COTE D IVOIRE: Preparations for war reported despite UN sanctions threat

Subject: COTE D IVOIRE: Preparations for war reported despite UN
sanctions threat
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 12:44:27 -0700

COTE D IVOIRE: Preparations for war reported despite UN sanctions threat

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]


ABIDJAN, 15 November (IRIN) - The threat of sanctions loomed over Cote dí
Ivoire on Monday as the United Nations prepared to vote on an arms embargo
and other penalties on the West African nation. On the ground, however,
Ivorian rebel and government forces were reported to be preparing for war.

"What we are getting is that all sides are trying to get new offensive
weapons," Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo told reporters on Sunday in
Abuja, Nigeria, after four hours of talks on the Ivorian crisis with his
counterparts from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal and Togo.

France has been pushing fellow Security Council members to slap a ban on
the sale of arms to Cote díIvoire and impose travel restrictions on
Ivorian officials from 10 December. The French move came after the Ivorian
army shattered an 18-month ceasefire and killed nine French peacekeepers
in the process.

A diplomatic source told IRIN the vote, delayed from last week so African
leaders could hold crisis talks, might take place on Monday afternoon.

South African President Thabo Mbeki and other government officials held
talks with Ivorian opposition leaders in Pretoria late last week, while
Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo was to have attended Sundayís meeting in
Abuja, but did not. Instead, he sent the speaker of parliament, and did
little to allay the regional leadersí fears.

"Do you think I am going to leave my country with no air defence?" he said
in an interview on French radio broadcast on Sunday.

The African leaders threw their weight behind the draft resolution at the
weekend and even went one step further, calling for sanctions to take
effect immediately instead of giving Cote d'Ivoire a month's grace period.

"We support the proposed UN resolution, particularly the arms embargo in
Cote d'Ivoire. This should be immediate," said Obasanjo, who is the
current chairman of the African Union.

Since rebels attempted to topple Gbagbo in September 2002, Cote díIvoire
has been split into a government-controlled south and a rebel-held north.

In a move widely seen as favouring a military solution, Gbagbo replaced
the head of the army, Mathias Doue, with Philippe Mangou, the man who
oversaw this month's ceasefire-breaking assault on rebel territory.

"We are just trying to reunify our country," Mangou ñ considered a
hardliner by many - told IRIN when the assault kicked off on 4 November.
He repeated that line on state television on Sunday after his appointment.

Reuters news agency quoted a military source at the weekend as saying
Gbagbo had already ordered new fighter jets and helicopter gunships and
some had arrived in nearby states. Virtually all of Cote d'Ivoire's
airforce was destroyed on 6 November by French forces in retaliation for a
bombing on one of their bases, in which the nine French peacekeepers were
killed.

On Monday there were fears of fresh attacks, given that electricity and
water to supplies to the north have been cut, as they were before the
first government offensive.

Military and diplomatic sources, humanitarian workers and residents all
said the supplies ñ which had been restored earlier in the week - were cut
again on Sunday afternoon, as African leaders were meeting in Abuja.

"The alarm is that that used to be the prelude to an imminent attack,"
Obasanjo said. "Both parties should not start anything that will amount to
a retaliatory attack. We call on everybody to observe the ceasefire."

Civilians in the north are preparing to march on Wednesday from the main
rebel-held city of Bouake, across the buffer zone, to Abidjan, some 400 km
away, to demand Gbagboís resignation. "Given that the civilian population
has been targeted and hurt, we have to take our destiny in our own hands,"
Abel Dgohore Gbakayoro, one of the organisers, told IRIN.

"We think we can get 24,000 people out on the street. The buffer zone is
for belligerents and we are not armed so it should be fine," he said.

The streets in Abidjan were quiet on Monday, a public holiday, and the
flood of foreigners fleeing the country had slowed to a trickle.

A spokesman for the French forces in Cote d'Ivoire said just one
evacuation flight was scheduled for Monday, and that there were now only
around 50 people taking refuge at the French military base, which at one
point had sheltered almost 2,000. An official at the French embassy said
the last evacuation flight would probably be on Wednesday.

More than 6,000 foreigners, around 85 percent of them French, have fled in
the past five days after Ivorians, irate at Paris for wiping out their
airforce, went on a rampage, stripping expatriate homes bare and torching
businesses and schools. Foreigners were attacked, some with machetes, and
women were raped, according to various sources

No expatriate deaths were reported, but Gbagbo's spokesman has said 62
Ivorians died and more than 1,300 were injured during demonstrations
against and clashes with French troops.



[ENDS]

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MALI : La crise ivoirienne paralyse la petite ville frontaliËre de Zegoua

Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 19:02:18 GMT
Subject: MALI : La crise ivoirienne paralyse la petite ville
frontaliËre de Zegoua



N A T I O N S U N I E S
Bureau de Coordination des Affaires Humanitaires (OCHA)
RÈseaux d'Information RÈgionaux IntÈgrÈs (IRIN)

MALI : La crise ivoirienne paralyse la petite ville frontaliËre de Zegoua

ZEGOUA, le 10 novembre (IRIN) - La crise ivoirienne affecte les pays
voisins et Zegoua níy a pas ÈchappÈ, la petite ville ý la frontiËre
malienne a vu son Èconomie síeffondrer en líespace de quelques jours
faisant craindre une crise humanitaire imminente.

Les hÙpitaux, le rÈseau Èlectrique et les commerces ont tous ÈtÈ
affectÈs dans cette petite ville ý cheval sur la frontiËre, situÈe ý
moins de 500 km au sud de Bamako sur líaxe reliant la capitale
malienne ý la CÙte díIvoire.

´Si Áa continue, cíest le spectre de la crise humanitaire qui se
profile,ª a dÈclarÈ ý IRIN Fatogoma Ouattara, le maire de cette
commune. ´La crise ivoirienne a sÈrieusement secouÈ ZÈgoua.ª

Dans la ville frontaliËre, le commerce est au ralenti puisque les
voitures ne traversent plus la frontiËre depuis jeudi dernier, le
jour o˜ les forces armÈes ivoiriennes ont commencÈ ý bombarder des
villes du nord de la CÙte díIvoire.

La veille du dÈbut du bombardement líÈlectricitÈ a soudainement ÈtÈ
coupÈe ý Zegoua et dans le nord de la CÙte díIvoire. DíaprËs les
informations recueillies par Ouattara, le maire de la ville, la
coupure de courant est le fait díun sabotage des autoritÈs díAbidjan
mais ne relËve pas díune panne technique, comme le laissaient penser
les forces rebelles.

Cette situation nía fait que paralyser les services sanitaires de la
ville. ´Sans la lumiËre, on ne peut pas travailler correctement,ª a
indiquÈ ý IRIN le docteur Yaya Coulibaly, mÈdecin-chef du centre
hospitalier de ZÈgoua, avant díajouter : ´Quand la source de lumiËre
níest pas suffisante, Áa joue sur la qualitÈ de nos interventions.ª

Sans ÈlectricitÈ, il níy a ni tÈlÈphone ni communications radio au
centre hospitalier. Pour Coulibaly et son Èquipe, cela a de graves
consÈquences. A líinstar des autres petits centres de santÈ qui ne
possËdent pas díambulance, ils utilisent la radio pour en commander
une ý líhÙpital de rÈfÈrence le plus proche.

´En cas de complication grave, le malade pourrait mourir parce que
líhÙpital de rÈfÈrence est ý Kadiolo,ª situÈ ý 15 km a indiquÈ
Coulibaly.

La seule boulangerie de la ville fonctionne ý líÈlectricitÈ et est
actuellement fermÈe. Le pain vient dÈsormais de Sikasso, la capitale
rÈgionale, ý 100 km de Zegoua, ce qui a entraÓnÈ le doublement du
prix de la miche, passÈ de 75 ý 150 francs CFA. Selon Aminata Dante,
une mËre de famille, le pain de glace a ÈtÈ multipliÈ par huit ou par
10.

La crise en CÙte díIvoire a aussi des rÈpercussions Èconomiques sur
Zegoua et sur le Mali de maniËre gÈnÈrale.

La ville, o˜ rÈsident 22 000 personnes, se trouve sur la nationale 7,
la voie quíempruntent les camions de coton, la principale ressource
díexportation, vers le port díAbidjan, et pour faire entrer des
marchandises importÈes notamment les fruits, les lÈgumes et le ciment.

´Avec la crise, les gros porteurs se sont arrÍtÈs et, comme par
enchantement, la ville síest vidÈe,ª a indiquÈ Ouattara. ´Les
transitaires et autres opÈrateurs Èconomiques ont quittÈ la ville.ª

Selon Chiaka SangarÈ, le rÈgisseur de la mairie, la municipalitÈ
perÁoit chaque mois un million de francs (2 000 dollars amÈricains)
de taxe sur les activitÈs liÈes au commerce transfrontalier. Depuis
la semaine derniËre, cette source de revenu síest tarie.

´Nous níavons pas encaissÈ un seul centime,ª a dÈclarÈ ý IRIN le
rÈgisseur de la mairie.

Bakary Coulibaly, le chef du bureau des douanes, est Ègalement trËs
inquiet. ´MÍme si ce níest pas officiel, la frontiËre est fermÈe,ª a
t-il fait remarquer. ´Il y a aucun camion, aucune activitÈ depuis le
dÈclenchement de la crise.ª

PrËs de 700 camions traversent chaque jour la frontiËre ý Zegoua, ce
qui rapporte ý líÈtat malien entre 180 millions et 200 millions de
francs CFA (environ 360 000 ý 400 000 dollars) par mois, a indiquÈ
Coulibaly.

Lorsque la guerre civile a ÈclatÈ en CÙte díIvoire en septembre 2002,
coupant le pays en deux ñ le nord aux mains des rebelles et le sud
contrÙlÈ par le gouvernement --, une vague de rÈfugiÈs a traversÈ la
frontiËre de Zegoua.

La semaine derniËre, pendant que des bombes tombaient sur BouakÈ et
sur díautres localitÈs tenues par les rebelles dans líest et líouest
de la CÙte díIvoire, Zegoua se prÈparait ý recevoir un autre flot de
rÈfugiÈs.

Mais lundi dernier, seules 28 personnes ont rejoint la ville ñ 26
maliens dont huit blessÈs venant de BouakÈ, le quartier gÈnÈral des
rebelles, un Ivoirien et un NigÈrian ñselon les responsables de la
gendarmerie et des services de la protection civile ý Zegoua.


[FIN]

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COTE D IVOIRE: West African immigrants, northerners fear they may be next target

Subject: COTE D IVOIRE: West African immigrants, northerners fear
they may be next target
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2004 13:45:58 -0700

COTE D IVOIRE: West African immigrants, northerners fear they may be next
target

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]


ABIDJAN, 12 November (IRIN) - As French and other foreigners continue to
bail out of Cote d'Ivoire after days of mob violence, northern ethnic
groups and West African immigrants fear that militants loyal to President
Laurent Gbagbo might soon turn their wrath back on them.

Forty-three-year-old Mamadou, an Ivorian whose parents hail from Mali, was
keeping his head down in Abidjan's predominantly Muslim suburb of
Koumassi. He said he had been staying home by day and occasionally
venturing out at dusk to meet friends.

"Nobody wants to be noticed much these days," he told IRIN. "Everybody
keeps a low profile."

"The Gbagbo people think they've kicked the French out. They say they've
felled a big tree with a small axe. It's possible that sooner or later
they'll come to attack us because they say we are with the rebels," he
added.

The north-south divide is the crux of Cote d'Ivoire's problems. The West
African country has been split into a rebel-held north and a
government-controlled south, with 10,000 French and UN peacekeepers in
between, since September 2002, when an unsuccessful coup attempt against
Gbagbo developed into an insurgency.

Former prime minister Alassane Ouattara, who draws much of his support
from the north, was barred from running in the 2000 presidential election
on the grounds that his father was from Burkina Faso. The rebels demanded
the constitution be changed to allow Ouattara to stand in the 2005 ballot
before they disarmed, but Gbgabo said they had to lay down their weapons
first.

The political deadlock was broken in dramatic fashion last week, when the
Ivorian army launched air and ground assaults on rebel strongholds,
shattering an 18-month-old ceasefire. But two days into the campaign,
former colonial power France became the number one enemy.

Paris retaliated for a deadly bombing on one of its bases by destroying
almost the entire Ivorian airforce. Irate Ivorians rampaged through the
streets of Abidjan looting and burning French interests, beating up
expatriates and, according to French Foreign Ministry sources, raping some
women.
width="250">

Expatriates have been fleeing the former French colony by the planeload

But now that more than 3,000 expatriates, mainly French, have fled the
country, analysts fear a fresh backlash against more traditional foes.

"Until they were evacuated, French citizens bore the brunt of the
militias' xenophobic attacks," said Peter Takirambudde, the head of the
Africa division at Human Rights Watch. "Now we are concerned that the
militias will turn their rage on their more familiar targets -- Muslims,
northerners and West African immigrants."

Immigrants from Mali and Burkina Faso, who flocked into Cote d'Ivoire to
work the cocoa and coffee fields, have long been a lightning rod. In the
wake of the 2002 coup attempt, for example, at least 1 million immigrants
living and working in the south fled the country. Some were forced from
their homes and farms, while others were driven out by fear.

Ivorian security forces and pro-government militia have continued to
commit random acts of violence against immigrants from West Africa as well
as people from northern Cote d'Ivoire, accusing them of being in cahoots
with the rebels, according to human rights sources.

Clashes in Gbagbo's home town

Since the latest cycle of instability began, there have already been
isolated cases of ethnic violence in the cocoa-rich west of Cote d'Ivoire,
notably in Gbagbo's home town of Gagnoa, about 250 km northwest of
Abidjan.

Clashes erupted there on Monday and Tuesday, pitching the president's
ethnic group, the Bete, against the Dioula population, who are mainly from
the north, but who settled in the town decades ago.

"We have counted six dead and 29 injured," Marc Gbaka, a town council
official, told IRIN, saying youths had attacked with machetes, kitchen
knives and sticks.

UN peacekeepers are now patrolling the area around Gagnoa, often a
flashpoint for ethnic strife. Before this week's attacks, more than 20
people had been killed in the last year and around 500 immigrant farmers
driven off their cocoa farms.

Residents in the town said the latest trouble began when word arrived from
Abidjan that the French had decimated Cote d'Ivoire's airforce. Militant
government supporters, seeing the move as help for the northern rebels,
attacked clothing shops and rice stores belonging to Dioula merchants who
then retaliated by trashing food shacks and restaurants owned by Betes.

"It's the scenario that we've all been fearing since 2002. The ground is
set for a clash of the communities," explained Francois Ruf, a cocoa
specialist based in Accra, Ghana. "The worst thing that could happen is
that those from northern Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso start using
hardcore weapons and the Bete get out their guns and then there's
carnage."
width="350">


Further to the west, tensions are also running high in Guiglo, a town
about 200 km from the border with Liberia, near the buffer zone which
separates government territory from that of the rebels.

In 2003, long after the fighting died down in the rest of Cote d'Ivoire,
the area around the town remained plagued by ethnic conflicts, fuelled by
the presence of militia groups, some of which recruited heavily among
Liberian refugees.

On Thursday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
rang the alarm bell once more.

"In Guiglo and certain areas in the west, the restarting of inter-communal
conflicts between the local and non-Ivorian populations poses a direct
threat to social cohesion and means conditions are ripe for the
humanitarian situation to deteriorate," it said in a statement.

Fears already causing people to flee

Almost 5,000 Ivorian refugees have already spilled over into Liberia,
seeking refuge from the fresh bout of fighting in a country which itself
is still recovering from 14 years of civil war.

"Guiglo is the eye of the storm. It's a real ethnic mix. There are already
warning signs," a senior UN diplomat told IRIN this week. "We are sensing
a strong tension in the air, people feel threatened. If there are new
problems in Abidjan, there will problems in the west and vice versa."

Back in Abidjan, northerners have been preparing to defend themselves.

Having seen the hate campaign waged against the French, one man in his
thirties was taking no chances and was readying so-called Self Defence
Committees with his friends.

"These committees are against the advice of our political leaders," he
told IRIN, explaining he was a supporter of the main opposition Democratic
Party of Cote d'Ivoire (PDCI). "But we have pro-government militias in
this neighbourhood that are armed and we want to be prepared."

"They say we are rebels, they say we are pro-French, they threaten us,"
the man, who lives in the poor, mainly Muslim suburb of Abobo, said. "If
somebody in our neighbourhood is attacked, we can come to the rescue."

Across town, French businessman Patrick was packing up his affairs and
preparing to leave. He was born in Abidjan but even that umbilical cord
would not keep him in the city this time around.

"The fuse is alight, but it hasn't quite reached the gunpowder barrel," he
said gloomily. "The worst is yet to happen. We will see an ethnic settling
of scores. There will be a massacre,î he predicted. ìThe battle of Abidjan
is still to come."


[ENDS]

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COTE D IVOIRE-LIBERIA: Influx of Ivorian refugees puts strain on war-scarred neighbour

Subject: COTE D IVOIRE-LIBERIA: Influx of Ivorian refugees puts
strain on war-scarred neighbour
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 09:44:19 -0700

COTE D IVOIRE-LIBERIA: Influx of Ivorian refugees puts strain on
war-scarred neighbour

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]


MONROVIA, 11 November (IRIN) - Around 5,000 frightened Ivorians have raced
across the border into eastern Liberia since the crisis in their homeland
erupted last week, putting pressure on a country that is already
struggling to recover from its own civil war and threatening regional
stability, UN officials said.

"We estimate that the number could increase to 10,000 if the situation in
Cote d'Ivoire remains unchanged," Moses Okello, the head of the UN refugee
agency, UNHCR, in Liberia told reporters on Thursday.

An eighteen-month Ivorian ceasefire was shattered last week when the
Abidjan government bombed strongholds in the rebel-held north and moved
its troops into the buffer zone that separates areas controlled by the two
sides. On Saturday, two days into the offensive, Ivorian planes bombed a
French peacekeeping base and France's swift retaliation sparked days of
mob violence on the streets of Abidjan.

Aid workers said they were having trouble reaching the new arrivals from
Cote d'Ivoire, massed in the border town of Butuo, because the roads in
that corner of heavily-forested Liberia were in such poor condition.

"We are preparing to respond to this emergency at the borders. The problem
now is gaining access by road," UNHCR's Okello told reporters.

UNHCR chief Ruud Lubbers warned that another tide of refugees would put a
huge strain on Liberia, which is still welcoming back its own citizens who
fled abroad during 14 years of civil war that only came to an end in
August 2003.

"At such a difficult and fragile stage in the rehabilitation of Liberia, a
large influx of new refugees from Cote d'Ivoire would be detrimental,
creating further poverty and instability," Lubbers said in a statement on
Wednesday. "That is why the situation is so worrying, not only for Cote
d'Ivoire, but for the entire region."

Officials in Monrovia said funds allocated to pay for the repatriation of
some 300,000 Liberians scattered around West Africa were also being
drained by the new crisis. "We have to borrow some funding that we have...
for repatriation to be able to respond to the emergency needs of the
Ivorian refugees," Okello said.

It is not just Liberia that is feeling the ripple effect from the latest
Ivorian crisis. The UNHCR said Ghana, which borders Cote d'Ivoire to the
east, had also received hundreds of people fleeing the recent fighting,
including more than 700 immigrant workers.

In Mali, Cote d'Ivoireís northern neighbour, people have also sought
refuge, although in much smaller numbers. An IRIN correspondent in the
border town of Zegoua said only 28 people had arrived by Monday and
virtually all of them were Malians.

Burkina Faso and Guinea, the two other countries that border West Africa's
former economic powerhouse, had yet to report influxes of refugees.




[ENDS]

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COTE D IVOIRE-SOUTH AFRICA: Rebel leaders in Pretoria for talks

Subject: COTE D IVOIRE-SOUTH AFRICA: Rebel leaders in Pretoria for talks
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 12:45:17 -0700

COTE D IVOIRE-SOUTH AFRICA: Rebel leaders in Pretoria for talks

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]


JOHANNESBURG, 11 November (IRIN) - Ivorian rebel leaders arrived in the
South African capital, Pretoria, on Thursday to hold talks on their
country's political crisis, a senior government official told IRIN.

"The leaders will present their viewpoint on the situation in Cote
d'Ivoire to President Thabo Mbeki later this evening [Thursday], until he
[Mbeki] leaves for PLO [Palestine Liberation Organisation] leader Yasser
Arafat's funeral. The talks can resume after the president returns from
the funeral, if required," said Mbeki's spokesman, Bheki Khumalo.

In a communique released on Sunday, the African Union (AU) called on Mbeki
to "undertake an urgent mission" to resolve the Ivorian crisis.

Foreign governments have begun airlifting their citizens out of the
country. Violence erupted last week in Cote d'Ivoire's commercial capital,
Abidjan, after France destroyed the air force of its former colony. The
French attack followed the deaths of nine French peacekeepers and one
American civilian in an air raid on the rebel town of Bouake.

Mbeki flew into Cote d'Ivoire earlier this week to hold talks with
president Gbagbo. "The president has submitted a report on his talks with
the Ivorian president to the AU yesterday [Wednesday]. He will submit yet
another report on his talks with the opposition to the AU," Khumalo said.

Guillaume Soro, leader of the Ivorian rebels, known as the New Forces, and
Alassane Ouatarra, head of the Rally for Republicans Party, are among
leaders scheduled to meet with Mbeki.

The rebel delegation also includes Noel Nemin, president of the
Constitutional Council, and Alphonse Djedje Mady, secretary general of the
Democratic Party of Ivory Coast.

The West African country has been split into a rebel-held north and a
government-controlled south since September 2002, with around 10,000
peacekeepers from the UN and France standing guard in a buffer zone
between the two sides.



[ENDS]

IRIN-SA
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Fax: +27 11 784-6759
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

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of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: IRIN@ocha.unon.org or Web:
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ZIMBABWE: Activists critical of franchise denial to expats

Subject: ZIMBABWE: Activists critical of franchise denial to expats
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 13:56:03 -0700

ZIMBABWE: Activists critical of franchise denial to expats

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]


JOHANNESBURG, 11 November (IRIN) - Human rights activists have criticised
the Zimbabwe government for denying citizens living abroad the right to
vote.

"Zimbabweans' right to vote is enshrined in the constitution", Gabriel
Shumba, a human rights lawyer with the South Africa-based Zimbabwe Exiles
Forum, told IRIN.

He was dismissive of the argument made in parliament on Wednesday by
Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Patrick Chinamasa,
that the constitution did not extend the franchise to people residing
outside Zimbabwe.

Parliamentary elections are due in March next year.

The official daily, The Herald, on Thursday reported Chinmasa as saying
that even if the constitution gave non-resident Zimbabweans the vote,
their registration would not be possible because Zimbabwean officials are
banned from travelling to most of the countries where expatriates are
based.

"There is a travel ban against the Zanu-PF leadership, from the President
down to the lowest ZANU-PF [the ruling party] cadre, to travel to European
Union countries, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand...
How could ZANU-PF be able to canvass for support of Zimbabweans in the
diaspora when its political leadership suffers from a travel ban in those
countries?" he remarked.

Emily Wellman, another Zimbabwean human rights activist based in South
Africa, cited estimates of three million Zimbabweans living outside the
country, and said most of them were probably critical of the ruling party.

Considering how closely the last parliamentary polls were contested, "even
a million votes could influence the outcome, so why would the ZANU-PF want
Zimbabweans living abroad to vote?" she asked.




[ENDS]

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Fax: +27 11 784-6759
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

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ETHIOPIA: One of the world's oldest living alphabets adapted for modern use in technology

Subject: ETHIOPIA: Old alphabet adapted for modern use in technology
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 07:15:55 -0700

ETHIOPIA: Old alphabet adapted for modern use in technology

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]


ADDIS ABABA, 11 November (IRIN) - One of the world's oldest living
alphabets could make its debut soon on mobile phones, Ethiopian scientists
said on Thursday. In groundbreaking research, the ancient script of
Ethiopic, which dates back to the fourth century, has been adapted so it
can be used for SMS text messaging.

The scientists believe it will open up the digital age to millions of
people in Ethiopia who cannot speak or write English, but use their own
centuries-old alphabet.

Samuel Kinde, who proposed the research, said the breakthrough means rural
farmers can access healthcare via text messaging, e-commerce and banking.

"We are enabling one of humanityís oldest scripts to enter the wireless
age," he told IRIN. "Think of a rural coffee farmer who will be able to
text yield and price information to dealers in the capital and elsewhere
in real time."

The system could also be used by rural farmers to gain vital information
like weather and harvest reports without the need of expensive computers.

"This is an important advance," Assistant Prof Solomon Atnafu said from
the Addis Ababa University computer science department, a key researcher
on the project.

He said that the relatively cheap cost of mobile phones over computers
makes them an ideal tool in helping open up the impoverished country to
the digital revolution.

The researchers, who carried out the work at Addis Ababa University, said
European mobile phone giant, Nokia, has already expressed interest in
their yearlong study.

"There is a significant amount of interest from potential users as well as
from chipset manufacturers," added Dr Samuel, an engineering professor
from the University of California at San Diego.

"The reason why we chose Ethiopic is for the very fact that for SMS and
other wireless applications to succeed in Ethiopia, the local writing
system has to be used," he added. "We felt the majority of users will be
comfortable in writing their own script. The vision also anticipates that
mobile phone systems can indeed be used for more fundamental and
far-reaching purposes in food security, SMS-based telemedicine and
commerce, among other things."

Ethiopic is used for Amharic ñ the national language of Ethiopiaís 70
million people. It has always been a source of pride for Ethiopians. The
nation is the only African country with its own alphabet, which is still
widely used. The script is also used to write the holy Orthodox Christian
script Geíez and is still chanted by priests in incense-filled churches
across the country.

However, it does pose problems for exploiting modern communication
technology because of its ungainly 345 letters compared with 26 in the
Latin alphabet. The scientists have whittled that number down to 210
characters. They then "mapped" a base alphabet of 28 letters onto a
standard handset, with users having to thumb in more keystrokes if they
wanted the additional characters.
[ENDS]

IRIN-CEA
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Fax: +254 2 622129
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US Tax $$$ at work: Air Force report wants $7.5 million for psychic teleportation

Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2004 23:48:32 -0500
From: Declan McCullagh
Subject: [Politech] Tax $$$ at work: Air Force report wants $7.5
million for psychic teleportation
List-Id: Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list

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USA Today article:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2004/11/usat110504.html
"It is in large part crackpot physics," says physicist Lawrence
Krauss of Case Western Reserve University, author of The Physics of
Star Trek, a book detailing the physical limits that prevent
teleportation. He describes the Air Force report as "some things
adapted from reasonable theoretical studies, and other things from
nonsensical ones."

---

http://www.fas.org/sgp/eprint/teleport.pdf

Report date: 25-11-2003
Sponsor:
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFMC)
10 E. Saturn Blvd.
Edwards AFB CA 93524-7680

The concept of teleportation was originally developed during the
Golden Age of 20 century science fiction literature by writers in
need of a form of instantaneous disembodied transportation technology
to support the plots of their stories. Teleportation has appeared
in such SciFi literature classics as Algis Budry's Rogue Moon (Gold
Medal Books, 1960), A. E. van Vogt's World of Null-A (Astounding
Science Fiction, August 1945), and George Langelaan's The Fly
(Playboy Magazine, June 1957). The Playboy Magazine short story led
to a cottage industry of popular films decrying the horrors of
scientific technology that exceeded mankind's wisdom: The Fly
(1958), Return of the Fly (1959), Curse of the Fly (1965), The Fly
(a 1986 remake), and The Fly II (1989). The teleportation concept
has also appeared in episodes of popular television SciFi anthology
series such as The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. But the most
widely recognized pop-culture awareness of the teleportation concept
began with the numerous Star Trek television and theatrical movie
series of the past 39 years (beginning in 1964 with the first TV
series pilot episode, The Cage), which are now an international
entertainment and product franchise that was originally spawned by
the late genius television writer-producer Gene Roddenberry.
Because of Star Trek everyone in the world is familiar with the
"transporter" device, which is used to teleport personnel and
material from starship to starship or from ship to planet and vice
versa at the speed of light. People or inanimate objects would be
positioned on the transporter pad and become completely
disintegrated by a beam with their atoms being patterned in a
computer buffer and later converted into a beam that is directed
toward the destination, and then reintegrated back into their
original form (all without error!). "Beam me up, Scotty" is a
familiar automobile bumper sticker or cry of exasperation that were
popularly adopted from the series...

This study was tasked with the purpose of collecting information
describing the teleportation of material objects, providing a
description of teleportation as it occurs in physics, its
theoretical and experimental status, and a projection of potential
applications. The study also consisted of a search for teleportation
phenomena occurring naturally or under laboratory conditions that can
be assembled into a model describing the conditions required to
accomplish the transfer of objects... The author proposes an
additional model for teleportation that is based on a combination of
the experimental results from the previous government studies and
advanced physics concepts. Numerous recommendations outlining
proposals for further theoretical and experimental studies are given
in the report. The report also includes an extensive teleportation
bibliography...



--

--

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= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
GEORGE LESSARD
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(Yoda)

CAJ welcomes court ruling on media freedom and government secrecy

Subject: CAJ welcomes court ruling on media freedom and government secrecy


Canada NewsWire Portfolio E-Mail


CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS

Transmitted by Canada NewsWire on : November 15, 2004 19:03



CAJ welcomes court ruling on media freedom and government secrecy


OTTAWA, Nov. 15 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists
applauds an Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruling that a secret
warrant used in a police raid on the office and home of an Ottawa
Citizen reporter violated constitutionally guaranteed press freedom
rights.

In what is being described as a precedent-setting ruling, Judge Lynn
Ratushny found that in executing a search warrant under the Security
of Information Act for a Jan. 21 raid on the home and office of
Citizen reporter Juliet O'Neill, the RCMP was wrongly granted
judicial permission to keep the reasons for the warrant secret.

Judge Ratushny overturned the secrecy seal, ordered some details of
the warrant be released to the Citizen's lawyers, and ordered
belongings seized in the raid returned to Ms. O'Neill.

In her decision, the judge specifically singled out the limitation
of Charter rights including "the fundamental right of freedom of
expression and freedom of the press... in both an unauthorized and
unjustifiable way."

The CAJ has been an outspoken critic of the RCMP's actions and the
secrecy surrounding them, as well as the ongoing practice of police
seizure of information gathered by journalists.

"This judgement takes some first steps toward strengthening
protections for the public's right to know," said CAJ president Paul
Schneidereit. "Judge Ratushny's ruling has recognized that
journalists are the main conduit through which citizens are informed
about matters of vital importance to a functioning democracy, and
that infringing upon media freedoms turns journalists into agents of
the state and harms their ability to serve the public."

The CAJ has documented a steady string of instances in which
journalists have been legally threatened or forced to hand over
material and reveal their sources. The RCMP raids in the O'Neill case
follow a pattern of police interference that treats journalists as
agents of the state.

In September, 2002, RCMP attempted to seize leaked documents sent to
a National Post reporter about a controversial loan to a Quebec
hotelier in former Prime Minister Jean Chretien's riding.

The following month, Toronto police officers seized video tapes from
CTV News containing a jailhouse interview with a man charged in an
investment scam.

In July, 2001, Edmonton police seized photographs and video tapes
from several local media outlets related to the Canada Day riots. In
March, 2001, police in Halifax seized audio tapes from a Canadian
Press newsroom containing an interview with a convicted killer. In
January, 2001, police seized interview tapes recorded by a television
journalist in Edmonton. The previous month, Kingston Whig-Standard
reporter Rob Tripp was forced to hand over his notes and testify in
the preliminary hearing of a murder trial.

"Hopefully this ruling will make police forces across the country
give pause before walking into newsrooms and reporters' homes to
seize journalistic materials," said Schneidereit. "The chill those
actions create is bad for journalism and bad for the public interest.
It needs to stop."

The Canadian Association of Journalists is a professional
organization with more than 1,400 members across Canada. The CAJ's
primary roles are to provide public interest advocacy and high
quality professional development for its members.




-30-

/For further information: Paul Schneidereit, president: (902)
426-1124; Robert Cribb, past-president: (416) 869-4411; John Dickins,
Executive Director: (613) 526-8061, Cell: (613) 290-2903/

.

Who let the dogs out?

Daily Mining Gazette, Mon, 15 Nov 2004 9:39 AM PST
Who let the dogs out? - - The Mining Gazette
http://www.mininggazette.com/community/story/1115202004_com01-c1113.asp
Who let the dogs out? LIMINGA - If you attended a professional sled
dog race, you would be impressed with many of the world-class
competitors. They arrive in shiny new trucks adorned with the names
of multiple sponsors. Team members work in unison, unloading
equipment and dogs prior to the race.

Reports Point to Proof of Global Warming

Monday, November 15, 2004 4:32 PM PST

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=253287&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
Reports Point to Proof of Global Warming
ABC News Mon, 15 Nov 2004 7:35 AM PST
Two New Reports Suggest Global Warming Is Real Phenomenon, Not Just
Hypothetical Possibility

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/10187120.htm
Reports Point to Proof of Global Warming
Miami Herald Mon, 15 Nov 2004 7:11 AM PST
Politicians in the nation's capital have been reluctant to set limits
on the carbon dioxide pollution that is expected to warm the planet
by 4 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit during the next century, citing
uncertainty about the severity of the threat.

Arctic animals face stress of warming habitat

http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2004/11/15/Arctic-animals041115.html

Arctic animals face stress of warming habitat
CBC News - Canada
... The changing habitat also bring new species and new diseases.
Last year, Inuit in Nunavik discovered hundreds of dead eider ducks
near Ivujivik. ...

Sabina expands Boot Lake zone at Hackett River

Canada NewsWire via Yahoo! Finance, Mon, 15 Nov 2004 8:51 AM PST
Sabina expands Boot Lake zone at Hackett River
http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/041115/sabina_hackett_update_1.html
SABINA RESOURCES LIMITED is pleased to present additional drill
results from the company's Hackett River Project located in Nunavut,
Canada. The Hackett River Property is under option from Teck Cominco
Metals Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Teck Cominco Ltd.

Stockwatch, Mon, 15 Nov 2004 11:00 AM PST
Sabina Resources releases more Hackett River results
http://new.stockwatch.com/swnet/newsit/newsit_newsit.aspx?bid=B-395989-C:SBB&symbol=SBB&news_region=C
Sabina Resources Ltd. has released additional drill results from the
company's Hackett River project located in Nunavut.
--
- -

GEORGE LESSARD
Information & Media Specialist

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Quote of the Day

Words are the only things that last forever; they are more durable
than the eternal hills.
-William Hazlitt, essayist (1778-1830)