The continuing controversy over the American Christian right's connection to a new law in Uganda giving the death penalty to gays may not on its surface seem like a European issue. After all this is a America-Africa story right? But watch with amazement as I find the European connection! There is actually a third player in this story: the Anglican church. In fact this entire episode is an illustration of the continuing conflict between American evangelicals and British Anglicans in a new "scramble for Africa" - as the former works tirelessly to replace the latter as the spiritual coloniser of that "magnificent African cake." The new legislation in Uganda which is about to be adopted mandates life in prison for gays, death by hanging for gays with HIV, and 3 years in prison for anyone who knows of a gay but does not alert the police. The introduction of the legislation follows the heavy infiltration of that country by American anti-gay Christian evangelical groups. They have sent missionaries to talk to that country's parliament about the evils of homosexuality. Emissaries to Uganda to talk about the American brand of evangelical Christianity have included Rick Warren, the hugely popular American evangelist who was selected by Barack Obama to deliver the national prayer at his inauguration.
There is actually a third player in this story: the Anglican church. In fact this entire episode is an illustration of the continuing conflict between American evangelicals and British Anglicans in a new "scramble for Africa" - as the former works tirelessly to replace the latter as the spiritual coloniser of that "magnificent African cake."
The new legislation in Uganda which is about to be adopted mandates life in prison for gays, death by hanging for gays with HIV, and 3 years in prison for anyone who knows of a gay but does not alert the police. The introduction of the legislation follows the heavy infiltration of that country by American anti-gay Christian evangelical groups. They have sent missionaries to talk to that country's parliament about the evils of homosexuality. Emissaries to Uganda to talk about the American brand of evangelical Christianity have included Rick Warren, the hugely popular American evangelist who was selected by Barack Obama to deliver the national prayer at his inauguration.
In its strongest statement yet, the Obama administration condemned a homophobic Ugandan bill that would carry a death sentence for acts of homosexuality in some cases. "The president strongly opposes efforts, such as the draft law pending in Uganda, that would criminalize homosexuality and move against the tide of history," read the White House statement that came late Friday in response to an inquiry from The Advocate.
"The president strongly opposes efforts, such as the draft law pending in Uganda, that would criminalize homosexuality and move against the tide of history," read the White House statement that came late Friday in response to an inquiry from The Advocate.
McClatchy: Bush birth control policies helped fuel Africa's baby boom
At age 45, after giving birth to 13 children in her village of thatch roofs and bare feet, Beatrice Adongo made a discovery that startled her: birth control. "I delivered all these children because I didn't know there was another way," said Adongo, who started on a free quarterly contraceptive injection last year. Surrounded by her weary-faced brood, her 21-month-old boy clutching at her faded blue dress, she added glumly: "I fear we are already too many in this family." On a continent where fewer than one in five married women use modern contraception, an explosion of unplanned pregnancies is threatening to bury Adongo's family and a generation of Africans under a mountain of poverty. Promoting birth control in Africa faces a host of obstacles -- patriarchal customs, religious taboos, ill-equipped public health systems -- but experts also blame a powerful, more distant force: the U.S. government.
"I delivered all these children because I didn't know there was another way," said Adongo, who started on a free quarterly contraceptive injection last year. Surrounded by her weary-faced brood, her 21-month-old boy clutching at her faded blue dress, she added glumly: "I fear we are already too many in this family."
On a continent where fewer than one in five married women use modern contraception, an explosion of unplanned pregnancies is threatening to bury Adongo's family and a generation of Africans under a mountain of poverty.
Promoting birth control in Africa faces a host of obstacles -- patriarchal customs, religious taboos, ill-equipped public health systems -- but experts also blame a powerful, more distant force: the U.S. government.
Clashes across Pakistan's northwest have killed 16 Taliban militants and two soldiers, the army said Monday, as a top US general met with officials to discuss the battle against extremists. US General David Petraeus is in Pakistan for talks on President Barack Obama's new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, which Washington says depends heavily on Pakistan dismantling militant sanctuaries along the border. Obama's administration is pressuring Islamabad to do more to tackle Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants in the northwest who cross over into Afghanistan, but the country is also battling a surging homegrown insurgency.
US General David Petraeus is in Pakistan for talks on President Barack Obama's new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, which Washington says depends heavily on Pakistan dismantling militant sanctuaries along the border.
Obama's administration is pressuring Islamabad to do more to tackle Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants in the northwest who cross over into Afghanistan, but the country is also battling a surging homegrown insurgency.
The intended destination of a plane carrying 35 tonnes of arms from North Korea and impounded in Thailand was tonightstill unclear, with none of the governments apparently linked to the seized flight admitting any responsibility for its cargo. Ukraine today said it had launched an investigation into the Ilyushin-76 aircraft, amid speculation it may have been transporting arms to Iran as part of an illegal North Korean smuggling network used to fund North Korea's banned nuclear weapons programme.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Demands by the United States for Pakistan to crack down on the strongest Taliban warrior in Afghanistan, Siraj Haqqani, whose fighters pose the biggest threat to American forces, have been rebuffed by the Pakistani military, according to Pakistani military officials and diplomats. The Obama administration wants Pakistan to turn on Mr. Haqqani, a longtime asset of Pakistan's spy agency who uses the tribal area of North Waziristan as his sanctuary. But, the officials said, Pakistan views the entreaties as contrary to its interests in Afghanistan beyond the timetable of President Obama's surge, which envisions drawing down American forces beginning in mid-2011. The demands, first made by senior American officials before President Obama's Afghanistan speech and repeated many times since, were renewed in a written demarche delivered in recent days by the United States Embassy to the head of the Pakistani military, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, according to American officials. Gen. David Petraeus followed up on Monday during a visit to Islamabad. The demands have been accompanied by strong suggestions that if the Pakistanis cannot take care of the problem, including dismantling the Taliban leadership based in Quetta, Pakistan, then the Americans will by resorting to broader and more frequent drone strikes in Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Demands by the United States for Pakistan to crack down on the strongest Taliban warrior in Afghanistan, Siraj Haqqani, whose fighters pose the biggest threat to American forces, have been rebuffed by the Pakistani military, according to Pakistani military officials and diplomats.
The Obama administration wants Pakistan to turn on Mr. Haqqani, a longtime asset of Pakistan's spy agency who uses the tribal area of North Waziristan as his sanctuary. But, the officials said, Pakistan views the entreaties as contrary to its interests in Afghanistan beyond the timetable of President Obama's surge, which envisions drawing down American forces beginning in mid-2011.
The demands, first made by senior American officials before President Obama's Afghanistan speech and repeated many times since, were renewed in a written demarche delivered in recent days by the United States Embassy to the head of the Pakistani military, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, according to American officials. Gen. David Petraeus followed up on Monday during a visit to Islamabad.
The demands have been accompanied by strong suggestions that if the Pakistanis cannot take care of the problem, including dismantling the Taliban leadership based in Quetta, Pakistan, then the Americans will by resorting to broader and more frequent drone strikes in Pakistan.
A do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do situation. Particularly the US experience illustrates how fast intelligence assets can turn into liabilities. The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman
Officials have launched a search for Eritrea's national football team after the players reportedly failed to return home following a tournament in Kenya.The Eritreans were knocked out of the Cecafa competition for East and Central African nations last week. But when the team plane landed back home, it was reportedly only carrying the coach and an official. The government, which is frequently accused of repression, denies any players are missing. But the country's football federation confirmed to Cecafa head Nicholas Musonye that the players had not returned.
Officials have launched a search for Eritrea's national football team after the players reportedly failed to return home following a tournament in Kenya.
The Eritreans were knocked out of the Cecafa competition for East and Central African nations last week.
But when the team plane landed back home, it was reportedly only carrying the coach and an official.
The government, which is frequently accused of repression, denies any players are missing.
But the country's football federation confirmed to Cecafa head Nicholas Musonye that the players had not returned.
WASHINGTON -- Two nonprofit groups say that computer technicians have found 22 million White House e-mails from the administration of President George W. Bush. The two groups say the electronic messages were previously mislabeled and effectively lost. An announcement today by the two groups is the latest development in a controversy that surrounded the failure by the Bush White House to install an electronic record-keeping system. The two private organizations -- the National Security Archive and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington -- say they are settling lawsuits that they filed against the Executive Office of the President in 2007.
The two groups say the electronic messages were previously mislabeled and effectively lost.
An announcement today by the two groups is the latest development in a controversy that surrounded the failure by the Bush White House to install an electronic record-keeping system.
The two private organizations -- the National Security Archive and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington -- say they are settling lawsuits that they filed against the Executive Office of the President in 2007.
The critical step toward fulfilling President Obama's pledge to shut the Guantanamo detention center will be announced Tuesday, said the official, who reported that Obama has ordered the acquisition of the eight-year-old Thomson Correctional Center, about 150 miles northwest of Chicago. Obama made the move despite the objections of Republicans in Congress and in Illinois, where critics say the transfer of prisoners -- some for indefinite detention, some for trial -- could make the state a target for terrorists. Rep. Mark Kirk has called the move "an unnecessary risk." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that a bipartisan majority in Congress "already rejected bringing terrorists to U.S. soil for long-term detention."
The critical step toward fulfilling President Obama's pledge to shut the Guantanamo detention center will be announced Tuesday, said the official, who reported that Obama has ordered the acquisition of the eight-year-old Thomson Correctional Center, about 150 miles northwest of Chicago.
Obama made the move despite the objections of Republicans in Congress and in Illinois, where critics say the transfer of prisoners -- some for indefinite detention, some for trial -- could make the state a target for terrorists. Rep. Mark Kirk has called the move "an unnecessary risk."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that a bipartisan majority in Congress "already rejected bringing terrorists to U.S. soil for long-term detention."
