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</ |
