Police in Zimbabwe are reported to have arrested more than 16,000 people as part of a government drive to curb illegal mining. The three-week-long campaign targeted settlements around the mining fields and seized large quantities of gold and diamonds, state media said. During the raids, police officers burnt temporary homes used by panners. Tens of thousands have turned to mining following the collapse of commercial agriculture, correspondents say. Zimbabwe is in its worst economic recession so everybody will do anything to survive
People dig or pan for gold or diamonds, risking their lives in shallow mines which frequently collapse, says the BBC's Tony Andoh-Korsah. A Zimbabwean journalist told the BBC World Service's Newshour programme poor people felt they had little choice if they were to survive.
"The unemployment rate is above 80%. Also the manufacturing sector has shrunk by 60%. Zimbabwe is in its worst economic recession so everybody will do anything to survive," Brian Hungwe said.
"You can imagine - you are living along a river bed and there are lots of minerals there. "It's very difficult to stop people from indulging in such activities given the high unemployment rate. Despite the arrest of 16,000 people I don't believe this will stop the illegal operations."
Critics say President Robert Mugabe has ruined what was one of Africa's most developed economies. As well as chronic unemployment, Zimbabwe has the world's lowest life expectancy and highest inflation rate. Mr Mugabe says he is the victim of a Western plot to bring him down because of opposition to his seizure of white-owned land.
During the raids, officers recovered more than 500,000kg (79,000 stone) of gold and gold ore, and nearly 5,000 diamonds. Police launched the campaign codenamed Chikorokoza Chapera (which means The End of Illegal Gold Dealings) following concerns over rampant smuggling of precious stones and environmental degradation in mining areas. The government accuses powerful politicians and businessmen of buying minerals from panners and smuggling them outside the country.
In his state of the nation address last week, Mr Mugabe said Zimbabwe was witnessing rampant destruction of forests and land through uncontrolled fires and illegal panning.
(SomaliNet) Zimbabwe is set to continue to suffer the consequences of economic crisis throughout the New Year, economists have predicted. "The year 2007 is bad news already before we have even started it," John Robertson, one of the economists told local journalists.
"The first half of the coming year will be markedly worse than 2006. Inflation will continue to rise; there will be extensive foreign currency shortages and a further contraction in employment, Eric Bloch, another economist added. Bloch predicted that while the second half of 2007 will register less inflation, the decline will be minor.
However, the economists view is no in line with projections with Zimbabwes Finance Minister, Herbert Murerwa who said, the economy is projected to grow marginally by between 0.5 to one percent in 2007," while reading the 2007 budget.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/02/2007 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) Nigerias President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has urged Nigerians not to vote corrupt leaders into power, come April 2007. Ummm... Who in Nigeria does that leave to vote for?
"I urge you not to allow the actualization our collective dream of a just, peaceful and prosperous nation, which we have labored for in the past eight years, to be truncated by the emergence of corrupt and inept leaders as successors to the current administration, Obasanjo said.
He also urged Nigerians to keep away from violence and other forms of transgressions during the election period. "The coming general elections should mark a historical defining moment in our nation's existence. The Federal Government will do all within its powers to ensure free, fair and credible elections, the president said.
Obasanjo is barred from standing for another term. He had earlier wanted to change Nigerias constitution to favor him but this motive was barred by many, one of whom was his deputy, Atiku Abubakar. Obasanjo has often accused Abubakar of corruption and their poor relationship has resulted in the latters loss of his position as Nigerias Vice President. Ahah. Thank you. The light dawns.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/02/2007 00:00 ||
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(Picture) looks like he's ready for bed.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/02/2007 18:44 Comments ||
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More than 2.5 million Muslim pilgrims performed final devil-stoning rites on Monday, thanking God and Saudi Arabia for no repeat of tragedies that had marred the haj in recent years. "Praise be to God, we have had a safe haj this year. I bring my sons with me normally (for protection), but this year I found I was okay without them," said Saadiya Mustafa from Egypt.
"The organisation has been great," said Indian pilgrim Sayed Yousef, sitting on top of a van amid severe traffic congestion on the final day of haj. "I was here two years ago, but this time there was more free food and less hassle."
On Monday, pilgrims make a third visit to the Jamarat Bridge to throw stones at three large walls representing the spot of Satan's temptation of biblical patriarch Abraham. Then they make a final visit to the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
Authorities congratulated themselves that the haj rites had passed off without incident so far, although the last day could see a surge at the bridge in the rush to finish and leave. "There have been no security violations at all at the Jamarat area," Interior Minister Prince Nayef told reporters.
It was on the final day of the last haj that 362 pilgrims were crushed to death during the stoning-throwing ritual in the worst haj tragedy in 16 years.
New construction work completed in recent months allows 250,000 pilgrims to pass over the Jamarat Bridge each hour. For the first time, Saudi authorities have also removed pilgrim squatters who often set up makeshift tents in the area.
Saudi Arabia regularly deploys more than 50,000 security men to try to avoid deadly stampedes, as well as attacks by al Qaeda-linked militants.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/02/2007 00:00 ||
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Yeah, right- throw a stone at the devil
lol
Christ ,the Son of God, was the only one able to beat him
the haj biggest cult drop in yet
Posted by: Jim ||
01/02/2007 0:53 Comments ||
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Christ ,the Son of God, was the only one able to beat him
Didn't someone brain him with an ink pot? St. Augustine? (Can't remember.)
#3
No doubt lots of people have thrown ink pots and other heavy objects at the Devil over the centuries. But clearly such victories are merely personal and temporary... and leave a mess for the maid to clean up after. ;-)
#4
Oh "brave" Lions of Islam, know that Jesus elegated the task of defeating the devil to his followers! What good is this useless chucking of puny pebbles at pillars symbolizing the devil, when the devil himself plants thoughts of pride, lust, anger, theft, deception, and revenge, within your hearts, as he did in the heart of Mohammed?
#8
Free Radical: you're thinking of Martin Luther. There's an ink stain on the wall of a room in Wartburg Castle allegedly from the incident, although I never heard that he actually hit the devil with it, just flung it at said tempter.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
01/02/2007 13:28 Comments ||
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#9
AFAIK, Abraham wandered the "hills of Canaan", and never went any further south than Aqaba. Just another "theft" by the "religion of pieces".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/02/2007 16:32 Comments ||
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#10
I see these long reports on the BBC and CNN and wonder what the hell is so noteworthy about the Haj that requires this coverage?
Is any religious event of any other religion covered in such detail?
We live in majority-non-muslim societies. Why the hell does the media think we even care about muslims stoning pillars on one day, killing sheep the next etc?
They've been doing all that for hundreds of years. This is NOT newsworthy...
Posted by: john ||
01/02/2007 19:08 Comments ||
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Saddam's execution by hanging over the weekend was "an illegal act in a country that has been driven toward an internal conflict in which millions of citizens have been exiled or lost their lives.
Communist Cuba on Monday condemned the execution of deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and called for the end to the war it said had caused the suffering of millions of innocent Iraqis. Saddam's execution by hanging over the weekend was "an illegal act in a country that has been driven toward an internal conflict in which millions of citizens have been exiled or lost their lives," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official National Information Agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/02/2007 00:00 ||
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ha ha
the destpots always support each other's hypocracy
So be sure and holiday in Cuba doughheads
Posted by: Jim ||
01/02/2007 0:48 Comments ||
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And when the Fidelists put mere bureaucrats up against the wall and shot them, I suppose that was "legal."
#3
The only 'legal' way for Fidel, and other dictators-for-life, to be removed is to die of old age, while still in office.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/02/2007 6:13 Comments ||
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Of course, the press release overlooks the fact that the millions of citizens whose lives were lost were lost by the madman that was hung. Always having problems with cause-and-effect, these totalitarians are, with all shortcomings that cause the wheels of government to stutter and halt liberally lubricated with the money and blood of human beings.
I kinda figure there's a secret International Union of Dictators, Despots, Tyrants, and Benevolent Leaders For Life. They all support each other, and wannabes like the Left and the MSM wanting to join have to pledge their support of the existing members.
#6
Does the AP realize how STUPID they look carrying water for despots? I bet Raul and the cuban leadership feels that hanging is cruel, they always just shoot, torture, or starve their polical oppponents, but never hang them.
#7
CS, you know that Fidel's been the MSM's favorite dictator for a damn long time......and since his little bro Raul hasn't said that El Jefe has assumed room temperature, they are more than happy to print the gospel from Havana at every opportunity.
BELARUS yesterday threatened to stop gas supplies from Russia reaching western Europe in an escalating diplomatic row between the two countries.
Gazprom, Russia's gas monopoly, has threatened to cut supplies to Belarus at 7am GMT today if no deal on prices is reached. Minsk said it would retaliate by halting flows of Russian gas crossing the country bound for western Europe. The row comes a year after a similar dispute when Ukraine disrupted Russian deliveries to Europe, undermining Russia's reliability as an energy supplier. Eighty per cent of Russian exports pass through Ukraine and the rest go via Belarus.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/02/2007 00:00 ||
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LOL, Putty, Gazprom etc. playing fake capitalists again.
January 2, 2007: The United States has gotten North Korea's attention, and in an unexpected way. By telling the world's banks that they will be cut off from access to the U.S. banking system if they do business with North Korea, the North Koreans suddenly find that many of their criminal activities are much more difficult, if not impossible, to carry out. The American plan was accompanied by U.S. government officials giving a compelling presentation detailing North Korean crimes, and abuse of the international banking system. This convinced all the major international banks that it was not worth the trouble, and risk, to do business with the North Koreans. As a result, North Korea has put regaining access to the banking system at the top of its list of demands. The U.S. has told North Korea that, if the nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs are shut down, along with the drug dealing and counterfeiting, American banking restrictions would be lifted. The North Koreans are fuming over that, and are getting desperate, as can be seen in the attempt to sell their gold reserves.
December 28, 2006: North Korea is attempting to circumvent American banking restrictions by registering with a London gold trading organization, in preparation for a sale of its gold reserves (of some $25 billion). The gold is the North Korean emergency reserve, and when it is being sold, it means the north is out of options. Several hundred million dollars worth of gold was sold in 2006, apparently in barter deals, outside the banking system.
Posted by: ed ||
01/02/2007 12:31 ||
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...Actually, they have one option left, and it's a scary one: selling the nukes.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/02/2007 13:17 Comments ||
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Yup, sell them or use them, because they've not been benefitting Kimmie much just sitting there.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/02/2007 14:22 Comments ||
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What will be the effect of that much gold on the market? Will prices be depressed?
#4
What will be the effect of that much gold on the market? Will prices be depressed?
$25B? I am no economist, but it seems to me that it would barely even be noticed by the world economy. It seems the NorK economy would because they seem to go gaga over every $1M!
I'm getting so pessimistic about NorK and Iraq that the first thought that came into my mind is that it didn't take any balls to do this. Too many places to distribute blame if it doesn't work perfectly according to any detractors, and even the detractors don't really care about moves like this. Looks like we do have some assets we can pull from them after all!
Anyway, having thought about the nuke thing, I don't know if NorK is going to be able to sell its nukes for anything like what they seem to think that they're "worth". If a NorK NooK shows up on the black market, it's going to mean a boatload of trouble for the NorKs. And they're going to need more than just cash to make it worth it at that point. They are going to need billions of dollars or major ongoing support from whatever nation or group bought it. The paper trail would be day-glo orange and a mile wide, and not even terrorists are that dumb. It just seems to me it would be tough to do.
The NorKs may sell them or give them away out of desperation, but it would be admitting that they only had minutes left to live and wanted to take a piece of the US down with them.
Buuuuut Kimmie is almost as loony as Murtha or Sheehan, so you never can tell for sure . . . .
#9
Showdown/Rumble coming down for IRAN + NORTH KOREA. Lest we fergit TAIWAN > LUCIANNE.com > Taiwan Prez CHEN = reaffirms that Taiwan is NOT PART OF CHINA + IS A SOVEREIGN NATION; and ETHIOPIA-SOMALIA, i.e. historical Muslim efforts /beliefs to avenge ANY AND ALL DEFEATS/SETBACKS, ESPEC MILITARY, OF ISLAM AS IMPOSED BY NON-MUSLIMS = BLAMED ON NON-MUSLIMS. The only good news is that everyone knows CHINA's need of "living space" for its 1.4Bilyuuhn people and growing > means must inevitably, predomin, come up against and mil challenge RUSSIA, notsomuch the smaller nations of Asia-Pacific, and RUSSIA KNOWS IT. SPACEWAR > RUSSIA > Immigration and other issues affecting the Russian Far East-Siberia AFFECTS RUSSIA'S NATIONAL SECURITY [also read, NATIONAL INTEGRITY/COHESION].
A GUIDE to Australian life for potential migrants will be drawn up using a British booklet called Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship - as a model, it was revealed yesterday.
The booklet, to be printed only in English, will be a compulsory read for anyone applying for Australian citizenship in preparation for taking the proposed citizenship test. Latest Newspoll results have found 85 per cent of Australians now support the idea of a test that requires applicants to have a working level of English.
Parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Robb said yesterday he was encouraged by the strong support for the legislation, which he aims to present in the autumn session.
"The results reflect that a majority of people believe a working level of English for migrants is just common sense," he said. It was a basic requirement as workplaces get more sophisticated in their safety signage, he added.
The test will comprise a written English-language exam and 30 multiple choice questions dealing with Australian life and values. The questions will be randomly generated from a pool of 200. Mr Robb said the answers would be contained in a handbook similar to one used by the British Government to familiarise potential migrants with life in Britain.
Mr Robb started gathering material for the booklet after flagging the idea of a citizenship test last September. After studying models from Canada, Holland and the US, he decided the British one would be the most suitable.
"We haven't started on the questions yet," Mr Robb said. "But the main exercise is to get people to read the booklet, gain an understanding of the Australian way of life and pass the test." He said the knowledge to pass the test would give migrants a better chance of finding jobs, communicating and navigating their way around more capably.
The Government has also increased its capacity for English tuition for migrants, with applicants now able to access up to 510 hours of tuition and refugees up to 910 hours. More than 100,000 migrants from 175 countries have become citizens in the last year.
BANGALORE: Space scientists are readying for what many see as a pathbreaking event -- the January 10 launch by India of four satellites, including a recoverable spacecraft, on a home-grown rocket.
Officials of Bangalore-based Indian Space Research Organisation are talking of a 9.30 am blast-off on that day from the spaceport at Sriharikota.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C7) will carry into space India's Cartosat-2, a 680-kg mapping satellite, and the Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE, 550 kg), Indonesia's Lapan-Tubsat satellite (56 kg) and Pehuensat of Argentina (six kg).
This is the first time India will launch four satellites together, including the recoverable SRE that is intended to demonstrate the capability to recover an orbiting space capsule and associated technologies.
"SRE is intended to test a reusable thermal protection system, systems for navigation, guidance and control, hypersonic aero-dynamics, management of communication blackout, deceleration and floatation system and recovery experiments," an ISRO official said.
Cartosat-2, an advanced remote sensing satellite, will carry a single panchromatic camera capable of providing scene-specific spot imagery for cartographic and a host of other applications.
ISRO officials said the panchromatic camera is designed to provide better than one metre spatial resolution imagery with a swath of around 10 km. This means the camera will be capable of spotting objects on the ground that measure about one metre. The satellite will also have high agility with the capability of steering along and across the track up to plus-45 degrees.
Posted by: john ||
01/02/2007 16:44 ||
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*cough* MIRV *cough*
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/02/2007 19:53 Comments ||
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India has just the coolest little space program you never hear about.
Posted by: Mike ||
01/02/2007 20:43 Comments ||
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ISLAMABAD About 22,000 people are losing their lives to air pollution every year in Pakistan, the Asian Development Bank has said in its report on 'Urban air quality management in Pakistan'.
Interesting; countries full of Lutherans don't seem to have this problem.
It attributed this high rate of pollution and environmental degradation to increased urbanisation and a growing number of vehicles on the country's roads. Pakistani officials acknowledged the rising problem but doubted the extent of casualties reported in the study.
The study sponsored by the World Bank has suggested stopping import and manufacture of two-stroke vehicles, restriction of conversion of petrol-powered engines to diesel engines, better traffic management at high pollution spots and capacity building of motor vehicle examiners.
Another study conducted by Pepa and the Japan International Cooperation Agency found that the average suspended particles in cities were 2,000 micrograms per cubic metres, while PM10 averaged 700 micrograms per cubic metres. The study shows that particulate matter, both PM10 and PM2.5, is responsible for 22,000 premature deaths among adults and 700 deaths among children every year.
The Asian Bank study says the situation is getting bleaker because adequate support and regulatory measures are not in place in Pakistan. Total costs associated with deaths and sickness caused by increased levels of particulate matter amount to Rs65 billion annually or approximately one per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/02/2007 00:44 ||
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All this talk about global warming as if it's George Bush's fault but the fact is countries like China, India, etc. emit far more pollution than the U.S.
...Yeah, I didn't believe it either, but there it is...
Iran: Hitler was a Jew
Advisor to President Ahmadinejad claims Nazi leader was Jew who conspired with USSR and Britain to establish Jewish state
Dudi Goldman Published: 01.02.07, 09:50
Just when you thought the Iranian leadership could stoop no further: A top advisor to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed in an interview with Iranian website Baztab that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's parents were both Jewish and that Hitler himself was one of the founders of the State of Israel.
In the interview, translated by MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) Mohammad-Ali Ramin, a chief aide to Ahmadinejad, told Baztab that Hitler's paternal grandmother was a Jewish prostitute and his father even kept his Jewish name until finally changing it to Hitler when he was 40.
Ramin also claimed that the reason Hitler developed such an aversion to Judaism was because his Jewish mother was a promiscuous woman. Hitler therefore, says Ramin, tried to escape his religion.
Ramin cites a 1974 book by Hennecke Kardel titled 'Adolf Hitler: Founder of Israel', which alleges that Hitler strived to create a Jewish state as a result of being influenced by his Jewish relatives and his cooperation with Britain which also wanted to drive the Jews out of Europe.
Ramin claims in the interview that Hitler both identified with his Judaism and was disgusted by it. It is these ambivalent feelings, said Ramin, that formed the basis for his treatment of Jews.
According to Ramin on the one hand Hitler's relatives and the friends who brought him to power, as well as his mistresses and personal physician, were all Jewish.
On the other hand he welcomed the expulsion of ambitious and influential Jews from Europe to the British Mandate of Palestine.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/02/2007 12:29 ||
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I've heard this before. If it's true, I'd say it's just more proof that he was using various groups merely as tools to accomplish his ends.
#2
Gorb,
That's a long-running theory in more than a few works, but it tends to throw more light on the motivations of the author than the subject. I think the best anybody has been able to come up with is that Hitler may have had a Jewish great-great grandparent, but IIRC that still would have put him well within his own standards.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/02/2007 13:15 Comments ||
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#3
I'd still like to know how "true" it is just so I know how desperate the MMs are. :-)
#4
"So, if Hitler was really a Jew, then carrying out Hitler's intentions and nuking Israel would be doing the work of the Jews, which we can't do because that would make us tools of the international Jewish conspiracy. Therefore, it is the duty of all true Moslems like us to defend the state of Israel from the Jewish conspiracy! . . . No, wait! That would be playing into their hands. Our duty is to destroy them, but . . . ILLOGICAL! ILLOGICAL! NORMAN COORDINATE!"
[cue sparking and smoke coming from ears]
Posted by: Mike ||
01/02/2007 18:12 Comments ||
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#8
Nuthing new here - IMO the real message is the SUBTLE = INFERRED, PC, WARNING AGZ IRAN'S ALLY RUSSIA i.e. "conspired with the USSR". Already know Britain = NATO/Europe is threatened.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
(SomaliNet) Zimbabwe is set to continue to suffer the consequences of economic crisis throughout the New Year, economists have predicted. "The year 2007 is bad news already before we have even started it," John Robertson, one of the economists told local journalists. 
(SomaliNet) Nigerias President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has urged Nigerians not to vote corrupt leaders into power, come April 2007. 
More than 2.5 million Muslim pilgrims performed final devil-stoning rites on Monday, thanking God and Saudi Arabia for no repeat of tragedies that had marred the haj in recent years. "Praise be to God, we have had a safe haj this year. I bring my sons with me normally (for protection), but this year I found I was okay without them," said Saadiya Mustafa from Egypt.
ISLAMABAD About 22,000 people are losing their lives to air pollution every year in Pakistan, the Asian Development Bank has said in its report on 'Urban air quality management in Pakistan'.
