Mineral firms ‘fuel Congo unrest’

BBC
Western mineral firms are fuelling violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo by failing to check where their raw materials come from, activists say.
Global Witness says companies sourcing minerals used in electronic gadgets are buying them from traders who finance rebel and government troops.

Conference calls for ‘welcoming the stranger’

 Independent Catholic News
 By: Ellen Teague
Conference calls for ‘welcoming the stranger’ | British National Party (BNP, National Justice and Peace Network Conference, Nick Griffin,Bishop Patrick Lynch, Neil Jameson,Citizens Organising Foundation, Mary Grey

World celebrates as Mandela turns 91

Mail and Guardian
SIBONGILE KHUMALO
Nelson Mandela turns 91 on Saturday with a call for community service and celebrations from New York’s Madison Square Garden to downtown Johannesburg. The increasingly frail former statesman who is affectionately called Madiba, his clan name, has been inundated with messages of goodwill, from multinational companies to ordinary South Africans. But the Nobel [...]

Al Jazeera
Samah El-Shahat
A contradictory message from Obama

Until northern countries put their own house in order in terms of changing the policies applied to their farmers – Africa’s food dependence will continue, and it will always be blamed on Africa’s lack of good governance.

Brazil demands return of UK waste

BBC
Brazilian authorities are demanding that more than 1,400 tonnes of hazardous British waste found in three ports be returned to the UK.
The Brazilian environment agency, Ibama, says that international treaties have been violated.

Earning through environmentalism

Latin America Press
Indigenous groups enter the carbon market.
The Tembé-Ténêtéhar people of the Alto Rio Guama reservation signed an agreement in mid-June with renewable energy management company C-Trade.

Straight Talk: Revealing the Real U.S.-Africa Policy

Foreign Policy In Focus

Gerald LeMelleEditor’s Note: A press booklet, created by a coalition of organizations, on recommendations for U.S.-Africa policy can be found here. It’s time for some straight talk on U.S. foreign policy as it relates to Africa. While Obama administration officials and the U.S. African Command (AFRICOM) representatives insist that U.S. foreign policy [...]

ACTION ALERT: Oppose Enforcement-Only Approaches to Immigration Reform

 

Oppose Enforcement-Only Approaches to Immigration Reform 
Please Contact Your Senators – Take Action
 Background:  During the week of July 6-10, the U.S. Senate considered amendments to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill. During the debate, the Senate considered and adopted several immigration enforcement amendments which continue the enforcement-only approach to immigration reform.  An amendment offered by [...]

DR Congo criticises Mobutu ruling

BBC
 
The Democratic Republic of Congo has criticised a Swiss court’s decision to release the assets of its late ex-leader Mobutu Sese Seko to his family.

Congo’s bishops urge citizens to fight corruption in their country

KINSHASA, Congo (CNS) — The Catholic bishops of Congo have called on each citizen to become personally involved in the fight against deeply rooted corruption in the African country. The bishops describe corruption as “one of the bases for the unequal distribution of national resources between the wealthy classes, made up of public authorities, and [...]