Is Africa next war on terror target?
Bush dismisses Black America as he targets West African OilU.S. covets Africa's black gold NAIROBI (IPS)–As the United States gears up for possible strikes on Iraq, the Horn of Africa is emerging as the focus of its vast anti-terrorism operations. Regional political allegiances are becoming extremely fluid and the United States will have to tread carefully to avoid upsetting...
Half a million people could die in Iraq war
LONDON (IPS)–A war on Iraq could cause up to half-a-million deaths and have devastating consequences for years to come, according to a new report released in London. Most of the victims would be non-combatants, it warned. The study by Medact, the British affiliate of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War who won the Nobel Peace Prize...
Cellular phone explosion link modern technology and traditional African culture
JOHANNESBURG (IPS)–The sudden growth of cell phones has outpaced any other new technology in Africa. But a unique cell phone culture has evolved that combines necessity with traditional community values. "Most cell phone owners in West Africa, for example, tend to serve as points of presence or communication nodes for their community. Other people pay them or simply borrow...
Corporate plunder in the name of patriotism
WASHINGTON (IPS)–Major U.S. corporations are profiting far too much from the wave of patriotism that has swept the country since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, say civic, environmental and labor groups. They are pressing Congress to delay action on a mounting pile of legislation which, if approved, would add to the windfall big business and the wealthy have...
White right-wingers blamed for bombings
We Will Bring Them to Justice, Says CabinetRightwing threatens Xmas terror campaign (IRIN) JOHANNESBURG (IPS)–Despite some unease, South Africans remained undisturbed by nine bomb blasts, blamed on right wingers, that damaged rail links between Soweto–South Africa’s largest township–and Johannesburg, its economic capital, on Oct. 30. The bombs exploded between midnight and 4 a.m. local time, leading to speculation that they...
UK official: Pay Zimbabwe for land reform
GINNEWS HARARE (GIN)–The British official who chaired Zimbabwe’s independence process has called on the UK government to meet its promises in helping pay for land resettlement and agricultural reform that has been at the center of controversy in this southern African country. Lord Peter Carrington says money set aside at the time of the Lancaster House negotiations at independence should be...
Warring parties to share power in Congo
JOHANNESBURG (IPS)–On paper, the chances of an end to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have never been so good. The warring parties in the conflict, in which more than two million civilians are estimated to have died, mainly due to starvation and disease, were scheduled to soon sign an "in principle" peace-deal, in South...
New immigration laws worry experts
PARIS (IPS)–Setting out new rights for minorities is a dance of half a step forward and two steps back, say human rights activists. The half-step forward comes with the announcement by Minister of the Interior Nicolas Sarkozy that he is ready to partially revoke the so-called double sanction against immigrants convicted of a crime. This double sanction means...
Zambia continues to reject genetically modified maize
LUSAKA, Zambia (PANA)–Zambia’s Agriculture Minister Mundia Sikatana recently reiterated his government’s rejection of genetically modified (GM) maize due to the existing scientific uncertainty surrounding such foods. Mr. Sikatana told journalists here that the government had agreed with a recommendation by local scientists who recently returned from a study mission abroad that GM maize should not be accepted. For the...
Muslims avoid hearsay in Indonesia bombings
JAKARTA (IPS)–Salim Umar, a Muslim preacher in Bandung, says the Bali bombings are "not a religious matter at all," so he did not discuss them at the mosque at Friday prayers. Rather than have the "politically-colored" Bali bombing take center stage, he says the discussions in many mosques focused on preparations for the holy month of Ramadan, the...