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Last Updated: Jul 16th, 2008 - 15:32:39 |
Mugabe Sworn in After Disputed Run-Off Election
In Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe was sworn in Sunday for his sixth term following a disputed run-off election. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai boycotted the poll due to a wave of deadly attacks on his supporters. Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980 when it became an independent nation. Mugabe is in Egypt today for an African Union summit. Libyan state minister Ali Treiki urged Zimbabwe to accept a power-sharing government.
Ali Treiki: “I think now, let us envisage that a government of coalition should be formed from both the government and the opposition to run the country. I think the example we did in Kenya is a very good example, and are looking forward that our Zimbabwean brothers will follow that example.”
50,000 Attend Mandela Birthday Celebration in London
In London more than 50,000 people attended a star-studded concert on Friday to honor former South African President Nelson Mandela. Mandela turns 90 in July.
Nelson Mandela: “Even as we celebrate, let us remind ourselves that our work is far from complete. Where there is poverty and sickness including AIDS, where human beings are being oppressed there is more work to be done. Our work is for freedom for all.”
Congress Votes to Remove Mandela & ANC From Terror List
Meanwhile on Capitol Hill Congress has voted to finally remove Mandela and the African National Congress from the government’s terrorist watch list. The former South African president and some in the now-ruling ANC are still blacklisted under U.S. laws and need special permission to enter the United States more than a decade after the apartheid struggle ended.
Iraq Opens Oil Fields to Foreign Firms
Iraq threw open the world’s third largest oil reserves to foreign firms on Monday putting U.S. and British companies in a position to return to Iraq for the first time since Saddam Hussein nationalized Iraq’s oil over three decades ago. Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani listed eight oil and gas field areas open to foreign firms for long-term development contracts.
Hussain al-Shahristani: “Through these initial offers, we hope to increase production of these oilfields to about 1.5 million barrels per day, in addition to current production which is 2.5 million barrels per day. The ministry is seeking to increase production from now until contracts are put into effect, until it reaches 4.5 million barrels per day in the next five years.”
The Iraqi government has already pre-qualified 41 foreign firms to bid for the contracts. Iraq postponed the announcement of a series of no-bid contracts that are expected to be given to to Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total, BP and Chevron to service Iraq’s largest oil fields.
U.S. Advisers Helped Iraq Draw Up Oil Contracts
The New York Times reports a group of American advisers led by a small State Department team played an integral part in drawing up contracts between the Iraqi government and five major Western oil companies to develop some of the largest oil fields in Iraq. The disclosure marks the first confirmation of direct involvement by the Bush administration in deals to open Iraq’s oil to commercial development. The Times recently reported the original partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company—Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP— as well as Chevron, are on the verge of getting no-bid contracts to service Iraq’s largest oil fields. In their role as advisers to the Iraqi Oil Ministry, American government lawyers and private-sector consultants provided template contracts and detailed suggestions on drafting the contracts.
Democrats Agree to Fund Major Escalation Of Covert Operations Against Iran
Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh of the New Yorker magazine has revealed the Democratic-led Congress agreed to a request last year from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran. Congress approved $400 million in spending for covert activities ranging from spying on Iran’s nuclear program to supporting rebel groups in a bid to overthrow the Iranian government.
Unattended NY Psychiatric Patient Dies in Emergency Room
Back in the United States, the treatment of psychiatric patients is coming under new scrutiny following the release of surveillance video showing a mentally ill woman dying in a psychiatric emergency room after being left unattended. The woman, Esmin Green, is shown toppling to her knees before collapsing on her face. A full hour passes before she is attended to by passing hospital employees and found to have died. Kings County Hospital officials have also been accused of altering Green’s medical records to downplay her death. Beth Haroules of the New York Civil Liberties Union criticized the hospital.
Beth Haroules: “We were absolutely appalled to receive medical documentation, kept in accordance with New York state law, that is completely contradicted by
video surveillance feeds.”
Obama Backs Government Funding of Faith-Based Initiatives
And on the campaign trail, Senator Barack Obama is proposing to expand the White House program funding faith-based groups to conduct social services. On Tuesday, Obama unveiled a plan for a $500 million Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships program. Obama says his program would differ from Bush’s in being less partisan and applying more stringent policies against discrimination.
Moratorium Placed On New Solar Energy Projects on Fed Land
Solar energy companies have been dealt a major setback. The New York Times reports the Bush administration has placed a nearly two-year moratorium on the construction of new solar energy projects on public land. The Bureau of Land Management says it needs until the spring of 2010 to study the environmental impact the solar projects will have on land in Arizona, Nevada, California and other western states. Critics of the moratorium say it could paralyze the solar energy industry. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said: “This] is the wrong signal to send to solar power developers, and to Nevadans and Westerners who need and want clean, affordable sun-powered electricity soon.” Some environmental groups have praised the government for assessing the implications of large-scale solar development. Meanwhile the amount of oil drilling and gas drilling on public land has reached a new high. The Wilderness Society recently reported that more than 44 million acres of public lands are leased for oil and gas development. Last year the Bush administration approved over 7100 drilling permits, a new record
Maryland Prisoner Strangled to Death in County Jail
And in Maryland, the state’s medical examiner’s office has concluded a19-year-old man was strangled to death while in solitary confinement in a Prince George’s County jail. A preliminary autopsy concluded Ronnie White died of asphyxiation. Two small bones were broken in his neck. White died two days after he was arrested and charged with murdering a police officer. The FBI has begun a civil rights probe.
Dow Jones On Brink of Worst June Since Great Depression
In economic news, the Dow Jones index is on the brink of its worst June since the Great Depression. The Dow has fallen by over nine percent this month.
Steven Hatfill to Receive Nearly $6 Million Settlement in Anthrax Case
The Justice Department has agreed to give a nearly $6 million settlement to Steven Hatfill, the bio-weapons expert publicly tagged as a “person of interest” in the anthrax scare from October 2001.
More International News
Peru, Bolivia Spar Over Alleged US Military Base
The Peruvian government has recalled its ambassador to Bolivia after Bolivian President Evo Morales accused it of hosting a secret US military base. At a news conference, Peruvian President Alan Garcia dismissed Morales’ comments and accused him of interference in Peru’s sovereignty.
Peruvian President Alan Garcia: “Peru is a sovereign, important country. It’s a big country in the world, and so we can’t stand idly by as an outsider takes the liberty of provoking our country, let alone from the president of Bolivia himself. This whole thing, that there is a US base in Peru, is grounded in outrageous lies and manipulations.”
Garcia went on to call on Morales to “shut up.” Morales denounced Garcia’s comments and defended his criticism of US military bases.
Bolivian President Evo Morales: “I have personally experienced what it is like to live with a US military base—North American soldiers who are armed, wearing uniforms, who instruct our armed forces, who instruct the national police to participate in repressions, to participate in massacres. I have to share that experience with my Latin American brothers. It is an obligation of those who
defend dignity.”
Tensions between Peru and Bolivia have escalated since Peru signed a so-called “free trade” agreement with the US last year.
Mexico Police Video Shows Alleged Torture Practice
In Mexico, a controversy has erupted over the release of two police training videos showing officers practicing techniques critics say amount to torture. One video shows two officers pulling a man back by sticking their fingers in his mouth. Another man is shown being dragged by his feet through his own vomit. A man with an American accent appears on the video giving instructions to the officers. Another video shows a man having water squirted up his nostrils and shoved into a hole said to be full of rats and feces. The video’s release comes as US lawmakers are mulling a massive aid package that has been partially delayed over human rights concerns.
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