Friday, December 31st
Future of Andaman's 500 Jarawa tribals uncertain
NEW DELHI: There was no concrete information till late Friday evening about the condition of the 500-odd Jarawa aborigines tribe inhabiting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Of these, at least 260 were reported to have survived the devastating tsunami by hanging on to the trees. According to the 2001 census figures, there were around 250 Jarawas inhabiting the middle-south Andaman Islands. By the end of this year their population is expected to have more than doubled, a senior government official said. Full Article : indiatimes.comRemote island tribes safe after quakeFri, 31 Dec 2004 Groups of rare aboriginal tribes already near the edge of extinction in the Andaman and Nicobar islands survived a massive tsunami, the coast guard said on Thursday. Five tribes numbering 989 people were safe after Sunday's onslaught, including the 100-member Onge, 250 of the fiercely independent Sentinelese, 39 of the almost extinct Andamanese, 350 of the Jarawa and 250 of the hunter-gatherer Shompen. Full Article : iafrica.com
Asia on 12.31.04 @ 06:06 PM CST [ link]
Iraq vs tsunami: Massive tragedy and media predators
The American media has descended on the Asian tsunami with all the fervor of feral animals in a meat locker. The newspapers and TV's are plastered with bodies drifting out to sea, battered carcasses strewn along the beach and bloated babies lying in rows. Every aspect of the suffering is being scrutinized with microscopic intensity by the predatory lens of the media. Where was this "free press" in Iraq when the death toll was skyrocketing towards 100,000? So far, we we've seen nothing of the devastation in Falluja where more than 6,000 were killed and where corpses were lined along the city's streets for weeks on end. Is death less photogenic in Iraq? Or, are there political motives behind the coverage? Full Article : smirkingchimp.com
USA on 12.31.04 @ 02:58 PM CST [ link]
Global analysts dispute perceived US generosity
LONDON -- The US government is contributing $35 million of the half-billion dollars that the world's developed nations are donating to the tsunami relief effort, and many Americans believe -- as President Bush put it earlier this week -- that their country is being its typical "generous, kindhearted" self. Full Article : boston.comU.S. tries to Save FaceU.S. Boosts Tsunami Aid Tenfold to $350M CRAWFORD, Texas - The United States is pledging $350 million to help tsunami victims, a tenfold increase over its first wave of aid, President Bush announced Friday. Full Article : news.yahoo.com
USA on 12.31.04 @ 02:40 PM CST [ link]
The Chavez phenomenon and the U.S.
CARACAS: Shortly after he appeared on national television in October 2001 holding aloft bloody photographs of children killed by the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan, President Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela received a visit from Donna Hrinak, then Washington's Ambassador to the oil-rich South American country. Recalling his meeting with the U.S. envoy at an international conference here last week, Mr. Chavez said his televised message had simply been that one could not fight terrorism with terrorism. "But the Ambassador came to me and demanded, `You must rectify your position.' I replied: `You are talking to the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. You are dismissed. When you learn what the job of an Ambassador is, you may come back'." Full Article : thehindu.com
Latin America on 12.31.04 @ 02:16 PM CST [ link]
Israel stops Palestinians voting in Jerusalem
Israel was accused yesterday of undermining the election of a Palestinian Authority president by allowing only a few thousand Palestinians to vote in East Jerusalem. More than 100,000 will have to leave the city if they want to vote. The government has told the Palestinian Election Commission that it will not allow privacy screens in the voting booths in East Jerusalem post offices, nor will election officials be allowed to mark voters with indelible ink to prevent fraud. The prime minister, Ariel Sharon, has admitted that the arrangements are designed to show that Israel has sole sovereignty in East Jerusalem. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Middle East on 12.31.04 @ 11:00 AM CST [ link]
Crime-ridden S.Africa has amnesty for illegal guns
South Africa has declared an amnesty on illegal guns in its latest drive to tackle the high level of violent crime, the South African Press Association reported on Friday. The three-month amnesty, due to start in October but delayed to allow more planning, will run from Jan. 1 to March 31. People may hand in unlicensed guns free from prosecution unless the gun is found to have been used to commit a crime, SAPA quoted a security ministry statement as saying. Full Article : alertnet.org
Africa on 12.31.04 @ 09:44 AM CST [ link]
Brazil town to honor Arafat with statue
SAO PAULO, Brazil -- The New Year's Eve celebrations in the small community of Paraiba do Sul will honor a figure the town's mayor says hasn't been honored anywhere else in the West - the late Yasser Arafat. Moments before the clock rings in 2005, a fireworks and light show will serve as a backdrop to the unveiling of a life-sized statue of the Palestinian leader holding the traditional symbol of peace, the olive branch. Full Article : seattlepi.nwsource.com
Latin America on 12.31.04 @ 08:51 AM CST [ link]
Panama Canal Defying Expectations
When the United States gave Panama control over its canal, many international observers predicted the international waterway would be plagued by problems at best and chaos at worst. But the tiny country bucked popular opinion. On Friday, five years to the day after Panama took control of the canal, the country is looking forward, not back, proudly noting that the canal has doubled its income, lowered its accident rate and is considering its most ambitious expansion plan ever. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Admin on 12.31.04 @ 08:49 AM CST [ link]
New Trends in Cuba's Healthcare System
The Cuban public healthcare system is undergoing profound changes. New ideas and concepts are being implemented with the purpose of bringing medical specialties closer to the community, and providing a service of excellence. Full Article : periodico26.cu
Caribbean on 12.31.04 @ 08:45 AM CST [ link]
Iran Knows What Awaits Tsunami Survivors
The people of Bam, an Iranian town devastated by an earthquake a year ago, know what's ahead for the survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami: broken hearts, slow rebuilding and unfulfilled promises of aid. But Bam presents itself as proof of man's capacity to overcome. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Middle East on 12.31.04 @ 08:30 AM CST [ link]
Twice as fit for hell - Part 2
The Church has a history of double standards in Africa. While it taught white people discipline, the Africans were taught obedience to the white man, writes Ishaq Peloewetse Full Article : mmegi.bw
Africa on 12.31.04 @ 07:48 AM CST [ link]
End of textile quotas will hit Africa hard
African textile producers are expected to be the hardest hit when rich countries end a quota system for clothing imports from developing nations. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Africa on 12.31.04 @ 07:34 AM CST [ link]
US cancels Ethiopia debt
Addis Ababa - The United States is to write off $72.6m debt owed by Ethiopia, following an agreement signed in Addis Ababa on Thursday between the two countries, Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported. Full Article : news24.com
Africa on 12.31.04 @ 07:31 AM CST [ link]
Tsunami death toll now 125,000
5 000 000 displaced by tsunamiUp to five million people have been displaced by the devastating tsunamis that pummelled large tracts of Asia over the weekend, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday. Full Article : news24.comTsunami death toll now 125,000BANDA ACEH: The death toll in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster soared above 125,000 on Thursday as millions scrambled for food and clean water and rumours of new waves sent many fleeing inland in panic. Full Article : dailytimes.com.pk Asian tsunami toll jumps to over 125,000Asia's tsunami death toll soared above 125,000 and aid agencies warned many more people -- particularly children -- could die in epidemics, ushering in a somber New Year's Eve for the world. Full Article : chinadaily.com.cnTsunami death toll passes 120,000The death toll from the Asian megaquake and ensuing tsunamis officially passed 120,000. At least 123,181 people were killed in 11 countries in southern Asia and Africa by Sunday's massive earthquake and tsunami waves, according to official figures. Full Article : thisislondon.co.uk
Asia on 12.31.04 @ 06:40 AM CST [ more..]
Thursday, December 30th
How can we let this evil persist?
Unfortunately, we look more and more like our enemies every day. On an island invaded, sabotaged and barred from U.S. trade and even tourism in the name of spreading our version of democracy, we have erected a massive torture chamber any deranged dictator would envy. Full Article : workingforchange.com
USA on 12.30.04 @ 10:20 PM CST [ link]
The War on CAFTA Is Just Beginning
"The United States has always used El Salvador as a spearhead for its interests, but we are prepared to continue the struggle to the last consequences, because the treaty will only benefit the powerful classes," Israel Salinas, secretary-general of the Honduran Workers Confederation, told IPS. Full Article : commondreams.org
Latin America on 12.30.04 @ 06:54 PM CST [ link]
Volcano erupts on Andamans after quake
India's last active volcano, in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, has erupted in the aftermath of the huge earthquake that set off tsunamis killing thousands of people, official sources said on Thursday. People have been evacuated from Barren Island since the eruption began on Tuesday night and there were no reports of injury. Lava was flowing out of the rim of the crater which towers above the Indian Ocean some 500 metres away, the sources said. Full Article : iafrica.com
Asia on 12.30.04 @ 12:41 PM CST [ link]
Linking al-Qaeda to the Iraqi Resistance
An Exercise in FutilityOsama bin Laden, dead and buried, and al-Qaeda is the best thing that ever happened to the Bushcons. Earlier this week a voice "purported" to be Osama promoted Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to the position of "emir" over the resistance in Iraq, prompting the corporate media to include the al-Qaeda angle into stories about the resistance. Full Article : trinicenter.com
Iraq on 12.30.04 @ 10:30 AM CST [ link]
Tsunami death toll surpasses 120,000
Somalia: relief supply reach tsunami victimsThe United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday said it had started distributing food to Somali survivors of the deadly tsunami wave that struck the country's Indian Ocean coast at the weekend, as the death toll climbed to 132. Full Article : turkishpress.comTsunami Death Toll Jumps Over 120,000 BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - The death toll in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster soared above 120,000 on Thursday as millions scrambled for food and fresh water and thousands more fled in panic to high ground on rumors of new waves. Full Article : commondreams.orgBreakdown of quake, tsunami death tollAt least 114,758 people were killed in 11 countries in southern Asia and Africa from Sunday's massive earthquake and tsunami waves, according to official figures. A breakdown of the toll so far: Full Article : seattlepi.nwsource.comTsunami death toll likely to surpass 100,000Planes loaded with everything from lentils to water purifiers touched down across Asia yesterday, the start of the largest relief effort in history, as aid workers predicted the death toll from this week's earthquake and tsunamis would top 100,000. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.comSomalia wave victims 'forgotten' Somalia has largely been forgotten by the international community in its response to help victims of Sunday's tsunami, the United Nations says. Jan Egeland, the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, said UN personnel had only just reached villages affected. Aid workers have described a scene of devastation on the Somali island of Hafun, a fishing community of 2,500. The floods killed 120 in Somalia with 35 missing and some 50,000 displaced, its prime minister said on Thursday. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk
Asia on 12.30.04 @ 10:06 AM CST [ more..]
African officials report deaths from Indian Ocean quake
ARUSHA, Tanzania African officials say huge waves from Sunday's earthquake nearly three-thousand miles away killed at least 111 people in east Africa. Somalia's newly elected prime minister tells reporters at least 100 of his people died and an unknown number of fishermen are missing after the waves hit. Full Article : wavy.com
Africa on 12.30.04 @ 10:04 AM CST [ link]
Two dead as exceptional cold snap hits North Africa
Two elderly people died of cold in Tunisia as parts of North Africa suffered a sudden blast of cold air and snow, a local newspaper said on Wednesday. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Africa on 12.30.04 @ 10:02 AM CST [ link]
East Africa launches Customs Union
East African Community (EAC) member states have finalised plans for the launch of a Customs Union. The launch planned for Saturday comes only a month after the Arusha-based East African Legislative Assembly passed the Customs Union Bill. A statement released by the Foreign Affairs Office in Nairobi said the union would be launched simultaneously in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. "In keeping with the road map for the commencement of the customs union on January 1, 2005 as approved by the 8th extra ordinary council of ministers, the official launch of the EAC Customs Union will be held simultaneously in the capitals of the partner states this Friday 31, December 2004," said the statement. Full Article : eastandard.net
Africa on 12.30.04 @ 10:00 AM CST [ link]
US Intervention In Venezuela
Colombia- A Shill (proxy) Country For US Intervention In Venezuela In a previous publication we discussed US attempts to topple president Hugo Chavez of Venezuela through various agencies within the country, aided and abetted by external (US) monetary and organizational support [1]. In the past few years one coup de etat by the Venezuelan military, four general strikes to disrupt its economy and a Recall Referendum on August 15, 2004, which allows a President to be removed from his /her office after mid-term, have failed. Now the imperialist forces are left with few avenues of toppling him. One of them is a military intervention, on some excuses(s) and through a shill or proxy country. But what excuses and which country? The two most likely ones are "war on terrorism (counterinsurgency) and war on drugs"; and the country likely to spearhead the military intervention is Colombia-a neighbor of Venezuela, struggling to defeat its own internal Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, and others) who control a considerable part of Colombia. Full Article : zmag.org
Latin America on 12.30.04 @ 07:02 AM CST [ link]
Tsunami waters raise landmine fears in Sri Lanka
Already haunted by fears of a new tsunami or spread of disease, survivors picking through debris of entire towns to recover corpses at Sri Lanka's northern tip face a new danger -- floating landmines. Full Article : expressindia.com
Asia on 12.30.04 @ 06:51 AM CST [ link]
Ecstasy to be tested on cancer patients
For some, the diagnosis comes out of the blue. For others, it arrives after a long battle. Either way, the news that death is just a few months away poses a daunting challenge for both doctor and patient. Full Article : seattletimes.nwsource.com
USA on 12.30.04 @ 06:49 AM CST [ link]
Che Guevara museum opens in Cuba
A Che Guevara museum has been inaugurated in the central city of Santa Clara, where the remains of Che Guevara, a national hero of Cuba, were buried after being repatriated from Bolivia in 1997. Full Article : vnagency.com.vn
Caribbean on 12.30.04 @ 06:46 AM CST [ link]
Cuban Five Recognized by Namibia
The Namibia-Cuba Friendship Association recognized the Cuban Five, held as political prisoners in the US, for their services to humanity by fighting against terrorism and racism. When presenting diplomas to their relatives on Monday, Namibian Ambassador to Cuba, Claudia Grace Uushona, called Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, René González, Gerardo Hernández y Fernando González symbols of devotion to the most noble causes of humanity. Full Article : periodico26.cu
Africa on 12.30.04 @ 06:37 AM CST [ link]
US rebel joins Saddam legal team
Former US attorney general Ramsey Clark has joined the team of Jordan-based lawyers defending Saddam Hussein. Full Article : news.bbc.co.uk
USA on 12.30.04 @ 06:34 AM CST [ link]
Quake relief urgent, toll passes 80,000
Millions of people around the Indian Ocean are in need of food and clean water as the threat of disease and hunger becomes as big a threat as the most devastating tsunami on record that struck on Sunday. Full Article : aljazeera.netDeath is all around, but the band plays on for the tourist hordeFor many in key Thai resort, it is sun, sex and booze as usual Stefan Johansson, a 41-year-old air force officer from Sweden, is hoping that tonight is the night. He is not concerned about aftershocks hitting the beach half a mile from here, or about the haphazard rescue operation finally under way in southern Thailand. Nor is he worried by the deaths of several hundred compatriots. Mr Johansson is anxious that the bar girl he has his eye on is going to keep holding out on him. "I'm having a good holiday," he said. "I went for a walk along the sand this morning, did a bit of swimming. Now I'm off drinking, and then we'll see." Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Asia on 12.30.04 @ 05:58 AM CST [ more..]
Wednesday, December 29th
Aceh: A Victim of Tsunami & Occupation
DemocracyNow.orgThe disaster is killing thousands in Ache but the Indonesian military has been doing that for years. Now activists fear the Indonesian military will use the disaster as a cover to further the killing of the Acehnese and that the Pentagon may use the disaster as an excuse to restore aid to the Indonesian military which was blocked after the military's massacre in East Timor in 1999.AMY GOODMAN: Today, we are joined in our studio by Suraiya I.T. She heads up the International Forum on Aceh. She is Acehnese herself. We are also joined by Allan Nairn, activist and journalist, who has just recently come from Indonesia and has spent a good deal of time in Aceh. We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Suraiya I.T., let's begin with you, how is your family in Aceh now?
Asia on 12.29.04 @ 09:12 PM CST [ more..]
Prison riot deaths mar Haitian government
On Dec. 1, with the U.N. peacekeeping force here was preoccupied with the heavy gunfire erupting around the national palace as Secretary of State Colin L. Powell visited Haitian President Boniface Alexandre, the smoke billowing from the national penitentiary a few blocks away drew scant attention. Prisoners in a three-story cellblock called "the Titanic" had rioted, broke free from their cells, set fire to mattresses and brandished lengths of water pipe as weapons. Guards called in a special police unit that helped quell the riot. Police officials said seven prisoners were killed and more than 40 detainees and several guards were wounded. Full Article : washingtontimes.com
Caribbean on 12.29.04 @ 07:32 PM CST [ link]
India, South Asia ignored tsunami alert system
NEW YORK: India and other South Asian countries have tended to treat tsunamis as a problem of the Pacific Ocean and in the process not paid enough attention to warnings, say experts. "Early warnings have existed since 1948 for countries in the Pacific basin; however, there is no existing tsunami alert system for the Indian Ocean," John Harding, programme officer for the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), said on phone from Geneva. "There is a culture of preparing for tsunamis in the Pacific region unlike in the Indian Ocean countries." "Tsunami warnings are no rocket science. Countries in the Pacific region have been monitoring earthquakes and issuing early warnings for a long time," Harding said. Over 23,000 people have been killed in South and Southeast Asian nations in tsunamis that struck Sunday. Full Article : indiatimes.com
Asia on 12.29.04 @ 11:54 AM CST [ link]
Many die in Baghdad police ambush
Insurgents lured Iraqi policemen to a house in west Baghdad and set off a huge amount of explosives, killing at least 29 people, seven of them police. Full Article : bbc.co.uk
Iraq on 12.29.04 @ 11:46 AM CST [ link]
What happened in Kurdish Halabja?
ABSTRACT:By Mohammed al-Obaidi, aljazeera.net It is known that both Iran and Iraq used chemical weapons in their eight-year war from September 1980 to August 1988. Most of Iraq's alleged assaults on the Kurds took place while this war was raging, although Human Rights Watch claims the attacks extended into September 1988. Iraq has acknowledged using mustard gas against Iranian troops to overwhelm the human waves tactic used by Iranians who wanted to benefit from the fact that they outnumbered Iraqis, but has consistently denied using chemical weapons against civilians.
Admin on 12.29.04 @ 08:54 AM CST [ more..]
U.S. Court Blocks Access to Marcos Assets
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a lower court's ruling freezing assets of the late Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos that are being held in banks around the world. In a decision issued Tuesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the Philippine government, which wants the money, lacks the standing to challenge the freeze. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Admin on 12.29.04 @ 07:19 AM CST [ link]
Rescuers battle as toll climbs in Asia
Tsunami Death Toll Soars to Near 77,000 BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - As the world scrambled to the rescue, survivors fought over packs of noodles in quake-stricken Indonesian streets Wednesday while relief supplies piled up at the airport for lack of cars, gas or passable roads to move them. The official death toll across 12 countries soared to near 77,000 and the Red Cross predicted it could pass 100,000. Full Article : news.yahoo.comWhat Did the US Know and When Did It Know It?Reports on the Asian tsunami typically ignore the crucial political back stories in volatile areas like Aceh and Sri Lanka...and how "aid" efforts will be exploited for geo-political gain. Without such context, the coverage is woefully incomplete and irresponsible. Today, Democracy Now did delve deeper into the situation in Aceh...the military repression, the role of Exxon-Mobil, and now the earthquake/tsunami. Do some research and see for yourself. Full Article : counterpunch.orgNew York Times Says Tsunami Kills White People, Too!The images of the tsunami are overwhelming, the grief incalculable as the death toll rises to 80,000 and beyond. As many as a third of the victims have been children, unable to withstand the force of the monstrous waves that struck without warning. Amid this carnage, some of the leading media outlets in the United States have focused undue attention on the fact that some Westerners have died along with tens of thousands of Asians. "Many Tourists Are Killed," read the subhed on the front page of Tuesday’s New York Times. (Its main headline drew attention to the high percentage of children who died.) Full Article : commondreams.orgRace to bury Asia's dead as toll hits 68,000BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Thousands of corpses rotted in Indonesia's tropical sun on Wednesday as rescuers scoured isolated coasts across the Indian Ocean for survivors of Sunday's giant waves that killed more than 68,000. Full Article : abs-cbnnews.comMore Than 4,000 Tourists Missing in Tsunami-Hit Asia More than 4,000 overseas tourists from nations worldwide are missing three days after 10-meter (33 feet) waves swept through Asian resorts at the height of the vacation season. The Nordic countries are among the hardest hit. Full Article : bloomberg.comBritish toll rises in Asia quakeA total of 26 Britons have been confirmed dead after the Indian Ocean tsunami, with Thai authorities suggesting as many as 43 may have died. Full Article : bbc.co.uk
Asia on 12.29.04 @ 06:10 AM CST [ more..]
Washington Hallucinates as Cuba Prepares
While George W. Bush and the warmongering ideologues that surround him hallucinate about getting their hands on Cuba, the dream of Fidel Castro to have an army of intelligent, committed young people to take the baton of revolution has progressively developed into a reality. At a time when the White House is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to derail the achievements of nearly 46 years of Cuban history, 1,200 representatives of a generation born in the 1970s and 80s met in early December in Havana to set the course of a revolution they will lead in the future and within which they are already playing a key role. Full Article : periodico26.cu
Caribbean on 12.29.04 @ 05:55 AM CST [ more..]
Tuesday, December 28th
EU to begin trade talks with Iran
Trade talks between Iran and the European Union are set to begin on January 12 as the EU drive to improve ties with Tehran gathers pace. France, Germany and the UK have been keen to offer Iran incentives to restrict its nuclear programme, which the US suspects is intended to develop atomic weapons. Tehran says the programme is wholly peaceful. Full Article : news.ft.com
Europe on 12.28.04 @ 06:10 PM CST [ link]
Hyping Terror For Fun, Profit - And Power
December 07, 2004 What if there really was no need for much - or even most - of the Cold War? What if, in fact, the Cold War had been kept alive for two decades based on phony WMD threats? Full Article : trinicenter.com
USA on 12.28.04 @ 06:04 PM CST [ link]
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Basically what we were trained to do and what our job is to do is to build up the American empire. To bring -- to create situations where as many resources as possible flow into this country, to our corporations, and our government, and in fact we've been very successful. Full Article : trinicenter.com
USA on 12.28.04 @ 05:37 PM CST [ link]
Baghdad commander of Iraqi security forces assassinated
BAGHDAD - The commander of the Iraqi National Guard in the capital city was assassinated on Tuesday by a suicide bomber who drove a car bomb into the convoy transporting the official, witnesses said. In addition to killing Madhar al-Maula, the explosion wounded several convoy passengers. Sheikh Hazim al-Shalan, the interim defence minister, later visited the site of the explosion. Full Article : khaleejtimes.com
Iraq on 12.28.04 @ 05:21 PM CST [ link]
US commander claims al-Qaeda basis in Somalia
Terror groups, including al-Qaeda, are exploiting lawless areas in the Horn of Africa region to hide, recruit and train members and possibly plan attacks, the head of the region's United States-led anti-terror force said. "We find the terrorist networks here using the fact that there is a lot of ungoverned space in the Horn of Africa," Major-General Samuel Helland said on Monday. Full Article : iol.co.za
Africa on 12.28.04 @ 04:05 PM CST [ link]
Zimbabwe's Mujuru acting president on Mugabe break
HARARE: Zimbabwe's first woman vice president Joyce Mujuru has been appointed to run the country's day-to-day affairs while President Robert Mugabe takes his annual leave, the official Herald newspaper reported yesterday. The temporary appointment - which in the past had gone to co-vice president Joseph Msika, who like Mugabe is in his 80s - adds weight to speculation that Mujuru is being prepared to succeed Mugabe on his expected retirement in 2008. Full Article : stuff.co.nz
Africa on 12.28.04 @ 03:17 PM CST [ link]
All the empires die sooner or later
All empires die sooner or later. But they die in a different way. The huge power of Alexander Macedonian collapsed rather peacefully at once after his death. In 29 years after Charles the Great's death, in 843, his grandsons divided the empire of their grandfather into three parts from which France, Germany and Italy were formed almost without serious consequences. Full Article : kavkazcenter.com
Chechnya on 12.28.04 @ 10:28 AM CST [ link]
Shiite party leader escapes car bomb as Sunni party defects
In a double blow to plans for a January 30 parliamentary election, a suicide car bomb aimed at the head of Iraq's strongest Shiite party killed 15 people yesterday and the largest Sunni Muslim political grouping announced its withdrawal from the campaign for the January 30 elections, citing the rapidly deteriorating security situation. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Iraq on 12.28.04 @ 08:31 AM CST [ link]
U.S. Spews More Spam Than Any Other Country
The United States was the 800-pound spam-spewing gorilla throughout 2004, a spot it held from wire to wire throughout the year, an anti-virus firm announced Monday. According to researchers at U.K.-headquartered Sophos, the U.S. accounted for 42.1 percent of the world's spam, more than three times the next-guiltiest nation, South Korea, which launched 13.4 percent of the globe's junk mail. China, Canada, and Brazil rounded out the top five. Full Article : techweb.com
USA on 12.28.04 @ 08:20 AM CST [ link]
Palestinians: Inmate release a PR ploy
Palestinians say the release of 160 prisoners by Israel is but a public relations gimmick since most were to be released in any case. Palestinian Prisoner Affairs Minister Hisham Abd al-Razzaq was less than impressed by the releases. "These liberations can be seen as a public relations operation," Abd al-Razzaq said. "It is the fruit of an understanding between Egypt and Israel which has no effect on our relations with Israel or the peace process." Full Article : aljazeera.netFury over arrest of Palestinian election candidateHours after releasing 159 Palestinian prisoners, Israeli police yesterday detained Mustafa Barghouti, an independent candidate in the Palestinian presidential election, while he was canvassing in the Old City of Jerusalem. Full Article : independent.co.uk
Middle East on 12.28.04 @ 08:14 AM CST [ link]
Eye on Africa: SOS Congo
Unless we act more forcefully to save the children, Congo has no future. Half of Congo's 60 million citizens are under 18 years of age, with an estimated 10 million children under the age of 5. About 14,000 of these children die every month. This mortality rate is unacceptable. Full Article : washtimes.com
Africa on 12.28.04 @ 05:48 AM CST [ link]
Wave of death from Asia to Africa
Death toll in Asian quake disaster over 55,000JAKARTA: The confirmed death toll from the massive earthquake and tidal waves that devastated much of Asia's coastline passed 55,000 on Tuesday, with officials warning the figure was likely to rise steeply. In Indonesia, the government's disaster relief centre said at least 27,174 were killed after the country took the full force of the huge earthquake and tidal waves that swallowed entire coastal villages. Full Article : indiatimes.comAsian disaster toll surges past 55,000 as relief operations stallTidal Waves Death Toll Rises to 44,000Mourners in Sri Lanka used their bare hands to dig graves Tuesday while hungry islanders in Indonesia turned to looting in the aftermath of Asia's devastating tsunamis. Thousands more bodies were found in Indonesia, dramatically increasing the death toll across 11 nations to around 44,000. Emergency workers who reached Aceh province at the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island found that 10,000 people had been killed in a single town, Meulaboh, said Purnomo Sidik, national disaster director at the Social Affairs Ministry. Full Article : abcnews.go.comScientists in USA saw tsunami comingMinutes after a massive earthquake rocked the Indian Ocean on Sunday, international ocean monitors knew that a tsunami would likely follow. But they didn't know whom to tell. "We put out a bulletin within 20 minutes, technically as fast as we could do it," says Jeff LaDouce of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. LaDouce says e-mails were dispatched to Indonesian officials, but he doesn't know what happened to the information. Full Article : usatoday.com
Africa on 12.28.04 @ 05:35 AM CST [ more..]
Over 24,000 killed in Asia tidal waves
COLOMBO: Massive rescue operations were scrambled along Asia’s devastated coastlines on Monday as the death toll from a powerful earthquake and the giant tidal waves it unleashed neared 24,000 and hopes faded for many thousands more still missing. More than one million people have been displaced in three of the countries, the international Red Cross said. "There are one million displaced in Sri Lanka, plus 29,000 in Thailand and one thousand in India roughly," Marie-Francoise Borel, a spokeswoman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told AFP. Full Article : jang.com.pk
Asia on 12.28.04 @ 05:33 AM CST [ link]
Monday, December 27th
Former US official blasts Iraq policy
A former US national security adviser has strongly criticised the US-led invasion of Iraq.Zbigniew Brzezinski, who served under President Jimmy Carter from 1976 to 1980, also made a scathing assessment of the ensuing occupation after Saddam Hussein was ousted as Iraqi leader. He said the US administration will now have to scale down its ambitions for Iraq's future. "I personally think it was not worth it, in the sense that we have paid a high price in blood. And it's increasing. You cannot underestimate the suffering that this has already produced to tens of thousands of American families," he told CNN. Full Article : aljazeera.net
USA on 12.27.04 @ 07:56 PM CST [ link]
Israelis supplying arms to Sudan rebels
Israelis arrested in Jordan confess supplying arms to Sudan rebels: radioKHARTOUM, Dec 26, 2004 (Sudanese radio) -- Sources involved in preliminary investigations in Jordan have revealed that the Israelis arrested by the Jordanian security forces have confessed their involvement in supplying weapons to the Darfur Region. The mastermind in the weapons deal, Wayid A'a Mose Jolan has accepted that he runs a weapons factory in Tel Aviv and he has a consultancy office for supplying weapons to secessionist movements, special agencies and security companies.
Africa on 12.27.04 @ 04:03 PM CST [ more..]
Venezuela signals clear warning to the US
Signaling a clear warning to the US government to discontinue its several years interference in Venezuela's domestic political affairs, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias has turned to the Chinese government offering almost unlimited access to Venezuela's massive oil and gas reserves. Full Article : axisoflogic.com
Latin America on 12.27.04 @ 09:16 AM CST [ link]
Tsunami Waves Kill Over 23,700 in Asia
At least 23,700 people have now been killed by Sunday's giant tsunami in southern Asia, according to the International Red Cross, amid signs the final toll could top 50,000. The tsunami, triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean near the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was the biggest in 40 years registering 9.0 on the Richter scale. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Asia on 12.27.04 @ 08:32 AM CST [ more..]
Tidal waves reach Africa from Asia
Authorities on Mauritius and Reunion urged people away from beaches when the Indian Ocean islands were hit on Sunday by high waves caused by an earthquake and tidal waves that wreaked havoc in southern Asia. "The biggest waves struck the north and east of the island (Mauritius) at around 1pm (0900 GMT)," a meteorological spokesperson told AFP, adding that no casualties had been reported on Mauritius or the nearby island of Rodrigues to the east. Full Article : iafrica.com
Africa on 12.27.04 @ 05:49 AM CST [ link]
Asian tsunami in Pictures
Full Article : aljazeera.net
Asia on 12.27.04 @ 04:43 AM CST [ link]
Uzbeks vote in 'one-man poll'
A mere trickle of voters have showed up at polling stations in Uzbekistan's capital in an election from which all opposition groups are barred. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Admin on 12.27.04 @ 04:41 AM CST [ link]
The American Dream
In all of Iraq, Jumana Hanna was the bravest witness to the horror of Saddam's regime, telling the Americans of torture, rape, and mass murder. In Washington, Hanna became a potent symbol of Iraqi liberation, and the Bush administration brought Hanna and her children to the United States for their protection. Then the author discovered the really horrible truth. I'd been a reporter for twenty-five years and considered myself a professional skeptic, yet I'd been duped. I consoled myself with the thought that I was in good company. If I'd been duped, so had the Pentagon, the Coalition Provisional Authority, and one of the nation's most esteemed newspapers. On the other hand, I understand that the relationship between a journalist and a source is based on trust. I'd never met anyone who played with that relationship as cynically as Hanna. She could coolly size up her audience, calculate what they wanted to hear, and work it to her advantage. Full Article : esquire.com or www.esquire.com
USA on 12.27.04 @ 04:39 AM CST [ link]
Tsunami effects felt on E African coast
Powerful tsunamis that devastated parts of South Asia have flooded low-lying areas and triggered extreme tides along the East African coast, 6000km away across the Indian Ocean. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Africa on 12.27.04 @ 04:21 AM CST [ link]
Yes, you must pull out - but also pay for the damage
Let's start with the idea that the US is helping to provide security. On the contrary, the presence of US troops is provoking violence on a daily basis. The truth is that as long as the troops remain, the country's entire security apparatus - occupation forces as well as Iraqi soldiers and police - will be exclusively dedicated to fending off resistance attacks, leaving a security vacuum when it comes to protecting regular Iraqis. If the troops pulled out, Iraqis would still face insecurity, but they would be able to devote their local security resources to regaining control over their cities and neighbourhoods. As for preventing "anarchy", the US plan to bring elections to Iraq seems designed to spark a civil war - the civil war needed to justify an ongoing presence for US troops no matter who wins the elections. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Middle East on 12.27.04 @ 04:19 AM CST [ link]
Israel kills Hamas resistance fighters
Israeli occupation troops killed two Hamas fighters said to have been planting explosives near a border fence with Israel in the Gaza Strip. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Middle East on 12.27.04 @ 04:16 AM CST [ link]
El Salvador May Extend Troop Deployment
The only country in the Western Hemisphere besides the United States still fielding soldiers in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq may extend its troop deployment beyond a scheduled return early next year, El Salvador's president said Saturday. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.27.04 @ 04:13 AM CST [ link]
'Special relationship' not so helpful to Blair
Blair's support gave some credence to the President's claim that the US was leading a genuine alliance in Iraq, rather than - as Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry put it - "a coalition of the coerced and the bribed". It enabled the President to bask in the reflected glory of a foreign leader who is not only more popular in America than in his own country, but who is - according to one poll last year - more highly regarded than Bush himself in the US. Full Article : nzherald.co.nz
UK on 12.27.04 @ 04:11 AM CST [ link]
Army to crush any Taiwan independence plot
China published on Monday a white paper on national defense, reaffirming its determination to crush any "Taiwan independence" attempt at all costs and reassure the world of its pursuit of peaceful development that will pose "no obstacle or threat to any one." Full Article : chinadaily.com.cn
China on 12.27.04 @ 04:07 AM CST [ link]
Bush's Pell Grant retreat
In his final debate with U.S. Sen. John Kerry, President Bush took offense when challenged about his commitment to college students from poor and working families. He looked toward the camera and assured viewers he would "continue to expand Pell Grants to make sure that people have an opportunity to start their career with a college diploma." Little more than a month after his re-election, expand is about to become contract. Full Article : sptimes.com
USA on 12.27.04 @ 04:04 AM CST [ link]
Iraq rejects U.S. talk of adjusting vote result
Iraq's election body rejected a suggestion in Washington that it adjust the results of next month's vote to benefit the Sunni minority if low turnout in Sunni areas means Shiites win an exaggerated majority in the new assembly. In another development, Iraq's foreign minister asked the United Nations to take the upcoming elections more seriously, calling on the world organization to "redouble its efforts." Full Article : dailystar.com.lb
Iraq on 12.27.04 @ 04:01 AM CST [ link]
Sunday, December 26th
Tsunami death toll may exceed 50,000
At least 23,700 people have now been killed by Sunday's giant tsunami in southern Asia, according to the International Red Cross, amid signs the final toll could top 50,000. The tsunami, triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean near the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was the biggest in 40 years registering 9.0 on the Richter scale. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Asia on 12.26.04 @ 05:02 PM CST [ more..]
It's the White Vote, Stupid
In fact, 77 percent of voters in the Bush-Kerry-Nader election were white. It is the most obvious reason why the election turned out the way it did. Full Article : rastafarispeaks.com
USA on 12.26.04 @ 02:03 PM CST [ link]
Iraq Resists! Despite U.S. bombs and napalm
Even in the face of overwhelming Pentagon firepower and high technology, Iraqi resistance is raging. Even after the bloodiest battle of the war, the siege of Falluja--in which the invaders had complete control of the air, enormous material supremacy, forced several hundred thousand people to flee their homes and reduced most of the city to rubble--the resistance goes on. As Pentagon warplanes continued to pound the city with bombs and missiles on Dec. 12, insurgents fought the Marines in running battles. Full Article : trinicenter.com
Iraq on 12.26.04 @ 07:09 AM CST [ link]
Tidal Waves Kill More Than 2,200 in Asia
JAKARTA, Indonesia Dec 26, 2004 — The world's most powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered massive tidal waves that slammed into villages and seaside resorts across Asia on Sunday, killing more than 2,200 people in five countries. Full Article : abcnews.go.com
Asia on 12.26.04 @ 06:32 AM CST [ link]
Iraq poll hangs on overseas vote
UN launches £50m operation to reach four million expatriatesA last-minute push to prepare millions of Iraqis living overseas to vote in the critical elections in their homeland next month has been launched by the United Nations. With only five weeks until the poll, there are still no clear estimates of how many expatriate Iraqis might be eligible to vote, though analysts agree that they could determine its outcome. Around 250,000 Iraqis live in Britain - one of the biggest expatriate communities - with up to four million spread elsewhere around the world. In one of the biggest exercises of its type, costing around £50 million, tens of thousands of volunteers in 15 countries are working frantically to register Iraqis who are aged over 18. In Britain, three registration centres will be set up next month in preparation for polling on 30 January. Full Article : observer.guardian.co.uk
Iraq on 12.26.04 @ 06:22 AM CST [ link]
US Seeks to Silence Arab Democracy Activists
The Bush administration threatened to defund UNDP because the Arab academics who wrote the report implicated the U.S. government in human rights violations in the Middle East. "For example," he told Reuters, "the United States is suppressing the two national liberation movements in the Arab world – in Iraq and in Palestine." Full Article : antiwar.com
Middle East on 12.26.04 @ 05:28 AM CST [ link]
Rumsfeld: Iraqi polls may be limited
"If there were to be an area where the extremists focused during the election period, and an election was not possible in that area at that time, so be it. You have the rest of the election and you go on. Life's not perfect," Rumsfeld said. He said an election could perhaps be held in "three-quarters or four-fifths of the country. But in some places you couldn't because the violence was too great". "Well, so be it. Nothing's perfect in life, so you have an election that's not quite perfect. Is it better than not having an election? You bet," the defence secretary said. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 12.26.04 @ 04:27 AM CST [ link]
Al-Manar and 'TV terrorism'
The US decision to list the Lebanese television station Al-Manar as a terrorist organisation, days after a French ban on the channel, is a mistake that sets a dangerous precedent, according to media watchdogs. Banning media channels raises some fundamental questions, however, about what should be considered offensive, according to international journalists' organisations. Who decides which words, ideas or opinions are acceptable for broadcast? "Quite simply, Israel does not want the West to see what it did in southern Lebanon, and what it continues to do in Palestine - and has once again succeeded in preventing an independent voice from being heard." Full Article : aljazeera.net
Middle East on 12.26.04 @ 04:25 AM CST [ link]
Sudanese, rebels to end 20-year civil war
Sudanese, rebels to end 20-year civil war in January, official saysThe Sudanese government and the country's main southern rebel group will sign a peace agreement Jan. 10 in Kenya to end more than 20 years of civil war, a senior government official said yesterday. The government and the Su-dan People's Liberation Army had pledged to complete an agreement to end the longest-running war in Africa by Friday, making a commitment last month before the U.N. Security Council, which held a rare meeting in Nairobi to spur the peace talks. Full Article : journalnow.com
Africa on 12.26.04 @ 04:11 AM CST [ link]
Britain prepares to send 3,000 troops into Darfur
Tony Blair has ordered military chiefs to prepare to send British troops to intervene in Sudan in the New Year. The Prime Minister has waved aside concerns that the Army is already too committed in Iraq and Afghanistan to make a significant contribution to a peace-keeping mission in Africa. Chiefs of staff have been told to prepare plans to send up to 3,000 troops to the troubled Darfur region amid concern that the humanitarian crisis will dramatically worsen. The deployment will be discussed early next month at a meeting with senior military officials. "When you decide to make an intervention you have got to be able to move fast," a minister told The Independent on Sunday. Full Article : independent.co.uk
UK on 12.26.04 @ 04:07 AM CST [ link]
Castro announces crude oil discovery
HAVANA -- President Fidel Castro said a crude oil deposit has been discovered off Cuba containing up to 100 million barrels, good news for a country that imports about half the petroleum it needs. "This is the first discovery since 1999," Castro said Friday in a speech to a closed session of the National Assembly. His comments were aired on state television Saturday. Castro said the deposit was located off the coast of Santa Cruz del Norte, east of Havana, during an exploratory drilling. He said production at the site could begin during 2006. Full Article : seattlepi.nwsource.com
Caribbean on 12.26.04 @ 03:46 AM CST [ link]
Saturday, December 25th
Best Scenario for Iraq: Get Out Now
Americans, and especially the American corporate media, just don't get it. Iraqis resent the United States invading and occupying their country and they will resist for as long as it takes to put an end to the occupation. Stupid Americans apparently have a problem grasping this very simple concept. Full Article : trinicenter.com
Iraq on 12.25.04 @ 03:10 PM CST [ link]
Failing the morality test
British policy on Guantanamo Bay fails the morality testLONDON: As a nation, our morality is defined by whether we join the gang that is casting stones, or stand between the mob and its target. Full Article : dawn.com
UK on 12.25.04 @ 08:08 AM CST [ link]
Venezuela and China sign oil deal
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has offered China wide-ranging access to the country's oil reserves. The offer, made as part of a trade deal between the two countries, will allow China to operate oil fields in Venezuela and invest in new refineries. Venezuela has also offered to supply 120,000 barrels of fuel oil a month to China. Venezuela - the world's fifth largest oil exporter - sells about 60% of its output to the United States. Mr Chavez's administration, which has a strained relationship with the US, is trying to diversify sales to reduce its dependence on its largest export market. Full Article : bbc.co.ukChavez ponders Mao and Bolivar friendshipVenezuelan President Hugo Chavez has blasted U.S. imperialism, called capitalism the road to hell and said Mao Zedong and Venezuela's 19th century independence hero Simon Bolivar would have been mates had they met. Full Article : swissinfo.org
Latin America on 12.25.04 @ 07:56 AM CST [ link]
Aziz denies Iraq role in UN scandal
Tariq Aziz, deputy prime minister under Saddam Hussein, has denied Iraq exploited the scandal-hit UN oil-for-food programme, his defence lawyer said. A day after his first meeting with the former public face of Saddam's administration, Badih Arif dismissed speculation that Aziz might testify against his former colleagues or give evidence on alleged corruption at the United Nations. "We used to offer assistance to parties, institutions and states that stood by Iraq. We helped them via the United Nations because the oil-for-food programme was a legitimate programme supervised by the UN," the lawyer quoted Aziz as saying. "This cannot be considered bribery because it was our right to sell oil to those who wanted it and we could not affect the price at all, as it was set by the United Nations itself." Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 12.25.04 @ 07:49 AM CST [ link]
Swiss company's website for sending money to Cuba
Swiss company inaugurates a website for sending money to CubaTHE Swiss AWS Technologies Company (http://www.aws-transaction.com) has opened a website for sending money to Cuba which, among its competitive advantages offers greater rapidity and efficiency in the service. The Internet site of the www.aws-transaction.com enterprise highlights that this option for sending remittances to Cuba has a client personalized service and the support of Cuban enterprises with experience and strength in the sector. Full Article : granma.cu
Europe on 12.25.04 @ 07:36 AM CST [ link]
Three new Windows security holes
Three new vulnerabilities have been discovered in Microsoft’s Windows operating system, leaving computers running that OS open to possible hacker attacks – including PCs running the recently released XP SP2 (Service Pack 2). The vulnerabilities were published on various online security newsgroups and confirmed by antivirus firm Symantec. The discoveries raise particular concern since, with the holidays underway, interested worm-writers may have a significant head start on security professionals hoping to plug the hole. Full Article : usatoday.com
USA on 12.25.04 @ 07:33 AM CST [ link]
The Project for the New American Century
The People versus the Powerful is the oldest story in human history. At no point in history have the Powerful wielded so much control. At no point in history has the active and informed involvement of the People, all of them, been more absolutely required. Full Article : informationclearinghouse.info
USA on 12.25.04 @ 07:14 AM CST [ link]
Racism and War Crimes
As a result of the Anglo-American invasion and occupation of Iraq, more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians-mainly women and children have been recently killed. Eighty-four per cent of the deaths were caused by the actions of the Americans and the British, and 95 per cent of these were killed by air attacks and artillery fire; thousands more are imprisoned and tortured; the lives of millions more have been wrecked. In addition, the conditions of child health in US-occupied Iraq today are even worse than during the genocidal years of sanctions. Acute malnutrition among Iraqi children between the ages of six months and 5 years has increased from 4% before the invasion to 7.7% since the US invasion of Iraq. Furthermore, over 400,000 Iraqi children are suffering from ‘wasting’ and ‘emaciation’ – conditions of chronic diarrhoea and protein deficiency. Children are particularly vulnerable because of their not fully developed immune defence. Full Article : informationclearinghouse.info
Iraq on 12.25.04 @ 07:00 AM CST [ link]
Friday, December 24th
US Military Contractors Target Latin America For New Recruits
Democracy Now!A New Poverty Draft: Military Contractors Target Latin America For New RecruitsHalliburton and other private military contractors have begun advertising campaigns in El Salvador, Colombia and Nicaragua to recruit ex-soldiers to work in Iraq. With the situation in Iraq becoming more and more deadly and the resistance gaining increasing popular support inside the country, the Bush administration has begun sending thousands more US troops to Baghdad. But many question how many more troops the administration can afford to send, or more important, how many soldiers it can send. The US military is facing an unprecedented crisis in recruiting numbers and new enlistments. Meanwhile, new Pentagon statistics show that more than 5,000 soldiers have now been charged with desertion from bases in the U.S. and overseas since the invasion of Iraq in early 2003.
USA on 12.24.04 @ 09:14 AM CST [ more..]
China, Venezuela sign energy deal
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered China wide access to his country's vast energy resources, including oilfields and the possibility of increased direct crude supplies. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Latin America on 12.24.04 @ 06:32 AM CST [ link]
West stirring revolution in Ukraine, says Putin
VLADIMIR PUTIN accused the West of fomenting "permanent revolution" in Moscow's back yard yesterday as he faced the prospect of Ukraine's pro-Western opposition leader winning the presidential election on Sunday. Full Article : timesonline.co.uk
Europe on 12.24.04 @ 05:45 AM CST [ link]
Tareq Aziz refuses to testify against Saddam: lawyer
Former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tareq Aziz is unwilling to testify against Saddam Hussein at a future war crimes trial, his lawyer told AFP after a four-hour meeting with his client Thursday at a US base near the capital. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Iraq on 12.24.04 @ 05:34 AM CST [ link]
Torture at the Top
Aggressive interrogation techniques in Iraq and Guantánamo Bay, many tantamount to torture, were significantly more widespread than the White House or the Pentagon has admitted. That's the startling hook based on a trove of confidential documents from the FBI and Department of Defense (DoD) released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and reported yesterday by major newspapers. These new allegations include "strangulation, beatings, placement of lit cigarettes into the detainees ear openings, and unauthorized interrogations" in Iraq (and similar methods for Guantánamo), according to an " Urgent Report" from the FBI's Sacramento Office to FBI Director Robert Mueller. But many of the papers, including The New York Times, regrettably omitted the story's biggest bombshell: President Bush may have issued an Executive Order condoning these techniques. Full Article : commondreams.org
USA on 12.24.04 @ 05:31 AM CST [ link]
Pell Grant Monies Will Be Cut
College students in virtually every state will be required to shoulder more of the cost of their education under new federal rules for financial aid. Because of the changes, which take effect in the 2005-06 academic year and are expected to save the government $300 million annually, at least 1.3 million low-income students will receive smaller Pell Grants, the nation's primary scholarship, according to two analyses of the new rules. Full Article : beliefnet.com
USA on 12.24.04 @ 05:25 AM CST [ link]
Good News for Saddam Hussein
The neo-cons who propagated the story that Saddam "gassed his own people," i.e., the Iraqi Kurds, will still insist he did gas the Kurds, back in 1988 when he gave the order to Chemical Ali, who told the Iraqi army to commit genocide at the town of Halabja. But the news from Mohammed al-Obaidi is that the team prosecuting Saddam for crimes against humanity has dropped the genocide charge "due to insufficient evidence." Al-Obaidi assures me the news is true, and if it is, we should be learning about it sooner or later from our news media. It will further complicate the Bush administration’s problems in Iraq, as it had been relying on the genocide charge to justify "regime change" in Baghdad when the other rationales – WMD and Al Qaida connections – failed. I may be wrong, but if this turns out to be true, it would be a positive development in resolving the conflict in Iraq sooner, rather than later. Once the U.S. press corps focuses on the issue, it would force President Bush to re-examine his own assumptions about the rationale for unilateral action and make it easier for him to shift gears toward greater international involvement in resolving the several conflated issues in the Middle East. Full Article : lewrockwell.com
Iraq on 12.24.04 @ 05:17 AM CST [ link]
Thursday, December 23rd
Angola Presents Report On Resolution of Conflicts in Africa
Angola presented on Wednesday, in New York, the report by the Ad Hoc Working Group of the UN Security Council on the Prevention and Resolution of Conflicts in Africa. Speaking at this year's last session of the Security Council, the representative of Angola at the UN, Ismael Martins, who is the chairman of the referred group, emphasized the need to explore new ways of cooperation between the UN and the African Union (AU). He considered that the adoption of the presidential declaration, in the especial meeting of Nairobi in last November, regarding the institutional cooperation between the UN and the AU, mainly in relation to the situation in Darfur (Sudan) and Burundi, are visible results of the increment on such a cooperation. Full Article : allafrica.com
Africa on 12.23.04 @ 06:40 PM CST [ link]
UN needs $281m to help Ethiopia
The United Nations on Thursday appealed for relief supplies worth $281-million to support more than 7,2-million Ethiopians affected by drought in the Horn of Africa country. A total of 387 482 tonnes of food worth $159-million and non-food assistance worth $122-million is needed for 2005, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said in a statement. Full Article : mg.co.za
Africa on 12.23.04 @ 12:28 PM CST [ link]
Ghost of apartheid returns to farmlands
Some white farmers admit switch to game-reserve tourism is pretext to get rid of black workers A hunting boom driven by wealthy tourists is pushing black South Africans off the land to make way for game, generating anger that, a decade after apartheid, whites still own most of the countryside. Hundreds of commercial farms have evicted their labourers and converted into game parks, turning swaths of arable land into fenced wilderness for trophy animals such as lions and antelopes. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Africa on 12.23.04 @ 12:27 PM CST [ link]
South Africa to appeal against gay marriage court ruling
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa will appeal against a ruling by one of the country's top courts to allow gay marriage so that parliament has time to debate the issue, the government said. Full Article : nzherald.co.nz
Africa on 12.23.04 @ 09:26 AM CST [ link]
Multiple casualties in Iraq bomb attack
A car bomb has exploded in the town of Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, leaving many dead and wounded, according to the local hospital director. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 12.23.04 @ 06:42 AM CST [ link]
Wednesday, December 22nd
Unity Accord hailed
ZIMBABWEANS today celebrate 17 years of unity brought about by the Unity Accord signed between the country's two liberation movements — Zanu-PF and PF-Zapu. Although the Unity Accord was ratified in 1987, it was not commemorated until 10 years later when President Mugabe declared December 22 a public holiday through Statutory Instrument 156 of 1997. Full Article : zimbabweherald.com
Africa on 12.22.04 @ 01:48 PM CST [ link]
Iran arrested 10 nuclear spies
Ten people arrested on suspicion of spying on Iran's nuclear programme were working for US and Israeli intelligence services, Intelligence Minister Ali Yunessi said on Wednesday. Full Article : hindustantimes.com
Iran on 12.22.04 @ 09:48 AM CST [ link]
Hurricane Refugees Form Sewing Cooperative
A women's sewing cooperative founded by hurricane refugees has obtained designation as a free trade zone, boosting the seamtresses' hopes of serving as a new model for business in Nicaragua. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Latin America on 12.22.04 @ 04:18 AM CST [ link]
PLO chief hails 'eternal' Arafat
PLO chairman Mahmud Abbas marked the end of 40 days of mourning Tuesday with lavish praise for the "eternal" Yasser Arafat, vowing the Palestinian patriarch would one day be buried in his beloved Jerusalem. "No words of homage are sufficient to commemorate his memory," Abbas said in a speech inside Arafat's old West Bank headquarters in the town of Ramallah, known as the Muqataa, as thousands of supporters gathered in the courtyard outside. "Arafat led our people to the doorstep of liberty and independence. Abu Ammar (Arafat) remains eternal in the minds and collective memory of our people and the Arab and Islamic people," he added. Abbas, favourite to succeed Arafat as Palestinian Authority president, echoed one of Arafat's most famous refrains by pledging: "The day will come when a child raises the flag of Palestine from the walls of Jerusalem." Full Article : dailytimes.com.pk
Middle East on 12.22.04 @ 04:11 AM CST [ link]
Canadian observers in Ukraine prepare for hard work
Canadian observers in Ukraine prepare for hard work, "uplifting experience"Canadian observers heading to Ukraine for that country's election Sunday expect history to unfold before their eyes - and to leave them inspired by the sight. Full Article : canada.com
Europe on 12.22.04 @ 01:03 AM CST [ link]
World Feels Bullied by Washington
To the French, he's an uncouth cowboy - a swaggering statesman in a Stetson who shoots from the hip and asks questions later, if he asks them at all. They're not the only ones who think so. From Berlin to Beijing, President Bush was widely scorned abroad during his first term as a headstrong hombre more interested in action than consultation. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
UK on 12.22.04 @ 12:26 AM CST [ link]
Rocket attack on U.S. base kills more than 20
A midday rocket attack on a U.S. military base in northern Iraq killed more than 20 people and wounded another 57, U.S. military and civilian officials said Tuesday. Full Article : cnn.com
Iraq on 12.22.04 @ 12:24 AM CST [ link]
Tuesday, December 21st
SA, Swaziland sign historic bilateral agreement
South Africa and Swaziland have signed a bilateral agreement for cooperation and trade. It's the first agreement signed by the two countries since the dawn of democracy in South Africa a decade ago. Full Article : sabcnews.com
Africa on 12.21.04 @ 05:00 PM CST [ link]
Ethiopia, child marriage takes a brutal toll
In the heart of Ethiopia, child marriage takes a brutal toll There are, according to child-rights activists, an estimated 50 million Tihuns scattered across the world: young teen or even preteen girls whose innocence is being sacrificed to arranged marriages, often with older men. Coerced by family and culture into lives of servility and isolation, and scarred by the trauma of too-early pregnancy, child brides represent a vast, lost generation of children. While humanitarian campaigns have focused global attention on childhood AIDS in Africa, female genital mutilation and child labor, one of the underlying sources of all these woes remains largely ignored. Child marriage, an ancient, entrenched practice long hidden in shadow, was only denounced by the United Nations as a serious human-rights violation in 2001. Full Article : kansascity.com
Africa on 12.21.04 @ 02:56 PM CST [ link]
Africa's unrest blunts oil-search enthusiasm
NIAMEY, NIGER - Sent from China to hunt for oil under the Sahara, Wenhui Tan looked distinctly uneasy as the conversation turned to security fears ranging from the spread of Islamic radicalism to coldblooded banditry. Full Article : chron.com
Africa on 12.21.04 @ 08:30 AM CST [ link]
Rise of the Amerikan Nazis
Democracy at Death's Doorstep"It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything". -- Joseph Stalin Full Article : informationclearinghouse.info
USA on 12.21.04 @ 05:37 AM CST [ link]
Calls for peaceful disarmament in Haiti
Brazil's foreign minister pleaded for peaceful disarmament of Haiti's armed bands yesterday, and announced Brazil and the World Bank would contribute US$800,000 for agricultural and education programmes. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 12.21.04 @ 05:33 AM CST [ link]
Reward Offered for Civil Rights Slay Info
An anonymous donor has posted a $100,000 reward for information leading to murder charges in one of the most notorious crimes of the civil rights era - the "Freedom Summer" slayings of three civil rights workers in 1964. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.21.04 @ 05:29 AM CST [ link]
Report: U.S. Rentals Unaffordable to Poor
In only four of the nation's 3,066 counties can someone working full-time and earning federal minimum wage afford to pay rent and utilities on a one-bedroom apartment, an advocacy group on low-income housing reported Monday. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.21.04 @ 05:27 AM CST [ link]
Iran accuses U.S., Israel of rigging Iraq’s elections
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Israel and the U.S. were responsible for the blasts in Iraq's Shiite holy cities of Karbala and Najaf, accusing both countries of trying to rig the upcoming elections for their own political benefits. Full Article : aljazeera.com
Iraq on 12.21.04 @ 05:24 AM CST [ link]
Saddam bids to challenge case in the US
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is preparing a legal challenge in the United States to his trial for war crimes, a newspaper reports, citing leaked papers prepared by his defense team. Clive Stafford Smith, a British human rights lawyer, has prepared a 50-page brief which contains advice to take the case to US courts to ensure he receives a fair trial, the Sunday Times reported after saying it had seen the document. It argues Saddam will have trouble receiving a fair trial because leading members of the Iraqi and US administration have already publicly called for him to be found guilty and killed to "validate" the war, the newspaper said. Full Article : turkishpress.com
Iraq on 12.21.04 @ 05:18 AM CST [ link]
Nurses in HIV Case May Seek Compensation
Five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya for allegedly infecting children with HIV plan to seek compensation from Tripoli for illegal arrest and torture, Bulgaria's justice minister said Monday. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
Europe on 12.21.04 @ 05:15 AM CST [ link]
U.S. Criticism of Chávez Unfounded
The recent round of Venezuela-bashing from the U.S. State Department and Washington-based foreign-policy organizations is symptomatic of a broader problem. And it's not Venezuela's problem; it's ours. Last week, Venezuela decided, after a vote of its General Assembly and the approval of the executive, to add 12 new justices to its 20-member Supreme Court. Human Rights Watch denounced the move as a "severe blow to judicial independence." That is a gross exaggeration. Imagine, if you can, that a group of military officers in the United States overthrew our president, dissolved Congress and the Supreme Court and abolished the Constitution. Now imagine that democracy is restored, but the Supreme Court rules that the officers who kidnapped the president and overthrew the government cannot be tried for any crime. That is what happened in Venezuela. Full Article : commondreams.org
Latin America on 12.21.04 @ 12:08 AM CST [ link]
Monday, December 20th
Bible is 'lies and spin,' says C4
Evangelical groups are angry that Who Wrote the Bible?, which will go out at 8.30pm, paints a negative picture of Christian organisations and suggests links between them and the troubles in the Middle East. They have also expressed concerns about the presenter, Dr Robert Beckford, a reader in theology at Birmingham University. Beckford's critically acclaimed documentary God is Black, which compared white and black people's interpretation of Christianity, angered some in the Anglican church who accused it of 'racialising' religious issues. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
UK on 12.20.04 @ 11:08 PM CST [ link]
Kenya among worst hit by brain drain
Kenya is among African countries worst hit by brain drain. Statistics show most Kenyan professionals were moving to the United States in search of better jobs. The data compiled by Prof Ali Mazrui, indicates that by end of last year, about 47,000 Kenyans were living and working in the US. Canada, United Kingdom and Australia host 20,600, 15,000 and 6,900 Kenyans, respectively. Kenyans living in Germany and Sweden number 5,200 and 1,300, respectively. According to Mazrui, a Kenyan who lives in the US, the brain drain had left Kenya in short supply of trained personnel in key sectors. Full Article : eastandard.net
Africa on 12.20.04 @ 10:36 PM CST [ link]
Gay scientists shifting blame for AIDS to Africa
LECTURER in the Department of History at the University of the West Indies Cecil Gutzmore is claiming that some known homosexual scientists are shifting the blame for AIDS from the gay community to Africa. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 12.20.04 @ 10:31 PM CST [ link]
New group claims Sudan oil attack
A previously unknown rebel group has claimed responsibility for an attack on an oil field in the Darfur region of western Sudan and said it was the group's first military operation. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Africa on 12.20.04 @ 10:22 PM CST [ link]
Millions displaced by fighting in eastern DR of Congo
The number of people displaced by the last six years of conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is now estimated at 3 million – 2.5 million in the east alone – and nearly 4 million people have died as a direct or indirect result of the conflict, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today. Full Article : un.org
Africa on 12.20.04 @ 12:19 PM CST [ link]
UK deportations a ploy
By Rangarirai Shoko, www.zimbabweherald.com At a glance, reports that Britain intends to deport thousands of Zimbabweans it had lured in the last five years as proof of political repression in Zimbabwe, do not invite instant suspicion. After all, British authorities justified the move — perfectly within the country's sovereign rights — by saying most of those targeted had been found unqualified for asylum which they had sought, claiming political persecution at home. And Zimbabweans back home, anyway, have no collective sympathies beyond family bonds for the "failed refugees" to be suspicious of the British move. The asylum seekers, instead, are generally viewed as accomplices in London's campaign of destabilisation against the country over its land policies.
Africa on 12.20.04 @ 11:57 AM CST [ more..]
Guyana: Draft Amerindian Act purges colonial relics
Amerindian village councils will have clearer governance guidelines under new draft legislation which sheds its precursor's maligned colonial paternalism for more democratic principles. The new legislation when enacted will be the most recent attempt to legally enshrine community rights and protections which first began with the 1976 Amerindian Act that governs indigenous lands. Full Article : stabroeknews.com
Caribbean on 12.20.04 @ 09:42 AM CST [ link]
Probe Prompts Review of Landmark Race Case
Accusations against an attorney who worked on a federal case in which black farmers claimed the government denied them loans because of their race could affect the landmark civil rights settlement. Margaret O'Shea, 38, faces charges she worked as a public defender without a license to practice law in California, and critics are now questioning dozens of individual settlements with black farmers she previously handled at the U.S. Justice Department. Full Article : guardian.co.uk
USA on 12.20.04 @ 09:03 AM CST [ link]
Cuba wraps up military defence exercises
Cubans awoke to air raid sirens yesterday, and practised shooting, putting on gas masks and doing duck-and-cover drills as the communist nation wrapped up a weeklong series of defence exercises to prepare for a potential attack by the United States. The activities, called the Strategic Bastion 2004 Exercise, were aimed at evaluating how prepared Cuban society is to face possible military action against Cuba during a second term by US President George W Bush. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 12.20.04 @ 08:58 AM CST [ link]
Canada seeks 'partnership' with Caricom on Haiti crisis
Canada's Minister for International Co-operation Aileen Carroll says her government is anxious to develop a "partnership" with Caricom to resolve the governance crisis in Haiti, which continues to be aggravated by ongoing violence. The Canadian minister also said that her government remained committed to promoting Cuba's participation in the emerging Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and would "stay the course" on that issue. Canada also wants to continue engaging the Cuban government in dialogue on human rights concerns in that Caribbean nation. Full Article : jamaicaobserver.com
Caribbean on 12.20.04 @ 08:17 AM CST [ link]
US accused of stifling UN Arab report
Washington is unhappy, Fergani said, with sections in the report on the US presence in Iraq and the activities of its ally Israel in the Palestinian territories. Asked what evidence he had, he said: "Of course there are no official documents. In cases like this, you do not give your opponents something with which to fight back." Full Article : aljazeera.net
USA on 12.20.04 @ 06:42 AM CST [ link]
Belmarsh: a new affront to justice
The Government's refusal to withdraw its anti-terror laws has left Britain on the brink of a constitutional crisis that threatens centuries of hard-won civil liberties, it was claimed last night. Ministers were warned that their unprecedented defiance in the face of a clear ruling by the country's highest court has set the executive on a collision course with the judiciary. The Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, defined the Government's position yesterday when he described Thursday's historic ruling on the indefinite detention of foreign terror suspects, held at Belmarsh high-security prison in London, as "simply wrong". Full Article : independent.co.uk
UK on 12.20.04 @ 06:38 AM CST [ link]
Iraq's communists join election race
The communists, Iraq's oldest political party, have submitted a list of 257 candidates drawn from all sectors of Iraqi society and united under one banner, newspapers said. Full Article : aljazeera.net
Iraq on 12.20.04 @ 06:35 AM CST [ link]
The risks of the al-Zarqawi myth
The problem is, there is simply no substance to this legend, as US marines are now finding out. Rather than extremist foreign fighters battling to the death, the |
