Tuesday, May 31st
No joy in Africa's 'black gold'
Mozambique Plans to Produce Kerosene From Natural GasMozambique may soon have a distillery for producing kerosene, fertilisers and other by-products from its abundant resources of natural gas. No joy in Africa's 'black gold'Africa's booming oil and gas exports have not helped improve the lives of average Africans, a UN official said Monday on the eve of a major oil conference opening in the Mozambican capital. Mandela wins art battleFormer president Nelson Mandela has won the first part of his legal battle with his ex-lawyer and an art publisher over the sale of artworks connected to the elder statesman. Africa urged to set up customs unionAfrica's biggest trade bloc, Comesa, should establish a customs union by 2008 to boost trade by 25% and spur greater investment in the region, trade ministers have recommended. Mandela's powerful message - "Africa's time has come" As people begin to line up in movie theaters to visit galaxies far, far away in the final chapter of Star Wars, Nelson Mandela comes to America to remind us of a continent right here on earth, just on the other side of the Atlantic. New Date Set for East Africa FederationThe fate of the long proposed East Africa Federation will be decided by May, next year. By then, it is envisaged, the three East African peoples will have made it clear whether or not they want a political union with one president. Hungry Malawians brave crocs to eat water liliesVeteran Namibian Politician Appolus DiesEMIL Appolus, a veteran figure on Namibia's political landscape, died at the age of 70 this weekend. Appolus passed away at Keetmanshoop on Saturday. His family said he suffered a stroke last year and had been in frail health since then. Africa in 15 years: Where will Ghana be?Brazil hosts huge Gay Pride march Hundreds of thousands of people have converged for a huge Gay Pride parade in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo. Inside the Wire: An Interview With Erik Saar A former military linguist at Guantanamo describes a dysfunctional facility where prisoner abuse was all but inevitable. BUSH & BLAIR TARGETED BY IRAQ TRIBUNALAs President George W. Bush "jet-sets" around the world, promoting the neo-conservatives' own brand of democracy, there is one overseas meeting in June he will likely avoid like the plague. The WTI, made up of thousands of people worldwide including many preeminent scholars and dignitaries, seeks to reclaim justice regarding the Iraqi invasion. The group was formed two years ago with the intent to document the war crimes orchestrated by Bush and Blair and eventually bring both heads of state to justice because of what group leaders say is "an arrogant flaunting of world opinion and established law." The US baseness and bankruptcy!You did it Pentagon whores. Your are truly clever. At long last, and this time you succeeded. It is a matter of time and the US military have so much in their quiver. Their flow of new ideas how to quell the insurgents, never runs dry. They are genius! Detox our racist culture Have you ever thought about what Britain would look like if the effects of postwar migration were suddenly reversed? Tellingly, most of parliament, our corporate boardrooms and newspaper editorial meetings would look much the same. But quite how these people would get to work, as public transport in most major cities stalled and minicabs became scarce is another matter. They would arrive in offices with floors unmopped and canteens closed. Going out for lunch, they would suffer a two-hour wait at McDonalds. And the absence of fruit pickers would bring a run on tin-openers and unseemly scrambles for fresh produce. Did You Know?Did you know that non-Jewish Israelis cannot buy or lease land in Israel? Did you know that Palestinian license plates in Israel are color coded to distinguish Jews from non-Jews? Foxman vs FarrakhanCanadian study proves racial bias A tearful Police Chief Bill Closs apologized yesterday to black people in Kingston after being confronted with proof they are stopped by officers three times more often than whites. Zimbabwe set to nationalise land Zimbabwe is to proceed with plans to nationalise all farmland, a ruling party official has said. Africa is crying out for justice If Tony Blair and the other G7 leaders really want to “make poverty history” they need not look far – they should follow the above steps. Africa does not need charity and handouts, but justice and fairness.
Africa on 05.31.05 @ 07:31 PM CST [ link]
US Immunity at ICC annoys Nairobi
30/5/2005 - misna.org Officials in the Kenyan government reacted harshly today to the news that the US will suspend military aid until Nairobi decides to sign the bilateral agreement guaranteeing immunity for US citizens – civilian and military – before the International Criminal Court (ICC), in case they are charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide.
Africa on 05.31.05 @ 12:41 AM CST [ more..]
Monday, May 30th
Mbeki lambasts Brown
Mbeki lambasts Brown for 'imperial nostalgia'President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa rebuked Gordon Brown yesterday, accusing the "presumed successor to Tony Blair" of promoting nostalgia for British imperialism and joining in a "discourse" that "demonises" blacks. Black Brazilians learn from Biko Steve Biko sought to set black South Africans free from oppression and he died for it. He probably never imagined that 30 years on, his message would be setting free the minds of young men and women thousands of kilometres away, in Brazil. Rwanda may join East African Community in November Rwanda can now expect to join the East African Community (EAC) in November this year after the heads of state of the current EAC member states have called for expedition of its admission. Township anger rocks South AfricaA recent wave of township riots over a lack of housing and basic services is sparking concern that the growing unrest could destabilise the continent's youngest democracy. White House wooing black clergyEscalating its courtship of a politically powerful constituency, the Bush administration is teaming up with some of the nation's best-known and most-influential black clergy to craft a new role for U.S. churches in Africa. Freedom a deadly word in Africa Meet Yorro Jallow, editor of the Independent. This one's in The Gambia. Last year, his offices were bombed three times by thugs supporting the regime of President (ex-Sergeant) Yaya Jammeh. When he moved his paper to print on the presses used by a friendly rival, The Point, the President stopped any transfer by special decree - and the editor of The Point was murdered, shot three times in the head by unidentified gunmen. How seeds sown in Arran could bear fruit for AfricaIT has been a long journey for Jack McConnell. Fifteen hours' flying time, and 30 years from the Arran sheep farm where the 14-year-old schoolboy watched the brutality of the Soweto riots on television. The injustice of apartheid sparked his interest in politics, and, as the first minister told a live television audience on Wednesday, Africa has remained important to him ever since. Uncovering South Africa's nuclear pastIn the basement of the William Cullen library at Wits University, a team of researchers is slowly piecing together the story of South Africa's nuclear programme. UN envoy to meet MugabeUnited Nations (UN) envoy for humanitarian needs James Morris winds up his trip to drought-stricken Southern African this week, meeting with Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to discuss food needs. Commercial jet missile defense system ready for testing Cost,
benefit of laser devices to thwart shoulder-fired weapons under reviewHuge Sellafield leak went undetected for 9 monthsFull scale disclosed of worst nuclear accident for decade. Catalogue of human error led to massive radioactive discharge. Accident may force ministers to shut troubled plant for good. Free People Do Bad ThingsWhy does it feel like the brutality of a Vince McMahon, football, the NRA, Wall Street, Republicans and America's far-flung network of secret prisons and expanding desert wars all have something to do with one another? Connected in some way? Why this unnamable suspicion in the back of the mind, and darting sense of fear? Ah yes! Something is happening here, and we all know what it is, don't we Mr. Joooooones! Things are bound to get more ugly. Photostory: The Erez Crossing Point in Gaza We'll miss our target to stop
'flaring' in Nigeria, admits Shell Shell, which recently announced record profits for 2004, admitted yesterday that it would miss its own targets to bring to a halt the harmful practice of burning unwanted gas in Nigeria. Bush: "You Have To Keep Repeating
Things To Catapult The Propaganda"South Korean students hold anti-U.S. rallySouth Africa and PalestineWe at Seven Oaks are fully aware that many British Columbians still refer to Haida Gwai'i as "the Queen Charlottes"; nevertheless, would you care to comment on the demonstrations by South African whites this week to protest a plan by the South African government to rename the capital city Pretoria 'Tshwane' – the name of a historic chief, which also means 'We are the same'? It's like the Christian Fundamentalist supporters of George Bush and the Republican party who feel that they are discriminated against because of their Christian beliefs. I'm sure these white Afrikaners feel a genuine sense of loss now that they can no longer lord it over the majority. There was a certain nobility in their fight against British Imperialism which was particularly ruthless towards the Afrikaner by comparison with how the British treated the Quebecois. However, their demonstration indicates to me that they have not yet come to terms with the social crime they committed against the entire unenfranchised population of Apartheid South Africa. From being the victims of the British Empire they joined with the British in exploiting the indigenous Black population as well as the people who were imported into the country to do the grunt work. And as an aside, I was born in the British-named Robert's Heights just outside Pretoria. The Afrikaners changed my birthplace to Voortrekkerhoogte to celebrate their cultural icons. Continue...
Africa on 05.30.05 @ 06:11 PM CST [ link]
Sunday, May 29th
Sold in Britain
Hundreds protest at Barclays' planned return to South Africa JOHANNEBSURG (AFX) - Several hundred people demonstrated in central Johannesburg yesterday against plans by Britain's Barclays PLC to return to retail banking in South Africa. Barclays was forced to leave the country in 1986 under pressure from anti-apartheid activists, but re-established a small investment banking presence there 10 years ago. Cooking fires a health peril in AfricaIn the highlands of Ethiopia, the temperature dips to an average 37 degrees at night. A typical family's one-room house has no chimney, and the stove consists of three stones supporting a pot over an open wood fire. The mother fixes dinner as her toddlers edge closer, trying to stay warm in the swirling smoke. And as they do, the air they breathe may be killing them. A U.S. Faith Initiative for AfricaEscalating its courtship of a politically powerful constituency, the Bush administration is teaming up with some of the nation's best-known and most influential black clergy to craft a new role for U.S. churches in Africa. The effort was launched last week, when more than two dozen leading African American religious figures met privately with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and senior White House officials at the State Department, according to administration officials and meeting participants. Sold in Britain, the HIV drugs for Africa THEY wriggled and squirmed, made excuses and risked the wrath of their largest investors. But eventually, shamed by U2 rock star Bono, who banged the Oval Office desk while winning support from President George Bush, global pharmaceutical giants began supplying some of the world's poorest countries with cut-price treatments for HIV patients. However, companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer have discovered that huge quantities of the treatments sent to Africa are part of a highly lucrative illegal trade, with many returning to Britain to be sold for a huge profit. Africa's dry spell likely to continueFew places are more vulnerable to drought than Africa. From the Sahel south of the Sahara to the southern lobe of the turbulent continent, there is a simple calculus, said Dr. Richard Washington, an expert on the region's climate at Oxford: "When the rains fail, people die." The bracelet may in fact be a ruse for installing 'Big Brother'Venezuela rallies over Cuba exile Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have rallied in the capital Caracas to demand the US extradites a Cuban exile accused of bombing an airliner in 1976. Some Fear Catastrophe From Amazon Highway Haiti gets caught up in China-Taiwan standoffHaiti's need for United Nations peacekeepers to remain for an extended mandate suddenly took on new complexity this week, when the impoverished nation found itself entangled in the diplomatic standoff between China and Taiwan. Infiltrating Bilderberg 2005The annual secret meeting of the Bilderberg group determines many of the headlines and news developments you will read about in the coming months. But the Establishment media completely black it out. With the exception of half-a-dozen high ranking members of the press who are sworn to secrecy, few have ever heard of the exclusive and secretive group called The Bilderbergers. Bull's EyeAmerica is in debt. The dollar is kept buoyant by China and Japan which hold huge dollar reserves invested in US securities. American jobs are outsourced. And US soldiers are bogged down in Iraq. Meanwhile, North Korea mocks President Bush. It represents a real nuclear crisis, unlike Iraq with its fake nuclear crisis manufactured by America. And America continues to pretend that North Korea is independent of Chinese control. Bloggers are outwitting the Mainstream and Corporate Media!These days, they are rather worried. They are of no use any longer ! They have lost their aura. The carpet is being withdrawn from underneath their feet. Worse, they might even lose their jobs. They have become a burden for their employer. You guessed whom I am talking about ! The mainstream media or their masters' voice, the corporate media.
Africa on 05.29.05 @ 05:45 PM CST [ link]
Saturday, May 28th
Hitting Rock Botton
Forcing Iran into a Nuclear CornerWhy Are Nukes OK for You, But Not for Us?Imagine you are leader of a nation with a population of 69 million, and one fifth the size of the US. You have massive oil and gas deposits but your country is otherwise appallingly poor, being over 70 per cent desert that cannot be irrigated because there are few water sources. Your armed forces are equipped with antique tanks and airplanes that would be suitable as memorials to your dead after your country has been invaded, which you have reason to believe may be its fate. What's Next In Venezuela?The nationalisation of a bankrupt and closed-down paper company, Venepal, under workers' self-management late last year signaled a new turn in Venezuelan politics. Soon afterward, Chávez used the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil to talk about "socialism of the 21st century," and has continued speaking on that theme ever since. "It is impossible that we will achieve our goals with capitalism, nor is it possible to find an intermediate path," Chávez said in a May Day speech in the capital city of Caracas. "I invite all of Venezuela to march on the path of socialism of the new century." U.S. policy on Haitians getting judicial scrutinyA judge will review a government document that says undocumented migrants from Haiti should be held without bond because Haiti may be a jumping-off point for terrorists to enter the U.S. 'I want to see for myself'United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan visited Darfur on Saturday after warning warring parties and international donors that time was running out to broker peace and avoid an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. 'Arrogant Nation'The arrogance of ignorance, a profoundly dangerous and ill-informed presumption that one’s own people are better (wiser, morally and spiritually ascendant, and more capable) than others, seems rather well entrenched within the American populace. Cuba to continue fighting terrorism, US hostility: Castro Cuban President Fidel Castro said his country will continue fighting terrorism and the hostile policies of the United States. Cuba will insist that extremist anti-government figure Luis Posada Carriles, who was arrested in the United States, be brought to trial for his crimes against the island, said Castro, as cited Friday by local state-run daily Granma. Cuba: More Social Benefits for Its PopulationWhile others may be trying to reach Mars, we in Cuba are trying in our own way to reach distant stars in areas like general benefits for the population, asserted President Fidel Castro on Thursday night, during a special radio and TV address at Havana’s Convention Center. US Rejects Venezuelan Request on Posada Hitting Rock BottonThe Bush Administration's Shameful Rejection of Venezuela's Extradition Request Muslim rallies blast U.S. in Asia, AfricaAU lifts Togo sanctionsMembers of the African Union's peace and security council on Friday lifted sanctions imposed on Togo three months ago because of a power bid there, announced the AU. 'It must stop completely'Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has ordered his government to reduce its dependence on foreign aid and lashed out at "paternalist" donors who he said want to impose their values on his country. Hundreds Protest Barclays' Planned Return to South AfricaSeveral hundred people have demonstrated in the South African city of Johannesburg to protest the planned return of Britain's Barclays Bank. The protesters Saturday called on the bank, a major investor in South Africa during the apartheid era, to pay reparations to the victims of apartheid. They also want the bank to resolve a lawsuit in the United States, where it is accused of aiding the white minority regime. Saudi ailing King Fahd hospitalisedSaudi Arabia's ailing King Fahd was hospitalised Friday for medical examinations, the royal palace said in a statement carried by the official news agency SPA. South African newspaper gagged in 'Oilgate' scandalA South African court has forced one of the country's most respected newspapers to recall an edition's entire print run over a report alleging an illegal donation to President Thabo Mbeki's ruling party from a state oil company. Ethnic Politics Are a Danger to Democracy, Says KenyattaKenya's main opposition, Kenyan African National Union (KANU) leader Uhuru Kenyatta, has accused the ruling National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) of weakening his party by appointing a number of KANU members of parliament into government positions. Media Disinformation and the Nature of the Iraqi ResistanceThe flurry of news, hypotheses, and disinformation about the nature of the Iraqi Resistance against the Occupation continues unabated. DeLay Angered by 'Law & Order' Mention U.S. accused of reporting less than half its casualties in IraqPrensa Latina informs that official US reports on Iraq reflect less than half the numbers of soldiers killed in that war of aggression, according to an article by El Diario-La Prensa online in New York. Amnesty slams Israel 'war crimes' Amnesty International has accused Israel of committing war crimes in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Mom's Call From Iraq Casts Glare on Black Student TreatmentIn a report last September on what it brands "Educational Apartheid in America's Public Schools," the Children's Defense Fund found that black students are still expelled and suspended in numbers disproportionate to whites.
Africa on 05.28.05 @ 01:45 PM CST [ link]
Friday, May 27th
Forced labour dogs sub-Saharan Africa
Unicef puts Somali ops on iceThe United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has indefinitely suspended operations in Somalia's breakaway northeastern state of Puntland after one of its international staff members received a specific death threat, the agency said in a statement on Friday Al Qaeda: U.S. Increases Anti-Terrorism Effort in NigeriaThe United States is deploying more soldiers and money into its anti-terrorism campaign in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, including Algeria based on reports that the Middle-east based group Al-Qaeda is building more calls in the areas. Nigeria and Algeria are oil-rich nations where radical Islam has a following. Taylor Begs for MercyNo issue has been stickier than that which relates to what to do with Charles Taylor in view of the 17-count criminal indictment slammed on him by the Special War Crimes Court in Sierra Leone. Ugandan exiled ex-president's return delayedThe Uganda People's Congress (UPC) National chairman, Hajji Badru Wegulo, told Xinhua by telephone that Obote was due to return to the country on Friday but there were some unforeseen bottlenecks which have delayed his return. US to expand anti-terror, oil interests in AfricaThe US plans to bolster its counter-terrorism campaign in the region and to have access to the energy resources of Nigeria, the continent's largest oil producer. Is the UK damaging Africa's healthcare? The UK is severely damaging sub-Saharan Africa's health services by poaching staff, UK doctors have warned. Annan arrives in Sudan to seek peace efforts on Darfur issueUN Secretary General Kofi Annan arrived here Friday for talks with the Sudanese government on peace efforts to solve the humanitarian crisis in the country's western Darfur region. ZIMBABWE: New report assesses impact of fast-track land reformRead this silly report that does not mention sanctions and deliberate economic sabotage by European/American powers as the primary reasons for hardship in Zimbabwe.Forced labour dogs sub-Saharan Africa MORE than 660 000 people in sub-Saharan Africa are still trapped in forced labour out of the estimated 12,3 million people in compulsory labour worldwide, says the International Labour Office in a new study. Illegal homes destroyed POLICE Commissioner Augustine Chihuri warned yesterday that police would deal decisively with anyone resisting the ongoing Operation Restore Order as illegal homes built through bogus co-operatives around Harare were demolished. Speedily regularise informal sector THE decisive action being taken by the police and Harare City Council to clean up the city of informal traders and other vices is most welcome. But while this move is a step in the right direction, it is also important not to ignore the fact that Zimbabwe has a significant number of unemployed people whose livelihood is solely dependent on the informal sector. Chile Soldiers' Commanders Risk Prison Youths Take On Homeland SecurityCan the government detain an American citizen for six hours without an explanation? 20-year-old Asmaa Elshinawy and other plaintiffs are suing the Department of Homeland Security to find out. The Answer Is FearOne benefit of the new AM progressive talk radio in cities around the United States is that the call-in shows have opened a window onto the concerns – and confusion – felt by millions of Americans trying to figure out how their country went from a democratic republic to a modern-day empire based on a cult of personality and a faith-based rejection of reason. Gimme Some Truth As the Iraq war grinds on, and it becomes more obvious that the nation is lurching towards disaster, many of us are literally starved for the truth. We hunger for leaders who will be candid about our circumstances, those who believe as Emerson did that truth is the "treasure of all men". Sadly, what we get instead is "uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics." Like A Bracelet Around An Arm The illustration with this article was drawn in 1993 and depicted an Iraq that was cut off from the outside world by the devastating embargo placed on it. Today, I am re-publishing the same drawing, but for a different reason. The new walls will be self-imposed. Venezuela: Knocking over Dominos in Latin AmericaOn Monday, May 16th tens of thousands of Bolivian Indigenous descended from the shantytowns surrounding La Paz, the capital, demanding that the government of Carlos Mesa increase royalties on foreign transnational corporations from 18% to 50%. By the time the march ended that night in a shower of tear gas, rubber bullets and water hosing, their demands had changed. Protesters, known as the “Pact of Unity,”[1] were back on the streets on Tuesday, but now they demanded the outright nationalization of gas and oil companies, the closing of Congress and the impeachment of the President.
Africa on 05.27.05 @ 12:35 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, May 26th
Pretoria name change is approved
Australia's 'sorry day' marked Ceremonies across Australia have marked National Sorry Day, which remembers the government's removal of Aboriginal children from their families. UN holds crisis meeting on Africa droughtThe United Nations has held a crisis meeting overnight at the start of a tour of five countries in southern Africa where the drought is turning deadly. UN officers say they expect the number of people needing food aid in the region to double in the next 12 months. Pretoria name change is approved A recommendation that the name of South Africa's capital be changed from Pretoria to Tshwane has been unanimously approved. The Geographic Names Council took four hours to back the change. Tshwane is the name of a pre-colonial local chief and means "we are the same". U.S. steps up terror fight in AfricaThe United States is pouring more soldiers and money into its anti-terrorism campaign in Africa, including in Algeria and Nigeria, oil-rich nations where radical Islam has a following. U.S. outlines bigger effort to fight terrorism in AfricaPlan would pour $100 million each year into some of least-policed areas Tony's Blurred Blueprint for AfricaIs "African Union Day", which falls today, worth celebrating? Africa's destiny has been virtually left in the hands of people with no first-rate intentions for the continent's progress. "The developed world has a moral duty - as well as a powerful motive of self-interest - to assist Africa," admits Tony Blair, the latest to champion the continent's cause, and whose head is on the chopping block as we enjoy our holiday. Africa Freedom Day Revisited: Africa in Need, IndeedTHE year 2002 marked an important year for Africa's development with the launching of the African Union (AU) and its ambitious plan to put the continent on the path of sustainable development. Guilty shame of our inaction in Africa Africa's 'crucial' year - AnnanUnited Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday Africa faces a "crucial" year as disease and conflict persist despite its efforts to strengthen stability. Durban celebrates Africa Day in styleThe seventh National African Renaissance Celebration ended in great style on Africa Day in Durban on Wednesday, with festivities involving music and traditional dancing. Africa Day ignored at homeThe 42nd Africa Day holiday was celebrated on Wednesday with little fanfare across Africa while several European leaders marked the occasion with homages and promises. Salvadorian Inaugurate Plaza for Arafat Bolivian capital isolated by massive protests Haiti ex-PM charged over killings Former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune has appeared before a judge to be charged with ordering political killings in 2004. Venezuela accuses US of neglecting extradition treatiesDrug DealIf Congress ratifies Bush's controversial CAFTA bill, pharmaceutical companies will be in for a windfall -- and the casualties will be poor AIDS patients. Rumsfeld Laments Global Reach of News in WartimeChina rejects US demand for revaluationChina rejected on Tuesday a detailed prescription from Washington for a quick move to a more flexible exchange rate system, beginning with a 10 per cent revaluation of the renminbi. Mexico: If Posada returns, we will give him to VenezuelaVenezuela to Buy More Argentine Bonds (AP)
Africa on 05.26.05 @ 04:05 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, May 25th
Land ownership remains racially skewed
Obasanjo calls for proof over Liberia chargesThe international community must provide irrefutable proof that former Liberian President Charles Taylor has committed any wrong while living in exile in Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo said on Wednesday. Nigeria May Face Collapse Within Next 15 Years, U.S. Study Says Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, faces an "outright collapse" within the next 15 years that may be sparked by a coup d'etat by junior military officers, according to the U.S. National Intelligence Council. UN to check on Zimbabwe food crisis A special United Nations envoy is to visit Zimbabwe this week to assess the country's critical food situation. WHO's Numbers Don't Add UpTHE 58th Annual World Health Assembly began last week in Geneva, the headquarters of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The killers of malaria and HIV/AIDS, and the fact that half the world does not have access to essential medicines, should not just be on the agenda, but should dominate it. Ghana CommendedGhana has been commended for being the first country to be reviewed under the African Peer Review Mechanism Process (APRMP) of the NEPAD initiative. Southern Africa: Aids Crisis Meeting Announced By UNThe impact of HIV/AIDS on southern Africa will take centre stage this week at a special UN meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. Scottish 'mining for nurses punishes Malawi'MOTHERS-TO-BE in Malawi face a healthcare system rapidly heading back towards the same standard as in medieval Scotland, and much of the blame is being placed on the NHS for recruiting midwives and nurses to fill British skill shortages. Flagship Africa scheme collapses A flagship water privatisation scheme for Africa has collapsed amid claims that the British company involved has failed to improve the supply for millions of people. Tanzania's government yesterday confirmed it had cancelled its deal with Biwater, which was contracted two years ago to bring clean water to the capital Dar es Salaam and the surrounding region within five years by installing new pipes. South Africa waives death penalty for 62South Africa's Constitutional Court today waived the death sentence for 62 prisoners condemned before capital punishment was abolished in 1995, saying it should be replaced by an alternative sentence to end 10 years of legal limbo. SOUTH AFRICA: Land ownership remains racially skewedEleven years into democratic rule, South Africa's white minority population still controls most of the productive agricultural land, government officials acknowledged earlier this week. Venezuela: building a social model
that avoids the Marxist errors of the past Ghana marks AU DayPresident Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and current Chairman of the African Union (AU) on Wednesday appealed for peace in conflict areas in Africa, saying: "We cannot achieve the desired progress if there is no peace and stability." Luis Posada Carriles: The Declassified Record The National Security Archive today posted additional documents that show that the CIA had concrete advance intelligence, as early as June 1976, on plans by Cuban exile terrorist groups to bomb a Cubana airliner. A breath of fresh air sweeps into Hell,
but there's still no way outLike a refreshing breeze blowing briefly over those damned to endure the hell created by America's government came the words of British M.P. George Galloway to an American Senate Committee. The man was simply magnificent. Tough, brave, and articulate—hurling unanswerable truth at blubbering political lowlifes in silk suits. Washington is the most dishonest place on earth, and with that fact goes another, that the American people are among the earth's worst governed. These creepy American Gauleiters had wronged Galloway with faked accusations of his profiting from oil trading with Saddam Hussein. My God, it's just one filthy lie after another. They tried smearing Kofi Anan with the same kind of stuff. Brazilian daily reports multinationals
aided Latin American death squadsMajor US and European corporations collaborated intimately with Latin American military dictatorships in the 1960s and 1970s, fingering militant workers for arrest, torture and often death, according to an article that appeared this week in the Brazilian daily O Globo. US Senator humiliates Arab "leaders" to their faces A US senator has dispensed bitter pills to Arab leaders, pointing out that the United States is not ready to risk the prestige needed to create a Palestinian state. Relatives of youngest Palestinian inmate
in Israeli jails appeal for saving her lifeRelatives of the 14-year-old Hibatallah Ishaq, resident of Al-Khalil, who is the youngest Palestinian female inmate locked up in Israeli prisons, called upon the concerned human rights watchdogs to save their daughter's life. Michael Isikoff: Government News Source Junkie"It was terrible what happened," Michael Isikoff, spineless journalist for Newsweek, told Charlie Rose. "Even if it was just a little bit that we contributed to the violence that went on over there, that was awful, terrible." No, Isikoff wasn't talking about the "violence that went on" in Iraq and Afghanistan, so far resulting in the murder of more than 100,000 people, but rather the mistake he made in telling the truth about what goes on every day in places like Guantanamo Bay, Bagram AFB, Camp Cropper, and other dismal facilities within Bush's torture and sexual humiliation gulag. China told by US to revalue renminbi by 10%The US Treasury has told the Chinese authorities that they must revalue their currency by at least 10 per cent against the dollar to prevent protectionist legislation in the US congress. Indigenous Leaders Say World Bank Should Take Its Own AdviceThe World Bank should follow its own advice and modify its policies and prescriptions for Latin America, indigenous leaders told IPS.
Africa on 05.25.05 @ 03:17 PM CST [ link]
Tuesday, May 24th
Former coup leader wins Central Africa poll
UN Secretary-General's Message On Africa DayThe African Union continues to strengthen its institutions for conflict prevention, resolution and management. The process of democratic consolidation continues to gain impetus, with many countries achieving successful transfers of power through open electoral processes. North Africa summit cancelled over Algeria-Morocco rowA key regional summit of the five-nation Arab Maghreb Union has been postponed indefinitely because of a three-decade dispute between regional heavyweights Morocco and Algeria, officials said Tuesday. Blair dash to shore up Africa plan Tony Blair is to undertake a whirlwind tour of world leaders in the face of mounting evidence that his ambitious agenda for his G8 presidency on climate change and poverty in Africa is crumbling due to US opposition. Former coup leader wins Central Africa pollCENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Incumbent wins presidencyFrancois Bozize, the incumbent leader of the Central African Republic (CAR), who came into power through a coup in 2003, was on Tuesday declared the winner of the country's presidential elections. Nigeria Faces UN Sanction Over Charles TaylorThe chief prosecutor of Sierra Leone's War Crimes Tribunal, said Nigeria will face sanction if it disobeys the United Nation's Security Council to hand over Liberia's exiled former leader, Charles Taylor, to face trial. N. Ireland Reports Rise in Racist Crimes By force or choice, Uzbeks return homeDanger of new adventures as U.S. losing grip on world eventsOf course, U.S. imperialism has been an empire at least since it took over Hawaii and Samoa at the end of the 19th century—even before the war of 1898 when it conquered Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. The spectre of extinction: Indian vulture population crashesThe great Indian vulture crash was a complete mystery at first; enormous though it was, there was no discernible cause - just as there is still no discernible cause for the disappearance of the house sparrow from the streets of London. Last year, however, the mystery was dramatically solved: the culprit was found to be not a virus at all, but a veterinary product, a painkilling drug given to cattle, diclofenac. Scientists found that the drug, which was harmless to humans and to cattle themselves, was highly toxic to vultures of the genus Gyps. (The white-backed vulture is Gyps bengalensis, the long-billed vulture Gyps indicus, and the slender-billed vulture, Gyps tenuirostris.) Tabloid says it paid U.S. official for Saddam Hussein photosThe U.S. military condemned the publication Friday of photographs showing an imprisoned Saddam Hussein naked except for his white underwear, and ordered an investigation of how the pictures were leaked to a tabloid. Some Iraqis expressed anger, but President Bush said he did not think the images would incite further anti-American sentiment. The Unnoticed Death of Amada SariaBlaming the Little Guy for History's Big CrimesUK botanists harvest Zulu cures to fight Aids-related infectionsThe pipeline that will change the worldIt is 42 inches wide, 1,090 miles long and is intended to save the West from relying on Middle Eastern oil. Nothing has been allowed to stand in its way - and it finally opens today.
Africa on 05.24.05 @ 01:48 PM CST [ link]
Monday, May 23rd
Remembering a Million Killed in Genocide
Chavez Considers Breaking US Ties Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he will consider breaking diplomatic ties with the US if it fails to hand over a Cuban-born terror suspect. Africa Union Wants Gear for Use in Darfur'Give Africa a break'Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Sunday urged western media to refrain from portraying Africa, the world's poorest continent, in a purely negative light, saying that such coverage affected its ability to attract foreign investment. 'Bush Distorts History While Laura Amuses the Media'Clever theatrics seem to distract the media from asking questions. For example, when Laura Bush’s made “risqué” comments at the late April White House Correspondents’ dinner the toady press corps swooned, even more so than when her husband dressed up in a jump suit and landed on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003. Non Invasive Prostate Cancer Treatment Available Soon in South AfricaSouth Africa launches new on-line search engineWith the launch of the new search engine, www.funnel.co.za, South African internet users can get faster, more accurate and more relevant results as it only indexes domestic sites, the Funnel team has said. Family murders 'catching' Johannesburg - More and more people are committing family killings because they are "catching", a director for family and life centre (Famsa) said on Monday. Behind SA's orgy of family murdersUnemployment, depression, jealousy, a patriarchal society, alcohol and drug abuse are a deadly cocktail that has claimed the lives of hundreds in South Africa - mainly women and children. Remembering a Million Killed in GenocideAt just over 26,000 square kilometres, Rwanda is one of the smallest countries in Africa. Rwanda has the highest population density in Africa, and it's 8 million live literally face to face. That is one of the reasons the 1994 genocide in which nearly 1 million people were killed in 100 days - mostly members of the minority Tutsi community and the Hutu who were considered supporters of moderate politics - was such a horrific and troublingly intimate experience. Excuses, Excuses: How the Right Rationalizes Racial Inequality in AmericaAs with white America's denial of racism in labor markets, the refusal to believe that bias plays a role in policing, prosecution or incarceration is commonplace. UN report finds
US war in Iraq yields a social “tragedy”No Child Left UnmedicatedTeenScreen, State-Drugging and SuicideThis pharmaceutical industry backed pill-pushing scheme cons school kids into taking a survey full of loaded questions and then uses the results to convince parents that their kids need to be on dangerous mind-altering drugs that have now been linked to suicide and other violent acts in children. Afghan leader heads for Bush showdown Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai was last night on his way to the US, promising to confront George Bush over the growing scandal about American abuse of Afghan prisoners. Some European countries declares war against Turkish 'Onur Air' Company Hacker Hunters An elite force takes on the dark side of computing Renewable, Nontoxic Wind Power Costs FallingChinese island tapping into wind power Rainforest loss shocks Brazil Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest last year was the second worst ever, figures released by the Brazilian government have shown. Satellite photos and other data showed that ranchers, loggers and especially soy bean farmers felled more than 10,000 square miles. Lake disappears, baffling villagersA Russian village was left baffled on Thursday after its lake disappeared overnight.
Africa on 05.23.05 @ 01:49 PM CST [ link]
Sunday, May 22nd
Secret study into GM food
Anger in Kenya after white rancher
charged with murder escapes justice NAIROBI : Anger erupted in Kenya, a day after the government dropped murder charges against a famous white rancher, as riot police battled human rights activists in the capital. Masai on the 'murder trail'Narok, Kenya - Masai leaders have vowed to invade a ranch run by the grandson of one of Kenya's first white settlers to press for his re-arrest and prosecution over the killing of a Masai game-park warden. 'Drought not cause of famine'Another impending famine hovers a dark cloud over Southern Africa. Experts dispute that drought is not the major cause of perennial starvation but the sturbborness of bad policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Germany 'blocks' Blair's Africa plan Tony Blair's plans to tackle poverty in Africa are being 'blocked' by Germany and Italy, with both countries refusing to increase aid packages ahead of the vital G8 talks, The Observer can reveal. Revealed: health fears over secret study into GM foodRats fed GM corn due for sale in Britain developed abnormalities in blood and kidneysRats fed on a diet rich in genetically modified corn developed abnormalities to internal organs and changes to their blood, raising fears that human health could be affected by eating GM food. How the technology works, and what it promisesWhat is it? Genetically modified (GM) food is produced from plants or animals that have had their genetic material altered by scientists. Scientists are able to extract genes from organisms with desirable properties - such as a particular colour or resistance to a disease - and transfer them to another organism. Blinded in a land of illusionsTwo Americans with personal agendas wreak havoc while trying to do good.Philip Caputo's devastating new novel, Acts of Faith, will be to the era of the Iraq war what Graham Greene's novel The Quiet American became to the Vietnam era: a parable about American excursions abroad and the dangers of missionary zeal, a Conradian tale about idealism run amok, capitalistic greed sold as paternalistic benevolence, ignorance disguised as compassion. Africa needs more than European platitudesGhana Sitting On A Ticking Time BombThe entire nation is sitting on a potential economic and social time bomb as one of the most devastating locust infestations in recent memory spreads rapidly south towards Ghana. The politics of stalemate: Year of living dangerouslyUS Silenced Information on Terrorism Supplied by CubaPresident Fidel Castro denounced that the US kept silent about information supplied by Cuba in September 1998 on terrorist attacks financed from Florida, whose methods were later repeated in detail in the 9/11, 2001 terrorist attacks. With Kurds' success in Iraq,
some Iranian Kurds itching to resume fight in their homeland Taysir Alluni: A reporter behind barsTaysir Alluni could never have suspected that the 9/11 attacks and the US war against Afghanistan in its hunt for al-Qaida and Taliban leaders would dramatically change his life. Angels of DeathDuring World War II, a high-ranking Nazi physician, Dr. Josef Mengele, rose to infamy for carrying out evil, sadistic experiments on prisoners of the Nazis. In 1943, Mengele was stationed at Auschwitz-Birkenau -- concentration camps where numerous Poles, homosexuals, Soviets, Jews, and Roma met horrible and untimely deaths. Israeli doctors experimented on children A leading Israeli doctor and medical ethicist has called for the prosecution of doctors responsible for thousands of unauthorised and often illegal experiments on small children and geriatric and psychiatric patients in Israeli hospitals. Red, White, and Without a Clue In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, America naively asked in its stunned stupor, "Why do they hate us?" In consoling us, our fearless leaders appealed to our collective sense of superiority and self-righteousness by explaining that the Muslim world (a.k.a. "they") hate us because of what we stand for: freedom, democracy, Mom, baseball, and apple pie. Comforted, we patted ourselves on our collective back for being so gosh-darn wonderful and condemned the savage heathens who wanted nothing less than to destroy all that is right and good in the world -- us. Thanks to a recent confluence of events involving our interaction with the Muslim world, it is clear that "they" do hate us for what we stand for. Unfortunately, what we stand for is not freedom, democracy, nor any other high-minded ideal. Rather, we stand for arrogance, barbarism, and violence. Peer Review: French Military Looks at US Performance in Iraq Le Monde's military correspondent Laurent Zecchini reports on a French study of the performance of the US military in Iraq. Not only were US forces completely unprepared for insurgent war but applied the tactics of "massive reconnoitering" borrowed from Sherman’s March to the Sea. Unlike the British, US forces don't make the slightest attempt to respect the locals. The French analysts think that prevailing Protestant beliefs in predestination may have only increased the mayhem and bloodletting. Everybody heard him cry out and thought it was funnyIn U.S. Report, Brutal Details of 2 Afghan Inmates' DeathsEven as the young Afghan man was dying before them, his American jailers continued to torment him. PIRATES REPRISETKO by axis of evilIran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi visits Iraq for the best part of a week, confers with Iraq's new government in Baghdad's Green Zone while suicide bombers wreak havoc outside, then travels to Najaf for an audience with Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq's supreme Shiite leader (who has always declined to meet with U.S. officials), and caps things off with a joint Iran-Iraq pledge to respect each other's sovereignty and independence, and reject any link between Islam and terrorism.
Africa on 05.22.05 @ 01:59 PM CST [ link]
Saturday, May 21st
Poverty and the Power of Myths
Bush Lied, and Press Can't be Bothered to Report on it On May 1, the Sunday Times of London published the confidential minutes of a meeting between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and members of his Cabinet. The minutes reveal, among other things, that President Bush and Blair secretly agreed to invade Iraq long before weapons inspections had begun -- in fact, long before the United Nations was even approached about revisiting the idea of weapons inspections. 'Crime is keeping Africa in shackles'Crime in Africa is leaving the continent shackled in its bid to stave off poverty and protect the most vulnerable section of its population - its youth. As many as 56 percent of children have seen someone killed in front of them and a further 80 percent have lost an immediate family member. Japan's aid to Africa under global scrutiny"This year is the year of Africa," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said at last month's Asia-Africa Summit meeting. Koizumi also announced that Japan would double its official development assistance to Africa over the next three years. 'I Dreamed of Africa' author accused over deaths of black rhinosA glamorous Italian-born writer and land-owner, whose life story was turned into a movie starring Kim Basinger, is in the middle of an environmental storm after four rare black rhinos died on arrival at her Kenyan farm. Poverty and the Power of MythsEver since Western colonial powers swindled colonies, abruptly leaving behind corrupted systems and tattered economies, to the current day, when the more developed world has cunningly crafted a global economy of dependence and centralism, the third world has been at the West's mercy. The Cost of the War in IraqWHAT WILL IT TAKE?How Many More Lies Will the Media TellThis is not a matter of bias in the media; it is a matter of deception. Bias, however damaging, is nowhere as dangerous and destructive as the sheer deception that is taking place. People can detect bias, but unless they are actively exploring alternative news sources they might never even suspect that they are being deceived or lied to by omission. The corporate media have abused the trust that had been earned by journalists past. They know the public trusts them to tell the truth. They know that a public that trusts them will not spend time fact checking. Lawmakers to Repeal American Indian Ban Castro: Cuba, U.S. once shared terror infoStatement issued by the Iraqi Resistance concerning
the US enemy defeat and its visible losses in al QaemAristide Backers March in Haiti About 5,000 people loyal to the former President of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, have taken to the streets to demand his return from exile. Bush unveils plans for US colonial officeThe US government is creating a permanent agency tasked with the rapid consolidation of US control in countries targeted by Washington for military aggression. That was President George W. Bush's essential message in a speech delivered Wednesday to a Republican audience in Washington.
Africa on 05.21.05 @ 07:10 PM CST [ link]
Friday, May 20th
Indian Tribes Linked Directly to African 'Eve'
Indian Tribes Linked Directly to African 'Eve'Two primitive tribes in India's Andaman and Nicobar islands are believed to be direct descendants of the first modern humans who migrated from Africa at least 50,000 years ago, according to a study by Indian biologists. Full text: Jose Manuel Barroso's speech Speech given by the president of the European commission to the European partnership for aid and development at the London School of Economics Former S.Africa president wades into Pretoria rowPretoria's city council, dominated by the ruling African National Congress party, decided to rename the capital Tshwane in March. South Africa: Aids Named As Leading Cause of DeathHIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death in South Africa, according to a new Medical Research Council (MRC) report on cause-specific death rates for each of the country's nine provinces. Refugees in South Africa (Part 3): Government CorruptionThe Department of Home Affairs has appealed to the public to be "alert to all forms of corruption" at the Cape Town Refugee Reception Office. This follows a Cape Times investigation that found "agents" working outside the refugee office, but in co-operation with officials inside, were offering refugees an asylum-seeker's permit in exchange for R250 to R350. Canada refuses visa to GM foods expertOTTAWA - Africa's leading expert on genetically modified foods has been refused a visa to attend a meeting next week in Montreal at the Secretariat for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Africa: UN And Gates Foundation Team Up Against DiseaseThe World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Bill Gates Foundation have agreed to jointly tackle HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by improving medical information systems in developing nations. With Open Skies Must Come SecuritySA IS a strong supporter of the overarching aims of the Yamoussoukro Decision, which seeks to open African skies. However, there is one area where the African Union (AU) needs to ensure that all issues are understood, and that Africa gets the product it needs - air transportation safety and security. Mandela's latest battle: Fighting for his good nameNelson Mandela may be one of the most revered men in the world, but that hasn't stopped the greedy from trying to cash in on his name. Companies in South Africa have taken on names such as Nelson Mandela Panel Beaters and Nelson Mandela Fine Art. A clothing manufacturer recently tried to trademark Mandela's prison number for use with a new clothing line. Shops hawk Mandela salt-and-pepper shakers, paper dolls, refrigerator magnets and cotton cloth, all festooned with the aging icon's unlicensed image. Quotes of the weekCape Town - A selection of quotes of southern African interest that appeared in the media in the last week. Background series leading to today's
arrest of Luis Posada Carriles in MiamiFor the last two months we have been covering developments on the appearance of Luis Posada Carriles in Miami in April. Posada, 80 years old has been wanted for terrorism for many years. His arrest today carries tremendous significance, especially in the Western Hemisphere. The Color of Politics and the Idiocy of American Racism In so many words I told him to "never underestimate the stupidity of the American people," which, truth be told, was a statement of anguish, one founded in my distrust in white America, or better stated, the white electorate's predictable political behavior. The United States of Infantilization We weren't so much pleased about the ultimate Viet Cong and North Vietnamese triumph over the South (and our troops), as we were glad to be purged of the whole sordid affair. At home in the rubble:
siege city reborn as giant gated communityFallujah was devastated by a US offensive six months ago Where Racial and Political Gerrymandering UnitedNaive American voters still believe that they select their Congressional representatives. Texans are under no such illusion after the bitter redistricting battle that took place there. Partisan and racial gerrymandering has created a situation in Texas and across the nation, where very few U.S. Congressional seats are competitive today -- in effect allowing Congressmen to choose their voters. Radio host Glenn Beck
"thinking about killing Michael Moore"Clear Channel radio host Glenn Beck said he was "thinking about killing [filmmaker] Michael Moore" and pondered whether "I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it," before concluding: "No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out -- is this wrong?" $1 Trillion Missing : Military waste under fire The Department of Defense, already infamous for spending $640 for a toilet seat, once again finds itself under intense scrutiny, only this time because it couldn't account for more than a trillion dollars in financial transactions, not to mention dozens of tanks, missiles and planes. Ramsey Clark says Saddam trial unfairFormer U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark says ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his top aides are not getting a fair trial. Cuban 'Terrorist' and CIA Asset Posada Carriles Holds Press Conference and is Taken By Homeland Security, But Will the US Extradite Him to Venezuela to Face Terror Charges? Earth 'still ringing' from tsunami quake
Africa on 05.20.05 @ 03:07 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, May 19th
We must understand our past
We must understand our past Nation-building should start with a proper sense of history Mbeki's diplomacy a successPresident Thabo Mbeki's peace initiatives are showing progress in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ivory Coast although the advances are fragile, analysts say. New Monkey Species Discovered in East AfricaScientists have discovered a new monkey species in the mountains of East Africa. Geldof is wrong: aid to Africa hasn't worked PERHAPS I'm just growing old and grumpy but the sight of Bob Geldof parading his millionaire ego at Holyrood was more than I could bear. Yes, the plight of sub-Saharan Africa is desperate, but it will be cured by hard economic logic rather than pop-star emotion. US to launch new counter-terrorism initiative in AfricaThe United States will launch a new program in June to help an interagency effort to prevent terrorists from establishing a foothold in Africa, the Pentagon said on Monday. New African monkey discovered A previously unknown monkey species has been found in the mountains of southern Tanzania. Uranium to become a protected resource SOUTH Africa is to declare uranium a protected mineral resource to safeguard supplies for its growing nuclear industry, Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka announced on Thursday. Unity seen as way to empower AfricaNAIROBI, Kenya - (KRT) - For a Ugandan farmer trying to get a shipping container of coffee to Europe, the first leg of the journey is always the most frustrating. Because Uganda is landlocked, the shipment must go by rutted road to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, a 750-mile journey that rarely takes less than a month, $3,000 in shipping costs, one border crossing and sometimes protracted negotiations with Kenyan port authorities. UN Special Envoy returns to
southern Africa as humanitarian needs escalateMassive shake-up in education plannedThe government is to introduce tough measures designed to shake education in South Africa to the core. Los Angeles Elects First Latino Mayor in 130 YearsCowboys and MuslimsIn the U.S., kids have always played games pitting the "good guys" against the "bad guys." "Cops and Robbers" and "Cowboys and Indians" are two timeless pursuits of American youngsters. Debt Cancellation: Historic Victories, New ChallengesHow 100% debt cancellation for poor countries--now being debated by wealthy nations--was transformed from an implausible demand into a winning issue, and what barriers lie ahead for the debt relief movement. U.S. and Iraqi military forces detain journalistsThe US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is demanding an explanation from U.S. and Iraqi military forces regarding the whereabouts of at least eight Iraqi journalists who have been detained since March 2005. CIA plans to shift work to DenverWASHINGTON -- The CIA has plans to relocate the headquarters of its domestic division, which is responsible for operations and recruitment in the United States, from the CIA's Langley, Va., headquarters to Denver, a move designed to promote innovation, according to U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials. Cuba slams US extradition 'farce' Cuban President Fidel Castro has condemned the US handling of an old foe, bombing suspect Luis Posada Carriles, as "a big farce, a big lie".
Africa on 05.19.05 @ 05:56 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, May 18th
Out Of Africa
UN Supports Death SquadsOn the Justice of Impunity in Haiti S. Africa finalizes new immigration regulationsThe South African government announced on Wednesday that it has finalized the new immigration regulations which will come into effect on July 1."The current amendments to the immigration law will also introduce some changes, eliminating the red tape burden that was imposed on travelers," Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said at the parliament in Cape Town. 2 000 scam marriages scrappedAlmost 2 000 marriages have been annulled in the past nine months as authorities clamp down on foreigners using stolen or forged identity documents to marry unsuspecting South Africans to evade immigration controls. Home Affairs to monitor 'mercenaries'The 61 alleged mercenaries who recently returned to South Africa will be closely monitored by the Department of Home Affairs, minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said in Parliament on Wednesday. Mandela's Powerful Message - 'Africa's Time Has Come'Mangena Pleads for Support for Indigenous KnowledgeScience and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena says scientists need to give priority to the increased use of indigenous knowledge within the streams of scientific development in the country. DRC: South Africa to help rebuild public serviceFrom Out Of Africa... And Into IndiaThe Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) has claimed to have unravelled the mystery surrounding the origin of the Andamanese tribes. It says that it has traced the latter’s origins to Africa by showing that the first humans who migrated from Africa were trapped in the Andaman regions 70,000 years ago. Origin of the Andaman population HYDERABAD: The Andaman islanders originated in Africa and travelled through India hundred thousand years ago. This is the outcome of a research by the Centre of Cellular and Molecular Biology here. It has used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 16,569 base pairs of five each of the Onge, Great Andamanese and Nicobarese tribals to reconstruct the origin of the Andaman islanders. First Minister gets reminder of Geldof's Africa warning MALAWI'S education minister has been arrested for allegedly using public funds for his wedding ceremony, just days before First Minister Jack McConnell's visit to the African country. SA wants better safety for flying in AfricaThe incidence of air traffic accidents in the African continent is unacceptably high. This was South Africa's position at the African Union (AU) air transport and aviation conference, currently under way at Sun City in the North West. AU urges Nato officials to assist in DarfurEducation in South Africa - In 11 LanguagesHere in South Africa, all subjects are taught in 11 "official" languages. This is too ridiculous for words. The wastage and mega-cost of this may not be obvious to people who only speak English. Let me explain. We have 11 official languages - to make everyone happy - even teeny weeny, backward tribes. Of these languages, one is English and one is Afrikaans. Mexico to charge former president in 1968 massacreAllowed terrorismThree years ago, President Bush said that his War on Terror would pursue terrorists "in any dark corner of the world," but no light has been cast on Miami where terrorists for decades have waged a campaign against Cuba of hit-and run attacks, sabotage, infiltration of armed agents, assassination, etc. After the failure of the CIA's 1961 invasion, using Cuban émigrés at the Bay of Pigs, the CIA tried another plan, Operation Mongoose, which also failed after leading directly to the 1962 October Missile Crisis. Galloway and the mother of all invective George Galloway stormed up to Capitol Hill yesterday morning for the confrontation of his career, firing scatter-shot insults at the senators who had accused him of profiting illegally from Iraqi oil sales. They were "neo-cons" and "Zionists" and a "pro-war lynch mob", he raged, who belonged to a "lickspittle Republican committee" that was engaged in creating "the mother of all smokescreens". Reporters Without Borders UnmaskedIts Secret Deal with Otto Reich to Wreck Cuba's Economy MEDIA-U.S.: A Tale of Two StoriesHere's a question for international news hounds. Who is the "son of a bitch" referred to in this comment by a U.S. Defence Department spokesman? "People are dead because of what this son of a bitch said. How could he be credible now?" Blair blamed for Indian farmers' deathsThe British government had its back to the wall over its development policies on Tuesday after claims that it paid a think tank to enforce needless privatisation of state units in India's Andhra Pradesh - a move that contributed to thousands of farmer suicides. Israel to investigate poor treatment of Filipinos on Tel Aviv flightsThe Philippines has received assurance from the Israeli government that it would act upon the poor treatment of Filipinos travelling on Tel Aviv flights. Manila has filed a formal protest over the alleged segregation of the travellers at the back of aircraft on flights to Tel Aviv. 50,000 AWOL in WW 2 - GIs Behaving BadlyBush renews Burma sanctionsUS President George W. Bush has renewed economic sanctions on Burma, saying its military government represses human rights.
Africa on 05.18.05 @ 06:01 PM CST [ link]
Tuesday, May 17th
The Propaganda War on Democracy
Myanmar Suggests U.S. in Recent Attacks Myanmar's ruling military junta implied Sunday that the CIA had funded terrorists - trained in neighboring Thailand - who carried out a recent string of bombings. Group: Tribe Faces Annihilation in BrazilAn Amazon Indian tribe isolated from modern Brazil by hundreds of miles of rain forest faces annihilation by loggers if nothing is done to protect them, an Indian rights group warned Monday. Minister: Ecuador to review oil contractsEcuador will review all of its current oil contracts with foreign companies, the country's self-described "nationalist" energy minister said in an interview published Monday. Somewhere Out There, Millions of Species Await DiscoveryWhile Planet Earth is becoming an increasingly smaller and more familiar world as every corner is explored and colonized, there remain millions of species undiscovered and undocumented. A number of significant species have been discovered in recent months, revealing humans' huge gaps in knowledge of the world around them. Opposition did well in Ethiopia pollSunday's election in Ethiopia saw a large voter turnout, maybe up to 90 percent, according to the National Electoral Board. While obververs expect Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to win his third five-year term, the opposition claims to have made major gains, espacially in the capital. Guinea-Bissau's Kumba Yala: from crisis to crisisEx-President Kumba Yala of Guinea-Bissau, a highly intelligent philosopher and demagogue, is leading the poor country from one political disaster to the other. His proclamation this week of being the country's rightful President has caused outrage in Guinea-Bissau and the international society, fearing the country could miss out on a unique possibility to secure peace and stability. RIGHTS-KENYA: Truth, Justice and Reconciliation as Elusive as EverA recent statement by Kenyan Justice Minister Kiraitu Murungi that it was "no longer necessary" for the country to establish a commission to investigate atrocities committed under previous governments was greeted with both outrage and delight. The promise to set up such a body, modeled on South Africa's internationally acclaimed inquiry into rights abuses that occurred during apartheid, was one of the key pledges made during the current head of state's campaign for office. President Mwai Kibaki and his National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) were elected to power in December 2002. The Propaganda War on DemocracyIn 1987, the Australian sociologist Alex Carey, a second Orwell in his prophesies, wrote "Managing Public Opinion: the corporate offensive." He described how in the United States "great progress [had been] made towards the ideal of a propaganda-managed democracy," whose principal aim was to identify a rapacious business state "with every cherished human value." The power and meaning of true democracy, of the franchise itself, would be "transferred" to the propaganda of advertising, public relations and corporate-run news. This "model of ideological control", he predicted, would be adopted by other countries, such as Britain. India rushes to enter elite club
- Draft motion for UN Council seatIndia, acting in concert with Japan, Germany and Brazil, yesterday took the bold, but risky, step of circulating a draft UN resolution, which, if adopted, could see all four countries elected permanent members of the Security Council by the middle of July. Rogue Robot Networks Cause PC HavocPatrick Evans, regional manager of network security company Symantec, said most spam - or unwanted e-mail - that circulated in SA originated from abroad. BP Stains the ArcticWhile the hacks working for mainstream news organizations were busy chasing the story about the Runaway Bride late last month, a real scandal was just beginning to unfold as Congress inched closer to approving a controversial measure to open up a couple thousand acres of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration. The Jackson State Murders, May 14, 1970Recently, the US press gave a few lines of coverage to the murders of four Kent State University students by Ohio National Guardsmen during antiwar demonstrations at the school thirty-five years ago. Sometimes these reports also included a reference to the murders of two more young people ten days later at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. These murders have always been a footnote to the Kent State killings. Part of the reason for this is the fact that they occurred after the Kent actions, but another aspect to this perception and portrayal is the fact that the young people who were murdered by police in Jackson were African-American. Through no fault of the Kent victims, the nature of US society is that white deaths count for more than those that occur to darker-hued individuals. Killings at Jackson State University On this date in 1970, the Jackson State killings occurred. In the spring of that year, campus communities across this country were characterized by protests and demonstrations.
Africa on 05.17.05 @ 05:47 PM CST [ link]
Monday, May 16th
What drives support for Uzbekistan torturer
Oil and gas ensure that the US backs the Uzbek dictator to the hilt by Craig Murray, The GuardianThe bodies of hundreds of pro-democracy protesters in Uzbekistan are scarcely cold, and already the White House is looking for ways to dismiss them. The White House spokesman Scott McClellan said those shot dead in the city of Andijan included "Islamic terrorists" offering armed resistance. They should, McClellan insists, seek democratic government "through peaceful means, not through violence". But how? This is not Georgia, Ukraine or even Kyrgyzstan. There, the opposition parties could fight elections. The results were fixed, but the opportunity to propagate their message brought change. In Uzbek elections on December 26, the opposition was not allowed to take part at all. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Africa on 05.16.05 @ 06:06 PM CST [ link]
'Mercenaries' to be Charged in South Africa
Baffling diseases emerging from AfricaJOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Some of the viruses are notorious, such as Ebola and HIV. Others have less familiar names: Marburg and Lassa fever. But they all have emerged in recent decades from sub-Saharan Africa, perplexing scientists and, in the case of HIV, killing millions. 53 AU ministers to attend transport summit About 53 African Union (AU) ministers responsible for transport are expected to attend the four-day air transport summit starting tomorrow at Sun City in the North West province. Addressing the media, Jeff Radebe, the transport minister, said the meeting will review the African ministers' decisions taken five ago. SABC Africa celebrates Africa DayAfrica Day is day celebrated in some countries in the continent but in South Africa, it has not been proclaimed a public holiday yet. Despite this, SABC Africa celebrated Africa Day. The theme of this year's celebration: Africa's successes both economically and politically. Next week will see a number of countries in the continent celebrating Africa Day, some which have emerged from various hardships as a result of colonialism. It also marks the continuation of solidarity amongst Africans both in the diaspora and the continent. South Africa Advocates Aid Transparency InitiativeSouth Africa's Finance Minister, Trevor Manuel has advocated an Aid Transparency Initiative focused on monitoring aid flow and how the aid is managed on the African continent. Ethiopia opposition claims big election gainsSuspected Mercenaries to be Charged in South AfricaSouth Africa will charge a total of 64 men who were arrested and jailed last year in Zimbabwe, while apparently enroute to Equatorial Guinea to participate in a botched coup. Those to be charged include 61 released this past weekend and deported to South Africa. Chavez Says Venezuela has Plan in Case He's Killed Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday that if he is assassinated, his government has a contingency plan to prevent his enemies from taking control of the world's No. 5 oil exporter. Speech at Conference Assails Right Wing Bill Moyers denounced on Sunday the right wing and top officials at the White House, saying they are trying to silence their critics by controlling the news media. He also took aim at reporters who become little more than willing government "stenographers." And he said the public increasingly is content with just enough news to confirm its own biases News Media and "the Madness of Militarism" Media activism has achieved a lot. But I don't believe there's anything to be satisfied with -- considering the present-day realities of corporate media and the warfare state. Ottawa to track missing native women The federal government is set to announce $5 million in spending to help reduce the lost ranks of murdered or missing aboriginal women. America's drugs plan in tatters as cocaine and corruption flourishWashington's "war on drugs" in Colombia is collapsing in chaos and corruption, and the drug producers are winning. The so-called Plan Colombia, which has cost the US more than $3bn (£1.6bn) in the past five years, is being abandoned, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has announced. Fidel Castro and Freedom for the Cuban FiveHavana, May 12 (AIN) The battle against terrorism is also a one for the release of five Cuban political prisoners incarcerated in the United States, asserted Cuban President Fidel Castro in a nationally televised address Thursday. Fury as Haiti quashes massacre verdicts IN A nation where state-sponsored massacres are as common as the impunity granted to their perpetrators, the Raboteau trial shone as a beacon of long-denied justice. Palestinians mark day of catastrophePalestinians have observed the blackest day in their history with warnings that there will be no Middle East peace until they get independence and the plight of their refugees is solved. NiobraraBolivia: What makes Evo Morales tick?China Contests Out of Africa ClaimsThe over million-year-old evidence consists of three tooth fossils found in a mountain cave at Mazhaping Village in the Gaoping Township of Jianshi County, western Hubei Province. Because researchers also found stone tools and remains of fire hearths dating to 130,000 years ago at nearby sites, China established a Jianshi Man research team to collectively analyze the findings.
Africa on 05.16.05 @ 04:49 PM CST [ link]
Sunday, May 15th
First man's children in Andamans
Coup 'plotters' back in S AfricaZimbabwean authorities have released a group of South Africans jailed a year ago on suspicion of planning a coup in the West African nation of Equatorial Guinea. The group, known as the Zim 62, has arrived back in South Africa after a year in a Zimbabwean prison. Africa brainstorms on povertyAfrican finance ministers gathered here over the weekend for a two-day meeting to hammer out ways of achieving the Millennium development Goals (MDGs) on fighting poverty in Africa. Africa responds to close down polio epidemicAs polio reaches as far as Indonesia, over 77 million children to be immunized at heart of outbreak to prevent further spread. Britain's little secret: trafficking in childrenDETECTIVES, LOOKING INTO MURDER, SAY 300 BLACK BOYS ARE MISSING On the Beach With Dave ChappelleIn South Africa, TIME's Simon Robinson talks with the comic about his sudden disappearance from Chappelle's Show Pope Urges Missionary Zeal During ServiceFirst man's children in AndamansTwo tribes in the Andamans may be the direct descendants of the earliest modern humans who trudged out of Africa over 70,000 years ago, scientists will announce tomorrow. The way we were Clinching proof of humankind's first wanderings comes from the Andamanese Ex-chief of Saudi charity to sue Rice in US court The former head of Saudi Arabia's Al Haramain charity said yesterday that he was filing a lawsuit in the United States against senior officials, including Condoleezza Rice, for putting him on a UN terrorist blacklist. Indian court orders probe into child marriagesNEW DELHI –– India's top court has ordered three states investigate reports of thousands of child marriages despite a ban on the centuries-old tradition. Muslim Brotherhood Feels Homeland Pressure North Korea Distrustful of U.S. Overture North Korea said Saturday that Washington's reassurances about recognizing its independence were a trick meant to conceal a U.S. plan to topple the communist government. President Bush's New Best Friend
Slaughters As Many As 200 Civilians In UzbekistanDozens of civilians were killed when Uzbek government troops opened fire on protesters, many but not all of them unarmed, in the eastern city of Andijan Friday evening. The president of the Central Asian republic defended the use of force Saturday as necessary to put down an uprising that he said was the work of "criminals" and "Islamic radicals." Galloway accuses senators of 'smear'George Galloway will accuse US senators of conducting a smear campaign against him after they alleged he was given millions of dollars in bribes by Saddam Hussein's regime. Amman, Iraq, and Al-Qaim
Africa on 05.15.05 @ 07:46 PM CST [ link]
Saturday, May 14th
Europe corrupts Africa
Ivory Coast Govt, rebels agree to disarmGovernment and rebel forces in west Africa's Ivory Coast have agreed to start disarming by the end of June in a step to end a long-running civil war. African youngsters 'vanish' in UKLONDON: British police and welfare experts expressed shock at findings which showed that hundreds of young African boys "disappear" from schools in London on a regular basis. Missing: the mystery of 300 boys who have disappeared from school Torso in the Thames case reveals 'scandal' of vanished children as welfare groups urge action China-Africa trade surges in first quarterTwo-way trade between China and Africa grew 31 percent in the first quarter of 2005, a growth rate higher than China's overall foreign trade growth volume, the Ministry of Commerce said Friday. Leprosy did not originate in India: Study NEW DELHI: Leprosy, one of oldest diseases on earth, originated probably in East Africa or the Middle East and not as was previously thought, in India, researchers claim in a study. Pope: Europe corrupts AfricaRome - In a stern criticism of colonialism, Pope Benedict XVI said on Friday that along with Christianity, Europe had brought corruption and violence to the African continent. Brazil's 'slave' ranch workers On a recent trip to several African countries, Brazil's President Inacio Lula da Silva made a point of apologising for historical slavery in his country. Landless peasant army marches on BrasiliaThousands of landless Brazilian peasants were marching toward the capital on Friday after a 14-day trek across the country in protest against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's failure to carry out land reforms. Mexico to send letter to U.S. protesting border wallHorror Of US Depleted Uranium In Iraq Threatens World American use of DU is "A crime against humanity which may, in the eyes of historians, rank with the worst atrocities of all time." US Iraq Military Vets "are on DU death row, waiting to die." More Phony Jobs HypeApril's job growth is consistent with the depressing pattern of US employment growth in the 21st century: The outsourced US economy can create jobs only in domestic nontradable services. Osama's Head on Ice: CIA and Bush Administration Fire up "Mighty Wurlitzer" Army Recruiter caught on tape threatening youth with arrest http://www.khou.com/images/0505/voicemail.wav Latin strongman rebels against US-centric newsCARACAS, VENEZUELA – Television is a window on the world. But if you're sitting in Latin America, that window is more likely to be facing Baghdad than Buenos Aires. Or show Michael Jackson instead of Mexico City. Or offer a clearer view of Ukraine's Orange Revolution than the one in Ecuador last month. Those networks that do cover regional news, like CNN Español, based in Atlanta, or Spain's TVE, are often considered US- or Eurocentric, with pundits sitting in Washington or Madrid. International news from the Latin American perspective is almost nonexistent, critics say. Television of the SouthVenezuelan President Hugo Chavez, tireless polemist and Bush nemesis, has a new pet project: a continent-wide television network slated for broadcast throughout South America in the coming weeks. Telesur, or "Television of the South," aims to be a competitor of CNN, Univison and other global giants seen by southern neighbors as minions of American hegemony. Described by its new director, Aram Aharonian, as South America's "first counter-hegemonic media project," Telesur reportedly has 20 employees but hopes to work its way up to at least 60. The Chavez government has coughed up $2.5 million for the project thus far and is permitting Telesur to operate as an affiliate of Venezuelan state television. Wheelchair-bound man shot by police A police officer in North Carolina shot and killed a double-amputee when the man refused to put down a handgun. China Says US Impeded North Korea Arms TalksA senior Chinese diplomat on Thursday accused the Bush administration of undermining efforts to revive negotiations with the North Korean government and said there was "no solid evidence" that North Korea was preparing to test a nuclear weapon.
Africa on 05.14.05 @ 06:25 PM CST [ link]
Friday, May 13th
Early Humans Left Africa Via Coast
Study: Early Humans Left Africa Via CoastThe first modern humans to leave East Africa and populate Asia may have not traveled through the Middle East, as the traditional model suggests, but along a southern coastal route, a pair of new genetic studies conclude. Geneticists Link Modern Humans to Single Band Out of AfricaA team of geneticists believe they have shed light on many aspects of how modern humans emigrated from Africa by analyzing the DNA of the Orang Asli, the original inhabitants of Malaysia. Because the Orang Asli appear to be directly descended from the first emigrants from Africa, they have provided valuable new clues about that momentous event in early human history. Out of Africa: DNA sheds light on 1st human migrationBy studying the DNA of the Orang Asli people, the original inhabitants of Malaysia, a team of geneticists say they have illumined many aspects of how modern humans migrated from Africa. West's obsession with Zimbabwe smacks of racism WESTERN countries' obsession with Zimbabwe and its land reform programme smacks of racism, South African Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said yesterday. Pope says Europe responsible for many Africa ills75 killed, thousands displaced as southern clans fightNAIROBI, 12 May 2005 (IRIN) - At least 75 people have been reported killed and thousands more displaced in southern Sudan's Lakes State since interclan violence, sparked by cattle rustling and disputes over pasture and water, erupted on 24 April, aid workers said on Wednesday. U.S. Army offers shorter enlistment to recruitsLeaders Endorse Free Trade DeclarationChavez Predicts Worldwide Energy Crisis Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, one of the important petroleum producing countries, has claimed that the world is on the edge of an energy crisis. South American, Arab Leaders End SummitSouth American and Arab nations ended their two-day summit in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, Wednesday. South American representatives talked mostly trade during the summit while Arab representatives focused on U.S. and Israeli policy in the Middle East. Arabs and South Americans back Iraq and PalestiniansSouth Americans and Arabs condemn Israeli occupationIs the CIA Behind the Iraqi "Insurgents"--and Global Terrorism?The requirement of an ever-escalating level of social violence to meet the political and economic needs of the insatiable "anti-terrorist complex" is the essence of the new US militarism. What is now openly billed as "permanent war" ultimately serves the geo-political ends of social control in the interests of US corporate domination, much as the anti-communist crusade of the now-exhausted Cold War did. Peru protesters block roads in canyonGlobal Eye: Miami Vice The next president of the United States was on the road last week, throwing red meat about "moral issues" to a baying crowd of Bushist Party faithful -- while simultaneously trying to cut off medical support for a 6-year-old girl his agents had previously tried to kill. The shame in Spain The torrent of racial abuse at Spanish matches is the product of a society that is in flux and is also uneasy with immigration. But don't be complacent, warns Martin Jacques. This is an enemy that English football has yet to defeat.
Africa on 05.13.05 @ 01:31 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, May 12th
Coastal route for first humans migrating from Africa?
Former British colonies can be free and starve, or be loyal and be fedPan Africanist Congress founding president Mangaliso Sobukwe used to relate a tale about a jackal and a dog. According to the story, a jackal met a domestic dog. The dog was fat and the jackal was lean. Seeing that the jackal was extremely lean, the dog offered to take it to his home where they would be fed by the dog's owner. "My owner looks after me very well. I do not have to hunt for food. If you come along , you will be fat just like me," said the dog. The jackal, attracted by the idea of not worrying about the next meal, asked : "What do you give him in return?" "My loyalty. I have surrendered my freedom to my master. Most of the time I am chained to a tree in his yard," said the dog. Walking away, the jackal said: "I'd rather be lean and free than be fat and chained." Coastal route for first humans migrating from AfricaFor many years experts have assumed the early migrants headed through what is now Egypt, across the Sinai and into the Middle East. New evidence suggests they might have taken a more southerly route, along the coasts of the Arabian peninsula into India, Indonesia and Australia. Chinese come from Africa, just like the rest of usAn international study has found that the Chinese people originated not from "Peking Man" in northern China, but from early humans in East Africa who moved through South Asia to China some 100,000 years ago, Hong Kong's Ming Pao daily reported yesterday in a finding that confirms the "single origin" theory in anthropology. According to the newspaper, a research team led by Jin Li (ª÷¤O) of Fudan University in Shanghai has found that modern humans evolved from a single origin, not multiple origins as some experts believe. The Ultimate War Crime, Killing the ChildrenThe Destruction of Iraq's Educational System under US Occupation Skilled Workers OnlyThe countries of western Europe, joined by France on Wednesday, have stepped up their efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, adopting policies that favor the regularization of skilled foreign workers. Black And White And Full Of CrapLies Run Big, Facts Small in U.S. MediaAs sharp-eyed readers learned a few months ago from single-paragraph articles buried deep inside their newspapers, Pat Tillman died pointlessly, a hapless victim of "friendly fire" who never got the chance to choose between bravery and cowardice. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Washington Post now reports that Pentagon and White House officials knew the truth "within days" after his April 22, 2004 shooting by fellow Army Rangers but "decided not to inform Tillman's family or the public until weeks after" the nationally televised martyr-a-thon. Our war for 'whatever'At her court martial last week, according to The New York Times, Private First Class Lynndie R. England told the judge that when pressed to join in the humiliating of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, she responded by saying, "OK. Whatever." In that case "whatever" consisted in an abandonment of human decency, but it assumed England's prior abandonment of her own moral core. The word "whatever" as prelude to her acts revealed that, before humiliating the prisoners, she had humiliated herself. But, speaking of Iraq, a spirit of "whatever" animates those much further up the US chain of command. Indeed, England and her fellow guards at Abu Ghraib were not the originators of that spirit, but merely transmitters of it. When President Bush announced the effective American abandonment of normal restraints in the global war on terror, he was saying, "Whatever it takes." Whatever we have to do. We will be bound by nothing but our own will, accountable to no one. Forget Geneva. In order to win, we will do whatever. Chiquita's ChildrenIn the '70s and '80s, the banana companies Dole, Del Monte and Chiquita used a carcinogenic pesticide, Nemagon, to protect their crops in Nicaragua. Today, the men and women who worked on those plantations suffer from incurable illnesses. Their children are deformed. The companies feign innocence. South Africa to Publish Indigenous Language BooksThe South African Department of Arts and Culture is working hard with a local publisher to publish material in indigenous languages across all genres, BuaNews information service reported Thursday.
Africa on 05.12.05 @ 12:44 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, May 11th
Africa loses out
Zimbabwe Due to Deport Alleged Mercenaries Zimbabwe authorities were due to release and deport to South Africa on Wednesday 60 alleged mercenaries accused of planning a coup in Equatorial Guinea. Zimbabwe continues to keep trade relations with East AsiaZimbabwean Minister of Industry and International Trade Obert Mpofu said on Wednesday the country will continue to keep trade relations with its neighbors and the Far East aimed at improving the smooth flow of Zimbabwe's exports to these regions. South Africa to host Export Africa 2005 in MaySouth Africa is to host Export Africa 2005 exhibition in Midrand next week, according to the Department of Trade and Industry here on Wednesday. Africa loses out - UNRich nations are discriminating against Africa on desperately needed aid for humanitarian crises which has resulted in very meagre food rations for thousands of people, no food for others and many deaths, the United Nations humanitarian chief said. This Is Not The First TimeThe scandal of Iraqi POW abuse at Abu Ghraib has the world in an uproar. However, there is a precedent that went unnoticed and underreported of brutal treatment of Iraqi POWs — the 1991 abuse of Iraqi POWs during and after Operation Desert Storm. 10,000 Ugandans to Get Iraq, US Security JobsAt least 200 Ugandan youths on Saturday signed up for security work in Iraq and at American installations worldwide. The Ugandans who go to Iraq will be deployed to guard public and private installations in the war-ravaged country where the United States forces continue to battle local insurgents. Detained Muslim girls released in USThe FBI released two teenage Muslim girls detained by it six weeks ago amid apprehensions that they were potential recruits for a suicide bomb plot that never materialized. The lawyers for the girls said on Saturday that the girls should not have been detained without any proper investigation. Cuba 'plane bomber' was CIA agent Declassified US government documents show that a man suspected of involvement in the bombing of a Cuban passenger plane worked for the CIA. One standard for terroristsIn the name of credibility, consistency and justice for the 73 victims, Luis Posada Carriles, the prime suspect in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner, should not be granted political asylum in the United States, which he is thought to have entered illegally six weeks ago. Instead, he should be arrested and extradited for trial, not only for the airliner attack, but also for other terrorist attacks that he has acknowledged planning, including one in 1997 that killed an Italian businessman visiting Havana. President Jean-Bertrand Aristide Speaks From ExileJEAN-BERTRAND ARISTIDE: I think it's -- mobilization throughout the world, if I can put it this way, in the sense that we need many, many voices to equal the voices of Haiti. The people of Haiti want life and not death. They want peace and not violence. They want democracy and not repression. So Prime Minister Yvon Neptune and So Ann and hundreds of others who are in jail, they all need that mobilization. Whoever can say something, whoever can do something, please do it, because the Haitian people right now are waiting for your help. Rumsfeld Meets Saddam: Transcript of ConversationThe Egyptian magazine al-Usbu', May 2, 2005, published the text of a conversation between Saddam Hussein and US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, which is said to have taken place on Rumsfeld's trip to Baghdad in late April. Rumsfeld, according to the al Usbu' report, visited Saddam Hussein in prison. Al-Usbu' reports that "informed political sources had disclosed the details of the meeting," of which we provide the transcript, translated from the Arabic. Geronimo, Cochise and Osama bin LadenReport links Alaska rail to militaryLife After Death Survival Physics
Africa on 05.11.05 @ 02:33 PM CST [ link]
Tuesday, May 10th
Break Down Africa's Barriers
Afro-descendants Encounter demands an end to racism"Death to racism and discrimination" -- this was the central demand made during this weekend's International Afro-descendants Encounter taken place at the Caracas Hilton Hotel. The Encounter revolved around the main theme of "State Modernization: From representative democracy to participative democracy from ethnic perspectives." Navy training submarinersThe SA Navy was working hard at reducing a shortfall of submariners in time to receive its three new submarines, navy chief Vice Admiral Refiloe Mudimu said on Tuesday. Break Down Africa's BarriersComplicated and unnecessary documentation and data requirements for imports and exports, as well as cumbersome customs and border-crossing procedures, are serious barriers to international trade. In some cases, losses to businesses from such inefficiency exceeds tariff costs. South Africa: Govt Deploys Reservists to the DRCSouth Africa has, for the first time, deployed a company of reservists outside the country to replace members of the regular force on a peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mexico mayor stands down for poll Mexico City's leftist mayor has announced he will stand down to concentrate on his campaign for next year's presidential elections. Bolivia Back to the Streets?
Natural Gas and Popular Struggle After about a month and a half of relative dormancy, the beginning of last week saw the first interesting signs of renewed life from popular forces in Bolivia. On Monday, May 3, three congressmen and one senator of the party Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) – Iván Morales, Germán Yucra, Félix Santos, and Bonifaz Bellido – wore balaclavas (ski masks) to a session of Congress. They were expressing their solidarity with Mexico’s Zapatistas, as the special session of Congress was taking place to greet right-wing Mexican president Vicente Fox who was in the country to secure a deal for natural gas exports from Bolivia to Mexico. Cuba marks V-E Day with anti-U.S. rallyAs world leaders celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany in Moscow's Red Square on Monday, Communist Cuba held its own parade and accused the United States of using "fascist" policies to dominate the world. Colombia: The American Military's Little TraffickingsDrug traffickers, pornographers, but also hit and run drivers, and now, arms dealers to death squads ... Lately, American soldiers on mission in Colombia have shown up in the most sordid affairs. And, to widespread public indignation, the scenario never varies: protected by diplomatic immunity from any trial, they systematically escape this country's justice system. Colombians have begun to find the 1962 agreement that confers judicial immunity on American personnel operating on Colombian soil within the framework of military cooperation programs indecent. "It's the last straw," a young lawyer in Bogotá objects. "We extradite our fellow citizens accused of narco-trafficking to the United States, but the gringos in our country think they can do whatever they like." Iraqi Families Looking for their Sons in American Secret PrisonsOne of the major problems that the Iraqi families are going through after two years of occupation, a problem that is rarely mentioned in the media, if at all, is the case of people who disappeared during the 2003 American invasion, or after that during the occupation, whom the American authorities refuse to give any information about because they are considered dangerous, or those who are called security inmates in the American controlled prisons. al-Qaida Suspect Claims Illegal VisitThe big catch that wasn't?Pakistan's arrest of Libyan Al Qaeda suspect not as big a breakthrough as first thought.
Africa on 05.10.05 @ 02:01 PM CST [ link]
Monday, May 9th
Genes Don't Fade
DU Death Toll Tops 11,000The death toll from the highly toxic weapons component known as depleted uranium (DU) has reached 11,000 soldiers and the growing scandal may be the reason behind Anthony Principi's departure as secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department. Genes Don't Fade The 'markers' in our genes hold the promise of tracing our ancestors and understanding the spread of mankind Alleged mercenaries bide their time in HarareA group of 62 suspected mercenaries jailed over an alleged coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea could be released on Tuesday after serving eight months in a maximum security prison in Zimbabwe, their lawyer told reporters. AU should immediately increase troop in Sudan's darfur-HRWThe African Union should immediately increase the number of troops deployed in Darfur, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to members of the pan-African organization's Peace and Security Council. Farming schools set up for kidsOver 34 farming schools have been set up in sub-Saharan Africa to help fight Aids orphans, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Monday. South African health minister says good
nutrition more effective than HIV drugs South African health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, already the target of protests by AIDS activists for delaying a nationwide antiretroviral treatment program, said this week that good nutrition is better at fighting HIV infection that anti-HIV medications. Credible election vital in DRCDemocratic Republic of Congo's transitional government still has a long way to go before it will be ready to hold national elections, but a credible vote is possible and registration will begin next month, said UN officials. SA 'reservists' set for DRCFor the first time since the border war, a company of reserve-force soldiers will be deployed in a foreign country as part of the defence force's troops there. 'Land reform will increase hunger'Hunger is bound to increase if South Africa's land redistribution policy remains the same, agricultural union TAU SA warned on Monday. "The truth is if land redistribution continues along the path designated by the South African government, hunger will stalk the land," the union said in a statement. South American, Arab Leaders Hold Summit Vigilante ManVigilantes have always been to the American West what the Ku Klux Klan was to the South: vicious and cowardly bigotry organized into a self-righteous mob. Almost every decade, some sinister group of self-proclaimed patriots mobilizes to repel a new invasion from some subversive threat or other. Criminals Belong in Prison The document almost reads like satire. "Bush wanted to remove Saddam," reads the leaked secret British intelligence memo dated 23 July 2002, "through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy." US Totalitarian Tendencies exposedThose who grew up during the peak years of the Cold War are struck by an emerging pattern in US foreign policy. The pattern suggests that throughout those Cold War years, the US projected on the Soviet Union its own intentions and inclinations, accusing the latter of seeking to set up a world government, seeking to spread the Soviet version of communism to every corner of the globe, when in fact it was the US which sought to impose its form of corporate cannibalism on the whole world. Reality checkAs I write this, 1594 American troops have been killed in Iraq. 180 American troops have been slain in Afghanistan. Democracy is on the march…or on the run, as it were. Much Controversy Over Google's Accelerator
Africa on 05.09.05 @ 03:39 PM CST [ link]
Sunday, May 8th
Arms talks collapse in I Coast
Arms talks collapse in I CoastRepresentatives of the army and rebels in the Ivory Coast on Saturday failed to reach agreement on a long-overdue disarmament process, a key condition of the latest peace pact signed to end two years of crisis in the west African state, and suspended the negotiations, military officials said. Uganda starts rough journey to self-sustained economy The Ugandan government has announced that it has started a long journey toward achieving a self-sustained economy, at time when there is increasing debate about the decision by Britain to cut aid to the east African country. Trade laws tear at Africa's fabricSouth Africa Wants To Emulate M'sia In Traditional DressSouth Africa is interested in promoting its traditional fabric the way that Malaysia does with batik. Idaho nuclear lab can't account for missing computersChina said to reject plan to cut off N.Korea oilChina rejected a US envoy's proposal to cut off North Korea's oil supply as a way to pressure the reclusive government to return to disarmament talks, The Washington Post reported today. U.S. leans more on Iraq troops to fight insurgentsBacking for Colombia drug war criticizedAnother Look at Daneil Ortega and the Sandinista StruggleIn 1911, Nicaragua was occupied by a force of United States Marines that invaded to protect United States interests. This was just the next of a series of US "interventions" and invasions of Nicaragua. The marines remained till 1925, then returned again in 1926, to quell a rebellion organized by a Nicaraguan, Augusto C. Sandino, who grew up under this US occupation. His guerrilla forces were never defeated, despite the deployment of 12,000 troops and the use of aerial bombardment. The Marines left Nicaragua in 1933, after the US had trained a Nicaraguan security force, The National Guard. In 1934, Sandino was assassinated by Anastasio Somoza Garcia, a United States-trained officer who was the head of the National Guard, in a treacherous act of betrayal after a negotiated disarmament of Sandino's forces. US imprisons Iraqi journalists without chargesAt least nine Iraqi journalists who worked for major Western news organizations have disappeared into the network of concentration camps in which the US military is holding an estimated 17,000 citizens of the occupied country, the French news agency AFP reported May 5. Not GOP? You're Excommunicated!Following the report that nine members of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in western North Carolina were excommunicated because they did not support President Bush in the election, Ralph G. Neas, President of People For the American Way Foundation, had the following statement: Child shot because he refused to collaborate with Soldiers Soldiers fired at and seriously wounded wednesday child Ahmad Salah 14, from Al-Kahder village near the west bank city of Bethlehem, because he refused to collaborate and lead soldiers to the homes of stone throwers.
Africa on 05.08.05 @ 08:30 PM CST [ link]
Saturday, May 7th
Zimbabwe's Fight For Justice
Hundreds of S. African smugglers jailed in other countriesThere are 865 South Africans inprisons across the world for trying to smuggle drugs from South Africa into foreign countries, local daily Die Burger reported on Saturday. Why does nobody care about blacks?Some of our readers may find the title on the cover of New African this month too provocative. In a change to the normal format of the magazine, we have invited three writers to cast their very different and contrasting opinions on the world’s attitude towards Africa. We ask why the international community does not respond with the same urgency to the on-going humanitarian emergencies in Africa, to the recent Indian Ocean tsunami disaster? How Britain Undermined Democracy in AfricaToday, Britain goes around the world preaching against election malpractices. But in 1956 and 1959, Britain deliberately interfered with Nigeria’s independence elections so its favoured friends in the North would dominate the country after independence. On 13 April 2005, we went to interview one of the British colonial officers involved in the affair, Harold Smith. “A Methodist, brought up to be decent, honest and obey the law” (his own words), Smith was the only British official in Nigeria at the time who would not do Whitehall’s bidding and influence the elections. For that, he has suffered for the past 45 years during which the British authorities have offered him “inducements”, including a knighthood, to keep quiet or… Having refused the inducements, Smith has not been allowed to work since 1960. He believes he was even poisoned, and his phone constantly bugged. This is a story that shames London and makes its criticisms of other people’s elections sound hypocritical and insincere. Togo: Africa's Churches Call for DialogueThe All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) has called on the government of Togo to ensure that the security its nation is guaranteed, adding that reports from the West African country are disturbing. Cops handcuff another Black 5 year old childThe city's police department has suspended with pay two police officers involved in handcuffing a five-year-old after a fight on a school bus. Zimbabwe's Fight For JusticeTwenty-five years ago, Zimbabwe's liberation movement came to power after years of struggle. Hopes soared that independence would bring an end to the legacy of colonial rule and apartheid power and give birth to a more equitable and just social order. But in many ways, those expectations had to be put on hold due to British and U.S. pressure, and for years Zimbabwe was compelled to maintain the inequitable land ownership patterns inherited from apartheid Rhodesia. The process of land reform is at root a struggle for justice and a challenge to the Western neoliberal model. The refusal to serve Western interests is what motivates U.S. and British hostility. Anglicans reject same-sex marriage'Johnny Mad Dog' examines Africa genocideThe Failure Of African Leadership, Cause Of Africa's ProblemsIn terms of natural resources, Africa is the world's richest continent. It has 50% of the world's gold, most of the world's diamonds and chromium, 90% of the cobalt, 40% of the world's potential hydroelectric power, 65% of the manganese, millions of acres of untilled farmland, as well as other natural resources. Despite its natural wealth, Africa is home to the world's most impoverished and abused people. African leaders are quick to blame the legacy of colonialism, others accuse its neo-colonial dimension, and some others pose culture, climate and bio-geographic factors as the explanation to the "why" of the African problems. In fact, the wave, the struggle for African Independence that started in the late 50’s and continued through the 60’s, was based on this understanding of colonial rule. Of course at the time it had been proven beyond any reasonable doubt that the colonial masters were using the colonies to provide for their countries in Europe. Another "Three Strikes" Travesty
Why is Santos Reyes Facing Life in Prison?Moving out of the superpower orbitU.S. says it upholds U.N. torture rulesOver 100,000 Latin Americans to Receive Treatment in CubaBurned into World MemoryExcuses, Excuses:
How the Right Rationalizes Racial Inequality in AmericaWhenever I write an article about racism, or give a speech concerning the ongoing reality of discrimination in the labor market, I am assailed by those who refuse to believe what virtually any study done in the past two decades confirms: namely, that people of color are not seeing things, nor crazy when they suggest that racial bias is very much a modern-day phenomenon. Apocalypse SoonRobert McNamara is worried. He knows how close we've come. His counsel helped the Kennedy administration avert nuclear catastrophe during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Today, he believes the United States must no longer rely on nuclear weapons as a foreign-policy tool. To do so is immoral, illegal, and dreadfully dangerous.1971 India-Pakistan war: Richard Nixon's predicamentsEx-Haitian PM Yvon Neptune Near DeathWe get an update on the condition of jailed former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune who has been on a hunger strike for 18 days and is reportedly near death. We go to Haiti to speak with human rights activist Patrick Elie who served as Haiti's Drug Czar and Undersecretary of State for Defense under Jean Bertrand Aristide and we speak with lawyer Brian Concannon.
Africa on 05.07.05 @ 12:29 PM CST [ link]
Friday, May 6th
Let Africa have access to international markets
British Memo Indicates Bush Made Intelligence Fit Iraq Policy WASHINGTON -- A highly classified British memo, leaked in the midst of Britain's just-concluded election campaign, indicates that President Bush decided to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by summer 2002 and was determined to ensure that U.S. intelligence data supported his policy. Iraq Clouds Blair Victory LONDON -- The invasion of Iraq rebounded a little on the government of British Prime Minister Tony Blair to dent his majority as he returned to a third term as prime minister. But it was not serious damage. Iraq did not prevent Blair from returning with a comfortable enough majority and this is the first time in its history that a Labour government has been re-elected for a third successive term. SA and Nigeria try for seats in UN Security CouncilTwo of the continent's most powerful nations, South Africa and Nigeria have agreed to support each other's candidacies for Africa's two possible future permanent seats on an expanded UN Security Council. Let Africa have access to international marketsPresident John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday called on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and developed countries to make it possible for Africa to access the international markets more freely. He said: "Currently, Africa does not farewell in those markets because of artificial barriers raised to its products and agricultural subsidies within the developed countries that continued to make Africa's produce uncompetitive." Africa: Low-Cost Aids Drugs Resold in European MarketsA British pharmaceutical company is under investigation after allegations that it illegally obtained anti-AIDS drugs intended for HIV-positive people in Africa. SA 'waiting for dust to settle'South Africa would wait for emotions in Zimbabwe to settle before they attempt to find solutions to the economic crisis in the country, deputy foreign affairs minister Aziz Pahad said on Friday. Colombians Want Accused GIs to Stand Trial Arab-Latin summit motive questionedThe first ever summit between South American and Arab leaders in Brazil next week is intended to boost trade and investment but has already prompted US concern it will become a platform to attack its Middle East policy. Cuba's Castro criticizes new OAS leaderHAVANA -- Cuban President Fidel Castro criticized the Organization of American States and its new Chilean secretary-general, accusing him of using "insolent, interventionist" language to suggest change is needed in communist Cuba. Israeli soldier sentenced to four months
of unpaid work for killing Palestinian childIn a mockery of justice, an Israeli military court has sentenced a Zionist occupation soldier to four months of unpaid "military works" for killing a three-year-old Palestinian child near the northern West Bank of Jenin nearly two years ago. 50 Years after His Murder, Emmett Till to Be ExhumedThe mutilated body of Emmett Till, which when pulled from a Mississippi river in 1955 became a grotesque icon of the segregated South, will be exhumed as part of a renewed investigation of the black Chicago teenager's 50-year-old murder. FOX News Still Says Saddam Hussein Was Involved With 9/11 Muslim soldier gets the death penalty while...
Politicians forgive murder in Iraq
Africa on 05.06.05 @ 01:32 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, May 5th
Development needs peace
Mexico City Mayor Cleared of WrongdoingMexico detains U.S. Border Patrol agentsPrevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Africa Development needs peace - AzizSouth Africa and Nigeria could not successfully tackle issues of development and providing quality of life for Africans without ensuring peace and stability on the continent, foreign affairs deputy minister Azis Pahad said in Pretoria on Thursday. S.Africa criticises WHO target on AIDS treatment S.Africa's Aids plan 'vindicated' - Manto South Africa had been proved right by its plan to aggressively engage nutrition as a means of combating HIV/Aids, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said in Pretoria on Thursday. "As a country and as South Africans we really have been vindicated in this regard. We are what we eat, and we are what we drink," she said at a parliamentary monitoring and evaluation briefing focusing on the social cluster. Former E Cape MECs' assets frozen The Assets Forfeiture Unit on Thursday attached assets worth over R15-million belonging to former Eastern Cape MECs Max and Neo Mamase, the National Prosecuting Authority said. The unit also froze the belongings of their former business associates Norman Benjamin and his accountant Emilia Peneva. Africa-to-Africa Links to Be Built for Enhanced Internet ServicesEFFORTS to improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of Africa's internet services have seen local company Transtel win part of a deal to provide a satellite network to carry data traffic across the continent. Minister sounds climate alarmClimate change in South Africa could see provinces such as Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng becoming malaria zones in the near future, Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said on Thursday. 350-500 million people suffer from malaria every yearAn estimated 350-500 million people suffer from malaria every year. Describing the situation, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said: "Malaria is a disease that that kills one child in sub-Saharan Africa every 30 seconds. The numbers are astounding, and unacceptable. Globally, more than 1 million people die due to malaria every year, the vast majority of them young children under the age of five." Burden of Malaria Still Worsen in AfricaMore people are accessing prevention and treatment services for malaria, sparking hope that the number of people who become sick and die from malaria will begin to decline. Diamond Production up 24% in South AfricaSouth Africa's rough diamond production in February 2005 reached 1.36 million carats, an increase of 24 percent compared with February 2004. For the two month period ending February 28, South Africa's rough diamond production increased 27 percent to 2.58 million carats compared with 2.03 million carats in the first two months of 2004, according to figures released by South Africa's department of mines and minerals.
Africa on 05.05.05 @ 12:51 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, May 4th
South Africa probes nuclear illness claims
'US Invasion of Iraq Was a Resource War' CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA -- With the rapid decline of global oil supplies, the United States is heading for an economic crash unlike anything since the 1930s. And the collapse of the dollar will affect every nation on earth. This is the chilling warning from academic Richard Heinberg of the New College of California. Heinberg is in Cape Town, South Africa, this week to share his views on what governments and societies need to do to mitigate the imminent global crisis after world oil production peaks. South Africa probes nuclear illness claims South Africa's state nuclear energy company is investigating links between workers' illness and deaths, and exposure to radiation, it says. Africa polio strain suspected in Indonesia New road map to help fight TB in Africa A detailed plan for fighting the increasing number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in Africa was unveiled in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Wednesday, according to the global Stop TB Partnership. Africa worst for moms, kids Africa is the worst place on earth to be a mother or child, according to a study published on Tuesday by the British-based charity Save the Children, with Mali, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia being the worst countries. Malaria kills one million a year,
says first UN global report on the diseasePeople of Madagascar have origins in Borneo, AfricaA new study in the American Journal of Human Genetics confirms that the people of Madagascar have origins in both East Africa and also distant Borneo. Madagascar populated from Africa, Borneo - studyBreaking the UN's Anti-Zionist ResolutionThose campaigning against John Bolton's nomination for U.N. ambassador continue to collect anecdotes testifying to his bullying, abrasive style. (Seems the Brits were so peeved by his behavior in the Anglo-American negotiations with Libya's Col. Qaddhafi, which resulted in Libya's agreement to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, that they asked he be removed from the talks.) And daily we learn more about his lies and exaggerations, most recently about those publicly raised in late 2001 concerning Sudan's supposed interest in biological weapons. In response to the controversy, Rice, Cheney and Bush continue to express confidence in Bolton, insisting he's just what the doctor ordered for the ailing United Nations. Saddam's Lawyer Claims Assassination Plot Polio in Indonesia; First Time in DecadeIndonesia has detected its first case of polio in a decade, prompting the government to launch a massive vaccination campaign that is expected to inoculate more than 5 million children, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. SANS Updates Critical Internet Vulnerabilities ListWhat is the most striking part of the SANS update is that the top vulnerabilities identified include, in addition to the commonly targeted Microsoft software, security software from major antivirus companies and media-player software from companies like Apple and Real Networks. Microsoft Updates XP Wi-Fi Security Support Microsoft over the weekend rolled out an update to its Windows XP operating system to add support for WPA2, aka Wi-Fi Protected Access 2, the wireless security specification approved by the IEEE. Giuliana Sgrena Killing: The uncensored U.S. reportChavez Frias is beating the arrogant crowd in Washington to the punch...President Chavez said that a woman in the US Armed Forces had been detained by authorities while taking pictures of military installations in central Venezuela. He stated, "If she or any other US official does this kind of activity again, they will be imprisoned and face trial in Venezuela." Chavez also said several American journalists were detained taking pictures of a refinery 60 miles west of Caracas. They, as well were released. Rather than the US taking initiative against Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez Frias has taken an aggressive stance against the US ... he is beating the arrogant crowd in Washington to the punch. French lead counter-attack against Google libraryThe French literary establishment has rallied 19 European national libraries to counter a plan by search giant Google to create a global virtual library with a project of their own.
Africa on 05.04.05 @ 03:09 PM CST [ link]
Tuesday, May 3rd
'Zimbabwe Good Example of Democracy'
'Zimbabwe Good Example of Democracy'ZIMBABWE is not a pariah state as peddled in the Western media, but a good example of democracy in Africa, the chairman of the Media Commission of Zambia (MCZ) said yesterday. Mozambique And Swaziland Preparing Visa WaiverMozambique and Swaziland are studying ways to suppress the requirement for entry visas, following the steps taken by other SADC (Southern African Development Community) members, such as South Africa and Botswana, who have recently signed such agreements with Mozambique, reports Tuesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias". Fossils illuminate fish evolutionFossils of an ancient fish - dating back 450 million years, when the creatures had neither bones nor teeth - have been found in South Africa. Togo court confirms Gnassingbe as new presidentAgriculture on the agenda in GhanaAfrican leaders and experts from around the world will meet in Ghana this week to discuss the final elements of an agricultural plan that aims to provide food security for 200-million people. Nuclear row growsFormer workers at the Pelindaba nuclear facility who suffer serious diseases linked to radiation exposure could have contracted their illnesses from other sources. Floods in Horn of Africa; Death Toll Rising - UNFlooding continues to plague the Horn of Africa, with the number of dead and missing in Ethiopia rising and heavy rains washing away shelter for 25,000 Somali refugees in Kenya. 2,300-Year-Old Mummy Unveiled in EgyptTwo children die of malaria each minute, warns UNTwo African children are dying preventably from malaria every minute due to a lack of donations from rich countries to tackle the problem, according to the first ever study of the disease worldwide. Emirates Increases Focus On West AfricaEmirates, the Dubai-based international airline, has re-affirmed its commitment to the West African region with the announcement of a significant increase in services later this year. In Zimbabwe, AIDS care done on the cheapSome of those who fight AIDS in southern Africa have a name for Zimbabwe: the ''hole in the doughnut." In the region with the highest HIV infection rates in the world, they explain, all the countries except Zimbabwe are beginning to receive heaps of donor money and putting significant numbers of people on AIDS treatment. Africa worst for moms, kids Africa is the worst place on earth to be a mother or child, according to a study published on Tuesday by the British-based charity Save the Children, with Mali, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia being the worst countries. Africa's poor soarsThe number of persons living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa increased from 217 million in 1990 to 290 million in 2000, representing a 34% increase, according to Emmanuel Nnadozie, senior economic affairs officer of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). South Africa enhances relations with NamibiaSouth African President Thabo Mbeki met his recently elected Namibian counterpart Hifikepunye Pohamba in Pretoria on Tuesday, saying that the relations between the two countries will be strengthened. Land reform casts shadow over S Africa's stabilityFinancial analysts are smiling on South Africa. In January Moody's upgraded the country's sovereign risk rating from Baa2 to Baa1 on the strength of the country’s steady economic expansion and continued growth in consumer demand. Mbeki meets namibian presidentPresident Thabo Mbeki says ties between South Africa and Namibia will be strengthened, after a meeting with his recently elected Namibian counterpart in Pretoria. 'One million jobs lost since 1994'Yunis Carrim, of the South African Communist Party, told a May Day event organised by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) at Currie's Fountain in Durban on Sunday that thousands of jobs had been lost as employers found ways to circumvent new legislation designed to protect workers.
Africa on 05.03.05 @ 04:58 PM CST [ link]
Monday, May 2nd
Aristide's Ex-PM Refuses to Leave Haiti
Find supports dinosaur theoryTwo eggs with shells found inside the fossilized pelvis of a female dinosaur could provide an important clue to solving the question of whether dinosaurs evolved into birds. Scientists Say Everyone Can Read MindsEmpathy allows us to feel the emotions of others, to identify and understand their feelings and motives and see things from their perspective. How we generate empathy remains a subject of intense debate in cognitive science. Philippines: Execs, military dismiss junta speculationsTHE military said it remains confident its ranks won't be influenced by the call of a retired general to oust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and install a junta government. Workers Around World Rally on May Day Aristide's Ex-PM Refuses to Leave Haiti A former prime minister on a hunger strike refused to leave for medical treatment in the Dominican Republic, demanding instead his unconditional release from house arrest, the government said Monday. Axum obelisk has returned to EthiopiaEthiopia's national pride, the obelisk of Axum, has finally returned home 68 years after Italian soldiers carted it off to Rome during Mussolini's invasion. The iconic monument is now being re-installed by archaeological and conservation specialists, who in the process discovered more archaeological treasures under a parking lot. Thousands flee post-election violence in TogoAt least 16,500 refugees have already poured into Benin and Ghana from Togo following the post-election violence and chaos in the country, citing "harassment by security forces," which allegedly are blocking the exit from the capital. While the ruling party's candidate tomorrow officially will be declared the winner of the 24 April polls, the candidate of the united opposition already has declared himself President. "Namibia, Botswana should eat its meat self," Norw. farmersNamibia and Botswana have a considerable beef export to northern European countries such as Norway, but are met with "discriminating" hindrances, a new report shows. Also Nordic farmer organisations want to limit beef imports from Southern Africa, saying "it is unethical" to import food from such a poor region. Chairman of West African bloc calls for unified government in TogoThe visiting chairman of a powerful West African regional bloc appealed for calm in Togo, urging the volatile nation's leaders to form a national unity government to resolve a violent presidential-succession crisis. Guinea: The Next West African CrisisPresident Conteh is dying slowly. He no longer runs the country. Guinea is now a land where everything is for a grab. An end of the regime mentality has set in. The many fractions around the president are engaged in a war over who gets what when the “chief passes away.” Meanwhile, the country is slowly descending into lawlessness, corruption and human rights abuses going on unchecked. The Untimely Death of South Africa's Finest DailyThere are no pictures of black people, there are no black sports or sportsmen in the back pages, there is no hint of what was happening in the vast black townships, there are no bylines from black reporters. There are seven crime stories spread through the news pages, all with whites as victims. S. Africa investigates radiation claimsThe South African government said on Monday that it was awaiting the outcome of an investigation into claims that former Pelindaba nuclear workers had contracted serious diseases, possibly caused by radiation. Togo "election fraud" violently protestedFaure Gnassingbé, the controversial candidate of the ruling party, today was declared the winner of Togo's presidential elections, held on Sunday. The announcement of the victory of Mr Gnassingbé's, the son of Togo's late dictator, today caused violent protests by the opposition, who claims the poll was rigged. The Greediest Generation As a baby boomer myself, I can be blunt: We boomers won't be remembered as the "Greatest Generation." Rather, we'll be scorned as the "Greediest Generation." Google searches for quality not quantityNow Google, whose name has become synonymous with internet searching, plans to build a database that will compare the track record and credibility of all news sources around the world, and adjust the ranking of any search results accordingly. No checks, no questions asked:
that's how easy it is to obtain 11 postal ballots It was frighteningly easy. Within five days I was able to obtain postal ballot papers enabling me to vote 11 times in the general election - and in county council elections on the same day. No checks, no questions asked. Most murderous country for journalistsAt least in Iraq there is armed conflict that could explain the high casualty count among members of the press. In the Philippines, on the other hand, most of the journalists killed in recent years appear to have simply incurred the ire of political warlords, gangsters and rebel groups.
Africa on 05.02.05 @ 08:07 PM CST [ link]
Sunday, May 1st
Arrogant Nation
1 in every 138 Americans is behind bars The US prison population, already the largest in the world, reached a new high of more than 2.1 million last year, with one in every 138 residents of the country now behind bars, according to new government statistics. Army pair's tactics eyed Two Army recruiters in Golden have been suspended from their jobs while military officials look into allegations the two men used improper tactics to get an Arvada high school student to sign up for duty. Polio epidemic in YemenA polio epidemic has infected 22 children in Yemen, and the paralyzing virus is threatening to spread further, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. Inmates use intermediaries to go onlinePoor health linked to subtle racism?Some medical researchers have begun to suspect that such incidents take a physical toll and may play a role in why black people tend to have poorer health than white people. Chronic, low-level stress from such incidents may increase the risk for a host of ills, including heart disease and cancer, according to the theory. Land reform casts shadow over S Africa's stabilityThe landslide victory of Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF Party in Zimbabwe's parliamentary elections on March 31 resonates in South African politics, particularly around the controversial programme of "land reform", by which land is incrementally redistributed from white to black South Africans. Mr Mugabe's heavy-handed populism is based largely on the forced eviction of Zimbabwe's white landowners, by any means necessary, in favour of poor blacks. Thabo Mbeki, South Africa's president, is well aware of Mr Mugabe's popularity with many in South Africa and may now feel compelled to speed up land reform in his own country. Celebrating Freedom Day with pride in South AfricaIt's now 11 years since the first Freedom Day in South Africa. Freedom Day celebrates the first multi-racial elections in South Africa. Before that, only whites could vote -- now the franchise includes everyone. Truly, South Africa is an outstanding success for democracy. President Thabo Mbeki followed the great Nelson Mandela in the nation's highest office and has proved to be a worthy successor. Now the African National Congress -- the ANC -- is searching for his successor. A threat to Africa's success storyFOR THE PAST decade, Uganda has been one of Africa's success stories. It has been held up as an African poster child for economic reform, improved human rights, and a champion in the struggle against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The man responsible for its success has been President Yoweri Museveni. Charismatic and affable, Museveni is regarded as one of the most influential leaders in Africa. However, his thirst for power and quest for a controversial third presidential term may return Uganda to its dictatorial past. Papers reveal U.S. intelligence on VietnamBahrain Site Registration Sparks Protests All Web sites operating in Bahrain must register with the country's Information Ministry under a new government mandate that has provoked protests from an international watchdog for press freedom. The move comes two months after the government detained three Bahrainis who were linked to an Internet forum that it viewed as hostile. Web sites have six months starting this Monday to register. UK paper reveals Iraq war leakUS President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were determined to topple Saddam Hussein at least nine months before they launched the war in Iraq, British documents leaked in a newspaper say. The minutes reveal that Straw said the case for war was 'thin' Mexican Official Proposes Reparations PlanCambodia welcomes Khmer Rouge trial fundsCambodia has welcomed a UN announcement that enough money is in hand to set up a long-awaited tribunal to try leaders of the former Khmer Rouge regime. Arrogant NationThe arrogance of ignorance, a profoundly dangerous and ill-informed presumption that one’s own people are better (wiser, morally and spiritually ascendant, and more capable) than others, seems rather well entrenched within the American populace. Mexican Government, Mayor Hail Presidential Move to Defuse Crisis Mexico City's opposition mayor hailed the ouster of the country's attorney general who was blamed for blocking his presidential bid and causing a mounting political crisis.
Africa on 05.01.05 @ 11:25 PM CST [ link]
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