesOusted Haiti president wins honorary fellowship Tuesday March 1, 2005 - The former leader of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, has been made an honorary research fellow at the University of South Africa.
Africa on 03.24.05 @ 11:44 AM CST [ link]
Wednesday, March 23rd
USA/Africa: Cotton Dumping
Ready to battle to death: KhameniIran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday he was ready to don combat fatigues and give his life in battle if his country were attacked, accusing Washington of seeking any excuse to start a war. The United States and Israel have both rattled sabres over Iran's disputed nuclear programme, refusing to rule out air strikes to hinder what they see as Tehran's pursuit of atomic weapons. On The USA's Piecemeal Withdrawal From International Law Suddenly, Foreigners On Death Row Have No Right To Make An International Appeal Arab Summit Rejects Jordan Proposal U.S. Using Anti-Terror War to Gain World Oil Reserves On the pretext of fighting international terrorism the United States is trying to establish control over the world’s richest oil reserves, Leonid Shebarshin, ex-chief of the Soviet Foreign Intelligence Service, who heads the Russian National Economic Security Service consulting company, said in an interview for the Vremya Novostei newspaper. Tomb dig findings shrouded in mysteryArchaeologists have finished the excavation of an ancient tomb complex in the Lop Nur Desert in the northwest of China, but researchers are baffled, saying they need more time to understand the finds. US Suspends Military Aid to NicaraguaRaising tensions that have revived the politics and personalities of the cold war, the United States has suspended military assistance to Nicaragua because it has failed to move forward with the destruction of an arsenal of shoulder-launched antiaircraft missiles that the Bush administration considers a possible terrorist threat. Sizzla Set Free Reggae star SIZZLA was released by Jamaican police on Monday (21MAR05) following his arrest for suspected involvement in inciting violence and gun-running. Police urge concert cancellation after Sizzla's arrest on weapon chargesNobel Laureate Charges World Leaders On Forestry DevtWangari Maathai, who received the Nobel Peace prize last year for her dedication to the conservation of the environment by planting trees all over Africa, has charged theFood and Agriculture Organisation on the sustainable development of world forest resources. South Africa shows interest in India's Simputer South Africa has shown keen interest in using a no-frills computer developed by Indian scientists, especially for rural development. Corrupt companies to be blacklisted Companies guilty of corrupt practices will in future be blacklisted under resolutions adopted at the second anti-corruption conference in Pretoria on Wednesday. South Africa Miners Strike SpreadsThe weak dollar continues to spell bad news for South Africa miners as a strong rand eats away mining profits reliant upon the dollar. Free State province gold mine workers went on strike to protest Harmony Gold Mining Co.'s plans of issuing up to 5,000 pink slips. DRDGold Inc., decided to close unprofitable mines, which would eliminate 6,000 jobs. Dutchman to be charged with war crimes in AfricaProsecutors in the Netherlands plan to charge a Dutch businessman allied with former Liberian President Charles Taylor with war crimes and gun smuggling, the prosecutors office said on Tuesday. Europe, Not America, May Be Africa's Best AllyMost African states look up to the United States (US) for aid and development. Therefore, it is not surprising that most African states tend to jump on to the band wagon in support of any U.S. policy without careful scrutiny of the underlying merits. As they gasp in the false American dream, they tend to forget more important allies. Lets give Europe a closer look. USA/Africa: Cotton DumpingPressure to reduce rich-country subsidies for agricultural exports ratchetted upward this month when the World Trade Organization (WTO) issued its final ruling that U.S. current payments to cotton farmers were illegal. The Bush administration's 2006 budget submitted to Congress proposes reduction in these subsidies by setting new upper limits on payments. But the outcome in Congress is uncertain, and African cotton farmers need more than promises of somewhat fairer terms for their exports in the distant future. Zim 62 'sunk' by supreme courtZimbabwe's supreme court has granted the country's attorney-general leave to appeal against the early release of more than 60 South Africans held in connection with a botched coup plot in Equatorial Guinea. Somali warlords want transitional president impeachedThe crisis over the relocation of Somalia's transitional government deepened Wednesday as powerful warlords said they would move to impeach President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed. Study Tackles Role of Retired African RulersA STUDY on presidential transitions in Anglophone Africa has found that African rulers face a dilemma when they retire from active politics. The study pays attention to the challenges of presidential succession in a comparative perspective, exploring the limits and scope in a variety of differing scenarios.
Africa on 03.23.05 @ 04:10 PM CST [ link]
Tuesday, March 22nd
Guns drive up S. Africa murder rate
An Indecent Administration Rolls OnOnce again, Bush scorns international humanitarian standards. This time he's fighting to save capital punishment. Guns drive up S. Africa murder rateSouth Africans are more likely to be shot than suffer any other kind of unnatural death as gun crime pushes the country's violent death rate to up to eight times the global average, a study showed on Tuesday. In a Warped RealityTwo Years On, The Occupiers Justify the War by Embracing the Irrelevant and Ignoring the Inconvenient Mbeki: SA must remain vigilant Pretoria - South Africa has to remain vigilant against new manifestations of corruption, President Thabo Mbeki said in Pretoria on Tuesday. Commonwealth head keen on Zimbabwe poll Don McKinnon, the Commonwealth secretary-general, says he will watch with keen interest the upcoming Zimbabwean elections to see if they do deliver on the mandate of being free and fair. McKinnon is in South Africa on a short visit. He privately met with President Thabo Mbeki at the Union Buildings in Pretoria today. Leading scientists discuss Africa's killer diseasesSome of the world's leading scientists are gathered in the Kenyan capital Nairobi for a landmark conference on Africa's killer diseases. The conference is organised by the Africa Genome Education Institute, whose focus is the development of vaccines to fight HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis. S Africa's Sharpeville Remembers KillingsForty-five years after police shot dead 69 unarmed protesters in South Africa's Sharpeville township, residents say the end of apartheid did not bring the improvements they hoped for. Zim: SA group 'disillusioned'South African civil society groups came back from Zimbabwe disillusioned about the state of democracy in the country, they said on Tuesday. Woman Imam Raises Mixed EmotionsPolice kept protestors away, as a woman broke Islamic tradition by leading Friday prayer in New York City yesterday. US Ambassador to Turkey Resigns US Ambassador to Turkey, Eric Edelman, has resigned. One of the prominent names among the "hawkish" wing, Edelman, submitted a letter of resignation to US President George W. Bush and will officially depart from the post in July, reports say. Lebanese crisis deepens as opposition spurns dialogueLebanon's crisis deepened Sunday with the opposition spurning a plea for dialogue from the pro-Syrian president and as a UN envoy said he feared another high-profile political killing in the country. Mumbai report says Indo-Pak war on water inevitable If we go by a report prepared by the Mumbai-based The Strategic Foresight Group, India and Pakistan are due to fight a war over water. The report has said that Islamabad's prime interest in Kashmir was to secure its water resources, a strategic think-tank has said a war over water between Pakistan and Kashmir is "inevitable in future". Thousands flee Dera BugtiThousands of people started evacuating Dera Bugti on Saturday, fearing more battles between Bugti tribesmen and government forces, government officials said. It's a slam dunk:
Venezuela was just as responsible for 9/11 as IraqThe Union (California) contributor R. Owen Barnes writes: I'm confused. Why on earth did we go to all trouble to invade Iraq after 9/11 when we could've accomplished just as much by invading Venezuela?
Africa on 03.22.05 @ 01:12 PM CST [ link]
Monday, March 21st
The Object of Torture is Torture
Africa's forgotten warWHILE THE world dithers on the killing in Darfur, it ignores another deadly conflict -- in the Democratic Republic of Congo. An estimated 30,000 innocent men, women and children are dying every month in Congo, mostly due to hunger and disease. Since 1997, Congolese civilians have suffered two wars, and an estimated 4 million have died. It is time for the international community to press all sides to commit to peace. UN says Congo troops harassing civiliansS Africa's Sharpeville Remembers KillingsTime Warner Pays $300 Million to Settle FraudThe Object of Torture is TortureInstead of beginning today’s column with a discussion of world events, we begin with a vocabulary lesson. The lesson is inspired by the confluence of two words that seem to have nothing in common. They are “transferal” and “rendition.” The first word means, among other things, to move from one situation or place to another. Transferals are innocuous events that say nothing about the society in which they take place. A rendition is, among other things, a version of a familiar tune performed in a manner that is slightly different from the version to which the listener is accustomed. Renditions are innocuous events that say nothing about the society in which they take place although if the rendition is a bad one, it may say something about the performer. MDC to meet SA observersZimbabwe's opposition leader will meet poll monitors from the South African government this week after his party accused them of "prejudging" the March 31 parliamentary vote as free and fair, a minister said on Sunday. Into Africa's new heart of darknessIn the war-torn Sudanese province of Darfur, more than two million have been forced from their homes and 70,000 - perhaps many more - have been killed. The UN has called it "the world's worst humanitarian crisis". Africa-Caribbean Commission makes senseWe cannot but endorse the proposal from last week's Diaspora conference in Kingston, promoted primarily by Jamaica and South Africa, for the establishment of an Africa-Caribbean Commission to be a sort of central mechanism to promote the interaction between the two regions. Conference recommends formation of Africa-Caribbean CommissionTHE inaugural South Africa-African Union-Caribbean Diaspora conference ended in Kingston yesterday with a proposal to establish an Africa-Caribbean Commission to be the centralised mechanism for interaction between the two regions. Rastas upset about exclusion from South Africa conferenceRASTAFARIANS from the Nyabinghi Order said they were disappointed that they were not allowed to make formal presentations during Wednesday's opening of the South Africa/African Union/Caribbean Diaspora Conference at the Jamaica Conference in Kingston. After fighting ends, Africa's innocents bear the wounds BUNIA, Congo: There were two ailing boys, both appropriately named Innocent, at a makeshift hospital here. They didn't know it, but they represented the two different ways of dying in Africa's wars The continent's problems are too big for us to ignoreThe West, seeing little economic profit or strategic advantage in it, pays scant attention to its crippling problems. Long after the end of the Cold War and the start of economic globalization, long after once-poor countries in Asia and Latin America began to attract foreign investments to pull themselves out of destitution, Africa continues its downward slide into a collective miasma of extreme poverty, pervasive disease, civil strife, tribal warfare and obscenely corrupt governments. Google sued over news aggregation REUTERS SAID Agence France Presse (AFP) is taking legal action over the aggregation of news and pictures on the Google News site. In 2002, a federal appeals court ruled that Web sites may reproduce and post "thumbnail" or down-sized versions of copyrighted photographs. But the court said displaying full-sized copies of photographs is a copyright violation. Putin to pay first visit to Kiev after new Ukr pres takes officeRussian President Vladimir Putin arrives in Ukraine on Saturday for a brief working visit, the first top-level visit to Kiev after the power change in the country. Brazil Wants to Shed Fugitive Haven ImageSouth Korea, U.S. begin military drillsThousands of American and South Korean troops conducted joint maneuvers Saturday, rankling North Korea, which denounced the exercises as a rehearsal for war. End farm export subsidies in 5 years, G-20 saysA powerful block of 20 developing countries demanded on Saturday that rich nations scrap all trade-distorting subsidies for farm goods within five years. S Korea not calmed by Japan's statement in territorial dispute Zapatero, Uribe, Lula, Chavez meeting will take place in Venezuela Presidents of Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Spain, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Alvaro Uribe, Hugo Chavez and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero respectively, will meet at the end of March in Venezuela ... not in Brazil as originally established. Cuba Tops Latin American Efforts to Wipe Out TuberculosisThough tuberculosis remains a curse that kills 1.8 million people annually worldwide - 98 percent of whom in Third World countries - Cuba is likely to eliminate that disease in the near future.
Africa on 03.21.05 @ 04:06 AM CST [ link]
Friday, March 18th
Sudan: Nothing in Place Yet for Returnees
G-20 demands end to trade-distorting farm subsidiesA powerful block of 20 developing countries demanded on Saturday that rich nations scrap all trade-distorting subsidies for farm goods within five years. Text of the Declaration by Palestinians The following is the text of declaration issued by 13 Palestinian groups issued Thursday at the end of three days of meetings in this satellite city of Cairo. Kuwait to charge US for fuelThe days when a US Army truck could fill up for free at a petrol station in Kuwait are coming to an end. Israeli court indicts Vanunu Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu was indicted on Thursday for violating the terms of his release from prison, the Israeli Justice Ministry announced. Vanunu was freed from an Israeli prison last April after completing an 18-year sentence for revealing secrets of Israel's nuclear program to the Sunday Times newspaper in London. Castro Announces Revaluation of Cuban Currency President Fidel Castro late Thursday announced a 7 percent revaluation of Cuba's national currency, giving Cubans slightly more buying power as the communist-run island moves to reassert greater control over its economy. Road blocks suspended as Congress approves gas tax lawThe crisis in Bolivia appears to be unwinding and the first victim of this emerging clarity could be President Carlos Mesa himself. Payout for Pinochet victims shines in dark times for human rightsOn February 25, Riggs Bank agreed to pay $9 million into a fund for victims of Augusto Pinochet to settle a case over the bank’s role in hiding the former Chilean dictator's ill-gotten gains. Students Stage Counter-Recruitment Protests Across the CountryStudents around the country have launched a national week of campus resistance to mark the second anniversary of the Iraq invasion and high profile counter-recruitment protests are being staged at university campuses around the country. We speak with a former marine and recruiter's assistant who is now speaking out against the military and two people arrested during a protest against military recruiters on university campus... Killer Angolan fever claims 87 An outbreak of an unidentified haemorrhagic fever has claimed the lives of 87 people in northern Angola over the past four months, health ministry spokesperson Carlos Alberto said on Friday. Kenya: 1,500 Families Flee From Inter-Clan Violence in ManderaAn estimated 1,500 families have fled their homes following the killing earlier this week of 22 people by armed raiders in the northeastern Kenyan district of Mandera, a spokesman for the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) said on Thursday. Obasanjo Rejects Privatisation BillPresident Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday rejected the Privatisation and Commercialisation of Public Enterprises Bill, 2004 as passed by the National Assembly alleging "a clear case of interference and encroachment into executive function which amounts to near running the affairs of commercialised enterprises by the National Assembly." Castro rips Forbes for putting him on rich listThe Cuban government, in a press statement issued by its embassy in Mexico, called the story a "clumsy slander and a repugnant example of the campaign of lies" orchestrated against Cuba in the United States. Sudan: Nothing in Place Yet for ReturneesA small group of around 2,000 people, displaced by a war that had lasted over two decades, arrived by river barge in the central Sudanese town of Malakal in March 2004. Afghan crime makes some miss TalibanRampant kidnappings and killings in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar is fostering nostalgia for the extremist Muslims who once ruled the community.
Africa on 03.18.05 @ 10:48 AM CST [ link]
Thursday, March 17th
Caribbean Diaspora Conference
Why the U.S. Media Is a WhoreWhich brings us to the new breed of pod people passing for independent journalists. Not simply the Maggie Gallaghers of journalism but the true whores of the media. If for nothing else, the Jeff Gannon-Jim Guckert sex scandal should indicate the depth of media prostitution. The only difference between Gannon and those who write for the mainstream media is that Gannon usually got undressed before he sold himself. Former CIA Agent Affirms Possibility of Chavez's AssassinationIn an interview on Miami's Spanish-language channel 22, the former CIA agent Felix Rodriguez said that the U.S. government has plans to "bring about a change in Venezuela." When pressed as to what type of plans these might be, Rodriguez responded that the Bush administration "could do it with a military strike, with a plane." Costa Ricans Join Call to Block Washington's Anti-Cuba ManeuversOver 60 Costa Rican intellectuals joined the international alert denouncing Washington's pressuring of member- nations at the UN Human Rights Commission to pass an anti-Cuba resolution. North Korea Refuses to Deal With Rice North Korea bitterly refused Wednesday any dealings with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as the top U.S. diplomat began a six-day visit to Asia seeking a breakthrough in the two-year standoff over the North's nuclear weapons program. 6 U.S. Banks Held Pinochet's Accounts Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet had more than 125 accounts at a half-dozen U.S. banks, including Citibank, during the 1990s, according to a Senate report. America's Has-Been EconomyA country cannot be a superpower without a high tech economy, and America's high tech economy is eroding as I write. The erosion began when US corporations outsourced manufacturing. Today many US companies are little more than a brand name selling goods made in Asia. TSA Does Not Allow Military Personnel to Get Off the Plane at SFO Military personnel returning from Afghanistan did not get a warm welcome when they touched down in San Francisco. US Army asks for longer enlistments as recruitment numbers fall The US Army has asked Congress to allow it to extend enlistment contracts offered to future soldiers by two years in order to "stabilize the force," as top defense officials warned that key recruitment targets for the year could be missed. Consumers Wince as Gas Prices Hit Record In a nation where every second vehicle on the road is a fuel-thirsty pickup truck, SUV or minivan, American consumers are feeling the pinch of record gas prices. Russia reformer Chubais survives assassination bid Anatoly Chubais, head of Russia's state power monopoly, survived an assassination attempt on Thursday by assailants who detonated a roadside bomb and sprayed his convoy with gunfire. South Africa, Caribbean Diaspora Conference opens in Kingston todayPRIME Minister P J Patterson will officially open today's South Africa/African Union/ Caribbean Diaspora Conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston. The conference, to be chaired by Foreign Minister K D Knight, will also be addressed by South Africa's Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and deputy chairman of the African Union, Patrick Mazimhaka. Africa and the Caribbean work towards greater unityDelegates from nations in Africa and the Caribbean are meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, to discuss ways of promoting unity and finding common approaches to shared issues. The three-day South Africa, African Union and Caribbean Diaspora Conference will be looking at strengthening ties between Africa and populations of African origin on the other side of the Atlantic. Nigeria proposes Africa-run tribunal to try Sudan war crimes suspectsNigeria proposed setting up an African-run tribunal to prosecute human rights violators and war crimes suspects from Sudan's conflict-wracked Darfur region, a possible bid to break an impasse in the U.N. Security Council, according to a document released Wednesday. South Africa losing struggle against abalone poachersOver the last decade, this rugged 60-mile stretch of coast east of Cape Town, home to one of the world's last big concentrations of commercial abalone, has become a high-tech battleground, pitting conservation agents intent on saving the vanishing species and divers and smugglers who can earn thousands of dollars a day harvesting the giant sea snails, a delicacy in Asia, and spiriting them to Chinese dealers. S. Africa, DPR of Korea boost cooperation The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s Vice President Yang Hyong Sop is on a five-day visit to South Africa from Mar.16. Zuma defends SA ties with controversial North KoreaJacob Zuma, the deputy president, who met Yang Hyong Sop, North Korea's vice-president, today has defended South Africa's move to strengthen diplomatic ties with North Korea. Zuma says the two countries will continue exploring ways and means of harnessing nuclear technology for sustainable use, and not for destructive purposes. Throwing salt on 'the scar of Africa'Africa's situation is so dire that any extra assets would be welcomed. Yet the proposals in the Commission for Africa Report, chaired by UK prime minister Tony Blair, are likely to do more harm than good. US warns ships off E AfricaThe United States is advising western shipping firms and other maritime interests of a possible terrorist attack on vessels off the coast of East Africa, according to a government warning seen on Thursday. ASEAN officials meet to discuss future of Southeast AsiaOfficials from ASEAN-member countries gathered for a conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday to discuss the future of Southeast Asia at the Second ASEAN Leadership Forum. Zimbabwe Seeks Beef Markets in Africa, AsiaZIMBABWE is in the process of tapping the beef market in several African and Asian countries as it seeks to expand its export market, Veterinary Services Department principal director Dr Stuart Hargreaves said yesterday.
Africa on 03.17.05 @ 02:08 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, March 16th
More than 70 000 dead in Sudan
Free-Trade Protests Jam Guatemalan Roads Protesters denouncing a regional free trade plan with the United States clashed with police in Guatemala's capital on Monday, leaving 19 people injured and two arrested. Okinawa governor wants Marines off islandThe governor of Okinawa said Tuesday he wants the U.S. Marines to leave his island. Venezuela pushes ahead with land redistributionAlthough President Hugo Chavez once spoke of a 'war against the landed estates', the government now carefully avoids using the word 'confiscation'. It is simply 'retaking' land which, while it has always been 'public property', was dubiously 'occupied' by private landowners and businesses. Israel's Broken Record - Attack IranIt's like a broken record: Israel will attack Iran, Israel will attack Iran. Iran is working on nukes, Iran is working on nukes, even though the International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is not working on nukes. Now we are told the Israelis have created a mock version of Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant in order to practice assaults on the facility. More than 70 000 dead in SudanFar more people have died in Sudan's ravaged Darfur region than the 70 000 reported since last year, and many of those deaths were from preventable causes like pneumonia and diarrhoea, the United Nations humanitarian chief said on Wednesday. Diamond mine collapses in CongoKinshasa - A diamond mine collapsed in southern Congo and killed up to 40 people, authorities said on Wednesday, adding the news had taken weeks to emerge from the remote area. Support the Chinese PeopleThe third session of the 10th National People's Congress on March 14, 2005, adopted a ten-article legislation making the secession of the island province of Taiwan an action against the popular will of the Chinese people and therefore illegal. Ask What Britain Can Do for Africa The Commission for Africa report outlines at length what the world must do for Africa and Africa for itself. The report also sets out what Britain could be doing for Africa, and is not. CAR election gets thumbs upBangui - National and international election observers on Tuesday gave a clean bill of health to weekend presidential and legislative polls in the Central African Republic. Africa Union plans up to 7,000 troops for CongoThe African Union (AU) said on Wednesday it planned to send between 6,000 and 7,000 troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help disarm militias threatening peace in the region, officials said. ABSA's Plans for Africa Dealt Blow in ZambiaABSA's African expansion plans have been dealt a setback, with the Zambia Privatisation Agency (ZPA) ending talks for Absa to buy a 49% stake in Zambia National Commercial Bank (Zanaco). BBC goes on a sub-Saharan trip to counter the stereotypesAfrica has long been seen in the eyes of British television viewers as a continent blighted by famine, poverty and disease, or the backdrop to the adventures of white heroes. This summer, the BBC hopes to counter those stereotypes by devoting a week of programming on its main channel to show Africa in a more positive light. For the week in July regular BBC1 shows ranging from Question Time to Rolf on Art,as well as the news bulletins, will go to sub-Saharan Africa. Bozeman teens find ways to help orphans in AfricaHannah Stiff may be only 18, but she has figured out a way that local teenagers can help some of the poorest children in the world, African children left as orphans by AIDS and war. North Korea rejects nuclear negotiationsNorth Korea Wednesday announced it would not return to nuclear negotiations in Beijing following criticism from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Africa on 03.16.05 @ 01:23 PM CST [ link]
Tuesday, March 15th
Bush orders policy to 'contain' Chávez
Militarization of U.S. Africa Policy: 2000 to 2005 Guns, Oil and TerrorIn the wake of September 11th, and in keeping with its interest in securing access to oil and other key natural resources, the Bush administration has been rapidly expanding U.S. military involvement in Africa. While most recent increases in U.S. arms sales, aid, and military training in Africa have been justified as part of what the administration refers to as the "Global War on Terrorism" (GWOT), oil has been a major factor in the administration's strategic calculations from the outset. In his first few months in office, President Bush's first Secretary of State, Colin Powell, stressed the need to improve relations with oil producing nations like Nigeria and Angola. Similarly, the report of Vice-President Cheney's Energy Task Force stressed the importance of gaining and maintaining access to African oil resources, which U.S. intelligence assessments expect to increase to as much as 25% of U.S. oil imports by the year 2020 (see Salih Booker and Ann-Louise Cogan, "Africa Policy Outlook 2004," at www.africaaction.org/resources/outlook/2004policyoutlook.php). Elephants in Africa: Return of the culling fields?A surge in the number of elephants may delight animal-lovers but it endangers other species. Now a controlled slaughter is proposed in southern Africa. Basildon Peta and Julian Coman report Uganda Gives Up On UN Council SeatUganda has abandoned its ambition of getting a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council due to its low international credentials. Africa adopts position on UN reform The African Union (AU) Executive Council has adopted a common African position on the reform of the United Nations (UN), which among others, including demand for not less than two permanent seats at the UN Security Council with right of veto and five non permanent seats. Africa Union Debates How to Disarm Hutu Rebels in the DRC A two-day meeting of the African Union in Addis Ababa is focusing on how to disarm Rwandan rebels in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are up to 14 thousand ethnically Hutu rebels in the region, who stage attacks against Rwanda’s government and destabilize local communities in the DRC. The rebels, called Interahamwe, are blamed for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda against minority Tutsi and moderate Hutu. The presidents of the DRC and Rwanda have agreed to allow the African Union to coordinate a solution using AU troops. The United States of Africa:
a Possibility We Should Fight forPredictions of human history and an evaluation of major civilizations leads us to the hope that Africa, like other leading civilizations coming down from Egypt, Greece and the Great Roman Empire, has almost entered a paradigm of its rise despite the many short comings, including poverty which has rated it the poorest continent of the globe. AU backs China's anti-secession lawThe African Union (AU) on Monday reiterated its One China policy and expressed support for China's anti-secession law to prevent Taiwan's secession from China. "The anti-secession law adopted today by China's National People's Congress is of vital importance," said AU Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare when meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Lin Lin. Abstain? Not a Choice in AfricaThere was no sense of victory, of having achieved new commitments by states to women's human rights. There was fatigue, a sense that women's lives have not changed significantly enough. As for gaining new commitments by states, it says a lot about the current negotiating climate at the UN. Elections: Kenya an Anchor for AfricaEast Africa has experienced a decade of intermittent and uneven progress in regard to economic development, control of corruption, respect for human rights and resolution of regional conflicts, according to specialists in the US. US defends video press releasesThe US has defended its practice of sending out video press releases to news agencies, even though there is a lack of disclosure regarding the source of the information. Bush orders policy to 'contain' ChávezSenior US administration officials are working on a policy to "contain" Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president, and what they allege is his drive to "subvert" Latin America's least stable states. A strategy aimed at fencing in the government of the world's fifth-largest oil exporter is being prepared at the request of President George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, senior US officials say. The move signals a renewed interest by the administration in a region that has been relatively neglected in recent years. Venezuela restocks its arsenal The US military's senior officer responsible for security co-operation in Latin America has warned of the destabilising potential posed to the region by the Venezuelan government's controversial, and opaque, arms procurement programme. Hugo Chávez, the president of the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, has begun signing contracts to buy an array of weapons to revamp his defences to thwart what he claims could be outside "aggression". The galactic winds singing eternally: ¡Uh, Ah! Chávez no se va!On Thursday, 10th March, 2005, in Miami, Florida, on TV-Cable Channel 22, in the program "Maria Elvira Confronta", the Cuban-American reporter, Maria Elvira Salazar ... accompanied by the ex-CIA agent, Felix Rodriguez, who participated in murdering Che Guevara in Bolivia, and also by a known Venezuelan "Contra", Luis Piña ... again publicly called for North American violent intervention in Venezuela, and openly for the assassination of President Chávez. US-British Stance on Iraqi Death Toll "Irresponsible"Russia Razes Site of Maskhadov's Killing Russian authorities said Monday they blew up the house where Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov was killed last week because they feared booby traps, but critics questioned the motive. Gridlock in Bolivia after talks crumble between Mesa and MoralesThe much touted meeting between Bolivian President Carlos Mesa and the leader of the Movement to Socialism (MAS), Deputy Evo Morales ended with no progress being made. The main sticking point is the royalty and taxes to be levied on the export of Bolivian natural gas by the Spanish energy multinational, Repsol-YPF.
Africa on 03.15.05 @ 10:07 AM CST [ link]
Monday, March 14th
A Mixed Verdict for Commission's Report
Even surrender is not an optionWe did not want to fight. We are a peaceful people. But when the USA is starving children all over the world, by putting countries into huge debt and then giving back in charity only a fraction of what they stole, and when the USA is bombing people all over the world, and killing innocent people with sanctions and depleted uranium, then they have pushed us into a corner and we must defend the world and its children from USA oppression. U.K. Treasury's Boateng to Take Job in South Africa U.K. Treasury minister Paul Boateng will step down after the next election to become the nation's ambassador to South Africa in Pretoria, the Foreign Office said. Development-Africa: A Mixed Verdict for Commission's ReportA "decisive first step" towards making poverty in Africa history, an "exercise to cover up the Iraq war": reactions to the report issued last week by Britain's Commission for Africa have been many and varied. Zimbabwe Facing Another Drought With only a few weeks to the end of this year's rainy season, some Southern African countries have received only a fraction of their usual rainfall which is particularly bad news for Zimbabwe. Africa illegal ivory trade growingPoachers are killing between 6,000 and 12,000 elephants a year to supply illegal ivory markets in Sudan -- among the largest in the world -- to meet growing Chinese demand, experts said Monday. Learn from Zim land reform, SA toldSouth Africa has to make space for policy-making structures to avoid political unrest over land reform, the executive director of the African Institute of Agrarian studies said on Monday. Learn from Zimbabwe how hostile the white community is when they have to pay up.Johannesburg - a city of risk and opportunityFresh off the bus at Park Station, one of the greatest challenges facing any newcomer to Johannesburg, South Africa's economic hub, is accommodation. Researchers say breast cancer in Africa
may provide clues to the disease in African-AmericansA new review finds similarities between the clinical presentation and course of breast cancer in Africans and African-Americans, suggesting that genetic factors may play a significant role in the racial differences encountered in the epidemiology of breast cancer in America. Tony Blair is not learning his lessonThe democracy and freedom that President Bush and his colleague Tony Blair are exporting to the Arab nation means servitude to the Anglo-Saxon-Zionist Imperialism. This servitude was accepted by the Arab rulers in order to maintain themselves in power and to protect themselves from the rage and anger of the people who have chosen the freedom and democracy through the struggle on the road of unity of the homeland. Right Way To LearnDemocracy and human rights will soon be part of the curriculum at Bahrain's schools. Mubarak: Democracy Can't Come From Outside Democratic reform in the Arab world cannot be imposed from the outside, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Sunday in an apparent rebuke of U.S.-led efforts to speed up change in the region. Baghdad becomes hostile land for Arab expatriates Drumbeat din forces tax arrears pay-upTax defaulters in an Andhra Pradesh town are being forced to face the music with authorities hiring drummers to play non-stop outside their homes until they pay up. The Five Cuban Political Prisoners And International Press Censorship Why is the international press not discussing the case of the five Cuban political prisoners, which is in fact one of the greatest political and legal scandals of the century? How is it possible that a scandal of record-breaking sensationalism, adaptable to any kind of media coverage by its political and legal content, has been censored by the vast majority of media outlets in the west? How is it possible that, in the very hour of the "global war against terrorism", five young Cubans who risked their lives to prevent terrorist acts from being carried out against their country, were arrested, mistreated, and condemned to life imprisonment in the United States without this being mentioned by the media transnationals? The Spoils of WarHalliburton subsidiary KBR got $12 billion worth of exclusive contracts for work in Iraq. But even more shocking is how KBR spent some of the money. Former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official Bunnatine Greenhouse is blowing the whistle on the Dick Cheney–linked company's profits of war They shoot reporters, don't they?The killing of Italian intelligence officer Nicola Calipari by US occupation forces in Iraq is another twist in the diabolical tactics employed by members of the occupation forces in manipulating the veracity of their adventurism in this immoral crusade. U.S. bans Sinn Fein from fundraising LONDON (Reuters) - Sinn Fein, the political ally of the IRA, has been banned from fundraising in the United States, The Times has reported, citing diplomatic sources. It said the order, passed to Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams via U.S. State Department channels, followed White House anger over accusations the IRA was continuing criminal activity.
Africa on 03.14.05 @ 02:41 PM CST [ link]
Sunday, March 13th
Chavez steps up calls for socialism
A Template for the U.S. War in IraqThe composition of a coherent historical narrative is no easy task. Fortunately, the aspiring historian of the current U.S. war in Iraq can draw upon earlier narratives to ease the burden, merely substituting a word here and there in order to make the text accord with the specific names and places that are now pertinent. As the following illustrative statements show, however, basic patterns tend to persist, so one need not suffer through a protracted new search for how a particular war has come to be fought. My textual changes to apply the model to the present war appear in brackets. Iran: U.S. 'hallucinating' over nuclear talksThe United States is "hallucinating" if it thinks Iran will scrap its nuclear fuel production plans in return for economic incentives, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying on Sunday. Israel ready to strike Iranian nuclear plant: reportIsrael has drawn up plans for a combined air and ground attack on Iranian nuclear installations should diplomatic efforts fail to abandon Tehran's nuclear programme, a report in the Sunday Times said. Khatami condemns 'military pressure'Iran's president has said that wealthy nations cannot keep today's technology for themselves alone and that Iran must be prepared to defend itself if necessary. War crime claimsWhen the U.S. went to war in Iraq, Jimmy Massey was a staff sergeant with a marine unit that had the job of setting up checkpoints to protect American forces. In a short period of time, Massey claims, he and his men had killed 30 Iraqi civilians. He says he and the others are guilty of war crimes. Business As Usual?Halliburton's CEO says his company is pulling out of Iran. But a corporate subsidiary is still going ahead with a deal to develop Tehran’s natural gas fields Europeans probe CIA role in abductionsA radical Egyptian cleric known as Abu Omar was walking to a Milan mosque for noon prayers in February 2003 when he was grabbed on the sidewalk by two men, sprayed in the face with chemicals and stuffed into a van. He hasn't been seen since. Chavez steps up calls for socialism Speaking on his television program, Hello President on February 27, Venezuela's popular pro-poor president, Hugo Chavez, explained: "I am convinced, at this stage of my life - I am now 50 years old - after six years as a president, after nearly 30 years of political struggle... after many readings, debates, discussions and many travels around the world, I am convinced, and I think that this conviction will be for the rest of my life, that the path to a new, better and possible world, is not capitalism, the path is socialism." The studio audience cheered. Germans Arrested in South Africa on Nuclear ChargesA South African court on Thursday charged two German men who live in the country with illegally exporting equipment used to enrich uranium needed to make nuclear weapons. Israel ready to strike Iranian nuclear plant: report Israel has drawn up plans for a combined air and ground attack on Iranian nuclear installations should diplomatic efforts fail to abandon Tehran's nuclear programme, a report in the Sunday Times said. Rightwing always target ZimSouth Africa's rightwing was not a newcomer to demonising Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, said the African National Congress on its internet site on Friday. PBS says American Slavery was NaturalFor those interested in an alternative history of American slavery, the first installment of PBS's new four-hour series, "Slavery and the Making of America" (February 9 and 16) began on a promising note. The first American bond-laborers, we are shown in vivid color and told by narrator Morgan Freeman, were a rather mixed group: English, Scottish, Irish, and African. Rarely do U.S. history texts start with this crucial fact in telling the story of America’s so-called "Peculiar Institution." In the main, U.S. slavery is presented as either an embarrassing aberration or a painful yet necessary stage in the nation's triumphant march toward democracy and equality for all. In both conceptions, American slavery is always racialized, creating the false impression that Anglo-American slave-owners imposed a system of chattel slavery on Africans and African Americans because of their phenotype (or skin tone), not their labor power. First vote since coup in CARBangui, Central African Republic - Voters in the impoverished Central African Republic elect a president on Sunday, the first poll since rebels seized the capital two years ago and installed their headman as leader of the country, long blighted by coups and corruption. Nigeria Debates Payment on Foreign Debt Nigeria's Senate has approved legislation saying that Nigeria will pay its foreign debt obligations this year, but the House of Representatives says it wants the country to stop servicing its $35 billion foreign debt. Africa's bid for UN seat gets a boostBrazil and India stopped short of publicly backing South Africa's candidature for a permanent United Nations Security Council seat at the weekend. Peace means little to Sudan's displacedBaryar Camp, Sudan - Most children in this camp for displaced people have the swollen bellies of malnutrition. It is rare to see smoke wafting from the mud huts, an ominous sign that few families have food to cook. Defense Minister Says Cubans Are UnitedCubans form a "monolithic block" that will resist attempts to push the island toward political and economic change, Cuban Defense Minister Raul Castro said in remarks published Saturday. UN Secretary General Criticizes US
and Britain for Violations of Human RightsMadrid, March 12 (RHC)-- United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has strongly criticized the US and Britain for violating human rights in the name of the so-called 'war on terror.' Speaking in Madrid on the first anniversary of the train bombings that killed nearly 200 people in the Spanish capital, Annan said that "human rights and the rule of law must always be respected." Venezuela's Supreme Court Nullifies Sentence that Absolved Coup OrganizersThe Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela's Supreme Court annuled the decision that let four military organizers of the April 2002 coup go free. This means that they can now be charged with military rebellion. The world turns the US dollar down to the benefit of the euro Central banks in several Asian states considerably reduced the dollar constituent of their reserves American Business and Genocide Linked AgainThe Asian American Hotel Owner Association (AAHOA), despite strong protests from several civil rights organizations and the Coalition Against Genocide is determined to honor Narendra Modi at their annual convention in Ft. Lauderdale, FL (March 22-24, 2005). Narendra Modi was indicted by many international humanitarian organizations for perpetrating a pogrom of mass murder, rape and arson against religious minorities in Gujarat in 2002 while he was the Chief Minister of that state in India. Even Indiaís Supreme Court acknowledged his complicity in the pogrom against minorities. North Korea warns US-S. Korean military drill could result in "actual war"SEOUL - North Korea warned on Sunday that annual US-South Korean military exercises due to start this week and designed to deter any military threat from the Stalinist country could turn into "an actual war".
Africa on 03.13.05 @ 12:21 PM CST [ link]
Saturday, March 12th
Protect our heritage
UN destabilizing Haiti Evidence continues to mount of the United Nations complicity in the ongoing campaign by the U.S. installed government of Gerard Latortue to terrorize, exile, or kill supporters of President Jean Bertrand Aristide's popular Lavalas party. In Iraq, You Want a Job, Learn EnglishThe US-led occupation of Iraq has played its toll on almost all aspects of life. The change – whether for better or worse is left for days and years to clarify – is leading to an almost complete reshaping of the political, economic, social and cultural structure of the oil rich Arab country. Protect our heritage - ZumaThe proliferation of cultural villages in South Africa was good for the tourism industry, but should not end up trivialising the culture and heritage of the country, Deputy President Jacob Zuma said on Saturday. Tin trade fuels Congo warIn a haze of dust, wearing ear mufflers against the clang of machines, Lobano Kalimbiro smashes red rocks rich in tin ore with a metal hammer, working up a sweat in a trade that fuelled Central Africa's biggest war and may spawn another. Zanzibar is 'ticking'Tanzania's main opposition party warned Friday of a political "time bomb" on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar after weekend clashes there between its supporters and those of the government. A Day of ReckoningAging race-riot survivors are pushing the nation to confront the wrongs of its past After the War Comes CancerInformation collected for a German project investigating the use of uranium-charged ammunition in Iraq shows that when Iraqi women fear for their children's health, it is with good reason. Tehran, Caracas exemplify South-South tiesVisiting Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said Iran and Venezuela are neither pursuing any covert plan to form a strategic alliance against a third country nor do they intend to undermine the interests of others. Iran Dismisses US, European IncentivesIran has rejected U.S. and European economic incentives offered in exchange for abandoning its nuclear enrichment activities, saying it will not bend to external pressure. PML-N slams statement on Dr AQ Khan The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) condemned on Friday the recent statement Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed made about Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan. PML-N Information Secretary Mohammad Siddiqul Farooq said the information minister’s accusation that the national hero provided nuclear equipment to Iran hinted at a fresh conspiracy against Pakistan. Vietnam begins 30th anniversary of end of Vietnam WarVietnam kicked off celebrations marking 30 years since winning the war against the United States, the anniversary of the fall of central highland city Buon Ma Thuot. Cuba to hold conference on Viet Nam Cuba is set to organize a scientific conference in celebration of the 30th anniversary of southern Viet Nam's liberation (April 30) in Havana on April 21-22. The Night Hell Fell From The SkyMarch 10 is the 60th anniversary of one of the great forgotten atrocities of World War 2: the fire-bombing of Tokyo which killed over 100,000 people Saotome Katsumoto was 12 when he heard the familiar rumble of B-29 bombers. "It was a midnight air raid, but unlike anything we had experienced before. Irrational and unfair ruling The US court's dismissal of Vietnamese Agent Orange victims' lawsuit against 37 US chemical companies which supplied toxic chemicals to the US army during the war in Viet Nam is an unreasonable, irrational and unfair ruling as it failed to give clear arguments to its decision. Hariri reportedly assassinated to make way for large US air base in LebanonBolivia Indian groups vow to 'battle' president March 9, 2005 – Bolivian Indians blocked roads with boulders Wednesday and vowed a "face-to-face battle" against President Carlos Mesa, whose quickly withdrawn resignation offer failed to ease turmoil. Bolivia rejects president's resignationChavez expresses support for Bolivia's embattled president Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that his government and the Venezuelan people support Bolivia's embattled President Carlos Mesa, hoping Mesa would complete his term of office. Bolivia: new round of negotiations in the making The tension that prevailed all week in Bolivia slacked off Friday as protesters removed some highway blockades despite threats by unions to intensify their opposition to President Carlos Mesa administration. Bolivia Leader Says He Now Has Wide Popular SupportPresident Carlos Mesa pressed forward to win approval of the energy bill that spawned the street blockades that imperiled his government. Congress Rejects Mesa's ResignationOn May 6, President Carlos Mesa caught Bolivia off-guard. He announced that as a result of continual protests and growing blockades, he was no longer willing to, "govern based on the crazy things different sectors demand," and planned to submit his resignation to Congress the next day. The unexpected announcement generated uncertainty throughout the nation that was paralyzed by 57different road blockades to obtain diverse and sometimes contradictory demands. Ironically, high levels of protest do not reflect inflexibility of the administration. Instead, the greater openness of the Mesa government, compared to its predecessors, heightened disenfranchised group's hopes that there long-postponed needs might finally be met. At that time, strongest protests had been going on for six days in the Chapare coca-growing region and in El Alto. The resignation announcement represented an impromptu mini- referendum to generate public support for his administration, as well as a reaction to a genuinely untenable situation.
Africa on 03.12.05 @ 04:00 PM CST [ link]
Friday, March 11th
Bush's Grand Plan for Blacks
Chavez Venezuela backs Iran in nuclear row with USVenezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whose country is a major U.S. oil provider, said on Friday he backed Iran in its dispute with the United States and Europe over its nuclear program. Elephant Talk "The president makes policy decisions based on what the best policies for the country are, not politics." - White House spokesman, in response to allegations that scientists have been pressured by the administration to change scientific conclusions that don’t support Bush policies, 2/21/05 "We're an empire now, ... we create our own reality."- unnamed "senior advisor" to President Bush, 2002. These quotes recall the joke about the man who tried to take his elephant into the city park, only to stopped by a policeman who told him elephants were not allowed in the park. Unfazed, the man pointed to a slice of bread on the elephant’s forehead and another on its tail, and countered: "This is not an elephant. It’s a sandwich." American Business and Genocide Linked AgainThe Asian American Hotel Owner Association (AAHOA), despite strong protests from several civil rights organizations and the Coalition Against Genocide is determined to honor Narendra Modi at their annual convention in Ft. Lauderdale, FL (March 22-24, 2005). Narendra Modi was indicted by many international humanitarian organizations for perpetrating a pogrom of mass murder, rape and arson against religious minorities in Gujarat in 2002 while he was the Chief Minister of that state in India. Even Indiaís Supreme Court acknowledged his complicity in the pogrom against minorities. Cote D Ivoire: Rebels Warn of Imminent Government AttackRebel forces in northern Cote d'Ivoire have accused government troops of preparing an imminent assault following last week's attack by loyalist militias on rebel positions. Quake in S. Africa may be caused by mining activity: expert A strong earthquake injuring a dozen of people and evacuating thousands in northern South Africa on Wednesday was probably caused by mining activity, experts said. Bush's Grand Plan for Blacks It is a great mistake to view the Bush regime's ferocious assaults on Black and poor America as simply a more vicious version of standard Republican behavior since Ronald Reagan's presidency. The Bush crowd is different than their predecessors; they don't just want to defeat Black political leadership, but to replace it. Microsoft to give software "patches" to US government before anyone elseMicrosoft Corp will prioritise the fixing of security holes in Windows and other Microsoft software for the US Government, The Wall Street Journal reported today. Israeli Textbooks Incite Racism, HatredIsrael's education curricula aim at psychologically mobilizing youngsters for war, inciting "hostility, grudge and hatred" against Arabs and tarnishing the Arab image, according to a new study. Annan attacks erosion of rights in war on terror The UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, launched a fierce attack on Britain and the US yesterday for weakening human rights in the name of the war on terror. British companies fuel corruption in Africa It is clear that the report of the Commission for Africa will identify corruption as a major impediment to development, and it will recognise that countries in the north will have to restrain their own companies from fuelling that corruption. But to what extent is the UK itself fulfilling that obligation? Global sheriff is slowly gaining
on the US and its cavalier way with the lawIn the opinion of many legal experts, the US government broke international law when it waged war on Iraq without explicit UN backing. Unrepentant, it has reserved the right to take similar action again, unilaterally if need be. But another key pillar of global jurisprudence - laws concerning individual liberty, dignity and human rights - is proving harder for Washington to ignore: like a sheriff with a posse of deputies, international law is slowly catching up with the Bush administration. Haiti's Aristide Maintains Right to ReturnOusted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide said Wednesday that recent demonstrations in his home country proved there was a groundswell of support for his return, and he urged an end to continuing political violence. Mesa confirmed as President by Congress – what comes next?Yesterday evening, the Bolivian Congress unanimously rejected the resignation of President Mesa – which according to Prensa Latina was expected - who will now continue in power. In his acceptance speech Mesa made a call to the Bolivians to "take to the streets countrywide on Thursday, to demonstrate against the blockade and to combat racism and intolerance". In addition, he announced the first measure of his confirmed presidency to approve a new Hydrocarbon Law which will respect the one passed in national referendum on July 18th 2004. Bolivia's Indians Vow to Keep Up Blockades Bolivia's Indian leaders vowed Wednesday to set up more road blockades until the country's embattled president drops his opposition to their call for increasing taxes on foreign oil companies. Maiko Zulu Makes It Three With Reggae UnlimitedZAMBIA'S first nominee to the Kora Awards formerly known as St. Micheal and now called Maiko Zulu, is this week expected to release his third album, a 14-track compilation titled Reggae Unlimited.
Africa on 03.11.05 @ 05:12 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, March 10th
Mercenaries to stay in jail longer
A Half Million Lebanese March for SyriaIt was a warning. They came in their tens of thousands, Lebanese Shia Muslim families with babies in arms and children in front, walking past my Beirut home. They reminded me of the tens of thousands of Iraqi Shia Muslims who walked with their families to the polls in Iraq, despite the gunfire and the suicide bombers. And now they came from southern Lebanon and the Bekaa to say they rejected America's plans in Lebanon, and wanted - so they claimed - to know who killed Rafiq Hariri, the former prime minister murdered on 14 February, and to reject UN Security Council Resolution 1559 which demands a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon and the disarmament of the Hizbollah guerrilla movement, and to express their "thanks" to Syria. This was a tall order in Lebanon. It is not democracy that's on the march in the Middle East Managed elections are the latest device to prop up pro-western regimesPublic Version of Saddam Capture FictionA former U.S. Marine who participated in capturing ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein said the public version of his capture was fabricated. Ex-Sgt. Nadim Abou Rabeh, of Lebanese descent, was quoted in the Saudi daily al-Medina Wednesday as saying Saddam was actually captured Friday, Dec. 12, 2003, and not the day after, as announced by the U.S. Army. Mercenaries to stay in jail longer THE 62 mercenaries jailed for violating Zimbabwe's immigration and security laws while en route to stage a coup in Equatorial Guinea, may stay in prison longer after the Attorney-General's Office filed an application with the Supreme Court seeking leave to appeal against a High Court decision to reduce their sentences. Cosatu demo against Zim flops in SA A DEMONSTRATION by the Congress of South African Trade Unions to exert pressure on the Zimbabwe Government ahead of this month's parliamentary polls flopped yesterday as only a handful of protesters turned up. Congo war is world's top 'forgotten' crisisBrutal conflicts in Congo, Uganda and Sudan are the world's three biggest "forgotten emergencies", each dwarfing the toll of the Asian tsunami but attracting scant media interest, a Reuters poll of experts showed on Thursday. Tsunami coverage dwarfs 'forgotten' crises-researchNew research finds the Indian Ocean tsunami got more media attention in the first six weeks after it struck than all of the world’s top 10 "forgotten" emergencies combined have received in the past year. Rwanda killers face local justiceTraditional community courts in Rwanda have begun trying people accused of involvement in the 1994 genocide in which some 800,000 people were killed. Pygmies flee after Burundi poll Some 600 pygmies, or Twa, have fled Burundi for neighbouring Rwanda to escape persecution and hunger, officials say. Italy holds U.S. responsible for agents deathItalian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, said on Wednesday that the United States must assume responsibility for the so-called "friendly fire" killing of Nicola Calipari, an Italian intelligence agent in Iraq. Egypt rebuffs U.S. "democracy" claims Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Aboul Gheit dismissed President George W. Bush’s claim that U.S. policies could lead to democracy in the Middle East. Israel guilty of funding illegal outpostsThe Israeli government has been actively and secretly conniving with Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank to construct outposts in direct violation of domestic and international law, according to damning official report. New Report Says Half Billion People Affected by Malaria A new global malaria estimate dramatically increases the number of cases worldwide, especially in Southeast Asia. South Africa Exhumes Graves of Anti-Apartheid Fighters Forensic specialists in South Africa have exhumed two bodies believed to be those of anti-apartheid fighters killed by security forces 17 years ago and buried in unmarked graves. Investigators hope to positively identify the remains and possibly find clues to who killed them. These are the first of more than 20 exhumations expected over the next several weeks, as authorities try to close some of the cases that were left open by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Iran and Venezuela strengthen relations Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mohammad Khatami will meet in Venezuela today in an effort to further strengthen already stable and dynamic ties between both nations.
Africa on 03.10.05 @ 04:01 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, March 9th
Venezuela Journalists Denounce US Campaign
Chavez: Our oil reserve does not belong to Mr. BushVenezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Monday accused the United States of planning to portray his country as a security threat in order to capture its vast oil reserves. "We are just waiting for the United States to announce next that Venezuela has weapons of mass destruction," Chavez said in a speech in the southern Indian city of Bangalore. Chavez - who has repeatedly accused U.S. President George W. Bush of plotting to assassinate him, a charge Washington denies - said U.S. officials have called him "a threat" and a "destabilizing force" because they want an excuse to gain control over Venezuelan oil reserves. "The United States government would very much like to keep all our oil for itself," Chavez said. "But our oil reserve does not belong to Mr. Bush. The oil belongs to the Venezuelan people." Venezuela Journalists Denounce US CampaignA group of almost 400 hundred Venezuelan journalists issued a statement today denouncing what they consider is a "campaign" from the United States against Venezuela. The journalists argue that negative and frequent media coverage of Venezuela in the U.S., as well as the frequent comments by high ranking officials at the State Department, CIA, and White House, amount to a "campaign" similar to those applied against countries which were later invaded by the U.S. South Africa begins exhuming apartheid-era gravesInvestigators in South Africa hope to start unravelling exactly what happened to hundreds of people who disappeared during the apartheid era when the first of a series of bodies are exhumed from unmarked graves. S.Africa quake injures dozens, mines evacuatedAn earthquake measuring around 5.0 on the Richter scale hit a gold mining area of South Africa on Wednesday, injuring dozens of people including miners and jolting buildings 160 km (100 miles) away in Johannesburg. Injuries and Damage after Quake Rocks South Africa An earthquake measuring five on the Richter scale shook parts of South Africa today and caused injuries and damage south west of Johannesburg. South Africa to strengthen trade ties with LibyaSouth Africa will strengthen its trade and economic links with oil-rich Libya in the wake of lifting of sanctions against the North African country. Japan backs Africa's bid for UN seatsJapan, a leading contender for a permanent seat in an enlarged Security Council, yesterday welcomed an African call to give the continent two spots, saying the developing world needed better representation. 'All of Africa not collapsing under weight of Aids' There is no single Aids epidemic in Africa, says Hein Marais, until recently the chief writer for the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids). There are many. And reasons for these different patterns may range far from medical territory into the realms of economics and history. South Africa to Send Observers to Zimbabwean ElectionsThe South African Parliament will send a 20-member multiparty delegation to observe the Zimbabwean elections on March 31, BUA News service reports Tuesday. Why South Africa does not criticise Mugabe South Africa is seen as the key international player in efforts to find a way out of Zimbabwe's political impasse, but in the run-up to parliamentary elections it is coming under increased pressure from all sides. UNHCR Cites Progress in African Refugee Returns The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says it has made considerable progress toward its goal of returning home up to two million refugees to nine African countries. The agency says it has repatriated more than 350,000 refugees in the first year of a five-year operation. Africa's forgotten warAn often forgotten war in Africa rages on against innocent civilians in northern Uganda. Bordering Sudan, who just recently signed a Final Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end Africa's longest-running civil war, Uganda sees its children abducted, exploited and traumatized while its own 18-year war has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Politics behind settlement of Maasai Mau forestFollowing last week's forced eviction by the government of settlers who had invaded the Maasai Mau Forest,The EastAfrican has established that the massive re-settlement of people in the forests was political.
Africa on 03.09.05 @ 12:47 PM CST [ link]
Tuesday, March 8th
South Africa's capital renamed Tshwane
Dominican Republic Prison Fire Kills 134 A prison fire that killed 134 inmates, one of the deadliest in Latin American prisons, has cast a harsh spotlight on conditions in this country's cells. Defense Wants Bush to Testify at German 9/11 Trial Lawyers for a Moroccan man accused in Germany of aiding and abetting the Sept. 11 attacks called Tuesday for President Bush to be summoned as a witness. Mozambique PM challenges Africa planBritain cannot adopt a "one size fits all" approach to helping African countries, Mozambique's prime minister said ahead of the publication of London's action plan for the world's poorest continent. Africa settles on seeking two seatsAfrican countries agreed Monday to seek two the two permanent seats on the UN Security Council as part of plans to make the body more representative. Mystery man offers to fly 'mercenaries' homeA secret benefactor has offered R130 000 to fly 62 suspected South African mercenaries in Zimbabwe back home as soon as possible after their expected release on Tuesday. SA 'mercenaries' not yet in the clearSixty-two men jailed in Zimbabwe in 2004 in connection with a coup plot in Equatorial Guinea are expected home in South Africa on Tuesday, where they may still face charges, their lawyer and officials said. Nigeria launches probe after 52 children found in truckPolice found dozens of exhausted children - some as young as 1 and none older than 14 - packed into a truck during a routine search in Nigeria's capital, and a suspected child-trafficker claimed their parents consented to hiring them out as servants, authorities said yesterday. South Africa's capital renamed TshwaneIn a symbolic break with apartheid, officials in South Africa's capital voted Monday to rename the city Tshwane, retaining the name Pretoria for the city center only. Haitian minister accuses UN peacekeepers of violating mandateHaiti's justice minister has accused UN peacekeepers of violating their mandate, in a dispute over police officers accused of killing unarmed protesters that is creating more tension ahead of elections to replace ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Taking Gay Pride to South Africa's townshipsDespite a decade of democracy and one of the most liberal constitutions in the world, South Africa still has trouble accommodating those who are black and gay. Bolivia president submits resignationBesieged by protests over his gas policy, Bolivian President Carlos Mesa offered his resignation to Congress on Monday, leaving opposition lawmakers to decide his political future. Cuba: U.S. lacks moral authority on rightsCuba's foreign minister rejected a recent U.S. State Department report criticizing the island's human rights record, saying Monday that the United States has no moral authority to judge other countries after its own scandals over treatment of terror suspects. Carter comment exposes Bush
administration's "big lie" against CubaThe visit by former US president Jimmy Carter to Cuba may not lead to a rapprochement between Washington and Havana or an end to the four-decades-old US economic blockade against the Caribbean nation, but it has already provided a valuable lesson on the nature of the US government's global "war on terrorism." US: bonuses for CEOs soared in 2004CEO bonuses in the US rose a whopping 46.4 percent in 2004, according to a survey of 100 major corporations performed by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. The median CEO bonus stood at $1.14 million, the highest level in at least five years in both absolute terms and percentage gain. Blogger Alert: Election Regulators Are Watching Federal election commissioners in the United States are preparing to consider how revamped campaign finance laws apply to political activity on the Internet, including online advertising, fund-raising e-mail messages and Web blogs Silencing Sgrena, gangland-styleSgrena had the goods on them, the whole bloody litany of crimes perpetrated by the swaggering Texas psychopath and his Pentagon goons. Her interviews with Falluja's refugees put her in a position to spill the beans on Bush's murderous farce and splatter the headlines across Europe with the real picture of what is going on inside Iraq. Venezuela detects several US battleships near its coastsWhile Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez attends to the inauguration ceremony of Uruguay"s leftist leader, Tabare Vazquez, in Montevideo, his Armed Forces are closely watching the unexpected presence of several US battleships near country's western coastline. On Monday, Venezuela's Navy commander, Armando Laguna, made the announcement during an interview on state TV but opted not to accuse Washington directly of any provocation.
Africa on 03.08.05 @ 01:33 PM CST [ link]
Monday, March 7th
South Africa Probes Fate of Apartheid Victims
South Africa Probes Fate of Apartheid Victims South Africa is to begin opening dozens of unmarked graves in a search of clues in the deaths of anti-apartheid activists more than a decade ago. Apartheid victims to be exhumedSouth Africa will this week exhume the first bodies of hundreds of apartheid victims whose fate remains a mystery, a decade after the end of white-minority rule, said an official on Monday. India/Africa: Threat to Generic DrugsProposed changes in Indian patent law being considered by Parliament this month threaten to limit production of generic alternatives for newer drugs. Generic drugs from India have played a key role in lowering the price of antiretroviral treatment to make it feasible to scale up treatment more rapidly for 3.7 million Africans with AIDS who do not have access to treatment. But the new law could add one more obstacle to turning that promise into reality. Over 350,000 African refugees returned home in 2004 The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR announced Monday that 352,000 refugees returned home last year to nine African countries participating in a UNHCR voluntary repatriation program. South African film wins Africa fest honorsA South African film took top honors at Africa's premiere film festival, where the movie celebrating a reporter's struggle against apartheid marked only the second-ever English-language submission to be judged best film in Francophone Burkina Faso. Human Rights Commission Slams San Rights ViolationsAn enquiry into human rights violations among South Africa's tiny Khomani San population has painted a bleak picture of a community suffering neglect and mistreatment at the hands of local authorities. Mama Africa Turns 72Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan has lauded Mama Africa, Miriam Makeba, for her humanitarian contribution to the world. Wishing her a 72nd "happy birthday" Minister Jordan also commended her role in protesting against apartheid through her music. Africa to formalise UN position Africa is expected to formalise a common position in Ethiopia this week on the continent's representation on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Africa must act now to secure UN Security Council seatsAfrica must speak clearly now and with one voice if it hopes to win the two permanent seats on the UN Security Council it is seeking, African Union (AU) chief Alpha Oumar Konare said on Monday. Nigeria Rescues More Than 100 Kids from TraffickersLAGOS, Nigeria - Nigerian police have rescued more than 100 children from child traffickers over the last three days, including 56 discovered at a checkpoint in a frozen food truck, authorities said Monday. A threatened Mogae tarnishes Botswana How deep is democracy in southern Africa? Skindeep, judging by the case of Kenneth Good. Professor Good, an Australian political scientist at the University of Botswana, has been living and working in the country for 15 years.
Africa on 03.07.05 @ 05:48 PM CST [ link]
Sunday, March 6th
Knowledge fades as Africa languages die
Knowledge fades as Africa languages dieA U.N. Conference on Trade and Development report on protecting traditional knowledge argues that beyond a devastating impact on culture, the death of a language wipes out centuries of know-how in preserving ecosystems - leading to grave consequences for biodiversity. Sentiment, business pull Ethiopians homeThe cigar smoke was thick at the swank Office Bar. Danny Davis, a stylish businessman raised in Washington, D.C., huddled with other Ethiopians visiting from the United States, sharing tips about the best local neighborhoods, most promising investment opportunities and best restaurants to munch a burger. Africa luring back many expatriatesAfter 23 years of living abroad, Tadiwos Belete left Boston five years ago to return to his native Ethiopia. He hoped to cash in on what he sees as an untapped market here: one-stop, full-service beauty salons and day spas. S. Africa may introduce single currency by 2016A plan to better integrate markets of southern African countries may lead to a single currency managed by a single central bank by 2016, it was revealed on Sunday. US attack against Italians in Baghdad was deliberate"Giuliana had information, and the US military did not want her to survive," he added. When Sgrena was kidnapped on February 4 she was writing an article on refugees from Fallujah seeking shelter at a Baghdad mosque after US forces bombed the former Sunni rebel stronghold. Sgrena told RaiNews24 television Saturday a "hail of bullets" rained down on the car taking her to safety at Baghdad airport, along with three secret service agents, killing one of them. "I was speaking to (agent) Nicola Calipari (...) when he leant on me, probably to protect me, and then collapsed and I realized he was dead," said Sgrena, who was being questioned on Saturday by two Italian magistrates. Napalm Raid on Falluja? 73 charred bodies -- women and children -- were found 23 November 2004People from Saqlawiya village, near Falluja, told al Jazeera television, based in Qatar, that they helped bury 73 bodies of women and children completely charred, all in the same grave. The sad story of common graves, which started at Saddam’s times, is not yet finished. Nobody could confirm if napalm bombs have been used in Falluja, but other bodies found last year after the fierce battle at Baghdad airport were also completely charred and some thought of nuclear bombs. No independent source could verify the facts, since all the news arrived until now are those spread by journalists embedded with the American troops, who would only allow British and American media to enrol with them. But the villagers who fled in the last few days spoke of many bodies which had not been buried: it was too dangerous to collect the corpses during the battle. Outrage as US soldiers kill hostage rescue heroPier Scolari, Sgrena's partner who flew to Baghdad to collect her, put an even more sinister construction on the events, suggesting in a television interview that Sgrena was the victim of a deliberate ambush. 'Giuliana may have received information which led to the soldiers not wanting her to leave Iraq alive,' he claimed. Sgrena was kidnapped on 4 February as she interviewed refugees from Falluja near a Baghdad mosque. Two weeks later her captors issued a video of her weeping and pleading for help, calling on all foreigners to leave Iraq. Italian journalists were subsequently withdrawn from the city after intelligence warnings of a heightened threat to their safety. U.S. used banned weapons in FallujahDr. Khalid ash-Shaykhli, an official at Iraq’s health ministry, said that the U.S. military used internationally banned weapons during its deadly offensive in the city of Fallujah. FlashbackForeign Taint on National Election? A Boomerang for U.S.The toppling of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran and Jacobo Arbenz Guzman in Guatemala in the early 1950s brought decades of repression and growing anti-American sentiment, the committee found. "We're more than a little hypocritical about these issues," said Frederick A.O. Schwarz Jr., who was staff director of the committee. "The United States has certainly engaged in these things, but we get all up in arms when someone else does." "The things the CIA cited as successes really weren't successes," added Schwarz, now a lawyer at the firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York. "They were an arrogant exercise of our power to intervene in domestic affairs." Israel accuses Syria of being involved in terrorism Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom accused Syria of being involved in terrorism and reiterated its demand for a total withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. China slaps at U.S. on North Korea BEIJING Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing expressed doubt on Sunday that the United States had good intelligence about North Korea's nuclear program and said the onus for easing escalating tensions fell mainly on the United States and North Korea, not on China or other regional powers. U.S. Threatens Bolivia in Effort to Secure Criminal Court The U.S. government is demanding that the Bolivian Congress approve an agreement that would grant immunity to U.S. troops and officials accused of human rights violations, exempting them from prosecution by the International Criminal Court. That effort, which includes a threat to withhold financial aid and access to free trade, seems to be backfiring. White Power's New Face Shocking murders of judge's husband and mother point up Internet's potential for breeding 'lone wolf' supremacists Lies Military Recruiters TellRecently, most students at the University of Vermont (UVM) in Burlington received an email with the heading ARMY PAYS OFF STUDENT LOANS in their university email box. The general message of the mass mailing was that if a student was nearing graduation and wondering how they were going to pay off the massive debt today's US college students incur, they should join the army. In essence, this email was a college student's version of the poverty draft that entraps so many working class and poor young people into enlisting in the service. The sender was a military recruiter working out of the US Army recruitment office in the Burlington suburb of Williston. Brazil Triumphs Over U.S. in WTO Subsidies DisputeInternational development groups are calling on the United States to swiftly comply with a World Trade Organisation (WTO) final ruling issued Thursday declaring the bulk of U.S. government subsidies to its cotton industry illegal. Back off or suffer oil shock: TehranOIL-rich Iran has raised the stakes in the standoff over its nuclear program, warning that any attempt to impose sanctions on its activities would lead to an energy crisis in the US and Europe.
Africa on 03.06.05 @ 11:07 AM CST [ link]
Saturday, March 5th
21st century belongs to Asia, Africa and Latin America
Zim 64: 'Nothing is happening'Immigration authorities in Zimbabwe are verifying the true nationalities of more than 60 mercenaries accused of planning a coup in Equatorial Guinea before deporting them, the state-run daily Herald said on Saturday. S.Africa unions defy govt over Zimbabwe protestSouth Africa's main union movement defied the government on Saturday and said it would press ahead with plans for protests against the Zimbabwe government it says aims to rig general elections this month. Africa: Togo election set for next monthPresidential polls will be held in Togo on 24 April, election officials say, after a month of turmoil following the death of President Gnassingbe Eyadema. Opposition parties have agreed to contest the poll despite rules which bar their main candidate from standing. Venezuela keen on supplying oil to Indian shoresVenezuela on Friday said it was keen to supply oil to India and provide technical assistance for exploration and refining of crude even as it invited Indian companies to invest in agriculture activities and infrastructure development. 21st century belongs to Asia, Africa and Latin AmericaVenezuelan President Hugo Chavez today urged Asia, Africa and Latin America to unite and emerge as the strongest force on earth. "The 19th and 20th century belonged to Europe and America but this century belongs to Asia, Africa and Latin America. If we can unite we can be the strongest power in the world both economically and other ways," said Mr Hugo Chavez who was accorded a civic reception in the City of Joy by the Left Front government. Why the U.S. Must Get Out of Iraq, ProntoLet me say in no uncertain terms, we must get out of Iraq.There is nothing to gain and everything to lose in Iraq. We have lost over four thousand of our military, those who were killed in Iraq and those who died in intransit from Iraq to our hospitals in Germany and in Europe. We have had over 10,000 of our troops wounded. According to a report I heard last night on Frontline on PBS, 1 in 6 of our people coming home from Iraq need mental help. Picking Africa's film stallionAll 20 films in the running at Africa's biggest film festival for the coveted Yennenga Stallion Award, Fespaco's top prize, have now been shown. West challenged on Africa issues A leak of the UK's Africa Commission report due out next week says that the developed world needs to take much more responsibility for Africa's problems. Ruling ANC member killed in South AfricaDurban, Mar 3 : A member of the ruling ANC in South Africa, who belonged to the Zulu royal family, was shot dead by three gunmen in northern KwaZulu Natal province, sparking fears of renewed political tension in the volatile area. U.N.: Satellite shows Iraq stripped sitesSatellite imagery has revealed that approximately 90 sites in Iraq subject to U.N. inspection and monitoring have been stripped of equipment or razed, the chief U.N. weapons inspector said in a report Friday. Aristide Supporters March in Haiti Capital More than 2,000 supporters of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide marched through a slum in Haiti's capital Friday, accusing police of killing two men during a recent protest. Amercians are biggest drug abusers The United States remains the world's biggest market for illicit drugs but cocaine abuse has also increased rapidly in Central America and the Caribbean, the International Narcotics Control Board said in a report released here yesterday. Cuba Denounces New Provocations from USThe White House is intent on waging yet another campaign of provocations against Cuba, warned panelists on Wednesday evening's Cuban TV and radio program "The Round Table." Guatemalans protest free trade agreementThousands of teachers, union workers, farmers, leftist politicians and academics waged massive street protests yesterday against a pending free-trade agreement between Central America and the United States. CAFTA Opponents Denounce Vote in HondurasMembers of the U.S. based STOP CAFTA coalition join the Honduran social sector in denouncing the vote in Honduras today. The country became the second, after El Salvador, to ratify the U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) with a 100 to 28 vote by members of the National Assembly. US Forces Shoot at, Injure Freed Italian HostageItalian Minister Silvio Berlusconi has summoned US ambassador after it appeared that US forces in Iraq have shot at Giuliana Sgrena, the abducted Italian journalist released on Friday. Number of black Army recruits decliningThe Army's wartime recruiting challenge is aggravated by a sharp drop in black enlistments in the last four years, which internal Army and Defense Department polls trace to an unpopular war in Iraq and concerns among blacks with Bush administration policies. Feds Catching Up With Proxies The Commerce Department has disputed claims by domain registrar Go Daddy that the department launched a new policy when it declared in February that people would no longer be able to keep their personal contact information private when they register a .us domain.
Africa on 03.05.05 @ 03:42 PM CST [ link]
Friday, March 4th
HRC questions land-reform plan
Up to 89 Million More AIDS Victims in Africa by 2025 - UNA further 89 million people in Africa could be infected by the HIV virus by 2025 in the continent's biggest crisis since slavery, the United Nations said on Friday. UN urges Africa to take the 'right step'Up to 43 million HIV infections could be averted in Africa over the next 20 years if governments take the right steps and significant foreign aid is forthcoming, a United Nations study published on Friday said. The San a "Community Fast Losing Hope"The plight of an indigenous community in South Africa, the San, was placed in the spotlight this week with the launch of a report by the South African Human Rights Commission. HRC questions land-reform planThe failure of the land-restitution programme for the Khomani San raised questions of how many other communities in South Africa were living in the same circumstances, said an official on Thursday. Rice Meets With S. Africa Foreign MinisterSecretary of State Condoleezza Rice welcomed South African Foreign Minister Noksazana Dlamini-Zuma to her office Friday saying, "South Africa and the United States are partners in many ways." Social Exclusion Traps People in Poverty, ReportAlthough South Africa enjoys living standards that are, on average, significantly higher than its neighbours, racially imbedded inequality makes it extremely difficult for people to escape poverty. Mugabe election will be fair, claims Mbeki Mr Mbeki said he had no reason to expect fraud in the 31 March poll, which the international community sees as a test case for the general African commitment to more transparent governance. Mbeki angers democracy groups in ZimbabweAdvocates for democracy in Zimbabwe believe South African President Thabo Mbeki has betrayed them by endorsing an upcoming presidential election, in spite of arrests of opposition politicians and laws that put the army in charge of polling stations. Mbeki Optimistic About Ivory Coast Peace ProcessPresident Thabo Mbeki has expressed optimism in the Ivory Coast peace process, assuring the world that elections scheduled for October in that country will go ahead as planned. Manhunt for Zulu prince killersSouth African police are looking for three men suspected of killing a Zulu prince and ruling African National Congress (ANC) official. Legacy of arbitrary borders continues to limit sub-Saharan AfricaThe world's economic powers finally appear to be closing ranks behind efforts to address global poverty and economic underdevelopment. At this year's World Economic Forum, within the G8, and elsewhere, the consensus that something needs to be done has been as clear and as it is welcome. But, for some of the world's poorest regions, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a commitment to help may not be enough. S. Africa probes killing of militias in Congo South African defense authorities said Thursday they were gathering details on the reported killing of 50 Congolese militia by South African and Pakistani peacekeeping troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Zimbabwe to Free More Than 60 South African Mercenaries A lawyer for more than 60 suspected South African mercenaries jailed in Zimbabwe for their involvement in a coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea says they may return to South Africa on Saturday. Ukraine Ex-minister linked to murder found dead Former Ukrainian Interior Minister Yuri Kravchenko, linked to the murder of investigative journalist Georgiy Gongadze, has been found dead, Reuters quoted Ukraine's SBU security service agency as saying. Assad to Announce Lebanon Pullback, U.S. Wants MoreSyrian President Bashar al-Assad prepared to announce on Saturday a partial pullout of troops from Lebanon, but U.S. President George W. Bush warned nothing short of a full withdrawal would satisfy Washington. Lebanon: Washington's Latest DominoWashington's objectives in Lebanon are ultimately no different than they are in Iraq, Afghanistan or Haiti. Many will find that hard to believe, but time will tell. The Bush Administration is mounting a three pronged-attack in Lebanon that will involve a permanent American military presence, an economic system dictated by the IMF and direct rule from Washington. London mayor calls Sharon 'war criminal'The mayor of London called Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a war criminal and said in a newspaper article published Friday that Israel is guilty of ethnic cleansing. India offers Venezuela refinery stake, eyes oilfield India will offer Venezuela equity in a refining firm and take a stake a Venezuelan oilfield to cement growing ties between Asia's third largest consumer and the World's No. 5 exporter, top officials said on Friday. State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC), which is bidding for foreign oil assets to secure energy supplies, is likely to take a 49 percent stake in the San Cristobal oilfield, Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said. Briton 'may face execution' for running websiteA British terrorist suspect could face the death penalty or imprisonment in Guantánamo Bay if he is extradited to the US, his lawyers said yesterday. The US authorities want to try Babar Ahmad, 30, from Tooting, south-west London, for allegedly running websites and sending emails to raise money for the fighting in Chechnya and Afghanistan. Scientists Explore 'Lost City' of Strange Ocean CreaturesA strange world of see-through shrimp, crabs and other life forms teems around a newly explored field of thermal vents near the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, scientists report. Thailand summons US ambassadorThailand's foreign affairs ministry on Wednesday summoned the US ambassador here to lodge a complaint about the kingdom's treatment in an annual US human rights report, its spokesman said. 33 Things You Should Know About the Middle East and AmericaWhat right has President Bush or Conde Rice to dictate to the Lebanese Government? Why is it that the "demonstrators" in Beirut, Lebanon, had all their signs in English? Have you considered that they were playing to the American TV audience? In fact, the "big crowds" the American media spoke about were less than 3000 people, but the cameras shot the crowed for maximum effect. Ritalin 'Linked To Chromosome Abnormalities' In a small but startling preliminary new study, Texas researchers have found that after just three months, every one of a dozen children treated for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with the drug methylphenidate experienced a threefold increase in levels of chromosome abnormalities occurrences associated with increased risks of cancer and other adverse health effects. Venezuela detects several US battleships near its coasts Caracas says the presence of these vessels may be part of "unannounced routine manoeuvres"
Africa on 03.04.05 @ 05:11 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, March 3rd
The Human Rights Record of the United States
India-Africa, the new development initiativeNew Delhi, Mar.2 : India's efforts to aid and support Africa in its development and in the establishment of its industries is likely to receive a major boost through the three-day India- Africa Project Partnership 2005 , which got under way in the Indian capital this evening. UN troops cautioned on sex abuseThe UN has warned peacekeeping forces operating under its banner to obey strict rules on sexual conduct. South Africa dismisses US report on human rightsSouth African government Wednesday dismissed the 2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices compiled by the United States' State Department as presumptuous in the extreme regarding South Africa. The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2004In 2004 the atrocity of US troops abusing Iraqi POWs exposed the dark side of human rights performance of the United States. The scandal shocked the humanity and was condemned by the international community. It is quite ironic that on Feb. 28 of this year, the State Department of the United States once again posed as the "the world human rights police" and released its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2004. As in previous years, the reports pointed fingers at human rights situation in more than 190 countries and regions (including China) but kept silent on the US misdeeds in this field. Therefore, the world people have to probe the human rights record behind the Statue of Liberty in the United States. 'Immoral' attitude to Africa criticised World Bank president James Wolfensohn on Thursday described the West's attitude to Africa as "immoral and frightening". Africa weak in fight against drugsAfrica remains the world's weak spot in the fight against drugs because most countries on the continent lack the means to combat trafficking, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) said here Wednesday. SA troops off to Sudan The deployment of South African troops to strife-torn Darfur in Sudan is under way, the defence department said on Thursday. Zim 66: Papers being finalisedThe department of foreign affairs expected the bulk of 67 South African mercenaries held in Zimbabwe to be released and deported later on Thursday. S Africa fears mercenaries' returnMOST of the suspected mercenaries detained in Zimbabwe over an alleged coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea are being released and will probably return to South Africa by the weekend, their lawyer said today. UN soldiers hit back in Congo KINSHASA - United Nations peacekeepers have killed up to 60 militiamen in the Democratic Republic of Congo after an ambush in which 19 soldiers from Bangladesh were killed and mutilated last week. Do peacekeepers have a right to fight? United Nations peacekeepers say they have killed more than 50 militia fighters in an offensive in the Democratic Republic of Congo UN denies killing Congo civiliansA United Nations commander has denied claims that civilians were killed in an offensive by peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He said his men were careful to avoid harming villagers when more than 50 militiamen were killed in a gun battle in the north-eastern region of Ituri. S. Africa probes killing of militias in Congo South African defense authorities said Thursday they were gathering details on the reported killing of 50 Congolese militia by South African and Pakistani peacekeeping troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Maximum pain is aim of new US weaponTHE US military is funding development of a weapon that delivers a bout of excruciating pain from up to 2 kilometres away. Intended for use against rioters, it is meant to leave victims unharmed. But pain researchers are furious that work aimed at controlling pain has been used to develop a weapon. And they fear that the technology will be used for torture. Hariri's Murder Only the BeginningIndulging in speculation regarding the identity of Lebanese former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri's real assassins is of little value now. What demands urgent scrutiny is how his murder will play a large part in the remolding of Lebanon's role in the Arab-Israeli conflict and the balance of power in the region. New Generation Fills Abbas Cabinet as Arafat's Men ExitA new Palestinian cabinet with a significant injection of younger figures from outside frontline politics was finally approved by parliamentarians after President Mahmoud Abbas had intervened to halt a three-day political crisis. Saddam lawyer seeks to delay tribunalSaddam Hussein's chief lawyer said Thursday that the murder this week of a judge appointed to a tribunal to try the former dictator and his aides shows that Iraq remains too dangerous for such trials and urged authorities to delay proceedings by at least another year. Trade with Latin AmericaThe Western media have made accusations that China's trade with Latin America has hurt the interests of the countries involved. These are groundless, says an article in People's Daily. Pakistan court releases 5 men sentenced for "honour" rapeA Pakistani court on Thursday overturned the conviction of a village elder and four other men who had been sentenced to death for allegedly ordering a woman gang-raped as punishment for her brother's illicit sex with a woman from another family, a defence lawyer said. America No. 1? No concept lies more firmly embedded in our national character than the notion that the USA is "No. 1," "the greatest." Our broadcast media are, in essence, continuous advertisements for the brand name "America Is No. 1." Any office seeker saying otherwise would be committing political suicide. In fact, anyone saying otherwise will be labeled "un-American." We're an "empire," ain't we? Sure we are. An empire without a manufacturing base. An empire that must borrow $2 billion a day from its competitors in order to function. Yet the delusion is ineradicable.
Africa on 03.03.05 @ 01:59 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, March 2nd
S.Africa's Mbeki says sees fair Zimbabwe polls
S.Africa's Mbeki says sees fair Zimbabwe pollsSouth African President Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday he had no reason to expect fraud in Zimbabwe's March 31 general elections, which critics say are skewed in favour of President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF. Fossett faces fuel crisis in round-the-world bid Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett discovered a serious problem with the fuel system of his custom-built plane Wednesday, forcing him to consider abandoning his quest to become the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world without refueling. UN: Drug Trafficking and Abuse On the Rise in Africa The United Nations drug agency said drug trafficking and abuse are on the rise in many African countries. Zimbabwe Textbook of Bad Governance, Says U.S.The United States administration says Zimbabwe, under the leadership of President Robert Mugabe and the Zanu PF government, has become a textbook of bad and illegitimate governance on the African continent. I am saying the United States of America, under the leadership of George Bush Jr, has become a textbook of bad, illigitimate, brutal and criminal governance in the whole world.Mbeki: Zimbabwe elections will be fairSouth African President Thabo Mbeki said Wednesday he does not believe anything will happen in Zimbabwe to prevent free and fair elections on March 31. Development-Africa:
Putting Researchers And Policy Makers On the Same PageReports. They gather dust on the desks of journalists and bureaucrats - after having been opened with reluctance, and closed with speed. Months of work may have gone into their production; but all too often, the only use for these weighty tomes seems to be as doorstops. S.Africa treasury says no to new tax amnestySouth Africa's Treasury will not support re-opening a tax amnesty offered to residents who illegally stashed money offshore years ago, despite calls for more time, a Treasury official said on Wednesday. US slams abuse by SA policePretoria - The government reserved its response on Tuesday morning to a United States state department report criticising "widespread abuses" by South Africa's police and security forces. "We are busy studying the report," said Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa. "We will only be in a position to comment once we have studied it in full. "The best judge of South Africa's human rights record and democracy is the people of South Africa," Mamoepa said. South Africa rebuts US's human right reportSouth Africa rebutted a US official report and defended its human-rights record, saying the country was doing better than the United States in "many respects." Rwandan president calls for more troops in Darfur Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Monday called on the African Union to deploy a larger peacekeepingforce in Sudan's war-torn region of Darfur in an effort to end violence there. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a Year after the Coup d’ÉtatWhile the rallies crowded the streets of Port-au-Prince to demand his return, elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide granted an exceptional interview to writer Claude Ribbe, which we publish completely. Aristide was kidnapped on February 29, 2004 by American Special Forces after being threatened by French emissaries. First detained in the Central African Republic, he is currently exiled in South Africa. 67 African and Caribbean states recognize him as the only legitimate leader of Haiti and denounce the puppet government of Gerard Latortue. 5,000 Years of Culture Stolen from BaghdadToday, I was looking at some photos a friend of mine gave me of Baghdad in the late 1990s. Evidence of destruction by U.S. forces and degradation of the city because of the illegal embargo placed on Iraq were present, yet the city was still magnificent. Today, Baghdad resembles nothing of the city I saw in the photos. It is a destroyed city in which U.S. profiteers and mercenaries have set up a security area called "The Green Zone" where they can safely hide while reaping the benefits of murder and looting. Last April, I ran the following column, but it still is relevant today. Uruguay, cuba restore full diplomatic tiesThe new socialist government of Uruguay announced Tuesday to restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba, three years after they were downgraded by then president Jorge Batlle. U.S. company's gold mine dismays MayaGuatemalans want to protect their way of lifeA U.S. gold and silver miner's project is at the center of a conflict between the Maya Indians' traditional values and an impoverished country's need to attract foreign investment. Perestroika Was Inevitable: Gorbachev Says On the eve of the 20th anniversary of perestroika, Mikhail Gorbachev, the first Soviet president, reaffirmed that he had no doubt that this political move was inevitable. He said he only regretted some miscalculations. Abbas seeks Palestinian statehood 'as soon as possible'Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told the European Union today that he wants statehood "as soon as possible".
Africa on 03.02.05 @ 03:14 PM CST [ link]
Tuesday, March 1st
If only the solutions were so simple.
Sudan polio threat to whole of Africa A POLIO outbreak in Sudan threatens to spread across the whole of Africa, the United Nations has warned South Africa troop deployment in Sudan's Darfur delayedThe deployment of South African troops to strife-torn western Sudan has been postponed due to alleged delaying tactics by the Sudanese government, SA National Defence force officers told MPs on Monday. Warning for SA troops heading to Sudan South African soldiers have been warned not to bring the country into disrepute while engaged in an African Union peacekeeping mission. AU Mission In Darfur Understaffed,
Under Funded And Ill Equipped, Says OXFAM The international aid agency, OXFAM, says the current African Union mission in Darfur is understaffed and ill equipped to deal with the crisis. Only half of the promised 3,300 AU troops have been deployed in western Sudan. Southern Africa aims for monetary union by 2016Countries within the 13-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) have decided to achieve monetary and economic union by 2016, South Africa's central bank governor Tito Mboweni said on Monday. Zim must sort out problems - Mboweni Zimbabwe must sort out its political problems if it hopes to meet SADC's regional economic integration targets, Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni warned on Monday. US criticises Africa's rights record Sudan's government failed last year to stop atrocities in its western Darfur region, while Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe used intimidation and violence to remain in power, the US State Department said in an annual report released on Monday. What about the US rights record?Ivory Coast peace process 'over'Rebels in Ivory Coast say the peace process is now dead and buried after their positions were attacked. United Nations peacekeepers arrested 68 people and seized weapons in the western, cocoa-producing region. SA denies Ivory Coast peace process logjamSouth Africa, the chief mediator in Ivory Coast's civil conflict, on Tuesday denied rebel claims that the peace process had collapsed after an attack by pro-government militants on a rebel-held town in the restive west. Poverty, AIDS and war: The everyday tsumaniThere are some people in the world’s wealthy countries who forecast that 2005 will be a decisive year for Africa. Genocide, again and againWATCH Hotel Rwanda, a movie based on the slaughter of nearly 1 million African Tutsis by the rival Hutus a decade ago, or visit museums documenting the systematic extermination of 6 million Jews by the Nazis during World War II, and grasp the awesome power of denial. Ghana fast becoming gateway to west AfricaARECENT survey conducted by the South African Institute of International Affairs on the experiences of South African companies and subsidiaries operating in Ghana found that almost all regard Ghana as a friendly investment destination. Ugandan army says troops kill senior LRA rebelUgandan troops killed a commander from the Lord's Resistance Army, a brutal rebel group which has terrorised northern Uganda for 18 years, a senior officer said on Monday. LRA rebels kill 24, maim eight in fresh attacksDays after an 18-day ceasefire between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) expired on 22 February, the rebels have killed and maimed more than 30 people, officials told IRIN on Monday. The bleeding heart of Africa If only the solutions were so simple. And, as we have learned over the past thirty years, the Flute is not an easy instrument to learn, and the issue of world poverty has certainly not gone away. If anything, poverty in the "developing" world has got far more serious. Particularly in the great continent that is Africa.
Africa on 03.01.05 @ 10:12 AM CST [ link]
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