Government report exposes Bagram Prison torture

Inmates in Afghanistan's US-run Bagram Prison have faced abuses including torture, beatings and other mistreatment, according to a government report.

Winnie helped US officials access Madiba

The set of US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks this weekend, which sent shockwaves through the world, has a South African twist.

Military rule looms in Madagascar after ultimatum

Madagascar's army chief warned on Tuesday his troops would take control if leaders failed to resolve the political crisis within 72 hours.

US journalist detained in Iran

Iran's judiciary said on Tuesday an Iranian-American journalist was being held in Evin prison on the orders of a court that handles state security.

Somali pirates make off with $3,2-million ransom

Somali pirates freed an arms-laden ship on Thursday, speeding off in small boats with a $3,2-million ransom.

Obama closes Guantánamo, names conflict envoys

Barack Obama on Thursday ordered the closing of Guantánamo prison and named veteran trouble-shooters for the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Museveni: Climate not right for Zim poll

The current climate in Zimbabwe was "not at all" the proper one for an election, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said in an interview broadcast on Tuesday.

US lawmakers debate Bill to remove stigma of ANC

Lawmakers on Tuesday debated legislation to remove former South African president Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) from an apartheid-era United States terrorist blacklist. Barbara Lee, a California Democrat, recalled that ANC members could travel to United Nations headquarters in New York but not to Washington DC or other parts of the United States.

Luxury hotels and golf: Welcome to the Green Zone

Picture, if you will, a tree-lined plaza in Baghdad's International Village, flanked by fashion boutiques, swanky cafes, and shiny glass office towers. Nearby a golf course nestles agreeably, where a chip over the water to the final green is but a prelude to cocktails in the clubhouse and a soothing massage in a luxury hotel.

Mugabe to contest Zimbabwe run-off

Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe accepted that the opposition's Morgan Tsvangirai won more votes in the presidential election and will contest a run-off in a political battle that has raised fears of bloodshed. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) cried foul after Zimbabwe's electoral body announced on Friday that he had won 47,9% of the vote

A neocon by any other name

Robert Kagan, author, essayist, former diplomat, pre-eminent thinker of what is called "neoconservatism" -- and now foreign policy adviser to Republican presidential nominee John McCain -- would like it to be known that there are many things that he is not.

US says North Korea gave Syria nuclear assistance

The United States on Thursday released photographs of what it said was a Syrian nuclear reactor built with North Korean help, in an effort to pressure Pyongyang to fully disclose its nuclear activities. Israel destroyed the reactor in a September 6 air strike that was initially shrouded in secrecy.

Zim to haunt Mbeki at UN summit

South African President Thabo Mbeki had intended to lead a summit on Wednesday at the United Nations in New York that would focus on the increasing peacekeeping chores of African Union troops. But on Tuesday, it became clear that Mbeki would not be able to dodge the ongoing election crisis in Zimbabwe.

Rice wants ANC removed from apartheid-era blacklist

United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday it was time to remove former South African president Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) from a US blacklist drawn up during the apartheid era. "I really do hope that we can remove these restrictions on the ANC," Rice told a Senate committee.

US, UK journalists still detained in Zimbabwe

Lawyers for an award-winning New York Times journalist and a Briton held in a Zimbabwe jail complained on Monday that they were being given the run-around as their clients spent a fifth day behind bars. Meanwhile, two South African satellite technicians were formally charged with defeating the ends of justice.

Day three: No sign of Zim poll results

Rigging fears were increasing in Zimbabwe on Tuesday three days after the election commission failed to release results from the presidential vote, in which the opposition Movement for Democratic Change claims to have ousted authoritarian President Robert Mugabe.

Iran counts votes as US decries results

Iran began counting votes on Saturday that are likely to keep conservatives in control of Parliament after many opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were blocked from standing in the election. The United States, at loggerheads with Iran over its nuclear programme, said any result was "cooked".

UN heading for Iraq-style disaster in Darfur

United Nations peacekeeping troops are heading for "Iraq-style disaster" in Darfur as long as talks between the government and rebel groups remain stalled and the United States maintains its hostile stance, Sudanese officials and regional experts warned on Wednesday.

US says vigilante killings on the rise in Mozambique

Violence at the hands of security forces, lynchings and vigilantism against criminals, are tarnishing Mozambique's human rights record, according to a new report by the United States. The US State Department's country report on human rights, launched in Maputo, said there had been a rise in vigilante killings.

Storming of embassy in Serbia sparks US outrage

Serb rioters enraged by Kosovo's secession stormed the United States embassy in Belgrade and set it on fire, leaving one person dead and drawing swift condemnation from Washington and the United Nations Security Council. The US State Department said the lack of protection for its mission was intolerable and demanded the Security Council respond.

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