Friday, December 31st
Future of Andaman's 500 Jarawa tribals uncertain
NEW DELHI: There was no concrete information till late Friday evening about the condition of the 500-odd Jarawa aborigines tribe inhabiting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Of these, at least 260 were reported to have survived the devastating tsunami by hanging on to the trees. According to the 2001 census figures, there were around 250 Jarawas inhabiting the middle-south Andaman Islands. By the end of this year their population is expected to have more than doubled, a senior government official said. Full Article : indiatimes.comRemote island tribes safe after quakeFri, 31 Dec 2004 Groups of rare aboriginal tribes already near the edge of extinction in the Andaman and Nicobar islands survived a massive tsunami, the coast guard said on Thursday. Five tribes numbering 989 people were safe after Sunday's onslaught, including the 100-member Onge, 250 of the fiercely independent Sentinelese, 39 of the almost extinct Andamanese, 350 of the Jarawa and 250 of the hunter-gatherer Shompen. Full Article : iafrica.com
Asia on 12.31.04 @ 06:06 PM CST [ link]
Iraq vs tsunami: Massive tragedy and media predators
The American media has descended on the Asian tsunami with all the fervor of feral animals in a meat locker. The newspapers and TV's are plastered with bodies drifting out to sea, battered carcasses strewn along the beach and bloated babies lying in rows. Every aspect of the suffering is being scrutinized with microscopic intensity by the predatory lens of the media. Where was this "free press" in Iraq when the death toll was skyrocketing towards 100,000? So far, we we've seen nothing of the devastation in Falluja where more than 6,000 were killed and where corpses were lined along the city's streets for weeks on end. Is death less photogenic in Iraq? Or, are there political motives behind the coverage? Full Article : smirkingchimp.com
USA on 12.31.04 @ 02:58 PM CST [ link]
Global analysts dispute perceived US generosity
LONDON -- The US government is contributing $35 million of the half-billion dollars that the world's developed nations are donating to the tsunami relief effort, and many Americans believe -- as President Bush put it earlier this week -- that their country is being its typical "generous, kindhearted" self. Full Article : boston.comU.S. tries to Save FaceU.S. Boosts Tsunami Aid Tenfold to $350M CRAWFORD, Texas - The United States is pledging $350 million to help tsunami victims, a tenfold increase over its first wave of aid, President Bush announced Friday. Full Article : news.yahoo.com
USA on 12.31.04 @ 02:40 PM CST [ link]
The Chavez phenomenon and the U.S.
CARACAS: Shortly after he appeared on national television in October 2001 holding aloft bloody photographs of children killed by the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan, President Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela received a visit from Donna Hrinak, then Washington's Ambassador to the oil-rich South American country. Recalling his meeting with the U.S. envoy at an international conference here last week, Mr. Chavez said his televised message had simply been that one could not fight terrorism with terrorism. "But the Ambassador came to me and demanded, `You must rectify your position.' I replied: `You are talking to the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. You are dismissed. When you learn what the job of an Ambassador is, you may come back'." Full Article : thehindu.com
Latin America on 12.31.04 @ 02:16 PM CST [ link]
Israel stops Palestinians voting in Jerusalem
Israel was accused yesterday of undermining the election of a Palestinian Authority president by allowing only a few thousand Palestinians to vote in East Jerusalem. More than 100,000 will have to leave the city if they want to vote. The government has told the Palestinian Election Commission that it will not allow privacy screens in the voting booths in East Jerusalem post offices, nor will election officials be allowed to mark voters with indelible ink to prevent fraud. The prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has admitted that the arrangements are designed to show that Israel has sole sovereignty in East Jerusalem. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Middle East on 12.31.04 @ 11:00 AM CST [ link]
Crime-ridden S.Africa has amnesty for illegal guns
South Africa has declared an amnesty on illegal guns in its latest drive to tackle the high level of violent crime, the South African Press Association reported on Friday. The three-month amnesty, due to start in October but delayed to allow more planning, will run from Jan. 1 to March 31. People may hand in unlicensed guns free from prosecution unless the gun is found to have been used to commit a crime, SAPA quoted a security ministry statement as saying. Full Article : alertnet.org
Africa on 12.31.04 @ 09:44 AM CST [ link]
Brazil town to honor Arafat with statue
SAO PAULO, Brazil -- The New Year's Eve celebrations in the small community of Paraiba do Sul will honor a figure the town's mayor says hasn't been honored anywhere else in the West - the late Yasser Arafat. Moments before the clock rings in 2005, a fireworks and light show will serve as a backdrop to the unveiling of a life-sized statue of the Palestinian leader holding the traditional symbol of peace, the olive branch. Full Article : seattlepi.nwsource.com
Latin America on 12.31.04 @ 08:51 AM CST [ link]
Panama Canal Defying Expectations
When the United States gave Panama control over its canal, many international observers predicted the international waterway would be plagued by problems at best and chaos at worst. But the tiny country bucked popular opinion. On Friday, five years to the day after Panama took control of the canal, the country is looking forward, not back, proudly noting that the canal has doubled its income, lowered its accident rate and is considering its most ambitious expansion plan ever. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Admin on 12.31.04 @ 08:49 AM CST [ link]
New Trends in Cuba's Healthcare System
The Cuban public healthcare system is undergoing profound changes. New ideas and concepts are being implemented with the purpose of bringing medical specialties closer to the community, and providing a service of excellence. Full Article : periodico26.cu
Caribbean on 12.31.04 @ 08:45 AM CST [ link]
Iran Knows What Awaits Tsunami Survivors
The people of Bam, an Iranian town devastated by an earthquake a year ago, know what's ahead for the survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami: broken hearts, slow rebuilding and unfulfilled promises of aid. But Bam presents itself as proof of man's capacity to overcome. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Middle East on 12.31.04 @ 08:30 AM CST [ link]
Twice as fit for hell - Part 2
The Church has a history of double standards in Africa. While it taught white people discipline, the Africans were taught obedience to the white man, writes Ishaq Peloewetse Full Article : mmegi.bw
Africa on 12.31.04 @ 07:48 AM CST [ link]
End of textile quotas will hit Africa hard
African textile producers are expected to be the hardest hit when rich countries end a quota system for clothing imports from developing nations. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Africa on 12.31.04 @ 07:34 AM CST [ link]
US cancels Ethiopia debt
Addis Ababa - The United States is to write off $72.6m debt owed by Ethiopia, following an agreement signed in Addis Ababa on Thursday between the two countries, Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported. Full Article : news24.com
Africa on 12.31.04 @ 07:31 AM CST [ link]
Tsunami death toll now 125,000
5 000 000 displaced by tsunamiUp to five million people have been displaced by the devastating tsunamis that pummelled large tracts of Asia over the weekend, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday. Full Article : news24.comTsunami death toll now 125,000BANDA ACEH: The death toll in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster soared above 125,000 on Thursday as millions scrambled for food and clean water and rumours of new waves sent many fleeing inland in panic. Full Article : dailytimes.com.pk Asian tsunami toll jumps to over 125,000Asia's tsunami death toll soared above 125,000 and aid agencies warned many more people -- particularly children -- could die in epidemics, ushering in a somber New Year's Eve for the world. Full Article : chinadaily.com.cnTsunami death toll passes 120,000The death toll from the Asian megaquake and ensuing tsunamis officially passed 120,000. At least 123,181 people were killed in 11 countries in southern Asia and Africa by Sunday's massive earthquake and tsunami waves, according to official figures. Full Article : thisislondon.co.uk
Asia on 12.31.04 @ 06:40 AM CST [ more..]
Thursday, December 30th
How can we let this evil persist?
Unfortunately, we look more and more like our enemies every day. On an island invaded, sabotaged and barred from U.S. trade and even tourism in the name of spreading our version of democracy, we have erected a massive torture chamber any deranged dictator would envy. Full Article : workingforchange.com
USA on 12.30.04 @ 10:20 PM CST [ link]
The War on CAFTA Is Just Beginning
"The United States has always used El Salvador as a spearhead for its interests, but we are prepared to continue the struggle to the last consequences, because the treaty will only benefit the powerful classes," Israel Salinas, secretary-general of the Honduran Workers Confederation, told IPS. Full Article : commondreams.org
Latin America on 12.30.04 @ 06:54 PM CST [ link]
Volcano erupts on Andamans after quake
India's last active volcano, in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, has erupted in the aftermath of the huge earthquake that set off tsunamis killing thousands of people, official sources said on Thursday. People have been evacuated from Barren Island since the eruption began on Tuesday night and there were no reports of injury. Lava was flowing out of the rim of the crater which towers above the Indian Ocean some 500 metres away, the sources said. Full Article : iafrica.com
Asia on 12.30.04 @ 12:41 PM CST [ link]
Linking al-Qaeda to the Iraqi Resistance
An Exercise in FutilityOsama bin Laden, dead and buried, and al-Qaeda is the best thing that ever happened to the Bushcons. Earlier this week a voice "purported" to be Osama promoted Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to the position of "emir" over the resistance in Iraq, prompting the corporate media to include the al-Qaeda angle into stories about the resistance. Full Article : trinicenter.com
Iraq on 12.30.04 @ 10:30 AM CST [ link]
Tsunami death toll surpasses 120,000
Somalia: relief supply reach tsunami victimsThe United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday said it had started distributing food to Somali survivors of the deadly tsunami wave that struck the country's Indian Ocean coast at the weekend, as the death toll climbed to 132. Full Article : turkishpress.comTsunami Death Toll Jumps Over 120,000 BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - The death toll in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster soared above 120,000 on Thursday as millions scrambled for food and fresh water and thousands more fled in panic to high ground on rumors of new waves. Full Article : commondreams.orgBreakdown of quake, tsunami death tollAt least 114,758 people were killed in 11 countries in southern Asia and Africa from Sunday's massive earthquake and tsunami waves, according to official figures. A breakdown of the toll so far: Full Article : seattlepi.nwsource.comTsunami death toll likely to surpass 100,000Planes loaded with everything from lentils to water purifiers touched down across Asia yesterday, the start of the largest relief effort in history, as aid workers predicted the death toll from this week's earthquake and tsunamis would top 100,000. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.comSomalia wave victims 'forgotten' Somalia has largely been forgotten by the international community in its response to help victims of Sunday's tsunami, the United Nations says. Jan Egeland, the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, said UN personnel had only just reached villages affected. Aid workers have described a scene of devastation on the Somali island of Hafun, a fishing community of 2,500. The floods killed 120 in Somalia with 35 missing and some 50,000 displaced, its prime minister said on Thursday. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk
Asia on 12.30.04 @ 10:06 AM CST [ more..]
African officials report deaths from Indian Ocean quake
ARUSHA, Tanzania African officials say huge waves from Sunday's earthquake nearly three-thousand miles away killed at least 111 people in east Africa. Somalia's newly elected prime minister tells reporters at least 100 of his people died and an unknown number of fishermen are missing after the waves hit. Full Article : wavy.com
Africa on 12.30.04 @ 10:04 AM CST [ link]
Two dead as exceptional cold snap hits North Africa
Two elderly people died of cold in Tunisia as parts of North Africa suffered a sudden blast of cold air and snow, a local newspaper said on Wednesday. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Africa on 12.30.04 @ 10:02 AM CST [ link]
East Africa launches Customs Union
East African Community (EAC) member states have finalised plans for the launch of a Customs Union. The launch planned for Saturday comes only a month after the Arusha-based East African Legislative Assembly passed the Customs Union Bill. A statement released by the Foreign Affairs Office in Nairobi said the union would be launched simultaneously in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. "In keeping with the road map for the commencement of the customs union on January 1, 2005 as approved by the 8th extra ordinary council of ministers, the official launch of the EAC Customs Union will be held simultaneously in the capitals of the partner states this Friday 31, December 2004," said the statement. Full Article : eastandard.net
Africa on 12.30.04 @ 10:00 AM CST [ link]
US Intervention In Venezuela
Colombia- A Shill (proxy) Country For US Intervention In Venezuela In a previous publication we discussed US attempts to topple president Hugo Chavez of Venezuela through various agencies within the country, aided and abetted by external (US) monetary and organizational support [1]. In the past few years one coup de etat by the Venezuelan military, four general strikes to disrupt its economy and a Recall Referendum on August 15, 2004, which allows a President to be removed from his /her office after mid-term, have failed. Now the imperialist forces are left with few avenues of toppling him. One of them is a military intervention, on some excuses(s) and through a shill or proxy country. But what excuses and which country? The two most likely ones are "war on terrorism (counterinsurgency) and war on drugs"; and the country likely to spearhead the military intervention is Colombia-a neighbor of Venezuela, struggling to defeat its own internal Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, and others) who control a considerable part of Colombia. Full Article : zmag.org
Latin America on 12.30.04 @ 07:02 AM CST [ link]
Tsunami waters raise landmine fears in Sri Lanka
Already haunted by fears of a new tsunami or spread of disease, survivors picking through debris of entire towns to recover corpses at Sri Lanka's northern tip face a new danger -- floating landmines. Full Article : expressindia.com
Asia on 12.30.04 @ 06:51 AM CST [ link]
Ecstasy to be tested on cancer patients
For some, the diagnosis comes out of the blue. For others, it arrives after a long battle. Either way, the news that death is just a few months away poses a daunting challenge for both doctor and patient. Full Article : seattletimes.nwsource.com
USA on 12.30.04 @ 06:49 AM CST [ link]
Che Guevara museum opens in Cuba
A Che Guevara museum has been inaugurated in the central city of Santa Clara, where the remains of Che Guevara, a national hero of Cuba, were buried after being repatriated from Bolivia in 1997. Full Article : vnagency.com.vn
Caribbean on 12.30.04 @ 06:46 AM CST [ link]
Cuban Five Recognized by Namibia
The Namibia-Cuba Friendship Association recognized the Cuban Five, held as political prisoners in the US, for their services to humanity by fighting against terrorism and racism. When presenting diplomas to their relatives on Monday, Namibian Ambassador to Cuba, Claudia Grace Uushona, called Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, René González, Gerardo Hernández y Fernando González symbols of devotion to the most noble causes of humanity. Full Article : periodico26.cu
Africa on 12.30.04 @ 06:37 AM CST [ link]
US rebel joins Saddam legal team
Former US attorney general Ramsey Clark has joined the team of Jordan-based lawyers defending Saddam Hussein. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk
USA on 12.30.04 @ 06:34 AM CST [ link]
Quake relief urgent, toll passes 80,000
Millions of people around the Indian Ocean are in need of food and clean water as the threat of disease and hunger becomes as big a threat as the most devastating tsunami on record that struck on Sunday. Full Article : aljazeera.netDeath is all around, but the band plays on for the tourist hordeFor many in key Thai resort, it is sun, sex and booze as usual Stefan Johansson, a 41-year-old air force officer from Sweden, is hoping that tonight is the night. He is not concerned about aftershocks hitting the beach half a mile from here, or about the haphazard rescue operation finally under way in southern Thailand. Nor is he worried by the deaths of several hundred compatriots. Mr Johansson is anxious that the bar girl he has his eye on is going to keep holding out on him. "I'm having a good holiday," he said. "I went for a walk along the sand this morning, did a bit of swimming. Now I'm off drinking, and then we'll see." Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Asia on 12.30.04 @ 05:58 AM CST [ more..]
Wednesday, December 29th
Aceh: A Victim of Tsunami & Occupation
DemocracyNow.orgThe disaster is killing thousands in Ache but the Indonesian military has been doing that for years. Now activists fear the Indonesian military will use the disaster as a cover to further the killing of the Acehnese and that the Pentagon may use the disaster as an excuse to restore aid to the Indonesian military which was blocked after the military's massacre in East Timor in 1999.AMY GOODMAN: Today, we are joined in our studio by Suraiya I.T. She heads up the International Forum on Aceh. She is Acehnese herself. We are also joined by Allan Nairn, activist and journalist, who has just recently come from Indonesia and has spent a good deal of time in Aceh. We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Suraiya I.T., let's begin with you, how is your family in Aceh now?
Asia on 12.29.04 @ 09:12 PM CST [ more..]
Prison riot deaths mar Haitian government
On Dec. 1, with the U.N. peacekeeping force here was preoccupied with the heavy gunfire erupting around the national palace as Secretary of State Colin L. Powell visited Haitian President Boniface Alexandre, the smoke billowing from the national penitentiary a few blocks away drew scant attention. Prisoners in a three-story cellblock called "the Titanic" had rioted, broke free from their cells, set fire to mattresses and brandished lengths of water pipe as weapons. Guards called in a special police unit that helped quell the riot. Police officials said seven prisoners were killed and more than 40 detainees and several guards were wounded. Full Article : washingtontimes.com
Caribbean on 12.29.04 @ 07:32 PM CST [ link]
India, South Asia ignored tsunami alert system
NEW YORK: India and other South Asian countries have tended to treat tsunamis as a problem of the Pacific Ocean and in the process not paid enough attention to warnings, say experts. "Early warnings have existed since 1948 for countries in the Pacific basin; however, there is no existing tsunami alert system for the Indian Ocean," John Harding, programme officer for the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), said on phone from Geneva. "There is a culture of preparing for tsunamis in the Pacific region unlike in the Indian Ocean countries." "Tsunami warnings are no rocket science. Countries in the Pacific region have been monitoring earthquakes and issuing early warnings for a long time," Harding said. Over 23,000 people have been killed in South and Southeast Asian nations in tsunamis that struck Sunday. Full Article : indiatimes.com
Asia on 12.29.04 @ 11:54 AM CST [ link]
Many die in Baghdad police ambush
Insurgents lured Iraqi policemen to a house in west Baghdad and set off a huge amount of explosives, killing at least 29 people, seven of them police. Full Article : bbc.co.uk
Iraq on 12.29.04 @ 11:46 AM CST [ link]
What happened in Kurdish Halabja?
ABSTRACT:By Mohammed al-Obaidi, aljazeera.net It is known that both Iran and Iraq used chemical weapons in their eight-year war from September 1980 to August 1988. Most of Iraq's alleged assaults on the Kurds took place while this war was raging, although Human Rights Watch claims the attacks extended into September 1988. Iraq has acknowledged using mustard gas against Iranian troops to overwhelm the human waves tactic used by Iranians who wanted to benefit from the fact that they outnumbered Iraqis, but has consistently denied using chemical weapons against civilians.
Admin on 12.29.04 @ 08:54 AM CST [ more..]
U.S. Court Blocks Access to Marcos Assets
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a lower court's ruling freezing assets of the late Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos that are being held in banks around the world. In a decision issued Tuesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the Philippine government, which wants the money, lacks the standing to challenge the freeze. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Admin on 12.29.04 @ 07:19 AM CST [ link]
Rescuers battle as toll climbs in Asia
Tsunami Death Toll Soars to Near 77,000 BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - As the world scrambled to the rescue, survivors fought over packs of noodles in quake-stricken Indonesian streets Wednesday while relief supplies piled up at the airport for lack of cars, gas or passable roads to move them. The official death toll across 12 countries soared to near 77,000 and the Red Cross predicted it could pass 100,000. Full Article : news.yahoo.comWhat Did the US Know and When Did It Know It?Reports on the Asian tsunami typically ignore the crucial political back stories in volatile areas like Aceh and Sri Lanka...and how "aid" efforts will be exploited for geo-political gain. Without such context, the coverage is woefully incomplete and irresponsible. Today, Democracy Now did delve deeper into the situation in Aceh...the military repression, the role of Exxon-Mobil, and now the earthquake/tsunami. Do some research and see for yourself. Full Article : counterpunch.orgNew York Times Says Tsunami Kills White People, Too!The images of the tsunami are overwhelming, the grief incalculable as the death toll rises to 80,000 and beyond. As many as a third of the victims have been children, unable to withstand the force of the monstrous waves that struck without warning. Amid this carnage, some of the leading media outlets in the United States have focused undue attention on the fact that some Westerners have died along with tens of thousands of Asians. "Many Tourists Are Killed," read the subhed on the front page of Tuesday’s New York Times. (Its main headline drew attention to the high percentage of children who died.) Full Article : commondreams.orgRace to bury Asia's dead as toll hits 68,000BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Thousands of corpses rotted in Indonesia's tropical sun on Wednesday as rescuers scoured isolated coasts across the Indian Ocean for survivors of Sunday's giant waves that killed more than 68,000. Full Article : abs-cbnnews.comMore Than 4,000 Tourists Missing in Tsunami-Hit Asia More than 4,000 overseas tourists from nations worldwide are missing three days after 10-meter (33 feet) waves swept through Asian resorts at the height of the vacation season. The Nordic countries are among the hardest hit. Full Article : bloomberg.comBritish toll rises in Asia quakeA total of 26 Britons have been confirmed dead after the Indian Ocean tsunami, with Thai authorities suggesting as many as 43 may have died. Full Article : bbc.co.uk
Asia on 12.29.04 @ 06:10 AM CST [ more..]
Washington Hallucinates as Cuba Prepares
While George W. Bush and the warmongering ideologues that surround him hallucinate about getting their hands on Cuba, the dream of Fidel Castro to have an army of intelligent, committed young people to take the baton of revolution has progressively developed into a reality. At a time when the White House is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to derail the achievements of nearly 46 years of Cuban history, 1,200 representatives of a generation born in the 1970s and 80s met in early December in Havana to set the course of a revolution they will lead in the future and within which they are already playing a key role. Full Article : periodico26.cu
Caribbean on 12.29.04 @ 05:55 AM CST [ more..]
Tuesday, December 28th
EU to begin trade talks with Iran
Trade talks between Iran and the European Union are set to begin on January 12 as the EU drive to improve ties with Tehran gathers pace. France, Germany and the UK have been keen to offer Iran incentives to restrict its nuclear programme, which the US suspects is intended to develop atomic weapons. Tehran says the programme is wholly peaceful. Full Article : news.ft.com
Europe on 12.28.04 @ 06:10 PM CST [ link]
Hyping Terror For Fun, Profit - And Power
December 07, 2004 What if there really was no need for much - or even most - of the Cold War? What if, in fact, the Cold War had been kept alive for two decades based on phony WMD threats? Full Article : trinicenter.com
USA on 12.28.04 @ 06:04 PM CST [ link]
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Basically what we were trained to do and what our job is to do is to build up the American empire. To bring -- to create situations where as many resources as possible flow into this country, to our corporations, and our government, and in fact we've been very successful. Full Article : trinicenter.com
USA on 12.28.04 @ 05:37 PM CST [ link]
Baghdad commander of Iraqi security forces assassinated
BAGHDAD - The commander of the Iraqi National Guard in the capital city was assassinated on Tuesday by a suicide bomber who drove a car bomb into the convoy transporting the official, witnesses said. In addition to killing Madhar al-Maula, the explosion wounded several convoy passengers. Sheikh Hazim al-Shalan, the interim defence minister, later visited the site of the explosion. Full Article : khaleejtimes.com
Iraq on 12.28.04 @ 05:21 PM CST [ link]
US commander claims al-Qaeda basis in Somalia
Terror groups, including al-Qaeda, are exploiting lawless areas in the Horn of Africa region to hide, recruit and train members and possibly plan attacks, the head of the region's United States-led anti-terror force said. "We find the terrorist networks here using the fact that there is a lot of ungoverned space in the Horn of Africa," Major-General Samuel Helland said on Monday. Full Article : iol.co.za
Africa on 12.28.04 @ 04:05 PM CST [ link]
Zimbabwe's Mujuru acting president on Mugabe break
HARARE: Zimbabwe's first woman vice president Joyce Mujuru has been appointed to run the country's day-to-day affairs while President Robert Mugabe takes his annual leave, the official Herald newspaper reported yesterday. The temporary appointment - which in the past had gone to co-vice president Joseph Msika, who like Mugabe is in his 80s - adds weight to speculation that Mujuru is being prepared to succeed Mugabe on his expected retirement in 2008. Full Article : stuff.co.nz
Africa on 12.28.04 @ 03:17 PM CST [ link]
All the empires die sooner or later
All empires die sooner or later. But they die in a different way. The huge power of Alexander Macedonian collapsed rather peacefully at once after his death. In 29 years after Charles the Great's death, in 843, his grandsons divided the empire of their grandfather into three parts from which France, Germany and Italy were formed almost without serious consequences. Full Article : kavkazcenter.com
Chechnya on 12.28.04 @ 10:28 AM CST [ link]
Shiite party leader escapes car bomb as Sunni party defects
In a double blow to plans for a January 30 parliamentary election, a suicide car bomb aimed at the head of Iraq's strongest Shiite party killed 15 people yesterday and the largest Sunni Muslim political grouping announced its withdrawal from the campaign for the January 30 elections, citing the rapidly deteriorating security situation. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Iraq on 12.28.04 @ 08:31 AM CST [ link]
U.S. Spews More Spam Than Any Other Country
The United States was the 800-pound spam-spewing gorilla throughout 2004, a spot it held from wire to wire throughout the year, an anti-virus firm announced Monday. According to researchers at U.K.-headquartered Sophos, the U.S. accounted for 42.1 percent of the world's spam, more than three times the next-guiltiest nation, South Korea, which launched 13.4 percent of the globe's junk mail. China, Canada, and Brazil rounded out the top five. Full Article : techweb.com
USA on 12.28.04 @ 08:20 AM CST [ link]
Palestinians: Inmate release a PR ploy
Palestinians say the release of 160 prisoners by Israel is but a public relations gimmick since most were to be released in any case. Palestinian Prisoner Affairs Minister Hisham Abd al-Razzaq was less than impressed by the releases. "These liberations can be seen as a public relations operation," Abd al-Razzaq said. "It is the fruit of an understanding between Egypt and Israel which has no effect on our relations with Israel or the peace process." Full Article : aljazeera.netFury over arrest of Palestinian election candidateHours after releasing 159 Palestinian prisoners, Israeli police yesterday detained Mustafa Barghouti, an independent candidate in the Palestinian presidential election, while he was canvassing in the Old City of Jerusalem. Full Article : independent.co.uk
Middle East on 12.28.04 @ 08:14 AM CST [ link]
Eye on Africa: SOS Congo
Unless we act more forcefully to save the children, Congo has no future. Half of Congo's 60 million citizens are under 18 years of age, with an estimated 10 million children under the age of 5. About 14,000 of these children die every month. This mortality rate is unacceptable. Full Article : washtimes.com
Africa on 12.28.04 @ 05:48 AM CST [ link]
Wave of death from Asia to Africa
Death toll in Asian quake disaster over 55,000JAKARTA: The confirmed death toll from the massive earthquake and tidal waves that devastated much of Asia's coastline passed 55,000 on Tuesday, with officials warning the figure was likely to rise steeply. In Indonesia, the government's disaster relief centre said at least 27,174 were killed after the country took the full force of the huge earthquake and tidal waves that swallowed entire coastal villages. Full Article : indiatimes.comAsian disaster toll surges past 55,000 as relief operations stallTidal Waves Death Toll Rises to 44,000Mourners in Sri Lanka used their bare hands to dig graves Tuesday while hungry islanders in Indonesia turned to looting in the aftermath of Asia's devastating tsunamis. Thousands more bodies were found in Indonesia, dramatically increasing the death toll across 11 nations to around 44,000. Emergency workers who reached Aceh province at the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island found that 10,000 people had been killed in a single town, Meulaboh, said Purnomo Sidik, national disaster director at the Social Affairs Ministry. Full Article : abcnews.go.comScientists in USA saw tsunami comingMinutes after a massive earthquake rocked the Indian Ocean on Sunday, international ocean monitors knew that a tsunami would likely follow. But they didn't know whom to tell. "We put out a bulletin within 20 minutes, technically as fast as we could do it," says Jeff LaDouce of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. LaDouce says e-mails were dispatched to Indonesian officials, but he doesn't know what happened to the information. Full Article : usatoday.com
Africa on 12.28.04 @ 05:35 AM CST [ more..]
Over 24,000 killed in Asia tidal waves
COLOMBO: Massive rescue operations were scrambled along Asia’s devastated coastlines on Monday as the death toll from a powerful earthquake and the giant tidal waves it unleashed neared 24,000 and hopes faded for many thousands more still missing. More than one million people have been displaced in three of the countries, the international Red Cross said. "There are one million displaced in Sri Lanka, plus 29,000 in Thailand and one thousand in India roughly," Marie-Francoise Borel, a spokeswoman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told AFP. Full Article : jang.com.pk
Asia on 12.28.04 @ 05:33 AM CST [ link]
Monday, December 27th
Former US official blasts Iraq policy
A former US national security adviser has strongly criticised the US-led invasion of Iraq.Zbigniew Brzezinski, who served under President Jimmy Carter from 1976 to 1980, also made a scathing assessment of the ensuing occupation after Saddam Hussein was ousted as Iraqi leader. He said the US administration will now have to scale down its ambitions for Iraq's future. "I personally think it was not worth it, in the sense that we have paid a high price in blood. And it's increasing. You cannot underestimate the suffering that this has already produced to tens of thousands of American families," he told CNN. Full Article : aljazeera.net
USA on 12.27.04 @ 07:56 PM CST [ link]
Israelis supplying arms to Sudan rebels
Israelis arrested in Jordan confess supplying arms to Sudan rebels: radioKHARTOUM, Dec 26, 2004 (Sudanese radio) -- Sources involved in preliminary investigations in Jordan have revealed that the Israelis arrested by the Jordanian security forces have confessed their involvement in supplying weapons to the Darfur Region. The mastermind in the weapons deal, Wayid A'a Mose Jolan has accepted that he runs a weapons factory in Tel Aviv and he has a consultancy office for supplying weapons to secessionist movements, special agencies and security companies.
Africa on 12.27.04 @ 04:03 PM CST [ more..]
Venezuela signals clear warning to the US
Signaling a clear warning to the US government to discontinue its several years interference in Venezuela's domestic political affairs, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias has turned to the Chinese government offering almost unlimited access to Venezuela's massive oil and gas reserves. Full Article : axisoflogic.com
Latin America on 12.27.04 @ 09:16 AM CST [ link]
Tsunami Waves Kill Over 23,700 in Asia
At least 23,700 people have now been killed by Sunday's giant tsunami in southern Asia, according to the International Red Cross, amid signs the final toll could top 50,000. The tsunami, triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean near the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was the biggest in 40 years registering 9.0 on the Richter scale. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Asia on 12.27.04 @ 08:32 AM CST [ more..]
Tidal waves reach Africa from Asia
Authorities on Mauritius and Reunion urged people away from beaches when the Indian Ocean islands were hit on Sunday by high waves caused by an earthquake and tidal waves that wreaked havoc in southern Asia. "The biggest waves struck the north and east of the island (Mauritius) at around 1pm (0900 GMT)," a meteorological spokesperson told AFP, adding that no casualties had been reported on Mauritius or the nearby island of Rodrigues to the east. Full Article : iafrica.com
Africa on 12.27.04 @ 05:49 AM CST [ link]
Asian tsunami in Pictures
Full Article : aljazeera.net
Asia on 12.27.04 @ 04:43 AM CST [ link]
Uzbeks vote in 'one-man poll'
A mere trickle of voters have showed up at polling stations in Uzbekistan's capital in an election from which all opposition groups are barred. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Admin on 12.27.04 @ 04:41 AM CST [ link]
The American Dream
In all of Iraq, Jumana Hanna was the bravest witness to the horror of Saddam's regime, telling the Americans of torture, rape, and mass murder. In Washington, Hanna became a potent symbol of Iraqi liberation, and the Bush administration brought Hanna and her children to the United States for their protection. Then the author discovered the really horrible truth. I'd been a reporter for twenty-five years and considered myself a professional skeptic, yet I'd been duped. I consoled myself with the thought that I was in good company. If I'd been duped, so had the Pentagon, the Coalition Provisional Authority, and one of the nation's most esteemed newspapers. On the other hand, I understand that the relationship between a journalist and a source is based on trust. I'd never met anyone who played with that relationship as cynically as Hanna. She could coolly size up her audience, calculate what they wanted to hear, and work it to her advantage. Full Article : esquire.com or www.esquire.com
USA on 12.27.04 @ 04:39 AM CST [ link]
Tsunami effects felt on E African coast
Powerful tsunamis that devastated parts of South Asia have flooded low-lying areas and triggered extreme tides along the East African coast, 6000km away across the Indian Ocean. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Africa on 12.27.04 @ 04:21 AM CST [ link]
Yes, you must pull out - but also pay for the damage
Let's start with the idea that the US is helping to provide security. On the contrary, the presence of US troops is provoking violence on a daily basis. The truth is that as long as the troops remain, the country's entire security apparatus - occupation forces as well as Iraqi soldiers and police - will be exclusively dedicated to fending off resistance attacks, leaving a security vacuum when it comes to protecting regular Iraqis. If the troops pulled out, Iraqis would still face insecurity, but they would be able to devote their local security resources to regaining control over their cities and neighbourhoods. As for preventing "anarchy", the US plan to bring elections to Iraq seems designed to spark a civil war - the civil war needed to justify an ongoing presence for US troops no matter who wins the elections. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Middle East on 12.27.04 @ 04:19 AM CST [ link]
Israel kills Hamas resistance fighters
Israeli occupation troops killed two Hamas fighters said to have been planting explosives near a border fence with Israel in the Gaza Strip. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Middle East on 12.27.04 @ 04:16 AM CST [ link]
El Salvador May Extend Troop Deployment
The only country in the Western Hemisphere besides the United States still fielding soldiers in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq may extend its troop deployment beyond a scheduled return early next year, El Salvador's president said Saturday. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.27.04 @ 04:13 AM CST [ link]
'Special relationship' not so helpful to Blair
Blair's support gave some credence to the President's claim that the US was leading a genuine alliance in Iraq, rather than - as Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry put it - "a coalition of the coerced and the bribed". It enabled the President to bask in the reflected glory of a foreign leader who is not only more popular in America than in his own country, but who is - according to one poll last year - more highly regarded than Bush himself in the US. Full Article : nzherald.co.nz
UK on 12.27.04 @ 04:11 AM CST [ link]
Army to crush any Taiwan independence plot
China published on Monday a white paper on national defense, reaffirming its determination to crush any "Taiwan independence" attempt at all costs and reassure the world of its pursuit of peaceful development that will pose "no obstacle or threat to any one." Full Article : chinadaily.com.cn
China on 12.27.04 @ 04:07 AM CST [ link]
Bush's Pell Grant retreat
In his final debate with U.S. Sen. John Kerry, President Bush took offense when challenged about his commitment to college students from poor and working families. He looked toward the camera and assured viewers he would "continue to expand Pell Grants to make sure that people have an opportunity to start their career with a college diploma." Little more than a month after his re-election, expand is about to become contract. Full Article : sptimes.com
USA on 12.27.04 @ 04:04 AM CST [ link]
Iraq rejects U.S. talk of adjusting vote result
Iraq's election body rejected a suggestion in Washington that it adjust the results of next month's vote to benefit the Sunni minority if low turnout in Sunni areas means Shiites win an exaggerated majority in the new assembly. In another development, Iraq's foreign minister asked the United Nations to take the upcoming elections more seriously, calling on the world organization to "redouble its efforts." Full Article : dailystar.com.lb
Iraq on 12.27.04 @ 04:01 AM CST [ link]
Sunday, December 26th
Tsunami death toll may exceed 50,000
At least 23,700 people have now been killed by Sunday's giant tsunami in southern Asia, according to the International Red Cross, amid signs the final toll could top 50,000. The tsunami, triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean near the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was the biggest in 40 years registering 9.0 on the Richter scale. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Asia on 12.26.04 @ 05:02 PM CST [ more..]
It's the White Vote, Stupid
In fact, 77 percent of voters in the Bush-Kerry-Nader election were white. It is the most obvious reason why the election turned out the way it did. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
USA on 12.26.04 @ 02:03 PM CST [ link]
Iraq Resists! Despite U.S. bombs and napalm
Even in the face of overwhelming Pentagon firepower and high technology, Iraqi resistance is raging. Even after the bloodiest battle of the war, the siege of Falluja--in which the invaders had complete control of the air, enormous material supremacy, forced several hundred thousand people to flee their homes and reduced most of the city to rubble--the resistance goes on. As Pentagon warplanes continued to pound the city with bombs and missiles on Dec. 12, insurgents fought the Marines in running battles. Full Article : trinicenter.com
Iraq on 12.26.04 @ 07:09 AM CST [ link]
Tidal Waves Kill More Than 2,200 in Asia
JAKARTA, Indonesia Dec 26, 2004 — The world's most powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered massive tidal waves that slammed into villages and seaside resorts across Asia on Sunday, killing more than 2,200 people in five countries. Full Article : abcnews.go.com
Asia on 12.26.04 @ 06:32 AM CST [ link]
Iraq poll hangs on overseas vote
UN launches £50m operation to reach four million expatriatesA last-minute push to prepare millions of Iraqis living overseas to vote in the critical elections in their homeland next month has been launched by the United Nations. With only five weeks until the poll, there are still no clear estimates of how many expatriate Iraqis might be eligible to vote, though analysts agree that they could determine its outcome. Around 250,000 Iraqis live in Britain - one of the biggest expatriate communities - with up to four million spread elsewhere around the world. In one of the biggest exercises of its type, costing around £50 million, tens of thousands of volunteers in 15 countries are working frantically to register Iraqis who are aged over 18. In Britain, three registration centres will be set up next month in preparation for polling on 30 January. Full Article : observer.guardian.co.uk
Iraq on 12.26.04 @ 06:22 AM CST [ link]
US Seeks to Silence Arab Democracy Activists
The Bush administration threatened to defund UNDP because the Arab academics who wrote the report implicated the U.S. government in human rights violations in the Middle East. "For example," he told Reuters, "the United States is suppressing the two national liberation movements in the Arab world – in Iraq and in Palestine." Full Article : antiwar.com
Middle East on 12.26.04 @ 05:28 AM CST [ link]
Rumsfeld: Iraqi polls may be limited
"If there were to be an area where the extremists focused during the election period, and an election was not possible in that area at that time, so be it. You have the rest of the election and you go on. Life's not perfect," Rumsfeld said. He said an election could perhaps be held in "three-quarters or four-fifths of the country. But in some places you couldn't because the violence was too great". "Well, so be it. Nothing's perfect in life, so you have an election that's not quite perfect. Is it better than not having an election? You bet," the defence secretary said. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 12.26.04 @ 04:27 AM CST [ link]
Al-Manar and 'TV terrorism'
The US decision to list the Lebanese television station Al-Manar as a terrorist organisation, days after a French ban on the channel, is a mistake that sets a dangerous precedent, according to media watchdogs. Banning media channels raises some fundamental questions, however, about what should be considered offensive, according to international journalists' organisations. Who decides which words, ideas or opinions are acceptable for broadcast? "Quite simply, Israel does not want the West to see what it did in southern Lebanon, and what it continues to do in Palestine - and has once again succeeded in preventing an independent voice from being heard." Full Article : aljazeera.net
Middle East on 12.26.04 @ 04:25 AM CST [ link]
Sudanese, rebels to end 20-year civil war
Sudanese, rebels to end 20-year civil war in January, official saysThe Sudanese government and the country's main southern rebel group will sign a peace agreement Jan. 10 in Kenya to end more than 20 years of civil war, a senior government official said yesterday. The government and the Su-dan People's Liberation Army had pledged to complete an agreement to end the longest-running war in Africa by Friday, making a commitment last month before the U.N. Security Council, which held a rare meeting in Nairobi to spur the peace talks. Full Article : journalnow.com
Africa on 12.26.04 @ 04:11 AM CST [ link]
Britain prepares to send 3,000 troops into Darfur
Tony Blair has ordered military chiefs to prepare to send British troops to intervene in Sudan in the New Year. The Prime Minister has waved aside concerns that the Army is already too committed in Iraq and Afghanistan to make a significant contribution to a peace-keeping mission in Africa. Chiefs of staff have been told to prepare plans to send up to 3,000 troops to the troubled Darfur region amid concern that the humanitarian crisis will dramatically worsen. The deployment will be discussed early next month at a meeting with senior military officials. "When you decide to make an intervention you have got to be able to move fast," a minister told The Independent on Sunday. Full Article : independent.co.uk
UK on 12.26.04 @ 04:07 AM CST [ link]
Castro announces crude oil discovery
HAVANA -- President Fidel Castro said a crude oil deposit has been discovered off Cuba containing up to 100 million barrels, good news for a country that imports about half the petroleum it needs. "This is the first discovery since 1999," Castro said Friday in a speech to a closed session of the National Assembly. His comments were aired on state television Saturday. Castro said the deposit was located off the coast of Santa Cruz del Norte, east of Havana, during an exploratory drilling. He said production at the site could begin during 2006. Full Article : seattlepi.nwsource.com
Caribbean on 12.26.04 @ 03:46 AM CST [ link]
Saturday, December 25th
Best Scenario for Iraq: Get Out Now
Americans, and especially the American corporate media, just don't get it. Iraqis resent the United States invading and occupying their country and they will resist for as long as it takes to put an end to the occupation. Stupid Americans apparently have a problem grasping this very simple concept. Full Article : trinicenter.com
Iraq on 12.25.04 @ 03:10 PM CST [ link]
Failing the morality test
British policy on Guantanamo Bay fails the morality testLONDON: As a nation, our morality is defined by whether we join the gang that is casting stones, or stand between the mob and its target. Full Article : dawn.com
UK on 12.25.04 @ 08:08 AM CST [ link]
Venezuela and China sign oil deal
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has offered China wide-ranging access to the country's oil reserves. The offer, made as part of a trade deal between the two countries, will allow China to operate oil fields in Venezuela and invest in new refineries. Venezuela has also offered to supply 120,000 barrels of fuel oil a month to China. Venezuela - the world's fifth largest oil exporter - sells about 60% of its output to the United States. Mr Chavez's administration, which has a strained relationship with the US, is trying to diversify sales to reduce its dependence on its largest export market. Full Article : bbc.co.ukChavez ponders Mao and Bolivar friendshipVenezuelan President Hugo Chavez has blasted U.S. imperialism, called capitalism the road to hell and said Mao Zedong and Venezuela's 19th century independence hero Simon Bolivar would have been mates had they met. Full Article : swissinfo.org
Latin America on 12.25.04 @ 07:56 AM CST [ link]
Aziz denies Iraq role in UN scandal
Tariq Aziz, deputy prime minister under Saddam Hussein, has denied Iraq exploited the scandal-hit UN oil-for-food programme, his defence lawyer said. A day after his first meeting with the former public face of Saddam's administration, Badih Arif dismissed speculation that Aziz might testify against his former colleagues or give evidence on alleged corruption at the United Nations. "We used to offer assistance to parties, institutions and states that stood by Iraq. We helped them via the United Nations because the oil-for-food programme was a legitimate programme supervised by the UN," the lawyer quoted Aziz as saying. "This cannot be considered bribery because it was our right to sell oil to those who wanted it and we could not affect the price at all, as it was set by the United Nations itself." Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 12.25.04 @ 07:49 AM CST [ link]
Swiss company's website for sending money to Cuba
Swiss company inaugurates a website for sending money to CubaTHE Swiss AWS Technologies Company (http://www.aws-transaction.com) has opened a website for sending money to Cuba which, among its competitive advantages offers greater rapidity and efficiency in the service. The Internet site of the www.aws-transaction.com enterprise highlights that this option for sending remittances to Cuba has a client personalized service and the support of Cuban enterprises with experience and strength in the sector. Full Article : granma.cu
Europe on 12.25.04 @ 07:36 AM CST [ link]
Three new Windows security holes
Three new vulnerabilities have been discovered in Microsoft’s Windows operating system, leaving computers running that OS open to possible hacker attacks – including PCs running the recently released XP SP2 (Service Pack 2). The vulnerabilities were published on various online security newsgroups and confirmed by antivirus firm Symantec. The discoveries raise particular concern since, with the holidays underway, interested worm-writers may have a significant head start on security professionals hoping to plug the hole. Full Article : usatoday.com
USA on 12.25.04 @ 07:33 AM CST [ link]
The Project for the New American Century
The People versus the Powerful is the oldest story in human history. At no point in history have the Powerful wielded so much control. At no point in history has the active and informed involvement of the People, all of them, been more absolutely required. Full Article : informationclearinghouse.info
USA on 12.25.04 @ 07:14 AM CST [ link]
Racism and War Crimes
As a result of the Anglo-American invasion and occupation of Iraq, more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians-mainly women and children have been recently killed. Eighty-four per cent of the deaths were caused by the actions of the Americans and the British, and 95 per cent of these were killed by air attacks and artillery fire; thousands more are imprisoned and tortured; the lives of millions more have been wrecked. In addition, the conditions of child health in US-occupied Iraq today are even worse than during the genocidal years of sanctions. Acute malnutrition among Iraqi children between the ages of six months and 5 years has increased from 4% before the invasion to 7.7% since the US invasion of Iraq. Furthermore, over 400,000 Iraqi children are suffering from ‘wasting’ and ‘emaciation’ – conditions of chronic diarrhoea and protein deficiency. Children are particularly vulnerable because of their not fully developed immune defence. Full Article : informationclearinghouse.info
Iraq on 12.25.04 @ 07:00 AM CST [ link]
Friday, December 24th
US Military Contractors Target Latin America For New Recruits
Democracy Now!A New Poverty Draft: Military Contractors Target Latin America For New RecruitsHalliburton and other private military contractors have begun advertising campaigns in El Salvador, Colombia and Nicaragua to recruit ex-soldiers to work in Iraq. With the situation in Iraq becoming more and more deadly and the resistance gaining increasing popular support inside the country, the Bush administration has begun sending thousands more US troops to Baghdad. But many question how many more troops the administration can afford to send, or more important, how many soldiers it can send. The US military is facing an unprecedented crisis in recruiting numbers and new enlistments. Meanwhile, new Pentagon statistics show that more than 5,000 soldiers have now been charged with desertion from bases in the U.S. and overseas since the invasion of Iraq in early 2003.
USA on 12.24.04 @ 09:14 AM CST [ more..]
China, Venezuela sign energy deal
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered China wide access to his country's vast energy resources, including oilfields and the possibility of increased direct crude supplies. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Latin America on 12.24.04 @ 06:32 AM CST [ link]
West stirring revolution in Ukraine, says Putin
VLADIMIR PUTIN accused the West of fomenting "permanent revolution" in Moscow's back yard yesterday as he faced the prospect of Ukraine's pro-Western opposition leader winning the presidential election on Sunday. Full Article : timesonline.co.uk
Europe on 12.24.04 @ 05:45 AM CST [ link]
Tareq Aziz refuses to testify against Saddam: lawyer
Former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tareq Aziz is unwilling to testify against Saddam Hussein at a future war crimes trial, his lawyer told AFP after a four-hour meeting with his client Thursday at a US base near the capital. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Iraq on 12.24.04 @ 05:34 AM CST [ link]
Torture at the Top
Aggressive interrogation techniques in Iraq and Guantánamo Bay, many tantamount to torture, were significantly more widespread than the White House or the Pentagon has admitted. That's the startling hook based on a trove of confidential documents from the FBI and Department of Defense (DoD) released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and reported yesterday by major newspapers. These new allegations include "strangulation, beatings, placement of lit cigarettes into the detainees ear openings, and unauthorized interrogations" in Iraq (and similar methods for Guantánamo), according to an " Urgent Report" from the FBI's Sacramento Office to FBI Director Robert Mueller. But many of the papers, including The New York Times, regrettably omitted the story's biggest bombshell: President Bush may have issued an Executive Order condoning these techniques. Full Article : commondreams.org
USA on 12.24.04 @ 05:31 AM CST [ link]
Pell Grant Monies Will Be Cut
College students in virtually every state will be required to shoulder more of the cost of their education under new federal rules for financial aid. Because of the changes, which take effect in the 2005-06 academic year and are expected to save the government $300 million annually, at least 1.3 million low-income students will receive smaller Pell Grants, the nation's primary scholarship, according to two analyses of the new rules. Full Article : beliefnet.com
USA on 12.24.04 @ 05:25 AM CST [ link]
Good News for Saddam Hussein
The neo-cons who propagated the story that Saddam "gassed his own people," i.e., the Iraqi Kurds, will still insist he did gas the Kurds, back in 1988 when he gave the order to Chemical Ali, who told the Iraqi army to commit genocide at the town of Halabja. But the news from Mohammed al-Obaidi is that the team prosecuting Saddam for crimes against humanity has dropped the genocide charge "due to insufficient evidence." Al-Obaidi assures me the news is true, and if it is, we should be learning about it sooner or later from our news media. It will further complicate the Bush administration’s problems in Iraq, as it had been relying on the genocide charge to justify "regime change" in Baghdad when the other rationales – WMD and Al Qaida connections – failed. I may be wrong, but if this turns out to be true, it would be a positive development in resolving the conflict in Iraq sooner, rather than later. Once the U.S. press corps focuses on the issue, it would force President Bush to re-examine his own assumptions about the rationale for unilateral action and make it easier for him to shift gears toward greater international involvement in resolving the several conflated issues in the Middle East. Full Article : lewrockwell.com
Iraq on 12.24.04 @ 05:17 AM CST [ link]
Thursday, December 23rd
Angola Presents Report On Resolution of Conflicts in Africa
Angola presented on Wednesday, in New York, the report by the Ad Hoc Working Group of the UN Security Council on the Prevention and Resolution of Conflicts in Africa. Speaking at this year's last session of the Security Council, the representative of Angola at the UN, Ismael Martins, who is the chairman of the referred group, emphasized the need to explore new ways of cooperation between the UN and the African Union (AU). He considered that the adoption of the presidential declaration, in the especial meeting of Nairobi in last November, regarding the institutional cooperation between the UN and the AU, mainly in relation to the situation in Darfur (Sudan) and Burundi, are visible results of the increment on such a cooperation. Full Article : allafrica.com
Africa on 12.23.04 @ 06:40 PM CST [ link]
UN needs $281m to help Ethiopia
The United Nations on Thursday appealed for relief supplies worth $281-million to support more than 7,2-million Ethiopians affected by drought in the Horn of Africa country. A total of 387 482 tonnes of food worth $159-million and non-food assistance worth $122-million is needed for 2005, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said in a statement. Full Article : mg.co.za
Africa on 12.23.04 @ 12:28 PM CST [ link]
Ghost of apartheid returns to farmlands
Some white farmers admit switch to game-reserve tourism is pretext to get rid of black workers A hunting boom driven by wealthy tourists is pushing black South Africans off the land to make way for game, generating anger that, a decade after apartheid, whites still own most of the countryside. Hundreds of commercial farms have evicted their labourers and converted into game parks, turning swaths of arable land into fenced wilderness for trophy animals such as lions and antelopes. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Africa on 12.23.04 @ 12:27 PM CST [ link]
South Africa to appeal against gay marriage court ruling
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa will appeal against a ruling by one of the country's top courts to allow gay marriage so that parliament has time to debate the issue, the government said. Full Article : nzherald.co.nz
Africa on 12.23.04 @ 09:26 AM CST [ link]
Multiple casualties in Iraq bomb attack
A car bomb has exploded in the town of Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, leaving many dead and wounded, according to the local hospital director. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 12.23.04 @ 06:42 AM CST [ link]
Wednesday, December 22nd
Unity Accord hailed
ZIMBABWEANS today celebrate 17 years of unity brought about by the Unity Accord signed between the country's two liberation movements — Zanu-PF and PF-Zapu. Although the Unity Accord was ratified in 1987, it was not commemorated until 10 years later when President Mugabe declared December 22 a public holiday through Statutory Instrument 156 of 1997. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 12.22.04 @ 01:48 PM CST [ link]
Iran arrested 10 nuclear spies
Ten people arrested on suspicion of spying on Iran's nuclear programme were working for US and Israeli intelligence services, Intelligence Minister Ali Yunessi said on Wednesday. Full Article : hindustantimes.com
Iran on 12.22.04 @ 09:48 AM CST [ link]
Hurricane Refugees Form Sewing Cooperative
A women's sewing cooperative founded by hurricane refugees has obtained designation as a free trade zone, boosting the seamtresses' hopes of serving as a new model for business in Nicaragua. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Latin America on 12.22.04 @ 04:18 AM CST [ link]
PLO chief hails 'eternal' Arafat
PLO chairman Mahmud Abbas marked the end of 40 days of mourning Tuesday with lavish praise for the "eternal" Yasser Arafat, vowing the Palestinian patriarch would one day be buried in his beloved Jerusalem. "No words of homage are sufficient to commemorate his memory," Abbas said in a speech inside Arafat's old West Bank headquarters in the town of Ramallah, known as the Muqataa, as thousands of supporters gathered in the courtyard outside. "Arafat led our people to the doorstep of liberty and independence. Abu Ammar (Arafat) remains eternal in the minds and collective memory of our people and the Arab and Islamic people," he added. Abbas, favourite to succeed Arafat as Palestinian Authority president, echoed one of Arafat's most famous refrains by pledging: "The day will come when a child raises the flag of Palestine from the walls of Jerusalem." Full Article : dailytimes.com.pk
Middle East on 12.22.04 @ 04:11 AM CST [ link]
Canadian observers in Ukraine prepare for hard work
Canadian observers in Ukraine prepare for hard work, "uplifting experience"Canadian observers heading to Ukraine for that country's election Sunday expect history to unfold before their eyes - and to leave them inspired by the sight. Full Article : canada.com
Europe on 12.22.04 @ 01:03 AM CST [ link]
World Feels Bullied by Washington
To the French, he's an uncouth cowboy - a swaggering statesman in a Stetson who shoots from the hip and asks questions later, if he asks them at all. They're not the only ones who think so. From Berlin to Beijing, President Bush was widely scorned abroad during his first term as a headstrong hombre more interested in action than consultation. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
UK on 12.22.04 @ 12:26 AM CST [ link]
Rocket attack on U.S. base kills more than 20
A midday rocket attack on a U.S. military base in northern Iraq killed more than 20 people and wounded another 57, U.S. military and civilian officials said Tuesday. Full Article : cnn.com
Iraq on 12.22.04 @ 12:24 AM CST [ link]
Tuesday, December 21st
SA, Swaziland sign historic bilateral agreement
South Africa and Swaziland have signed a bilateral agreement for cooperation and trade. It's the first agreement signed by the two countries since the dawn of democracy in South Africa a decade ago. Full Article : sabcnews.com
Africa on 12.21.04 @ 05:00 PM CST [ link]
Ethiopia, child marriage takes a brutal toll
In the heart of Ethiopia, child marriage takes a brutal toll There are, according to child-rights activists, an estimated 50 million Tihuns scattered across the world: young teen or even preteen girls whose innocence is being sacrificed to arranged marriages, often with older men. Coerced by family and culture into lives of servility and isolation, and scarred by the trauma of too-early pregnancy, child brides represent a vast, lost generation of children. While humanitarian campaigns have focused global attention on childhood AIDS in Africa, female genital mutilation and child labor, one of the underlying sources of all these woes remains largely ignored. Child marriage, an ancient, entrenched practice long hidden in shadow, was only denounced by the United Nations as a serious human-rights violation in 2001. Full Article : kansascity.com
Africa on 12.21.04 @ 02:56 PM CST [ link]
Africa's unrest blunts oil-search enthusiasm
NIAMEY, NIGER - Sent from China to hunt for oil under the Sahara, Wenhui Tan looked distinctly uneasy as the conversation turned to security fears ranging from the spread of Islamic radicalism to coldblooded banditry. Full Article : chron.com
Africa on 12.21.04 @ 08:30 AM CST [ link]
Rise of the Amerikan Nazis
Democracy at Death's Doorstep"It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything". -- Joseph Stalin Full Article : informationclearinghouse.info
USA on 12.21.04 @ 05:37 AM CST [ link]
Calls for peaceful disarmament in Haiti
Brazil's foreign minister pleaded for peaceful disarmament of Haiti's armed bands yesterday, and announced Brazil and the World Bank would contribute US$800,000 for agricultural and education programmes. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 12.21.04 @ 05:33 AM CST [ link]
Reward Offered for Civil Rights Slay Info
An anonymous donor has posted a $100,000 reward for information leading to murder charges in one of the most notorious crimes of the civil rights era - the "Freedom Summer" slayings of three civil rights workers in 1964. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.21.04 @ 05:29 AM CST [ link]
Report: U.S. Rentals Unaffordable to Poor
In only four of the nation's 3,066 counties can someone working full-time and earning federal minimum wage afford to pay rent and utilities on a one-bedroom apartment, an advocacy group on low-income housing reported Monday. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.21.04 @ 05:27 AM CST [ link]
Iran accuses U.S., Israel of rigging Iraq’s elections
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Israel and the U.S. were responsible for the blasts in Iraq's Shiite holy cities of Karbala and Najaf, accusing both countries of trying to rig the upcoming elections for their own political benefits. Full Article : aljazeera.com
Iraq on 12.21.04 @ 05:24 AM CST [ link]
Saddam bids to challenge case in the US
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is preparing a legal challenge in the United States to his trial for war crimes, a newspaper reports, citing leaked papers prepared by his defense team. Clive Stafford Smith, a British human rights lawyer, has prepared a 50-page brief which contains advice to take the case to US courts to ensure he receives a fair trial, the Sunday Times reported after saying it had seen the document. It argues Saddam will have trouble receiving a fair trial because leading members of the Iraqi and US administration have already publicly called for him to be found guilty and killed to "validate" the war, the newspaper said. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Iraq on 12.21.04 @ 05:18 AM CST [ link]
Nurses in HIV Case May Seek Compensation
Five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya for allegedly infecting children with HIV plan to seek compensation from Tripoli for illegal arrest and torture, Bulgaria's justice minister said Monday. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Europe on 12.21.04 @ 05:15 AM CST [ link]
U.S. Criticism of Chávez Unfounded
The recent round of Venezuela-bashing from the U.S. State Department and Washington-based foreign-policy organizations is symptomatic of a broader problem. And it's not Venezuela's problem; it's ours. Last week, Venezuela decided, after a vote of its General Assembly and the approval of the executive, to add 12 new justices to its 20-member Supreme Court. Human Rights Watch denounced the move as a "severe blow to judicial independence." That is a gross exaggeration. Imagine, if you can, that a group of military officers in the United States overthrew our president, dissolved Congress and the Supreme Court and abolished the Constitution. Now imagine that democracy is restored, but the Supreme Court rules that the officers who kidnapped the president and overthrew the government cannot be tried for any crime. That is what happened in Venezuela. Full Article : commondreams.org
Latin America on 12.21.04 @ 12:08 AM CST [ link]
Monday, December 20th
Bible is 'lies and spin,' says C4
Evangelical groups are angry that Who Wrote the Bible?, which will go out at 8.30pm, paints a negative picture of Christian organisations and suggests links between them and the troubles in the Middle East. They have also expressed concerns about the presenter, Dr Robert Beckford, a reader in theology at Birmingham University. Beckford's critically acclaimed documentary God is Black, which compared white and black people's interpretation of Christianity, angered some in the Anglican church who accused it of 'racialising' religious issues. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
UK on 12.20.04 @ 11:08 PM CST [ link]
Kenya among worst hit by brain drain
Kenya is among African countries worst hit by brain drain. Statistics show most Kenyan professionals were moving to the United States in search of better jobs. The data compiled by Prof Ali Mazrui, indicates that by end of last year, about 47,000 Kenyans were living and working in the US. Canada, United Kingdom and Australia host 20,600, 15,000 and 6,900 Kenyans, respectively. Kenyans living in Germany and Sweden number 5,200 and 1,300, respectively. According to Mazrui, a Kenyan who lives in the US, the brain drain had left Kenya in short supply of trained personnel in key sectors. Full Article : eastandard.net
Africa on 12.20.04 @ 10:36 PM CST [ link]
Gay scientists shifting blame for AIDS to Africa
LECTURER in the Department of History at the University of the West Indies Cecil Gutzmore is claiming that some known homosexual scientists are shifting the blame for AIDS from the gay community to Africa. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 12.20.04 @ 10:31 PM CST [ link]
New group claims Sudan oil attack
A previously unknown rebel group has claimed responsibility for an attack on an oil field in the Darfur region of western Sudan and said it was the group's first military operation. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Africa on 12.20.04 @ 10:22 PM CST [ link]
Millions displaced by fighting in eastern DR of Congo
The number of people displaced by the last six years of conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is now estimated at 3 million – 2.5 million in the east alone – and nearly 4 million people have died as a direct or indirect result of the conflict, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today. Full Article : un.org
Africa on 12.20.04 @ 12:19 PM CST [ link]
UK deportations a ploy
By Rangarirai Shoko, www.zimbabweherald.com At a glance, reports that Britain intends to deport thousands of Zimbabweans it had lured in the last five years as proof of political repression in Zimbabwe, do not invite instant suspicion. After all, British authorities justified the move — perfectly within the country's sovereign rights — by saying most of those targeted had been found unqualified for asylum which they had sought, claiming political persecution at home. And Zimbabweans back home, anyway, have no collective sympathies beyond family bonds for the "failed refugees" to be suspicious of the British move. The asylum seekers, instead, are generally viewed as accomplices in London's campaign of destabilisation against the country over its land policies.
Africa on 12.20.04 @ 11:57 AM CST [ more..]
Guyana: Draft Amerindian Act purges colonial relics
Amerindian village councils will have clearer governance guidelines under new draft legislation which sheds its precursor's maligned colonial paternalism for more democratic principles. The new legislation when enacted will be the most recent attempt to legally enshrine community rights and protections which first began with the 1976 Amerindian Act that governs indigenous lands. Full Article : stabroeknews.com
Caribbean on 12.20.04 @ 09:42 AM CST [ link]
Probe Prompts Review of Landmark Race Case
Accusations against an attorney who worked on a federal case in which black farmers claimed the government denied them loans because of their race could affect the landmark civil rights settlement. Margaret O'Shea, 38, faces charges she worked as a public defender without a license to practice law in California, and critics are now questioning dozens of individual settlements with black farmers she previously handled at the U.S. Justice Department. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.20.04 @ 09:03 AM CST [ link]
Cuba wraps up military defence exercises
Cubans awoke to air raid sirens yesterday, and practised shooting, putting on gas masks and doing duck-and-cover drills as the communist nation wrapped up a weeklong series of defence exercises to prepare for a potential attack by the United States. The activities, called the Strategic Bastion 2004 Exercise, were aimed at evaluating how prepared Cuban society is to face possible military action against Cuba during a second term by US President George W Bush. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 12.20.04 @ 08:58 AM CST [ link]
Canada seeks 'partnership' with Caricom on Haiti crisis
Canada's Minister for International Co-operation Aileen Carroll says her government is anxious to develop a "partnership" with Caricom to resolve the governance crisis in Haiti, which continues to be aggravated by ongoing violence. The Canadian minister also said that her government remained committed to promoting Cuba's participation in the emerging Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and would "stay the course" on that issue. Canada also wants to continue engaging the Cuban government in dialogue on human rights concerns in that Caribbean nation. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 12.20.04 @ 08:17 AM CST [ link]
US accused of stifling UN Arab report
Washington is unhappy, Fergani said, with sections in the report on the US presence in Iraq and the activities of its ally Israel in the Palestinian territories. Asked what evidence he had, he said: "Of course there are no official documents. In cases like this, you do not give your opponents something with which to fight back." Full Article : aljazeera.net
USA on 12.20.04 @ 06:42 AM CST [ link]
Belmarsh: a new affront to justice
The Government's refusal to withdraw its anti-terror laws has left Britain on the brink of a constitutional crisis that threatens centuries of hard-won civil liberties, it was claimed last night. Ministers were warned that their unprecedented defiance in the face of a clear ruling by the country's highest court has set the executive on a collision course with the judiciary. The Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, defined the Government's position yesterday when he described Thursday's historic ruling on the indefinite detention of foreign terror suspects, held at Belmarsh high-security prison in London, as "simply wrong". Full Article : independent.co.uk
UK on 12.20.04 @ 06:38 AM CST [ link]
Iraq's communists join election race
The communists, Iraq's oldest political party, have submitted a list of 257 candidates drawn from all sectors of Iraqi society and united under one banner, newspapers said. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 12.20.04 @ 06:35 AM CST [ link]
The risks of the al-Zarqawi myth
The problem is, there is simply no substance to this legend, as US marines are now finding out. Rather than extremist foreign fighters battling to the death, the marines are mostly finding local men from Falluja who are fighting to defend their city from what they view as an illegitimate occupier. The motivations of these fighters may well be anti-American, but they are Iraqi, not foreign, in origin. Full Article : english.aljazeera.net
USA on 12.20.04 @ 06:31 AM CST [ link]
Alienate Friends, Unite Foes
One of the many misconceptions that propelled GWB to a second term was the notion that the country is more secure under his administration. Alienating now former friends seemed to be a small in issue in the greater "War on Terrorism." Now however uniting former foes is another unintended effect of Bush’s unilatereralist foreign policy and arguably a far greater threat in the long run than anything in the so-called axis of evil. Full Article : norwegianity.com
USA on 12.20.04 @ 06:25 AM CST [ link]
U.S. threatens to cut aid
4 Latin America nations told to sign immunity dealThe United States is upping the pressure on four Latin American countries to sign bilateral deals exempting U.S. citizens from International Criminal Court jurisdiction or face losing millions in economic assistance. Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Paraguay could be denied $24.5 million in aid unless they sign the immunity agreements, a move likely to stoke Latin America's distrust toward the Bush administration, diplomats and analysts say. Full Article : azcentral.com
Latin America on 12.20.04 @ 06:23 AM CST [ link]
Few in Turkmenistan Turn Out for Election
Polling stations were nearly empty throughout Sunday's Parliament election in Turkmenistan, forcing officials to carry ballot boxes door to door. But the government announced a nearly 80-percent turnout in the former Soviet republic that is ruled by a one-time Communist boss who now is president-for-life. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Asia on 12.20.04 @ 06:20 AM CST [ link]
Why Iran? Is it oil again?
Tehran declares it is freezing its uranium enrichment programmeme. November 29: the UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) endorses Iran's total freeze of all uranium enrichment activities, in a consensus resolution adopted by its 35-nation board of governors, headed by Mohamed El-Baradi, following Tehran's agreement to add 20 disputed centrifuges to the freeze of activities that could be used to develop atomic weapons. Will this silence US war cries? Is a possible 'US-Iran war' averted? One wonders with what moral authority the US is preaching de-nuclearisation, considering that it is the only country to ever use nuclear weapons, killing thousands in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Does the US fuss about Iran's nuclear programmeme really have anything to do with proliferation? Or, as with Iraq's yet to be found Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), President Bush is not looking for nukes in Iran - but oil. This would explain why only Iran has been chosen for tight IAEA scrutiny despite the fact there are 440 commercial reactors in 31 countries and 284 research reactors operating in 56 countries. Full Article : jang.com.pk
Middle East on 12.20.04 @ 01:46 AM CST [ link]
Sunday, December 19th
Apartheid Ballot Counting in America
December 10, 2004As Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell certified President Bush's reelection on Monday, we hear an address by investigative reporter Greg Palast about the disenfranchisement of black votes in the Nov. 2nd election. President Bush secured his reelection Monday after Ohio's Republican secretary of state Kenneth Blackwell certified the victory by a margin of 119,000 votes. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said Monday that the presidential voting was widely perceived as "very free and fair." But questions remain over the fairness of the Nov. 2nd election. At a forum on Capitol Hill yesterday, voting rights advocates reminded attendees of the more than 414,000 calls made to national hotlines monitoring complaints about the election. Among those calls, according to a new report from the Common Cause Education Fund, were many accounts from Ohio. Yesterday at the New York Society for Ethical Culture investigative reporter Greg Palast spoke about the fairness of the election. Full Article : gregpalast.com
USA on 12.19.04 @ 09:11 PM CST [ link]
Haiti bloodbath that left dozens dead in jail
On 1 December, US Secretary of State Colin Powell was visiting Haitian President Boniface Alexandre. The UN peacekeeping force in the capital, Port-au-Prince, was preoccupied with guarding the national palace where Powell's visit was taking place. But meanwhile, in the prison, something terrible was unfolding. Full Article : observer.guardian.co.uk
Caribbean on 12.19.04 @ 08:22 AM CST [ link]
Darfur Crisis Has Complex Roots
December 17, 2004 - Since rebel groups in the Darfur region of western Sudan took up arms against the government nearly two years ago, the violence has resulted in what the United Nations says is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. From our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, VOA correspondent Alisha Ryu examines the roots of the conflict and the enormous difficulties mediators face in trying to end the war. The civil war in western Sudan erupted in February 2003, when an armed rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), began a series of attacks on government forces and installations in the region. Full Article : voanews.com
Africa on 12.19.04 @ 06:51 AM CST [ link]
A United States of Africa no longer in Gadhafi's plans
The problem began a decade ago. Gadhafi turned his attention south, frustrated by his failure to build pan-Arab unity and by the Arab world's lack of support for him in the face of U.N. sanctions imposed in 1992 to press Libya to deliver suspects in the bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland. After African countries agreed to defy the sanctions by resuming flights to Libya in 1998, Gadhafi renamed the country's Voice of the Greater Arab Homeland radio station: He called it the Voice of Africa and began talking in earnest about his pan-African plans. But last year the sanctions were lifted, and the Libyan leader has shifted his focus again, this time from Africa to new friends in the West who are eager to stop the African migration to Europe. The Libyan authorities have begun arresting and deporting those caught without a valid visa, even though visa requirements had been abolished earlier as part of Gadhafi's African outreach. Full Article : startribune.com
Africa on 12.19.04 @ 06:42 AM CST [ link]
Marathon finds gas, condensate off Equatorial Guinea
Marathon Oil Corp. subsidiary Marathon E.G. Production Ltd. made a natural gas and condensate discovery on Alba Block Sub Area B off Equatorial Guinea. Full Article : pennnet.com
Africa on 12.19.04 @ 06:39 AM CST [ link]
Central Africa boosts defence
Concerned about growing tension in the tinderbox eastern forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, central African defence ministers set up a new military command for the region and called for respect for national frontiers on Saturday. The move followed suspected incursions by Rwandan troops into the eastern Congo in search of the Hutu rebel fighters that have been accused of staging incursions into Rwanda. Full Article : news24.com
Africa on 12.19.04 @ 06:35 AM CST [ link]
Torture and Truth
When the Abu Ghraib scandal boiled over last spring, it looked, briefly, as if it would cause a major shakeup -- if not in how the Bush administration was fighting the war in Iraq, then at least within the administration itself. But soon enough, election season arrived, and the issue all but faded into the background. That doesn't mean we've heard the last of Abu Ghraib. Far from it, says journalist Mark Danner. "I don't think this thing is over by any means." Full Article : motherjones.com
USA on 12.19.04 @ 02:26 AM CST [ link]
Saturday, December 18th
US military sees sharp fall in black recruits
For years, black Americans have formed the backbone of the all-volunteer US army, filling a quarter of its ranks, though blacks account for only 13 per cent of the population. Blacks are more likely to treat the army as a lifelong career; a third of senior sergeants and non-commissioned officers are black. Suddenly, that is changing. Full Article : telegraph.co.uk
USA on 12.18.04 @ 09:26 PM CST [ link]
Time for Africa to Rid Itself of Indignity
THE time has come for Africa to rid itself of the indignity of having all its elections vetted by the West, Tanzanian President Cde Benjamin Mkapa has said. Addressing the 17th session of the plenary assembly of the Sadc Parliamentary Forum in Tanzania on Tuesday, some of the countries clamouring to observe elections in Africa denied "us democracy for many years, or were (guilty of) complicity to such denial". Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
Africa on 12.18.04 @ 09:04 AM CST [ link]
Africa's people used as guinea pigs
President Thabo Mbeki's African National Congress published a stinging attack on Friday on top United States health officials, accusing them of treating Africans like guinea pigs and telling lies to promote the sales of a key Aids drug. The article reinforces the fears of doctors and activists that new questions about the testing of nevirapine could halt use of a drug credited with protecting thousands of African babies from catching HIV from their infected mothers. Full Article : mg.co.za
Africa on 12.18.04 @ 08:23 AM CST [ link]
Colombia Troops Being Sought for Iraq
Recruiters working for U.S. contractors are hiring former Colombian soldiers - and even luring some active-duty ones - for security jobs in Iraq, says a former army officer who met with the recruiters. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Latin America on 12.18.04 @ 08:18 AM CST [ link]
Cuba steps up Christmas decoration war with US
Cuba mounted pictures of US soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison onto billboards outside the US mission in Havana in retaliation for US Christmas illuminations highlighting Cuban dissidents. Near the public entrance to the building another image was put up showing an American marine pointing his rifle at the head of a child under the words: "Merry Christmas." Full Article : turkishpress.com
Caribbean on 12.18.04 @ 07:26 AM CST [ link]
U.S. diplomats are guests in Cuba, need to grow up
U.S. diplomats in Cuba should abide by that country's government and remove Christmas decorations. We struggle enough with international relations without deliberately provoking hostility. As guests in Cuba, our diplomats should abide by that government's wishes Full Article : decaturdaily.com
Caribbean on 12.18.04 @ 01:01 AM CST [ link]
Friday, December 17th
Microsoft May Charge Extra For New Security Software
Microsoft disclosed plans Thursday to offer frustrated users of its Windows software free new tools within 30 days to remove spyware programs secretly running on computers, but it might cost extra later. In a shift from past practice, the world's largest software manufacturer said it may charge consumers for future versions of the new protective technology, which Microsoft acquired by buying a small New York software firm. Terms of the sale of Giant Company Software weren't disclosed. Full Article : news.tbo.com
USA on 12.17.04 @ 11:20 PM CST [ link]
Cuban billboards highlight US abuses
Cuba has erected several huge billboards near the US mission with pictures of abused Iraqi prisoners and American soldiers pointing a rifle at children. Friday's move came in response to a US display in support of imprisoned Cuban dissidents. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Caribbean on 12.17.04 @ 09:05 PM CST [ link]
S. Africa attacks U.S. over AIDS drug
President Thabo Mbeki's ruling party published a stinging attack Friday on top U.S. health officials, accusing them of treating Africans like "guinea pigs" and lying to promote a key AIDS drug. The criticism reinforces fears of doctors and activists that new questions about the testing of nevirapine could halt use of the drug that's credited with protecting thousands of African babies from catching HIV from their mothers. Full Article : enquirer.comNevirapine, drugs & African guinea pigs anc.org.za
Africa on 12.17.04 @ 08:22 PM CST [ link]
Thatcher appeals coup plot questionnaire
Lawyers for Mark Thatcher have appealed against a decision that would force the Briton to answer questions about his alleged role in a coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, his legal counsel said. Lawyer Peter Hodes said the application was filed on Tuesday against a decision by the Cape Town High Court ordering the son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to answer questions under oath from prosecutors from the central African state. Full Article : iol.co.za
Africa on 12.17.04 @ 08:15 PM CST [ link]
US accused of using Africans as guinea pigs for AIDS tests
President Thabo Mbeki's ruling party published a stinging attack Friday against top U.S. health officials, accusing them of treating Africans like "guinea pigs" and lying to promote a key AIDS drug. The criticism reinforces fears of doctors and activists that new questions about the testing of nevirapine could halt use of a drug that's credited with protecting thousands of African babies from catching HIV from their mothers. Full Article : cbc.ca
Africa on 12.17.04 @ 08:13 PM CST [ link]
Fresh Mass Grave Found After US Vacates Base In Al-Hadithah
After the US departure, an Iraqi shepherd and another individual entered the base where they found a fresh mass shallow grave. The shepherd’s dog dug up one of the bodies. After the first body was uncovered, the other bodies were dug up, making a total of 82 corpses in all. Each had been buried in a black bag. Some of the bodies were those of Nepalese, according to their identity tags and the little images of Buddha that they wore on their chests. There were other bodies of Indians, three Egyptians, and two Lebanese. All the dead had been buried recently as the corpses had not yet decomposed. Full Article : jihadunspun.com
Iraq on 12.17.04 @ 08:34 AM CST [ link]
History Repeats Itself
The lessons of history have been ignored in New Zealand. A once viable country is going down the same path as Hitler’s Nazi Germany of the 1930's. It's not by accident, but deliberate design. Politicians have known for thousands of years that they need about two-thirds of the population to bury their heads in the sand, to rule successfully. The tongue and cheek names of the two-thirds have changed over the years from the Moral Majority to the Jackass Mentality. The political rules are simple. First create something that will scare the people into believing only the government can save them from disaster. The safest way is to pick on a minority. Hitler picked on Jews, homosexuals and gypsies. NZ politicians have picked on smokers and Maori. Full Article : axisoflogic.com
Europe on 12.17.04 @ 08:16 AM CST [ link]
No way to die
Yasser Arafat's death last month in a French hospital was shrouded in mystery, accusation and acrimony. While a nation mourned, those nearest to him found themselves struggling for access, battling to find out the truth - and even, after he had died, fighting over his few possessions. Suzanne Goldenberg talks to those closest to the Palestinian leader to piece together the real story of his death Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.17.04 @ 12:45 AM CST [ link]
Sept. 11 conspiracy theorist offers $100,000 prize
Jimmy Walter has spent more than $3 million promoting a conspiracy theory the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States were "an inside job" and he is offering more cash to anyone who proves him wrong. The millionaire activist is so convinced of a government cover-up he is offering a $100,000 reward to any engineering student who can prove the World Trade Center buildings crashed the way the government says. Full Article : alertnet.org
USA on 12.17.04 @ 12:38 AM CST [ link]
Venezuela well advised to look to its own currency
The US plutocracy is now in a mad scramble to stave off the overt bankruptcy of its financial sectors. And the latest symptom of this is the revival of the project to loot the Social Security Trust Funds. Full Article : vheadline.com
Latin America on 12.17.04 @ 12:34 AM CST [ link]
Venezuela has become a frontline nation to the world
Gathering together the past few years and measuring what Venezuela was six years ago against what it is today, we can say that today Venezuela has become a frontline nation ... this oil-rich land on the South American continent has become not only known for his oil, but for democracy and its President Hugo Chavez as well. Full Article : vheadline.com
Latin America on 12.17.04 @ 12:30 AM CST [ link]
Penal colony on the bay
The infamous Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba is being expanded to house up to 1,200 prisoners. Khaled Dawoud visits the camp and reports on the condition of 550 detainees from 42 nations Full Article : ahram.org.eg
USA on 12.17.04 @ 12:27 AM CST [ link]
Judge Rules U.S. Detainee May Have Rights
A federal judge ruled Thursday that an American held in Saudi Arabia for suspected links to terrorism might be able to challenge his detention in a U.S. court because there is "considerable" evidence U.S. officials were behind the arrest. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.17.04 @ 12:24 AM CST [ link]
U.S. Force, Battered by Iraq, Hikes Joining Bonus
The U.S. Army National Guard, battered by its major role in the Iraq war, announced on Thursday it would increase enlistment bonuses to attract new recruits and seek $20 billion to replace arms and equipment. Full Article : wireservice.wired.com
USA on 12.17.04 @ 12:20 AM CST [ link]
Thursday, December 16th
Brazil targets white racism in new campaign
Brazilian rights groups launched an anti-racism campaign on Tuesday that aims to show white Brazilians how prejudiced they often are against blacks in a country claiming to be free of racial bias. Full Article : webcenters.compuserve.com
Latin America on 12.16.04 @ 11:02 AM CST [ link]
Exhibition closed over Bush portrait
A portrait using monkeys to form an image of US President George Bush has led to the closure of a New York art exhibition and provoked protests over freedom of expression. Bush Monkeys, a small acrylic on canvas by Chris Savido, created the stir at the Chelsea Market public space on Monday, leading the market's managers to close down the 60-piece show. Full Article : aljazeera.net
USA on 12.16.04 @ 01:34 AM CST [ link]
Castro, Chavez defy US trade pact
Cuban President Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have announced an alternative trade bloc to the one proposed by the US for a free-trade area of the Americas. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Latin America on 12.16.04 @ 01:30 AM CST [ link]
US Assails Venezuela's High Court Scheme
The State Department accused Venezuela on Wednesday of "packing" its Supreme Court to ensure a pro-government majority and said the move calls into question the country's commitment to judicial independence. The Venezuelan Congress, dominated by supporters of President Hugo Chavez, appointed new justices on Monday in carrying out a court expansion from 20 to 32 that won legislative approval last spring. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Latin America on 12.16.04 @ 01:27 AM CST [ link]
Cuban President Fidel Castro Honors Hugo Chavez
Cuban President Fidel Castro awarded visiting Venezuelan Head of State Hugo Chavez with the Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Order at a rally marking the 10th anniversary of Chavez' first visit to Cuba. Full Article : ain.cubaweb.cu
Latin America on 12.16.04 @ 01:25 AM CST [ link]
Hezbollah Channel Goes on Terror List
The State Department this week will place Hezbollah's television station on its list of terror organizations, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.16.04 @ 01:22 AM CST [ link]
Central America Looking to Open Borders
Central American nations are putting aside border bickering to allow the relatively free movement of people and goods between nations - a goal that has U.S. officials worried about a jump in smuggling of drugs and people in a region already plagued by crime and on the lookout for terrorists. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Latin America on 12.16.04 @ 01:20 AM CST [ link]
Australia to impose 1,000-mile 'terror exclusion zone'
In a controversial and possibly illegal step, Australia plans to intercept and board ships on the high seas if it believes them to be a terrorist threat. Full Article : independent.co.uk
Europe on 12.16.04 @ 01:17 AM CST [ link]
Egypt Signs On to U.S.-Israel Model
High-level officials from Egypt, Israel and the United States signed a three-way trade deal Tuesday that would allow Israeli-Egyptian products duty-free access to the U.S. market, a further step toward launching a broader free trade pact in the Middle East. Full Article : allafrica.com
USA on 12.16.04 @ 01:13 AM CST [ link]
Ex-soldiers take over Aristide's abandoned home in Haiti
A band of demobilised soldiers took over ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's former home yesterday while his supporters protested against the UN occupation of their slum in Haiti. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 12.16.04 @ 01:10 AM CST [ link]
Wednesday, December 15th
YUKOS Seeks U.S. Bankruptcy Protection
Russian oil group YUKOS has filed for bankruptcy protection in a U.S. court in an attempt to stop Russia's government from auctioning off its main production unit on Dec. 19, it said on Wednesday. YUKOS has also asked the Houston court, which was due to convene later on Wednesday, to order Russia to arbitration so that it can press claims for billions of dollars in damages over a "campaign of illegal, discriminatory and disproportionate" tax claims. Full Article : news.yahoo.com
USA on 12.15.04 @ 11:13 PM CST [ link]
UN Calls for Immediate End to Congo Fighting
The United Nations called on Monday for an immediate cease-fire in eastern Congo as fighting between rival army factions flared for a third day. The U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo also called on the vast central African country's power-sharing government, set up after a five-year war, to clarify what was happening in the area. Full Article : keralanext.com
Africa on 12.15.04 @ 06:25 PM CST [ link]
British extremist arrested for racism
Police arrested the leader of the far-right British National Party (BNP) after he was secretly filmed calling Islam "a wicked, vicious faith". The arrest of Nick Griffin on Tuesday, one-time host of French National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, was warmly welcomed by Muslims, some of whom said the government should ban the BNP altogether. Full Article : english.aljazeera.net
UK on 12.15.04 @ 01:46 AM CST [ link]
The Rise of the Amerikan Nazis Pt 3
The rise to power of the Amerikan Nazis, and the subsequent dive into the cesspool of fascism the nation is now experiencing, was assured with the ascension to the White House of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in November 2000. Through the well-conceived, methodical fraud committed against the American people, the Amerikan Nazis were now free to unleash their devastation upon the world. They were now free to release the demons of war on humanity, destroying innocent human life, tearing flesh apart, devastating environments, endangering freedoms and rights, eviscerating democracy and decimating entire peoples and nations. Full Article : bellaciao.org
USA on 12.15.04 @ 01:35 AM CST [ link]
Tentative Settlement Reached in Landmark Unocal-Burma Case
A tentative settlement has been reached in two landmark lawsuits brought by unnamed Burmese plaintiffs against California oil giant, Unocal, for serious human rights abuses inflicted against them and their communities by soldiers building a pipeline route for the company. Full Article : us.oneworld.net
Admin on 12.15.04 @ 01:18 AM CST [ link]
World Tribunal on Iraq
We live in strange times. For even as a war rages fiercely in Iraq which in epic terms can be compared to a "Mahabharat", a fierce war between the forces of right and wrong , justice and injustice, occupation and national liberation; we resume this trial in the dark shadows of an "Apocalypse" which is the continuing military occupation and the reduction of the entire population of Iraq into the inmates of a vast concentration camp unmonitored even by the Red Cross and other UN and other International humanitarian organizations. Full Article : informationclearinghouse.info
Iraq on 12.15.04 @ 01:14 AM CST [ link]
Kirchner’s Hoax And His Apostles
Kirchner and his people are undoubtedly very adept at manipulating the media and the public's perception. In addition to the strategic use of the concept of "transversalidad" (translator's note: roughly translating to a posture that is neither traditionally right nor left), with the intended result of co-opting organizations that supposedly defend the popular interest, they succeeded (for now) in extinguishing the flame of rebellion that was most intense during December 19 and 20, 2001 among large and impoverished segments of the population. Full Article : zmag.org
USA on 12.15.04 @ 01:11 AM CST [ link]
A Message From The Iraq Resistance
Iraqi Resistance speech on videotape December 13 2004 Full Article : informationclearinghouse.info
Iraq on 12.15.04 @ 01:05 AM CST [ link]
Tuesday, December 14th
Haiti is Unraveling and No One is Saying Anything
Since the de facto overthrow of the democratically-elected Aristide government on February 29 of 2004, the international community, along with the UN peacekeeping force, has either turned a blind eye on the human rights abuses perpetrated by interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue's regime or, at best, showered favoritism on the hapless, extra-constitutional government. Much of the lawlessness now found in the country is due to the ill-trained and out-of-control police force, particularly when the peacekeepers tolerate brutal raids on pro-Aristide neighborhoods and on those calling for Aristide's return to the country, as well as tolerating the Gestapo-like tactics of Latortue's Justice Minister, Bernard Gousse. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
Caribbean on 12.14.04 @ 04:52 PM CST [ link]
Haiti is not for sale
About 400 of the Diaspora elite living in Canada, the U.S. and France accepted invitations to hobnob with puppet Haitian Prime Minister Gerard Latortue, recently appointed Canadian Special Adviser for Haiti Denis Coderre and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. On the other hand, the 75 protesters on Friday and 125 on Saturday who braved bone-chilling, snowy weather were uninterested in helping the Canadian government build support for Haiti's illegal regime. Conference attendees were denounced as occupation and coup d'etat collaborators. Angry protesters distributed pamphlets claiming that 7,000 people, mostly poor supporters of Aristide, have been killed over the past nine months. Full Article : cmaq.net
Caribbean on 12.14.04 @ 02:39 AM CST [ link]
Pinochet house arrest is lifted
A judge's order that former Chilean President Augusto Pinochet be placed under house arrest has been suspended following an appeal by defence lawyers. Full Article : bbc.co.uk
Latin America on 12.14.04 @ 02:34 AM CST [ link]
China, Russia plan joint war games
China and Russia will hold their first joint military exercise next year, the Chinese government has announced, and President Hu Jintao is calling for further expansion of the rapidly growing alliance between the former Cold War rivals. Full Article : cnn.com
USA on 12.14.04 @ 02:30 AM CST [ link]
Disbanding Iraqi army was a mistake
Iraq's interim President Ghazi al-Yawer said in an interview broadcast on Monday that the US-led coalition was wrong to dismantle the Iraqi security forces. "Definitely dissolving the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior was a big mistake at that time," al-Yawer told British Broadcasting Corp radio. Full Article : dailytimes.com.pk
Iraq on 12.14.04 @ 02:28 AM CST [ link]
France Orders Al-Manar Off French Airwaves
France's highest administrative body on Monday ordered the TV station of Lebanon's Hezbollah off French airwaves within 48 hours for broadcasting hateful content in some shows. Full Article : daralhayat.com
Europe on 12.14.04 @ 02:26 AM CST [ link]
School defends slavery booklet
Students at one of the area's largest Christian schools are reading a controversial booklet that critics say whitewashes Southern slavery with its view that slaves lived "a life of plenty, of simple pleasures." Full Article : newsobserver.com
USA on 12.14.04 @ 02:23 AM CST [ link]
U.S. Officials Knew of AIDS Drug Risks
Weeks before President Bush announced a plan to protect African babies from AIDS, top U.S. health officials were warned that research on the key drug was flawed and may have underreported severe reactions including deaths, government documents show. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.14.04 @ 02:20 AM CST [ link]
Monday, December 13th
SA gives voting materials to Burundi
South Africa is giving ballot boxes, ballot booths, indelible ink, and many other voting materials to help Burundi hold a free and fair referendum next week, foreign affairs said today. This was at the request of Burundi's Independent Electoral Commission, said Lakela Kaunda, the departmental spokesperson. Full Article : sabcnews.com
Africa on 12.13.04 @ 11:23 PM CST [ link]
Rawlings' legacy
The just concluded elections in Ghana, which have won international plaudits for being free and fair, shows that former military ruler and later civilian president, Rawlings, has bequeathed to his country a stable and vibrant democracy. His 1981 coup was really the revolution to end all revolutions in Ghana. Full Article : observer.gm
Africa on 12.13.04 @ 10:22 PM CST [ link]
Foreign dissidents facing U.S. hurdles to publishing
In an apparent reversal of decades of U.S. practice, recent federal Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations bar American companies from publishing works by dissident writers in countries under sanction unless they first obtain U.S. government approval. The restriction, condemned by critics as a violation of the First Amendment, means that books and other works banned by some totalitarian regimes cannot be published freely in the United States. Full Article : nwsource.com
USA on 12.13.04 @ 03:57 AM CST [ link]
Blind man found to have 'sixth sense'
A completely blind British man has been shown to possess an apparent sixth sense which lets him recognise emotions on people's faces, British scientists said. Full Article : aljazeera.net
UK on 12.13.04 @ 03:53 AM CST [ link]
Diplomat Says End Is Near for Castro Gov't
The top American diplomat in Cuba says the end is near for Fidel Castro and his government and that even Castro's supporters are preparing for a transition to democracy. U.S. Interests Section Chief James Cason spoke at his official residence where dissidents gathered Friday for a time capsule ceremony marking International Human Rights Day. Cuban officials say the recommendations amount to a blueprint for overthrowing their government, a charge American officials deny. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Latin America on 12.13.04 @ 03:50 AM CST [ link]
Colombia paramilitaries continue to disarm
The commander of Colombia's paramilitary forces wept and apologized Friday for his role in a war against Marxist rebels as 1,400 fighters surrendered their weapons in the largest demobilization of an outlawed armed faction in the country's history. Full Article : tri-cityherald.com
Latin America on 12.13.04 @ 03:47 AM CST [ link]
Canada rebuilding Haiti's judicial system
Canada to play key role in rebuilding Haiti's judicial system says PMCanada will play a key role in rebuilding Haiti's judicial system, Prime Minister Paul Martin said Saturday at a conference on the future of the Caribbean country. "Along with the European Community and others, we want to re-establish the court system," Martin said at a joint news conference with Haiti's interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue. Full Article : canada.comRacism, arrogance and paternalism! Those Blacks in Haiti cannot organize themselves. They need European powers to pick their leaders and to tell them how to govern their country.
Caribbean on 12.13.04 @ 03:44 AM CST [ link]
Sunday, December 12th
Inquiry sought into claims of US funding
Ukrainian MPs are seeking a parliamentary investigation into allegations that money from the US government was used to help fund the opposition during the recent electoral campaign. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.12.04 @ 11:39 PM CST [ link]
US tapped ElBaradei calls
The Bush administration has been listening in on telephone conversations between the director of the international nuclear agency and Iranian diplomats, it has been claimed. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.12.04 @ 11:38 PM CST [ link]
East Africa to become a single State in 2010
KENYA is to join Uganda and Tanzania in a Federal super-State – and the date for the union has been set as January 2010. The three East African countries will keep their own identities with national Parliaments, presidents and flags. But they will share a Federal Parliament, a Cabinet, a Chief Justice and a Supreme Court, and a super State president, who will be chosen from the three countries by rotation. Full Article : bcstimes.com
Africa on 12.12.04 @ 11:08 PM CST [ link]
Defining Black Identity in 21st Century America
There is an adage from the Xhosa people of South Africa that says "I am because we are …" One aspect of this multi-meaning truth is that one's identity is tied to a body larger than the self. The wisdom in the saying also clearly indicates that in order to understand the self, to identify the self, the group from which one emerges must have an identity as well. Herein lies the dilemma of those of us who have been called and have called ourselves by a variety of cultural nomenclatures and derogatory epithets – Negro, nigger, Colored, Black, African, American, Afro-American, African American, African in America. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
USA on 12.12.04 @ 09:20 PM CST [ link]
Yushchenko poisoned by 'Agent Orange'
A near-lethal dose of dioxin, possibly slipped into a bowl of soup, was the cause of the mysterious illness suffered by Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine's opposition leader, doctors said yesterday. Austrian doctors who have been treating the presidential candidate said blood and tissue tests revealed concentrations of the chemical 1,000 times above normal levels. Full Article : telegraph.co.uk
Admin on 12.12.04 @ 09:17 PM CST [ link]
Ukraine opposition leader urges investigation after poison report
Ukraine's opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko said he was not yet ready to blame the ruling elite with trying to poison him after doctors confirmed he was disfigured by ingesting a massive dose of a deadly toxin. But the pro-Western icon of this strategic former Soviet republic said he was "happy to be alive" at a tense time in the nation's history and hinted of a deeper inquiry into the ruling elite should he take power. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Admin on 12.12.04 @ 09:15 PM CST [ link]
Calls for Marley to be named hero
There is growing support to have the late reggae star Bob Marley made a Jamaican national hero to mark what would have been his 60th birthday. The Bob Marley Foundation is also seeking to have his birthday on 6 February declared a national holiday. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk
Africa on 12.12.04 @ 03:04 PM CST [ link]
Saturday, December 11th
The imperial tradition
Many well-meaning people in the UK have been aroused by the opportunity they see in 2005, when Blair will host the G8 summit and hold the EU presidency. Expressions of concern for Africa's poor have been a Tony Blair constant, with the strongest expressions made when the spin value could be maximised. In the traditions of British imperialism, illegal war and occupation sit easily alongside expressions of concern for those at the sharp end of the empire. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Africa on 12.11.04 @ 03:22 PM CST [ link]
Colin Powell's Crime in Progress
History will record that the first Black U.S. Secretary of State personally engineered the theft of the national sovereignty of Haiti, the world's first Black republic and the second nation in the western hemisphere to free itself from European rule. Such is Colin Powell's horrific legacy – an historic shame and blight on the collective honor of Black America. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
USA on 12.11.04 @ 12:13 PM CST [ link]
Pride and prejudice
Their gigs have been cancelled all over the world and their names withdrawn from awards. But Jamaica's dancehall stars refuse to apologise for - or even stop singing - songs that encourage the murder of gay people. Alexis Petridis travels to the Caribbean and discovers a culture that can't see a problem, let alone a solution Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Caribbean on 12.11.04 @ 11:27 AM CST [ link]
Rev. Pat Robertson: "Kwanzaa is an absolute fraud"
Reverend Pat Robertson called Kwanzaa "an absolute fraud" during the news segment of Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club December 6. After lamenting that "left wing educators, left-wing judges are stripping every vestige of our Christian heritage," Robertson, host and Christian Coalition of America founder, said: "Kwanzaa is an absolute fraud. You know, there was no festival in Africa called 'Kwanzaa.' I mean, it's made up by a bunch of hippie-types on the West Coast. I mean, it's not something that goes back to Africa. No way." Full Article : mediamatters.org
Africa on 12.11.04 @ 10:51 AM CST [ link]
200 Gambian Peacekeepers to Serve in Darfur
Annan specifically mentioned the strengthening of Africa's capacity for keeping the peace, and ensuring the protection of civilians in situations of conflict. Badjie spoke of the good record of Gambian peacekeeping contingent over the years, and of the fact that the Gambia police force has for long established training programmes to make officers efficient in their duties, both when serving at home and abroad. Full Article : allafrica.com
Africa on 12.11.04 @ 10:06 AM CST [ link]
SA hopes to develop ties with Indonesia
The "excellent" political relationship between South Africa and Indonesia needed to be extended to trade, investment and tourism, South African Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and her Indonesian counterpart agreed on Friday. Full Article : iol.co.za
Africa on 12.11.04 @ 10:03 AM CST [ link]
Mormon Leader Faces Excommunication
SANDY, Utah (AP) - Grant Palmer was raised in the Mormon Church and has spent most of his 64 years in its service. It's a church he loves and has no intention of abandoning - even though he doubts its historical truthfulness, even though he could be punished for that doubt. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.11.04 @ 09:16 AM CST [ link]
Friday, December 10th
U.S. Money Helped Opposition in Ukraine
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has spent more than $65 million in the past two years to aid political organizations in Ukraine, paying to bring opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko to meet U.S. leaders and helping to underwrite exit polls indicating he won last month's disputed runoff election. Full Article : yahoo.com
USA on 12.10.04 @ 11:12 PM CST [ link]
Home cooking: Feasting on the fruits of torture
When the devil comes knocking on your front door, looking for a way to spread his evil inside, he won't be sporting horns and a tail. He's going to come dressed as your sweetest dream, clean as a whistle, pious, sincere. He's going to speak your lingo, ape your ways -- and when he opens up his little box of poison, it's going to look like the heaven your mama sang about when she rocked you to sleep in your cradle. Full Article : trinicenter.com
USA on 12.10.04 @ 11:10 PM CST [ link]
Moral clarity blurs in Darfur crisis
KAMPALA, UGANDA – It used to be that the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan could be painted in black-and-white moral terms: Arab militias, allegedly backed by the government, killing and raping defenseless black civilians, causing some 70,000 deaths. This story line sparked international outrage, including US accusations of genocide and three UN Security Council resolutions asking Sudan's government to rein in the Janjaweed militias. But these days the drama is more complicated. One reason: Rebel groups have stepped up attacks on government forces, which is hampering international relief efforts. In fact, increased fighting between the two sides, experts say, risks turning the conflict into a garden-variety African civil war - the sort in which Western powers are loath to intervene. Ironically, say analysts, this evolution may play right into the Sudanese government's hands by sapping international will to act. Full Article : csmonitor.com
Africa on 12.10.04 @ 02:19 PM CST [ link]
Ghana's president wins second term
Africa News, ACCRA, Ghana's President John Kufuor has won a second and final four-year mandate in the world's number two cocoa grower after taking more than half the votes in the first round of a presidential poll. Full Article : keralanext.com
Africa on 12.10.04 @ 02:15 PM CST [ link]
U.S. media still hiding bad news from Americans
And now the good news from America's accomplished mission in Iraq ... The other night on ABC News Nightline, Ted Koppel asked National Public Radio war correspondent Anne Garrels, who has been in Iraq throughout the war, "When you hear people in this country, Anne, say, look, the media is only giving the negative side of what's going on there, why don't they ever show the good side, what do you tell 'em?" Full Article : thestar.com
USA on 12.10.04 @ 12:45 AM CST [ link]
US troops turn on Rumsfeld over scrap metal army
AMERICAN soldiers bound for Iraq confronted Donald Rumsfeld yesterday, letting their anger at a shortage of armour, extended deployments and discrimination against part-time forces boil to the surface in a rare public display. Full Article : timesonline.co.uk
USA on 12.10.04 @ 12:41 AM CST [ link]
Alleged war criminal begs to stay in Canada
A Rwandan man accused of inciting murder and genocide is pleading with the Supreme Court of Canada for the right to stay in Canada, saying he would be killed or tortured if sent back. Full Article : ctv.ca
Africa on 12.10.04 @ 12:31 AM CST [ link]
Israeli soldiers 'shoot boy for fun'
A group of Israeli soldiers serving in the Gaza Strip have reportedly admitted killing a 15-year-old Palestinian in Khan Yunus for sport. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Middle East on 12.10.04 @ 12:26 AM CST [ link]
Palestinians survive Israeli bid on life
An Israeli aircraft has fired a missile near the home of a Palestinian resistance leader in northern Gaza hours after an attempt to assassinate another commander. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Middle East on 12.10.04 @ 12:12 AM CST [ link]
Bush manipulated NKorea intelligence like he did in Iraq
The United States manipulated intelligence on North Korea's nuclear program in a similar fashion to its use of weapons of mass destruction to justify the war on Iraq, a US foreign policy expert said in an article. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Korea on 12.10.04 @ 12:09 AM CST [ link]
UN clears $2.9b in Gulf War claims
The United Nations has approved payment of $2.9 billion to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia for environmental projects to clean up oil lakes and other pollution from Iraq's 1990-1991 occupation of Kuwait, a spokesman said. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 12.10.04 @ 12:04 AM CST [ link]
Thursday, December 9th
Observers must wait for invitations - Mugabe
Giving his yearly state of the nation address to the country's parliament in Harare, the 80-year-old leader said: "We will hold our sixth parliamentary elections on a date yet to be set to seek a renewed mandate, depending on how well we performed. "Outside observers will be allowed strictly on the basis of invitation," Mugabe said, saying Zimbabwe had implemented electoral reforms "with principals we developed along SADC (Southern African Development Community) guidelines". Full Article : iol.co.za
Africa on 12.09.04 @ 11:21 PM CST [ link]
Half the world's children are living in poverty
ONE billion children - half the world's population of children - suffer from poverty, conflict and the scourge of AIDS, the United Nations Children's Fund revealed in its annual report yesterday. Full Article : theaustralian.news.com.au
Admin on 12.09.04 @ 02:52 PM CST [ link]
In Cleveland as in Kiev
In the Ukraine, citizens are in the streets protesting what they charge is a fixed election. Secretary of State Colin Powell expresses this nation's concern about apparent voting irregularities. The media give the dispute around-the-clock coverage. But in the United States, massive and systemic voter irregularities go unreported and unnoticed. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Admin on 12.09.04 @ 04:11 AM CST [ link]
Haiti's Interim Leader Slates 2005 Vote
Haitian interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue said Wednesday his country will hold elections beginning next November and added that he asked all members of his government not to run. Full Article : guardian.co.ukNO! Leave Now!
Caribbean on 12.09.04 @ 04:07 AM CST [ link]
Peru summit nears a new United States of the Americas
Presidents and high-ranking officials from 12 South American countries gathered in this ancient Inca capital yesterday to create a political and economic bloc that would give them a stronger voice in dealing with the United States, Europe and Asia. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Admin on 12.09.04 @ 04:04 AM CST [ link]
Palestinian presidential candidate says Israeli soldiers beat him
Palestinian presidential candidate Mustafa Barghouti said on Wednesday that Israeli soldiers had beat him at an army checkpoint south of Jenin in the West Bank. Full Article : khaleejtimes.com
Middle East on 12.09.04 @ 03:54 AM CST [ link]
Marginalized Indians Rally for Rights
Thousands of Dalits (oppressed people), tribals, workers and women assembled in Indian capital New Delhi on the World Dignity Day on December 5 raising demands for securing their human rights. The participants demanded the right to work, livelihood, food, health and education. Full Article : southasia.oneworld.net
Asia on 12.09.04 @ 03:49 AM CST [ link]
Democratising Muslim world a mirage
WASHINGTON: The American attempt at democratising the Islamic world with the use of force is a "chimera." The true cost of "this crusade" can be measured by the indifference to the original justification of the Iraq invasion: an end to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times. Full Article : dailytimes.com.pk
Pakistan on 12.09.04 @ 03:43 AM CST [ link]
F-16s sale will affect Indo-US relations
NEW DELHI: India has cautioned the United States against a decision to sell F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan, Foreign Minister Natwar Singh told parliament on Wednesday just hours before US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was due to arrive for talks. "We have also conveyed that US arms supply to Pakistan would have a negative impact on the goodwill the US enjoys in India," he added. Full Article : dailytimes.com.pk
Pakistan on 12.09.04 @ 03:40 AM CST [ link]
Wednesday, December 8th
A Stolen Election: The View From My Black Helicopter
I'd just stepped out of my black helicopter to read that one of my favorite journalists, David Corn, had attacked my analysis of the vote in Ohio as the stuff of "grassy knoll conspiracy theorists." ("A Stolen Election," The Nation, November 29 issue.) Oh, my! And all because I wrote that the uncounted ballots in Ohio -- more than a quarter million designated "spoiled" or "provisional" -- undoubtedly contain enough votes to overturn George Bush's "victory" margin of 136,000. Corn says, "Palast wrongly assumes that an overwhelming majority of these ballots contain votes for Kerry." Now why would I think such a thing? Maybe because the precinct-by-precinct analysis of "spoiled" votes (those which machines can't count) by Professor Mark Salling of Cleveland State University, the unchallengeable expert on Ohio voting demographics, concludes that "spoiled" punch cards in Ohio cities come "overwhelmingly" from African-American neighborhoods. Full Article : gregpalast.com
USA on 12.08.04 @ 07:56 PM CST [ link]
Ohio election fraud uproar blasting to new level
The bitter battle over the stolen November 2 election in Ohio has turned into a rapidly escalating all-out multi-front war with the outcome of the real presidential vote count increasingly in doubt. In Columbus, major demonstrations on Saturday, December 4, have been followed by an angry confrontation between demonstrators and state police at the office of Republican Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, the Bush-Cheney state chairman who is also officially in charge of certifying the election, at least for now. Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson has called on Blackwell to recuse himself from dealings with the election, saying his role as Bush-Cheney chairman has compromised his objectivity in delivering fair election results. Full Article : freepress.org
USA on 12.08.04 @ 07:52 PM CST [ link]
Connecting Syria and the Iraqi Resistance
Strausscon Lego Set: Connecting Syria and the Iraqi ResistanceIran, Syria, Saudi Arabia. These are but three of the countries the Bushcons want to invade, or at least bomb, rub out their current leadership, and pitch their societies into chaos, violence, and privation. It's not a conspiracy theory—the Bushcons have stated their desire to do this for some time now. So it comes as no surprise that "military intelligence officials" in the Bush Pentagon "have concluded that the Iraqi insurgency is being directed to a greater degree than previously recognized from Syria" and funded by "private sources in Saudi Arabia and Europe." Evidence? Careless Ba'athists left behind "a global positioning signal receiver in a bomb factory" in Fallujah that "contained waypoints originating in western Syria," according to the Washington Post. Full Article : kurtnimmo.com
USA on 12.08.04 @ 07:10 PM CST [ link]
Mbeki's Côte d'Ivoire Peace Mission Brings Ray of Hope
PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki, who managed to squeeze new peace commitments out of all key players in Côte d'Ivoire this week, is earning himself a reputation as a leading African peacemaker. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
Africa on 12.08.04 @ 06:24 PM CST [ link]
Zambia Celebrates 40th Independence Anniversary
October 22, 2004WE should take this opportunity, the 40th anniversary of our country's independence, to once again promote reflection on the national liberation of our people and that of our continent, chained by backwardness and balkanisation. Full Article : africaspeaks.com/reasoning
Africa on 12.08.04 @ 06:20 PM CST [ link]
Thinking cap controls computer
Four people have been able to control a computer using their thoughts and an electrode-studded thinking cap, US researchers have reported. Full Article : aljazeera.net
USA on 12.08.04 @ 03:01 AM CST [ link]
Land claim agreements reached
Two new land claim settlement agreements have been reached between the state and the Oneidas of Wisconsin and the Stockbridge-Munsee tribes that includes $5 million payments to Oneida and Madison counties and the building of casinos in the Catskills, Gov. Pataki’s office said today. Full Article : uticaod.com
USA on 12.08.04 @ 02:36 AM CST [ link]
Japan threatens huge dollar sell-off
Japan is warning the White House that there will be 'enormous capital flight' from the dollar if the Bush administration maintains its laissez-faire approach to the mounting currency crisis. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.08.04 @ 02:33 AM CST [ link]
US Army drilled to see all Arabs
US Army drilled to see all Arabs, Muslims as terrorists - deserter in CanadaAn American seeking to become the first US soldier granted refugee status in Canada after refusing to serve in Iraq told immigration officials yesterday that the Army was drilling its soldiers to think of all Arabs and Muslims as potential terrorists. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
USA on 12.08.04 @ 02:29 AM CST [ link]
Hyping Terror For Fun, Profit - And Power
What if there really was no need for much - or even most - of the Cold War? What if, in fact, the Cold War had been kept alive for two decades based on phony WMD threats? Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
USA on 12.08.04 @ 02:21 AM CST [ link]
Tuesday, December 7th
Defense of Culture in Venezuela
African-Americans Discuss Defense of Culture at Intellectuals' Conference in VenezuelaCaracas, December 4, 2004--Intellectuals and artists from around the world, including the Smithsonian Institute's Director of Culture, James C. Earley, and U.S. actor Danny Glover, discussed proposals on how to protect and promote culture within the context of globalization. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com
Latin America on 12.07.04 @ 05:49 PM CST [ link]
Putin Doubts Iraqi Elections Under Foreign 'Occupation'
President Vladimir Putin, meeting on Tuesday with Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has called the U.S.-led military campaign in Iraq a foreign occupation and said its activities there go far beyond fighting terrorism. Full Article : mosnews.com
Asia on 12.07.04 @ 02:22 PM CST [ link]
Indonesian President calls for teaching of various religions
JAKARTA : A regional inter-faith forum opened in Indonesia with a call by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for all religions to rise up and be a force of peace against terrorism, and for religious tolerance to be taught. Full Article : channelnewsasia.com
Asia on 12.07.04 @ 02:17 PM CST [ link]
US soldiers sue for having to stay in Iraq
Eight US soldiers serving in Iraq launched a legal challenge yesterday to stop their tours of duty from being extended. The lawsuit is the first of its kind by a group of American soldiers on active service in the country. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.07.04 @ 02:14 PM CST [ link]
Nigeria oil plant occupation ends
Nigerian villagers have ended their three-day occupation of three oil installations in the Niger Delta. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk
Africa on 12.07.04 @ 02:10 PM CST [ link]
Strong turnout in Ghana voting
Accra, Ghana - Hundreds-strong lines of voters built at polling places across Ghana, as the first people in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence turned out in force on Tuesday to keep one of its strongest democracies going. Full Article : news24.com
Africa on 12.07.04 @ 02:05 PM CST [ link]
Court majority finds discrimination
WASHINGTON - Faced with a Dallas County prosecutor's old training manual advising against choosing jurors who are black, Jewish, Hispanic, Italian-American, bearded, fat or female, a U.S. Supreme Court majority said Monday that a black defendant clearly suffered discrimination when blacks were excluded from his 1986 jury. Full Article : chron.com
USA on 12.07.04 @ 02:01 PM CST [ link]
Guyana president says Caricom position on Haiti justified
Haiti is worse off under its US-backed government than it was under ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, said Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo, asserting the Caribbean Community is right not to readmit Haiti to its meetings. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 12.07.04 @ 01:57 AM CST [ link]
Monday, December 6th
Looking after the little people
The amiable 55-year-old did not know how long it had been since the last black pygmy lived in one of those caves, but there are records of these original Taiwanese people in Qing dynasty (1644 to 1911) documents. Some gathered on the porch said the ritual commemorating the Short Black People had been going on for 400 years, since the Aboriginal Saisiyat are said to have wiped them out. Another tribal elder suggested the extinction was later, some time in the last century. Full Article : taipeitimes.com
Asia on 12.06.04 @ 08:20 PM CST [ link]
Venezuela: Revolutionary praxis and theory?
What is Revolutionary Praxis and Theory? Does the Bolivarian Revolution necessitate a scientific praxis and a philosophic theory? How are they related to the fundamental, dynamic forces of transformation of the whole American continent? What theoretical role can the progressive intellectuals of the world play in this dramatic emancipatory process? Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
Latin America on 12.06.04 @ 04:28 PM CST [ link]
Nigerian villagers seize Shell oil platforms
Hundreds of unarmed Nigerian villagers, including women and children, seized three oil platforms operated by Shell and ChevronTexaco yesterday, shutting 90,000 barrels a day of production in a jobs dispute. Members of the Kula community in the southeastern Rivers state occupied the platforms without causing any injuries and had yet to make any demands, company spokesmen said. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Africa on 12.06.04 @ 03:41 PM CST [ link]
Stop the killings in Haiti now - Myrtha Desulme
A prominent member of the Haitian/Jamaican community has called for the return of democracy and the rule of law, as a matter of urgency, in the troubled French-speaking Caribbean nation. Myrtha Desulme, daughter of the late Thomas Desulme, the Haitian who pioneered the establishment of the thermo-plastic industry in Jamaica, also called for a stop to political oppression in her country and urged human rights organisations and the media to "pressure the perpetrators to stop the killings in Haiti". Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 12.06.04 @ 02:27 PM CST [ link]
France to Punish Police for Bungled Drug Exercise
France's police minister vowed on Monday to punish officers who planted explosives in an unwitting plane passenger's luggage to test their sniffer dogs but then lost the "bomb," which remains missing after a three-day hunt. Full Article : abcnews.go.com
Europe on 12.06.04 @ 02:20 PM CST [ link]
Mbeki wraps up I Coast trip
Abidjan - South African President Thabo Mbeki met his Ivory Coast counterpart Laurent Gbagbo and other high-ranking officials Monday as he wrapped up a four-day peace-making trip to a nation embroiled in conflict since 2002. Full Article : news24.com
Africa on 12.06.04 @ 01:51 PM CST [ link]
Sistani poll official in 'US custody'
The man in charge of drawing up an Iraqi electoral list backed by Grand Ayat Allah Ali al-Sistani, the influential Shia Muslim leader, has been arrested by the US military, an aide says. "American forces on Saturday arrested Muhammad Hashim al-Yahya, coordinator of the six-person committee set up by the Marjaiya (Iraq's highest Shia authority) to supervise the drawing up of an electoral list with the backing of the ayat Allah," an al-Sistani representative in Najaf said. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 12.06.04 @ 05:20 AM CST [ link]
Global warming may cause big chill
Global warming could lead to a big chill in the North Atlantic, at least if history is anything to go by, researchers reported. Experts published evidence on Friday to support a popular theory that rising temperatures caused a big melt of polar ice 8200 years ago, causing a freshwater flood into the salty North Atlantic. Full Article : aljazeera.net
USA on 12.06.04 @ 05:14 AM CST [ link]
Caribbean and Latin America conference tomorrow
PRIME Minister P J Patterson will tomorrow address the plenary session of the 28th Annual Conference of the Caribbean and Latin America, to be held at the Miami Intercontinental Hotel. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 12.06.04 @ 01:57 AM CST [ link]
Indian, Peasant Groups Win Bolivia Races
Indian and peasant organizations promising better access to health care and education won every major Bolivian city in local elections Sunday, trouncing long-dominant parties in a reshuffling of the political map in South America's poorest country, unofficial results showed. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Latin America on 12.06.04 @ 01:49 AM CST [ link]
New forces mark Bolivia election
The people of Bolivia are voting in local elections, seen as an important test of democracy in one of South America's most unstable countries. Opinion polls suggest new political and citizens groups are set to pose a stiff challenge to traditional parties. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk
USA on 12.06.04 @ 01:36 AM CST [ link]
Campesinos Vs Oil Industry
Bolivia Takes On Goliath Of GlobalizationThey sent a water-privatizing multinational packing, and chased an ultra-neoliberal president all the way to Miami. Now they have come head-to-head with the ultimate goliath of globalization. The people of Bolivia - stalwarts on the front lines of anti-globalization — are trying to wrest control of the country's oil and gas reserves from the big boys of fossil fuel. Full Article : zmag.org
USA on 12.06.04 @ 01:32 AM CST [ link]
This Blog is a "Non-State Actor"
December 02, 2004"Former CIA Director George J. Tenet yesterday called for new security measures to guard against attacks on the United States that use the Internet," Shaun Waterman reports for United Press International. "I know that these actions will be controversial in this age when we still think the Internet is a free and open society with no control or accountability," Tenet told an information-technology security conference in Washington, "but ultimately the Wild West must give way to governance and control." Full Article : kurtnimmo.com
USA on 12.06.04 @ 12:39 AM CST [ link]
Air Force Defends Preventive Strikes
Russia may use its strategic bombers to unleash preventive strikes against terrorists outside its borders, Itar-Tass quoted Air Force commander General Vladimir Mikhailov as saying. Mikhailov's comments to the news agency were the most direct yet in Russia's rising rhetoric on attacking terrorists abroad. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has said that preventive strikes against terrorists could involve all means except nuclear, but has not specifically suggested using strategic bombers. Full Article : themoscowtimes.com
USA on 12.06.04 @ 12:37 AM CST [ link]
Top Official Says U.S. Seeks Cuba's 'liberation'
President Bush will be committed during his second term to the "liberation of Cuba" by extending moral and political support to the Cuban people, a top State Department official said Friday. Roger Noriega, who heads the department's Latin American bureau, also said that once Fidel Castro is no longer in power, the United States is ready to support broad economic and political reform in Cuba "to ensure that vestiges of the regime don't hold on." Full Article : tbo.com
Caribbean on 12.06.04 @ 12:25 AM CST [ link]
Sunday, December 5th
You asked for my evidence, Mr Ambassador. Here it is
Dear Mr Johnson, On November 26, your press counsellor sent a letter to the Guardian taking strong exception to a sentence in my column of the same day. The sentence read: "In Iraq, US forces and their Iraqi surrogates are no longer bothering to conceal attacks on civilian targets and are openly eliminating anyone - doctors, clerics, journalists - who dares to count the bodies." Of particular concern was the word "eliminating". Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.05.04 @ 11:51 PM CST [ link]
Ex-CIA official predicts eventual terror war defeat for U.S.
WASHINGTON -- The United States will ultimately lose the war on terror because of its policies in the Middle East and because of concerns over the human rights of militants worldwide, the former head of the CIA's team that hunted Osama bin Laden said Friday. In a conversation with United Press International's reporters and editors, Michael Scheuer, newly revealed as the author of the bestselling book "Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror," said bin Laden was now possibly the Arab world's most popular leader, adding al-Qaida's domination of the Internet in the Muslim world was leading to the United States losing its battle for the hearts and minds of Muslims worldwide. Full Article : wpherald.com
Africa on 12.05.04 @ 08:55 PM CST [ link]
We're behind Zim: Chissano
MOZAMBIQUE will continue supporting Zimbabwe in the face of a Western onslaught against Harare because the two countries share a common history and understanding, the Mozambican President, Cde Joaquim Chissano, said yesterday. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 12.05.04 @ 02:10 PM CST [ link]
Governing party ahead in Mozambique elections
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Mozambique's governing party, Frelimo, and its presidential candidate, Armando Guebuza, appeared Saturday to be headed for an unexpectedly sweeping victory in the nation's third national elections since a 16-year civil war ended in 1992. Full Article : timesargus.com
Africa on 12.05.04 @ 09:33 AM CST [ link]
SA is becoming another Thailand, warns NGO
South Africa is competing with Thailand in the child-sex trade. Thousands of our children are being forced into prostitution in major cities such as Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Durban. Full Article : iol.co.za
Africa on 12.05.04 @ 09:31 AM CST [ link]
Mbeki called me a liar, claims Tutu
For decades South Africans have known him as the Arch, an affectionate nickname for a towering figure in the liberation struggle. Yet this weekend Archbishop Desmond Tutu claims he has been branded a liar, charlatan and poser. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Africa on 12.05.04 @ 09:29 AM CST [ link]
28 killed in central Somalia
Mogadishu - At least 28 people were killed and 74 wounded on Thursday during heavy fighting in the central Somali village of Gelinsor, elders contacted by radio have said. Full Article : news24.com
Africa on 12.05.04 @ 09:20 AM CST [ link]
Year-end target for Darfur troops
The new head of the African Union observer mission to Sudan says he is hopeful that it will have completed deployment by the end of the year. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk
Africa on 12.05.04 @ 09:18 AM CST [ link]
Calls for constitutional change to restore peace in Cote d'Ivoire
S. African president calls for constitutional change to restore peace in Cote d'Ivoire Visiting South African President Thabo Mbeki Saturday called on Ivorian lawmakers to pass a constitutional change so that the country could regain its stability and prosperity. "We need to deal with election issues such as the question of nationality and voter identification," Mbeki told the Ivorian parliament. Full Article : xinhuanet.com
Africa on 12.05.04 @ 09:15 AM CST [ link]
Saturday, December 4th
Eliminate those who dare to count the dead
In Iraq, the US does eliminate those who dare to count the deadThe first major operation by US marines and Iraqi soldiers was to storm Falluja general hospital, arresting doctors and placing the facility under military control. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.04.04 @ 11:44 PM CST [ link]
Zimbabwe ruling party elects country's first woman vice-president
Zimbabwe's ruling party elected longtime cabinet minister Joyce Mujuru as the country's first woman vice-president at the end of a party congress. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Africa on 12.04.04 @ 06:07 PM CST [ link]
Long walk to Aborigine freedom
Canberra - For Aborigine Michael Long the blisters on his feet were a small price to pay for putting indigenous issues back onto Australia's political agenda during a meeting with Prime Minister John Howard on Friday. Full Article : iol.co.za
Africa on 12.04.04 @ 03:29 PM CST [ link]
US investigating new prisoner abuse photos
The US military has launched a criminal investigation into photographs that appear to show Navy Seals special forces in Iraq sitting on hooded and handcuffed detainees, and photos of what appear to be bloodied prisoners, one with a gun to his head. Full Article : aljazeera.net
USA on 12.04.04 @ 02:57 PM CST [ link]
Bush, Musharraf discuss alliance, bin Laden
President Bush offered no criticism Saturday of Pakistan's role in the still-unsuccessful hunt for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, even though Pakistan's army is pulling back from the region where the terrorist mastermind is believed hiding. Full Article : msnbc.msn.com
USA on 12.04.04 @ 02:16 PM CST [ link]
Putin calls for more U.N. veto power
Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a key recommendation of a United Nations panel on expanding the Security Council, saying Saturday that any reform would be one-sided if new members did not have veto power. Putin also backed India's aims to become a permanent member. Full Article : nwsource.com
USA on 12.04.04 @ 02:12 PM CST [ link]
Russia and India strive to restore old, robust ties
Russian President Vladimir Putin headed Saturday to India's vibrant software hub of Bangalore in hopes of expanding ties in information technology, a day after vowing to deepen strategic co-operation between the Cold War-era allies with deals in defence, space and energy. Full Article : cbc.ca
USA on 12.04.04 @ 02:05 PM CST [ link]
Evidence Gained Through Using Torture OK, US Officials Say
Evidence gained by torture can be used by the U.S. military in deciding whether to imprison a foreigner indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as an enemy combatant, the government says. Full Article : commondreams.org
USA on 12.04.04 @ 12:44 PM CST [ link]
This Blog is a "Non-State Actor"
"Former CIA Director George J. Tenet yesterday called for new security measures to guard against attacks on the United States that use the Internet," Shaun Waterman reports for United Press International. "I know that these actions will be controversial in this age when we still think the Internet is a free and open society with no control or accountability," Tenet told an information-technology security conference in Washington, "but ultimately the Wild West must give way to governance and control." Full Article : kurtnimmo.com
USA on 12.04.04 @ 01:09 AM CST [ link]
Brazil rejects U.S. call for Haiti crackdown
U.N. peacekeepers in Haiti will not respond to international pressure to "use violence" against armed gangs and will rebuild the country as a "peacekeeping force, not an occupying force," the mission's Brazilian commander said on Thursday. His comments and those of Brazil's foreign minister came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell demanded U.N troops crack down on street gangs after gunfights broke out near him when he visited Haiti's interim leader at the presidential palace. Full Article : alertnet.org
Caribbean on 12.04.04 @ 12:04 AM CST [ link]
Venezuela appeals coup acquittals
CARACAS -- Venezuela's government asked the Supreme Court yesterday to overturn the acquittals of the military ringleaders of a 2002 coup against President Hugo Chavez to clear the way for fresh prosecutions. Full Article : boston.com
Latin America on 12.04.04 @ 12:01 AM CST [ link]
Friday, December 3rd
Use dollar to bring US to its senses, says Mahathir
Countries which opposed "bullying" by the United States should use the dollar to bring the administration to its senses, Dr Mahathir Mohammad said in Dubai yesterday. The former prime minister of Malaysia said the American giant had "feet of clay" and its weakest point was the mighty dollar. In an interview at the Leaders in Dubai conference, Mahathir, 78, said the US "owes huge sums of money to the rest of the world". Full Article : gulf-news.com
USA on 12.03.04 @ 11:16 PM CST [ link]
Putin accuses U.S. of double standard
Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply criticized the United States on Friday, accusing it of a double-standard in fighting terrorism and questioning whether any election in Iraq can be democratic when fighting is raging in the country. Full Article : seattlepi.nwsource.com
USA on 12.03.04 @ 11:11 PM CST [ link]
US tells Nairobi summit it will ban landmines in 2010
The world will have to wait until 2010 before the United States of America bans the use of anti-personnel landmines. This is the message the military superpower sent to the delegates attending the first review conference of the anti-personnel Mine Ban Treaty held in Nairobi. Full Article : eastandard.net
Africa on 12.03.04 @ 11:06 PM CST [ link]
Mbeki faces tough hurdles in Ivory Coast crisis talks
South African President Thabo Mbeki met some of the key figures in Ivory Coast as he held talks aimed at pushing a "roadmap to peace" for the divided west African nation, but he faced big hurdles. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Africa on 12.03.04 @ 07:15 PM CST [ link]
VHeadline.com publishes a top secret US Army document
VHeadline.com publishes a top secret US Army document as a matter of public concern, relating to continuing belligerent interference by the United States of America in Venezuela's domestic political affairs Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
USA on 12.03.04 @ 04:19 AM CST [ link]
Rebel voices from Iraq
"Iraqis are tired-tired after long years of war with Iran, then war over Kuwait, then the sanctions, then invasion and occupation. We see the solution in a national Iraqi government, and hopefully it will be an honest one-not one installed by the US. But we fear that a government under occupation will not be democratic or honest, and this is one reason why many people support the resistance." Full Article : socialistworker.co.uk
Iraq on 12.03.04 @ 12:23 AM CST [ link]
Thursday, December 2nd
Zimbabwe's Mugabe rules out regime change; slams Britain
HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe ruled out any regime change in this southern African country as his ruling ZANU-PF party held a congress to renew the party's leadership. The 80-year-old head of state, who has led the southern African country since independence in 1980, said the country had remained unified in the face of attempts by British Prime Minister Tony Blair to effect a regime change through the backing of "stooge parties". Full Article : turkishpress.com
Africa on 12.02.04 @ 09:40 PM CST [ link]
Ohio tally fit for Ukraine
Voter fraud in the Ukraine? Give me a break. It has been a month now and we still don't have a clear count of the votes for our own presidential race from the state of Ohio. Full Article : nydailynews.com
USA on 12.02.04 @ 09:12 PM CST [ link]
Tsvangirai's campaign strategy poor
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has stepped up his anti-Zimbabwe rhetoric calling on the European Union to tighten sanctions against the country in a move widely seen as a fund-raising tool to reach a wide array of donors. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 12.02.04 @ 04:32 PM CST [ link]
Voters to Challenge US Election
by Julian Borger George Bush's victory in the US presidential election will be challenged in Ohio's supreme court today, when a group of Democratic voters will allege widespread fraud. President Bush clinched re-election by winning the state of Ohio on November 2 by a margin of 136,000 votes over the Democratic candidate, John Kerry. Despite claims of fraud and technical glitches, Senator Kerry decided that they were not big enough to affect the result and conceded the election on November 3. However, Cliff Arnebeck, a lawyer representing a group of voters challenging the Ohio result, claimed new analysis of various anomalies suggested it was rigged. "We'll be calling for a reversal of the result based on evidence developed in the course of litigation," Mr Arnebeck told The Guardian yesterday. "Exit polling and substantial irregularities excluded votes that should have been counted. There is evidence that votes cast for one candidate were moved to the column of the other candidate." Full Article : commondreams.org
USA on 12.02.04 @ 03:32 PM CST [ link]
U.N. Rejects Call for Annan's Resignation
UNITED NATIONS - United Nations member states voiced support for Secretary-General Kofi Annan after a U.S. senator called for him to resign over possible fraud in Iraq's oil-for-food program. The State Department endorsed a Senate investigation of the troubled program but sidestepped the issue of Annan's future. Full Article : news.yahoo.com
USA on 12.02.04 @ 07:27 AM CST [ link]
Cannabis smoker prone to mental wreck
Young people who take cannabis frequently are at greater risk of developing psychotic mental illness including hallucinations, paranoia, hearing voices and a persecution complex. Full Article : xinhuanet.com
USA on 12.02.04 @ 06:44 AM CST [ link]
Unarmed Palestinian shot dead
The latest death brought the overall toll since the September 2000 start of the Palestinian uprising to 4595, including 3559 Palestinians and 962 Israelis Full Article : aljazeera.net
Middle East on 12.02.04 @ 04:07 AM CST [ link]
Wednesday, December 1st
Firm denies Annan milked UN scheme
Cotecna, former employer of the UN chief Kofi Annan's son, has denied he was involved in any dealings in Iraq during the oil-for-food programme. A spokesman for the firm denied that Kojo Annan had ever touched contracts related to Iraq, or was involved in the scandal-plagued scheme. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Caribbean on 12.01.04 @ 11:56 PM CST [ link]
U.S., France, Canada behind Haiti's Coup
The international outcry over Fr. Jean-Juste's illegal detention forced Haiti"s interim government to bring him before a judge on November 12. The judge ordered that the case be dismissed and Fr. Jean-Juste be released. The interim government finally honored that order yesterday. There were the three administrations involved in the administration of Wilfort Ferdinand, the administration of the Prime Minister Canada, Paul Martin, and the administration of Jacques Chirac of France. They were all behind the coup but mostly French and the U.S., the Bush administration. They kidnapped an elected president and it was something very bad, who asked the Haitian people and still calling for a return to order. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
Caribbean on 12.01.04 @ 11:43 PM CST [ link]
Rwanda silent on timing of possible Congo attack
Africa News, KIGALI - Rwanda declined to confirm or deny whether its soldiers were inside Congo on Wednesday, but suggested that if they had not already entered the giant country, they would soon do so and attack Hutu rebels there. Full Article : keralanext.com
USA on 12.01.04 @ 11:26 PM CST [ link]
Stay of execution in Texas
The first execution of a black woman in Texas since the American civil war was delayed at the 11th hour yesterday when the state governor granted a reprieve pending new tests on evidence. Frances Newton, 39, was to have been killed by lethal injection last night for the murder of her husband and two children in 1987. But Texas governor Rick Perry agreed a four-month stay after the Texas board of pardons and paroles recommended a delay so that the defence could make its case that Ms Newton was wrongly convicted. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.01.04 @ 11:23 PM CST [ link]
US claim thrown out against investors in apartheid S Africa
Judge throws out claim against groups that invested in apartheid South AfricaA US district court has dismissed claims filed against nearly three dozen multinational corporations seeking billions of dollars in damages over allegations that their investments in South Africa had helped prop up the brutal apartheid regime. Full Article : news.ft.com
USA on 12.01.04 @ 11:20 PM CST [ link]
Gun battle erupts as Powell visits Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - An intense gun battle broke out just outside Haiti's presidential palace, injuring four people as US Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) met with local officials, hospital sources said. Full Article : yahoo.com
Caribbean on 12.01.04 @ 06:15 PM CST [ link]
Six Americans killed in Afghanistan plane crash
Three US military personnel and three American civilian crew members were killed when their plane crashed at the weekend in central Afghanistan, the US military said. The twin-engined CASA 212 transporter was located on Tuesday in the mountains near Bamiyan, the site of two gigantic Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, according to officials. Full Article : kavkazcenter.com
USA on 12.01.04 @ 11:26 AM CST [ link]
The Coup Connection
How an organization financed by the U.S. government has been promoting the overthrow of elected leaders abroad Full Article : motherjones.com
USA on 12.01.04 @ 03:21 AM CST [ link]
Which War is This Anyway?
"Every country and every people has a stake in the… resistance, for the freedom fighters… are defending principles of independence that form the basis of global security and stability." "The war… was in itself criminal, a criminal adventure. This crime cost the lives of about a million [people], a war of destruction was waged against an entire people… This is what lies on us as a terrible sin, a terrible reproach. We must cleanse ourselves of this shame that lies on our leadership." ( For the source of each of these quotes go to the end of this dispatch.) Full Article : motherjones.com
Iraq on 12.01.04 @ 03:19 AM CST [ link]
Fallujans pay the price of liberation
When a nation's identity, existence and dignity is put at risk, the sacrifice required is far more than the lives of a group of fighters, and that is why Falluja has chosen to carry the flag of resistance in Iraq, in the clear knowledge it may be wiped out. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 12.01.04 @ 02:49 AM CST [ link]
Mozambican electors start voting for new president
Voters in Mozambique went to the polls Wednesday morning to elect a new president to succeed veteran leader Joaquim Chissano who decided to voluntarily step down after 18 years in power. Full Article : xinhuanet.com
Africa on 12.01.04 @ 02:46 AM CST [ link]
Mixed political views on gay-marriage ruling
Political parties have both welcomed and decried the court ruling approving same-sex marriages. The most vociferous opposition came from the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), which expressed "extreme disappointment" at the ruling and called for a referendum with a view to changing the constitution. Full Article : iol.co.za
Africa on 12.01.04 @ 02:44 AM CST [ link]
South African court rules for same-sex marriage
BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (BP)--South Africa could be the next country to legalize same-sex "marriage" as a result of a court ruling there Nov. 30. The Supreme Court of Appeal sided with a lesbian couple, ruling that the country's definition of marriage should be sex-neutral and read, "Marriage is the union of two persons to the exclusion of all others for life." Full Article : bpnews.net
Africa on 12.01.04 @ 02:40 AM CST [ link]
Diversity takes a hit with firing
Richard Lapchick, chairman of the University of Central Florida's sports business management program, refers to the last eight days as "a low point in our society because of the biggest exit of African-American coaches in the history of college football." Full Article : mercurynews.com
USA on 12.01.04 @ 02:38 AM CST [ link]
Blair has his place in history - it's sixth
IF TONY Blair is determined to secure a place in history as Britain's greatest modern Prime Minister, a poll published yesterday showed just how much more he has to do. A group of the country's most eminent historians and political scientists has come to the conclusion that our current prime minister has a long way to go to be Number One. Full Article : scotsman.com
UK on 12.01.04 @ 02:36 AM CST [ link]
Fears of New Congo War as Envoys are Expelled
FEARS OF renewed fighting in the Great Lakes Region escalated last week following a rash of accusations and counter-accusations between Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo over the training and arming of rebels operating in the eastern jungles of the DRC. Full Article : nationmedia.com
Africa on 12.01.04 @ 02:29 AM CST [ link]
|
|  |
