South Africa honors 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s freedom
Thousands of South Africans and political leaders paid tribute to freedom-fighter and world peace crusader Nelson Mandela last week.
World Notes
In World Notes this week: Canada, South Africa, Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Cuba, Afghanistan.
A tribute to Capt. Hugh Mulzac
Captain Hugh Mulzac was an important person in the early U.S. civil rights struggles and was the first African American to obtain a Master's License. This was the rank of Captain which qualified him to skipper an ocean-going cargo ship.
World Notes: Cuba, Western Sahara, Afghanistan, Philippines, South Africa, Haiti
Cuba: Children a privileged class In televised comments on the 20th anniversary of the UN adoption of a Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF official José Juan Ortiz indicated that of nine million children dying each year from preventable causes, none are Cuban.
World Notes: Bulgaria, Romania, Africa, Israel, Nicaragua, China, Cuba
Stars and Stripes, the U.S. Army weekly, reported last month that two new U.S. military bases are under construction in Bulgaria and Romania at costs respectively of $60 and $50 million.
Trevor Fowler: A glimpse into post-apartheid South Africa
Video interview with Trevor Fowler former deputy head of the presidency in South Africa on a recent trip to the US.
World Notes: South Africa, Mexico, South Korea, Romania, Afghanistan, Cuba
South Africa and health care, Mexico and mining, South Korea and unions, Romania and general strike, Afghanistan and development, Cuba and milestones
South American & African countries hold historic meeting
Leaders of more than 60 South American and African countries met on Margarita Island, Venezuela, last month, raising the possibility of a new bloc of nations that can reduce their dependence on the U.S. and other capitalist powers.
Military legacy at root of recent violence in Guinea
The people of Guinea are looking to institutions like the UN and the African Union to help after the country was seized by recent military-instigated violence.
Caster Semenya: Who's really confused about gender?
It's Kafka-esque. A small number of specialists have been ordered to determine if South Africa's international champion in the women's 800 meter race, Caster Semenya, is really a woman. After her blazing victory and complaints from her international opponents, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ordered a "gender test" that includes examinations by "a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, an internal medicine specialist and an expert on gender."
