Friday, September 30th
Trade Liberalisation Has Increased Poverty Levels
Trade Liberalisation Has Increased Poverty Levels, Claims ReportA new report says Malawi's trade liberalisation policies have adversely affected smallholder farmers and undermined the food security of the poor. SA to give food to neighboursSouth Africa said on Friday it will give food assistance to seven drought-ridden countries including Zimbabwe after aid agencies warned of a looming humanitarian crisis in southern Africa. Builder beat black worker and fed him to the lionsA WHITE South African who beat up one of his black workers and fed him to lions was jailed for life yesterday. Medieval texts preserve African heritageA collection of medieval manuscripts from Timbuktu which academics hail as proof of an African scholarly tradition go on public show on the continent for the first time on Friday. UN threatens prosecution as death toll from attack on Darfur camp rises to 34The United Nations condemned a militia attack on a refugee camp in Darfur that left 34 dead, warning Friday that the perpetrators will be referred to the International Criminal Court for prosecution. Authorities to establish dialogue after deadly clashes in Sudan’s Equatoria Authorities in Mundri county in western Equatoria in southern Sudan are looking to bring the pastoralist and host communities together for dialogue after more fighting broke out last week. Slurs, assault send Somalis back to cityA Somalian family that left Dorchester for what they thought would be a safer home in Winthrop is headed back to Dorchester after accusing Winthrop High football players of racial harassment and assault. Kenya accuses diplomats of meddling in internal affairsKenyan authorities Thursday accused some foreign diplomats here of breaching international diplomatic norms by calling for an end to manipulation of state resources and the disregard for Kenya`s electoral code of conduct ahead of the constitutional referendum scheduled 21 November. Solar Eclipse Oct. 3 for Europe, Asia, Africa If you plan to be anywhere in Europe, Africa or parts of western and southern Asia on Monday, Oct. 3, you will be treated to a solar eclipse. This will be an annular or ring eclipse of the Sun, so called because the Moon's disk will appear too small to completely cover the Sun's disk. This circumstance is due to the fact that the Moon will be a bit farther from Earth than average; in essence, this is really nothing more than a fancy partial eclipse. German court declares Iraq war violated international lawShooting Palestinians Like Fish in a BarrelLuis Posada and US Hypocrisy in War on Terror
Tyehimba on 09.30.05 @ 10:52 PM CST [ link] [ No Comments]
Thursday, September 29th
Nation CEO Deplores Western Media
African Caribbean education centre aims to empower youths through black history classesA group of spirited individuals dug into their own pockets to set up a learning and development centre that belongs to the black community and serves all its needs. Now it aims to empower young people through the teaching of African history. Nation CEO Deplores Western MediaIt's a pity that the otherwise good image of the African continent has received negative publicity from the foreign media, the CEO of the Nation Media Group Wilfred Kiboro said recently. Chad: Government Says Sudanese Insurgents Killed 36 Herders in EastA group of unidentified armed men in military uniform crossed into Chad from Sudan early on Monday, killing 36 herders and stealing livestock, the Chadian government said. Sudan Janjaweed militia accused of deadly attack in ChadThe bloody conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region spread across the border to Chad this week when some 75 people, mostly civilians, were killed in an attack on a village by the Sudanese ethnic Arab militia known as the Janjaweed, authorities and witnesses said Thursday. At least five dead as over 500 African migrants storm border Five people have died and dozens injured after hundreds of would-be immigrants stormed a border crossing between Morocco and Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta. Khoisan skeleton ends up in mortuaryQuestions are being asked about how valuable Khoisan human remains found near Jeffreys Bay, thought to be between 250 and 5 000 years old, landed in a Humansdorp mortuary. Trafalgar Square reserved "for war generals"LONDON'S TRAFALGAR Square is reserved for war generals, not a man of peace like Nelson Mandela, an inquiry heard today South African farmers advised not to grow maizeGrain South Africa, the trade organisation of South African grain farmers, has warned its members to think carefully before planting the country`s staple maize, on the grounds that there is likely to be a huge surplus in production. New research warns Kenya on EU partnership agreementEconomic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the European Union (EU) would undermine Kenya`s industrialization plans and the revitalization of the critical sectors of agriculture and manufacturing, says a new research jointly carried out by Eco-News Africa and Tradecraft (UK). Bush And Black PeopleWhy weren't any networks willing to allow eloquent Black intellectuals to make Kanye's case that Bush is a racist? It wouldn't have been hard to prove. I would have started with the President's praising inept FEMA director Mike Brown five days into the disaster on September 2nd with, "Brownie, you're doing one heckuva job." This, while the whole country was still riveted to TVs saturated with image after image of the unrelenting suffering of thousands upon thousands of people who were mostly poor and Black. I would next point out Bush's sheer insensitivity in choosing to deliver a speech in front of a statue of Andrew Jackson, an inveterate racist best remembered as a sadistic slave owner. Aids virus 'could be weakening'The virus which causes Aids may be getting less powerful, researchers say. You exist if the Israeli computer says soSub-$100 laptop design unveiled Media Coverage Disappearing in the Iraq War 'Endgame' US troops upload photos of dead Iraqis for porn Posada Carriles to stay in US: Washington shields CIA terrorist from prosecutionBlackwater Mercenaries Providing Protection to the Red Cross
Tyehimba on 09.29.05 @ 10:23 PM CST [ link] [ No Comments]
Wednesday, September 28th
Whites fear land grab
IMF Seeks Details on $120 Million Zimbabwe Debt PaymentThe International Monetary Fund is putting together a technical team to determine the precise origin of a $120 million payment that Zimbabwe made to the institution before a critical September 9 IMF board meeting. Zimbabwe generates $120m from export, forexZimbabwe’s Central Bank said that it sourced a partial repayment to the IMF last month from export revenues and foreign exchange purchases and has not rejected a possible loan from South Africa. Museveni signs 3rd term billPRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has signed into law the Constitutional Amendment Bill, which among other things, has scrapped the presidential term limits, reports Felix Homeless victims of South Africa's great evictionA million black workers have been thrown off white-owned farms since apartheid. David Blair reports on the threat of a Zimbabwe-style backlash. Bushmen in court after protest More than 20 people including the leader of Botswana's San Bushmen have appeared in court after being arrested at the weekend for protesting their removal from the Kalahari game reserve. SOUTH AFRICA-ZIMBABWE: Bailout talks to resume soonZimbabwean and South African officials are to meet in the next two weeks for further talks on the possibility of loan assistance, a government spokesman confirmed on Wednesday. Whites fear land grab as black heirs win claim to family farmWHITE South African farmers are watching with mounting unease as the Government finalises plans to take over a white-owned farm and hand the land to descendants of its original black owners. New peace effort under way but Gbagbo refuses role for West AfricaAs African leaders gear up for two successive summits to salvage peace efforts in Cote d'Ivoire, the country’s president Laurent Gbagbo has ruled out any mediation role for his fellow West African leaders. Nigeria: Locusts destroy cropsSwarms of locusts have invaded fields and destroyed crops in northern Nigeria, officials said on Wednesday, just as the region was looking forward to a bumper harvest to head off fears of a food crisis. Aussie mining firm's 'conflicting stories' on Congo bloodshedPERTH-BASED mining company Anvil gave inconsistent accounts of its involvement in a murderous military crackdown in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a UN report. The document, prepared by the UN peacekeeping mission in the Congo and obtained by The Australian, suggests that Anvil representatives provided contradictory statements about their role in the October 2004 uprising, which left more than 100 people dead. Kenya launches new poaching crackdown to protect its wildlife Kenya's largest national park, where man-eating lions are long gone but human killers still prowl, is to be provided with top-class equipment to help curb poaching, for decades a constant threat to the animals. Iran: Watch our for the emerging rhetoric of pre-war fabrications that serve to legitimate violence at a later stageApartheid Justice in AmericaFor the first time ever, Israel applies to UN Security CouncilArmed dolphins let loose by Katrina
Tyehimba on 09.28.05 @ 09:13 PM CST [ link] [ No Comments]
Tuesday, September 27th
Arab Slavery of Africans
Arab Slavery of AfricansARAB-led slavery of Africans is important because it affects directly contemporary Afro-Arab relations and is complicated by the fact that both Africans and Arabs frequently treat it as an issue to be hushed-up because of the embarrassing reaction it generates. It is a historical reality which differentiates the fate and the aspirations of Africans on the one hand, and Arabs on the other, in their different attempts to achieve Arab unity and African unity respectively. Both these objectives, if pursued democratically, would assist in the emancipation and development of the two peoples. British, Masters Of ColonialismThe idea on which the foreign policy of the West is based is the spread of capitalism and to make this view point dominate the whole world. Colonialism is a tool for spreading capitalism to the world and forcing it on others and a master of this tool is Britain. South Africa, Nigeria Warn On High Oil PricesNigeria and South Africa yesterday in Johann-esburg, warned that rising crude oil prices posed a major threat to on-going global efforts to alleviate poverty in third world countries, particularly Africa. Controversy trails Nigeria’s space station The nation’s ambitious space programme, which President Olusegun Obasanjo, said would result in the country putting its first man in the orbit in 2015, is mired in controversy. Belgium asks Rwanda to hand over priestBelgium has asked Rwanda to hand over a Belgian priest arrested by the Rwandan authorities earlier this month on charges of helping to incite the African country's 1994 genocide. Disarm Janjawid Militia, UN Official UrgesThe Janjawid, a militia group allegedly allied to the Sudanese government, must be disarmed if peace is to return to the country's western region of Darfur, a senior UN official said on Monday. Rwandan rebels disarm, prepare to returnThe leader of a splinter group of Rwandan Hutu rebels operating in the volatile eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has said his fighters are disarming and preparing to return home. Slavery: The Myth of Northern Innocence In the decades before the Civil War, America began its soaring growth that would turn it into an economic giant. The new nation was producing large agricultural surpluses, building a railway system and launching the American chapter of the Industrial Revolution in New England's textile industry. But historians have generally neglected the pivotal role that New York played in the booming business of exporting cotton - grown by millions of Southern slaves. Africa urged to protect textile industry Southern African clothing and textile trade unions met last week to assess the effects of the end of the Multifibre Arrangement on the region and urged African governments to develop a structured plan for the industry, which has lost 55 000 jobs since 2003 in South Africa alone. Kenya Issues Ultimatum to US On Trade TalksKenya will only support the US position at the forthcoming World Trade Organisation's ministerial conference in Hong Kong if the US government lifts a travel advisory it has issued on Kenya, the Government said yesterday. Iran president charges 'nuclear discrimination'Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has complained of "nuclear discrimination" in the world, stressing Iran's right to have peaceful nuclear technology. The Right to Armed Struggle Israel Conducts 4th Day of Airstrikes in Gaza We can do this the nice way ... or the nasty way National Guard Sent to Protect Oil, Not People Rising Tide of Xenophobia: Australia’s Shallow MulticulturalismNBA Player Etan Thomas Slams Bush Administration, Outlines Impact on PoorRethinking the war on drugs Holy Squid! Photos Offer First Glimpse of Live Deep-Sea Giant US Delaying Farce in Terrorist Posada Carriles Case
Tyehimba on 09.27.05 @ 12:17 AM CST [ link] [ No Comments]
Monday, September 26th
How multinational drug companies took liberties with African lives
The true story of how multinational drug companies took liberties with African livesThe pharmaceutical industry is bracing itself for criticism when the film 'The Constant Gardener' opens next month. But Jeremy Laurance reports that away from the Hollywood script is a true story of how multinational drug companies took liberties with African lives with devastating consequences. Vast oil and gas opportunities in AfricaTHERE are vast oil and gas investment opportunities in Africa’s major producing countries, most especially Nigeria, but also Algeria, Angola and Libya, it emerged at the eighteenth World Petroleum Congress (WPC) today. Media blackout on DarfurFewer villages in Darfur are left to be destroyed,butthe killing — and the use of rape as a weapon by the Sudan government’s Janjaweed and soldiers — continues. As U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the BBC on July 3: "We have learned nothing from Rwanda," an atrocity which we were told would never happen again. Pan-African oil corporation expected to be set up Africa's energy ministers are considering to establish a pan-African oil company to ensure the continent's resources are exploited to the benefit of African people, the South African energy minister said here Sunday. Ethiopian police arrest 43 opposition membersEthiopian police have arrested 43 opposition supporters for allegedly plotting violent subversion ahead of a weekend demonstration called to protest disputed May elections, the official Ethiopian News Agency reported on Monday. Debt Victory for Some But Billions Left OutChristian Aid is relieved the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have ratified the decision taken by the G8 leaders in Gleneagles to cancel the unfair debts of 18 of the world's poorest countries. However, it warns that five billion of the world's poor are still mired in debt. 'Intelligent Design' Trial Begins TodayIn the beginning, members of the Dover Area School District board wrangled over what should be required in their high school biology curriculum. Some were adamant that science teachers should stick with the widely taught theory of evolution and random selection. Others said the teaching of "intelligent design" should also be required, arguing that certain elements of life, like cell structure, are best explained by an intelligent cause. Haiti must hold legitimate elections to rejoin CaricomHaiti is not likely to be welcomed back into the 15-nation Caribbean Community unless the country holds free and fair elections later this year, the bloc's secretary general said yesterday. Sudan and UN Security CouncilThe situation was so bad three non-governmental organizations have withdrawn their aid workers, the mission said. There were only the barest of details on the most recent developments. Police in Ghana gets tough on crime A team of Police Officers drawn from the National Headquarters, CID Headquarters, Accra and Tema Regions has been put together to deal with armed robberies within the Accra-Tema Metropolis and other parts of the country. Army reopens Nigeria oil stations The Chevron oil company has reopened two oil stations in Nigeria's Niger Delta region under army protection. They were closed last week after attempts by a local militia group to sabotage oil facilities. The Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force had issued the threats in protest at the detention on Tuesday of their leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari. Rwanda accuses states of harbouring suspects Rwanda on Monday accused unnamed states of harbouring suspects in the country's 1994 genocide and called for international pressure on those nations to hand over indictees to a UN-backed tribunal. Israel strikes Gaza City, Khan YunusIran rejects UN atomic resolution as 'illogical'Lessons From a Fallen Empire'You Can't Wash Your Hands When They're Covered in Blood'Iran Criticizes Threat of U.N. Action Ice Age babies set to rewrite history books Newsview: in Two Storms, Two Worlds Seen Recruitment of Katrina victims in Astrodome "Doling out food to the hungry crowds overflowing Houston’s Astrodome, the National Guard has engaged in ad hoc recruiting in recent days... the U.S. military is conducting a Job Fair in the Astrodome in a blatant effort to exploit the despair of masses of Americans evacuated from the Gulf Coast. Once signed up, even if purportedly to reconstruct their region, they could easily find themselves deployed to Iraq..."
Tyehimba on 09.26.05 @ 09:53 PM CST [ link]
Sunday, September 25th
Mama Africa says farewell
Nigerian villagers 'beaten by oil rig troops'Nigerian soldiers posted to protect an oil plant owned by the US giant Chevron invaded a nearby village and severely beat some local people during a hunt for stolen weapons, witnesses said. Thousands flee as Darfur rebels renew attacks An upsurge in attacks by Darfur's main rebel force, including the capture of a key government-held town, is undermining the latest internationally sponsored talks on bringing peace to Sudan's western regions, according to senior UN officials. Mama Africa says farewellAfter a career of more than 50 years, legendary singer and anti-apartheid activist Miriam Makeba has decided she will end her performing days with a farewell international tour which starts here on Monday. Aborigines fear basic rights lossINDIGENOUS people are being stripped of citizenship rights as a trade-off for such basic services as roads and schools under the Howard Government's new funding model, two Aboriginal leaders have warned Oil firms scramble for market in the SudanAs peace returns to southern Sudan after 21 years of fighting, many oil companies are fighting for the biggest share in the virgin oil market. Petrocity Enterprises, a Ugandan registered company, has emerged the biggest oil concern in southern Sudan. S. Africa's Mbeki plays down Ivorian mediation row South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Thursday it was up to the African Union and the United Nations to decide the next step in Ivory Coast's peace process, playing down a row over his mediation efforts. IMF drops poor countries' debtThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to wipe out the debt of 18 of the world's poorest nations - inculding Ghana - after rich countries bridged differences that had threatened a pact first signed in July. The countries affected are: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia. Pirates capture 2nd vesselPirates who have held a UN-chartered ship and its crew hostage for nearly three months have captured a second vessel carrying cement from Egypt, days after the collapse of efforts to release the first merchant ship and its load of food aid. Image of Tut stirs debateComputer-generated portraits of Tutankhamun in an exhibit coming to Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Art in December have sparked criticism and protests by black activists who say they depict the boy king as white. Lessons of HistoryShould the imperialist power that conspired to put Saddam Hussein in power, that was directly complicit in his regime’s worst crimes, and that—through two wars and 13 years of sanctions—killed far more Iraqis than anything attributed to Hussein, now be entrusted with controlling Iraq and shaping its destiny? Should that power be believed when it now talks of being a force for liberation? National Security Agency gets fix on Internet usersInternet users hoping to protect their privacy by using anti-virus software, Web anonymizers, false identities and disabled cookies on their computer's Web browser have something new to worry about – a patent filed by the National Security Agency (NSA) for technology that will identify the physical location of any Web surfer. In 1 year, Halliburton's stock doubles as troop deaths doubleQuartet: Disarm Palestinian fighters Why Chavez is an imminent danger to the so-called 'civilized' world: Part II Zimbabwe Govt Zeroes in On Remaining FarmsFlagrant abuse of Iraqi detainees revealedUS army plans to bulk-buy anthraxGreat Lakes water woesArmed and dangerous - Flipper the firing dolphin let loose by Katrina Bush plea for cash to rebuild Iraq raises $600 Chavez nails US again
Tyehimba on 09.25.05 @ 08:55 PM CST [ link]
Saturday, September 24th
Namibian Land policy comes under the hammer
Drop the DebtIn July, the world's richest nations agreed to cancel about $40 billion in debt owed to international lenders like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund by 18 of the world's poorest countries. It is a long-overdue step that would allow countries like Mozambique, Ghana, Nicaragua and Bolivia to spend about $1 billion more per year on schooling and health. UN watchdog to decide on Iran's nuclear program The UN atomic watchdog is to meet to decide on an EU proposal that sets Iran up for referral to the UN Security Council, in what would be a sharp escalation of the West's confrontation with the Islamic Republic. Nigeria militants threaten violence, police reassureA militant group in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta said on Wednesday it was preparing to take up arms over the arrest of its leader but police said they had made security arrangements and were not expecting trouble. US seeks stronger ties with regional player Angola United States forces are holding joint military exercises with Angola and U.S. officials say they hope to forge stronger ties with sub-Saharan Africa's second largest oil producer, recovering from decades of civil war. Poverty in West Africa despite rise in oil pricesSOARING oil prices have boosted revenues for West Africa's producers, but the region's residents are still mired in poverty, with billions of dollars disappearing into just a few pockets. The Niger Delta, home to Africa's biggest oil industry, supplies 96 percent of Nigeria's external revenue and 65 percent of the federal budget. It exports 2,5 million barrels per day, but the vast majority of the estimated 22 million people in the vicinity live in wretched conditions. Namibian Land policy comes under the hammerNAMIBIA's land reform programme is "unrealistic" and "logically impossible", having failed to empower the poor and landless since Independence, the Legal Assistance Centre says. Resettlement beneficiaries have been found to lack basic farming skills, resulting in low sustainable income and continued reliance on Government support, says a just-released report by the LAC's Land, Environment and Development Project DRC to disarm rebel forces from Uganda, says defense minister The Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) will soon disarm Ugandan rebel forces in its territory, Defense Minister Adolphe Onusumba said Friday. The UN Observer Mission in Congo (MONUC) will help the DRC government carry out the disarmament plan, Onusumba said. Libyan doctors arrive in Sierra LeoneThree Libyan doctors were dispatched to medical clinics in southern Sierra Leone in an effort to rebuild the war-ravaged country's devastated health care system, official radio reported. Venezuela Offers Support to U.S. Indigenous CommunitiesWhile setting new global standards for the recognition of indigenous rights in Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez has made an offer to bring low-cost gasoline to the poor in the United States, including American Indian tribal communities. Planners argue over site for Mandela statue in LondonPlanning inspectors are being asked to resolve a dispute over the site of a statue honouring South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela in London's Trafalgar Square. Zimbabwe soccer players missing in LondonEight Zimbabwean soccer players have gone missing in London following a controversial trip to the United Kingdom to play a match, a newspaper reported in Harare on Saturday. Ethiopia’s government accuses opposition of coup plot Ethiopian government has accused opposition groups planning a mass rally next week to protest disputed May elections of fomenting violence and plotting a coup d’etat. South Sudan - Peace is the start of new problems Inside a sandy compound of grass-roofed shelters, southern Sudanese women line up to receive the first of their two daily meals - a stodgy soya-based mix provided by an international aid agency. Chavez To Yank Venezuela Mining LicensesWell, you can't say you weren't warned. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has of late directed his wrath at foreign oil businesses, is now aiming at mining. He vowed Thursday to cancel all mining licenses and stop issuing new ones to foreign companies. Leaders Call for Promotion of Mother TonguesRescue Came from the GrassrootsAmerica's Inheritance in the Caucasus How Corporations Cashed in on KatrinaNature and Man Conspire to Expose the Lies of the PowerfulDisaster strikes again in New Orleans
Tyehimba on 09.24.05 @ 04:52 PM CST [ link]
Friday, September 23rd
S. Africa to take land from white farmer
Haitian children sold as cheap labourers and prostitutes for little more than £50On market day in Dajabón, a bustling Dominican town on the Haitian border, you can pick up many bargains if you know where to look. You can haggle the price of a live chicken down to 40 pesos (72p); wrestle 10lb of macaroni from 60 to 50 pesos; and, with some discreet inquiries, buy a Haitian child for the equivalent of £54.22. Black Grandmother Released From Jail For Looting In New OrleansA 73-year-old woman who was jailed for more than two weeks after authorities accused her of looting was released Friday evening. Merlene Maten said the first thing she wanted to do was visit her 80-year-old husband. South Africa to take land from white farmerSouth Africa's government is for the first time moving to seize land from a white farmer, saying Thursday that negotiations to buy the property to hand over to Black claimants were taking too long. 'Namibian Govt Must Apologise to San'THE Namibian Government should make reparations to the country's San population for gross negligence that borders on moral genocide. French Lesson: Taunts on Race Can BoomerangThe French news media were captivated by Hurricane Katrina, pointing out how the American government's faltering response brought into plain view the sad lot of black Americans. But this time the French, who have long criticized America's racism, could not overlook the parallels at home. EU Insists Sugar Reforms IrreversibleA senior European Union official has defended the proposed price cuts for sugar imports from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. European Commission Director for Agricultural Russell Mildon said the on-going sugar reforms in the 25-member trade block were irreversible. Former Black Panther who refused to testify ordered freed by courtA former member of the Black Panther Party who was jailed last month for refusing to testify before a grand jury is out of jail -- at least for now. Oil-hungry companies eye Africa's black gold Africa is attracting increasing attention among oil producers, amid rising oil prices, instability in the Arab world, and production slowdowns in the hurricane-hit Gulf of Mexico. Niger Delta Oil Companies Shut Some Facilities, Withdraw WorkersOil companies in Nigeria's volatile Niger Delta are closing facilities and evacuating staff a day after armed militants shut down an installation owned by a U.S.-based firm. Fighters protesting the arrest of their leader say more attacks will follow, if he is not released. SA, Tanzania sign pact on trade imbalanceThere were jokes about third and fourth terms at a Press conference after the conclusion of Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa's State visit to South Africa. The warmth between him and President Mbeki was evident. UN Will Support Sudan's New Government of National Unity, Annan SaysThe United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) will do its utmost to support Sudan's new Government of National Unity as it addresses the enormous challenges of establishing a durable peace and bringing economic development after decades of civil war, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today as he welcomed the Government's swearing-in. Chinese Goods Flood Dakar, Anger CompetitorsHundreds of newly-arrived Chinese wholesale merchants are flooding Senegal's capital Dakar, with cheap goods, pleasing customers and retailers, but angering their Senegalese competitors. World Bank/IMF Losing Relevancy, South SaysDeveloping countries have expressed strong dissatisfaction with their current "under-representation" at the World Bank and the IMF, warning that they are losing their significance. NAMIBIA: Land reform must include post-transfer support, says new reportNamibia's land reform programme is flawed because poor and landless people are not being empowered to become successful farmers once they have been resettled, claims a new report. World Bank President Cautious on Debt ReliefWorld Bank President Paul Wolfowitz says he is optimistic that technical problems blocking implementation of a debt relief program for poor countries in Africa can be worked out. Apartheid America British soldiers in terrorist attackFacing Opposition, U.S. and E.U. Backpedal on Iran ActionColombian rebels accept Venezuela's offer BOGOTA, Colombia -- Colombia's second-largest rebel group on Friday accepted an offer from neighboring Venezuela to host peace talks between the guerrillas and the Colombian government. New Orleans floods again as Rita strikes Big and Easy Iraqi-Style Contracts Flood New Orleans Brazil to ask WTO to impose trade sanctions on US
Tyehimba on 09.23.05 @ 10:55 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, September 22nd
Sudan’s government of national disunity and inequality
Minister says Britain must compensate farmersA cabinet minister said on Thursday that it was up to Britain to compensate thousands of white Zimbabweans whose farms were seized under President Robert Mugabe's land reform programme. AU urges govt, Darfur rebels to cease hostilitiesThe African Union (AU) on Thursday urgedthe Sudanese government and one rebel group to exercise maximum restraint and to cease all military actions in the troubled regionof Darfur immediately. The so called national unity governmentWhen the war broke out between the SPLA and Khartoum government in 1983, it continued more than two decades without a complete victory from either side, till when the CPA was signed on January 9, 2005 to end the longest war in Africa. Upon inking the peace agreement, SPLM/A become confident that the war was over and declined to be ever prepared to fight yet another fierce and brutal war. Sudan’s government of national disunity and inequalityThe most awaited Government of National Unity was finally announced on Tuesday by the president of the republic. We the Southerners have waited anxiously for the greatest test of the Sudanese unity through the formation and the composition of the Government of National Unity. It was clear for all the Southerners that the government was not ready to accept equality of power and wealth sharing. Satisfied Museveni bemoans African trade Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for almost 20 years, the past nine as an elected president, says he has accomplished much of what he set out to do but still can't shake his country's lack of an industrial sector. Govt to Service Notice to Expropriate LandGovernment is to serve a notice to the owners of Leewuspruit farms, informing them of the intention to expropriate some portion of that land. The intention is to expropriate portion seven measuring 42 8266 hectares and portion nine measuring 457 988ha of the farms. Africa's oil in favourAfrica is attracting increasing attention among oil producers amid rising oil prices, instability in the Arab world, and production slowdowns in the hurricane-hit Gulf of Mexico. W Africa wants joint oil policy Eight west African nations have called for the adoption of a joint energy policy and food security measures to ease the impact of soaring oil prices, they said on Monday. Nigerian militiamen take over Chevron stationNigerian militia fighters have seized and shut down a Chevron oil flow-station, a militia leader said on Thursday. The militia has threatened to shut down oil operations in the southern Niger delta - where most of Opec member Nigeria's crude is produced - unless its leader, Moujahid Dokubo-Asari, is released from detention. Police say Dokubo-Asari will be charged with treason. Eritrea warns UN it may resume war with EthiopiaEritrea warned the United Nations on Wednesday that it might rekindle its border war with Ethiopia if the world body failed to resolve a lingering territorial dispute between the two neighbors. 24 Ghanaians deported from USTwenty-four Ghanaians were on Thursday deported from the US on board a chartered aircraft after being in various immigration detention camps ranging from three days to about two years. UN food ship sails again after pirate sagaA United Nations-chartered vessel hijacked by Somali pirates in June left the Somalian port of El-Maan on Thursday as the nearly three-month-old saga took a new turn with fresh demands from the gunmen, officials said. British soldiers in terrorist attack? What is going on in Iraq?That nothing would surprise anyone now, two and a half years into the incredible act of mass butchery called the war in Iraq, in which a sovereign nation was attacked, its infrastructures destroyed and tens of thousands of its civilians slaughtered in an unprovoked and unfounded casus belli, is nothing new. But day-by-day, new chasms of incredulity are opened with revelations which would have appeared absurd only a few years ago. Study finds racial imbalance on death rowMore condemned men and women are on California's death row for killing whites than for murdering people of any other race, despite there being more black and Hispanic murder victims, according to a new study. Israelis caught selling torture devices at London arms fairIn the shadow of threats against retired Israeli generals over war crimes, organizers of one of the world's largest international arms fairs in London tossed out an Israeli company for offering stun guns, leg irons and other "weapons of torture." It is a Racist, Religionist worldUS officials ordered doctors not to save New Orleans victimsVenezuela to limit foreign mining Pentagon misstated terror war spending Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias ships 1,000,000 barrels of petroleum to the United States Jeanne one year on: Haiti still needs food aid LSU storm expert rejects levee failure explanation200,000 Out of Work Because of Katrina
Tyehimba on 09.22.05 @ 11:05 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, September 21st
King of Africa puts on his walking shoes
New Bid to Curb Flood of Chinese ImportsIn a new bid to avert a damaging trade dispute with China over cheap textile imports, the trade and industry department is planning a bilateral trade agreement with Beijing to help SA limit the damage being inflicted on the domestic rag trade. King of Africa puts on his walking shoes A RASTAFARIAN singer is poised to pursue his dream of crossing Africa on foot will be cheered on by friends and supporters on Friday at a farewell party. Nigerian rebels threaten oil wellsNigerian separatist militants warned foreign workers to flee the Niger Delta on Wednesday as they threatened to retaliate for the arrest of their leader by attacking oil wells and pipelines Tears of Joy As Students Leave for CubaThere were tears and excitement for a group of 35 Limpopo undergraduate students at a function to bid them farewell at Bolivia Lodge near Polokwane, today. Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte critcize Bush administration for slow Hurricane Katrina responseWith the exception of the now-famous Kanye West outburst, celebrity-driven benefits for Hurricane Katrina victims have followed a familiar formula - musicians singing heart-tugging ballads while famous faces implore viewers to give, all in a sanitized, apolitical tone. Kenya's quest for a UN seat faces obstaclesKenya last week reiterated its intention to push for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, but many diplomats and analysts say there is little prospect of consensus on expanding the Council's size. Botswana dogged by controversy over Bushmen- Botswana is embroiled in a new controversy about the fate of its San Bushmen after the government decided to close down part of the Kalahari game reserve, prompting clashes. SUDAN: Bashir announces national unity governmentSudanese President Omar al Bashir announced on Wednesday the formation of a new government of national unity in accordance with the terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the government and the southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). Regional neighbours unite to protect marine resourcesNAMIBIA, South Africa and Angola are in the process of establishing an inter-governmental commission that will work together to manage the Benguela Current Ecosystem - one of the world's most productive ecosystems. UN council inches closer to Ivory Coast sanctionsThe U.N. Security Council is sending one of its members to Ivory Coast to see first-hand whether the time has come to impose sanctions on rebel and government leaders blocking the peace process. Elite British Commandos Caught Pretending to be InsurgentsThe Cold Water North Korea Never Threw Bush's Katrina Bling BlingIgnoring the Real ObscenitiesThe Amazing Truth About The SunBolivian Would Oppose Coca Eradication U.S. Asks Court to Dismiss Abuse Suit That Names Pope Closing the Door on Americans' Housing Choices GEDs no longer required Government Caught Destroying More Indian Records In Violation Of Court Orders International Tribunal on Haiti
Tyehimba on 09.21.05 @ 10:22 PM CST [ link]
Tuesday, September 20th
Jamaica and Sudan establish diplomatic ties
Jamaica and Sudan establish diplomatic tiesJamaica and the Republic of Sudan have established diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level. Ivory Coast Peace Remains ElusiveSeptember 19 marks the third anniversary of the start of the civil war that divided Ivory Coast in two. Despite repeated attempts at mediation and the presence of a U.N. mission and international peacekeepers, a resolution to the stagnant conflict remains elusive. Nigeria militant threatens UK interests in oil deltaA militant leader in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta has threatened British interests over the arrest in London of a Nigerian politician but industry sources see no immediate impact on oil output. Falashas on hunger strikeSome 350 members of Ethiopia's Bete Israel community went on hunger strike in Addis Ababa on Tuesday in protest over what they described as Israel's "unfulfilled promise" to take them to the Holy Land. Africa delegation to visit Sudan SaturdayA delegation from Africa Union (AU) led by Patrick Mazimhaka, the deputy chairman of the AU commission, is expected to arrive in the country on Saturday 24 September on a four-day visit. Efforts to save Mt Kenya forest underwayKenya`s forestry officials, regional administrators and wildlife service personnel from the central and eastern provinces Monday held a crisis meeting in Chuka, a town 200 km north of Nairobi, to redress the deteriorating conservation situation around Mount Kenya forest region. NAMIBIA: Eco-groups say uranium mine brings new hazards Namibia has commissioned a second uranium mine despite strong opposition from human rights and environmental groups who fear it could pose an ecological hazard. All White At EmmysThe otherwise lily-white parade of winners was only broken up by S. Epatha Merkerson, who took home her trophy in the Outstanding Actress in a Movie or Miniseries category, beating out her Lackawanna Blues co-star, Halle Berry in the process. \ Anglican rift over homosexuality deepensNigeria's Anglican church has deleted all references to its mother church from its constitution, deepening a rift over homosexuality but stopping short of a feared schism. Sudan's power-sharing govt completedFormer rebels and Sudan's ruling party have agreed on a power-sharing government, with the ruling party saying it would keep the critical energy portfolio in the oil-producing country. Lions kill 20 people in southern EthiopiaLions have mauled to death 20 people and 750 head of livestock in southern region of Ethiopia, local administrators said on Tuesday. Iran threatens to quit nuclear Non-Proliferation TreaIran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani has warned that Tehran could quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if it is subjected to the language of force. Middle East Press Reports on the British "Undercover Soldiers"Ten Iraqis - seven police commandos, two civilians and a child - were killed and more than 10 others wounded in the explosion of two car bombs near two checkpoints in Al-Mahmudiyah and Al-Latifiyah south of Baghdad while hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were heading towards the city of Karbala to mark the anniversary of a religious event. The occupation forces are the real perpetrators of bomb attacks in Iraq?Iran's top military commander accused the United States and Israel of planning the non-stop bomb attacks that killed thousands of civilians in Iraq.Brigadier General Mohammad-Baqer Zolqadr, the deputy commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), told a gathering of senior officials, that the U.S. needs those attacks to justify the continuation of its military presence in Iraq. UK Soldiers Caught Dressed As Iraqis Killing Local PoliceThe Real Reasons Why Iran is the Next TargetNorth Korea Demands Nuke Reactor From U.S.North Korea said Tuesday it would not dismantle its nuclear weapons program until the United States first provides an atomic energy reactor, casting doubt on its commitment to a breakthrough agreement reached at international arms talks.
Tyehimba on 09.20.05 @ 09:59 PM CST [ link]
Monday, September 19th
Mugabe accuses US of racism
Free schooling starts with huge logistical problemsTeachers and administrators of Burundi's primary schools faced logistical problems on Monday as hundreds of thousands of primary school students lined up to enroll for the first time for the 2005-2006 school year which president promised will now be free. Development:Indebted Countries Await Word On G8 PledgeWhen the world's finance ministers converge on Washington for the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week, they will determine the fate of an unprecedented proposal set forth by the richest countries of the world regarding their relationship with the poorest. Mugabe accuses US of racismZimbabwean President Robert Mugabe accused the United States of deliberately neglecting homeless black victims of Hurricane Katrina while condemning him for demolishing urban slums. Mugabe also told the UN General Assembly that former colonial ruler Britain, which inspired European diplomatic sanctions against Zimbabwe, was equally as hypocritical by participating in an "illegal" and "devastating" invasion of Iraq. Tsvangirai protest walk a 'cheap stunt'A Zimbabwe government official has accused opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai of staging a "cheap publicity stunt" after Tsvangirai decided to walk to work to protest fuel shortages. Zimbabwe strips whites of ability to challenge land seizures Zimbabwe's government has annulled more than 4,000 white farmers' challenges to a mass eviction campaign, following changes to the constitution to end freehold real estate title and owners' rights to appeal against seizure, according to a newspaper report. 30 killed in new Darfur attacks - rebel SLA Militias backed by the Sudanese government have killed 30 people in fresh attacks in Darfur, threatening new peace talks under way in Nigeria, rebel groups said on Monday. Sudan accused of fresh killingsMILITIAMEN backed by the Sudanese government have killed 30 people in fresh attacks in Darfur, threatening new peace talks under way in Nigeria, rebel groups said yesterday. ANGOLA: Legacy of war, failed harvests combine to erode security Another generation of Angolan children faces a precarious future as failed harvests and the legacy of 27 years of civil war combine to undermine food security in the country. Blacks of Native American Ancestry fight for recognitionEthiopia says ancient obelisk finally to be put back An ancient obelisk plundered by Italy but recently returned to Ethiopia may be re-erected by the end of the year after studies showed it would not damage nearby tombs, a minister said on Monday. Hijacked UN-chartered ship Arrives in Somali PortSomali gunmen who hijacked a ship carrying food aid for tsunami victims have let it dock near the capital, Mogadishu, two months after the vessel's capture. Tough times for dependents of thousands who fled post election violenceNearly five months after election violence in Togo, thousands of opposition supporters remain exiled in Benin and Ghana, making life difficult for the dependents they left behind. The Colonial Response of Bush's Response to New OrleansIt’s not so much that the Emperor has no clothes but that his clothes, under the black sky, are shining white, with many thousands gone, enabled deliberately by his white imperial rule. I believe this to be the only honest, rational conclusion to draw from all the evidence on the ground in New Orleans. President Hugo Chavez speaksHugo Chavez: "If the Imperialist Government of the White House Dares to Invade Venezuela, the War of 100 Years Will be Unleashed in South America"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez speaks on Democracy Now! in his first interview in the United States. Chavez discusses the war in Iraq, President Bush, the role of the media in the aborted coup against him and Venezuela's request for the extradition of Cuban anti-Castro militant Luis Posada Carriles. [includes rush transcript] Full Article : trinicenter.comTime to get focused, get real about North KoreaA human rights attorney who does work in Albuquerque and internationally, he spent hours brushing up on the nation, which President Bush in 2002 declared part of the Axis of Evil. North Korea Demands Nuke Reactor From U.S.North Korea said Tuesday it would not dismantle its nuclear weapons program until the United States first provides an atomic energy reactor, casting doubt on its commitment to a breakthrough agreement reached at international arms talks. Racism and Reflections on the History We Learn (and Don't)The Poor Shamed Us Into Seeing Them'George is worst natural disaster to hit country'The Bush "Universal Solution" to Disasters is Itself a Long-term Disaster
Tyehimba on 09.19.05 @ 10:54 PM CST [ link]
Sunday, September 18th
Darfur's Displaced People Hope for Return
U.S. to Slap Tough Travel Sanctions on Zimbabwean President Robert MugabeThe United States plans to slap tough travel sanctions on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, members of his government and their extended families, a senior U.S. official said Friday. The move is aimed at further isolating Mugabe and is a sign of growing U.S. impatience with Zimbabwe, whose relations with the West are at an all-time low because of human rights abuses. Political crisis pushes Somalia closer to warA worsening political crisis threatens to plunge Somalia back into war and open a new era of humanitarian suffering, experts say Thousands of Zimbabwe farmers lose court casesMore than 4 000 legal challenges brought by white farmers in Zimbabwe to the seizure of their farms have been nullified after President Robert Mugabe's signing into law of controversial amendments to the constitution, it was reported on Sunday. Darfur's Displaced People Hope for ReturnA sixth round of peace talks between the Sudanese government and rebels from Sudan's western Darfur region are under way in Nigeria. Five previous rounds have made limited progress toward ending the two-and-a-half-year conflict. In the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, displaced from Darfur are hopeful of a solution that will allow them to return home. President of Sierra Leone celebrates freedom of Amistad slavesThe president of Sierra Leone came to Connecticut this weekend to celebrate the state's contributions to securing the freedom of slaves who sailed on the ship Amistad. Frank Rich: 'Message: I care about the black folks'Summit failure blamed on US The failure of last week's United Nations summit to deliver an agreement designed to prevent terrorists acquiring 'weapons of mass destruction' was sabotaged by the US, senior diplomats have told The Observer. How United States Intervention Against Venezuela WorksIt is no secret that the government of the United States is carrying out a program of operations in favor of the Venezuelan political opposition to remove President Hugo Chávez Frías and the coalition of parties that supports him from power. The budget for this program, initiated by the administration of Bill Clinton and intensified under George W. Bush, has risen from some $2 million in 2001 to $9 million in 2005, and it disguises itself as activities to “promote democracy,” “resolve conflicts,” and “strengthen civic life.” It consists of providing money, training, counsel and direction to an extensive network of political parties, NGO’s, mass media, unions, and businessmen, all determined to end the bolivarian revolutionary process. Chavez' Surprise for BushOffering to Sell Cheap Oil to America's Poor
Tyehimba on 09.18.05 @ 08:24 PM CST [ link]
Saturday, September 17thFriday, September 16th
US & UK Owe Africa $Trillions
Calling the Debt Relief BluffSpeaking on the sidelines of a major U.N. summit Thursday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned that the much-touted debt relief deal negotiated at the July G8 meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland is in serious danger of being scuttled. Why black kids fail at school A HARDHITTING new education report has lifted the lid on a culture of racism in schools which holds black pupils back. US & UK Owe Africa $TrillionsBush knows that there are many American companies dealing in Africa's natural resources like Gold, Diamonds and Oil all over the continent. These companies will continue to pressure any US government to pursue a loose US policy to the continent in which chaos and wars reign to give them room for exploitation. This is why, instead of the US increasing aid and forgiving debts, Bush is pressing for the war elsewhere. For many people, Africa is full of wars, diseases and famine. But for American companies, the continent is a basket of wealth where they come and get cheap source of minerals like oil, gold, and diamond among others. SA 'disqualified' as mediatorAn Ivorian opposition leader said on Friday that South Africa's role as mediator in its long-running dispute with the government was "discredited" and it had "disqualified" itself. Global warming could end Sahara droughts, says studyGlobal warming could significantly increase rainfall in Saharan Africa within a few decades, potentially ending the severe droughts that have devastated the region, a new study suggests. New round of Darfur peace talks held in AbujaNegotiators for Sudan's government and for two Darfur rebel movements launched a new round of peace talks in Nigeria on Thursday, but there were worries that disunity among rebels could hinder progress. Rush to industrialise is eroding quality of life Kenya's campaign to become a newly industrialised nation by 2020 has had a negative impact on its human development. The UN Human Development Report 2005 released recently shows that although the industrialisation drive has created opportunities for improving the living conditions of Kenyans, it has led to rapid urbanisation and a crumbling of the infrastructure. African mediators optimistic of settlement of Darfur crisisAs the sixth round of African Union-sponsored talks toward resolving Sudan’s Darfur crisis gets underway in Abuja, the AU mediators are optimistic that this could be the final round, an official said here Friday. Mbeki slams tepid response to UN reformSouth African President Thabo Mbeki has blasted the failure of United Nations member countries to agree to a comprehensive package of reforms. He dismissed their attempts as a "miserable performance". 'A Miserable Performance,' Mbeki Scolds UN SummitThe United Nations World Summit 2005, originally billed as a review of progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the world body in 2000, saw a discontented South African President Thabo Mbeki, who described poverty-fighting efforts towards those goals as "half-hearted, timid and tepid." Rich nations slow on debt relief -Rwandan leader The international community has not moved quickly enough to provide debt relief to impoverished African nations and others in the developing world, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on Friday. Kagame, who was in Atlanta to receive the Andrew Young Medal for Capitalism and Social Progress, said removing the debt burden was not enough to spur economic growth in developing nations. France bans flights by Cameroon AirlinesMarch Toward MDGs Leaving Millions BehindAn African diplomat recounts a quote attributed to a former head of state who once remarked: "We fought a war against poverty -- and poverty won." Violence Continues in Darfur Region After Peace Talks Open in NigeriaThe United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) today said violence against civilians in western Sudan's Darfur region continues, despite the opening of the sixth round of peace talks between representatives of the Government of Sudan and those of Darfur's rebels in Nigeria's capital. Chávez Issues Challenge for a More Democratic U.N.Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez criticised the United Nations General Assembly, the North and the United States, and denounced the U.N. World Summit's outcome document as "unlawful". Hypocrisy in U.S. anti-terrorism laws A few weeks ago, religious broadcaster Pat Robertson called on U.S. agents (albeit CIA personnel) to "take out" the democratically-elected President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. Venezuela's Quiet Housing Revolution: Urban Land ReformHugo Chavez: United States a terrorist stateChavez Takes Bush to Task Over Iraq War Mexican volcano blasts ash, gas into sky U.S. Military in Paraguay Prepares To "Spread Democracy"A Reality Check on Bush's Speech to the UN World SummitNo Understanding of the Poor or RacismBush becomes Katrina mourner-in-chief Race, Katrina and the Media
Tyehimba on 09.16.05 @ 08:51 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, September 15th
Attacks in Russia on dark-skinned foreigners
Defiant Mugabe denounces 'coalition of evil'Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday blasted what he called a "coalition of evil" as he accused powerful countries of using humanitarian intervention to meddle in the affairs of small and weak nations. Zimbabwe and China swap animals in tiger diplomacyZimbabwe, increasingly seeking friends in the east as the West accuses it of human rights abuses, is extending its diplomatic drive to the animal kingdom. African Leaders Addressing UN Summit Urge Greater Representation On Security CouncilAfrican leaders addressing the United Nations Summit meeting in New York today said their continent should have permanent representation on the Security Council, whose agenda is dominated by conflicts there. AU hopes to launch peace talks despite rebel boycottAfrican Union officials hope to launch a final round of peace talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja to bring an end to slaughter and starvation in the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur. Somali Pirates to Hand Over Hijacked UN Food ShipSomali pirates have agreed to release a U.N.-chartered ship and its crew, hijacked nearly three months ago. The ship was carrying food aid to tsunami victims in Somalia. Jamaica knocks richer nations for failing to help with debt reliefJamaica’s Prime Minister has knocked the globe’s richer countries for not sticking to commitments to help poorer nations with their debt payments. Speaking to the United Nations Assembly in New York, P J Patterson said developing countries are still having to pay up to US$230 billion every year in debts to wealthy countries and financial institutions such as the World Bank. Pirates release Somali aid shipGunmen have released a ship they hijacked more than two months ago as it transported food aid to Somalis, a Somali government official said on Thursday. India, S Africa demand UN reformThe leaders of India and South Africa have called for a reform of the UN Security Council to address "the gross imbalance of power" in the world body. African Union to launch last push for Darfur peaceAfrican Union officials were to launch a final round of peace talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Thursday to bring an end to slaughter and starvation in the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur. Attacks in Russia on dark-skinned foreignersA student from Congo died Wednesday in a St. Petersburg hospital several days after being attacked by unknown assailants, a prosecution official said. It was the latest of a growing number of attacks in Russian cities on dark-skinned foreigners and immigrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus region in recent years, according to the AP. Frances Newton Died for Bush's SinsThe 40-year-old black woman, executed by the death-obsessed state of Texas last night following a rejection by the US Supreme Court of her attorneys' last-ditch appeal, and after the state's craven and bloodthirsty "pardons and parole" board refused to recommend a stay to Gov. Rick Perry, hardly merited mention in the nation's media, which is now awash in stories about Bush's disaster in New Orleans. Venezuela's Chavez wants UN out of United States Chavez says Venezuela to buy up to $1 billion in Argentine bonds, calls Bush a threat Haiti priest barred from election Cuba Denounces US Maneuvers at UN SummitIgnorance and Abdication That Amounts to MadnessAll political leaders sometimes parry with the truth, but with Bush the disconnections are systematic
Admin on 09.15.05 @ 11:02 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, September 14th
High oil prices hit poorest hardest
The Lowdown on the DownlowThe date was April 16, 2004. The words were those of Oprah Winfrey leading off that Friday's version of her long running syndicated daily TV show. But instead of information on the promised "many ways you can get AIDS," what Oprah's audience got was an hour of disinformation, stereotyping and hucksterism. They got just one way to avoid the deadly infection, from one source: secretive and predatory bisexual black men, "Living on the Down Low." Frances Newton executed in Huntsville HUNTSVILLE -- Frances Newton was the third woman and first black woman executed since Texas resumed capital punishment in the early '80s. Ghana still tied to IMF!John Agyekum Kufuor, President of the Republic of Ghana, is reported to have said that Ghana has decided to wean itself from budgetary support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with effect from the next budget, which is expected to be presented in December this year. Sudan: Darfur Risks Descending Into Anarchy - ObserversDarfur risks sliding into a perpetual state of lawlessness even as the Sudanese government and the main rebel groups in the war-torn region discuss the possibility of peacefully resolving the conflict there, observers have warned. High Oil Prices Hit Poorest HardestAs thousands of angry Nigerians took to the streets on Thursday to protest against 30 percent hikes in fuel price, across West Africa some of the world's poorest also were feeling the pinch, struggling to cope with the record-breaking cost of crude and its knock-on effect on basic goods. Gono Says Zimbabwe Will Pay Off Remaining Arrears to IMFLast week (September 9) the executive board of the International Monetary Fund voted for the third time in 18 months to postpone the expulsion of Zimbabwe for non-repayment of overdue loans. From Washington, VOA's Barry Wood has more on the dispute. Critics Blame US for Watered Down UN ReformsThe document that diplomats have agreed upon to reform the United Nations is coming under sharp criticism in some quarters and the United States is getting much of the blame. Critics say the reform measures have been watered down and scaled back Security Council votes to ban incitement to terrorismIncitement to terrorism is to be banned worldwide under a United Nations Security Council resolution unanimously adopted on Wednesday and promoted by Britain in the wake of the London bombings. Black?: Bush Doesn’t CareThe comfort of a middle class lifestyle has partitioned Black America into two groups: those who have a college education and those that do not. Middle Class Black people have engaged the “American Dream” and are more interested in accumulating materials than developing community… In many ways, Black America was distressed, desolate and deserted long before Katrina. Katrina was the personification of how Black people have been treated throughout the history of this country. African leaders addressing UN Summit urge greater representation on Security CouncilAfrican leaders addressing the United Nations Summit meeting in New York today said their continent should have permanent representation on the Security Council, whose agenda is dominated by conflicts there. Exxon stays silent over alleged human rights breaches in Chad & CameroonAmerican oil company, ExxonMobil, has refused to comment on a report produced by Amnesty International last week claiming that contracts between the company and the governments of Chad and Cameroon are breaching human rights. Sudanese army denies attack on Darfur rebelsA spokesman of Sudan’s armed forces has denied that government forces launched an attack on Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) positions in Darfur. Ghana To ban Nigerian Goods?Ghana has threatened to impose a ban on some made in Nigerian goods if the latter does not revoke its current ban of some Ghanaian goods on its market. Ghana donates cocoa drinks, chocolates to Katrina victims in USGhana Tuesday announced a donation of cocoa drinks and chocolates worth 100,000 US dollars to the US for victims of Hurricane Katrina. "By this modest donation, Ghana registers her solidarity with the people of the US as they struggle to deal with the tragedy," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement in Accra. Britain's race shame: the alarming levels of black deaths in police custody: where's the justice?The world looked on in disgust at the racism in southern America exposed by Hurricane Katrina but it is time the British public acknowledged that our own government is no better when it comes to protecting the welfare of its black citizens. Poor nations lose in watered-down UN document Diplomats at the United Nations finally reached agreement last night on a watered-down document to reform the organisation and tackle poverty just hours before leaders arrived for the start of a world summit. The News Media Are Knocking Bush -- and Propping Him Up This month we've heard a lot of talk about journalists who got tough with President Bush. And it's true that he has been on the receiving end of some fiercely negative media coverage in the wake of the hurricane. But the mainstream U.S. press is ill-suited to challenging the legitimacy of the Bush administration. The reconstruction of New OraqIn the decade before September 11, 2001, "globalization", a word now largely missing in action, was on everyone's lips and we constantly heard about what a small, small world this really was. In the aftermath of Katrina, that global smallness has grown positively claustrophobic and particularly predatory. Bacteria, Lead Taint Water in New Orleans Peru finds giant crocodile fossil in Amazon Ivanov: US to use nuclear weapons against suspected Qaeda bases India, Brazil, S Africa stress for urgent steps to UN reformsAnnual Conference Calls to Close Digital DivideIraq slams U.S. detentions, immunity for troopsIraq's justice minister has condemned the U.S. military for detaining thousands of Iraqis for long periods without charge and wants to change a U.N. resolution that gives foreign troops immunity from Iraqi law.
Admin on 09.14.05 @ 11:30 PM CST [ link]
Tuesday, September 13th
NAMIBIA: Pressure builds over slow pace of land redistribution
WINDHOEK, 13 Sep 2005 ( IRIN) - Fifteen years after independence Namibians are still grappling with the issue of sustainable and effective land reform in the arid Southern African country. Pressure has been building over the slow pace of redistribution, but the government argues that too few properties are offered for sale at reasonable prices under the current willing-buyer, willing-seller arrangement.
Admin on 09.13.05 @ 11:17 PM CST [ more..]
Use African music to propagate its values
Belgian missionary charged in Rwanda A Rwandan community court charged a Belgian missionary with inciting and planning the 1994 genocide in which more than half a million people were killed Use African music to propagate its values - Chief MokwugwoGeoffery N. Mokwugwo, Managing Director of Worldwide Electoral Limited on Saturday urged Africans not to abandon African music and culture because of the enticing presence of other cultures. Vaccination of 10 million children against polio beginsLocal health authorities and UNICEF launched a drive on Monday to vaccinate 10 million children against polio in six provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) bordering Angola, Health Minister Emile Bongeli said. 'UN Security Council reform is over'A failure to find consensus on proposed reforms of the United Nations Security Council has snuffed Africa's hopes to see its voice being heard louder within the international organisation, analysts said on Tuesday. Africa tells UN: "You must do better" In the streets of his hometown Kumasi in central Ghana, Kofi Annan is known by the accolade Busumuru -- "the best of the best". Many Africans share Ghana's pride at his rise to secretary-general of the United Nations, but when it comes to his organization's work, emotions range from gratitude to outraged feelings of betrayal. UN: Africa Benefits Little From Foreign InvestmentThe UN Conference on Trade and Development says foreign direct investment into Africa is not working and needs to be reviewed. A new UNCTAD report on Economic Development in Africa finds that the cost of direct investment in Africa usually outweighs the benefits. MAURITANIA: First wave of one-time dissidents return home in sweeping amnestyJubilant mobs rushed the airport and lined the streets of the Mauritanian capital on Monday to greet 30 former dissidents returning from exile, days after the country’s new military rulers called a sweeping amnesty for those imprisoned or banished by ex-President Maaouya Ould Taya. New Orleans: Dress Rehearsal for American LockdownThe war has come home to America, right here, right now and so have myriad questions so disturbing that most Americans, even if they know what the questions are, are terrified to ask: Why is Blackwater USA, the principal mercenary force outsourced by the Pentagon to fight in Iraq, now patrolling the streets of New Orleans? Who Murdered Arafat?For dozens of years, the Israeli media has conducted, with government inspiration, a concentrated campaign against the Palestinian leader (with the sole exception of Haolam Hazeh, the news magazine I edited). Millions of words of hatred and demonization were poured on him, more than on any other person of his generation. If somebody thought that this would end after his death, he was mistaken. Abusing America's Fear of TerrorismChavez says US meddling in UN visit, denies visas Cuba: U.S. Yet to Address Katrina Offer
Tyehimba on 09.13.05 @ 08:41 PM CST [ link]
Monday, September 12th
Mugabe criticises 'unhelpful' IMF
GM maize: Ministry did right thing Kenyans must be celebrating for gaining an important victory in the fight against Genetically Modified (GM) crops. The Government has ordered Kenya’s biotechnology maize field trials to be stopped and the crops destroyed. Belgium Missionary Accused of GenocideA Belgian Roman Catholic Priest, Father Guy Theunis, appeared before a Gacaca Court in Kigali city on Sunday, after which he was placed in Category One of genocide suspects. Fr. Theunis, 60, will now have to answer genocide charges before the classic courts of law, since Gacaca courts only handle cases involving lesser crimes. Uganda polishes public imageThe Ugandan government has set up a media organisation that will provide daily news to local and foreign media in a move designed to bolster the administration against attacks from the political opposition and boost its image abroad, an official from the president's office said on Monday. Mbeki and Zuma: A temporary truce? South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma - the man he sacked as his deputy - have put on a show of unity, following a bitter row that threatened to split the governing ANC party. SOUTH AFRICA: Ruling party moves to end riftThe ruling African National Congress (ANC) is taking steps to end the standoff between former deputy president Jacob Zuma, who faces charges of corruption, and President Thabo Mbeki. Somali Militia Takes Over UNICEF OfficeA warlord in southern Somalia has taken over the offices of UNICEF in the town where Somalia's transitional government is based, a senior U.N. official said Monday. Nigeria pulls peacekeepers out of DRCNigeria's police will withdraw its entire contingent of 120 officers serving on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) because of sexual harrasment allegations, a spokesperson said on Monday. IMF gives Zimbabwe six-month debt reprieveThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) has given Zimbabwe a six-month reprieve against expulsion over repayment of a longstanding debt, the second time the IMF has spared the southern African country from embarrassment. Mugabe criticises 'unhelpful' IMF Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has criticised the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as doing little to help developing countries Sudanese women must have greater role in political affairs A meeting in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi has highlighted the importance of giving Sudanese women a greater voice in their country’s political affairs, if Sudan is to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). DRC: Troops from the 124th battalion desert to join dissident generalThe commander of the Democratic Republic of Congo's 8th Military Region, in the eastern province of North Kivu, said on Monday some 350 troops from the 124th battalion had defected to join a dissident army general, Laurent Nkunda. Britain's race shame: the alarming levels of black deaths in police custody: where's the justice?The world looked on in disgust at the racism in southern America exposed by Hurricane Katrina but it is time the British public acknowledged that our own government is no better when it comes to protecting the welfare of its black citizens. GREAT LAKES: Four-day gender festival ends with call for cooperationSome 1,000 participants from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and other countries ended their 7th Gender Festival on Friday with an appeal for greater cooperation among women, instead of undermining each other. NAMIBIA: UN signs $44.7 million development assistance frameworkThe UN signed a second development assistance framework (UNDAF) of US $44.7 million with Namibia this week to intensify support for the fight against HIV/AIDS, food insecurity and improving social service delivery over the next five years. Israel vows 'zero tolerance' to Gaza violenceMinister of Defence Shaul Mofaz warned on Monday that Israel will adopt a "zero tolerance" policy to continued violence from the Gaza Strip after ending its 38-year occupation of the Palestinian territory. We had to kill our patientsDoctors working in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans killed critically ill patients rather than leaving them to die in agony as they evacuated hospitals, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. New Orleans Unmasks “Apartheid, American Style”What is the recipe for a toxic sludge potent enough to destroy a heavily populated city and inflict infection with a mere splash? Start with a force of nature powerful beyond belief. Mix in an ample supply of sewage, garbage, brackish water from Lake Ponchatrain , floating corpses of humans and animals, and various and sundry noxious chemicals. Blend well with a system of seriously inadequate levees resulting from cuts in federal funding. Of course this concoction would not be complete without heaping portions of racism, spiritual emptiness, and avarice fueling slow and inadequate federal relief efforts. Hurricane Halliburton Protestants riot in Northern Ireland for 3rd Day Chile remembers its Sept. 11 Katrina aid from Cuba? No thanks, says U.S. Connect the Dots
Tyehimba on 09.12.05 @ 11:00 PM CST [ link]
Sunday, September 11th
G8 promised money for Africa goes to Iraq
Belgian Missionary pleads innocence in Rwanda genocideA Belgian priest accused of inciting people to participate in Rwanda's 1994 genocide pleaded his innocence on Sunday before a traditional court. Multi-Drug Resistant TB Cases ConfirmedA super tuberculosis strain is circulating in Nairobi, Coast, Nyanza and North Eastern provinces, says researchers at the Kenya Medical Research Institute and confirmed by a World Health Organisation's reference laboratory in the UK. ANC Reads Riot Act to Mbeki And ZumaPRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki and former Deputy President Jacob Zuma have been ordered by ANC leaders to suspend their bitter feud and lead the party out of its crisis. G8 promised money for Africa goes to IraqBarely two months since the G8 summit at Gleneagles in Scotland, it has emerged that part of the much-heralded foreign aid money promised for Africa is in fact earmarked for debt relief in Iraqi. Mediator talking to Lord's Resistance ArmyThe mediator in the Ugandan peace process said on Friday she was in regular contact with the leader of a rebel movement in a bid to breathe life into a peace process aimed at ending nearly two decades of fighting in the north of the country. Africa's best scientists leaving - Osafo-MaafoMr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the Minister of Education and Sports, has said the brain drain of Africa's best scientists to the industrialized world has increased. Sudan Government Formation DelayedThe formation of Sudan's unity government has been delayed yet again, prompting fears that the northern government in Sudan is not ready to commit to power sharing with the former southern rebels. Sudan Government Formation DelayedThe formation of Sudan's unity government has been delayed yet again, prompting fears that the northern government in Sudan is not ready to commit to power sharing with the former southern rebels. Somali President Denies Rising Tension, Foreign TroopsSomalia's president is eager to play down fears of a surge in fighting, a day after U.N. aid workers were evacuated from parts of the country amid threats by militia leaders. He is also denying the presence of heavily-armed Ethiopian troops in the country. Mugabe off to Cuba Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe arrived in Cuba yesterday, criticising the International Monetary Fund, even though the organization a day earlier deferred a decision for six months on whether to expel it. Ghanaian troops end peacekeeping duty in Sierra LeoneGhanaian troops serving under the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) have ended their tour of duty and will return home by the end of September, UNAMSIL announced here Saturday. New Orleans becomes a war zoneThe disaster that struck New Orleans and the southern Gulf Coast has given rise to the largest military mobilization in modern history on US soil. Nearly 65,000 US military personnel are now deployed in the disaster area, transforming the devastated port city into a war zone. UNITED STATES: New Orleans: Barbarity of US capitalism exposedAny person in the world who is not a stone cold racist or sociopath cannot help but react with visceral disgust, outrage and revulsion at the criminal response of the US government to the catastrophe of New Orleans; and to feel deep sympathy with the victims of that criminality. World summit on UN's future heads for chaosThe British government is mounting a huge diplomatic effort this weekend to prevent the biggest-ever summit of world leaders, designed to tackle poverty and overhaul the United Nations, ending in chaos. Kadhafi pleads for African veto in Security CouncilAfrica has the right to a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council with veto power to compensate for previous injustices, irrespective of whether this council is expanded or not, the Libyan leader, Col, Moammar Kadhafi, affirmed here FEMA Attempts Media Black Out in New Orleans As hurricane clean-up efforts kick into gear in New Orleans and the surrounding storm-ravaged areas, federal government officials have been taking action seemingly to prevent the news media from accurately reporting on the tragic human toll Hurricane Katrina has taken so far. A Look at the Refugee Situation Around the Country Exiles from a city and from a nation Stupid Quotes About Hurricane Katrina
Tyehimba on 09.11.05 @ 06:58 PM CST [ link]
Saturday, September 10th
Nigeria excludes tribe, religion from census
Malawi loses 600 hectares of forests to bush fires Malawi has lost more than 600 hectares of pristine forests to bush fires that have been raging for one month in the Mulanje Mountain, some 100-km south of Blantyre, an environmentalist said Friday. UN Oil-for-Food: Annan Vows to StayDespite the bashing he received from the independent report into the oil-for-food program, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has vowed not to resign. His rejection of calls for his resignation by US legislators is coming as France and United Kingdom declared support for his continued stay in office. SON Wants Nigerians to Shun Foreign GoodsThe Standards Organisa-tion of Nigeria (SON) has called on Nigerians to reduce their appetite for the consumption of foreign products in order to support the ongoing efforts to promote the manufacture, importation and sale of goods that meet international standards. Nigeria will exclude religion and ethnicity from the questionnaire for a long-overdue census in Africa's most populous country in November, the organiser said on Monday, prompting boycott threats from interest groups. Hurricane survivors accuse U.S. police testimonies by survivors of Hurricane Katrina are anything to go by, human agents might have aided the angry elements in shooting up the casualty figures in the disaster that ravaged New Orleans in the United States (U.S. Katrina evokes questions in AfricaImages of poor, black Americans homeless and in despair in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina are resonating in Africa, evoking pointed questions about racism and surprise that disasters can wreak havoc and leave refugees even in the prosperous United States. Zimbabwe lobbies against IMF expulsionZimbabwe's central bank chief on Friday held eleventh-hour meetings with International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials to lobby support against Harare's possible expulsion for debt arrears, state radio said. Mubarak wins with 88% of voteEgyptian President Hosni Mubarak has won his country's first contested presidential election with 88.5% of the vote, according to official results announced on Friday by the electoral commission. Bombed Levees and Bleeding HeartsPower to the victims of New Orleans On September 4, six days after Katrina hit, I saw the first glimmer of hope. "The people of New Orleans will not go quietly into the night, scattering across this country to become homeless in countless other cities while federal relief funds are funnelled into rebuilding casinos, hotels, chemical plants. We will not stand idly by while this disaster is used as an opportunity to replace our homes with newly built mansions and condos in a gentrified New Orleans." So, What Was So Controversial About Kanye West's Remarks? For the life of me, I am trying to figure out what was so controversial in the remarks by rapper Kanye West at the NBC fundraiser for the Katrina disaster victims. He stated that Bush apparently does not care about Black people. He also expressed concern about how Black families that were fighting for survival were compared with White families in the media, i.e., Black families tended to be viewed as looters while Whites were not. In Storm's Ruins, a Rush to Rebuild and Reopen for BusinessPrivate contractors, guided by two former directors of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other well-connected lobbyists and consultants, are rushing to cash in on the unprecedented sums to be spent on Hurricane Katrina relief and reconstruction. The Physician Who Told Cheney The F*** WordBlack refugees ask if Utah will really accept them U.S. military force-feeding 13 Guantanamo hunger strikers Is the Government Trying to Stem the Tide of Images From New Orleans by Threatening Journalists?
Tyehimba on 09.10.05 @ 12:42 PM CST [ link]
Friday, September 9th
Diamonds in the desert and despair in the Kalahari
Diamonds in the desert and despair in the Kalahari When the British colonial rulers created the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana, the Bushmen who lived there were given the right to remain in perpetuity. But this week, 220 Bushmen went to court in a last, desperate attempt to preserve a unique way of life. Venezuela's Chavez Avoids Class War Pat Robertson's recently retracted suggestion that the United States should "take out" Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is an extreme echo of the views of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Earlier this year when asked by Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., if there was anything good she could say about Chavez, she responded, "It's pretty hard ... to find something positive." Nigeria to get back $290m lootOfficials have told Swiss banks to start returning to Nigeria $290m in funds seized in accounts linked to late dictator Sani Abacha, said a spokesperson on Friday. New wheat pathogen threatens world food securityA new rapidly-evolving pathogen spreading in east Africa could annihilate wheat plantations worldwide, posing a "catastrophic" threat to crops unless steps are taken quickly. Garang helicopter wreckage to be returned to Uganda The wreckage of the helicopter in which Sudan’s First Vice-President Dr John Garang and 12 other people perished on 30 July in southern Sudan is soon to be returned to Uganda. Unfair trade hurts Africa`s developmentAfrican countries continue to witness development reversals with major declines in their living standards, decreasing life expectancy and high child mortality rates, a UN Development Programme report said Thursday here. Apartheid's 'Dr Death' faces retrial on poisoning claims South Africa's constitutional court has ruled in favour of re-opening a criminal case against Dr Wouter Basson, the apartheid-era scientist accused of poisoning political opponents. LESSONS OF HURRICANE KATRINA EXPOSED ENDEMIC ECONOMIC INEQUALITY FOR AFRICANS One guy stood out in my mind, he said Africa looks good to me now. Others white and black who have seen Tsunami in Asia, famine in Africa and war in Europe claimed they have not seen anything like this. That it happened is nobody's fault, that it took so long to come to peoples' aid in the most powerful and richest country in the whole world leaves more than an indelible mark on our faces. First lady: Charges that racism slowed aid 'disgusting'First lady Laura Bush on Thursday denounced critics who say race played a role in the federal government's slow response to victims of Hurricane Katrina, calling the accusations "disgusting." Sudan poor forced into desert area outside capitalA group of Sudanese standing among plastic-covered shacks in the desert said they lost their homes and most of their belongings when the police drove them from the capital. World summit on UN's future heads for chaos The British government is mounting a huge diplomatic effort this weekend to prevent the biggest-ever summit of world leaders, designed to tackle poverty and overhaul the United Nations, ending in chaos. Grenadians reflects on Ivan one year laterIraq rebuilding under threat as US runs out of money Evacuees' stories are moving, but fence isn't 9/11 loans went to businesses that had no need for them Power to the victims of New Orleans UN hits back at US in report saying parts of America are as poor as Third World Bush allows contractors to pay lower wages
Tyehimba on 09.09.05 @ 10:49 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, September 8th
Poisoning the African mind
Haiti vote won't usher in peace and stability: South AfricaHaiti's first elections since the ouster of Jean Bertrand Aristide will not usher in peace and stability in the Caribbean nation, South Africa's foreign minister said Wednesday. African groups slam Sarkozy reaction to lethal Paris fires African organizations Wednesday denounced French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy's handling of the plight of immigrants in France following the housing fires in Paris last month that killed 24 people of African origin. Zimbabwe doubles fuel prices Zimbabwe, which is facing a crippling fuel shortage, on Wednesday upped petrol and diesel prices by more than 100 percent, the state news agency reported. "Fuel prices in Zimbabwe have gone up by over 100 percent with immediate effect due to the recent increases in international oil prices," the New Ziana news agency said. Zimbabwe Holds Breath As IMF MeetsZIMBABWE is praying that a series of rushed attempts at economic reform in recent months will convince the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to spare it the axe when the fund's executive board meets tomorrow to decide the country's fate. Poisoning the African mindGhanaian author Ayi Kwei Armah's latest novel, KMT: In the House of Life, published in 2002, attributes this situation to Africa’s subservience to structures put in place by the World Bank, the IMF and the World Trade Organisation. The relationship between the colonial masters and their African subjects is what Armah believes led to the depreciation of the African image. The loss of cultural confidence by Africans ultimately led to the 19th century structures that put the African way of life at the bottom and Western culture at the top. Armah sees Western education as a colonising tool that turned Africans into puppets dancing to the tune of their White masters. Ayi Kwei Armah: His Passions And DisappointmentsAyi Kwei Armah remains an enigmatic writer long after he bust into literary limelight in 1968 after publishing The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born. The Ghanaian writer, well known for his visionary symbolism, has chosen, for his permanent abode, a small village called Popenguine in Senegal as his permanent abode. The UN in Haiti: Part of the problem, not the solutionAs reports continue to surface about the human rights hell that Haiti has become, any independent observer must ask how many massacres the Haitian police will commit under the tutelage of U.N. forces before the U.N. is held accountable? Are U.N. forces in charge of the PNH, as their mandate states, or do we simply accept their excuse of being unable to stem police violence against Aristide's supporters. SUDAN: Ongoing insecurity jeopardises Darfur peace talks - AUContinuous attacks by rebel groups on humanitarian workers, Arab nomads and villages in the strife-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur could jeopardise the success of the Abuja peace talks, warned Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, head of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). Britain Sends Pobe Team to ZimbabweTHE British government, whose diplomatic relations with the Zimbabwean government have broken down over the past five years, has sent a team to assess the political situation in the troubled southern African country. Amnesty International Says U.S. Consortium's African Oil Pipeline Threatens Human RightsAmnesty International accused U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil of putting profits over human rights with its involvement in a multibillion dollar oil pipeline that runs from Chad to a seaport in the West African nation of Cameroon. Protest shuts down JamaicaCommerce was largely brought to a standstill across Jamaica yesterday and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader Bruce Golding afterwards declared his call for a day of protest against rising prices, and what the JLP sees as failing governance, a resounding success. Mugabe to visit CubaZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe is to visit Cuba over the weekend in an official three-day visit with President Fidel Castro, Cuba's government announced overnight. Northern Nigeria holding out for oil boomA firm set up by the 19 states of Nigeria's under-developed north has signed a $134-million deal with a South African firm to prospect for oil in the arid lands around the Lake Chad basin, officials said. Ghana to end dependency on IMFPresident John Agyekum Kufuor, on Thursday, announced the decision by the Government to wean Ghana off its dependency on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial support. Chinese army to participate in Sudan peacekeeping forceChina has established a force to carry out peace-keeping mission in Sudan, at the request of the United Nations, according to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Jinan Area Command. Caribbean leaders sign oil pact Caribbean leaders have signed up to Petrocaribe, an oil initiative put forward by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez aimed at offering cheap crude. Israeli army accused of killing unarmed PalestiniansAn Israeli rights group accused the Israeli army of killing five unarmed Palestinian civilians in a recent military operation, and said that the killings of West Bank Arabs had become routine. Former Gaza security chief shot deadGaza crossing shut for six months Road to link S America's oceans Haiti's exiled president Aristide will remain in S.Africa
Tyehimba on 09.08.05 @ 08:32 PM CST [ link]
Wednesday, September 7th
The Man Who Betrayed the Poor
Stop Importation of GM FoodsIn the global view Africa is written off as no significant other than as a secondary marketplace for goods manufactured in the industrial zones in Europe, America, and Asia and ideas formulated in elsewhere. This global view of Africa resonates not only with the policies of African countries, but also the personal behaviour of individual Africans, continental or diaspora. Geldof: The Man Who Betrayed the PoorTwo months have not elapsed since the G8 summit, and already almost everything has turned to ashes. Even the crustiest sceptics have been shocked by the speed with which its promises have been broken. Even as the G8 promises fall apart, Geldof stays silent. Making a killing AS COUNTRIES with poor human rights prepare to visit an arms fair in east London next week British companies are flying weapons into Africa's bloodiest war zone. Sudan to detect HIV/AIDS among resident foreignersSudan said here Tuesday that it will conduct special measures to examine the HIV/AIDS among resident foreigners in the country. The Moral Empire: The Politics of ConscienceA few years ago, Tony Blair termed the state of Africa a 'scar on the world's conscience'. It was not the first time that the dubious honour of being a moral touchstone had been conferred upon the continent. By the late 19th century too, Africa was the foil for various European crises of conscience even as major European powers were busy consolidating colonial regimes across large swathes of the globe. In his remarkable book, King Leopold's Ghost (1999), which chronicles the brutalities of the Belgian monarch's venal reign over the Congo, Adam Hochschild has shown how British popular outrage over extreme degradation 'elsewhere' could serve to normalize injustices at home and in Britain's own colonies. Interestingly, Leopold had undertaken his own violent expropriation of the Congo's land and natural resources by establishing humanitarian bodies such as the 'International Africa Association', whipping up righteous European indignation at 'Arab slave traders.' Kenya's anti-terrorism bill raises concernHuman rights groups in Kenya have expressed fears that controversial anti-terrorism legislation may be pushed through, in the wake of complaints by the United States and Britain that the country's efforts to clamp down on terrorism were unsatisfactory. Sudan, Chad pledge to work together to resolve Darfur crisis Sudan and Chad have expressed desire to join their efforts for the sake of resolving the Darfur crisis and reaching a comprehensive peace agreement before the end of the year. Nigeria in a ‘cat and mouse game’The Nigerian trade embargo on Ghana is still in place. And the revised list of Ghanaian items that are outlawed from Nigerian markets, as at June 30, 2005, now includes water. LIBERIA: Study finds many girls selling bodies to pay for school As many as four out of five schoolgirls in war-scarred Liberia are resorting to having sex for cash so they can pay for their education, a study by British-based charity Save the Children has found. Pakistan Apologetic but Firm On Israel ConnectionThe Pakistani government has begun to appear apologetic about its plans to open diplomatic links with Israel, as criticism builds up against a budding liaison between two nations founded in the late 1940s in the name of religion.. Did Katrina Blow Off the White Sheets of American Racism? 'What do you mean, it's 'like' living in a Third World country?'
Tyehimba on 09.07.05 @ 07:29 AM CST [ link]
Tuesday, September 6th
Analysts doubt Sudan rulers want to share power
Zimbabwe: Business Struggle After SA Disconnects Harare for Unpaid Phone BillDoing business in Zimbabwe has become even more difficult after South Africa's telecommunications parastatal, Telkom, pulled the plug on services to the neighbouring country for outstanding debts. Somalia, Kenya reach agreementSomalia's transitional government and Kenya signed a framework agreement on Tuesday to work together on security and other issues, the first such agreement Somalia had signed with any country in 14 years. Swiss ban 126 ZimbabweansSwitzerland on Tuesday increased to 126 the number of prominent Zimbabweans who face travel and finance restrictions, effective immediately, officials said. Somali pirates cut ransom demand for hostagesPirates holding 48 Asian fishermen hostage off Somalia have slashed their ransom demand, a human rights worker said on Tuesday South Africa orders probe after controversial AIDS drug resurfaces South Africa's Health Department ordered a probe into the resurfacing of controversial AIDS drug Virodene, a highly toxic industrial solvent which was slapped down by authorities in the late 90s. Analysts doubt Sudan rulers want to share powerSudan's ruling elite looks unwilling to share power with former southern rebels, despite agreeing to do so in a January peace deal to end Africa's longest civil war, analysts and diplomats say. Genocide arrest of Rwanda generalAn army general has been arrested at the order of a Rwandan local 'gacaca' court collecting evidence about the 1994 genocide, a court official says. Ugandans can now access the Internet from cellphones Call to end S African evictionsA South African land expert has said a recent study of evictions should be a "wake-up call" for the government to do more to protect black farm workers. Experts warn of diminishing Nile waters Experts have warned that a rapid increase in demand for livestock will put enormous pressure on water resources around the Nile basin in future. Nigeria has male chauvinistic society, says leaderNigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday said male chauvinistic attitudes continue to prevail in his country during a meeting with Mexican lawmakers. Uganda : New crops for a vanishing peopleOn the mountaintop overlooking the great East African Rift Valley, in the remote dense forest of Timu in northeastern Uganda’s Karamoja region, live the Ik community, a tiny ethnic group threatened by hunger, and also by its neighbours. A Hurricane of ConsequencesAs it is beginning to appear that the death toll in southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi from Hurricane Katrina may surpass that of 9/11, once again questions are being raised regarding the Bush administration's distorted views as to what constitutes national security. African Americans Complain that Black Hurricane Katrina Survivors Called "Refugees"African American leaders complained that it was racist to describe black Hurricane Katrina survivors as "refugees," as a new discrimination debate rattled the relief effort. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson rebuked the media for using the word, and also hit out at repeated use of footage of African American hurricane survivors looting shops in the anarchic days after the storm hit Monday. Black Thieves, White VictimsAfrican-Americans “loot” for weapons and frivolous items while Caucasians merely “find” staples needed to survive. This is the misleading message which much of the mainstream media would have the world believe about the behavior of Blacks and whites in the wake of the chaos created by Hurricane Katrina. One community is depicted as lawless, the other, as law-abiding. Condoleezza Rice sent to rebut race bias chargeStung by comments that his administration was slow to respond to Hurricane Katrina's ravages because most victims were black, President George W. Bush has drafted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for a damage control operation. Gender-based violence prevalent in Darfur, says UN reportWomen and girls continue to experience sexual violence in the strife-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur and more needs to be done to prevent such crimes, a joint report by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children’s Fund said. Israel to accelerate West Bank barrier Scientists guilty of 'hyping' benefits of gene research The Media Discover the Poor Fake sympathy and fake relief efforts
Tyehimba on 09.06.05 @ 07:58 PM CST [ link]
Monday, September 5th
Radical Proposals On Land Ownership
Radical Proposals On Land OwnershipThe problem of landlessness is worse than many Kenyans think - something that will complicate the implementation of the Wako Draft Constitution. The Sunday Standard has established that hundreds of thousands of Kenyans, holding decent jobs and leading modern lifestyles, don't own land. One-party system still lingers in Uganda constitution At least 58 illegal Somali migrants drownAt least 58 Somali migrants have drowned off the coast of Yemen and 155 are still missing, the BBC reported on Monday. The Somalis were trying to cross the Gulf of Aden on an illegal boat and probably wanted to proceed to Europe. Somali pirates agree to free fishing boat crewSomali pirates have lowered their ransom demand and are ready to free 47 Taiwanese, Chinese, Indonesia, Filipino and Vietnamese crew on three Taiwan fishing boats as soon as the ransom has been paid, a newspaper said on Monday. AU to decide when SA's mediation will endIt was up to the African Union to decide when South Africa's role as mediator in the Ivory Coast conflict should end, Defence Minister Mosioua Lekota said on Monday."The mediation is a mediation of the AU, not of the (rebel group) Forces Nouvelle (FN)," he told reporters in Pretoria. Nations focus on great ape crisisMinisters from 23 countries in Africa and south-east Asia are meeting to discuss measures to save the world's great apes from extinction. Scientists have warned wild populations of the six species could disappear in a generation without urgent action. NIGERIA: Huge gains in battle against fake drugs, government saysThe proportion of fake and often deadly medicines in Nigeria has dropped from nearly 70 percent circulating in 2002 to less than 10 percent three years later, according to the country’s drug control agency. Black children: Missing… and unaccounted forA new report is due to be released, demanding the government devise a more effective system and a national comprehensive database to establish the exact number of black and ethnic minority children who have been reported as missing, in Britain. Chavez supporters protest, urge justice against Robertson for commentsMore than 100 supporters of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez marched through Caracas on Saturday to demand justice against American religious broadcaster Pat Robertson for recently suggesting their president should be killed. Race in New Orleans: Shaping the Response to Katrina?The frustration and anger over the slow federal response to hurricane Katrina's destruction and aftermath continues to mount. The disturbing images are revealing: bodies floating through floodwaters, thousands of desperate survivors clamoring for food and distraught families with stricken children. Throughout all this, one thing is starkly evident: the vast majority of victims are black. The Two Americas U.S. response to disaster amazes, disgusts worldTHE CONSTITUTION UNDER THE OCCUPATION IS ANOTHER DECEPTIONAn exposé of American societyDrenched in profits: Drenched in bloodOops! We forgot the niggers (again)!
Tyehimba on 09.05.05 @ 09:23 AM CST [ link]
Sunday, September 4th
Zimbabwe says film a CIA plot
Mbeki bid to clear his name of Zuma conspiracy allegationsPRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki will go into battle against supporters of fired Deputy President Jacob Zuma this week when he tries to persuade the ANC's national executive committee to launch a commission of inquiry into the affair. Kenyan minister challenges UK ban A senior member of the Kenyan government who was banned from entering the United Kingdom is challenging the decision in the High Court in London. Sudanese President vows to end Darfur conflictAhead of the resumption of Darfur peace talks in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, 15 September, Sudanese President Omar Hassan el-Bashir has reaffirmed the commitment of the Khartoum government to end the conflict in his country’s western region. AU denounces Sudanese rebel group for incompliance with cease-fire The African Union (AU) on Saturday lashed out at Darfur’s main rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), for incompliance with a cease-fire deal in the troubled region. The AU special representative to Sudan "condemns not only the provocative banditry" of the SLA but also its refusal to cooperate with the AU’s mediation, the AU said in a statement. Zimbabwe says film a CIA plotZimbabwe on Sunday said a recent Hollywood film starring Nicole Kidman was a “CIA-sponsored” campaign targeting President Robert Mugabe and vowed to fight the “cultural and psychological” onslaught on Harare. Nigeria leader backs bribe probe Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has agreed to be investigated by the country's anti-corruption body after a governor accused him of taking bribes. Illegal immigrants struggle to make a home in SAA Zimbabwean fruit seller watches a group of Nigerian men play a game of soccer on a street in the Johannesburg suburb of Hillbrow as a police van drives b Zimbabwe: Contract row deepenshe contract crisis in Zimbabwe cricket deepened today when Zimbabwe Cricket Players Association rubbished the claim of Zimbabwe Cricket that the contracts had been withdrawn from three white cricketers because they were asking a great deal of money. The dispossessed of New Orleans tell of their medieval nightmare"I do think the nation would be responding differently if they were white elderly and white babies actually dying on the street and being covered with newspapers and shrouds and being left there. Budget cuts delayed New Orleans flood control work Bush administration funding cuts forced federal engineers to delay improvements on the levees, floodgates and pumping stations that failed to protect New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters, agency documents showed on Thursday. Black fury at Bush over rescue delayCivil rights leaders, church officials and rap stars have united in ferocious criticism of President George Bush's attitude towards the tens of thousands of black people still trying to escape the hell of New Orleans. Race question hangs over disasterThe ever-sensitive question of race in the United States has exploded into the furious debate over the government's handling of the disaster unfolding in New Orleans. Rice defends Bush's responseSecretary of state Condoleezza Rice defended President George W Bush on Sunday against charges that the government's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina showed racial insensitivity. Criminal Plot Underway in the New Orleans Swamp It is mighty suspicious the New Orleans "refugees" (as the corporate media call the Americans removed from the disease-ridden swamp left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina) are being relocated far and wide. Most of them will probably never return and will end up in ghettoes in Baton Rouge, Houston, and elsewhere (it appears Baton Rouge is being groomed as an expansive slum, since the rebuilt New Orleans will be a casino and tourist destination with time-share condos and luxury housing). Australia expresses frustration at lack of access to New OrleansThe Australian government criticised a US ban on consular officials entering hurricane-stricken New Orleans Sunday, after being embarrassed when media crews rescued its stranded citizens while diplomats awaited access to the disaster zone. Venezuela Expropriates In his weekly Alo Presidente TV programme, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez announced that some 136 closed factories are being surveyed with the aim of expropriating them. “This is like the case of idle land. In the same way that we cannot allow idle land we cannot allow it with companies”.
Tyehimba on 09.04.05 @ 04:05 PM CST [ link]
Saturday, September 3rd
George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People
Kanye West: 'George Bush Doesn't Care About Black PeopleKanye West slammed President Bush during NBC's live broadcast of Concert for Hurricane Relief. In an impromptu speech, the Grammy winner informed viewers of the fact that Bush had given National Guardsmen the order to shoot at the residents of New Orleans caught taking provisions out of stores Government Stands Its Ground On Loan to HarareSOUTH Africa is sticking to its tough conditions for financial assistance to Zimbabwe despite that country coming up with a $120-million payment to the International Monetary Fund this week, officials said on Friday. Nigeria bans imports from 24 Indian drug companiesNigeria has banned the import of pharmaceuticals produced by 30 Asian companies, including 24 Indian, alleging the firms sent counterfeit and substandard drugs to Africa's most-populous nation, officials said on Friday. Sudan honours warriors who fought BritishBrandishing spears and flags, around 1 500 Sudanese gathered at the site of the historic Battle of Omdurman on Friday to commemorate warriors who died trying to fend off British domination of their country. Survey tracks South Africa farm evictionsMore workers have been evicted from South African farms since the advent of multiracial democracy in 1994 than in the 10 years before that, according to a new survey presented to parliament Tuesday. Kenya: Drug Companies Under FirePharmaceutical companies yesterday came under attack for taking herbs from Kenya to manufacture drugs, which they later sell exorbitantly. Herbalists accused the multi-national companies of stealing their ideas by masquerading as researchers. Senior Government officials attending the African Traditional Medicine seminar in Nyeri accused the companies of exploiting Kenyans. We Don't Need GM FoodsAnti-poverty music fest starts in GhanaMusic fans swayed and danced Saturday as African musicians jammed in Ghana's capital to support a campaign to reduce poverty across the world's poorest continent. Kenya halts first field trials of GM cropsKenya has begun destroying the country's first genetically modified (GM) crops growing in open field trials, researchers confirmed Friday. The east African nation halted the research and ordered the destruction after discovering that a technician had sprayed a restricted pesticide on maize modified to resist attack by insects called stem borers. Eastern Africa to build submarine cable systemThe construction of a planned submarine optical fiber cable to link southern and northern Africa via the Indian Ocean coast will start next year at a cost of 230 million US dollars. Food aid in hands of piratesA ship carrying food aid for the tsunami victims remains in the hands of Somali pirates after more than two months, said a spokesperson for the UN World Food Programme on Friday. Sudan and Malaysia sign billion-dollar oil refinery dealKatrina Exposes the "Third World" at HomeAs thousands of people in New Orleans approach their fifth day without food, water or shelter, the news media and, doubtless, millions of ordinary citizens are wondering how state and particularly federal authorities could have been so slow to respond to one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. What They Should Have Learned from a Hurricane Named IvanProfiteering on DisasterIn a crisis, there are always those who will obscenely take advantage of the situation for personal gain. I'm not talking here about the looters in New Orleans, as ugly and mean as some of their actions have been. I am talking about the oil industry. They're Trying to Wash Us Away....Don't Give Your Hurricane Donations to the American Red CrossWill the "New" New Orleans be Black?Bush Strafes New Orleans, Where's Huey Long?Microsoft boss vowed to 'kill' GoogleRasta lawyer to petition UNNuclear hypocrisy
Tyehimba on 09.03.05 @ 05:57 PM CST [ link]
Friday, September 2nd
West Paralyzing African Economy
The Storm After the StormHurricanes come in two waves. First comes the rainstorm, and then comes what the historian John Barry calls the "human storm" - the recriminations, the political conflict and the battle over compensation. Floods wash away the surface of society, the settled way things have been done. They expose the underlying power structures, the injustices, the patterns of corruption and the unacknowledged inequalities. What They Should Have Learned from a Hurricane Named IvanTwice recently, I've mentioned the experience of Cuba in dealing with that hurricane (which was a Category 5 when it hit Cuba) - 1.3 million people, more than 10% of the population, evacuated under the direction and with transportation provided by the government, not a single person dead, compared to 18 killed in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and 70 more in the Caribbean. West Paralyzing African Economy: MkapaTanzania president accused on Wednesday the West of paralyzing African economy through unfair trade relationship. President Benjamin William Mkapa who addressed the diplomatic community at the African Union said that the continent is losing many opportunities in the name of a globalized world. Scholars Take On Germany Over ReparationsEURO-centric scholars cum experts and the German government have come in for some whipping for their stance on the Ovaherero reparation claim. Big oil's bigtime lootingPRESIDENT BUSH yesterday told ABC-TV, ''there ought to be zero tolerance of people breaking the law during an emergency such as this, whether it be looting or price-gouging at the gasoline pump or taking advantage of charitable giving or insurance fraud." Zero tolerance is meaningless when the White House lets the biggest looters of Hurricane Katrina walk off with billions of dollars. Amid stench of death, poor bear the bruntParis fires expose plight of migrantsThe deaths of 24 African workers in two fires in France over the last week have led to protests over poor housing conditions and mistreatment DfID fund PR campaign for failed policy in world's poorest country The UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) is spending UK aid money on a public relations campaign to pursue a privatisation agenda in Sierra Leone. Documents obtained by development campaigners the World Development Movement (WDM) show that in June of this year DfID advertised for an “international consultancy” firm to both advise the Sierra Leonean government on privatising state enterprises, including water, and to run a communications campaign to promote privatisation. Namibia govt reclaims 1st farm Vice President: To Work For Peace In Darfur,Unity In SudanSouthern Sudan’s new leadership will strive to bring peace to the western region of Darfur and to keep Sudan united, Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit said Thursday. AU envoy secures Sudan commitment to solve Darfur crisis The African Union mediator in the Darfur conflict secured Sudan’s President Omar al-Beshir’s commitment to support upcoming peace talks as he wrapped a three-day official visit Friday. Indigenous knowledge in medicine…crucial to healthcare delivery Mr. Agya Kwaku Appiah, President of the Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (GHAFTRAM) has stressed the need to tap indigenous knowledge in medicine for the benefit of the country. Generic versions of killer drug Vioxx, banned in US, still on sale in East Africa Generic versions of Vioxx, a painkiller estimated to have killed as many as 60,000 people worldwide, are still on sale in East Africa, months after it was withdrawn from drug stores around the world. While Kenyan and Ugandan authorities say they have withdrawn the drug, making its sale illegal, Tanzania is still "re-evaluating" it. SWAZILAND: Community libraries prove the power of access to knowledgeAfrican libraries are discovering new roles in society - no longer stuffy repositories of tattered books, but centres of community relevance where the youth can learn the habits of good citizenship. COTE D IVOIRE: Rebels reject South Africa as mediatorsThe New Forces rebels categorically rejected South Africa as mediator in the Cote d'Ivoire crisis on Thursday, accusing Pretoria of being partisan after its report to the UN Security Council put the blame for the faltering peace process squarely with the rebels. WEST AFRICA: Cholera kills nearly 500 people, more deaths fearedCholera has killed 500 people across West Africa and UN officials fear the death toll will rise as cash-strapped health services struggle to cope, heavy rains continue, and populations start moving about to find work during the harvest season. U.S. backs away from claims that Cuba has bioweapons programThe Defensive Shield of Lies and DeflectionsIraq government unity vanishes after stampedeBlack people loot / White folks just do what it takes to surviveLost in the Flood: Why no mention of race or class in TV's Katrina coverage?Vacation is Over...
an open letter from Michael Moore to George W. Bush Haiti's Aristide Seeks Priest's Freedom Venezuela Suspends Issuing of Missionary Permits Following Robertson Comments
Tyehimba on 09.02.05 @ 01:32 PM CST [ link]
Thursday, September 1st
Hurricane Crisis Highlights Racist Media
Example of Racist Media Caught by Web Surfer During Hurricane Katrina CoverageAmong the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, one web surfer on an Atlanta message board did not let the disaster blind him of how racist the media in American remains. A message board poster with the alias “Noah_The_African” pointed out a prime example of how America’s racist media will quickly portray African Americans in a different light than White Americans even in a time of crisis. Venezuela Offers $1M, Oil, Food and EquipmentSources at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC, told Venezuelanalysis.com that apart from the million dollars in monetary assistance, Venezuela is offering two mobile hospital units, each capable of assisting 150 people, 120 specialists in rescue operations, 10 water purifying plants, 18 electricity generators of 850 KW each, 20 tons of bottled water, and 50 tons of canned food. According to The Washington Times, a senior State Department official said he was not aware of the Venezuelan offer, but noted that unsolicited offers can be "counterproductive." South Africa Opts for Pan-AfricanismIN mid-March 2005,the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) convened its conference co-hosted by the governments of Jamaica, South Africa and the African Union, at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica entitled "Towards Unity and United Action by Africans and the African Diaspora in the Caribbean for a Better World - the Case of South Africa", otherwise known as "The South Africa-African Union-Caribbean Diaspora Conference" held in Kingston 16th-18th March 2005. Zimbabwe pays IMF $120mZimbabwe has paid back $120m of its $300m (€245m) debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which had threatened to expel Harare for arrears, state television said on Wednesday. Globalisation 'exploits' AfricaGlobalisation exploits, denigrates and humiliates Africa in the same way slavery and colonialism once did, said Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa in a speech to the African Union on Wednesday. Uganda not to force Sudanese refugees to returnThe Ugandan government will not force Sudanese refugees to return to their country when the time for repatriation comes, a top official has said. China to develop economic co-operation with AfricaChina will strive to strengthen economic co-operation with Africa, particularly in developing human resources, a senior official of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) said yesterday. South Africa says continuing mediation, cautious on sanctionsSouth Africa denied on Wednesday that it was concluding its mediation in the Cote d'Ivoire crisis as it warned the UN Security Council to take care that any sanctions action did not negatively affect the peace process. SOUTH AFRICA-ZIMBABWE: Children living in borderland limboUN stays in Sierra Leone after peacekeepers leaveThe United Nations will remain active in Sierra Leone after peacekeeping troops leave the West African nation at the end of this year under a resolution adopted by the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. Thousands trapped in Sierra floodsAID workers in Sierra Leone have managed to distribute aid to about 7000 people stranded or made homeless by torrential rains in the south of the country, but another 10,000 remain out of reach, the Red Cross said. Hurricane Katrina Exposes Racism And Inequality Decades of official neglect, racism and the impact of global warming magnified the destructive impact of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and other parts of the South. Iraq’s draft constitution: a recipe for neo-colonial ruleThe constitution that was endorsed by Iraq’s presidential council on Sunday, and is to be put to a referendum by October 15, is an outrage against the Iraqi people. From beginning to end, it has been written to advance US imperialist ambitions in the Middle East, notably long-term control over Iraq’s oil reserves and permanent military bases in the country. America's Corrupt Legal SystemRigged courts, bribed judges, phony trials, extortion by lawyers, and over 2 million prisoners in the USA gulag. Katrina, Bush and global warminglBush is the real threat How the US got its neoliberal way in IraqLies Of OmissionTurk 'genocide' author faces jail RIA Novosti: US Offered USD 75 Million to Iraqi Sunnis for
Signature under Constitution Bu$hCo's flood for oil - leaky levees and offshore looting Cuban parliament expresses solidarity with hurricane-affected US people
Tyehimba on 09.01.05 @ 12:21 PM CST [ link]
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