"Caribbean Diaspora Conference"

Why the U.S. Media Is a Whore
Which brings us to the new breed of pod people passing for independent journalists. Not simply the Maggie Gallaghers of journalism but the true whores of the media. If for nothing else, the Jeff Gannon-Jim Guckert sex scandal should indicate the depth of media prostitution. The only difference between Gannon and those who write for the mainstream media is that Gannon usually got undressed before he sold himself.

Former CIA Agent Affirms Possibility of Chavez's Assassination
In an interview on Miami's Spanish-language channel 22, the former CIA agent Felix Rodriguez said that the U.S. government has plans to "bring about a change in Venezuela." When pressed as to what type of plans these might be, Rodriguez responded that the Bush administration "could do it with a military strike, with a plane."

Costa Ricans Join Call to Block Washington's Anti-Cuba Maneuvers
Over 60 Costa Rican intellectuals joined the international alert denouncing Washington's pressuring of member- nations at the UN Human Rights Commission to pass an anti-Cuba resolution.

North Korea Refuses to Deal With Rice
North Korea bitterly refused Wednesday any dealings with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as the top U.S. diplomat began a six-day visit to Asia seeking a breakthrough in the two-year standoff over the North's nuclear weapons program.

6 U.S. Banks Held Pinochet's Accounts
Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet had more than 125 accounts at a half-dozen U.S. banks, including Citibank, during the 1990s, according to a Senate report.

America's Has-Been Economy
A country cannot be a superpower without a high tech economy, and America's high tech economy is eroding as I write. The erosion began when US corporations outsourced manufacturing. Today many US companies are little more than a brand name selling goods made in Asia.

TSA Does Not Allow Military Personnel to Get Off the Plane at SFO
Military personnel returning from Afghanistan did not get a warm welcome when they touched down in San Francisco.

US Army asks for longer enlistments as recruitment numbers fall
The US Army has asked Congress to allow it to extend enlistment contracts offered to future soldiers by two years in order to "stabilize the force," as top defense officials warned that key recruitment targets for the year could be missed.

Consumers Wince as Gas Prices Hit Record
In a nation where every second vehicle on the road is a fuel-thirsty pickup truck, SUV or minivan, American consumers are feeling the pinch of record gas prices.

Russia reformer Chubais survives assassination bid
Anatoly Chubais, head of Russia's state power monopoly, survived an assassination attempt on Thursday by assailants who detonated a roadside bomb and sprayed his convoy with gunfire.

South Africa, Caribbean Diaspora Conference opens in Kingston today
PRIME Minister P J Patterson will officially open today's South Africa/African Union/ Caribbean Diaspora Conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston. The conference, to be chaired by Foreign Minister K D Knight, will also be addressed by South Africa's Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and deputy chairman of the African Union, Patrick Mazimhaka.

Africa and the Caribbean work towards greater unity
Delegates from nations in Africa and the Caribbean are meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, to discuss ways of promoting unity and finding common approaches to shared issues. The three-day South Africa, African Union and Caribbean Diaspora Conference will be looking at strengthening ties between Africa and populations of African origin on the other side of the Atlantic.

Nigeria proposes Africa-run tribunal to try Sudan war crimes suspects
Nigeria proposed setting up an African-run tribunal to prosecute human rights violators and war crimes suspects from Sudan's conflict-wracked Darfur region, a possible bid to break an impasse in the U.N. Security Council, according to a document released Wednesday.

South Africa losing struggle against abalone poachers
Over the last decade, this rugged 60-mile stretch of coast east of Cape Town, home to one of the world's last big concentrations of commercial abalone, has become a high-tech battleground, pitting conservation agents intent on saving the vanishing species and divers and smugglers who can earn thousands of dollars a day harvesting the giant sea snails, a delicacy in Asia, and spiriting them to Chinese dealers.

S. Africa, DPR of Korea boost cooperation
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s Vice President Yang Hyong Sop is on a five-day visit to South Africa from Mar.16.

Zuma defends SA ties with controversial North Korea
Jacob Zuma, the deputy president, who met Yang Hyong Sop, North Korea's vice-president, today has defended South Africa's move to strengthen diplomatic ties with North Korea. Zuma says the two countries will continue exploring ways and means of harnessing nuclear technology for sustainable use, and not for destructive purposes.

Throwing salt on 'the scar of Africa'
Africa's situation is so dire that any extra assets would be welcomed. Yet the proposals in the Commission for Africa Report, chaired by UK prime minister Tony Blair, are likely to do more harm than good.

US warns ships off E Africa
The United States is advising western shipping firms and other maritime interests of a possible terrorist attack on vessels off the coast of East Africa, according to a government warning seen on Thursday.

ASEAN officials meet to discuss future of Southeast Asia
Officials from ASEAN-member countries gathered for a conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday to discuss the future of Southeast Asia at the Second ASEAN Leadership Forum.

Zimbabwe Seeks Beef Markets in Africa, Asia
ZIMBABWE is in the process of tapping the beef market in several African and Asian countries as it seeks to expand its export market, Veterinary Services Department principal director Dr Stuart Hargreaves said yesterday.