Tuesday, November 30th
Political Prisoner Rev. Gérard Jean-Juste Released
Today, November 29, 2004, Rev. Gérard Jean-Juste, the pastor of Sainte Claire Catholic Church in Delmas, Haiti, was released after almost seven weeks of illegal detention. The release follows a sustained campaign of international support for Fr. Jean-Juste by prominent religious figures, lawyers, grassroots groups and human rights advocates in Haiti and throughout the world. The release shows that collective action for justice can succeed, and offers hope for Haiti's other 700 political prisoners. Full Article : haitiaction.net
Caribbean on 11.30.04 @ 11:47 PM CST [ link]
Rocket Fuel in Milk, Lettuce
A large portion of the United States' milk and lettuce supply may be contaminated with potentially unsafe levels of a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel, according to data released by the Food and Drug Administration on Monday. Full Article : wired.com
USA on 11.30.04 @ 11:46 PM CST [ link]
Washington opposes Venezuela arms build-up
The Bush administration on Tuesday made plain its opposition to Hugo Chávez's arms procurement programme, in particular the Venezuelan president's plans to buy Russian fighter jets. "Let me put it this way: we shoot down Migs," a senior administration official said when asked whether the intended purchase concerned the US government. The forthright remark was quickly clarified by Sean McCormack, the National Security Council spokesman at the White House, who said the comment simply reflected the fact that Venezuela's arms build-up "is clearly an issue that we monitor closely". But the unequivocal criticism of Venezuela's arms purchases underscores Washington's hostility towards the Chávez government and concern that Russia is arming a country viewed by the US as a destabilising force in the region. Full Article : news.ft.com
Venezuela on 11.30.04 @ 11:39 PM CST [ link]
Rumsfeld sued for war crimes over Abu Ghraib
American human rights lawyers began an attempt in Germany to prosecute Donald Rumsfeld for war crimes yesterday. A case against the US Defence Secretary could embarrass Gerhard Schröder's coalition government. Peter Weiss and Michael Ratner of the Centre for Constitutional Rights said they had submitted evidence to Germany's federal state prosecutor in connection with torture at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. Full Article : independent.co.uk
USA on 11.30.04 @ 11:33 PM CST [ link]
Bush assassination allegation begins to crumble
BOGOTA, Colombia -- Colombia's government on today backpedalled on a sensational claim made by the defense minister that Marxist rebels wanted to assassinate President Bush during a recent state visit. Interior and Justice Minister Sabas Pretelt played down the comments today, saying he had no information about any assassination plot against Bush. Full Article : chron.com
USA on 11.30.04 @ 11:27 PM CST [ link]
Feds gone wild
The City of Brotherly Love ruled against the Solomon Amendment on Monday, deeming it unconstitutional for the federal government to withhold funding for universities that refuse to comply with military recruiting on their campuses. The New York Times' report on the ruling sums up the smacked-down Amendment nicely: "The 1995 law at issue in the decision, the Solomon Amendment, barred the federal government from disbursing money to colleges and universities that obstruct campus recruiting by the military. As amended and interpreted over the years, the law prohibits disbursements to all parts of a university, including its physics department and medical school, if any of its units, like its law school, make military recruiting even a little more difficult." ("Colleges Can Bar Army Recruiters," Nov. 30) A panel of three Philly federal appeals court judges essentially reversed the Solomon Amendment yesterday on the grounds that the law violated the First Amendment rights of academic institutions. The violation, according to the ruling, forced universities to align themselves with military policies, like discrimination against gays, that they may not agree with. Full Article : journaltimes.com
USA on 11.30.04 @ 11:24 PM CST [ link]
Latin America Shifts to the Center-Left
On his first trip abroad since re-election, George W. Bush was greeted by thousands of Chileans, protesting his trade and military policies and telling him to go home. The protests at last week’s APEC meeting were not just a manifestation of the historic anti-American response to an imperial president. The anti-Bush demonstrations in Santiago highlighted a new political trend in Latin America--where many countries are moving to the center-left, just as the United States takes a sharp turn to the right. With all eyes focused on the presidential elections in the United States , key elections in Latin American countries went almost unnoticed over the past weeks. The results in Uruguay, Venezuela, Chile, Nicaragua, and to some extent Brazil, showed a shift toward the center-left or a consolidation of left-leaning leadership. Full Article : americaspolicy.org
Latin America on 11.30.04 @ 11:21 PM CST [ link]
South Africa: Govt to step-up land delivery
The government intends to re-distribute 1.87 million hectares of land a year in order to meet its 2014 target, the department of land affairs said in Pretoria on Tuesday. This is five times more than the current transfer rate of 350 000ha a year. Deputy director-general Nozizwe Makgalemele said 22 million hectares of agricultural land had to be transferred by 2014 in order to meet the presidential directive that 30% of commercial agricultural land was to be held by formerly disadvantaged groups. Full Article : news24.comThis is the worst land reclamation (re-distribution) program. They are using taxpayer's money to pay those who stole the land. This is like compensating slave owners for loss of slaves following the abolition of slavery.
Africa on 11.30.04 @ 08:12 PM CST [ link]
How To Take Back A Stolen Election
"Never again!" says the slogan in an email I received from an activist friend. "Never again will we allow a stolen election in the USA!" But how are we going to stop it? The major American political parties have an answer - it's already working for them in the Ukraine - but it's very much a sword that can cut two ways. Full Article : trinicenter.com
USA on 11.30.04 @ 02:29 PM CST [ link]
The real fury of Fallujah
By Pepe Escobar"The Romans create a desolation and call it peace." - Tacitus "The enemy has a face. It is Satan's. He is in Fallujah, and we are going to destroy him." - Colonel Gary Brandl, US Marines President George W Bush is "reaching out" to Fallujah - the first major foreign policy initiative of the second Bush administration. The name: Operation Phantom Fury. The strategy: precision-strike democracy. The message: kill them all, and let God sort them out. Former US intelligence asset turned prime minister without a parliament Iyad Allawi - widely known in Baghdad as "Saddam without a moustache" - has got himself another title: the Butcher of Fallujah. On Sunday, before co-launching with the Pentagon the biggest urban war since the storming of Hue in 1968 Vietnam, Allawi installed de facto martial law in Iraq for 60 days. Historians and political scientists are breathlessly trying to explain to the world that no democratic election can possibly be preceded by a state of siege. Full Article : atimes.com
Iraq on 11.30.04 @ 02:17 PM CST [ link]
Rwanda troops enter Congo say rebels
Congo-based Rwandan rebels, under threat of imminent attack by Rwanda, have repeated an allegation that Rwandan troops crossed the border in recent days to seize the vast country's mineral-rich east. Full Article : keralanext.com
Africa on 11.30.04 @ 12:24 PM CST [ link]
Web Won't Let Government Hide
Given the government keeps tabs on the world using armies of agents, algorithms and wiretaps, how can a citizen compete? Try a browser. Governments at every level these days are providing less information about their inner workings, sometimes using fear of terrorism as an excuse. But it's precisely times like these that mandate citizens' rights to check the efficiency of their government and hold those who fail accountable, open government advocates say. Full Article : wired.com
USA on 11.30.04 @ 12:16 AM CST [ link]
Cuba frees political dissidents
Cuba has unexpectedly released at least three political dissidents. They were among 75 people arrested in a crackdown last year and given lengthy prison terms. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk
Caribbean on 11.30.04 @ 12:13 AM CST [ link]
U.S. Group to File Iraq War Crimes Case in Germany
Lawyers acting for a U.S. advocacy group will Tuesday file war crimes charges in Germany against senior U.S. administration officials for their alleged role in torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Full Article : wireservice.wired.com
USA on 11.30.04 @ 12:10 AM CST [ link]
Squeeze on Castro pinches Cubans
Bush's sanctions policy is hurting more than those it's intended toIn the five months since the Bush administration tightened sanctions on Cuba, life has become "very complicated" for Yuceika, a Cuban woman who once survived on the $100 sent monthly from Miami by the father of her 12-year-old son. "Before, I would have to really restrict spending so that the $100 would last a complete month," said Yuceika, 35, a resident of the north-central city of Matanzas who can no longer receive the money. "Now, every day is a gamble." Full Article : bradenton.com
Caribbean on 11.30.04 @ 12:07 AM CST [ link]
Chile's torture victims to get life pensions
Report details 'insanity of intense cruelty' by Tom Burgis in Santiago, The Guardian UKThe Chilean government is to compensate 28,000 victims of torture after a comprehensive report published yesterday concluded that Augusto Pinochet's military government had orchestrated a state policy of terror. Addressing the nation, President Ricardo Lagos spoke of "the magnitude of the suffering, the insanity of the intense cruelty, the immensity of the pain" detailed in the findings of the national commission on political detention and torture, led by the archbishop emeritus of Santiago, Sergio Valech. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Latin America on 11.30.04 @ 12:04 AM CST [ link]
Monday, November 29th
Third World stance at UN commendable
THE defeat of a Western-sponsored motion at the UN General Assembly to censure Zimbabwe over alleged human rights abuses shows that the developing countries have seen through British machinations to manipulate a bilateral dispute into an international issue. Ever since the Government embarked on the land reform programme to address colonial imbalances in the ownership of land, the British Labour government under Tony Blair has lead a spirited campaign to have Harare isolated. Instead of providing funds for land reform as promised at the Lancaster House conference in 1979, the British government has at numerous international fora tried, by hook or crook, to have Zimbabwe condemned, but all this has been to no avail.
Africa on 11.29.04 @ 04:55 PM CST [ more..]
Reshaping French relations in Africa
Ivory Coast showdown threatens to reshape French relations in AfricaFor more than 100 years, French families have made their homes in this tropical country, rich in coffee and cocoa. Its main city, with its towering skyscrapers, crisp croissants and fine wines, became known as the Paris of West Africa. Now an unparalleled and deadly showdown between France and its former prize colony has sent the majority of them fleeing wild looting and burning. For many on both sides of the crisis, it was a turning point that threatens to reshape France's cozy relationship with its former African empire. "It is the end of the decolonisation process," said one French longtime resident, an auto parts dealer who asked not to be named. Until now, Ivory Coast has maintained strong political, economic, military and cultural ties with its ex-colonial master, prompting critics to say West Africa's economic hub never fully established independence at the end of French rule in 1960. Full Article : hindustantimes.com
Africa on 11.29.04 @ 11:29 AM CST [ link]
S.Africa's Tutu bites back in presidential spat
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu has refused to back down in a spat with President Thabo Mbeki, who has locked horns with the anti-apartheid hero for criticising the ruling ANC party. Tutu -- long a thorn in the side of South Africa's former white governments -- last week stirred up political controversy when he used a public speech to blast Mbeki's ruling African National Congress (ANC) for "kowtowing" and stifling debate. Mbeki, who led the ANC to a 70 percent victory in general elections in April, hit back, charging the Nobel Peace laureate with speaking out of turn and resorting to "empty rhetoric". Full Article : swissinfo.org
Africa on 11.29.04 @ 11:25 AM CST [ link]
Jesse Jackson demands Ohio presidential recount
Jesse Jackson demands Ohio presidential recount, blasts GOP election officials, and says Kerry supports the processCOLUMBUS--Preaching to a packed, wildly cheering central Ohio citizen congregation, Rev. Jesse Jackson blasted the presidential election back into the national headlines Sunday. Jackson said new findings cast serious doubt on the idea that George W. Bush beat John Kerry in Ohio November 2. A GOP "pattern of intentionality" was behind a suspect outcome, he said. At stake is "the integrity of the vote" for which "too many have died." "We can live with losing an election," he said. "We cannot live with fraud and stealing." Jackson is the first major national figure to come here challenging the idea that Ohio has given George W. Bush a second term in the White House. Jackson emphasized that the vote "has not yet been certified" and demanded the removal of Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell from supervising the recount, which Jackson termed a case of "the fox guarding the chicken house." Blackwell co-chaired the Bush-Cheney campaign in Ohio and has been widely criticized for a series of partisan decisions that have thus far indicated Bush carried the state. Exit polls by Zogby and CNN showed Ohio going for Kerry with 53% and 51% respectively, which would win him presidency in the Electoral College. Full Article : freepress.org
USA on 11.29.04 @ 11:09 AM CST [ link]
Villagers eat ravenous lion
HARARE (Reuters) - Villagers have taken revenge on a lion that killed their livestock by barbecuing and eating it, Zimbabwe's state-owned Sunday Mail says. "It ate our animals, so it is only fair that we eat it too," a villager said. The paper said on Sunday some believed they would get lion-like bravery and strength from the meat. The lion -- part of a pride that terrorised the Zimbabwean village for more than six months -- was shot dead by parks authorities. In an unusual move, villagers demanded the carcass. Full Article : news.yahoo.com
Africa on 11.29.04 @ 10:30 AM CST [ link]
Sunday, November 28th
India, China start dumping US dollar
India, China and other countries start dumping US dollar and buy EuroThe India, China and other countries have started dumping US Dollar quietly and buying Euro. That put a very serious pressure on US Dollar. Chinese and Indian central bank officials denied such reports. But Foreign exchange traders say they are quite convinced of Indian and Chinese moves. According some traders, there are many other countries specially oil rich Middle Eastern countries running away from dollar. Full Article : indiadaily.com
Asia on 11.28.04 @ 11:49 PM CST [ link]
Why federation of East Africa is welcome indeed
The announcement by East Africa's Presidents that they are prepared to launch a political federation in 2010 is welcome relief for the conflict- prone Great Lakes Region. Presidents Museveni, Mwai Kibaki and Benjamin Mkapa signed a joint statement on Friday strongly com mitting themselves to working toward a unified East African politi cal entity, complete with one President. While a lot of work remains to be done to see the reality of an East African Federation in 2010, the plan to accomplish such a union bodes well for peace in the trou bled Great Lakes. Full Article : monitor.co.ug
Africa on 11.28.04 @ 11:18 PM CST [ link]
Runaway Ally Joins
One More Neocon Target: South Korea The neocons have added yet another country to their hit list, another one targeted for regime change: the Republic of Korea. Yes, that's South Korea, long-time U.S. ally, host to around 34,000 U.S. troops. William Kristol, editor of the neocon Weekly Standard and chair of the highly influential Project for the New American Century, has issued a memo (addressed to "opinion-leaders") on behalf of the PNAC. This is a highly significant and alarming document. It alludes to "the problems created by the government now in office in Seoul" and the need for a "strategy to deal with" them. These "problems" involve South Korea's failure to sufficiently cooperate with Washington's efforts to topple the regime in North Korea. Kristol draws attention to a long Weekly Standard article by Nicholas Eberstadt, an economist with the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, entitled "Tear Down this Tyranny: a Korea Strategy for Bush's Second Term." This article is must reading as a clear statement of neocon plans for Northeast Asia. Full Article : trinicenter.com
Admin on 11.28.04 @ 08:34 PM CST [ link]
Elections and Death Squads
The Mysterious Murders of the ASM ClericsIs it a coincidence that US puppet Allawi is calling for the death penalty to be administered to the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) Sunni clerics who oppose elections, while, at the same time two of these clerics have been gunned down by unknown forces? This coincidence seems to be more intentional than coincidental. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it turns out that these two men were killed by death squads employed by the US and its client government in Baghdad. John Negroponte, the current US ambassador to Iraq, organized such death squads while he was the ambassador to Honduras during the US wars in Central America and was quite successful at the endeavor. It is not a real stretch of the imagination to assume that he and his employer are up to the same thing in Iraq. Full Article : trinicenter.com
Admin on 11.28.04 @ 08:32 PM CST [ link]
Why I Hate Thanksgiving
Flashback: By Mitchel CohenWhen Columbus and his sailors came ashore... The year was 1492. The Taino-Arawak people of the Bahamas discovered Christopher Columbus... Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
Admin on 11.28.04 @ 06:37 PM CST [ link]
Mines: Kibaki urges conflict-resolution
President Kibaki yesterday urged nations to embrace conflict resolution to reduce the effects of landmines on civilians. Kibaki said raging conflicts in the world and especially in Africa were to blame for the huge landmine stockpiles that were killing and maiming people. Full Article : eastandard.net
Africa on 11.28.04 @ 04:30 PM CST [ link]
Life behind bars in South Africa
Mark Thatcher, in court over a coup plot, has built a new life amid the millionaires' mansions of Constantia. Raymond Whitaker reports26 November 2004Last Christmas, the recently widowed Baroness Thatcher enjoyed an afternoon in the company of her son and some of his friends by the sun-drenched pool of his luxury home in Cape Town. Among them was a certain Simon Mann, and several other former crack soldiers known to Sir Mark. The Iron Lady could have had no idea that months later, some of those present would be desperately denying involvement in a mercenaries' plot to overthrow the dictatorship of President Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea. Sir Mark himself faces questioning regarding his alleged role. A hearing scheduled for today has been postponed for two weeks. The wait goes on. Full Article : news.independent.co.uk
Africa on 11.28.04 @ 04:27 PM CST [ link]
Colin Powell: Failed Opportunist
Colin Powell's admirers – especially in the mainstream press – have struggled for almost two years to explain how and why their hero joined in the exaggerations and deceptions that led the nation into the disastrous war in Iraq. Was he himself deceived by faulty intelligence or was he just acting as the loyal soldier to his commander-in-chief? But there is another, less flattering explanation that fits with the evidence of Powell's life story: that the outgoing secretary of state has always been an opportunist who consistently put his career and personal status ahead of America's best interests. Full Article : consortiumnews.com
USA on 11.28.04 @ 12:52 AM CST [ link]
Viet Nam developing ties with South Africa
Viet Nam attaches importance to developing ties with South Africa Viet Nam has always attached importance to developing friendship and cooperation with African countries, including South Africa, said Prime Minister Phan Van Khai. Khai assured South African President Thabo Mbeki of Viet Nam's support for the South-South cooperation, the Asia-Africa relationship and a plan for a new partnership for the development of Africa (NEPAD). "Viet Nam is willing to be a friend with and a trusted partner of all countries in the international community, who are striving for peace, independence and development," he said. Full Article : vnagency.com.vn
Africa on 11.28.04 @ 12:43 AM CST [ link]
Saturday, November 27th
More than 70% of SA living under poverty line: Skweyiya
Zola Skweyiya, the social development minister, says more than 70% of South Africans are still living under the international poverty line of R12 a day. Skweyiya was officially opening the SADC conference of social development ministers in Cape Town. The ministers are discussing their priorities in fighting poverty. Most countries in the SADC region are among the poorest in the world. Full Article : sabcnews.com
Africa on 11.27.04 @ 07:58 PM CST [ link]
U.S. Threatens to Cut Aid over International Criminal Court
UNITED NATIONS -- The Republican-controlled Congress has stepped up its campaign to curtail the power of the International Criminal Court, threatening to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in economic aid to governments that refuse to sign immunity accords shielding U.S. personnel from being surrendered to the tribunal. The move marks an escalation in U.S. efforts to ensure that the first world criminal court can never judge American citizens for crimes committed overseas. More than two years ago, Congress passed the American Servicemembers' Protection Act, which cut millions of dollars in military assistance to many countries that would not sign the Article 98 agreements, as they are known, that vow not to transfer to the court U.S. nationals accused of committing war crimes abroad. Full Article : commondreams.org
USA on 11.27.04 @ 08:20 AM CST [ link]
Friday, November 26th
Blix doubts Falluja chemical arms find
Former UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix says he would be surprised if a chemical laboratory found in the Iraqi city of Falluja was capable of creating weapons. "Let's see what the chemicals are," Blix told a packed gathering of the Oxford Union debating club on Thursday, after Iraqi officials said they had uncovered a chemical bomb factory in Falluja. "Many of these stories evaporate when they are looked at more closely," he told the mainly student crowd. "The chances [that the laboratory could produce weapons] are, I think, relatively small. I would be surprised if it was something real." Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 11.26.04 @ 11:47 PM CST [ link]
Secret memo deepens Thatcher link to coup plot
The Obiang regime in Equatorial Guinea yesterday jailed 11 foreign mercenaries for up to 34 years, as documents surfaced further implicating Mark Thatcher in a British-led coup attempt which has caused international embarrassment. A long memo from the Old Etonian mercenary Simon Mann, said to be at the heart of the plot, has been seized by authorities in South Africa. A court there ruled this week that Mark Thatcher will face trial in April. The memo, written before the coup attempt, refers to "MT", identified to the South African prosecutors as Mr Thatcher by a key witness. The document taken from the plotters' computer says Mr Thatcher's role must be kept secret, or the coup would be at risk: "If involvement becomes known, rest of us, and project, likely to be screwed as a side-issue to people screwing him". Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Africa on 11.26.04 @ 11:36 PM CST [ link]
Death in U.S. Detention of Elderly Haitian Pastor
Clamor For Investigation into Death in U.S. Detention of Elderly Haitian PastorWASHINGTON, Nov 26 (IPS) – Human rights and humanitarian groups are calling for a full-scale investigation regarding the November 3 death in a South Florida detention facility of an 81-year-old Haitian pastor four days after he had flown to the United States and asked for political asylum. Church World Service (CWS), the relief arm of 36 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican U.S. denominations, called the death of Rev. Joseph Dantica, who held a valid U.S. multiple-entry visa, "outrageous" and appealed for an end to the discriminatory treatment accorded to Haitians seeking refuge from the political violence that persists in their homeland. Full Article : oneworld.net
Caribbean on 11.26.04 @ 11:19 PM CST [ link]
School strike gives a lesson in anti-racism
A GROUP of school students has shown how to challenge oppression and hierarchy by striking in support of a black teacher who was subject to racist abuse in Leicester last Thursday. Beaumont Leys School is on an ordinary working class estate, with some of the poorest streets in Leicester. Over recent years the area has developed a greater racial mix. There have been some racist attacks in the past, particularly against Somalis. But local anti-racist and anti-fascist groups successfully countered them, as they did when the National Front tried to make ground in the 1970s. Full Article : socialistworker.co.uk
Admin on 11.26.04 @ 04:11 PM CST [ link]
Riots erupt after Aboriginal man dies in custody
An angry mob of nearly 300 Aborigines who went on the rampage on an island off the Queensland coast today burnt down a police station and threatened to kill its officers as well as several local council officials. The violence on Palm Island followed the death of a 35-year-old Aboriginal man, who died just over a week ago while being taken into police custody for drunkeness. Cameron Doomadgee suffered broken ribs, a ruptured liver and a punctured lung, according to a post-mortem. Full Article : timesonline.co.uk
Admin on 11.26.04 @ 03:43 PM CST [ link]
Equatorial Guinea coup plotters receive long jail terms
A South African mercenary was today found guilty of leading the advance party in a failed coup plot in Equatorial Guinea that was allegedly bankrolled by Sir Mark Thatcher. Nick du Toit had been threatened with the death penalty, but instead was sentenced by an Equatorial Guinea court to serve 34 years in one of the harshest prisons in Africa. Full Article : timesonline.co.uk
Africa on 11.26.04 @ 02:06 PM CST [ link]
The Facts On The Ukrainian Melodrama
by Srdja TrifkovicThe media myth: An East European "pro-Western, reformist democrat" is cheated of a clear election victory by an old-timer commie apparatchik. A wave of popular protest may yet ensure another Triumph of Democracy a la Belgrade and Tbilisi, however. The fact: neither the winner of the presidential election in the Ukraine, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, nor his Western-supported ultranationalist rival Viktor Yushchenko, are "democrats" or "reformers" in any accepted sense. They differ, however, on the issue of the Ukrainian identity and destiny in what is a deeply divided country. Ukraine is like a large Montenegro, split between its Russian-leaning half (the south, the east) and a strongly nationalist west and north-west that defines its identity in an unyielding animosity to Moscow. The prediction: "The West"-the United States, the European Union, and an array of Sorosite "NGOs"-will fail to rig this crisis in favor of Yushchenko: the critical mass that worked in Serbia in October 2000, and in Georgia in 2003-the complicity of the security services and mafia money-is simply not present. Full Article : chroniclesmagazine.orgUS campaign behind the turmoil in KievUkraine's postmodern coup d'etat Yushchenko got the US nod, and money flooded in to his supporters
USA on 11.26.04 @ 09:28 AM CST [ link]
Smoking while Iraq burns
Iconic images inspire love and hate, and so it is with the photograph of James Blake Miller, the 20-year-old marine from Appalachia, who has been christened "the face of Falluja" by pro-war pundits, and the "the Marlboro man" by pretty much everyone else. Reprinted in more than a hundred newspapers, the Los Angeles Times photograph shows Miller "after more than 12 hours of nearly non-stop, deadly combat" in Falluja, his face coated in war paint, a bloody scratch on his nose, and a freshly lit cigarette hanging from his lips. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 11.26.04 @ 09:18 AM CST [ link]
Thursday, November 25th
Fatah gives final nod to Abbas
The Fatah Revolutionary Council has given its approval for Mahmud Abbas to be the movement's candidate to succeed the late Yasir Arafat in January polls, an official says. Abbas, who has already replaced Arafat as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), was named by the Fatah central committee as the party's candidate three days ago. Full Article : english.aljazeera.net
Middle East on 11.25.04 @ 10:27 PM CST [ link]
Ukraine blocks Yanukovich
Ukraine's highest court has blocked the inauguration of the country's Moscow-backed prime minister as president, giving a fresh impetus to his liberal opponent who has led street protests to overturn his election. The Supreme Court rejected official publication of results that showed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich had beaten Viktor Yushchenko in a run-off election on Sunday. The ruling effectively stopped Yanukovich being sworn in as head of state. Full Article : news.yahoo.com
USA on 11.25.04 @ 10:22 PM CST [ link]
US Profits From Jihadist Terrorism
One sincerely hopes that there will be no further "jihadist" attacks on America for two major reasons: (1) for obvious humanitarian reasons - any avoidable innocent death is a tragedy; and (2) there would clearly be a subsequent huge killing of people in the Muslim world by US forces as seen in the post-9/11 carnage in Afghanistan and Iraq. The total "excess mortality" in Iraq (post-2003 invasion) has so far been about 0.3 million (estimate based on scientific data in The Lancet, on-line, 29 October, 2004) and in Afghanistan (post-2001 invasion) it has been 1.2 million (a conservative estimate based on UN data). Full Article : countercurrents.org
Middle East on 11.25.04 @ 09:29 PM CST [ link]
Zanu-PF, MDC agree on poll amendments
ZANU-PF and MDC lawmakers yesterday agreed on a number of amendments to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Bill that passed the committee stage and is now close to sail through Parliament. The amended Bill — which seeks to establish an independent authority to administer all elections and referendums in the country — was referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee for scrutiny on whether the amendments were permitted by the Constitution. Government and opposition MDC amendments accepted by the House enhance the independence of the proposed commission. The MDC, through its legal adviser and Bulawayo South Member of Parliament Mr David Coltart, proposed several amendments, some of which were adopted but others rejected by the Government. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 11.25.04 @ 03:49 PM CST [ link]
S.Africa Court Postpones Thatcher Trial Until April
A South African court on Thursday postponed until next April the trial of Mark Thatcher on charges he helped finance a foiled coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea. "By agreement, the matter is postponed to April 8, 2005," Magistrate Ap Kotze said during a brief hearing. The new date is to allow prosecutors more time to complete their investigations, he added. Full Article : abcnews.go.com
Africa on 11.25.04 @ 03:41 PM CST [ link]
Rude awakening for Brazil's President Lula
Defeated earlier this month in the key mid-term elections, Brazil's governing Workers Party knows it has a battle on its hands. It will attempt to retain power for the first time in its history in the race to the presidential elections in 2006 when Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will stand for re-election. His adversary in the 2002 campaign, Jose Serra, roundly beat the government incumbent in Sao Paulo in the mayoral elections. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Latin America on 11.25.04 @ 11:25 AM CST [ link]
Russian troop presence in Ukraine alleged
Russian commandos are in Kiev and may clash with demonstrators, Ukrainian opposition activist Borys Tarasyuk told Poland's parliament.Tarasyuk, a close aide to liberal opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, who says he was robbed of victory in last Sunday's election by large-scale fraud, said on Thursday Russian spetsnaz commandos were near presidential buildings in Kiev. Street protests are continuing in the Ukrainian capital after a disputed presidential election. Full Article : aljazeera.net
USA on 11.25.04 @ 11:14 AM CST [ link]
Why is the U.S interested in 'fair' elections in the Ukraine?
¤ Ukraine’s Plans to Transport Caspian Sea and Middle East Oil to Europe¤ Ukraine and the Caspian An Opportunity for the United States¤ Oil Export Routes and Options in the Caspian Sea Region¤ New EU-Ukraine oil pipeline completed¤ U.S. expresses strong support of Odesa-Brody oil pipeline¤ Ukraine sees itself as central player in new oil transportation route¤ The 'Great Game' for Caspian Sea Oil¤ The Oil Connection: Afghanistan and Caspian Sea oil pipeline routesFlashback: Famous financier and philanthropist George Soros was poured with glue and water at the conference "Human Rights at Elections" in Kiev. Two young people came into the conference room and poured the panel members (including George Soros) with glue and water. They were shouting, "Long live to "Brotherhood!" (Ukrainian nationalistic movement) and "Soros, leave Ukraine, your plans will fail!" Full Article : english.pravda.ru
USA on 11.25.04 @ 10:47 AM CST [ link]
Wednesday, November 24th
Mayor officially asks to repeal anti-Indian law
BOSTON - Boston's mayor is moving to repeal a Colonial-era law that ordered the arrest of all American Indians entering the city. Full Article : bostonherald.comThanksgiving?
USA on 11.24.04 @ 11:37 PM CST [ link]
I'm a dead man: Mark Thatcher bemoans fate
SIR MARK THATCHER has told how his business career has been left in ruins and his life "destroyed" by charges that he helped to bankroll a failed African coup. Breaking his silence on his alleged role in the bungled mercenary plot, the son of Baroness Thatcher, the former Prime Minister, said he feels like "a corpse floating in the river" as he faces up to his accusers. Friends say that Sir Mark is beginning to show the strain of facing a 12-year jail sentence in South Africa or, worse, extradition to Equatorial Guinea, and its brutal prison regime. Full Article : timesonline.co.uk
Africa on 11.24.04 @ 10:56 PM CST [ link]
U.S. of Hypocrisy points finger at Vote Fraud in Ukraine
The hypocrisy in this country has finally reached astounding levels. Vote fraud in the Ukraine is the top news of the day. It turns out that the exit polls in the country which showed the challenger Mr Yushchenko leading 54 to 43 percent were completely overturned by the actual results of the election which gave the current prime minister, Mr Yanukovich, the win with 49.42 percent to 46.69 percent. This, of course, has raised the suspicion of vote fraud to everyone including the United States. Senator Richard Lugar, a friend of Senator Kerry, was a senior observer of the elections in Ukraine. He has stated that the incumbent Government helped rig the vote "It is now apparent that a concerted and forceful program of election-day fraud and abuse was enacted with either the leadership or cooperation of governmental authorities" The challenger, in the face of overt fraud and an election condemned as undemocratic by observers from the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe, is protesting the results. The Ukranian people have also risen to the occasion with protests of their own. Full Article : bellaciao.org
USA on 11.24.04 @ 10:00 PM CST [ link]
Powell: U.S. Rejects Ukraine Vote Results
Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday the United States cannot accept the results of elections in Ukraine, which the opposition says was marred by fraud. Powell warned "there will be consequences" for the United States' relationship with Ukraine as a result of the developments in the former Soviet bloc nation. Full Article : abcnews.go.comThe U.S. is an expert at fraudulent elections. Given the way they denied the black vote and rigged the electronic voting system, they would certainly know about rigging elections. How do they think Bush got into office the first time, and is there today?US criticism of Ukraine election angers Russia WASHINGTON: The United States urged the Ukrainian government not to certify pro-Russia Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych as winner of disputed presidential elections in the former Soviet republic because of suspected widespread fraud. The election also caused harsh words between the United States and the Kremlin after President Vladimir Putin telephoned congratulations to Yanukovych. The State Department confirmed it had summoned the Russian ambassador and discussed Ukraine, and the Kremlin described the meeting as "unprecedented interference" in another country's affairs. Full Article : timesofindia.indiatimes.com
USA on 11.24.04 @ 04:18 PM CST [ link]
President warns party leaders
PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday warned that the ruling party would not tolerate leaders who use money from capitalists with British connections and other divisive means to get into positions of authority. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 11.24.04 @ 03:55 PM CST [ link]
UK politicians start bid to impeach Blair
Parliamentarians and celebrity campaigners launched a bid on Wednesday to impeach Tony Blair for "gross misconduct" over his justification for the Iraq war. The impeachment move, a symbolic parliamentary process rather than a realistic proposition in Blair's case, is the first since the mid-19th century. Full Article : chinadaily.com.cn
UK on 11.24.04 @ 02:01 PM CST [ link]
CIA Knew of Plot Against Venezuela's Chavez
The U.S. government knew of an imminent plot to oust Venezuela's leftist president, Hugo Chávez, in the weeks prior to a 2002 military coup that briefly unseated him, newly released CIA documents show, despite White House claims to the contrary a week after the putsch. Yet the United States, which depends on Venezuela for nearly one-sixth of its oil, never warned the Chávez government, Venezuelan officials said. The Bush administration has denied it was involved in the coup or knew one was being planned. At a White House briefing on April 17, 2002, just days after the 47-hour coup, a senior administration official who did not want to be named said, "The United States did not know that there was going to be an attempt of this kind to overthrow - or to get Chávez out of power." Full Article : commondreams.org
Venezuela on 11.24.04 @ 01:54 PM CST [ link]
Mark Thatcher to face coup questions
Sir Mark Thatcher must face questioning by investigators from Equatorial Guinea over charges he helped finance a foiled coup plot there, a South African court ruled today. Three high court judges sitting in Cape Town upheld an approach by Equatorial Guinea to question the businessman son of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Prosecutors in Equatorial Guinea said last week that they had charged Sir Mark in connection with the alleged coup plot and would seek his extradition. In brief remarks outside court, Sir Mark, 51, said the ruling was "long" and he would be studying it with his legal team. Sir Mark's lawyer, Alan Bruce-Brand, said it was too soon to say what their next step would be. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Africa on 11.24.04 @ 01:49 PM CST [ link]
Tutu urges open debate on S. Africa's ills
JOHANNESBURG -- A decade after the end of apartheid, South Africa is a remarkable success story of a nation overcoming its past. But to confront the country's lingering threats -- AIDS, widespread poverty, crime, racism -- South Africa's government must begin encouraging public debate rather than discouraging criticism as unpatriotic. Full Article : boston.com
Africa on 11.24.04 @ 01:35 PM CST [ link]
Israeli officer: I was right to shoot 13-year-old child
An Israeli army officer who repeatedly shot a 13-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza dismissed a warning from another soldier that she was a child by saying he would have killed her even if she was three years old. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Middle East on 11.24.04 @ 04:30 AM CST [ link]
Spanish fingers in anti Chavez 2002 coup
Mr. Chavez currently on a state visit to Spain made the statement on leaving the Spanish Senate where he met with Upper House president Javier Rojo to consider bilateral relations. When asked about Spanish Foreign Affairs Miguel Angel Morantinos statement that the Spanish Ambassador in Caracas in 2002 had received instructions to support the finally aborted coup, Mr. Chavez responded, "From Venezuela's point of view I have no doubts that it was true". Full Article : falkland-malvinas.com
Venezuela on 11.24.04 @ 04:23 AM CST [ link]
Hu extends hand of friendship to forsaken comrades of Cuba
China reached out to Cuba this week by pledging to increase economic and political ties between the nations. Completing his two-week tour of Latin America, Hu Jintao, China's president, arrived in Cuba after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum and agreeing billions of dollars worth of trade deals with Brazil and Argentina. They in turn recognised China's "market economy" status. On his first visit to Havana as Chinese leader, Mr Hu promised to "work with our Cuban comrades to create a bright future of friendship and co-operation". Full Article : news.ft.com
Caribbean on 11.24.04 @ 04:20 AM CST [ link]
Hu, Castro meet in Cuba
Presidents Fidel Castro of Cuba and Hu Jintao (JŔAŔÜ) of China signed 16 economic cooperation agreements, including a lucrative investment in Cuban nickel production, only hours after the third visit by a Chinese leader to Havana began on Monday. The visit was the final stop on Hu's first Latin American tour, which also took him to Brazil, Argentina and Chile, where he attended an APEC summit. Full Article : taipeitimes.com
Caribbean on 11.24.04 @ 04:18 AM CST [ link]
US, UK, Iraq launch massive offensive
A force of 5,000 US, British and Iraqi troops yesterday swept through insurgent bastions south of Baghdad in the latest push to reclaim lawless enclaves ahead of the elections, the US military said. US marines and a so-called Iraqi SWAT team "swept through the south-central Iraqi town of Jabella today, kicking off a fresh campaign in northern Babil province," it said in a statement. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Iraq on 11.24.04 @ 04:12 AM CST [ link]
Tuesday, November 23rd
Arafat's Legacy and The Quest for Peace
Maxim Ghilan, a long-time fighter for peace, is the editor of the newsletter Israel & Palestine Strategic Update, as well as the founder of the International Jewish Peace Union, the first Jewish organization to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization as a partner in dialogue. He gave this briefing to EIR staff in Leesburg, Virginia, on Nov. 12, 2004. He was introduced by Michele Steinberg. Some of the questions have been abridged. Full Article : larouchepub.com
Middle East on 11.23.04 @ 05:31 PM CST [ link]
One blood: Racism in Europe and Jamaica
LAST WEEK, at a friendly football match between England and Spain in Madrid, the black English players were taunted by Spanish fans. Not to be outdone, on Sunday, Trinidadian Dwight Yorke, playing for English club Birmingham City, was subjected to racial abuse by fans from of all clubs, Blackburn Rovers. These incidents remind the world that racism is alive and that Blacks live in a hostile world. Full Article : jamaica-gleaner.com
Caribbean on 11.23.04 @ 05:13 PM CST [ link]
Italy prepares to return prized Ethiopian obelisk
November 16th, 2004 Italy is close to ending a nearly 70-year-old feud with Ethiopia by returning one of its most cherished relics, the obelisk of Axum, taken by fascist invaders. The 24-metre obelisk, believed to be at least 2,000 years old, was split into three and hauled off when Italy under dictator Benito Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in 1937. Full Article : sudantribune.com
Africa on 11.23.04 @ 04:34 PM CST [ link]
Thabo Mbeki carves role as point man for peace in Africa
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: On a continent dominated by despots and beset by war, South African President Thabo Mbeki has emerged as the man increasingly called upon to stop the bloodletting. While he has had only limited success so far, Mbeki remains the leader both the West and Africa turn to for help in brokering solutions to some the most intractable conflicts on the continent. Full Article : thestar.com.my
Africa on 11.23.04 @ 02:00 PM CST [ link]
Generations of Africans will be affected by AIDS
AIDS has hit sub-Saharan Africa so badly that the disease will cast a shadow over generations to come, even in countries that succeed in the battle against it, the United Nations has warned. Africans account for some 25.4 million of the 39.4 million people around the world who have either the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS, the UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNAIDS said in an annual report. Full Article : abc.net.au
Africa on 11.23.04 @ 01:44 PM CST [ link]
Southern Africa's liberation movements still popular
RECENT poll results in the Southern African region indicate that founding political parties and liberation movements are still enjoying widespread appeal, maintaining an edge over opposition parties which appear to be weak, disjointed and lacking the political muscle to mount a formidable challenge. Ruling parties in the entire region came out tops after months of protracted campaigning in South Africa, Botswana and most recently Namibia, earning the Southern African Development Community some high marks at least in managing social and political transition with minimal loss of bloodshed and very little or no violence. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 11.23.04 @ 01:12 PM CST [ link]
UN peacekeepers in Congo face sex-crimes probe
The United Nations is investigating 150 allegations of sexual abuse by its soldiers and staff in Congo. The accusations include rape, pedophilia and soliciting prostitutes in Congo, formerly known as Zaire. Full Article : cbc.ca
Africa on 11.23.04 @ 12:56 PM CST [ link]
Foreign Hunters Worth R1 Billion To South Africa
South Africa's environment and tourism minister said on Monday that foreign hunters had brought one billion rand ($166 million) into the country last year, underscoring the value of tourists to the economy. Full Article : planetark.com
Africa on 11.23.04 @ 12:52 PM CST [ link]
Tutu slams S.Africa "kowtowing", growth of elite
Anti-apartheid stalwart Archbishop Desmond Tutu hit out at political "kowtowing" in South Africa's ruling ANC on Tuesday and said attempts to boost black economic ownership were only helping an elite minority. Full Article : alertnet.org
Africa on 11.23.04 @ 12:39 PM CST [ link]
Monday, November 22nd
US Central Intelligence Agency
Documentary proof of CIA involvement in the April 2002 coup d'etat against Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez FriasNovember 21, 2004 -- Venezuelafoia.info's Eva Golinger reports: On April 12, 2002, White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer stated: Let me share with you the administration's thoughts about what's taking place in Venezuela. It remains a somewhat fluid situation. But yesterday's events in Venezuela resulted in a change in the government and the assumption of a transitional authority until new elections can be held. Full Article : axisoflogic.com
Venezuela on 11.22.04 @ 06:06 PM CST [ link]
Mass murder not liberation
THE "LIBERATION" of Fallujah has been an indiscriminate killing spree by US forces. Wounded prisoners have been executed in cold blood, while fleeing civilians have been shot dead. Reports filtering out of the city as Socialist Worker went to press demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that George Bush and Tony Blair are responsible for appalling war crimes. Full Article : socialistworker.co.uk
Iraq on 11.22.04 @ 05:21 PM CST [ link]
Lekota to pave the way for Mbeki in Abidjan
Pretoria - South African Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota will leave for the Ivory Coast on Wednesday to prepare the way for President Thabo Mbeki's visit later, he said in Pretoria on Monday. Full Article : iol.co.za
Africa on 11.22.04 @ 12:53 PM CST [ link]
France rejects Ivory Coast beheading charge
PARIS: France vigorously rejected on Sunday charges by Ivory Coast’s president and its leading Roman Catholic cleric that French troops had beheaded young protesters there, dismissing the statements as outrageous disinformation. Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie urged President Laurent Gbagbo to stop stoking anti-French hatred in the country, where French troops are trying to keep the peace between the rebel north and the south he controls. Gbagbo said in a French Internet forum on Saturday that he believed that the charge, first made by Cardinal Bernard Agre on Vatican Radio last week, was true even though he had not visited morgues as Agre had and seen proof for the accusation. Full Article : jang.com.pk
Africa on 11.22.04 @ 10:13 AM CST [ link]
Sunday, November 21st
The 2004 October Surprise Video is fake!
Between 9/11/01 and December 2001, Bin Laden released THREE videos Full Article : welfarestate.com
USA on 11.21.04 @ 05:44 PM CST [ link]
On executions, beheadings, and other propaganda operations
The pattern has been consistent and obvious. Every news report or scandal that has been detrimental to the Bush/Anglo-American war agenda has been followed, within hours, with shocking executions (real and staged) that are attributed to "terrorist insurgents," despite questionable circumstances, non-verifiable evidence and unreliable sources, such as "unnamed" intelligence and military officials. The parties responsible for these acts have not and likely will not be identified, thanks in large part to deliberate US/Pentagon blackouts of reporting from war zones, and disinformation-laden and Bush-controlled corporate media. Full Article : onlinejournal.com
USA on 11.21.04 @ 05:38 PM CST [ link]
Powell 'Pushed Out' By Bush For Seeking To Rein In Israel
Colin Powell, the outgoing US secretary of state, was given his marching orders after telling President George W Bush that he wanted greater power to confront Israel over the stalled Middle East peace process. Although Mr Powell's departure was announced on November 15, his letter of resignation was dated November 11, the day he had a meeting with Mr Bush. According to White House officials, at the meeting Mr Powell was not asked to stay on and gave no hints that he would do so. Briefing reporters later, he referred to "fulsome discussions" - diplomatic code for disagreements. Full Article : commondreams.org
USA on 11.21.04 @ 03:55 PM CST [ link]
African troops begin with small steps to calm Darfur
The role of the recently launched AU mission, which so far has only about 700 troops on the ground, is to monitor a shaky cease-fire and try to restore order and security to Darfur, a violent, anarchic area the size of France. It will be a huge task even once the full AU force of 3,320 personnel, including 2,341 troops and 815 civilian police from various African countries, completes its deployment by February. Full Article : chinadaily.com.cn
Africa on 11.21.04 @ 01:37 PM CST [ link]
Venezuela's Chavez Reshuffles Cabinet
CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reshuffled key members of his government, naming as foreign minister the current head of Venezuela's state-owned oil company and handing the oil minister the helm of the company. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Venezuela on 11.21.04 @ 03:08 AM CST [ link]
All Jamaicans are threatened by a culture of homophobia
Dancehall reggae's celebration of anti-gay violence reflects views in Jamaica that seem to be shared by government and police. Without a change in attitude the island will be ravaged by HIV/Aids, warns Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Caribbean on 11.21.04 @ 03:00 AM CST [ link]
Saturday, November 20th
Chechen struggle - anti-colonial war
A salient feature of politics in the Northern Caucasus has been the primacy of religious identification, coupled with a spirit of rebellion and a capacity for prolonged resistance against overwhelming odds. Throughout the decades, Islam has worked as a unifying force for the people of the Northern Caucasus in their struggle against Russian "infidel" influence. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the region has been characterized by an increase in religiosity and an upsurge in the prominence of more fundamentalist Islamism. Not only has the region witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of mosques since the 1980s, but interestingly, even in the last days of the former Soviet Union, Dagestan and Chechnya produced more pilgrims for the annual Hajj than the rest of the USSR combined. Current events in the region should therefore be viewed in the context of the centuries of heavy-handed and often genocidal Russian policies aimed at the subjugation of the Muslims of the Caucasus, and as the ultimate result of underlying tensions exacerbated by failed Russian socio-economic policies. Full Article : kavkazcenter.com
USA on 11.20.04 @ 11:23 PM CST [ link]
Tension rises as China scours the globe for energy
China's insatiable demand for energy is prompting fears of financial and diplomatic collisions around the globe as it seeks reliable supplies of oil from as far away as Brazil and Sudan. An intrusion into Japanese territorial waters by a Chinese nuclear submarine last week and a trade deal with Brazil are the latest apparently unconnected consequences of China's soaring economic growth. Increased car usage in China is creating a high demand for petrol The connection, however, lies in an order issued last year by President Hu Jintao to seek secure oil supplies abroad – preferably ones which could not be stopped by America in case of conflict over Taiwan. Full Article : telegraph.co.uk
USA on 11.20.04 @ 10:16 PM CST [ link]
Draining the Swamp
Here was our tactical kindness: By threatening the invasion of Falluja for months and launching a bombing campaign against parts of the city long before the assault was to begin, the Bush administration managed to turn an unknown but staggering number -- up to 90% -- of that city's 250,000-300,000 residents out of their homes and into refugees living off relatives elsewhere or in the most pitiful of makeshift camps often without enough food, or clean drinking water, electricity, or medical aid. The first mainstream account of such a camp finally appeared Friday in the New York Times (Robert A. Oppel, Jr., Refugees: Fallujans in Flight: Transit Camps Are Not Much Safer Than Siege They Left), even though some of the residents described in it had been relocated there weeks, if not months before. It's not simply a matter of journalistic lack of concern. Most non-Iraqi journalists have little choice but to be "embedded," whether in actual U.S. military units (allowing for movement into "no-go" parts of Sunni Iraq but only where the military is conducting operations, not exactly the best perspective from which to get an Iraqi view of things) or essentially in their hotels. Full Article : motherjones.com
Iraq on 11.20.04 @ 08:15 PM CST [ link]
Violence Breaks Out All Over Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Baghdad exploded in violence Saturday, as insurgents attacked a U.S. patrol and a police station, assassinated four government employees and detonated several bombs. One American soldier was killed and nine were wounded during clashes that also left three Iraqi troops and a police officer dead. Full Article : commondreams.org
Iraq on 11.20.04 @ 08:10 PM CST [ link]
Palestinians want records public
The widow of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, has been given his medical records by the Percy military hospital in Paris, where he died. Her lawyer says Suha Arafat is studying the files before deciding whether to make the details of her husband's illness public. Palestinian officials asked for the files amid rumours over how he died. Earlier, Arafat's nephew, a UN observer , Nasser al-Kidwa, went to pick up the report, but Mrs Arafat was given the document, as next of kin. Palestinian officials want to release the files to end speculation over the cause of President Arafat's death - including one rumour that he was poisoned by Israeli agents. Full Article : tvnz.co.nz
Middle East on 11.20.04 @ 07:12 PM CST [ link]
Ignoring the Israeli Nuclear Arsenal
Bush Warns Iran After Uranium Processing Reports Ignoring the Israeli Nuclear Arsenal, President Bush warned Iran after uranium processing reports (see the Reuters report below). In an amazing consistent policy of serving the interests of Israel, President Bush has kept the pressure on Iran to prevent the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons. Like his British, German, and French counterparts, he has been consistent on making sure that Iran is being pressured enough not to pursue development of nuclear weapons. This policy leaves Israel as the only nuclear power in the Middle East. This enables the Zionist state to continue its intimidation of the entire region in order to stop any assistance to the Palestinian people in their struggle to rid themselves of the brutal Israeli occupation. Full Article : aljazeerah.info
Middle East on 11.20.04 @ 06:48 PM CST [ link]
Great Lakes countries conclude landmark summit for peace
Africa News, DAR ES SALAAM: More than a dozen African heads of state concluded a two-day landmark summit here Saturday for peace and development in the Great Lakes region, adopting the Dar es Salaam declaration. Leaders from 11 Great Lakes countries adopted the declaration, an all-inclusive peace plan, to map out the blueprint for peace and development for the region that has been stalled by civil conflicts, refugee exodus, famine and killer diseases. Full Article : keralanext.com
Africa on 11.20.04 @ 12:01 PM CST [ link]
Protests greet Bush at Asia-Pacific summit
President George Bush flew into a stormy reception last night on his first foreign trip since re-election, as tens of thousands of protesters sought to disrupt a summit of leaders from Asia and the Americas. Police used tear gas and water cannon as dozens of masked youths broke off from a rally of up to 50,000 people to throw rocks, tear up park benches and hurl molotov cocktails in the Chilean capital, Santiago. Several officers and protesters were injured, with at least 130 arrests. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Asia on 11.20.04 @ 12:37 AM CST [ link]
Arafat's hospital file taken by widow
YASSIR ARAFAT'S widow visited yesterday the French hospital where he died and retrieved his widely sought medical records, just as his nephew was about to collect them. The French authorities had earlier indicated that they would hand over the file to Arafat's nephew, Nasser al-Qidwa, who had been sent to Paris by the Palestinian Authority in an effort to resolve questions about the cause of death. The secrecy surrounding the Palestinian leader's death in France last week has provided fertile ground for rumours in the Arab world that he had been poisoned. There were also questions to be answered about the care that Arafat had received in Ramallah and in France. Arafat's doctor has asked for an autopsy. Full Article : timesonline.co.uk
Middle East on 11.20.04 @ 12:34 AM CST [ link]
Angry Egyptians reject Israeli apology
Angry Egyptians reject Israeli apology for killing border policeEgyptians are raging at an Israeli mistake that left three border policemen dead, even as the Israeli Army chief has promised an investigation. Following Friday prayers at Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque, hundreds rallied under banners reading: "Don't forget Oct. 6, 1973," the day Egypt initiated its last war with Israel, or, "The pigs' apology doesn't quench our rage." Full Article : dailystar.com.lb
Middle East on 11.20.04 @ 12:23 AM CST [ link]
Prosecutor in Chavez coup inquiry is murdered
A leading Venezuelan prosecutor investigating the 2002 coup attempt against President Hugo Chavez has been killed in a car bomb attack in Caracas, raising fears of renewed unrest in the country. Danilo Anderson, 38, was driving to his home in the capital on Thursday night when his Jeep exploded. The bomb was activated by remote control and designed to explode upwards, said officials. "This was a political assassination," said the information minister, Andres Izarra. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Venezuela on 11.20.04 @ 12:08 AM CST [ link]
Friday, November 19th
Africa should reclaim its past
An average of 550,000 cubic metres of water plummet over the edge every minute. This is the awe-striking sight that gripped Scottish explorer, David Livingstone and his band of attendants when he first made contact with the place in the 1860s. True to form, he claimed discovery of the place, and proceeded to do what all Europeans of his time did - gave it a name. He named it after his queen. The local people have always known the place as “Mosi oa Thunya” (The smoke that thunders) - a fitting name that, however, Livingstone - and others after him - disregarded. Full Article : mmegi.bw
Africa on 11.19.04 @ 08:59 PM CST [ link]
SA firm's 'fictitious black boss'
Africa Dube's business career seemed to embody the spirit of post-apartheid South Africa.On paper, Mr Dube had worked his way up from driver to owner and senior manager of CKB, a software firm that was winning big contracts, including one from Durban city council worth 5m rand ($812,000; Ł439,394). Under the Black Economic Empowerment initiative, which aims to promote black South Africans and helped CKB secure the contract, Mr Dube looked set to continue his winning streak. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk
Africa on 11.19.04 @ 08:57 PM CST [ link]
The Florida vote: Was it hacked?
Despite mainstream media attempts to kill the story, talk radio and the Internet are abuzz with suggestions that John Kerry was elected president on Nov. 2 – but Republican election officials made it difficult for millions of Democrats to vote while employees of four secretive, GOP-bankrolled corporations rigged electronic voting machines and then hacked central tabulating computers to steal the election for George W. Bush. The Bush administration's "fix" of the 2000 election debacle (the Help America Vote Act) made crooked elections considerably easier, by foisting paperless electronic voting on states before the bugs had been worked out or meaningful safeguards could be installed. Full Article : orlandoweekly.com
USA on 11.19.04 @ 07:06 PM CST [ link]
University researchers challenge Bush win in Florida
(COMPUTERWORLD) - Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, said today that they have uncovered statistical irregularities associated with electronic voting machines in three Florida counties that may have given President George W. Bush 130,000 or more excess votes. The researchers are now calling on state and federal authorities to look into the problems. Full Article : computerworld.com
USA on 11.19.04 @ 07:03 PM CST [ link]
Politicians get a global vote of no confidence
The world is becoming a much more dangerous place led by politicians who are too incompetent, dishonest and untrustworthy to deal with the challenges, according to an ambitious survey of global opinion released yesterday. In a massive vote of no-confidence in political elites worldwide, the poll of 50,000 people in more than 60 countries found that almost two out of three people considered their leaders to be dishonest while just over half saw them as unethical. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
UK on 11.19.04 @ 05:31 PM CST [ link]
Spanish apologise for soccer racism
Tony Blair and the Spanish prime minister yesterday condemned the racist abuse of black England footballers by thousands of Spanish fans as the disgraceful scenes on Wednesday night prompted outrage in Britain and threatened to escalate into a diplomatic row. Several black England players were taunted with monkey chants and chants by large sections of the crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium during England's 1-0 defeat. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
UK on 11.19.04 @ 11:20 AM CST [ link]
Mounting evidence of US destabilisation of Sudan
An extraordinary meeting of the United Nations Security Council takes place on November 18-19 in Nairobi, at the request of the United States, which will focus on Darfur and the southern Sudan peace deal. It is only the fourth meeting in 50 years to take place outside of New York. Full Article : africaspeaks.com
Africa on 11.19.04 @ 03:05 AM CST [ link]
Thatcher to ask Britain to help halt extradition
SIR MARK THATCHER will seek help from the British Government to prevent him being extradited to one of the worst prisons in Africa. His lawyers say he will fight any attempt by prosecutors in Equatorial Guinea to charge him with bankrolling a coup in the oil-rich West African state. Sir Mark's name was read out yesterday during a trial in the capital, Malabo, with some of the alleged coup leaders. Full Article : timesonline.co.uk
UK on 11.19.04 @ 02:47 AM CST [ more..]
Afghanistan: a nation abandoned to drugs
Three years after the fall of the Taliban, the United Nations issued a dramatic plea for help yesterday, saying that Afghanistan's opium crop is flourishing as never before and the country is well on the way to becoming a corrupt narco-state. The UN's annual opium survey reveals that poppy cultivation increased by two-thirds this year, a finding that will come as a deep embarrassment to Tony Blair, who pledged in 2001 to eradicate the scourge of opium along with the Taliban. So alarmed is the UN that it is suggesting a remedy more radical than any that has been put forward before - bringing in US and British forces to fight a drugs war similar to the war on terror. It wants them to destroy farmers' crops on a massive scale before they can be harvested. Full Article : independent.co.uk
Middle East on 11.19.04 @ 02:45 AM CST [ link]
Israelis sorry for killing Egyptians
CAIRO has demanded an immediate inquiry into the “irresponsible” killing by Israeli tank fire of three Egyptian border policemen yesterday. Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, called President Mubarak of Egypt within hours of the killings on the border in southern Gaza and offered his profound regret over what the Israeli military described as "operational and professional errors". Full Article : timesonline.co.uk
Middle East on 11.19.04 @ 02:41 AM CST [ link]
Thursday, November 18th
Africa hails Arafat's principles
AFRICA has hailed the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as a visionary and a politician of great international authority who saw the African and Palestinian people's common struggle against the apartheid regime of South Africa and the Zionist state of Israel as inseparable. Leaders from the whole continent rallied solidly behind the Palestinians in their hour of grief and expressed hope that the dream of a free Palestine would eventually be realised. Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe — a long-time ally of Arafat — described the Palestinian leader as a revolutionary and a legend who inspired many liberation movements particularly in Third World countries. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 11.18.04 @ 02:25 PM CST [ link]
Israel hand seen in Ivorian clash
New allegations that Israeli arms dealers helped the army of Ivory Coast attack a French military base look likely to reignite long-tense relations between Israel and France. "Israeli mercenaries assisting the Ivory Coast army operated unmanned aircraft that aided the aerial bombing of a French base in the country on Nov.9," France's TF-1 television station reported Wednesday. Full Article : wpherald.com
Africa on 11.18.04 @ 12:50 PM CST [ link]
Iraqis call for boycott of 'fake' elections
A group of national, political and religious groups in Iraq, including the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS), have decided to boycott the elections due to be held early next year. The AMS said in a statement that the elections posed grave risks to the future of Iraq as it would undermine Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 11.18.04 @ 12:32 PM CST [ link]
South Korea now looks eastward to China
Long allied with U.S., South Korea now looks eastward to ChinaSEOUL, South Korea - Ask university students here about the practical way to get a job these days, and the answer comes back quickly: Study Chinese. "A few years ago, the most popular major was English language and literature. Now, it's Chinese language and literature," said Kim Seoung-hoon, 25, a student at Seoul's Yonsei University. Full Article : realcities.com
Admin on 11.18.04 @ 12:29 PM CST [ link]
Yes slavery IS crime against humanity, minister admits
THE GOVERNMENT has ditched its' much-criticised position that slavery is not a crime against humanity because it was legal at the time. In a U-turn a Home Office minister admitted it WAS a crime. The government sparked uproar at a United Nations conference in 2002 when it declared that the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was legal. But in a stunning U-turn the British government now accepts that it WAS a crime against humanity. About time too, campaigners fumed. Full Article : blink.org.uk
UK on 11.18.04 @ 09:45 AM CST [ link]
Three to tell of Thatcher role in coup plot
Three South Africans convicted yesterday of involvement in a coup in Equatorial Guinea are expected to give evidence linking Sir Mark Thatcher to the failed plot. The men agreed a plea bargain deal to provide testimony against others charged with financing the coup, including Sir Mark, 51, the son of the former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Crause Steyl, Lourens Horn and Harry Carlse yesterday pleaded guilty to violating South Africa's foreign military assistance act and were convicted in Pretoria magistrates court, according to the South African Press Association. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
UK on 11.18.04 @ 12:58 AM CST [ link]
Wednesday, November 17th
SUDAN: A future without war?
If signals coming out of talks in Chad and Kenya between Sudan's warring parties continue to be positive, lasting peace could be within reach for the first time in over two decades. Many now dare to hope that a war which has claimed the lives of at least two million people and forced millions of others from their homes may end within the foreseeable future.
Africa on 11.17.04 @ 09:58 PM CST [ more..]
Inquiry ordered into Arafat's death
Arafat, 75, died in a French military hospital last week. French privacy laws prohibit the release of medical information about a patient to anyone other than his or her family. Arafat's widow, Suha, has remained silent about those records. The secrecy has sparked rumours that Arafat was poisoned, though Palestinian officials have ruled that out. The French newspaper Le Monde fuelled more speculation on Wednesday when it published a story that quoted doctors saying Arafat had succumbed to a blood disorder and liver problems. "The conditions surrounding the death of President Yasser Arafat raises questions," said a statement released by Qureia. Full Article : cbc.ca
Middle East on 11.17.04 @ 09:21 PM CST [ link]
Venezuelan Govt and Chamber of Commerce Ready to Work Together
Representatives from Venezuela's largest chamber of commerce, Fedecámaras, met with Vice-President José Vincente Rangel yesterday, in a meeting that both sides have described as productive and encouraging. Discussions centered on the creation of employment and the importance of cooperation between the two groups, addressing themes ranging from poverty and security, to respect for private property. "The way to fight poverty is to generate employment," noted second Vice-President of Fedecámaras Alexis Esteban Sánchez. "The Government has told us that they want a partnership with employers," he continued, "and the employers have responded that we are ready to support this idea in order to extricate Venezuela from its current situation. From here we are moving forward." Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com
Venezuela on 11.17.04 @ 09:11 PM CST [ link]
I Coast returning to normal
United Nations - Radio and television messages that stirred up mob anger against foreigners in Ivory Coast have given way to calls urging people to keep calm and get back to work, a United Nations spokesperson said on Tuesday. Full Article : news24.com
Africa on 11.17.04 @ 08:37 PM CST [ link]
Few Foreigners Among Insurgents
CAMP FALLOUJA, Iraq — The battle for the city of Fallouja is giving U.S. military commanders some insight into this country's insurgency, painting a portrait of a home-grown uprising dominated by Iraqis, not foreign fighters. Of the more than 1,000 men between the ages of 15 and 55 who were captured in intense fighting in the center of the insurgency over the last week, just 15 are confirmed foreign fighters, Gen. George W. Casey, the top U.S. ground commander in Iraq, said Monday. Full Article : commondreams.org
USA on 11.17.04 @ 05:20 PM CST [ link]
Media accused of ignoring election irregularities
Two weeks after Election Day, explosive allegations about a media coverup are percolating.There's the widely circulated e-mail about a CBS producer who complained that a news industry "lock-down" has prevented journalists from investigating voting problems that cropped up on Nov 2. There's the rumor that MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, who has devoted serious air time to discussing Election Day irregularities, was fired for broaching the topic. There's the assertion by Bev Harris, executive director of Black Box Voting Inc., that she had received calls from network employees saying they had been told to lay off the sensitive subject of voting fraud. Full Article : boston.com
Africa on 11.17.04 @ 05:11 PM CST [ link]
Israelis aided Ivory Coast military in attacks
French media: Israelis aided Ivory Coast military in attacks By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service "Israel mercenaries assisting the Ivory Coast army operated unmanned aircraft that aided aerial bombings of a French base in the country," claimed French television station TF1 on Wednesday morning. Le Monde newspaper also reported Wednesday that a group of 46 Israeli advisors operated an eavesdropping and intelligence center for the Ivory Coast military. Full Article : haaretzdaily.com
Africa on 11.17.04 @ 01:23 PM CST [ link]
They came, they saw, they slaughtered
By Matthew Cookson"WE HAVE liberated the city of Fallujah," crowed General John Abizaid of US Central Command last Sunday. Fallujah, a city of 300,000 people, had been cut off from the world for six days, and subjected to a massive bombardment and invasion. It was clear as reports started to filter out that this was not a "liberated" city but a devastated one. In an attempt to clamp down on resistance to its rule in Iraq, the US has punished a whole city, killing hundreds and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee. No one knows how many civilians have died. Over 10,000 US troops surrounded the city, forcing any men aged between 15 and 55 to return to take their chances amid the carnage of Fallujah. Full Article : socialistworker.co.uk
Iraq on 11.17.04 @ 01:06 PM CST [ link]
Brazil to Decriminalize Drugs
Brazil's Lula to Sign Drug Decriminalization Decree on Nov. 24By Al Giordano, According to a report in today's Folha de Săo Paulo (subscription only), the government of Brazilian President Lula da Silva has reached a "consensus" to step forward into a bold new era of drug policy: decriminalizing the drug user, and opening 250 safe drug use centers across the country during the year 2005. Lula is expected to sign an executive decree on November 24, taking drug enforcement responsibilities away from police agencies, and placing the problems of drug use under the jurisdiction of the Health Ministry, which will be charged with supporting the safe drug-use centers and make Harm Reduction - a policy to reduce the harms associated with drug use - the law of the land. Full Article : narconews.com
Latin America on 11.17.04 @ 09:27 AM CST [ link]
CIA Analyst on al Qaeda: Next Time, Nukes?
Police in the Chilean port city Valparaiso used tear gas and water trucks Tuesday to disperse scores of university students protesting against the weekend Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit and the visit of President George W. Bush. Full Article : cbc.ca
USA on 11.17.04 @ 12:55 AM CST [ link]
Tuesday, November 16th
Should Canada indict Bush?
When U.S. President George W. Bush arrives in Ottawa — probably later this year — should he be welcomed? Or should he be charged with war crimes? It's an interesting question. On the face of it, Bush seems a perfect candidate for prosecution under Canada's Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes Act. This act was passed in 2000 to bring Canada's ineffectual laws in line with the rules of the new International Criminal Court. While never tested, it lays out sweeping categories under which a foreign leader like Bush could face arrest. Full Article : thestar.com
USA on 11.16.04 @ 11:55 PM CST [ link]
Fathoming Haiti's diplomacy
We were beginning to feel last week that finally there was an opportunity for a breakthrough in Caricom/Haiti relations. As we suggested they ought to do, Caribbean Community Heads of Government, at their summit in Port of Spain, announced that they would sign on to an initiative by Latin American leaders to provide economic and political support for Haiti. A significant aspect of the Rio Group's plan was its proposal to send a diplomat to South Africa for talks with Haiti's ousted leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was deposed in a coup d'etat last February. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 11.16.04 @ 07:26 PM CST [ link]
UN finds no proof of nuclear weapons in Iran
PRAGUE -- After nearly two years of investigation, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog said yesterday that it has not uncovered proof that Iran has a covert weapons program, although it could not rule out that Tehran was engaging in clandestine nuclear activities. Following on the heels of Iran's announcement Sunday that it would suspend uranium enrichment as a confidence building measure, the long awaited report by the International Atomic Energy Agency will make it increasingly difficult for the United States to have Tehran brought before the UN Security Council as Washington has long sought, diplomats said. Full Article : boston.com
Middle East on 11.16.04 @ 07:14 PM CST [ link]
Rice picked to be top US diplomat
US President George W Bush has announced that national security adviser Condoleezza Rice is his choice as the new secretary of state. Ms Rice, 50, a close confidante of Mr Bush, is to succeed Colin Powell. If confirmed in the post by the US Senate, she will be the first black female secretary of state. Mr Bush said that during the last four years, he had appreciated the experience, counsel and "sound and steady judgement" of Ms Rice. Full Article : bbc.co.uk
USA on 11.16.04 @ 04:49 PM CST [ link]
Colin Powell quits Bush's cabinet
Many reports said Powell had felt personally wounded after giving a presentation to the UN Security Council on February 5 2003 on the US case for an invasion of Iraq on the basis of the latter's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction. No chemical, biological or nuclear weapons programmes have ever been found since the ousting of its leader Saddam Hussein, who is now in custody awaiting trial. Amid widespread chaos in Iraq, Bush has insisted that the March 2003 invasion was the right move. Powell reportedly argued for more prudent moves toward disarming Saddam during clashes with advocates of an aggressive foreign policy in the Bush cabinet such as Vice-President Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. But he refused to talk publicly about the tensions between him and his war-leaning colleagues or his future intentions, repeatedly telling reporters: "I serve at the pleasure of the president." Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
USA on 11.16.04 @ 02:49 PM CST [ link]
Security Council members to visit Central Africa
Security Council members to visit Central Africa in bid to consolidate peace Security Council members will head for the troubled Great Lakes region of Africa later this week to show global support for national peace efforts, the leader of the mission said today. "We're going to say that the international community is there to help," French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabličre told a press briefing in New York. Full Article : un.org
Africa on 11.16.04 @ 02:15 PM CST [ link]
'Impose' peace on Ivory Coast, demands France
PARIS, Nov 16 (AFP) - Peace must be "imposed" on Ivory Coast if the warring sides there refuse to abide by a ceasefire, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said Tuesday, hailing sanctions voted by the UN Security Council against the west African state. Full Article : expatica.com
Africa on 11.16.04 @ 02:13 PM CST [ link]
Ivory Coast rebels vow to repel army attacks
Africa ; Ivory Coast rebels vow to repel army attacks despite sanctions Africa News, BOUAKE, Ivory Coast - Ivory Coast rebels on Monday vowed to repel army attacks as the U.N. Security Council imposed an arms embargo on the world's top cocoa producer and vowed to punish government and rebel leaders with more sanctions next month to force them to return to the terms of a 2003 peace agreement. Full Article : keralanext.com
Africa on 11.16.04 @ 02:11 PM CST [ link]
A disaster, made in the USA
How long will it take for us to realise what we have done to Iraq, asks Robert Manne.Last week, as the ferocious battle for Fallujah began, the neo-conservative "scholar", Robert Kagan, paid a triumphal visit to Australia. Kagan was received by the Prime Minister. An edited version of the lecture he delivered was published in five newspapers. He was interviewed, respectfully, by almost every serious public affairs program on the ABC. Unhappily there was in all this virtually no discussion of the pivotal role Kagan had played in the origin of the invasion of Iraq. Full Article : fairuse.1accesshost.com
USA on 11.16.04 @ 05:27 AM CST [ link]
'This one's faking he's dead' 'He's dead now'
Fallujah: Video shows US soldier killing wounded insurgent in cold bloodThe US Marine Corps launched an investigation into possible war crimes last night after video footage taken inside a mosque in Fallujah apparently showed a Marine shooting dead an unarmed Iraqi insurgent who had been taken prisoner. The footage showed several Marines with a group of prisoners who were either lying on the floor or propped against a wall of the bombed-out building. One Marine can be heard declaring that one of the prisoners was faking his injuries. "He's fucking faking he's dead. He faking he's fucking dead," says the Marine. At that point a clatter of gunfire can be heard as one of the Marines shoots the prisoner. Another voice can then be heard saying: "He's dead now." Full Article : independent.co.uk
USA on 11.16.04 @ 05:15 AM CST [ more..]
Monday, November 15th
South Africa to host Ivory Coast rebel, plans summit
PRETORIA – South African President Thabo Mbeki will meet Ivory Coast rebel leader Guillaume Soro soon as part of an ongoing effort to negotiate an end to the violence in the world's top cocoa producer, an official said on Monday. Full Article : signonsandiego.com
Africa on 11.15.04 @ 06:47 PM CST [ link]
South African president meets new EU chief in Europe trip
South African President Thabo Mbeki kicked off a visit to Brussels on Monday to get to know the new leadership of the European Union, his country's biggest trading partner. Full Article : eubusiness.com
Africa on 11.15.04 @ 06:45 PM CST [ link]
Africa backs Ivory Coast embargo
AFRICAN leaders have backed an arms embargo and other immediate UN sanctions against Ivory Coast, isolating President Laurent Gbagbo's hardline Government even further in its deadly confrontation with its former colonial ruler, France. Full Article : news.com.au
Africa on 11.15.04 @ 06:43 PM CST [ link]
Sunday, November 14th
Ivory Coast president sacks army chief of staff
Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo sacked his army chief of staff, General Matthias Doue, on Saturday, a spokesman for the Ivorian army said. Full Article : alertnet.org
Africa on 11.14.04 @ 08:20 PM CST [ link]
France, Ivory Coast relations worsen
Ivory Coast's President, Laurent Gbagbo, has accused France of supporting rebels. President Gbagbo says France has committed acts of war against Ivory Coast. Full Article : abc.net.au
Africa on 11.14.04 @ 08:18 PM CST [ link]
Ivory Coast casts doubt over Paris's global policies
With nine soldiers dead and a former colony in chaos, the French have one simple question. Why? Hugh Schofield in Paris reports Full Article : sundayherald
Africa on 11.14.04 @ 08:11 PM CST [ link]
Rebels shun Ivory Coast talks
Rebels from Ivory Coast have shunned peace talks in South Africa as hundreds more foreigners left the former French colony after days of mob violence. Full Article : swissinfo.org
Africa on 11.14.04 @ 08:03 PM CST [ link]
Gbagbo skips peace summit
Abidjan - African leaders convened an emergency summit on Sunday on Ivory Coast without the country's defiant leader - still holed up in his mansion, after newly promoting the hard-line commander whose forces launched a deadly air strike on French peacekeepers to head of his armed forces. As a French-led evacuation of Ivory Coast builds to one of Africa's largest, French President Jacques Chirac denounced President Laurent Gbagbo's "questionable regime" - and said France, Ivory Coast's former colonial ruler, would not tolerate much more. "We do not want to allow a system to develop that would lead only to anarchy or a regime of a fascist nature," Chirac told an audience in the southern French city of Marseille. Full Article : news24.com
Africa on 11.14.04 @ 06:16 PM CST [ link]
Behind the Camp David Myth
Arafat didn't blindly spurn a generous offer.By Robert MalleyRobert Malley was President Clinton's special assistant for Arab-Israeli affairs. He now directs the Middle East and North Africa program at the International Crisis Group. Full Article : fairuse.1accesshost.com
Middle East on 11.14.04 @ 11:18 AM CST [ link]
Straw: We did know of Africa coup
The British government knew about the alleged plot to overthrow the President of Equatorial Guinea at least five weeks before a group of mercenaries was arrested in March for planning the coup. In a dramatic admission, the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, confirmed that the government had been 'informed' of the alleged coup plot 'in late January 2004'. On 7 March a group of mercenaries, led by an Old Etonian and former SAS officer, Simon Mann, was arrested in Zimbabwe. They were charged with plotting a putsch. Straw's disclosure is the latest twist in a remarkable tale that has dragged in several high-profile figures. In August, Sir Mark Thatcher, the son of the former British Prime Minister, was arrested in South Africa after being accused of helping to finance the coup to remove President Obiang. He faces criminal charges that he broke the country's anti-mercenary laws. Thatcher denies any knowledge or involvement in the plot. Straw's admission came in a parliamentary answer last week in the Commons to a question tabled by the Tories' shadow foreign secretary, Michael Ancram. Until now, cabinet ministers have denied any prior knowledge of the attempted African coup which would be illegal under international law. In August, The Observer reported accusations that an individual who was intimately involved in the alleged plot against Obiang was claiming British officials had advanced knowledge of the plot. Foreign Office officials dismissed the claims, issuing a categorical denial that Britain had 'prior knowledge of the alleged plot'. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
UK on 11.14.04 @ 11:10 AM CST [ link]
Saturday, November 13th
Bloody Intervention in Côte d'Ivoire
During those first demonstrations against the war on Iraq, when some marchers sported "Chirac for President!" and "Vive la France" placards, I thought all the Francophilia naďve. France is, after all, an imperialist country, and while a midget in comparison with the U.S. juggernaut, it has some 33,000 troops stationed at bases in the Caribbean, Polynesia, East and West Africa, the Indian Ocean and elsewhere. In recent history as a NATO member, it has routinely joined with the U.S. in conducting imperial crusades in the Persian Gulf (1991), the Balkans (1993-present), and Afghanistan (2001-present). It retains colonies in the Caribbean, South America, the Indian Ocean and South Pacific, and a dominant role in the economies of some foreign colonies. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
Africa on 11.13.04 @ 09:33 PM CST [ link]
War Crimes in Fallujah
A Gutsy Campaign Against LantosBy Alexander CockburnThe United States is bringing "democracy" to Iraq on the same terms that the Russians imposed its federal mandate on Chechnya, a region which has Iraq's future written in its rubble. The advocates of intervention in Iraq, the epigones of Wolfowitz , should take a walk through Grozny, and measure against its ruins the fate of their proclaimed ambition to bring democracy to Fallujah and other cities in Iraq. In the waning weeks of the US election campaign the antiwar movement here in the US, was largely corralled into the Kerry campaign and strangled by the bizarre contradiction of supporting a candidate whose "peace plank" was continuing war. Will it now turn out that for many Kerry supporters their interest in the US war on Iraq was in fact mostly its utility as a rationale for attacking Bush? Now that the race is over, will they forget the war along with Kerry's disastrous campaign? If there is anything that should fuel the outrage of the antiwar movement, it is surely the destruction of Fallujah and the war crimes being inflicted by US commanders on its civilian population, who are now being denied the most basic and essential source of life, water. Full Article : counterpunch.org
Iraq on 11.13.04 @ 05:50 PM CST [ link]
Die, then vote. This is Falluja
Iraqi elections were postponed to save Bush. That led to today's carnageby Naomi Klein, The Guardian UK The hip-hop mogul P Diddy announced at the weekend that his "Vote or Die" campaign will live on. The voter registration drive during the US presidential elections was, he said, merely "phase one, step one for us to get people engaged". Fantastic. I have a suggestion for phase two: P Diddy, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and the rest of the self-described "coalition of the willing" should take their chartered jet and fly to Falluja, where their efforts are desperately needed. But first they are going to need to flip the slogan from "Vote or Die!" to "Die, then Vote!" Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 11.13.04 @ 12:21 PM CST [ link]
Haiti PM orders arrest warrant against Aristide
Haitian Prime Minister Gerard Latortue said on Friday he ordered his justice minister to obtain an arrest warrant on corruption charges against ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Latortue, installed as the head of an interim government after the bloody rebellion that forced Aristide into exile in February, made the announcement as he formed a committee to investigate possible misappropriation of public funds and other acts of corruption by the Aristide government. Latortue and other Haitian officials have publicly accused Aristide of corruption, but no charges have been filed and no evidence made public against the former Roman Catholic priest, who remains hugely popular among many of Haiti's poorest citizens. Full Article : chinadaily.com.cnReason for this:Latin American leaders pledge rescue plan for HaitiNovember 06, 2004"The problem we have now is a totally devastated economy, a society in a state of total paralysis and extremely fragile political institutions," he said. Garcia will deliver a report to the Rio Group countries, which will then work with the United Nations on the timing and framework to solve Haiti's problems. Another Brazilian diplomat is expected to be sent soon to brief ousted Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide on Latin America's plans to stabilize the violence-wracked country, the Latin American leaders decided yesterday at the Rio Group's 18th annual meeting. The overture to the exiled Aristide, who left Haiti amid a bloody revolt in February, is intended to coincide with Garcia's visit to Haiti, said a top aide to one of the South American presidents at the summit. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 11.13.04 @ 01:33 AM CST [ link]
Friday, November 12th
Resistance Spreads as the Fallujah Death Toll Rises
As the US siege of the Iraqi city of Fallujah continues, Iraqi resistance fighters are stepping up their campaign against the US occupation across Iraq. In Fallujah, at least 18 US soldiers have been killed since the start of the American ground attack on the city on Monday while more than 100 US soldiers seriously wounded during the offensive arrived in 2 planeloads at the US military hospital in Germany with more expected to arrive over the weekend. The injured soldiers are the latest in a steady stream of arrivals at the hospital since the siege of Fallujah began. The military claims it has killed more than 600 resistance fighters in the city. But with almost no unembedded journalists operating in the city, independent information is very difficult to obtain. The reporting of journalists embedded with the US military is subjected to heavy restrictions from US forces. But Fallujah residents who have managed to escape the city describe the bodies of dead civilians laying in some streets and aid groups say the city is now facing a humanitarian catastrophe. There are an estimated 50,000 civilians remaining in Fallujah. Many of the city"s 300,000 residents fled the city ahead of the US offensive. Meanwhile, a Pentagon spokesperson says that 2 US Super Cobra helicopters have been downed in separate incidents. Full Article : democracynow.org
Iraq on 11.12.04 @ 07:40 PM CST [ link]
Iraq: the unthinkable becomes normal
Mainstream media speak as if Fallujah were populated only by foreign "insurgents". In fact, women and children are being slaughtered in our name. By John PilgerEdward S Herman's landmark essay, "The Banality of Evil", has never seemed more apposite. "Doing terrible things in an organized and systematic way rests on 'normalization'," wrote Herman. "There is usually a division of labor in doing and rationalizing the unthinkable, with the direct brutalizing and killing done by one set of individuals... others working on improving technology (a better crematory gas, a longer burning and more adhesive Napalm, bomb fragments that penetrate flesh in hard-to-trace patterns). It is the function of the experts, and the mainstream media, to normalize the unthinkable for the general public." On Radio 4's Today (6 November), a BBC reporter in Baghdad referred to the coming attack on the city of Fallujah as "dangerous" and "very dangerous" for the Americans. When asked about civilians, he said, reassuringly, that the US marines were "going about with a tannoy" telling people to get out. He omitted to say that tens of thousands of people would be left in the city. He mentioned in passing the "most intense bombing" of the city with no suggestion of what that meant for people beneath the bombs. Full Article : zmag.org
Iraq on 11.12.04 @ 04:48 PM CST [ link]
Palestinians must unite, guard against Zionist infiltration
THE need for unity amongst Palestinians is greatest now that their illustrious leader, Yasser Arafat, has died. If Palestinians are not united now, with the change of guard in Palestine, there is a real threat of the Palestinian leadership being infiltrated by pro-Bush and pro-Israeli elements, who will inevitably concede to the never-ending demands of Israel. The problems of Palestine are amongst the most worrying in the world today. It is disheartening to note the relative laxity with which the international community handles the question of Palestine. In a world where human rights and democracy are readily propagated, it is sheer hypocrisy when one sees the suffering and humiliation that Palestinians have to endure. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 11.12.04 @ 03:52 PM CST [ link]
Zimbabwe: Court upholds land reform
IN a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court yesterday upheld the land acquisition laws enacted by Parliament putting to rest the fight by many commercial farmers to get back land acquired by the Government for resettlement. Justice Luke Malaba made the ruling in a constitutional test case by a commercial farmer, Mr George Pretorius Quinnel, who challenged the validity of the laws when the Government acquired his farm. Although the court accepted that there was a violation of Standing Order 127 of Parliament in the enactment of the land acquisition laws, as charged by Mr Quinnel, this was of a technical nature. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 11.12.04 @ 03:49 PM CST [ link]
Chavez's Bolivarian Revolution
Local man returns from Venezuela with tales of Chavez's 'Bolivarian Revolution' By Jim PhillipsIf people in the United States think about Hugo Chavez, it's probably as a kind of Latin American Huey Long. The Venezuelan president is portrayed in U.S. media as a populist and potential communist dictator, buying off the masses with government handouts. An Athens County man who spent four months last summer working for Chavez, however, tells a different story. "If you go to Venezuela, you will not see any manifestations of communism," claimed Jason Tockman, a long-time environmental activist in the Athens area. "Private enterprise is very much alive and well in Venezuela. It is a capitalist country with deep-seated reform occurring." Full Article : athensnews.com
Venezuela on 11.12.04 @ 01:26 PM CST [ link]
UK troops sent to Africa
UK TROOPS were today set to start evacuating hundreds of Brits from the trouble-torn west African state of Ivory Coast. Forces were sent in after the Foreign Office warned of a risk of violence towards foreigners if they stayed. More than 300 soldiers and a number of RAF planes would be involved in the deployment. British Nationals who want to be rescued from the main city, Abidjan, have been told to go to the British ambassador's residence or the CHC office. Those outside the city have been ordered to head to the international school or the airport at Yamoussoukro. Full Article : thesun.co.uk
Africa on 11.12.04 @ 01:12 PM CST [ link]
S. Africa convenes urgent talks
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast - Staring with tears in their eyes, Ivory Coast's people emerged from their homes Thursday to survey the wreckage of five days of violent upheaval and stock up on food. Full Article : azcentral.com
Africa on 11.12.04 @ 10:56 AM CST [ link]
Israel plans posthumous anti-Arafat campaign
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday that after the funeral of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, Israel will launch a propaganda campaign against him. The political-security cabinet yesterday approved the proposed plans to bury Arafat in Ramallah. "It is feared that after his funeral Arafat will become a national hero and freedom-fighter," Sharon said. "We will launch a tough struggle to portray his murderous character and the fact that he is a strategist of world terror who hurt innocent people, both Israelis and American diplomats," he said. Full Article : haaretz.co.il
Middle East on 11.12.04 @ 01:02 AM CST [ link]
Thursday, November 11th
Cuba's Response to AIDS
A Model for the Developing WorldIn April 2003, Cuba hosted FORO 2003-"the second forum on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean." This was a crucial conference. Except for Cuba (0.7%), the Caribbean has the 2nd highest rate of AIDS in the world (2.3%) after sub-Saharan Africa (9%). During the 6-day conference, 1483 delegates, worldwide, made dozens of presentations. There was no U.S. delegation, but there were U.S. presenters. I was in Havana delivering needed medical supplies. Since 1990, I have been a nutritionist with the U.S. HIV community. In 1993 I began collecting donated surplus medical supplies for Cuba. I presented a paper on HIV/AIDS and body composition using state of the art Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis technology (BIA). BIA measures body cell mass (BCM), water, fat and other compartments in your body. Loss of more than 46% of normal BCM is incompatible with life. A unique BIA measurement, the phase angle (PA), best indicates long- range survival potential in the HIV infected. PA measures "strength" of an individual's cell membranes by changes in electrical conductivity. Healthy cells have higher PA than sick cells. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
Caribbean on 11.11.04 @ 11:06 PM CST [ link]
Arafat's personal doctor calls for autopsy
CAIRO, Nov 11 (AFP) - The personal physician of Yasser Arafat called for an inquiry into the cause of the veteran Palestinian leader's death on Thursday. "I demand an official inquiry and an autopsy ... so the Palestinian people can learn in all transparency what caused the death" of their leader, Dr Ashraf al-Kurdi said on Al-Jazeera television only hours before Arafat was due to be buried. He said his suspicions were aroused by the absence of any information about Arafat's health since he was admitted to hospital in Paris on October 29 and that Arafat was conscious when he left his Ramallah compound. Amid the doubt, rumours have surfaced that Arafat was poisoned but doctors in Paris and Palestinian foreign minister Nabil Shaath rejected that speculation. Kurdi, who was Arafat's personal physician for more than 20 years, said he had been surprised by the actions of some members of the veteran leader's office. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Middle East on 11.11.04 @ 09:25 PM CST [ link]
Chavez and Uribe Discuss Oil Pipeline
Chavez and Uribe Discuss Oil Pipeline from Venezuela to the Pacific OceanCaracas, November 10, 2004 - Yesterday night Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in Cartagena de las Indias to strengthen relations between the countries and discuss the possibility of constructing an oil pipeline through Colombia via el Río Meta. The pipeline would stretch over 1,000 kilometers, (625 miles), connecting the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo with the Colombian Pacific province of Chocó. Venezuela, the world's fifth largest producer of oil, is looking to diversify its markets. The International Energy Agency has projected a 15% increase in Chinese demand for oil. It has also been forcasted that Japanese consumption will rise. Ivan Orellana, Venezuela's governor to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, commented that the projected increase in demand justifies higher shipping costs to the Asiatic countries. As it stands, 60% of the Venezuelan crude oil is sold to the US via the Panama Canal. According to Julio César Vera, a Colombian Mines Ministry Oficial, the proposed agreement with Colombia would not only allow Venezuela to export to a greater number of countries but it would also create a route capable of accomodating even the largest of oil tankers. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com
Venezuela on 11.11.04 @ 08:16 PM CST [ link]
'French killed 50 in Abidjan' alleges adviser
PARIS, Nov 10 (AFP) - An adviser to Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo said Wednesday that French troops have killed 50 people and wounded more than 600 in clashes since the weekend. Full Article : expatica.com
Middle East on 11.11.04 @ 02:08 PM CST [ link]
Ivory Coast Turmoil to Shoot Up Chocolate Prices
JEDDAH, 11 November 2004 - It is doubtful that many Saudis shopping for chocolate in preparation for Eid are concerned about the turmoil in Ivory Coast, the world's largest producer of cocoa. The deadly violence in Ivory Coast, which erupted Saturday, has shut down cocoa exports and closed ports that ship more than 40 percent of the world's raw material for chocolate. If the turmoil continues however, chocolate lovers here will probably feel the effect on prices soon, not that the prices have not increased already because of Eid. Although they deny it, some chocolate store owners raise their prices as Ramadan comes to an end knowing that Eid is the peak of their sales. "They take advantage of people buying chocolate for Eid and jack up the prices but not too much because of the competition; there are so many stores now," said Maha Jifri. "Still, when you're short on time and desperate to finish shopping Eid clothes and gifts, you'll buy from whatever chocolate store you come across as long as it is good and has nice chocolate trays," she added. Full Article : arabnews.com
Middle East on 11.11.04 @ 02:00 PM CST [ link]
Worse Than 2000: Tuesday's Electoral Disaster
Everyone remembers Florida's 2000 election debacle, and all of the new terms it introduced to our political lexicon: Hanging chads, dimpled chads, pregnant chads, overvotes, undervotes, Sore Losermans, Jews for Buchanan and so forth. It took several weeks, battalions of lawyers and a questionable decision from the U.S. Supreme Court to show the nation and the world how messy democracy can be. By any standard, what happened in Florida during the 2000 Presidential election was a disaster. What happened during the Presidential election of 2004, in Florida, in Ohio, and in a number of other states as well, was worse. Full Article : truthout.org
USA on 11.11.04 @ 04:30 AM CST [ link]
Westerners Are Evacuated From Ivory Coast
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, Nov. 10 -- Angry crowds chanted "All whites out!" as Western nations on Wednesday launched one of the largest evacuations of Africa's post-independence era. French soldiers in boats plucked trapped countrymen from the banks of lagoons. Convoys shuttled foreigners to the airport, passing through "very virulent" crowds of loyalist youths on a route littered with burned vehicles and abandoned roadblocks of smoldering tires, said Philippe Moreux, a U.N. spokesman. Full Article : washingtonpost.com
Africa on 11.11.04 @ 04:05 AM CST [ link]
In Ivory Coast's unrest, resentment isn't only against the French
DAKAR, Senegal The news reports streaming out of Abidjan, Ivory Coast's once-shining metropolis, seem like a throwback to a bygone era: white men and women cowering in their homes, black men and women rampaging through the streets, European soldiers swooping down in helicopters and plucking Europeans to safety. It could have been Congo, circa 1964, when Belgian paratroopers swooped down on the Congo River town of Stanleyville, now Kisangani, to evacuate terrified Europeans during a nationalist rebellion. There has never been any Algeria-like struggle against French colonialism in Ivory Coast, nothing even approaching the nationalist movements in Congo to shake off Belgian rule. In any case, the so-called Young Patriots who have led the violent demonstrations against the French in Abidjan this week were, for the most part, born well after independence from France more than 40 years ago. Full Article : iht.com
Africa on 11.11.04 @ 04:02 AM CST [ link]
Yasser Arafat, 1929-2004
Today, Yasser Arafat, Chairman of al-Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Organization and elected President of the Palestinian Authority, died in Paris from complications stemming from a blood disorder at the age of 75. Born Muhammad Abd al-Ra'uf al-Arafat al-Qudwa, Yasser Arafat was related to the Husayni family and had strong family ties to Gaza and Jerusalem. He first became active in Palestinian politics while an engineering student in Cairo in the early 1950s, where he headed the Union of Palestinian Students at Fu'ad I University (now Cairo University) from 1952-1957. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Arafat launched his own contracting firm in Kuwait and quickly prospered. He probably used his personal wealth to launch al-Fatah, the most prominent of a number of exile groups advancing armed struggle as a means of liberating Palestine. Full Article : electronicintifada.net
Middle East on 11.11.04 @ 01:59 AM CST [ link]
Wednesday, November 10th
Foreign Aid Undermines Democracy in East Africa
I was in the sweltering heat of San Francisco, in the US, and later in the disturbing cold of Sao Paolo, Brazil, when the three East African governments of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania read their budgets this June. Because Uganda and Tanzania depend on foreign aid for 50 and 45 per cent of their budgets respectively (2003/04 figures), I had little interest in what their finance ministers had to say: it is simply standard stuff picked up from IMF and World Bank scripts. Full Article : nationmedia.com
Africa on 11.10.04 @ 04:49 PM CST [ link]
Eyewitness: Terror in Darfur
The first police action at El-Geer refugee camp near Nyala began soon after midnight. I saw at least four jeep-loads of police driving over the flimsy shacks erected by displaced people. Later they returned and began to beat and tear-gas the frightened crowd. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk
Africa on 11.10.04 @ 04:44 PM CST [ link]
28 million HIV cases in Africa
Accra, Nov. 10, GNA - It is estimated that 28 million people, representing 70 per cent of cases world-wide are living with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan African with 90 per cent of these in the prime of their lives. In countries including Ghana, most of those infected form the bulk of the reproductive workforce, ranging in age from 15 to 49 years. These were disclosed by the Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Social Marketing Foundation (GSMF), Mr. Kojo Lokko, at the inauguration of the Work Place HIV/AIDS programme at the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in Accra. Full Article : ghanaweb.com
Africa on 11.10.04 @ 04:41 PM CST [ link]
Ivory Coast peace 'urgent'
Cape Town - Violence in Ivory Coast should be brought quickly under control or it could become a regional problem, said Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Wednesday. She told parliament's foreign affairs committee that Ivory Coast's West African neighbours could be affected if that country's conflict turned into a full-scale war. Full Article : news24.com
Africa on 11.10.04 @ 04:39 PM CST [ link]
Ivory Coast violence sending hundreds over border into Liberia
Some 1,250 panicked Ivorians have fled into Liberia's northeastern Nimba county since last week, fearing a reprise of tensions sparked by government air strikes on the rebel-held north, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said Tuesday. Full Article : spacewar.com
Africa on 11.10.04 @ 04:36 PM CST [ link]
Foreigners, citizens flee Côte d'Ivoire violence
An exodus from Côte d'Ivoire began on Wednesday as France sent planes to evacuate nationals while thousands of Ivorians fled across the borders to escape violence that has claimed a reported 145 lives. "It is time for the Ivorian government to take responsibility for restoring public order," French President Jacques Chirac told a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. "We are doing what we can to help our compatriots leave Côte d'Ivoire." Full Article : mg.co.za
Africa on 11.10.04 @ 04:33 PM CST [ link]
John Ashcroft resignation
The US attorney general John Ashcroft, a right-wing evangelical who has been a lightning rod for critics of the Bush administration, announced his resignation last night. In a five-page handwritten letter to President George Bush, Mr Ashcroft, 62, said he believed that despite the progress made at the Department of Justice, it would be well served by the energy of a new leader. "The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved," he wrote. "Yet I believe that the Department of Justice would be well served by new leadership and fresh inspiration. I believe that my energies and talents should be directed toward other challenging horizons." Before the election it had been widely rumoured that Mr Ashcroft - said to have something of a fractious relationship with the White House - would not serve in a second Bush term. But in the aftermath of the vote, in which evangelicals came out and supported the President like never before, there was speculation that Mr Ashcroft might be asked to stay on as some sort of payback to the religious right. Full Article : newsfromrussia.com
USA on 11.10.04 @ 01:17 AM CST [ link]
Tuesday, November 9th
Brazilian foreign minister defends Rio Group dialogue with Cuba
RIO DE JANEIRO (XINHUA).— Celso Amorim, the Brazilian foreign minister, has defended a greater rapprochement of the Rio Group with Cuba and increased dialogue with the island. "Cuba must be attracted to a higher level of dialogue within the region. Some people would like to previously define the terms of that dialogue, but we believe that Cuba would prefer to have an integral part in talks," he noted. According to the foreign minister "that is the objective that Brazil will continue to pursue, although it will do so at the most appropriate time." Full Article : granma.cu
Caribbean on 11.09.04 @ 05:28 PM CST [ link]
Latin American leaders pledge rescue plan for Haiti
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - Latin American leaders wrapped up a two-day summit yesterday with a pledge to rid Haiti of political violence and grinding poverty, dispatching a top Brazilian diplomat to the country on a mission to form a rescue plan. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 11.09.04 @ 05:21 PM CST [ link]
Did Bush fix the elections?
by Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey, pravda.ruWhy did Kerry throw in the towel so soon?The appearance of Osama bin Laden bang on cue was suspicious, to say the least, as is now the increasing evidence pointing toward election fraud in the United States of America on November 2nd. Exit polls in sensitive districts just don't add up to the official figures. Did Bush fix it? In Ohio, for instance, the sensitive state which gave Bush the 20 electoral college votes he needed, CNN exit polls among women awarded Kerry the vote by 53 to 47% and among men by 51 to 49%. The question was "Who did you vote for" but the point is were the votes counted? Full Article : trinicenter.com
USA on 11.09.04 @ 01:26 PM CST [ link]
Iran says will retaliate if nuclear plants hit
Iran threatened on Monday to strike back at Israel or any other country that attacked its nuclear facilities. U.S. and Israeli officials accuse Iran of seeking to develop atomic bombs under cover of a civilian nuclear programme. Iran denies the charges saying it only intends to produce electricity from nuclear power plants. "If Israel or any other country attacks any site in Iran, we know no limits to threaten their interests," Deputy Revolutionary Guards Commander Mohammad-Baqer Zolqadr said. "That means anywhere in the world, within their borders or outside it," he told reporters on Monday on the sidelines of an anti-U.S. conference in Tehran. Israeli warplanes successfully destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981. Iran has stationed anti-aircraft batteries around its nuclear plants and built many of its facilities underground. Full Article : infowars.net
Middle East on 11.09.04 @ 01:05 PM CST [ link]
Foreign aid leeway for sabotage
By Patience Nyangove THE dependency school of development argues that a nation can only prosper using aid from developed Western countries. History has proved otherwise, because Western aid is accompanied by conditionalities, which are detrimental to the developmental aspirations of the South, as well as their holistic independence. This has far-reaching consequences on the poverty-stricken societies. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 11.09.04 @ 09:37 AM CST [ link]
Monday, November 8th
Arafat to be Transferred to Egypt
Israeli Prepare Gaza For Funeral Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who is under treatment at Percy military hospital near Paris, will be transfered to a hospital near Cairo, the Egyptian capital. An anonymous Palestinian official disclosed that the Palestinian Administration decided on a hospital in Cairo so that he could be returned to Palestine immediately after his death. The same official added that doctors have diagnosed Arafat with a liver insufficiency. French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, who visited Arafat at Percy, said yesterday: "Arafat is alive. His position is very complicated and serious but stable at the moment." His response to a question about Arafat's brain death, "This can not be said." Full Article : zaman.com
Middle East on 11.08.04 @ 08:20 PM CST [ link]
Dollar expected to fall amid China's rumoured selling
The dollar could slide still further, in spite of hitting an all-time low against the euro last week in the wake of George W. Bush's re-election, currency traders have said. The dollar sell-off has resumed amid fears among traders that Mr Bush's victory will bring four more years of widening US budget and current account deficits, heightened geopolitical risks and a policy of "benign neglect" of the dollar. Full Article : news.ft.com
USA on 11.08.04 @ 03:15 PM CST [ link]
African Union seeks cash to send peacekeepers to Darfur
ADDIS ABABA : The African Union is ready to send more peacekeeping troops to quell the deadly violence in Sudan's Darfur region but is prevented from doing so because it lacks the cash, according to officials at the AU headquarters. "Several African countries continue to propose the sending of additional troops, but we lack the means," said Assane Ba, spokesman for the AU's conflict management center, Saturday. Full Article : channelnewsasia.com
Africa on 11.08.04 @ 03:04 PM CST [ link]
The other America
Mary Elizabeth LeaseWall Street owns the countryMary Lease was one of the leaders of the Populist movement that brought together poor farmers to fight the banks that were repossessing their farms. THIS IS a nation of inconsistencies. The Puritans fleeing from oppression became oppressors. We fought England for our liberty and put chains on four million blacks. We wiped out slavery and our tariff laws, and national banks began a system of white wage slavery worse than the first. Wall Street owns the country. It is no longer a government of the people, by the people and for the people, but a government of Wall Street, by Wall Street and for Wall Street. The great common people of this country are slaves, and monopoly is the master. Our laws are the output of a system which clothes rascals in robes and honesty in rags. The parties lie to us and the political speakers mislead us. The politicians said we suffered from overproduction. Overproduction, when 10,000 little children, so statistics tell us, starve to death every year in the United States, and over 100,000 shopgirls in New York are forced to sell their virtue for bread. We will stand by our homes and stay by our fireside by force if necessary, and we will not pay our debts to the loanshark companies until the government pays its debts to us. The people are at bay—let the bloodhounds of money who dogged us thus far beware. Full Article : socialistworker.co.uk
USA on 11.08.04 @ 02:37 PM CST [ link]
Africa must stop mercenaries
By Cameron Duodu FOR hundreds of years, Africa has been seen by many Westerners not as the place of abode of sacred creatures like themselves, but as the supine depository of rich minerals. Plus, of course, in much earlier times, the source of human beings as a saleable commodity. "Africa Equals Easy Money", then has served as the simple equation behind the countless forays that cut-throat buccaneers and pirates (call them what you like) -- made to Africa, to rampage over our people's lands, killing, raping and enslaving as they went along. But this history is usually brushed under the carpet of modern international politics. For instance, you won't read about the real cause of the Zimbabwe land seizures from many Western newspapers that criticise President Mugabe. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 11.08.04 @ 02:13 PM CST [ link]
Zimbabwe, E. Guinea sign agreement
ZIMBABWE and Equatorial Guinea yesterday signed a co-operation agreement to foster relations in economic, technical and cultural areas. The two countries are expected to establish a joint commission soon to ensure co-operation in these areas begins and agreements are implemented. The agreement followed President Mugabe’s three-day State visit to Equatorial Guinea at the invitation of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 11.08.04 @ 01:58 PM CST [ link]
Mbeki called on to resolve Ivorian crisis
JOHANNESBURG, 8 Nov 2004 (IRIN) - South Africa's track record of peace-brokering initiatives in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi influenced the African Union (AU) in calling on President Thabo Mbeki to help resolve the current crisis in Cote d'Ivoire, a senior security analyst told IRIN. "It is quite significant - the AU did not call on any ECOWAS [the 15-member Economic Community of West African States] member for help. They are clearly looking for an outside intervention," said Henry Boschof, a security expert at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies. Full Article : irinnews.org
Africa on 11.08.04 @ 10:43 AM CST [ link]
Sunday, November 7th
Arafat's Doctor: Poisoning Possible
2004-11-06 Comatose Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat might have been poisoned, his doctor told Arabic al-Jazeera television channel. "Arafat's health condition makes poisoning a strong possibility," Ashraf Kurdi said. His assumption came after medics ruled out leukaemia, but still could not name the reason for the President's sharply deteriorating health.
Middle East on 11.07.04 @ 07:59 PM CST [ more..]
Growing Collection of Vote Fraud links
ATTN Global Media By Richard LofgrenThe list of evidence is growing that the US election was anything but a fair vote. Who could possibly think that all of these voting problems are just a minor aberation? The long lines are always in Democratic counties, that the computer 'glitches' always favor Bush, and the new e-machines were made by a Bush 'Pioneer' (top donor) that pledged to deliver for Bush. Funny how Diebold makes bank machines which print paper receipts millions of times daily, but they couldn't get the printer to work in the voting machines. Full Article : axisoflogic.com
USA on 11.07.04 @ 06:18 PM CST [ link]
US ready to put weapons in space
America has begun preparing its next military objective - space. Documents reveal that the US Air Force has for the first time adopted a doctrine to establish 'space superiority'. The new doctrine means that pre-emptive strikes against enemy satellites would become 'crucial steps in any military operation'. This week defence experts will attend a conference in London amid warnings that President Bush's re-election will pave the way to the arming of space. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 11.07.04 @ 03:38 PM CST [ link]
Iraq rebels launch raids on eve of crucial Falluja battle
Iraqi insurgents took the war to the US-led coalition yesterday, launching a devastating series of attacks across the centre of the country, even as American forces massed for an assault on the rebel-held city of Falluja. At least 20 US Marines were injured by a car bomb in the city of Ramadi after fierce clashes overnight. Firefights also raged along the northern outskirts of Falluja as American planes bombed targets nearby, witnesses said. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Middle East on 11.07.04 @ 03:36 PM CST [ link]
After the Taliban, women still suffer
Kidnappings and wife beatings go on, three years after the liberation of Afghans from the Taliban regime Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Middle East on 11.07.04 @ 03:33 PM CST [ link]
S. Africa's Mbeki on 'urgent mission' to resolve Ivory Coast crisis
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) - The African Union mandated South African President Thabo Mbeki to launch an urgent mission to resolve the crisis in Ivory Coast. "President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa has been mandated to undertake an urgent mission in consultation with the chairperson of the AU commission, with a view to promoting a political solution" in the west African country, the African Union said in a statement. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Iraq on 11.07.04 @ 02:03 PM CST [ link]
Holy War: Evangelical Marines Prepare to Battle Barbarians
NEAR FALLUJAH - With US forces massing outside Fallujah, 35 marines swayed to Christian rock music and asked Jesus Christ to protect them in what could be the biggest battle since American troops invaded Iraq last year. The marines drew parallels from the verse with their present situation, where they perceive themselves as warriors fighting barbaric men opposed to all that is good in the world. Full Article : commondreams.org
Iraq on 11.07.04 @ 02:00 PM CST [ link]
Iraqi Interim Government Declares Martial Law
BAGHDAD - Iraq's interim government declared a state of emergency for 60 days on Sunday to quell violence gripping the country ahead of January elections. The state of emergency, equivalent to martial law, would apply throughout Iraq except the Kurdish north, a spokesman for interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said. Full Article : commondreams.org
Iraq on 11.07.04 @ 01:58 PM CST [ link]
Haiti, gun flow for CARICOM talks
CARIBBEAN LEADERS are starting a two-day summit in Trinidad & Tobago tomorrow where leaders will discuss whether to renew ties with Haiti and set up a single regional trade market. Apart from the continued civil unrest in Haiti, the former French colony has been figuring much in the debate about gun flows to other islands, particularly Jamaica. Full Article : jamaica-gleaner.com
Caribbean on 11.07.04 @ 12:48 PM CST [ link]
From South African Apartheid to North American Fascism
For a quarter of a century, I spent ny whole youth in Apartheid South Africa, and have experienced what fascism is all about. My very birth was a "racial" scandal in "White" South Africa; my father, of British origin, was as "white" as snow, seen through "Boer" eyes, my mother, of indigenous descent, was as black as the night. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
USA on 11.07.04 @ 11:52 AM CST [ link]
Fear, The Deciding Factor
By Raffique ShahThroughout history, leaders, from warlords and emperors of ancient times, through monarchs, dictators and democratically elected presidents and prime ministers in modern times, have preyed and played on people's fears. Whether it was witchcraft that saw the French masses cheer as Joan of Arc was put to death by fire, Christian crusaders and Islamic conquerors putting infidels to the sword, or today's sequel of this unfinished war between the bigots in these two religions, fear was always the deciding factor. And so it was again last Tuesday when Americans went to the polls in their tens of millions. Fear of militant Islam, of rising homosexuality, of terrorism aimed at Americans, drove more electors into George Bush's seemingly safe arms, giving him another four years in office. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
USA on 11.07.04 @ 11:52 AM CST [ link]
Neo-Con Agenda: Iran, China, Russia, Latin America...
by Jim Lobe WASHINGTON - An influential foreign-policy neo-conservative with long-standing ties to top hawks in the administration of President George W Bush has laid out what he calls "a checklist of the work the world will demand of this president and his subordinates in a second term." The list, which begins with the destruction of Fallujah in Iraq and ends with the development of "appropriate strategies" for dealing with threats posed by China, Russia and "the emergence of a number of aggressively anti-American regimes in Latin America," also calls for "regime change" in Iran and North Korea. The list's author, Frank Gaffney, the founder and president of the Center for Security Policy (CSP), also warns that Bush should resist any pressure arising from the anticipated demise of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to resume peace talks that could result in Israel's giving up "defensible boundaries." Full Article : commondreams.org
USA on 11.07.04 @ 01:28 AM CST [ link]
Power conceding nothing without demand, as usual
by Jenny, michiganimc.org The easy smile on Kerry's face as he conceded to Bush should have made a few things clear. There are reasons why Kerry conceded so quickly, there are reasons why he never mentioned a single instance of voter fraud or intimidation throughout the day on November 2nd as widespread evidence of disenfranchisement was surfacing (at least through independent media outlets) and there are reasons why he didn't use his concession speech as an opportunity to articulate even mild opposition to Bush policies. The reasons are rooted in the fact that Kerry has much more allegiance to elite power in the U.S. than he has or ever will have to the millions of disenfranchised and unrepresented voters in this country.
USA on 11.07.04 @ 12:12 AM CST [ more..]
Saturday, November 6th
Are you living in slavery?
The shipping of millions of Africans to work as slaves on sugar and cotton plantations in the United States and the Caribbean ended in the early 1800s. But far from being confined to history, other forms of slavery still continue. Millions of men, women and children around the world - including many Africans - are forced into servitude. Human trafficking and slavery is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. So serious is the problem that the United Nations has made 2004 an anti-slavery year. In west Africa, children are trafficked between countries, often sold by their own parents, to be used as servants in the houses of richer people and on agricultural plantations. In some countries like Mauritania and Niger, people are born into a class where they are viewed and treated as only being suitable for slave labour. Source : news.bbc.co.uk
Africa on 11.06.04 @ 12:25 PM CST [ link]
France attacks Ivorian airbase
French forces in Ivory Coast have destroyed two government warplanes after an air strike which left eight French soldiers dead and 23 injured. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk
Africa on 11.06.04 @ 12:06 PM CST [ link]
Latin American leaders pledge rescue plan for Haiti
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - Latin American leaders wrapped up a two-day summit yesterday with a pledge to rid Haiti of political violence and grinding poverty, dispatching a top Brazilian diplomat to the country on a mission to form a rescue plan. "In the spirit of solidarity, we commit ourselves as neighbors and brothers to decisively contribute to the political stabilization and reconciliation of Haitian society," the leaders said in a statement at the end of the 19-nation Rio Group summit. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 11.06.04 @ 10:17 AM CST [ link]
Ivory Coast troops, rebels clash
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Rebel fighters clashed with government troops and warplanes struck rebel positions in the north yesterday, escalating hostilities a day after army hard-liners broke a cease-fire and relaunched Ivory Coast's civil war after more than a year of relative peace. Full Article : seattletimes.nwsource.com
Africa on 11.06.04 @ 10:14 AM CST [ link]
The Moral (Values) of This Election
It's All Over...But for the WhiningBy ANIS MEMONSo, now the election is over. Kerry has lost and will mostly likely soon be forgotten. The sense of tension and even euphoria surrounding the last few months--euphoria at the uncertainty of the outcome, not at the prospect of any real change or progress--has predictably sagged with the sad, unhappy realization that, yes, in fact, George Bush will continue to be president, and this time with something more solidly representing a mandate. What do the Kerry supporters think about this? What do the Kerry supporters who masqueraded as progressives, boldly proclaiming that they opposed Kerry on most issues, but were nevertheless going to vote for him and encourage others to do the same, what do these people think? The Noam Chomskys and Howard Zinns and the guy I keep bumping into who regularly reads CounterPunch? They supported someone they didn't like, simply because he was a little less bad (and maybe not even) than Bush; someone who has been trying to hedge right and take over the policies of his opponent. Full Article : counterpunch.org
USA on 11.06.04 @ 10:10 AM CST [ link]
U.N.'s Annan Seeks to Prevent an Assault on Fallouja
UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned leaders of the United States, Britain and Iraq that another full-scale assault on the rebel-held city of Fallouja would further alienate Iraqis and disrupt elections planned for January. Annan's warning, contained in a letter sent Sunday, has angered some officials here. Full Article : commondreams.org
Iraq on 11.06.04 @ 09:12 AM CST [ link]
Campaign to discredit economic gains intensified
The opposition had been banking on economic deterioration to win next year's general elections with predictions that inflation would be hovering around 4 000 percent by March with chronic shortages of food, fuel and foreign currency, among other essentials. However, Dr Gono’s policies have led to a drastic fall in inflation resulting in price stability, constant fuel supplies, stabilisation in the foreign currency markets, and keeping the productive sector going, among other things. The central bank has also managed to arrest the rot in the banking sector, which had been fuelling externalisation of foreign currency and massive speculation on basic goods and commodities as depositors’ funds were used to hoard almost everything that could be sold from bricks to motor vehicles and groceries. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 11.06.04 @ 08:58 AM CST [ link]
Friday, November 5th
Zambia: Yes, probe erring NGOs - churches
'Government should not waste time in bringing such organisations to book ...'By Times Reporter THE Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) has called on Government to institute investigations into non-governmental organisations (NGOs) alleged to have diverted donor funds. CCZ general secretary Reverend Japhet Ndhlovu was reacting to media reports that some NGOs had allegedly diverted funds to engage themselves into political battles with the current Government. Rev Ndhlovu said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that Government should not waste time but investigate and bring such NGOs to book within democratic governance. Full Article : times.co.zm
Africa on 11.05.04 @ 03:20 PM CST [ link]
Chinese tigers to roam Africa's plains
In a last-ditch stand to stave off extinction, zoo-born cubs are being taught the ways of the wild in a unique South African experiment that has the full blessing of the Chinese government, but has local conservationists sharply divided on its merits. Few sights in nature can be more dramatic than the blur of explosive motion as a tiger homes in on its prey. While it's definitely not a spectacle we're familiar with in Africa, a ground-breaking breeding project will see the rare and endangered striped cats roaming the Free State plains and hunting antelope that have never before encountered a tiger. In its natural habitat the tiger relies on stealth and camouflage, using short bursts of speed and an element of surprise to ambush its prey. But for all its formidable natural talents it is no match for Man, the deadliest and most ruthless of all predators. Full Article : iol.co.za
Africa on 11.05.04 @ 01:01 PM CST [ link]
'Kerry won. Here are the facts'
I know you don't want to hear it. You can't face one more hung chad. But I don't have a choice. As a journalist examining that messy sausage called American democracy, it's my job to tell you who got the most votes in the deciding states. Tuesday, in Ohio and New Mexico, it was John Kerry. Full Article : trinicenter.com
USA on 11.05.04 @ 12:37 PM CST [ link]
Mourning in America
Getting over it by getting organizedThe Bush administration is going to be wired around the neck of the American people for four more years, long enough for the stench to sicken everybody. It should cure the country of electing Republicans. And at least Democrats won't have to clean up after him until it is real clear to everyone who made the mess. Full Article : workingforchange.com
USA on 11.05.04 @ 12:09 PM CST [ link]
Sudan's treasures uncovered
By Alex Mackworth Gee for CNNLONDON, England (CNN) -- Today Sudan presents the picture of an Islamic government at odds with the rest of the world. The United Nations says about 50,000 people have been killed in Darfur and about 1.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes since rebellion broke out in the western region in February 2003. But the largest country in Africa was not always like this. It was for thousands of years the point of contact between central Africa and the Mediterranean world. This is the emphasis of a new theme of talks, "Sudan: past and present," which the British Museum is hosting on subjects including religion, culture, ethnicity in modern Sudan as well as the history of the region. A long-planned archaeological exhibition, running until January 9 2005, "Sudan: Ancient Treasures," also traces the history of Northern and Central Sudan from 200,000 years BC to the end of 19th Century -- running through Egyptian rule and defeat, the Romans, Christianization, Islamification and up to joint Anglo-Egyptian rule. Full Article : edition.cnn.com
Africa on 11.05.04 @ 11:31 AM CST [ link]
Darfur on the road to anarchy, warns UN
United Nations, New York - Sudan's blood-soaked Darfur region could be headed toward disaster, with warlords on the loose and the government no longer in full control of its forces, the United Nations' top Sudan official warned on Thursday. Just two weeks before a United Nations Security Council trip to Africa intended to help ease the crisis, Jan Pronk outlined a grim picture for council members and said the situation may soon become unmanageable. "Fighting is breaking out in more and more places, parties are provoking one another, militias are ganging up," he said. "Darfur may easily enter a state of anarchy - a total collapse of law and order." Full Article : iol.co.za
Africa on 11.05.04 @ 09:40 AM CST [ link]
No Truth, No Difference and No Choice Anymore
The outcome of the US presidential elections has been weighing as heavy on our minds and shoulders as the dark and dreary afternoon clouds of Merida high up here in the Venezuelan Andes this time of a year. Unlike the unfolding of meteorological phenomena, however, the clouds on the world's political horizon won't give way to any sun ... and no glorious morning will await us after the tormentuous night. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
Venezuela on 11.05.04 @ 09:01 AM CST [ link]
Arafat 'between life and death'
The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, is in a "reversible coma" but is not brain dead, his spokeswoman says. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
UK on 11.05.04 @ 08:15 AM CST [ link]
It's Bushness as Usual Nov 5 2004
GEORGE Bush yesterday vowed to press forward with his controversial war on terror "until the enemy is defeated". And he warned the rest of the civilised world it was their duty to join him in smashing rebels who threaten world peace. With words that will sink the hearts of those who hoped the war- mongering US president might have mellowed, he brushed aside his global unpopularity and insisted protecting Americans was his number one duty. Full Article : mirror.co.uk
USA on 11.05.04 @ 08:12 AM CST [ link]
Thursday, November 4th
Locusts devastate Mauritania crops
Dakar - Crop-devouring locusts have caused major damage to cereals in Mauritania but other West and Central African states have suffered much less than feared from the worst infestation in over a decade, the United Nations said on Thursday. The huge swarms which descended on the semi-desert Sahel region south of the Sahara earlier this year had raised widespread worries of food shortages in the impoverished states. Full Article : iol.co.za
Africa on 11.04.04 @ 08:35 PM CST [ link]
F-16 Fighter Fires At School In New Jersey
LITTLE EGG HARBOR, N.J. -- A National Guard F-16 fighter jet on a nighttime training mission Wednesday fired 25 rounds of ammunition that tore through an intermediate school. No one was injured. Full Article : nbc10.com
USA on 11.04.04 @ 08:22 PM CST [ link]
Electing to Leave
A reader's guide to expatriating on November 3So the wrong candidate has won, and you want to leave the country. Let us consider your options. Renouncing your citizenshipFull Article : harpers.orgBush and Kerry were both the wrong people!
USA on 11.04.04 @ 08:17 PM CST [ link]
World Wants Changes from Bush to Open a New Era
PARIS - World leaders at odds with George W. Bush are hoping he will change his policies to rebuild global trust shattered by the Iraq war, but his strengthened mandate means they could be the ones left making the changes. From Asia to Europe, foreign leaders mixed congratulations for Bush with calls for him to soften what they regard as U.S. unilateralism in world affairs. Full Article : commondreams.org
USA on 11.04.04 @ 08:07 PM CST [ link]
Definitely Not The Election
Angie: In today's world, however, the egalitarianism ideology is in danger of being taken over by neo-liberals whilst abject poverty, not economic security, has found plenty of room to prevail and grow. How can we change this? Stephen: I guess that's like asking how to lose weight. The answer's obvious, but no one likes it, and people are always on the lookout for a quick fix, something that doesn't take much effort and involves no pain and no disruption. Quick fixes invariably turn out to be sold by hucksters. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
USA on 11.04.04 @ 06:53 PM CST [ link]
Is the USA itself fascist and terrorist?
The elections in the USA are over -- internationally we are being flooded with all sorts of favorable and critical comments. Over the last years, we have explained what are in store for mankind: "Project for a New American Century," "Full Spectrum Dominance," "Fourth Reich," the military destruction of "the axis of evil," an "Orwellian Present," fatal, lethal "Arms of Mass Destruction," Body, Mind and Thought Control, a "Mental Holocaust," the planned annihilation of billions of obsolete, physical forces of labor, the coming Euro-American World War, etc. In our previous commentary, just before the elections, we have stated categorically: "In reality, Capital, their corporate bosses, have decided long ago, who will be at the helm of the next global "economic and political wars." What we will see within the next days is just a political circus, a social pastime, inaugurated by the international mass media, to deviate attention away from the real problems of corporate imperialism and of emancipatory revolution here in Latin America and elsewhere." Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
USA on 11.04.04 @ 04:19 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, November 3rd
Israeli secret agents liquidate 310 Iraqi scientists
More than 310 Iraqi scientists are thought to have perished at the hands of Israeli secret agents in Iraq since fall of Baghdad to US troops in April 2003, a seminar has found. The seminar, held in Cairo, was attended by politicians, journalists and experts with an interest in current Iraqi affairs. The experts said they had detected an organized campaign aimed at "liquidating Iraqi scientists" in the past 18 months and most of them pointed the finger at the Israeli secret police service, the Mossad. The organizers said their aim was to highlight the plight of Iraqi scientists particularly those who were engaged in the weapons programs under the former regime. "There is a joint American and Israeli plan to kill as many Iraqi scientists as possible," said Abdel Raoof al-Raidi, an ambassador and assistant foreign minister. Full Article : axisoflogic.com
Middle East on 11.03.04 @ 04:06 PM CST [ link]
SA activist bemoans 'black day for the world'
Johannesburg - South Africans on Wednesday bemoaned a black day for the world and its poorest continent, Africa, as George Bush appeared headed for another term in office. "I have been keeping my fingers crossed that the American people will see some light, finally," said Amina Cachalia, a prominent anti-apartheid activist and a top campaigner for women's rights. Bush's likely re-election is a "sad day for Africa, for Muslims all over and for the world in general," said Cachalia, one of dozens of South Africans who attended a gathering in Johannesburg organised by the US consulate to watch the election results. Full Article : iol.co.zaWell, not a black day, and it would not be a better day with Kerry. Bush's win is just a continuation of the White day.
Africa on 11.03.04 @ 03:20 PM CST [ link]
Dismayed Africa sees little to gain from Bush win
NAIROBI – Few Africans cheered President George W. Bush's expected re-election on Wednesday, reflecting his reputation in much of the continent as a warmonger. Many commentators said they expected the Iraq crisis and the U.S.-led war on terror to continue to divert U.S. attention from efforts to rescue Africa from poverty, famine and conflict. "The Americans have voted for a militarised Rambo rather than someone who appeals to their reason," said Bolaji Akinyemi, a former Nigerian foreign minister. Full Article : signonsandiego.comKerry is not a voice of reason, he is just another hypocrite.
Africa on 11.03.04 @ 03:06 PM CST [ link]
North American elections and Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution
By Franz J. T. Lee It is irrelevant who "wins." In any case, only one of these "Great Men" will be elected, indirectly by a majority of already brain-washed electors ... or will again be chosen by the Supreme Court. In reality, Capital, their corporate bosses, have decided long ago, who will be at the helm of the next global "economic and political wars." What we will see within the next days is just a political circus, a social pastime, inaugurated by the international mass media, to deviate attention away from the real problems of corporate imperialism and of emancipatory revolution here in Latin America and elsewhere. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
USA on 11.03.04 @ 12:20 PM CST [ link]
Peacekeepers bring hope to the Haitian people
Tegucigalpa, Honduras - Four Central American nations will send up to 500 soldiers to help United Nations' peacekeeping forces in Haiti next year in a bid to stem political unrest and a wave of killings. The United Nations mission is charged with restoring order in the impoverished Caribbean nation after its president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was ousted in February. The mission has been hampered from the start by a shortage of international troops and police that had been promised. Full Article : iol.co.za
Caribbean on 11.03.04 @ 09:36 AM CST [ link]
Southern Africa to hold 50% of world's poor
Sub-Saharan Africa will hold 50% of the world's poor by 2015, an annual South Africa Survey, released by the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR), shows. "Africa will get significantly poorer during a time period that will see global poverty reduced by a third," the SAIRR said in a statement on Tuesday. According to the survey the number of people living on less than a dollar a day across the globe would decrease significantly from 1169 million people in 1999 to 810 million in 2015. Full Article : bday.co.za
Africa on 11.03.04 @ 12:42 AM CST [ link]
Sub-Saharan Africa to hold half of the world's poor: survey
Sub-Saharan Africa, a region home to nearly ten percent of the world population, will hold as many as 50 percent of the world's poor by 2015, a survey conductedby the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) showed onTuesday. The institute also indicated China's growing demand for commodities could present an opportunity for Africa to stage an economic recovery. Full Article : xinhuanet.com
Africa on 11.03.04 @ 12:40 AM CST [ link]
Tuesday, November 2nd
Full transcript of bin Ladin's speech
Following is the full English transcript of Usama bin Ladin's speech in a videotape sent to Aljazeera. In the interests of authenticity, the content of the transcript, which appeared as subtitles at the foot of the screen, has been left unedited.Praise be to Allah who created the creation for his worship and commanded them to be just and permitted the wronged one to retaliate against the oppressor in kind. To proceed: Peace be upon he who follows the guidance: People of America this talk of mine is for you and concerns the ideal way to prevent another Manhattan, and deals with the war and its causes and results. Before I begin, I say to you that security is an indispensable pillar of human life and that free men do not forfeit their security, contrary to Bush's claim that we hate freedom.
Middle East on 11.02.04 @ 04:28 PM CST [ more..]
U.S. Presidential Race
www.newsday.co.ttThe United States goes to the polls today to elect a President and while the decision is a matter for the American people, nonetheless the US is the world's only superpower and what US voters decide today will affect the rest of the world. Will the American voters, for example, take into account that a victory for incumbent, President George W Bush, or challenger, Democratic Senator John Kerry, may very well determine whether the US expands its policy of unilateral military intervention in defiance of the United Nations or is prepared to act in accordance with the United Nations Charter?
Africa on 11.02.04 @ 10:08 AM CST [ more..]
US Foreign Policy on Africa – A Bomb is a Bomb!
As arguably the richest continent in terms of culture, land, and resources, Africa has made America the richest country in the world. Yet Africa’s population remains the world’s poorest. If we agree that land and people are the greatest resource and that health is the greatest wealth, this paradox will be understood when analyzed within a historical context. Slavery, colonization and post colonial realities have saddled the continent with health deficiencies, environmental degradation, adverse trade agreements, odious debts, wars and widespread political instability that fuel Africa’s economic and political dependency on America and Europe. Without economic independence, Africa has no political independence and therefore, no independence. Africa has never been asked if she prefers a Democrat or Republican in the White House. If this question was posed, it would be answered with a glare: A bomb is a bomb! Full Article : africaspeaks.com
Africa on 11.02.04 @ 09:36 AM CST [ link]
Sudan Army Surrounds Darfur Refugee Camps
GENEVA - The Sudanese army and police have surrounded several refugee camps in the war-torn region of Darfur and denied access to humanitarian groups, the United Nations said Tuesday. "It started at 3 a.m. without any warning," said Christiane Berthiaume, spokeswoman for the World Food Program. "Agencies have been denied access to these camps since this morning." Full Article : news.yahoo.com
Africa on 11.02.04 @ 09:35 AM CST [ link]
Sasol, Petronas in joint venture
Oil and gas group Sasol and Petronas International Corporation Limited (PICL) — a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysian State oil company Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), together with their respective Black Economic Empowerment partners Worldwide African Investment Holdings and a Sasol BEE entity, Tshwarisano LFB Investment, have signed definitive agreements in respect of a joint venture comprising Sasol's Liquid Fuels Business and Engen Limited and its subsidiaries, the parties announced on Tuesday. The joint venture will be called Uhambo Oil Limited and will be headquartered in Cape Town. The envisaged combination of Engen and Sasol LFB will create a leading South African liquid fuels business, which will comprise Sasol's and Engen's liquid fuels refining, blending, marketing and distribution businesses in the retail, commercial and wholesale markets, the parties said. Full Article : iafrica.com
Africa on 11.02.04 @ 09:04 AM CST [ link]
Africa problems a global issue
Tokyo - Global stability and prosperity cannot be achieved unless development issues in Africa are resolved with help from the international community, Japan's prime minister said Monday. At the start of the two-day Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or Ticad, participants from 88 countries - including 47 African nations - discussed ways to boost trade and investment between Asia and Africa, a foreign ministry statement said. Full Article : news24.com
Africa on 11.02.04 @ 08:58 AM CST [ link]
Monday, November 1st
Full-blown emergency threatens Somali region, UN warns
ADDIS ABABA, 28 Oct 2004 ( IRIN) - A full-blown emergency is threatening Ethiopia's Somali region, the UN warned on Thursday. Wells are drying up and malnutrition is beginning to set in, according to a joint UN rapid-assessment team sent to monitor the crisis. The team included the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Food Programme, UN Children's Fund and the UN Development Programme. It said the first "unconfirmed reports" of deaths from water shortages were beginning to emerge from the region, one of the most remote in the country. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
Africa on 11.01.04 @ 02:42 PM CST [ link]
Liberia seizes weapons, arrests rebel leader
MONROVIA (AFP) - UN peacekeepers arrested a dissident rebel leader and seized weapons in a clampdown on the Liberian capital on the last day of a campaign to disarm fighters in the west African state. General Philip Kamara of the main rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and one other still-unidentified LURD member were arrested at Kamara's home in Monrovia's Paynesville district, UN military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Brendan Geraghty confirmed. Two AK-47 rifles were seized, UN mission spokesman James Boynton added. Ghanaian peacekeepers told AFP in Paynesville that some 80 LURD fighters had been detained along with other weapons. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Africa on 11.01.04 @ 07:22 AM CST [ link]
Refugees from War Torn West Africa Arrive in Bolton
The second group of refugees from war torn West Africa to be offered protection in the UK through a United Nations resettlement programme will arrive in Bolton today, the Home Office said. The Liberian and Congolese refugees have been given sanctuary in the UK under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Gateway protection programme, an international refugee resettlement programme. A total of eighty one refugees will be settled in Bolton, following the successful arrival of an earlier group in Sheffield. The arrival in Bolton of the first thirty-four refugees today will be followed by the rest of the group over the coming weeks and months. The refugees include families with young children who fled Liberia during the civil war of the early 1990s and have since been living in refugee camps in Sierra Leone. The group also includes families who fled the continuing fighting in Eastern Congo and had been living in refugee camps in Uganda. Many of them have endured further attacks in their country of refuge. Most of the women are survivors of rape and torture while others have witnessed the murder of family members. Full Article : scotsman.com
Africa on 11.01.04 @ 07:20 AM CST [ link]
|
|  |
