Darfur crimes continue and Sudan still not cooperating with ICC - Prosecutor

Indiscriminate bombings, rape and other crimes are continuing in Darfur, the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC) said today, while noting that the Government of Sudan still refuses to cooperate with his office and its indicted President and other suspects remain at large.

UNICEF hails South Africa’s new strategy for tackling HIV/AIDS

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has applauded the big leap taken by the South African Government towards achieving universal access to treatment for HIV for the country’s women and children living with the virus.

SNCC’s Fighting Spirit Lives Thru Defending Zimbabwe

SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT LIVES THRU DEFENDING ZIMBABWE

By Mukasa Dada
(formerly known as Willie Ricks)

The Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee or SNICK as it commonly referred to, is alive and well through the fighting spirit of some of our fallen comrades like Kwame Ture, Sammy Young Jr, Ralph Featherstone, SNCC’s fighting spirit has also given life by the courageous example being demonstrated by Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and the people of Zimbabwe. Because of the obligations that come with the territory, of embracing the fighting spirit of the living as well as the deceased, we as Africans worldwide have been moved by SNCC’s fighting spirit to help Zimbabwe by doing the following.

1. SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT calls for Africans all over the continent and diaspora to stand up for President Mugabe and the people of Zimbabwe, with the same courage and tenacity we fought with Ho Chi Minh and the people of Vietnam in the 1960’s.

2. SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT calls for the slogan “Zimbabwe Forever Sanctions Never” with even more energy that we pushed he slogans “Black Power” and “Hell No We Won’t Go”, at the height of the Black Power and Anti War Movement in the 1960’s.

3.SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT calls for US President Barack Hussein Obama and every member of the Congressional Black Caucus who have been in favor of ZDERA (Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001)to remove this sanctions immediately and in the White House and US Senate and Congress simultaneously. SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT calls on its former national chairman and US Congressman John Lewis, to lead this effort in the halls of the US Congress like he marched on the Edmund Petus Bridge during Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama.

4.SNCC”S FIGHTING SPIRIT calls for the African Diaspora to follow the recommendations made by the Southern African Development Community and the African Union, and reject the unwelcomed intrusion on Zimbabwe’s internal affairs. This interference has been spearheaded by the US and British Governments.

5. SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT calls for Africans on the continent to respect the majority voice on the African continent the African Union, which recognizes the Global Political Agreement that has resulted in an inclusive government that merged Zimbabwe three main political parties (ZANU-PF, MDC-T, MDC-M).

6. SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT calls for Africans on the continent and diaspora not to work with western intelligence agencies active in Zimbabwe, or public policy organizations working in coalition with think tanks, whose work compliments the activity of western intelligence agencies working for regime change in Zimbabwe.

7.SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT calls on African and freedom loving students the world over, to hold demonstrations and petition
US and British Embassies all over the planet until they lift sanctions on the Government and People of Zimbabwe.

8.SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT calls on the Women’s wings of our organizations and key historical sister figures in our community i.e. Dorothy Height, Maya Angelou and Marian Wright Edelman to help us bring attention to the impact US/British and EU driven sanctions have had on Women and Children in Zimbabwe.

9. SNCC’s FIGHTING SPIRIT calls on the National Medical Association, Black Nurses Association to investigate for our community the impact US/British and EU sanctions have had on Zimbabwe’s health infrastructure.

10. SNCCS FIGHTING SPIRIT calls on the National Conference of Black Lawyers, National Bar Association and the Black Law Students Association to develop a legal campaign aimed at overturning the US/British and EU sanctions on Zimbabwe.

The fighting spirit of SNCC that lives on wants to elaborate further to the African community, how we are connected to President Mugabe ZANU-PF and the people of Zimbabwe.

1. SNCC’s FIGHTING SPIRIT must inform you that Black Power written by Kwame Ture (formerly known as Stokely Carmichael) and Charles Hamilton while they were in SNCC was officially banned by the Rhodesian Government during the 2nd Chimurenga (armed struggle from 1966 to 1980).

2. SNCC FIGHTING SPIRIT connects with President Mugabe and ZANU-PF through Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who in a working tribute, we celebrate Nkrumah’s 100th birthday anniversary year by committing ourselves to ending US/British and EU sanctions on Zimbabwe.

3.SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT fed off the energy of many sister warriors who were in our presence i.e. Ella Baker, Ethel Minor, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ruby Doris Smith Robinson which links us to the sister warriors in Zimbabwe like Mbuya Nehanda and Sally Mugabe, their fighting spirit lives through Zimbabwe’s Vice President Joyce Mujuru and the Zimbabwean women who resist US/British/EU Aggression
on their beloved nation.

4. SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT when promoting the slogan Black Power first coined by Frederick Douglass, envisioned the land reclamation program of President Mugabe and ZANU-PF, therefore we feel compelled to fight US/British and EU sanctions on Zimbabwe to the bitter end.

5. SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT feels PAMBERI NE CHIMURENGA (which means forward with the revolution) is a practical expression of BLACK POWER and PAN AFRICANISM as we know it to be.

6. SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT calls on the churches who because embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that played a crucial role in the Civil Rights Movement from its inception, lend their voice to our call in every corner of the world to lift US /British and EU sanctions on Zimbabwe.

7. SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT calls attention to our slogan “JAIL NO BAIL” which automatically links us to Zimbabwe’s late icons and freedom fighters Joshua Nkomo, Maurice Nyagumbo, Simon Muzenda and the recently deceased Vice President Joseph Msika who served altogether 20 years in Rhodesian prisons at the heart of the liberation struggle.

8. SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT calls attention to the penname of Julius Lester “Junebug Jabo Jones” to lay a foundation that will result in the National Newspapers Publishers Association and the National Association of Black Journalists, working harder when defending Zimbabwe against C-SPAN, CNN, the Voice of America who are attempting to lynch President Mugabe and ZANU-PF with a smear camping aimed at a Western driven regime change.

9. SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT aims to make the issue of Zimbabwe mean to Africans what Palestine means to Arabs and Cuba means to Latin Americans, a point of unity to rally around no matter where we are in the world today.

10.SNCC’s FIGHTING SPIRIT took pride in uniting with SCLC,CORE, and the NAACP to eradicate segregation in the south, SNCC’S FIGHTING SPIRIT will unite these forces to fight for ending US/British and EU Sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.

Empowering people with disabilities vital for development targets - Ban

Efforts to achieve global development targets must include improving living standards and quality of life for everyone, including the world’s 800 million people with disabilities, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

UN health agency launches new tobacco control effort in Africa

Although tobacco use is not as prevalent in Africa as it is in other regions, that will change unless immediate action is taken, the United Nations health agency warned today as it announced a new tobacco control effort for the continent.

Glad to see our MEPs are focussed on what really matters

This won’t be news to most people, but Members of the European Parliament get up to a great deal of stuff that goes pretty much completely unnoticed.

Today the slightly underground French news service Agence Europe reports that the European Parliament’s political families are negotiating the membership and creation of 24 to 26 so-called “intergroups” for the Parliament’s new term of office. These strange groups are made up of MEPs from the different political groupings and apparently focus on single issues, such as Tibet or anti-racism. The groups are set up if they receive the backing of three or more groupings in the Parliament.

For more on the secrecy and the bearing of lobbying on these groups see here.

Agence Europe tells us that the Christian Democrat-dominated European People’s Party (EPP) (the group the Tories have now left) has submitted a list of “priority issues” that in its opinion warrant the formation of an intergroup. The list includes issues such as “small and medium-sized enterprises”, “The Family and Children’s Rights” and the all-encompassing “Youth”.

Among the list is a proposal for an intergroup on “The Santiago of Compostela Pilgrimage”. The pilgrimage, also known as the Way of St James, is a collection of old routes which cover the whole of Europe, all of them ending up at Santiago de Compostela in north west Spain.

What exactlty do they want such a group to discuss? The pilgrimage has lasted for a 1,000 years so far without the help of MEPs.

It it really one of the top 25 issues or challenges EU citizens face? Also, why propose a group that so obviously focuses on one particular religion? Why not a group looking at European Muslims carrying out the Hajj?

The EPP’s proposal is obviously not a big deal in itself but it’s a microcosm of the the backward-looking and introspective culture that dominates EU politics. The desire for a nostalgic homogenous European culture closely based on ‘Christian values’. You might argue it’s this failure to embrace diversity of opinion, attitudes, and cultures that hinders the EU’s ability to look outward to the rest of the world and compete with emerging nations.

Surely MEPs have more pressing things to spend our money on?

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Climate change Russian roulette

We need to avoid a global hangover the day after the summit in Copenhagen. A breakthrough is possible, but only with sacrifices

Mikhail Gorbachev and Alexander Likhotal
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 3 December 2009 18.00 GMT

Mounting scepticism and deadlocked negotiations have culminated in an announcement that the Copenhagen climate conference will not result in a comprehensive global climate deal. Disappointing? Certainly. But the summit was always meant to be a transitional step. The most important thing to consider is where we will go from here.
The phrase “the day after” is most commonly associated with the word “hangover”. The absence of a binding agreement could mean a global hangover, and not just for a day. Fed up with apocalyptic predictions, people wanted a miracle in Copenhagen. So a perceived failure may cause a massive, perhaps irreversible, loss of confidence in our politicians. No surprise, then, that governments have sought to manage our expectations carefully.
Decision-makers have not faced up to just how close the world may be to the climate “tipping point”. But, while a runaway climate remains a risk, runaway politics are already a fact. Official negotiations are removed from reality. According to the latest science, the current proposals under negotiation will result in warming of more than 4C during this century – double the 2C maximum endorsed by the G8 and other leaders. That leaves a higher than 50% probability of the world’s climate moving past its tipping point.
An agreement based on the parameters that are now on the negotiating table would thus put us in a position more dangerous than a game of Russian roulette. To avoid both the global hangover of no deal and the self-deception of a weak deal, a breakthrough is needed – and can still be achieved in Copenhagen.
A two-step process is now our best bet. States should make a political commitment to a framework that includes overall objectives, an institutional framework and specific pledges of early action and financing. The declaration must stipulate that a legally binding agreement must be finalised by a second session, COP15-bis, in 2010. That would allow the US and other countries to enact the necessary legislation, and provide United Nations negotiators time to translate the COP15 declaration into an appropriate, workable legal structure. If this means a total reworking of the current document, so be it.
In addition, it might be necessary to have a review conference in 2015 to adjust our targets and plans to the new realities. Therefore, it is more important than ever that heads of state attend the Copenhagen conference, as this two-step solution will only work with strong, direct intervention by leaders.
In 1985 during the height of the cold war, when negotiations were bogged down at the US-Soviet Union Geneva summit, the negotiators were instructed by their leaders annoyed by lack of progress: “We do not want your explanations why this can’t be done. Just do it!” And it was done by the morning. Today’s leaders must come to Copenhagen and say: “We want this done!”
To move forward, the Copenhagen meeting must break the political deadlock between industrialised and developing states. Climate injustice must be redressed, as developing countries bear the brunt of the impact and face massive adaptation costs. Rich countries need to put serious money on the table. Claims that they lack the needed resources ring hollow, as trillions of dollars were found to bail out banks in the financial crisis.
Poor countries are aware of their power to block progress. Veto power is effectively shifting from the UN security council to G77 plus China. Who would have imagined in the west 10 years ago that the future and their children’s wellbeing would depend upon decisions taken in Beijing or Delhi or Addis Ababa?
So the industrialised countries need to put a real financing offer on the table as soon as possible to allow time for a positive reaction and announcements of commitments from developing countries. In particular, commitment to an early-start fund – at least $20bn to immediately assist the least developed countries – is critical. This would help establish the trust that is now sorely lacking, and create conditions to restart productive negotiations.
Leaders must be honest about the scale of the challenge and recognise that a systemic and transformational change, not incremental gestures, is required. The official response to climate change must be recalibrated to the level and urgency of the threat. A new global agreement must be science-based, not a lowest-common-denominator compromise watered down by vested interests.
Sensible risk management today dictates that atmospheric carbon should be stabilised at 350 parts per million of CO2 equivalent (ppm CO2e), not the current pathway of 450-500ppm CO2e. This requires emission reductions of 45-50% in industrialised countries by 2020, and almost complete de-carbonisation by 2050, not the levels of 15-25% by 2020 and 60-80% by 2050 that are now on the table. Major developing countries must also commit to nationally appropriate mitigation actions. But the rich must move first. Their inaction over the last 20 years does not give them the right to point fingers.
Governments should not withhold the truth from their citizens. Everyone will have to make sacrifices. But do you want your home to be cheap, dirty, and dangerous or clean, decent, and safe? Are you ready to say, “OK, kids, I inherited this house, but I neglected to maintain it, so you will have to worry that the roof might collapse at any time”? That is not the type of legacy that any of us would want to leave our children.
• Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, is founding president of Green Cross International; Alexander Likhotal is president of Green Cross International and a member of the Climate Change Task Force (CCTF).
• Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2009

Flying the flag for non-carbon energy

Five Times writers visit six countries with very different approaches to securing a clean, green energy supply

Every world leader travelling to Copenhagen knows that we need to cut carbon emissions. But there is no consensus on how to power our countries while we do it.
Heating and electricity needs add up to a quarter of the world’s emissions, but keeping the lights on while getting greener is going to be difficult. Energy use in the UK grew by 10 per cent from 1990 to 2006; China’s has almost doubled in the past 15 years.
While politicians prepare to talk tactics again, Eureka sent five Times writers to see how different countries are tackling the problem. From Europe’s nuclear power stations to Malaysia’s palm oil plantations, we examine the future of clean energy.
Some of the most innovative ideas hail from the developing world. Here they recognise that energy independence will offer environmental and economic benefits. Some use sugarcane, others prefer steam. But all are making a difference right now.

See articles below to discover the new generation of power brokers . . .
Nuclear: The French revelation
Biofuel: Brazil’s sugar bonanza
Palm oil: Malaysia’s fuel plantations
Geothermal: Kenya goes steaming in
Solar: India sees the light
Wind power: Chinese whispers