Mozlink Mission Blog

UN Calls for Trafficking Action

2009-02-13T23:52:00.004Z

The report says sexual exploitation is only one aspect of human trafficking. The world must do more to confront the largely unstudied and neglected phenomenon of people-trafficking, the United Nations has said in a report. So little is known about the problem, says the report, that no estimate can be given of the number affected. The report also points to a more basic problem: the lack of a

UN chief deplores Mugabe position

2008-12-16T21:06:00.001Z

Mr Ban said the people of Zimbabwe could not wait any longe UN chief Ban Ki-Moon has said his organisation can do little to help Zimbabwe because of its leaders' refusal to allow it to mediate. BBC News Dec. 16th. - Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic was only the most visible manifestation of a wider crisis, Mr Ban told a session of the

UN President Faces 'serious' Death Threats

2008-12-16T20:56:00.002Z

Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann has received death threats online this past week. (Eskinder Debebe/UN/Associated Press)CBC News Mon Dec. 5th. - The president of the United Nations General Assembly has received "very serious" online death threats, his spokesman said Monday. The threats against Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann were posted in the past week, spokesman Enrique Yeves said. U.S. authorities have

UK dismisses Mugabe's Claim that Zimbabwe Cholera Crisis is over

2008-12-12T00:02:00.005Z

A man pushes his relative in a wheelbarrow to a cholera polyclinic in Harare. The nationwide outbreak of cholera, caused by a breakdown in basic water and sanitation services, has left more than 6,000 people infected (Desmond Kwande/AFP/Getty Images)

World’s Hungry Close to One Billion’

2008-12-09T22:04:00.003Z

Financial Times Dec. 9th. - The food prices has pushed the number of hungry people in the world to almost 1bn, in what the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation described on Tuesday as a “serious setback” to global efforts to reduce mass starvation. “The ongoing financial and economic crisis could tip even more people into hunger and poverty,” the FAO added. The Rome-based

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

2008-12-08T13:40:00.001Z

Wednesday, December 10th. is the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe

2008-12-07T14:04:00.001Z

When Will this Mugabe-Made Disaster End?

2008-12-04T19:48:00.005Z

Dec. 6th. - The Archbishop of York has called on the international community to remove Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe from power as a deadly cholera outbreak continues to add to the woes of a country already devastated by hyperinflation and widespread destitution. Writing in The Observer on Sunday, Dr John Sentamu said that the power-sharing agreement between Mugabe’s Zanu PF party and the

Mugabe to Form Zimbabwe Cabinet; Opposition Calls for Boycott

2008-11-12T09:25:00.003Z

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 10 (Washington Post): -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe indicated Monday that he would move quickly to form a government, despite the collapse one day earlier of a new round of power-sharing talks that have stalled over the allocation of ministries. Speaking on state television, Mugabe said a cabinet would be formed "as soon as possible." The main opposition party, the

Fresh Elections Loom for Zimbabwe

2008-10-27T15:24:00.002Z

A Zimbabwean woman protests outside the venue where power-sharing talks were being held in Harare this week. (Photograph: AP) Mail & Guardian Online Oct. 24th. - Ahead of next week's regional summit to save the Zimbabwe power-sharing deal, what began as a row over a passport has escalated into the possibility of yet another round of elections for weary Zimbabweans. Opposition leader Morgan

Indian archbishop pleas for prime minister to pay attention to attacks on Christians

2008-10-11T23:03:00.001+01:00

October 12th -With the intensification of violence against Christians in India, the chairman of the Catholic Council of Bishops in India, Archbishop Leo Cornelio, called upon the country’s Prime Minister to not only focus on the attacks in the states of Orissa and Karnataka, but also the increasing violence in Madhya Pradesh. The archbishop’s letter, dated Wednesday, opens by commending the

Urgent Letter from Zimbabwe - August 30th.

2008-09-12T17:14:00.007+01:00

I reckon that these are the last days of Mugabe and ZPF. The darkest hour is always before dawn. We are all terrified at what they are going to destroy next........I mean they are actually ploughing down brick and mortar houses and one family with twin boys of 10 had no chance of salvaging anything when 100 riot police came in with AK47's and bulldozers and demolished their beautiful house - 5

82 yr Old Vietnam Archbishop Travels 334 Klms to Protest

2008-09-12T09:33:00.005+01:00

Bishop Paul Cao Dinh Thuyen, 82, travelled 334 km on Wednesday from his Vinh diocese to Thai Ha – Hanoi to show his solidarity with protestors. “The problem of Thai Ha is also a trouble of Vinh and Thanh Hoa diocese, and of the entire Church in Vietnam,” said Bishop Paul Cao on arriving. The land dispute in Thai Ha by its nature is a civil row between a Catholic parish and a state-run company.

Indian Government Not Doing Enough says Bishop

2008-09-11T11:32:00.007+01:00

Bishop Alex Dias of the Diocese of Port Blair in India’s Andaman and Nicobare islands has charged that the Indian government is not doing enough to halt the anti-Christian violence in the state of Orissa. Speaking in an interview, the bishop warned that the violence could spread if it is not halted in time, saying “The world must know that these things happen in India.” “The government of Orissa

SOUTH AFRICA: How heavy is human trafficking?

2008-09-09T20:50:00.004+01:00

Photo: Manoocher Deghati/IRIN Trafficking? JOHANNESBURG, 8 September 2008 (IRIN) - A series of workshops, hosted by the South African government and the International Organisation doe Migration (IOM), are being held to enlist the support of the media in raising the public profile of human trafficking. The IOM contends that global human

Updates of Kandhamal (Orissa) Violence

2008-09-09T20:41:00.002+01:00

Orissa Burning The sinister Anti-Christian pogrom in Orissa, India. What the mainstream media isn't telling you about ongoing torture and killing of Christians there. 30 August - 7 September, 2008Date - Police Station - Event30.08.2008 PHIRINGIA 5 Christian of Sudam Majhi, Goutam Mahji, Samo Majhi, Baruna Majhi and Jeebardhan Majhi of Ratanga Village, Phiringia Block were Set on fire

Zimbabwe Power-Sharing Talks Reportedly Resume

2008-08-30T11:53:00.002+01:00

Johannesburg, Sth Africa: Aug 29th (Voice of America) - Officials in South Africa say the stalled talks between Zimbabwe's ruling party and the opposition have resumed Friday. The announcement came as the Zimbabwean government said it was lifting a ban on humanitarian agencies working in the country. Southern Africa correspondent Scott Bobb reports from Johannesburg.South Africa's Deputy Foreign

World Bank Finds More People Live in Steep Poverty

2008-08-27T21:52:00.003+01:00

WASHINGTON Aug 26th (Reuters) — The World bank said Tuesday that more people were living in extreme poverty in developing countries than previously thought as it adjusted the recognized yardstick for measuring global poverty to $1.25 a day from $1. The bank said there were 1.4 billion people — a quarter of the developing world — living in extreme poverty on less than $1.25 a day in 2005 in the

Zimbabwe Opposition Says 2 Are Held

2008-08-25T10:42:00.004+01:00

HARARE, Zimbabwe: August 25th (AP) -- Two Zimbabwe opposition politicians were arrested Monday as they entered parliament to be sworn in, their party said. Eliah Zembere was among seven Movement for Democratic Change activists police have said they were seeking, alleging they were involved in election violence. The other man, Sure Mudzingwa, was not on the list. Two uniformed and three

Zimbabwe Parliament to Reconvene

2008-08-21T16:40:00.001+01:00

Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert MugabePower-sharing talks have not produced any solid agreementBBC News: August - Zimbabwe's parliament will open next week, officials say, despite no deal being reached on power-sharing. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change, which won a majority in March's parliamentary election, says it is not opposed to the opening of parliament. But it said it would

UN approves Somalia Force for Six More Months

2008-08-20T22:23:00.002+01:00

UNITED NATIONS Wed Aug 20th: (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council authorized on Tuesday an African Union force in Somalia for another six months, a day after Somalia's government signed a peace agreement with some opposition figures. A unanimous resolution also asked U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to work with the AU to strengthen U.N. logistical, political and technical support to help

China Fails to Approve 77 Protest Applications

2008-08-20T16:53:00.005+01:00

BEIJING: August 9th. (Associated Press) -- Chinese authorities have not approved any of the 77 applications they received from people who wanted to hold protests during the Beijing Olympics, state media reported. According to the rules governing protests, today is the last day anyone could apply for permission to demonstrate during the Olympic Games. The state-run New China News Agency said

Calls for France to Rethink its Africa Role

2008-08-09T15:37:00.003+01:00

Bonhomie: The report breaks a spell of warmer ties between Rwanda and France. In January, President Paul Kagame (r.) hosted French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner (l.) in Kigali. (Riccardo Gangale/APA)Rwandan report this week charged Paris with complicity in the 1994 genocide.Paris: Aug 8th (Christian Science Monitor) - A bombshell of a report by Rwanda this week

Solzhenitsyn Represented 'Freedom and Dignity', says Church

2008-08-09T15:10:00.006+01:00

Russian Premier Vladimir Putin pays condolence to Natalya Solzhenitsyna, the widow of the famous Russian author, Soviet dissident and Nobel literature prize winner Alexander Solzhenitsyn during the farewell ceremony in the Russian Academy of Science building in Moscow, Russia 05 August 2008. Alexander Solzhenitsyn died of heart failure late Sunday at the age of 89 and will be burried on the

Russia and Georgia Clash Over Separatist Region

2008-08-09T11:47:00.003+01:00

A Georgian man mourned a dead relative in the town of Gori, which was hit by Russian bombs, according to residents. (David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters)GORI, Georgia: Aug 8th (NY Times) //

Film of Zimbabwe 'Vote-Rigging'

2008-07-05T16:05:00.004+01:00

The film alleges there was no secrecy in votes for Robert Mugabe New evidence of vote-rigging in last month's presidential election in Zimbabwe has emerged in the form of a secret film made by a prison guard.The guard, Shepherd Yuda, filmed the vote-rigging at his jail in a production for Guardian Films. Prison

A Fearful Day in Zimbabwe

2008-07-05T11:47:00.008+01:00

Election Day in Zimbabwe - Courtesy of NY Times+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++DisclaimerNo responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Mozlink’ for any or all of the articles/images placed here. The placing of an article does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in

Congolese Politician Goes Before International Court

2008-07-05T11:38:00.002+01:00

Jean-Pierre Bemba, a senator and former militia leader accused of war crimes, appeared in court in The Hague on Friday.THE HAGUE July 5th. (NY Times)— When Jean-Pierre Bemba, a rich and powerful Congolese politician, visited his family in Brussels in late May, he had no inkling that he would be grabbed by the Belgian police, thrown in jail and put before an international tribunal. His arrest

Vatican Votes To Elevate Father Damien To Sainthood

2008-07-03T01:00:00.000+01:00

July 2nd: - The Congregation of the Causes of Saints at the Vatican has voted to canonize Father Damien of Molokai to sainthood. After the verification of two medical miracles, after decades of investigation into the life and works of Damien De Veuster, the Consisterie at the Vatican has at long last voted to elevate the Martyr of Molokai to its Pantheon of Saints. The measure now awaits the

Undeterred by Criticism, Mugabe Joins Peers at African Union Meeting

2008-07-01T23:13:00.003+01:00

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, center, was escorted past journalists by his security detail in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt. (European Pressphoto Agency)SHARM EL SHEIK, Egypt: July 1st. (NY Times) — Unabashed by critics and challenging his peers to prove their own democratic credentials, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe went to an African Union meeting here on Monday, displaying his victory in

2008-06-28T11:30:00.002+01:00

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++DisclaimerNo responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Mozlink’ for any or all of the articles/images placed here. The placing of an article does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.Mozlink

A.N.C. Rejects Outside Pressure on Zimbabwe

2008-06-25T00:14:00.004+01:00

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe at an election rally in Banket on Tuesday. (European Pressphoto Agency)June 25th. (NY Times) - Despite an increasingly thunderous chorus of complaints that Zimbabwe's presidential runoff will be neither free nor fair, the African National Congress, South Africa’s ruling party, rejected any outside diplomatic intervention in the matter on Tuesday, arguing that “

Hundreds Feared Dead in Philippines

2008-06-22T22:35:00.004+01:00

A passenger ferry, MV Princess of the Stars, capsized off the central Philippine island of Sibuyan.MANILA, Philippines: June 23rd. (NY TIMES) — The death toll from the powerful typhoon that killed more than 100 people in the Philippines last weekend could rise sharply after a ferry carrying more than 700 passengers and crew members capsized in the central part of the island chain , officials

Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Pulls Out of Runoff

2008-06-22T22:20:00.005+01:00

At a news conference in Harare on Sunday, Morgan Tsvangirai said he would not ask his party’s supporters to go to the polls “when that vote will cost them their lives.” (Alexander Joe/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images) JOHANNESBURG, June 23rd. (NY Times) — Only five days before Zimbabwe's presidential runoff election, the opposition leader Morgan

American Aid Is Seized in Zimbabwe

2008-06-12T00:08:00.004+01:00

JOHANNESBURG: June 12th. (NY Times) — Zimbabwean authorities confiscated a truck loaded with 20 tons of American food aid for poor schoolchildren and ordered that the wheat and pinto beans aboard be handed out to supporters of President President Mugabe at a political rally instead, the American ambassador said Wednesday. “This government will stop at nothing, even starving the most defenseless

Mia Farrow Highlights Rights Abuses in Central African Republic

2008-06-11T23:00:00.003+01:00

Wed. 11 June: NEW YORK (AFP) — US actress Mia Farrow on Tuesday described the Central African Republic (CAR) as a virtual "collapsed state" where human rights violations are rife, following a trip there last month. "I don't think President Francois Bozize has very much jurisdiction outside of Bangui (the capital) except those towns that he now holds in some fragile fashion," she said in an

Archbishop Tutu Calls for Resignation of Mugabe

2008-06-11T00:21:00.007+01:00

I really feel ashamed in many ways because [Mugabe] used to be such a splendid leader Nairobi, Kenya: June 10th. (Catholic Information Service for Africa) Nobel Peace Prize laureate and retired Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu has called for the resignation of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe. Mugabe is blamed for an unprecedented political and economic upheaval in the formerly

Lost Letter Raises Questions About Mbeki’s Role in Zimbabwe

2008-06-10T01:14:00.002+01:00

Zimbabwe’s opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, campaigning Sunday, says he wrote a letter asking the South African president, Thabo Mbeki, to step aside as mediator in Zimbabwe (Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Associated Press).JOHANNESBURG: June 9th. (NY Times) — The curious case of the mysterious letter from Zimbabwe’s opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, to South Africa’s president, Thabo Mbeki, got a

Inside Gate, India’s Good Life; Outside, the Servants’ Slums

2008-06-09T22:47:00.005+01:00

A child walking in a trash-strewn lot near the gated community of Hamilton Court in Gurgaon, India. (Ruth Fremson/The New York Times) GURGAON, India: June 9th. (NY Times) — When the scorch of summer hit this north Indian boomtown, and the municipal water supply worked only a few hours each day, inside a high-rise tower

Albinos, Long Shunned, Face Threat in Tanzania

2008-06-08T22:11:00.003+01:00

Men waited for help at the Tanzanian Albino Society office in Dar es Salaam. At least 19 albinos have been killed in Tanzania in the past year, victims of a growing trade in albino body parts. (Guillaume Bonn for The New York Times) DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania: June 8th. (NY Times) — Samuel Mluge steps outside his office and scans the sidewalk. His pale

Survivors in China Sift Rubble for the Past

2008-06-08T21:59:00.004+01:00

A scavenger combs through the remains of her destroyed home in Yingxiu, Sichuan Province. (Shiho Fukada for The New York Times)YINGXIU, China: June 8th. (NY Times) — There are no more rescues. The survivors say miracles are just that: only miracles. With their homes demolished in last month’s earthquake, residents of Yingxiu, China, now dig through the debris in search of anything that could be

Mbeki Calls Harm to Migrants a Disgrace

2008-05-26T15:43:00.003+01:00

Mozambicans returned Sunday from Johannesburg. Anti-immigrant violence that began in the city has killed 50 people. (Pedro Sá da Bandeira/European Pressphoto Agency)JOHANNESBURG, May 26th. (NY Times)After two weeks of only faint and infrequent condemnations of the anti-immigrant violence that has troubled South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki on Sunday described the wave of xenophobic attacks as

Myanmar Reels as Cyclone Toll Hits Thousands

2008-05-07T01:30:00.003+01:00

Displaced residents who lost their homes in a powerful cyclone took shelter on Monday in a Buddhist temple. (Hla Hla Htay/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)May 6th. (NY Times) - Myanmar struggled Monday to recover from a cyclone that killed more than 3,900 people and perhaps as many as 15,000. Foreign Minister Noppadol Pattama of Thailand met with Myanmar's ambassador on Tuesday, according to

Scarred by Strife After Election, Kenya Begins to Heal

2008-05-07T01:13:00.005+01:00

People driven off their land in Kenya began returning home on Monday. (Guillaume Bonn for The New York Times)MOLO, Kenya May 6th. (NY Times) — The bus was full. Expectant faces pressed against the windows. Soldiers stood guard with their guns. Kenya began an operation on Monday to resettle people displaced after the crisis that followed December’s disputed election. Molo is emblematic of the

Vatican puts Blessed Damien, Patron of Aids Sufferers, on the Road to Sainthood

2008-05-04T01:31:00.004+01:00

Blessed Damien: The Belgian missionary lived among lepers in the Pacific and died from leprosy in 1889May 2nd. (Mail on Sunday) - The Vatican today cleared the way for the canonisation of the unofficial patron saint of HIV/Aids sufferers. Theologians have ruled that a Hawaiian woman was inexplicably cured from lung cancer as a result of praying at the graveside of Blessed Damien de Veuster, a

Zimbabwe Calls for Runoff, but Opposition Challenges Vote Count

2008-05-03T12:08:00.002+01:00

Esther Deve, left, and her nephew, Francis Zondo, 10, victims of political violence, sought treatment in Harare, Zimbabwe. (Tsvangirayi Mukwashi/Associated Press)JOHANNESBURG, Sth. Africa: May 3rd. (NY TIMES) — After more than a month’s delay, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on Friday officially announced the results of the disputed March 29 presidential election, saying that the opposition

UN Council Angered at Eritrea over Border Force

2008-04-25T10:17:00.003+01:00

UNITED NATIONS, April 22 (Reuters) - Security Council members voiced anger on Tuesday at moves by Eritrea to force a U.N. peacekeeping mission to leave its border with Ethiopia, but postponed a decision on how to respond. "The members of the council were unanimous in that the way the peacekeepers of UNMEE (the U.N. force)

UN Troops Overworked and Outgunned in the Badlands of Darfur

2008-04-25T10:03:00.002+01:00

Disappointment and fear continues for the people of Sileia (Panos)Sileia, West Darfur: April 24th. (NY Times) - The peacekeepers could do nothing to stop the huge Antonov aircraft flying over the tiny town of Sileia, close to Sudan’s

Opposition ‘Clear Victor’ in Zimbabwe, U.S. Says

2008-04-25T09:53:00.002+01:00

A Chinese ship carrying arms to Zimbabwe, sat last week in South Africa. China now says it will return and not deliver its cargo. (Associated Press) PRETORIA, South Africa: April 25th. (NY Times) — The top American envoy to Africa declared Thursday that Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, was the “clear victor” over President Robert Mugabe in the nation’s disputed election and

Ending Child Labor Tricky Job for India

2008-04-21T16:38:00.005+01:00

In a nation where tens of millions of kids work, employing those as young as 5 is legal—and a key source of family incomeBANGALORE, India: April 17th. (Chicago Tribune) — Rajeshwari spent her childhood trailing her mother on Bangalore's streets, helping her sift through roadside trash for recyclables. Now 15, she's still working, currently as a night dishwasher for a company catering wedding

Darfur Food Rations Cut, Ban Decries Rising Insecurity

2008-04-21T16:31:00.003+01:00

Food rations will be halved as supplies are not getting to the IDP camps in Darfur (Derk Segaar/IRIN)NAIROBI, 17 April 2008 (IRIN) - Banditry in Darfur has prevented the delivery of sufficient food stocks to the western Sudanese region, thereby forcing the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to reduce monthly rations, the agency said. The rations, which benefited 2.4 million people in March, will be

Pope Speaks Up for Immigrants, Touching a Nerve

2008-04-21T14:13:00.004+01:00

April 20th. NY Times: - Even as he was flying to the United States, Pope benedict XVI, spoke of protecting immigrant families, not dividing them. He raised the issue again in a meeting on Wednesday with President Bush, and later that day spoke in Spanish to the church’s “many immigrant children.” And when he ends his visit to New York on Sunday, he will be sent off by a throng of the faithful,

POPE AT GROUND ZERO: GOD BRING PEACE TO OUR VIOLENT WORLD

2008-04-21T13:42:00.010+01:00

The Pope offered a prayer at the site. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images)VATICAN CITY, 20 APR 2008 (VIS) - In New York at 9.30 a .m. local time today, the Pope visited Ground Zero, the name now used to refer to the site once occupied by the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. On 11 September 2001 two aircraft crashed into the twin towers, destroying them and a number of neighbouring buildings

In Lean Times, Biotech Grains Are Less Taboo

2008-04-21T13:31:00.003+01:00

A soybean harvest in Campo Verde, Brazil. Genetically modified crops typically contain genes that help plants resist insects. (Paulo Fridman/Bloomberg News)NY Times April 21st. - Soif (acm.rc) acm.rc.write();aring food prices and global grain shortages are bringing new pressures on governments, food companies and consumers to relax their longstanding resistance to genetically engineered crops. In

Human Wave Flees Violence in Zimbabwe

2008-04-21T13:13:00.003+01:00

A Zimbabwean woman with her child on her back flees across the border into South Africa at Beitbridge Border Post. (Themba Hadebe/Associated Press)April 21st. (NY Times) - Sarah Ngewerume was driven to the river by despair. She said she had seen gangs loyal to Zimbabwe’s longtime president, Robert Mugabe, beating people — some to death — in the dusty roads of her village. She said Mugabe

Somalia Seeks UN Force to Restore Order

2008-04-17T17:47:00.004+01:00

United Nations: April 16th. (Financial Times) - Somalia’s western-backed transitional government on Tuesday appealed for the United Nations to dispatch a multinational force to establish peace and security in the lawless east African state while its factions pursued reconciliation after more than a decade of war. Ali Ahmed Jama, foreign minister, made the call in New York on the eve of a summit

South Africa Joins Call for Release of Zimbabwe Vote

2008-04-17T17:32:00.004+01:00

April 18th. (NY Times): - In a change of tone, Sth. Africa urged Zimbabwe's government on Thursday to release results from the disputed March 29 presidential election that has thrown the nation into political crisis. Thabo Mbeki, South Africa’s president who has acted as a mediator between the opposition and government, had until now largely played down the political stalemate in Zimbabwe

After Protests, Haitian Leader Announces Rice Subsidies

2008-04-14T22:15:00.005+01:00

(Photo Below - Port-au-Prince, Haiti: UN peacekeepers protect the national palace after Haitians stormed the building, throwing stones and demanding the resignation of their president over soaring food prices)MEXICO CITY: April 13th. (NY Times) — Responding to violent street protests against rising food prices that ground Haiti to a halt over the last week, President Rene Preval announced

Dalai Lama Says His Aides Are Talking to China

2008-04-14T16:31:00.002+01:00

The Dalai Lama at a news conference in Seattle. He said it was unclear what talks with Chinese officials over Tibet might yield. Photo by Robert Sorbo/ReutersSEATTLE: April 14th. (NY Times) — The Dalai Lama said Sunday that “some efforts” at diplomacy were under way between his representatives and those of the Chinese government even as officials in Beijing continue to portray him as having

Unity Cabinet Formed in Kenya, Ending Deadlock

2008-04-14T16:24:00.003+01:00

President Mwai Kibaki, right, and the top opposition leader, Raila Odinga, left, at the announcement of the new cabinet on Sunday in Nairobi. (Antony Njuguna/Reuters) function getSharePasskey() { return 'ex=1365912000&en=1b2bee859a79ccb1&ei=5124';} function getShareURL() { return encodeURIComponent('http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/14/world/africa/14kenya.html'); } function getShareHeadline

Zimbabwe Court Refuses to Release Vote Results

2008-04-14T16:14:00.003+01:00

George Chikumbirike, a lawyer for Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission, left the High Court in Harare on Monday after he won the government's case. JOHANNESBURG: April 15th. (NY Times) - Zimbabwe's political opposition suffered a rebuff on Monday when the country’s High Court dismissed its demand that the results of last month’s presidential election be released immediately. A spokesman for the main

Unrest in Kenya as Peace Plan Falters

2008-04-12T15:09:00.002+01:00

A woman and child fled Tuesday amid riots in Kibera, a slum in Nairobi. Witnesses said young men lighted fires, clashed with the police and tore up rail tracks. (Karel Prinsloo)LAMU, Kenya: April 9th. (NY Times) — Riots erupted in Kenya on Tuesday as opposition leaders announced that they were suspending talks with the government over a stalled power sharing agreement. According to witnesses,

On the Irish Coast, Reconsidering Energy From the Town Up

2008-04-12T14:58:00.004+01:00

A wind turbine dominates the Dundalk Institute of Technology (Steven R. Knowlton)April 9th. (NY Times) - WHEN the fearsome Cuchulainn was transformed by the rage of battle into a Celtic Incredible Hulk, according to Irish mythology, the warrior’s intensity melted snow for 30 feet around him. That was an impressive generation of alternative energy from this Achilles-like hero so closely associated

China Rejects Bid by UN Rights Boss for April Visit

2008-04-12T14:52:00.003+01:00

GENEVA, April 10 (Reuters the Guardian) - China has turned down a request by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour to visit Tibet this month to look into anti-Chinese protests in which at least 19 people died, her spokesman said on Thursday. "The Chinese authorities came back to her... and said it wouldn't be convenient at this time," spokesman Rupert Colville told Reuters. "

Catholic Church Proposes Annan to Mediate Crisis

2008-04-12T14:26:00.003+01:00

Archbishop Buti Tlhagale OMI of JohannesburgPRETORIA, Sth. Africa: April 11, 2008 (CISA) -Ahead of a meeting of regional heads of state on Saturday, the Catholic Church in Southern Africa accused President Robert Mugabe’s government of impunity and lack of respect for the democratic process following delayed release of presidential results of the recent election. The Church called for

Crackdown in Zimbabwe Intensifies

2008-04-12T14:19:00.002+01:00

A woman whose hut had been burned down my militants linked to the ruling party recovered a pot and surveyed the damage in Centenary, Zimbabwe, on Friday. (Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)JOHANNESBURG, April 12th. (NY Times) — A day before southern Africa’s leaders hold an emergency session on Zimbabwe's disputed election, the government of the beleaguered nation appeared to tighten its control on Friday,

A Costly Thirst

2008-04-07T23:36:00.003+01:00

April 3rd. (Financial Times) - Slum-dwellers in Dar es Salaam pay the equivalent of £4 ($8, €5) for 1,000 litres of water, bought over time and by the canister. In the same Tanzanian city, wealthier households connected to the municipal supply receive that amount for just 17p. In the UK, the same volume of tap water costs 81p and in the US it is as low as 34p. Figures from other countries confirm

Darfur Violence May Be Worse, Despite UN Efforts

2008-04-07T23:29:00.004+01:00

UNITED NATIONS: April 5th: (Reuters) - The violence against civilians in Sudan's Darfur region may be worsening, despite seven U.N. Security Council resolutions and four years of efforts to end it, the United Nations chief said on Friday. "Four years ago this week, the Security Council first took up the issue of Darfur," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement. "The situation

Rival Resists Runoff Election in Zimbabwe

2008-04-06T14:02:00.003+01:00

The opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Saturday that he was the winner of Zimbabwe’s presidential election in March. (Alexander Joe/Agence France-Presse)JOHANNESBURG: April 6th. (NY Times) — The Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Saturday insisted that he had won the presidential election outright and that no runoff vote would be needed. He also warned that the governing

Displaced Kenyans Live in Limbo as Aid Lags After Election Strife

2008-04-06T13:51:00.003+01:00

Clinton Masheti, 8, was left behind when his parents fled post-election violence last December. Now he lives in a children’s home in Nairobi. (Guillaume Bonn)NAIROBI, Kenya: April 6th. (NY Times) — Clinton Masheti, 8 years old and all alone, sits on a wooden bench rolling snakes out of clay. When the men came and started burning down houses in his village, his

New Signs of Mugabe Crackdown in Zimbabwe

2008-04-04T11:48:00.002+01:00

Police officers patrolled Thursday in Harare, which has been tense since before elections on Saturday. Results of the presidential race have not been released. Zimbabwe: April 3rd. (NY Times) - With the government facing election results that threaten its 28-year reign, security officers raided the Miekles Hotel in central Harare on Thursday afternoon, searching rooms that the main opposition

Irish Premier to Step Down

2008-04-03T00:01:00.003+01:00

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern announced his resignation in Dublin on Wednesday.DUBLIN, Ireland: April 3rd. (NY Times) — Prime Minister bertie Ahern of ireland, one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders, who was closely involved in the negotiations that brought peace to Northern Ireland, announced Wednesday that he would resign next month. He denied accusations of corruption in the 1990s, when

Mugabe Loses Parliament in Zimbabwe

2008-04-02T23:53:00.003+01:00

A man repairing a bicycle tire sat next to torn posters of President Robert G. Mugabe in Harare, Zimbabwe on Wednesday. (Desmond Kwande/Agence France-Presse) function getSharePasskey() { return 'ex=1364875200&en=08295a527c47472a&ei=5124';} function getShareURL() { return encodeURIComponent('http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/world/africa/03zimbabwe.html'); } function getShareHeadline() {

Zimbabwe Opposition Says It Has Beaten Mugabe

2008-03-31T11:48:00.002+01:00

A crowd celebrating in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Sunday after unofficial results suggested a landslide victory by the opposition. (Alexander Joe/Agence France-Presse) function getSharePasskey() { return 'ex=1364702400&en=32960a91208e2ffd&ei=5124';} function getShareURL() { return encodeURIComponent('http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/31/world/africa/31zimbabwe.html'); } function getShareHeadline(

Monks Protest During Press Tour of China

2008-03-28T11:43:00.003Z

A Tibetan monk, center, spoke to foreign journalists at the Jokhang Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet, during a tour arranged Thursday by Chinese officials. (Andy Wong/Associated Press)SHANGHAI Mar. 28th. (NY Times) — Weeping and yelling, "Tibet is not free,” a group of red-robed monks on Thursday disrupted a carefully scripted tour for foreign journalists in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, as Chinese officials

At Shuttered Gateway to Tibet, Unrest Simmers Against Chinese Rule

2008-03-26T23:54:00.004Z

In a vast area of mountainous Chinese villages near the Tibet border, life centers on the spiritual, as at a nunnery, above, but the area remains a battle zone. (Greg Baker/Associated Press) CHENGDU, China: Mar. 26th. (NY Times) — In the back room of a Tibetan teahouse, three robed

Hope and Fear for Zimbabwe Vote

2008-03-26T23:41:00.002Z

Campaign posters in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe.(Bishop Asare/European Pressphoto Agency)HARARE, Zimbabwe: Mar. 26th. (NY Times) — When 100 young men stormed onto his property last week, Knox Solomon Danda, an opposition candidate for Parliament in rural Zvimba, hid under a table with his wife and children, he said, pulling the tablecloth low to the floor to better conceal their cowering shapes. His 5-

Deaths - 9/11, Iraq & Afganistan

2008-03-25T23:57:00.002Z

Opposition Party in Zimbabwe Accuses Mugabe of Printing Millions of Extra Ballots

2008-03-25T01:21:00.004Z

HARARE, Zimbabwe: Mar. 24th. (Associated Press) — Zimbabwe’s main opposition party accused the government on Sunday of printing more than three million excess paper ballots for the coming presidential election and accused the country’s longtime leader, Robert Mugabe, of trying to rig the vote. Tendai Biti, secretary general of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, said leaked documents

Peacekeeping in Darfur Hits More Obstacles

2008-03-25T01:05:00.004Z

Poorly equipped Nigerian peacekeepers riding last month in a pickup through a camp in Genina in western Darfur for Sudanese civilians displaced by violence. (Lynsey Addario) ABU SUROUJ, Sudan: Mar. 24th. (NY Times) — As Darfur smolders in the aftermath of a new government offensive, a long-sought peacekeeping force, expected to be the world’s largest, is in danger of failing even as it begins

One Man's Personal Mission To End Slavery in Mauritania

2008-03-25T00:51:00.003Z

Mar. 23: (Washington Post) - Boubacar Messaoud remembered strolling from the flatlands of Mauritania toward the southern town of Rosso, a watermelon poised on his head. Beyond a riverbank, he could see a row of children in a yard. Messaoud, then 7, stopped to find out what was going on, with the pure curiosity of a child. He found out that the children were being signed up for school. Messaoud,

Haiti’s Poverty Stirs Nostalgia for Old Ghosts

2008-03-23T02:18:00.004Z

A slum in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Some disenchanted Haitians yearn for the days of the Duvaliers, a dynasty that ended in 1986. (Ruth Fremson)PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti: Mar. 23rd. (NY Times) — The imported granite was smashed. The giant cupola was toppled. The grave of François Duvalier, the longtime dictator, is a wreck, much like the country he left behind. Haiti’s National Cemetery in

Voice for Abused Women Upsets Dubai Patriarchy

2008-03-23T01:59:00.006Z

Sharla Musabih, right, the founder of City of Hope, Dubai’s first women’s shelter, said goodbye to a departing resident last July. (Tamara Abdul Hadi)DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: March 23rd. (NY Times) — For years, Sharla Musabih has fought a lonely battle to protect battered wives and victims of human trafficking here. She founded the Emirates’ first women’s shelter here and she became a

Slavery In Our Times

2008-03-19T23:57:00.005Z

An actress learns human trafficking doesn't just happen over there.' 'Cries for Help: Actress Emma Thompson at an exhibit illustrating the experiences of women sold into sex slavery (Mario Romuli / UN.GIFT) Mar 17, (Newsweek) - When I was growing up in London, I walked past a massage parlor on

ZIMBABWE: Engulfed by Sewage

2008-03-19T23:49:00.005Z

Raw sewage flows outside homes in Kuwadzana 3 township in Harare, Zimbabwe,November 2007. Residents say they now have to lock their children inside their houses to avoid them catching diseases.BULAWAYO, 14 March 2008 (IRIN) - To get to Sinikiwe MaKhumalo's doorstep in Zimbabwe's second largest city, Bulawayo, visitors have to step on a thin plank perched precariously over a trench that prevents

In Tibetan Areas, Parallel Worlds Now Collide

2008-03-19T23:37:00.004Z

GABU VILLAGE, China: Mar. 20th. (NY Times) — For Caidan, a 40-year-old farmer whose life in this traditionally Tibetan area revolves around its Buddhist temple, the aluminum smelter that belches gray smoke in the distance is not a symbol of material progress, but rather a daily reminder of Chinese disregard. “Look at the walls of our temple, they have all gone grimy with the smoke that pollutes

China seals off TibetanCapital

2008-03-16T23:42:00.004Z

Chinese authorities have sealed Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, cutting off the city from visitors with a large military and armed police presence ahead of a “surrender deadline” of Monday at midnight.China: March 16th. (Financial Times) - The government has also tightened control over information coming out of the Himalayan region, blocking many Internet sites, including Youtube, which could be used

Lawyers Demand Release of Judges in Pakistan

2008-03-10T13:02:00.004Z

Aitzaz Ahsan, center, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, during a protest in Islamabad on Saturday. (Anjum Naveed/Associated Press)RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Mar. 9th. (NY Times) — Beside racks of hanging meat and barrows of oranges in the alleys of the old town here, Aitzaz Ahsan, leader of the lawyers movement in Pakistan, was back on the campaign trail on Saturday, calling for the

Sharing Clean Technologies With Developing Countries

2008-03-10T12:54:00.003Z

VATICAN CITY, 7 MAR 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was the text of an address delivered by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, during the 62nd U.N. General Assembly which met on 11 and 12 February to consider the theme: "Addressing Climate Change: the United Nations and the World

Kenya Rival Is Cautiously Optimistic

2008-03-03T23:19:00.005Z

writePost();NAIROBI, Kenya: Mar. 4th. (NY Times) — Raila Odinga is a happy man. On Sunday, he went to the beach and was pictured on the front page of Kenya’s leading newspaper, The Daily Nation, lounging by the waves, wearing shorts and argyle socks. On Monday, as he polished off a bowl of vegetable soup and sautéed fish at the Nairobi Club, Mr. Odinga seemed relaxed, chatty and upbeat — for the

Israeli Ground Forces Pull Out of Gaza Strip

2008-03-03T23:03:00.005Z

Palestinians sat amid the rubble of their destroyed home in Jabalia after Israeli troops pulled out of the northern Gaza Strip on Monday. (Abid Katib/Getty Images)GAZA CITY, Palestine: Mar. 4th. (NY Times) — As israel withdrew its forces from the northern Gaza Strip after a two-day assault on Hamas militants on Monday and Palestinians emerged from their houses to inspect the damage, Hamas

Americans Fire Missiles Into Somalia

2008-03-03T22:55:00.003Z

Nairobi, Kenya: Mar. 4th. (NY Times) — American naval forces fired missiles into southern Somalia on Monday, aiming at what the Defense Department called terrorist targets. Residents reached by telephone said the only casualties were three wounded civilians, three dead cows, one dead donkey and a partly destroyed house. Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman in Washington, said the target was a “

Scorched-Earth Strategy Returns to Darfur

2008-03-02T21:59:00.005Z

Hawar Omar Muhammad was among the Suleia residents terrorized by the militias, known as the janjaweed, and bombs dropped by government planes. (Lynsey Addario for The New York Times)SULEIA, Sudan: Mar. 2nd. (NY Times) — They came to this dusty town in the Darfur region of Sudan on horses and camels on market day. Almost everybody was in the bustling square. At

As Kenya Bleeds, Tourism Also Suffers in Land of Safaris

2008-03-01T11:57:00.005Z

Lel Cartwright, a tourist, with Isaac Rotich, a safari guide, at the Cottars 1920s Mara Safari Camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara. (Guillaume Bonn for The New York Times)KEEKOROK, Kenya: March 1st. (NY Times) — Nancy Holan just had the safari of her life. She and a friend flew to Kenya from Detroit and as they cruised the wide open plains, they had the lions, zebras and elephants all to themselves. "It