Archbishop Desmond Tutu retires

Tutu to retire

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has officially announced his retirement from public life after many years of political activism and human rights work.

The decision comes as Mr Tutu celebrates his 79th birthday.

A bookshop MLK would have been proud of

 

Books about Black culture by the dozen

 

New Beacon books is not your average bookshop.  It is situated a few doors down from my flat in Finsbury Park in the heart of cosmopolitan London.

Just passing by, looking in the window is enough to catch the eye of any activist concerned with Black empowerment and engagement.  The shop is quite literally littered with works of some of the most well known and prominent Black British, African, and European figures in history.

Ngugi wa Thiong’o odds on to win Nobel Prize for Literature

Ngugi: Author and nobel prize nominee

A Kenyan author has been tipped to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, having steadily risen from being an outside bet to the bookies favourite.

Ngugi wa Thiong’o is a social commentator, activist and professor at the University of California. His  seminal linguistics and post colonial text Decolonising the Mind is the most well known work in his catalogue , but he has also written for childrens literature.

Renewed interest in an author whose life narrative is as interesting as his array of accomplishments is testament to the spirit and pluck of a man who became a rebel after a play that he authored caused such uproar that he was imprisoned without trial in 1977.

Brazil’s election moves to second round of voting

Lula successor still to be elected

The first round of the Brazilian Presidential election has proved inconclusive, moving into a second round of voting.

It was widely thought before the weekend that Dilma Rousseff would have secured the badly needed 50% of the popular vote and with it the Presidency.   Rousseff is the preferred candidate of the outgoing President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

However, the Workers’ Party candidate fell short securing 47% of the vote in part due to a late surge by Green Party candidate Marina Silva.  Social Democrat Jose Serra secured 33% of the popular vote.

Wilders facing charges for inciting racial hatred

Nazi in the dock

Gert Wilders the controversial Dutch MP is set to face up to five charges of inciting racial hatred against Muslims.

If convicted he could be fined and face imprisonment.

Wilders, who is head of the far-right Dutch Freedom Party, is expected to lead his party in forming a coalition government with the Christian Democrats in order to form a majority government.

Interview with the US President

Rolling Stone interview

Barack Obama is interviewed in this month’s Rolling Stone magazine.

Among the topics that are discussed the 44th President of the United States talks about the huge expectations that proved impossible to live up to upon his election, building cross party consensus to pass laws, and the momentum of the ‘Tea Party’ movement.

A candid Obama provides the reader with some interesting responses that are sure to provoke debate.

Doctor in the house

Altered images

A leading Egyptian newspaper has been criticised for doctoring a photograph that was taken before the latest round of Middle East peace talks which suggested that Egyptian Prime Minster Hosni Mubarak was the leading figure in the discussions.

The picture which was released in the newspaper Al-Ahram shows Hosni ahead of the group with the other leaders including the Palestinian, Israeli, Jordanian, and American Presidents trailing behind.

US midterm clouds gather

Tea Party's Christine O'Donnell causes upset

With the US mid term elections approaching Ewan MacAskill in today’s Guardian writes from America about the shockwaves permeating through the US political establishment as voters in primary elections in Delaware, New York and New Hampshire choose to stump for the right wing tea party movement candidates over their moderate Republican counterparts.

Australia condemned by UN as “new apartheid” nation

Racial descrimination

Australia the “new apartheid ‘ nation attracts UN condemnation for failing
to tackle racism.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and the
UN Race Discrimination Commissioner says the next Australian government must
amend the constitution to make it impossible to suspend the Racial Discrimination
Act.

Australia makes history and elects its first Aboriginal Senator

Ken Wyatt

The land and down under made history last week when Australia elected its first Aboriginal Senator in its 110-year parliamentary history.

Whilst the Aboriginal community celebrates the election of Senator Mr. Ken
Wyatt Aussie racists were bombarding him with hate mail.

Wyclef, no appeal on Haitian presidential candidacy

Jean: contemplating his political future

Acclaimed rapper and aspiring Haitian President  Wyclef Jean will not be allowed to stand as a candidate in the Haitian elections, due to take place in November.

The decision is final and was made by the Haitian Electoral Council.

Who let the dogs out?

Obama: facing racist backlash

After Barack Obama’s historic election, there were significant voices on both sides of the Atlantic who talked about a post-racial world; a place in which the colour of one’s skin, or the religion one practiced would no longer hold any negative connotations in this brave new world.

Black communites call for Russian World Cup bid to be opposed due to rampant racism

Odemwingie: targeted with racial abuse

Russia 2018 World Cup bid was at the centre of a growing race controversy as the scale of racism and racist attacks in the former Soviet Union threatened to derail their bid to host the World Cup.

In May 2006 Amnesty International reported that racism in Russia was ‘”out of control”.

Haiti Presidential election: What now for Wyclef?

Wyclef: appealing for candidacy

After a torrent of media speculation, a smartly dressed announcement and yes more than a few raised eyebrows international music star Wyclef Jean’s presidential ambitions have hit a major stumbling block.

The ruling last week of the Haitian election board means that Wyclef can’t appear on the ballot for the November Haitian presidential elections. Not to be deterred the music artist has launched an appeal to revive his political ambitions on the island.

The Black world demands that France repay Haiti

Sarkozy meets earthquake survivor

In an audacious move that confronts the past whilst addressing the present day plight of Haitians struggling to come to terms with one of the worlds most devastating natural disasters, a group of activists, academics, and writers are demanding that France repay the illegal debt it imposed on the newly independent sovereign state some 200 years ago.

Racism charge hits Indian Games Organising Committee

ICGOC facing racism allegations

Stumbling through a minefield of allegations and controversies, the Indian Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (ICGOC) has been hit with another, very serious, allegation: racism.

Malaysian experts hired by the ICGOC in various roles, from press operations to venue and sports management, have alleged that they are being treated as second class citizens compared to those hired from Australia, New Zealand, England, Canada and even Singapore.

Florida immigrant crackdown aims to outdo Arizona laws

Florida introduces harsher immigration law

In a move that is set to both raise the temperature of the immigration debate stateside – as well as provide anti-immigrationists with more fuel for their fire – the state of Florida is about to outdo Arizona with new laws on immigration.