Tag Archives: Uganda

Voices from Catholic Africa: Church modernization is a mistake

By TGO on | Leave a Comment

More BS and archaic chatter from Catholics, ignorant as they are… TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Reuters

By Elias Biryabarema | Reuters

LUWERO, Uganda (Reuters) – Over the past century, the Catholic Church has been growing fastest in one of the regions other Catholics know least. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for only one percent of the world Catholic population in 1910. By 2010, that had jumped to 16 percent.

The faith here has a strength and exuberance that reminds some of early Christians. “These people are living a kind of New Testament experience,” says U.S. theologian George Weigel.

It is also highly conservative. Interviews in Luwero, a town in central Uganda, elicited moral stands so strict they would surprise Catholics in the West, as well as deep concern about poverty and justice.

“Modernisation has spoiled Catholics a little bit and they think they have to do whatever they want,” said Joseph Lwevuze, 58, who grows pineapples, coffee and other crops in a nearby village and teaches catechism at his local church.

“Homosexuality is a globalization issue,” he said to illustrate his point. “It’s a virus, if I can use today’s computer language. It’s a computer virus that’s spreading. Even animals do not do it.”

Demands from Europe or the United States for reform of Church attitudes meet stiff opposition here. “The new pope needs to maintain and even tighten traditional Church teaching,” said brickmaker Frederick Lule, 25, who struggles to feed his wife and two children but honors the Catholic ban on artificial birth control and abortion.

“I think those pills they give women bring diseases,” said Joanina Nansubuga, a 35-year-old mother of seven, one of few who did not object to the idea of married priests.

“If you allow priests to marry, then the Catholic Church will start to crumble,” objected Edward Sindamanya, 64, who walked from his hamlet to Our Lady Queen of Peace Cathedral to pay his tithe and say a rosary. “I’ve also heard women want to be allowed to be priests. That can’t be.”

What these Catholics wanted most from the next pope was more help to fight poverty and provide better education and health facilities.

“The Gospel should be translated into action so there are equal opportunities for the African farmer to sell coffee to Europe and get better prices,” said Rev Gerald Wamala, 36, a local priest and head of the local church AIDS program. “It would be great for the new pope to speak out on equity in international trade.”

(Edited by Tom Heneghan and Sara Ledwith)

Posted in: Religion | Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

2012 Summer Olympics – Overall Medal Count

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Medals won by each participating country…

Source: Yahoo Sports

Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 United States 46 29 29 104
2 China 38 27 23 88
3 Russia 24 26 32 82
4 Great Britain 29 17 19 65
5 Germany 11 19 14 44
6 Japan 7 14 17 38
7 Australia 7 16 12 35
8 France 11 11 12 34
9 South Korea 13 8 7 28
10 Italy 8 9 11 28
11 Netherlands 6 6 8 20
12 Ukraine 6 5 9 20
13 Canada 1 5 12 18
14 Hungary 8 4 5 17
15 Spain 3 10 4 17
16 Brazil 3 5 9 17
17 Cuba 5 3 6 14
18 Kazakhstan 7 1 5 13
19 New Zealand 6 2 5 13
20 Iran 4 5 3 12
21 Jamaica 4 4 4 12
22 Belarus 2 5 5 12
23 Kenya 2 4 5 11
24 Czech Republic 4 3 3 10
25 Azerbaijan 2 2 6 10
25 Poland 2 2 6 10
27 Romania 2 5 2 9
28 Denmark 2 4 3 9
29 Sweden 1 4 3 8
30 Colombia 1 3 4 8
31 Ethiopia 3 1 3 7
32 Georgia 1 3 3 7
32 Mexico 1 3 3 7
34 North Korea 4 0 2 6
35 South Africa 3 2 1 6
36 Croatia 3 1 2 6
37 India 0 2 4 6
38 Turkey 2 2 1 5
39 Lithuania 2 1 2 5
40 Ireland 1 1 3 5
41 Mongolia 0 2 3 5
42 Switzerland 2 2 0 4
43 Norway 2 1 1 4
44 Argentina 1 1 2 4
44 Serbia 1 1 2 4
44 Slovenia 1 1 2 4
47 Trinidad and Tobago 1 0 3 4
47 Uzbekistan 1 0 3 4
49 Slovakia 0 1 3 4
50 Tunisia 1 1 1 3
51 Thailand 0 2 1 3
52 Armenia 0 1 2 3
52 Belgium 0 1 2 3
52 Finland 0 1 2 3
55 Dominican Republic 1 1 0 2
56 Latvia 1 0 1 2
57 Egypt 0 2 0 2
58 Bulgaria 0 1 1 2
58 Taiwan 0 1 1 2
58 Estonia 0 1 1 2
58 Indonesia 0 1 1 2
58 Malaysia 0 1 1 2
58 Puerto Rico 0 1 1 2
64 Greece 0 0 2 2
64 Qatar 0 0 2 2
64 Moldova 0 0 2 2
64 Singapore 0 0 2 2
68 Algeria 1 0 0 1
68 Bahamas 1 0 0 1
68 Grenada 1 0 0 1
68 Uganda 1 0 0 1
68 Venezuela 1 0 0 1
73 Botswana 0 1 0 1
73 Cyprus 0 1 0 1
73 Gabon 0 1 0 1
73 Guatemala 0 1 0 1
73 Montenegro 0 1 0 1
73 Portugal 0 1 0 1
79 Afghanistan 0 0 1 1
79 Bahrain 0 0 1 1
79 Hong Kong 0 0 1 1
79 Kuwait 0 0 1 1
79 Morocco 0 0 1 1
79 Saudi Arabia 0 0 1 1
79 Tajikistan 0 0 1 1
86 Albania 0 0 0 0
86 American Samoa 0 0 0 0
86 Andorra 0 0 0 0
86 Angola 0 0 0 0
86 Antigua and Barbuda 0 0 0 0
86 Aruba 0 0 0 0
86 Austria 0 0 0 0
86 Bangladesh 0 0 0 0
86 Barbados 0 0 0 0
86 Belize 0 0 0 0
86 Benin 0 0 0 0
86 Bermuda 0 0 0 0
86 Bhutan 0 0 0 0
86 Bolivia 0 0 0 0
86 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 0 0 0
86 Brunei 0 0 0 0
86 Burkina Faso 0 0 0 0
86 Burundi 0 0 0 0
86 Cambodia 0 0 0 0
86 Cameroon 0 0 0 0
86 Cape Verde 0 0 0 0
86 Cayman Islands 0 0 0 0
86 Central African Republic 0 0 0 0
86 Chad 0 0 0 0
86 Chile 0 0 0 0
86 Comoros 0 0 0 0
86 Congo 0 0 0 0
86 Cook Islands 0 0 0 0
86 Costa Rica 0 0 0 0
86 Cote d’Ivoire 0 0 0 0
86 Djibouti 0 0 0 0
86 Dominica 0 0 0 0
86 Democratic Republic of the Congo 0 0 0 0
86 Ecuador 0 0 0 0
86 El Salvador 0 0 0 0
86 Equatorial Guinea 0 0 0 0
86 Eritrea 0 0 0 0
86 Fiji 0 0 0 0
86 Gambia 0 0 0 0
86 Ghana 0 0 0 0
86 Guam 0 0 0 0
86 Guinea 0 0 0 0
86 Guinea-Bissau 0 0 0 0
86 Guyana 0 0 0 0
86 Haiti 0 0 0 0
86 Honduras 0 0 0 0
86 Iceland 0 0 0 0
86 Independent Olympic Athletes 0 0 0 0
86 Iraq 0 0 0 0
86 Israel 0 0 0 0
86 Jordan 0 0 0 0
86 Kiribati 0 0 0 0
86 Kyrgyzstan 0 0 0 0
86 Laos 0 0 0 0
86 Lebanon 0 0 0 0
86 Lesotho 0 0 0 0
86 Liberia 0 0 0 0
86 Libya 0 0 0 0
86 Liechtenstein 0 0 0 0
86 Luxembourg 0 0 0 0
86 Madagascar 0 0 0 0
86 Malawi 0 0 0 0
86 Maldives 0 0 0 0
86 Mali 0 0 0 0
86 Malta 0 0 0 0
86 Marshall Islands 0 0 0 0
86 Mauritania 0 0 0 0
86 Mauritius 0 0 0 0
86 Micronesia 0 0 0 0
86 Macedonia 0 0 0 0
86 Monaco 0 0 0 0
86 Mozambique 0 0 0 0
86 Myanmar 0 0 0 0
86 Namibia 0 0 0 0
86 Nauru 0 0 0 0
86 Nepal 0 0 0 0
86 Nicaragua 0 0 0 0
86 Niger 0 0 0 0
86 Nigeria 0 0 0 0
86 Oman 0 0 0 0
86 Pakistan 0 0 0 0
86 Palau 0 0 0 0
86 Palestine 0 0 0 0
86 Panama 0 0 0 0
86 Papua New Guinea 0 0 0 0
86 Paraguay 0 0 0 0
86 Peru 0 0 0 0
86 Philippines 0 0 0 0
86 Rwanda 0 0 0 0
86 St. Kitts and Nevis 0 0 0 0
86 Saint Lucia 0 0 0 0
86 Samoa 0 0 0 0
86 San Marino 0 0 0 0
86 Sao Tome and Principe 0 0 0 0
86 Senegal 0 0 0 0
86 Seychelles 0 0 0 0
86 Sierra Leone 0 0 0 0
86 Solomon Islands 0 0 0 0
86 Somalia 0 0 0 0
86 Sri Lanka 0 0 0 0
86 St. Vincent and Grenadines 0 0 0 0
86 Sudan 0 0 0 0
86 Suriname 0 0 0 0
86 Swaziland 0 0 0 0
86 Syria 0 0 0 0
86 Tanzania 0 0 0 0
86 Timor-Leste 0 0 0 0
86 Togo 0 0 0 0
86 Tonga 0 0 0 0
86 Turkmenistan 0 0 0 0
86 Tuvalu 0 0 0 0
86 United Arab Emirates 0 0 0 0
86 Uruguay 0 0 0 0
86 Vanuatu 0 0 0 0
86 Vietnam 0 0 0 0
86 British Virgin Islands 0 0 0 0
86 U.S. Virgin Islands 0 0 0 0
86 Yemen 0 0 0 0
86 Zambia 0 0 0 0
86 Zimbabwe 0 0 0 0
Posted in: Sports | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Malaysian police rescue 21 Ugandan ‘sex slaves’

By TGO on | Leave a Comment

One can only imagine the level of human degradation that goes on in third world countries, especially in overly populated cities in certain parts of the Far East, where sexual abuse and the exploitation of women and children is commonplace. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

By EILEEN NG – Associated Press | AP – Tue, Oct 18, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian police said Tuesday they have busted a sex slave ring and rescued 21 Ugandan women who were forced into prostitution after being lured to Malaysia with promises of jobs as maids.

Criminal investigation chief Bakri Zinin said in a statement that police found the women, aged between 19 and 42, holed up in four apartment units in central Selangor state during a raid on Friday.

He said three Ugandans — two women believed to be pimps and a man suspected of being a customer — were detained.

Initial investigations showed the 21 women were promised jobs as maids in homes and hotels with a salary of $1,000 a month, but instead forced to become “sex slaves” to pay off travel fees and other costs totaling $7,000, he said.

The women were brought into the country via China, and were threatened verbally and physically to stop them from running away, the statement added.

A police official said Tuesday that investigations were focused on how long the ring had been in operation and who the masterminds were. The official, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the women have been temporarily placed in a welfare home and would be deported later.

It was not immediately clear what charges the three detained Ugandans would face, but human trafficking in Malaysia is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

This Southeast Asian nation has constantly been under the spotlight for human trafficking.

In 2009, it was placed on the U.S. list of countries with worst human trafficking records for a third time — meaning it faced possible sanctions unless its record improved. Last year, Malaysia was upgraded to a “watch list” after authorities stepped up efforts to combat the sexual and forced labor exploitation of women and children.

Posted in: General Discussion | Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Importance of religion by country

By TGO on | Leave a Comment

The percentages identified below reflect a poll response to the following question: “Is religion important in your daily life?”

You will probably notice that totals do not add up to 100%, and that is because some of the respondents either failed (or refused) to answer and others answered that they didn’t know. It is the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers that are tabulated below.

What you may find interesting (and is quite obvious) is that as you work your way down the list toward those countries where people answered more favorably that religion was in fact important in their daily lives you will find the most culturally, technologically and economically backward societies; mainly countries in Africa, Central and South America and the Middle East. These are the countries where Christianity (primarily Catholicism) and Islam rule. No surprise there… TGO

Source: Wikipedia

Country Yes, important No, unimportant
 Estonia 16% 78%
 Sweden 16.5% 83%
 Denmark 18% 80.5%
 Czech Republic 20.5% 74.5%
 Norway 20.5% 78%
 Hong Kong 23% 75.5%
 Japan 23.5% 75%
 United Kingdom 26.5% 73%
 Finland 28% 70%
 France 29.5% 69.5%
 Vietnam 29.5% 69.5%
 Australia 32% 67.5%
 Netherlands 33% 66.5%
 New Zealand 33% 66%
 Belarus 33% 57.5%
 Cuba 33.5% 64%
 Russia 33% 60.5%
 Albania 32.5% 62%
 Bulgaria 33.5% 62%
 Latvia 39% 58.5%
 Belgium 33% 57.5%
 Hungary 39% 58.5%
 Slovenia 47% 52.5%
 Azerbaijan 49.5% 48.5%
 Spain 49.5% 50%
 Taiwan 45% 54%
 Germany 40.5% 59%
 Uruguay 40.5% 59%
 Switzerland 41.5% 56%
 Canada 42% 57%
 South Korea 42.5% 55.5%
 Ukraine 45.5% 48.5%
 Lithuania 41.5% 49.5%
 Slovakia 46.5% 51.5%
 Israel 49.5% 49.5%
 Singapore 70% 29%
 Montenegro 45.5% 48%
 Serbia 50.5% 46.5%
 Kazakhstan 43% 48.5%
 Austria 55% 43%
 Ireland 53.5% 46.5%
 Uzbekistan 51% 45.5%
 Argentina 66% 33%
 Chile 69.5% 29.5%
 Belize 61.5% 33%
 United States 65% 34.5%
 Kyrgyzstan 72.5% 25%
 Moldova 71.5% 19%
 Venezuela 79% 20.5%
 Croatia 66.5% 30.5%
 Greece 71.5% 29.5%
 Armenia 72.5% 25%
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 66% 29.5%
 Jamaica 70% 29.5%
 Mexico 72% 25.5%
 Portugal 71.5% 26%
 Italy 71.5% 26%
 Kosovo 63.5% 31.5%
 Cyprus 75% 24.5%
 Poland 74.5% 19.5%
 Botswana 77% 23%
 Georgia 80% 16%
 Haiti 75% 22.5%
 Tajikistan 84.5% 12.5%
 Macedonia 78.5% 20.5%
 Trinidad and Tobago 92% 8%
 Romania 84% 12.5%
 Zimbabwe 87.5% 12.5%
 Dominican Republic 86% 13.5%
 Ecuador 82% 17.5%
 India 79% 17%
 Iraq 86% 10.5%
 Nicaragua 84% 15%
 Iran 82.5% 15.5%
 Costa Rica 79% 19.5%
 El Salvador 83% 15.5%
 Kuwait 92.5% 5.5%
 Malaysia 95.5% 3.5%
 Peru 83.5% 14.5%
 Lebanon 89.5% 10%
 Puerto Rico 84.5% 13.5%
 Bolivia 88.5% 10.5%
 Brazil 86.5% 13%
 Burkina Faso 87.5% 12%
 Colombia 82.5% 16%
 South Africa 84.5% 15.5%
 Algeria 93% 6.5%
 Cambodia 96% 3.5%
 Guatemala 88% 9%
 Honduras 84% 15.5%
 Panama 88% 10.5%
 Philippines 95.5% 4%
 Togo 80% 13%
 Ethiopia 91% 9%
 Rwanda 95% 4.5%
 Mozambique 86% 14%
 Palestinian territories 93% 6%
 Paraguay 91.5% 7.5%
 Turkey 89.5% 9.5%
 Burundi 97.5% 2.5%
 Namibia 91.5% 8.5%
 Tunisia 93% 5%
 Uganda 93% 7%
 Angola 88% 10.5%
 Chad 94% 6%
 Ghana 94.5% 5%
 Madagascar 93% 7%
 Nepal 93% 6%
 Benin 92.5% 6.5%
 Cameroon 95.5% 4.5%
 Central African Republic 94% 6%
 Liberia 94% 6%
 Mali 94.5% 5.5%
 Mauritania 98% 1.5%
 Comoros 96% 2.5%
 Nigeria 95.5% 2.5%
 Jordan 96.5% 3.5%
 Kenya 94% 6%
 Sudan 94% 6%
 Thailand 94% 5.5%
 Yemen 96% 3.5%
 Afghanistan 97% 3%
 Guinea 97% 3%
 Laos 96.5% 2.5%
 Myanmar 96.5% 3%
 Niger 100% 0%
 Pakistan 96.5% 2.5%
 Saudi Arabia 94.5% 3.5%
 Zambia 97% 3%
 Côte d’Ivoire 88% 12%
 Democratic Republic of the Congo 98.5% 1.5%
 Djibouti 98% 1.5%
 Malawi 98.5% 1.5%
 Morocco 98.5% 1%
 Senegal 96.5% 3.5%
 Sierra Leone 98% 1.5%
 Tanzania 96.5% 3.5
 United Arab Emirates 91% 8.5%
 Qatar 94.5% 4.5%
 Bahrain 95.5% 3.5%
 Bangladesh 100% 0%
 Indonesia 99% 0%
 Sri Lanka 98.5% 1%
 Egypt 98% 2%
 Republic of the Congo 94.5% 5.5%
 Somalia 98.5% 1.5%

Posted in: Religion | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Catholic Church

By TGO on | 1 Comment

Below is a listing of countries and their approximate total population, with the population/percentage of Catholics in each. As one might expect, the numbers are staggering. Of the almost 6 1/2 billion people on Earth, over 1 billion are Catholics. What a shame!

Just consider for a moment the amount of money that this corrupt organization takes in every year. At just $1 dollar per person per year, that’s well over one billion dollars annually; and we know this is an extremely modest estimate. Oh and one more thing, the Church pays no taxes! By the way, this is just money from personal donations, it doesn’t include all of the money the Catholic Church makes through corporate donations, land ownership, interest on its holdings, schools, etc. Talk about BIG business, the Catholic Church is by far the most profitable business on the planet!

Most of you have probably heard the saying: “Money is the root of all evil.” This may help explain why the Catholic Church is so corrupt and abusive… TGO

Source: Wikipedia

Region Country Total Population  % Catholic Catholic total
Catholic Church by country
Southern Africa  Zimbabwe (details) 12,746,990 7.71% 982,792
Southern Africa  Zambia (details) 11,261,795 26.31% 2,962,978
Middle East  Yemen (details) 20,727,063 0.02% 4,145
North Africa  Western Sahara (details) 273,008 0.06% 163
Southeast Asia  Vietnam (details) 83,535,576 6.7% 5,530,055
South America  Venezuela (details) 25,375,281 96% 24,157,267
Western Europe  Vatican City (details) 921 100% 921
Oceania  Vanuatu (details) 243,304 13.1% 36,500
Central Asia  Uzbekistan (details) 26,851,195 0.01% 2,685
South America  Uruguay (details) 3,415,920 47.1% 1,981,233
North America  United States (details) 310,688,000 23.9% 74,115,001
Western Europe  United Kingdom (details) 60,441,457 14% 8,461,803
Middle East  United Arab Emirates (details) 2,563,212 5% 128,160
Eastern Europe  Ukraine (details) 46,481,000 2.2% 3,737,116
East Africa  Uganda (details) 27,269,482 41.9% 11,425,912
Central Asia  Turkmenistan (details) 4,952,081 0.54% 26,741
Middle East  Turkey (details) 69,660,559 0.05% 34,830
North Africa  Tunisia (details) 10,074,951 0.22% 22,164
South America  Trinidad and Tobago (details) 1,088,644 26% 283,047
Oceania  Tonga (details) 102,000 16% 16,320
West Africa  Togo (details) 5,681,519 27.8% 1,579,462
Southeast Asia  Thailand (details) 65,444,371 0.44% 287,955
East Africa  Tanzania (details) 36,766,356 25.74% 9,463,660
Central Asia  Tajikistan (details) 7,163,506 0.55% 39,399
East Asia  Taiwan (details) 22,894,384 1.39% 318,231
West Africa  São Tomé and Príncipe (details) 163,000 70.3 144,000
Middle East  Syria (details) 18,448,752 2% 368,975
Western Europe  Switzerland (details) 7,507,000 41.8% 3,137,926
Western Europe  Sweden (details) 9,001,774 1.62% 145,828
Southern Africa  Swaziland (details) 1,173,900 20% 62,803
South America  Suriname (details) 438,144 22.8% 78,865
North Africa  Sudan (details) 40,187,486 5% 2,009,374
South Asia  Sri Lanka (details) 20,064,776 7.12% 1,428,612
Western Europe  Spain (details) 44,708,462 94% 35,766,769
Southern Africa  South Africa (details) 44,344,136 7.1% 2,851,327
East Africa  Somalia (details) 8,591,629 0.001% 100
Oceania  Solomon Islands (details) 523,000 19% 100,000
Central Europe  Slovenia (details) 2,011,070 57.8% 1,162,398
Central Europe  Slovakia (details) 5,431,363 68.9% 4,012,209
Southeast Asia  Singapore (details) 4,425,720 4.8% 165,964
West Africa  Sierra Leone (details) 6,017,643 2.9% 174,511
East Africa  Seychelles (details) 81,188 82.3% 66,817
Balkans  Serbia (details) 7,498,175 5.5% 433,167
West Africa  Senegal (details) 11,126,832 3.5% 389,439
Middle East  Saudi Arabia (details) 26,417,599 2.5% 660,439
Southern Europe  San Marino (details) 29,251 95% 29,230
Oceania  Samoa (details) 179,000 19.6% 35,084
Caribbean  Saint Lucia (details) 156,260 67.5% 109,000
East Africa  Rwanda (details) 8,440,820 56.5% 4,726,859
Eastern Europe  Russia (details) 143,420,309 0.53% 760,127
Balkans  Romania (details) 22,329,977 4.7% 1,787,408
Middle East  Qatar (details) 863,051 5.8% 50,000
Caribbean  Puerto Rico (details) 3,916,632 85% 3,129,137
Western Europe  Portugal (details) 10,356,117 84.5% 8,750,919
Central Europe  Poland (details) 38,635,144 89.8% 34,694,359
Southeast Asia  Philippines (details) 91,077,287 80.9% 75,594,148
South America  Peru (details) 27,925,628 81.3% 22,619,758
South America  Paraguay (details) 6,347,884 89.6% 5,688,339
Oceania  Papua New Guinea (details) 5,545,268 27% 1,828,274
Central America  Panama (details) 3,339,150 85% 2,838,277
Middle East  Palestine (details) 3,761,904 2% 80,000
Oceania  Palau (details) 19,949 41.6% 8,299
South Asia  Pakistan (details) 162,419,946 0.79% 1,283,117
Middle East  Oman (details) 3,001,583 0.1% 3,001
Western Europe  Norway (details) 4,593,041 1% 229,652
West Africa  Nigeria (details) 158,259,000 14%-24% 37,500,000
West Africa  Niger (details) 11,665,937 0.1% 11,665
Central America  Nicaragua (details) 5,142,098 58.5% 2,652,985
Oceania  New Zealand (details) 4,035,461 12.6% 510,485
Oceania  New Caledonia (details) 249,000 60% 150,000
Western Europe  Netherlands (details) 16,406,703 30% 5,050,629
South Asia  Nepal (details) 27,676,547 0.03% 8,302
Southern Africa  Namibia (details) 2,030,692 16.95% 344,202
Southeast Asia  Myanmar (details) 42,909,464 1.05% 450,549
Southern Africa  Mozambique (details) 19,406,703 23.8% 4,618,795
North Africa  Morocco (details) 32,725,847 0.07% 22,908
Central Asia  Mongolia (details) 2,791,272 0.04% 1,116
Western Europe  Monaco (details) 32,543 90% 29,288
Eastern Europe  Moldova (details) 4,455,421 0.46% 20,494
North America  Mexico (details) 108,700,000 76.5% 95,656,000
Southern Africa  Mauritius (details) 1,230,602 23.6% 289,314
North Africa  Mauritania (details) 3,086,859 0.15% 4,000
Caribbean  Martinique (details) 436,131 95% 415,000
Oceania  Marshall Islands (details) 62,000 8.4% 5,208
Southern Europe  Malta (details) 400,214 98% 375,761
West Africa  Mali (details) 12,291,529 1.54% 189,289
South Asia  Maldives (details) 349,106 0.02% 80
Southeast Asia  Malaysia (details) 23,953,136 3.3% 790,453
Southern Africa  Malawi (details) 12,158,924 19.57% 2,379,501
Southern Africa  Madagascar (details) 18,040,341 24.01% 4,331,485
Balkans  Macedonia (details) 2,038,514 1% 20,452
Western Europe  Luxembourg (details) 468,571 87% 407,655
Northern Europe  Lithuania (details) 3,596,617 79% 2,841,327
Western Europe  Liechtenstein (details) 33,863 76.2% 25,803
North Africa  Libya (details) 5,765,563 0.7% 40,358
West Africa  Liberia (details) 3,482,211 5.42% 188,735
Southern Africa  Lesotho (details) 1,867,035 70% 1,306,924
Middle East  Lebanon (details) 3,826,018 30% 1,150,000
Northern Europe  Latvia (details) 2,290,237 17.04% 390,256
Southeast Asia  Laos (details) 6,217,141 0.6% 37,302
Central Asia  Kyrgyzstan (details) 5,146,281 0.56% 28,819
Middle East  Kuwait (details) 2,335,648 6.16% 143,875
East Asia  Korea, South (details) 48,846,823 10.9% 5,324,303
East Asia  Korea, North (details) 22,912,177 0.017% 4,000
Oceania  Kiribati (details) 98,000 55% 51,000
East Africa  Kenya (details) 33,829,590 33% 11,163,764
Central Asia  Kazakhstan (details) 15,185,844 0.66% 100,226
Middle East  Jordan (details) 5,759,732 1.2% 69,116
East Asia  Japan (details) 127,417,244 0.4% 509,668
Caribbean  Jamaica (details) 2,731,832 2.6% 218,546
Western Europe  Italy (details) 59,102,112 90% 53,191,900
Middle East  Israel (details) 7,746,000 1.5% 94,153
Western Europe  Ireland (details) 4,234,925 87.4% 3,743,673
Middle East  Iraq (details) 26,074,906 1.19% 310,291
Middle East  Iran (details) 68,017,860 0.02% 13,603
Southeast Asia  Indonesia (details) 241,973,879 3% 7,380,203
South Asia  India (details) 1,080,264,388 1.58% 17,068,177
Western Europe  Iceland (details) 296,737 2.5% 8,902
Central Europe  Hungary (details) 10,006,835 51.9% 5,593,547
Central America  Honduras (details) 7,335,204 97% 5,941,515
Caribbean  Haiti (details) 8,521,622 80% 6,817,297
South America  Guyana (details) 765,283 8.1% 91,833
West Africa  Guinea-Bissau (details) 1,416,027 8.97% 127,017
West Africa  Guinea (details) 9,467,866 2.66% 251,845
Central America  Guatemala (details) 14,655,189 55% 8,060,353
Oceania  Guam (details) 154,623 85% 131,430
Caribbean  Guadeloupe (details) 405,500 86% 350,000
Caribbean  Grenada (details) 89,502 53% 47,436
Balkans  Greece (details) 11,170,957 0.41% 45,873
West Africa  Ghana (details) 21,029,853 15.1% 5,257,463
Western Europe  Germany (details) 82,431,390 34% 27,870,000
Eastern Europe  Georgia (details) 4,677,401 0.8% 84,193
West Africa  Gambia (details) 1,593,256 2.1% 33,458
West Africa  Gabon (details) 1,389,201 50.17% 696,962
South America  French Guiana (details) 221,500 75% 166,500
Western Europe  France (details) 60,656,178 83-88% 39,934,650
Western Europe  Finland (details) 5,223,442 0.14% 7,312
Oceania  Fiji (details) 893,354 9.1% 80,401
South America  Falkland Islands (details) 2,000 10.0% 200
East Africa  Ethiopia (details) 73,053,286 0.7% 584,426
Northern Europe  Estonia (details) 1,332,893 0.36% 4,798
East Africa  Eritrea (details) 4,561,599 3.34% 152,357
Central Africa  Equatorial Guinea (details) 676,000 87% 590,000
Central America  El Salvador (details) 6,704,932 79.1% 5,303,601
North Africa  Egypt (details) 77,505,756 0.35% 271,270
South America  Ecuador (details) 13,363,593 95% 12,695,413
Southeast Asia  East Timor (details) 1,040,880 98% 924,718
Caribbean  Dominican Republic (details) 9,105,034 95% 8,649,782
Caribbean  Dominica (details) 71,540 61.4% 55,000
East Africa  Djibouti (details) 476,703 0.2% 953
Western Europe  Denmark (details) 5,432,335 2% 104,867
West Africa  Côte d’Ivoire (details) 17,298,040 35%-40% 6,054,314
Central Europe  Czech Republic (details) 10,241,138 26.8% 2,744,624
Middle East  Cyprus (details) 780,133 1.28% 9,985
North America  Cuba (details) 11,346,670 85% 9,644,669
Central Europe  Croatia (details) 4,495,904 87.8% 3,947,403
Central America  Costa Rica (details) 4,016,173 76.3% 3,064,339
Central Africa  Congo, Republic of (details) 3,686,000 50.5% 1,861,000
Central Africa  Congo, Democratic Republic of (details) 65,751,512 50% 36,163,331
East Africa  Comoros (details) 671,247 2% 201
South America  Colombia (details) 42,954,279 90% 38,658,851
East Asia  China (details) 1,306,313,812 0.75% 9,797,353
South America  Chile (details) 16,267,278 70% 11,387,094
Central Africa  Chad (details) 9,826,419 20.1% 880,447
Central Africa  Central African Republic (details) 3,799,897 25% 949,974
West Africa  Cape Verde (details) 516,733 93% 480,500
North America  Canada (details) 32,805,041 42.6% 13,974,947
West Africa  Cameroon (details) 16,380,005 25.68% 4,206,385
Southeast Asia  Cambodia (details) 13,607,069 0.16% 21,771
Central Africa  Burundi (details) 6,370,609 62% 3,949,777
West Africa  Burkina Faso (details) 13,925,313 17% 2,367,303
Balkans  Bulgaria (details) 7,450,349 1% 74,503
Southeast Asia  Brunei (details) 372,361 6.36% 23,682
South America  Brazil (details) 186,112,794 73.6% 136,979,016
Southern Africa  Botswana (details) 1,640,115 4.94% 81,021
Balkans  Bosnia and Herzegovina (details) 4,025,476 15% 625,558
South America  Bolivia (details) 8,857,870 81.8% 7,245,738
South Asia  Bhutan (details) 2,232,291 0.06% 1,339
West Africa  Benin (details) 7,460,025 27.1% 1,729,233
Central America  Belize (details) 279,457 49.6% 138,610
Western Europe  Belgium (details) 10,364,388 75% 7,773,291
Eastern Europe  Belarus (details) 10,300,483 17% 1,751,082
Caribbean  Barbados (details) 250,012 4.2% 10,000
South Asia  Bangladesh (details) 144,319,628 0.22% 317,503
Middle East  Bahrain (details) 800,000 10% 80,000
Caribbean  Bahamas (details) 330,000 13.5% 62,700
Eastern Europe  Azerbaijan (details) 8,581,400 0.03% 2,574
Central Europe  Austria (details) 8,376,761 73.6% 5,530,000
Oceania  Australia (details) 20,090,437 25.8% 5,303,875
Caribbean  Aruba (details) 103,065 80.8% 83,276
Eastern Europe  Armenia (details) 2,982,904 3.7% 110,367
South America  Argentina (details) 39,537,943 92% 36,374,907
Southern Africa  Angola (details) 16,941,000 38% 9,317,550
Western Europe  Andorra (details) 71,201 94% 66,928
North Africa  Algeria (details) 32,531,853 0.01% 3,000
Balkans  Albania (details) 3,563,112 10% 499,000
Central Asia  Afghanistan (details) 29,928,987 0.0003% 100
Total 6,442,583,922 17.18% 1,181,368,942
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Mortar bomb used as school bell in Uganda

By TGO on | 1 Comment

Question: How stupid can people be? Answer: Very, very stupid indeed. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

AFPBy Mohamed Dahir | AFP – Mon, Jul 4, 2011

Anti-landmine activists in western Uganda were stunned to discover a primary school using an unexploded mortar bomb as a bell, the group’s coordinator told AFP on Monday.

“It was a big shock. When we arrived at the school we even found one of the students striking it,” Wilson Bwambale, coordinator of Anti-Mines Network Rwenzori, said.

Bwambale said his team visited the 350-pupil Ikobero Model primary school, one kilometre from Uganda’s border with Democratic Republic of Congo, last week after being tipped off by a curious community leader.

“The bottom was hollow, that is why they used it as a bell, but the fuse at the top was still live,” Bwambale said. “Fortunately no one hit it with enough (force) to explode the bomb.”

Following the discovery, Bwambale said he called the shocked teachers to a meeting, where he was told that the school had been using the bomb as a bell for three years.

“We recovered it and put it in a safer place and recommended that the school look for something else that could be used as a gong,” Bwambale said.

Bwambale explained that the region is littered with unexploded ordnance left over from government operations against a Muslim rebel insurgency in the area that ended around six years ago.

Last year, the same team visited a school where an unsuspecting teacher was keeping a hand grenade in one of the classrooms, Bwambale said.

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Rights abuses by security forces rife in Africa: Amnesty

By TGO on | 1 Comment

Most of Africa is a total wasteland as far as human rights is concerned, not to mention poverty and disease. The Middle East, well, what can one say about the Middle East? This region has always been a mess and it is now worse than ever. Pakistan, Afghanistan and most other Muslim dominated countries in Asia are a disaster. The billion-plus people living in China are in an oppressive, communist state and the billion-plus people in India are living mostly in poverty. Central America, more specifically Mexico, is a toilet bowl with drug cartels running rampant. Other Central and South American nations are dominated by corruption and dictators; Fidel and Raul Castro in Cuba; Hugo Chavez in Venezuela; Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua; Evo Morales in Bolivia; etc. That pretty much takes care of Asia, Africa and Central/South America, or about 80% of the world’s population (five billion) people.

The other roughly one and a half billion people live in just about the only civilized parts of the globe – North America, western Europe and Australia; and these areas are not a utopia by any stretch of the imagination. Hardly anybody lives in Antarctica.

So there you have it, a brief synopsis of the world’s seven continents. Not very pleasant or promising is it? We have a long way to go before we can truly be called a civilized species; one that lives in relative prosperity, peace and harmony. In fact, that day may never come… TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

Source of Table: Wikipedia

CONTINENTS:

Continent Area (km²) Area (mi²) Percent of
total landmass		 Total population
Asia 43,820,000 16,920,000 29.5% 3,879,000,000
Africa 30,370,000 11,730,000 20.4% 922,011,000
North America 24,490,000 9,460,000 16.5% 528,720,588
South America 17,840,000 6,890,000 12.0% 382,000,000
Antarctica 13,720,000 5,300,000 9.2% 1,000
Europe 10,180,000 3,930,000 6.8% 731,000,000
Australia 9,008,500 3,478,200 5.9% 31,260,000

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Human rights violations, including extra-judicial executions and torture, by security forces still plague several African countries, Amnesty International said on Friday.

A report by the London-based rights group said excessive use of force and other ill-treatment at times resulting in unlawful killings, were among violations documented in countries such as Nigeria, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda.

It said the situation in Nigeria’s Niger Delta deteriorated in 2010, with armed groups and gangs kidnapping oil workers and their relatives and attacking oil plants.

“The reaction from the Nigerian security forces often led to human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions and torture,” the report noted.

Numerous cases of unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, torture by security agencies also remained the norm in other parts of Nigeria.

In South Africa, numerous cases of torture and ill-treatment by police were reported, many of which were investigated by the Independent Complaints Directorate. Reported incidents included beatings, electric shocks, suffocation and death threats.

Last month, footage of a 33-year-old unarmed protester being kicked and beaten with batons by police officers was shown on South African television.

The man died a few minutes later after being shot twice with rubber bullets at close range.

In Mozambique, police used live ammunition against demonstrators protesting against the high cost of living, killing at least 14 people while in Guinea, security forces fired live ammunition at peaceful demonstrators, the report said.

Despite a general trend towards the abolition of capital punishment across the continent, death row inmates in Equatorial Guinea, Sudan and Somalia were executed, often after unfair trials, it added.

The report also raised concern over the violence and increased human rights violations, including unlawful arrests and restrictions on freedom of expression, that marred elections in countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi, Guinea and Ivory Coast.

“In nearly all cases, the human rights violations were committed with total impunity,” it said.

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Ugandan paper says it will keep outing gays

By TGO on | Leave a Comment

These African countries are being led by real forward-thinkers aren’t they? Actually, they seem to be governed by the same brainless mules that label themselves Evangelical Christians or Born-Again Christians in this country. By the way, it goes without saying, but I’ll state it anyway; many of these same “leaders” are gay themselves and/or have gay family members that they protect.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, I’m a heterosexual male myself; there isn’t a gay cell in my body. Nevertheless, I’ve worked with a few homosexual men and women over the years and have learned that, at least in my field, which is design/architecture/construction, they are quite competent,  intelligent and well-educated, decent people. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Reuters

By Barry Malone Barry Malone Tue Nov 30, 1:47 pm ET

KAMPALA (Reuters) – A Ugandan newspaper that “outs” people it says are gay and has called for them to be hanged said on Tuesday it would use a two-week window before a court verdict on its activities to continue with its campaign.

Three gay activists — two women and one man — who were featured in the publication secured an interim injunction on November 1 stopping the newspaper from publishing such photos on privacy grounds.

The paper, “Rolling Stone,” has published some images under the headline “Hang them.”

A High Court judge last week heard from lawyers representing both sides before adjourning the case ahead of a verdict on December 13. A row has now broken out about whether the injunction stands until the judge makes his ruling.

“The interim order was first passed on November 1st and extended until November 26th while we prepared our case,” Giles Muhame, the 22-year-old editor of the newspaper, told Reuters.

“The judge then said on the 26th that he would pass his final verdict on December 13th, which means it expired.”

But Frank Mugisha, director of gay rights group Sexual Minorities Uganda, said his group believed the interim order stood until the day of the ruling.

The newspaper has caused international uproar and the ensuing media attention has prompted some Ugandans to dub Kampala “world homophobia capital.”

BURIED ALIVE

Rolling Stone has so far published 29 photographs with names and, in some cases, addresses and says it intends to work through a list of 100 people.

Several people featured in the newspaper say they have been attacked since its publication and activists say many more have gone into hiding.

Homosexuality is deeply unpopular in many African nations, where some see it as a Western import. It is illegal in 37 countries on the continent and activists say few Africans are openly gay, fearing imprisonment, violence and loss of jobs.

Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga last weekend ordered the arrest of homosexuals, calling their behavior unlawful and unnecessary since there were more women than men in the country, Ugandan media reported.

Muhame said he would now try to feature as many people as possible whom his newspaper considers gay in two issues before the verdict is passed.

“I hope basic justice will be done,” he told Reuters. “Some people are even calling for public hanging and some others even want to see homosexuals buried alive.”

A bill was tabled in Uganda’s parliament last year proposing the death penalty for gays and was called “odious” by President Barack Obama. It is not expected to become law.

(Editing by Richard Lough)

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Homosexuality against word of God: African bishops

By TGO on | Leave a Comment

The hypocrisies of religion… These people pick and choose the parts of their “holy book” that suits their preferences and ignore the rest. The Bible, for example, endorses slavery, yet none of these bishops would ever say that slavery is compatible with the word of God and should therefore be practiced; and they certainly wouldn’t dare say this in Africa of all places. If they did, they’d be hung from a tree within minutes.

Who knows, Rowan Williams might be a homosexual. Maybe he experimented with homosexuality and had a bad experience and therefore is now vehemently denouncing it. One never knows what these ultra-religious people are up to. One thing’s for sure, they hide behind their faith and take their actions to another level; just look at the homosexuality and pedophilia that is rampant in the Catholic Church, while on the other hand you have the “peaceful” Muslims blowing themselves up in the name of Allah.

As much as I despise religions, and those who fanatically believe in them; for all the harm that they have inflicted on mankind and the ignorance that they perpetuate, I must admit that violence aside, it really is entertaining. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

Tue Aug 24, 11:23 am ET

ENTEBBE, Uganda (AFP) – African Anglican bishops voiced their strong disapproval of homosexuality at a meeting Tuesday attended by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, as the issue continues to divide Anglicans.

“Homosexuality is incompatible with the word of God,” said conference host and Ugandan Archbishop Uganda Henry Luke Orombi.

“It is good Archbishop Rowan is here. We are going to express to him where we stand,” he added.

Head of the Anglican church worldwide, Williams is struggling to keep the communion together amid disagreements over the ordination of female bishops in Britain, and of openly gay bishops in the United States.

“There is already a break. It doesn’t need to be announced,” said Orombi.

Williams delivered a sermon Tuesday at the opening of the six-day meeting, the first of its kind since 2004.

While he did not mention homosexuality, he said it was the duty of all bishops to be open-minded on contentious issues.

“We must learn to listen to those we lead and serve to find out what their hopes and needs and confusions are. We must love them and attend to their humanity in all its diversity,” Williams said.

However the head of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa left little doubt that his position on the matter is settled.

“Today, the West is lacking obedience to the word of God,” Reverend Ian Ernest of Mauritius told journalists on the sidelines of the conference.

“It is for us (Africans) to redress the situation,” he said, adding that he has severed all ties to the Episcopalian churches in Canada and the United States that have allowed gays to enter the clergy.

Homosexuality is illegal in many African countries and is punishable by a prison sentence.

In Uganda, a drastic anti-gay bill has been met with criticism from Western states and rights group, notably for imposing the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” in cases of rape of a minor by a person of the same sex, or where one partner has HIV.

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Suicide bomber attacks Somali hotel, killing 31

By TGO on | Leave a Comment

Obviously these Muslim religious fanatics that are blowing themselves up and killing innocent people in the process couldn’t care less about the so-called “holy month” of Ramadan. This “peaceful” faith, Islam, is anything but peaceful.

The death toll reported in this article will probably rise… TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN, Associated Press Writer Mohamed Olad Hassan, Associated Press Writer

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The Somali government says 31 people were killed during an attack by a suicide bomber and gunmen on a Mogadishu hotel. Among the dead are six members of parliament.

The militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the Tuesday morning attack on the Muna Hotel.

A statement from the government says some attackers were dressed as security forces. Somalia’s information minister called the attack “a deplorable act in this holy month of Ramadan.”

It came one day after an al-Shabab spokesman threatened a massive war against what he labeled invaders, an apparent reference to the 6,000 African Union troops in Mogadishu.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A suicide bomber and gunmen stormed a hotel in Somalia’s capital on Tuesday, killing at least 15 people including members of parliament in an attack that set off an hour-long gun battle, a military spokesman and a witness said.

A parliamentarian who was at the Muna hotel said there were “dead bodies all over” and he labeled the scene a massacre.

The assault comes after Somalia’s most dangerous militant group, al-Shabab, declared a “massive war” on “invaders” — an apparent reference to the 6,000 troops from the African Union that protect the weak Somali government.

African Union spokesman Maj. Barigye Bahoku said it wasn’t immediately known how many members of parliament were killed in the attack on the Muna hotel, located a half-mile (1 kilometer) from Somalia’s presidential palace. Parliamentarians often live at Mogadishu hotels while in the capital city.

An 11-year-old shoe shine boy and a woman selling tea in front of the hotel were among the dead, Bahoku said.

Since Monday, fighting in Somalia’s capital has killed at least 40 civilians and wounded more than 130, said Ali Muse, the head of Mogadishu’s ambulance service.

A parliamentarian who was at the hotel when the attack occurred said he had seen at least 20 bodies lying in the corridor of the hotel, including one dead member of parliament. The parliamentarian spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear for his safety.

He said the suicide bomber blew himself up near the reception and then gunmen stormed the hotel, setting off a gun battle that lasted about an hour.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility last month for twin bombings in Uganda’s capital that killed 76 people, saying the attacks were in retaliation for Uganda’s deployment of troops with the African Union.

Al-Shabab has increased the use of suicide attacks in recent years, though they are still somewhat rare in Somalia. Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are believed to be helping train al-Shabab fighters.

___

Associated Press writer Malkhadir M. Muhumed contributed to this report from Nairobi, Kenya.

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Bombs strike World Cup watchers in Uganda, kill 64

By TGO on | Leave a Comment

These religious freaks who do all this killing deserve the worst kind of death imaginable. They are so infatuated with their cartoon-character Muhammad and their fairy tale, make-believe Allah that they would do anything asked of them by their cowardly leaders.

It takes inferior intelligence to believe all of their religious mumbo-jumbo, but to believe it to the point where they are willing to destroy the lives of innocent people requires the worst kind of mental perversion imaginable. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

By MAX DELANY and JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writers Max Delany And Jason Straziuso, Associated Press Writers

KAMPALA, Uganda – In simultaneous bombings bearing the hallmarks of international terrorists, two explosions ripped through crowds watching the World Cup final in two places in Uganda’s capital late Sunday, killing 64 people, police said. One American was killed and several were wounded.

The deadliest attack occurred at a rugby club as people watched the game between Spain and the Netherlands on a large-screen TV outdoors. The second blast took place at an Ethiopian restaurant, where at least three Americans were wounded.

One American was killed in the blasts, said Joann Lockard, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Kampala.

Kampala’s police chief said he believed Somalia’s most feared militant group, al-Shabab, could be responsible for the attack. Al-Shabab is known to have links with al-Qaida, and it counts militant veterans from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan conflicts among its ranks.

A head and legs were found at the rugby club, suggesting a suicide bomber may have been to blame, an AP reporter at the scene said.

At least three Americans — part of a church group from Pennsylvania — were wounded at the Ethiopian restaurant. One was Kris Sledge, 18, of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

“I remember blacking out, hearing people screaming and running,” Sledge said from the hospital. His right leg was wrapped and he had burns on his face. “I love the place here but I’m wondering why this happened and who did this … At this point we’re just glad to be alive.”

At the scenes of the two blasts, blood and pieces of flesh littered the floor among overturned chairs.

Police Chief Kale Kaihura originally said at least 30 people had been killed, though the toll could be higher.

Later, a senior police official at the scene said that 64 people had been killed — 49 from the rugby club and 15 at the Ethiopian restaurant. The official said he could not be identified.

Kaihura said he suspected al-Shabab, that country’s most hardline militant group. Its fighters, including two recruited from the Somali communities in the United States, have carried out multiple suicide bombings in Somalia. If Kaihura’s suspicions that al-Shabab was responsible for the Uganda bombings prove true, it would be the first time the group has carried out attacks outside of Somalia.

Simultaneous attacks are also one of al-Qaida’s hallmarks.

In Mogadishu, Somalia, Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa, an al-Shabab commander, told The Associated Press early Monday that he was happy with the attacks in Uganda. Issa refused to confirm or deny that al-Shabab was responsible for the bombings.

“Uganda is one of our enemies. Whatever makes them cry, makes us happy. May Allah’s anger be upon those who are against us,” Sheik said.

During weekly Friday prayers in Somalia two days before the double bombing, another al-Shabab commander, Sheik Muktar Robow, called for militants to attack sites in Uganda and Burundi — two nations that contribute troops to the African Union peacekeeping force in Mogadishu.

In addition to its troops in Mogadishu, Uganda also hosts Somali soldiers trained in U.S. and European-backed programs.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said the U.S. was prepared to provide any necessary assistance to the Ugandan government.

“The president is deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from these deplorable and cowardly attacks, and sends his condolences to the people of Uganda and the loved ones of those who have been killed or injured,” Vietor said.

Kenya’s foreign minister, Moses M. Wetangula, told The Associated Press last week that enough veteran militants from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan conflicts have relocated to Somalia to spark worry inside the international community.

International militants have flocked to Somalia because the country’s government controls only a few square miles of the capital, Mogadishu, leaving most of the rest of the country as lawless territory where insurgents can train and plan attacks unimpeded.

___

Associated Press reporters Mohamed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu, Somalia, and Godfrey Olukya in Kampala, contributed to this report. Straziuso reported from Nairobi, Kenya.

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Under pressure, Malawi’s leader pardons gay couple

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These men should consider themselves fortunate that there was so much pressure on Malawi’s government officials that they were released and pardoned after being sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Third world countries such as Malawi and many others are decades if not centuries away from ridding themselves of the mentality that is created out of religious dogma, which then permeates every aspect of society. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

By RAPHAEL TENTHANI, Associated Press Writer Raphael Tenthani, Associated Press Writer Sat May 29, 7:37 pm ET

BLANTYRE, Malawi – Malawi’s president on Saturday pardoned a gay couple who had been sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered their release but insisted that homosexuality was still illegal in his conservative southern African nation.

President Bingu wa Mutharika announced the pardon on “humanitarian grounds only” during a press conference with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Lilongwe, the capital.

“These boys committed a crime against our culture, against our religion, and against our laws,” Mutharika said. “However, as head of state, I hereby pardon them and therefore order their immediate release without any conditions.”

But he added, “We don’t condone marriages of this nature. It’s unheard of in Malawi and it’s illegal.”

Malawi had faced international condemnation for the conviction and harsh sentencing of Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, who were arrested in December, a day after celebrating their engagement.

After the pardon, activists were searching for a safe house for the couple, fearing they could be attacked upon release.

Ban praised Mutharika’s decision but said “laws that criminalize sexuality should be repealed.”

In Washington, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs also praised the move, urging an end to “the persecution and criminalization” of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Earlier this week, the top U.N. AIDS official and the head of an international donor organization met with Mutharika and expressed concern that criminalizing homosexuality would keep a vulnerable group from seeking AIDS treatment.

Joseph Amon of Human Rights Watch said the president was responding to the international outcry.

“I hope that other leaders of African countries with anti-gay laws see that this is just not acceptable in the international community,” Amon told The Associated Press by telephone from New York.

Malawi is among 37 African countries with anti-gay laws.

In Senegal, police have rounded up men suspected of being homosexual and beaten them, and a mob last year pulled the corpse of a gay man from his grave, spat on it and dumped it at the home of his elderly parents.

In Zimbabwe this month, two employees of a gay organization spent six days in jail on allegations of possessing indecent material and insulting President Robert Mugabe, an outspoken critic of homosexuality.

In Uganda, a proposed law would impose the death penalty for some gays.

Even in South Africa, the only African country that recognizes gay rights, lesbians have been gang-raped.

In Malawi, a judge convicted and sentenced Chimbalanga and Monjeza earlier this month on charges of unnatural acts and gross indecency under colonial-era laws. Crowds of Malawians had heckled the two during court hearings, with some saying that 14 years at hard labor — the harshest possible sentence — was not long enough.

Undule Mwakasungure, a gay rights activist in Malawi, told The AP on Saturday that he was concerned about the men’s safety and was working with other activists to find a safe house for them or help them temporarily leave the country.

“There is homophobic sentiment. I think they might be harmed,” Mwakasungure said.

Edi Phiri, who fled from Malawi to Britain five years ago after being beaten because he was gay, said the two might need to seek asylum outside of Malawi.

“They will be out of prison, but what will happen next?” Phiri said. “The community will see them as outcasts. I don’t think they will be safe in Malawi.”

Maxwell Manda said his brother-in-law Chimbalanga was pleased by the ruling and told the AP earlier that Chimbalanga wanted to leave Malawi upon his release.

“He has been down all week because he was separated from his partner. He is happy now,” Manda said.

Chimbalanga had been held at a Blantyre prison, while Monjeza was sent to an institution 50 miles (90 kilometers) away. Prison officials said the separation was a security measure.

The activists hoped the presidential pardon would help their efforts to overturn Malawi’s anti-gay laws and attitudes.

“The public needs to appreciate that the world is changing,” Mwakasungure said. “It won’t be easy … we’re not talking about changing the law today or tomorrow. But we have to start the process.”

Even though the pardon was immediate, a prison spokesman told The AP they had not received notification to release the two men by Saturday afternoon.

__

Associated Press writer Donna Bryson contributed to this report from Johannesburg.

Posted in: Politics, Religion | Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Gay couple convicted in Malawi faces 14-year term

By TGO on | Leave a Comment

Wow! Up to fourteen years in prison for an engagement celebration by a gay couple. If any of you out there are gay or lesbian, whatever you do don’t go to Africa; not for the World Cup or even a safari.

As usual, these kinds of laws are derived from religious beliefs. It is truly a testament to man’s hypocrisy that many of the people that impose and/or enforce these kinds of laws are high-ranking religious leaders or government officials who generally break more laws than the typical citizen. A cursory look at world news and one can easily learn what’s happening within the Catholic Church in terms of the sex abuse scandal. And how many honest politicians do we  really believe exist in all of Africa? The answer might actually be zero. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

By RAPHAEL TENTHANI, Associated Press Writer Raphael Tenthani, Associated Press Writer Tue May 18, 11:32 am ET

BLANTYRE, Malawi – A judge convicted a gay couple Tuesday of charges that could send them to jail for more than a decade following an engagement celebration, a ruling activists fear could send others into hiding and hamper the fight against AIDS.

Malawi’s government has been defiant in the face of international criticism over the couple’s prosecution since they were arrested in December.

Tiwonge Chimbalanga, a 20-year-old hotel janitor, and his unemployed partner Steven Monjeza, 26, were arrested the day after they celebrated their engagement with a party at the hotel where Chimbalanga worked — an apparent first in Malawi.

Undule Mwakasungula, a gay rights activist in Malawi, said the couple’s decision to declare their relationship with an engagement ceremony appears to have been personal, not political. Others have been prosecuted under the law but this case was different because the two men were open about their homosexuality, Mwakasungula said.

The couple were convicted of unnatural acts and gross indecency under laws dating from the colonial era. Blantyre Chief Resident Magistrate Nyakwawa Usiwa said the sentencing will take place on Thursday and they could be imprisoned for up to 14 years.

The verdict is “extremely disturbing,” said Michaela Clayton of the Namibia-based AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, saying it could encourage anti-gay sentiment in the region as well as set back the fight against AIDS.

Gay people forced underground in Africa are unlikely to seek counseling and treatment for AIDS, activists say. In Malawi, nearly 1 million people — an estimated 12 percent of the population — are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Homosexuality is illegal in at least 37 countries in Africa including Malawi. In Uganda, lawmakers are considering a bill that could sentence homosexuals to life in prison and includes capital punishment for “repeat offenders.” Even in South Africa, the only African country that recognizes gay rights, gangs have raped lesbians.

Mwakasungula said the two Malawian men were concerned that if they were released, they could be attacked by Malawians who have threatened them. But given the laws and the climate in Malawi, he said a guilty verdict had been expected.

The courtroom was packed Tuesday, and hundreds more people waited outside for a glimpse of the couple, who did not speak. Chimbalanga exchanged hi-five greetings with some in the crowd as he was escorted from the courthouse Tuesday. Monjeza, who has been tearful at previous hearings, was expressionless.

Priti Patel of the Southern African Litigation Centre, an independent rights group, said the couple could appeal on the grounds that the laws under which they were prosecuted violate the country’s 1994 constitution. But an earlier attempt by their lawyer to have the case thrown out on those grounds was rejected.

The government, backed by Malawi church leaders, says it is clear the two men broke the law. Religious officials say homosexuality is “sinful” and the West should not be allowed to use its financial power to force Malawi to accept homosexuality. Malawi relies on donors for 40 percent of its development budget.

Edi Phiri, who fled Malawi for Britain five years ago after being beaten because he was gay, said he was shocked by Tuesday’s verdict.

“It’s very, very pathetic,” he said. “I don’t know how I can describe how disappointed I am.”

___

Associated Press Writer Donna Bryson in Johannesburg contributed to this report.

Posted in: Politics, Religion | Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Tsvangirai backs Mugabe in rejection of gay rights

By TGO on | 1 Comment

For you homosexuals out there, stay away from Africa, particularly Zimbabwe. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

HARARE (AFP) – Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has backed President Robert Mugabe’s stance against including gay rights in a new constitution, state media reported Friday.

The two were speaking at a belated celebration in a Harare suburb Thursday of International Women’s Day, which was on March 8.

Mugabe reiterated his opposition to rights for gays, whom he has described as “worse than pigs and dogs”.

“I heard the issue was being raised at the constitution making process,” Mugabe said. “Those who do it, we will say, they are wayward. It is just madness, insanity.”

“That is not what we can allow,” Mugabe said, according to the state-run news agency New Ziana.

Tsvangirai said he agreed with the president’s stance.

“Why should a man seek to have a relationship with another man when women make up 52 percent of the population? In fact, men are fewer than women,” he said.

Homosexuality is illegal in Zimbabwe, where Mugabe has railed against the gay community for more than a decade, although the group Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe is allowed to operate.

Neighbouring South Africa is the only nation on the continent that gives equal rights to gays.

In nearby Malawi, a couple has been jailed since December after holding the country’s first same-sex wedding.

Kenyan police last month arrested five people who were apparently guests at a planned gay wedding.

In Uganda a lawmaker has proposed a bill that would impose tough penalties for homosexuality, including the death sentence in certain cases.

Zimbabwe is meant to write a new constitution this year to pave the way for new elections, after disputed polls in 2008 that led to the creation of the unity government between rivals Mugabe and Tsvangirai.

But the constitution-making process has made little headway since it began last year.

Posted in: General Discussion | Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Ugandan anti-gay pastor airs gay porn in church

By TGO on | Leave a Comment

Only a religious freak could be this obsessed with homosexuals; what a nut-job. And he wants the death penalty no less! TGO

Refer to brief story below. Source: Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda – A Ugandan pastor is showing gay pornography at church to try to garner support for a proposed law that would impose the death penalty for some gays.

Martin Ssempa showed the videos to some 100 adults during a church service Wednesday in Uganda’s capital.

He says he plans to show the films regularly to educate churchgoers on gay sex and also plans to show the videos to parliamentarians. He says some churchgoers cried after watching the videos, which he said he downloaded from the Internet.

Ugandan gay rights activist Julian Peppe condemned Ssempa’s decision to show pornography in church, saying he should be arrested and needs mental rehabilitation.

The proposed bill has sparked protests in London, New York and Washington.

Posted in: Religion | Tagged: , , , , , ,

List of national capitals by population

By TGO on | Leave a Comment

I thought it would be informative if not interesting to provide a list of world countries, their capital city and the approximate population of that city. Note that dependencies and disputed territories in the list below are marked in italics. The population statistics given refer only to the main city area, and does not include the wider metropolitan/urban district.

I must admit, there are many countries on this list which I had never heard of. Also of note, Washington D.C. is ranked 112th among world capitals in terms of population. TGO

Refer to information below. Source: Wikipedia

Rank Country/Territory Capital City City Population
1 Japan Tokyo (de facto) 12,790,000
2 Russia Moscow 10,524,400
3 South Korea Seoul 10,421,782
4 Mexico Mexico City 8,836,045
5 Indonesia Jakarta 8,489,910
6 Peru Lima 7,866,160
7 China Beijing 7,741,274
8 Egypt Cairo 7,438,376
9 Iran Tehran 7,404,515
10 United Kingdom London 7,287,555
11 Colombia Bogotá 7,220,971
12 Hong Kong (China) Hong Kong 6,752,001
13 Thailand Bangkok 6,542,751
14 Bangladesh Dhaka 6,080,671
15 Iraq Baghdad 5,556,562
16 Saudi Arabia Riyadh 5,318,636
17 Chile Santiago 5,012,973
18 Singapore Singapore 4,408,220
19 Democratic Republic of the Congo Kinshasa 4,385,264
20 Turkey Ankara 3,561,187
21 South Africa Cape Town 3,497,097
22 Germany Berlin 3,405,250
23 Vietnam Hanoi 3,398,889
24 Spain Madrid 3,232,463
25 North Korea Pyongyang 3,144,005
26 Afghanistan Kabul 3,140,853
27 Argentina Buenos Aires 3,021,865
28 Ethiopia Addis Ababa 2,737,479
29 Kenya Nairobi 2,665,657
30 Taiwan Taipei 2,619,920
31 Ukraine Kiev 2,591,277
32 Italy Rome 2,503,056
33 Angola Luanda 2,453,779
34 Syria Damascus 2,270,000 (2002)
35 Cuba Havana 2,236,837
36 Uzbekistan Tashkent 2,207,850
37 Brazil Brasília 2,176,681
38 France Paris 2,103,674
39 Azerbaijan Baku 1,879,251
40 Romania Bucharest 1,876,857
41 Dominican Republic Santo Domingo 1,875,453
42 Venezuela Caracas 1,838,939
43 Morocco Rabat 1,789,635
44 Sudan Khartoum 1,740,661
45 Hungary Budapest 1,728,718
46 Poland Warsaw 1,706,724
47 Belarus Minsk 1,702,061
48 Ghana Accra 1,640,507
49 Cameroon Yaoundé 1,616,000
50 Madagascar Antananarivo 1,613,375
51 Lebanon Beirut 1,574,387
52 Philippines Manila 1,568,926
53 Austria Vienna 1,552,789
54 Algeria Algiers 1,518,083
55 Ecuador Quito 1,504,991
56 Zimbabwe Harare 1,487,028
57 Yemen Sana’a 1,431,649
58 Guinea Conakry 1,399,981
59 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 1,381,830
60 Uruguay Montevideo 1,369,797
61 Zambia Lusaka 1,331,254
62 Mali Bamako 1,289,626
63 Uganda Kampala 1,284,156
64 Haiti Port-au-Prince 1,235,227
65 Jordan Amman 1,200,603
66 Libya Tripoli 1,184,045
67 Kuwait Kuwait City 1,171,880
68 Czech Republic Prague 1,150,332
69 Serbia Belgrade 1,124,729
70 Somalia Mogadishu 1,097,133
71 Bulgaria Sofia 1,090,295
72 Congo Brazzaville 1,088,044
73 South Africa Pretoria 1,086,418
74 Belgium Brussels 1,080,790
75 Armenia Yerevan 1,080,487
76 Mozambique Maputo 1,076,689
77 Georgia Tbilisi 1,044,993
78 Senegal Dakar 1,030,594
79 Burkina Faso Ouagadougou 1,005,231
80 Ireland Dublin 1,045,769
81 Guatemala Guatemala City 964,823
82 Pakistan Islamabad 955,629
83 Nicaragua Managua 926,883
84 Myanmar Naypyidaw 925,000
85 Mongolia Ulan Bator 907,802
86 Kyrgyzstan Bishkek 843,240
87 Togo Lomé 824,738
88 Panama Panama City 813,097
89 Bolivia La Paz 812,986
90 Nepal Kathmandu 812,026
91 Oman Muscat 797,000
92 Niger Niamey 794,814
93 Nigeria Abuja 778,567
94 Sweden Stockholm 770,284
95 Tunisia Tunis 767,629
96 Turkmenistan Ashgabat 763,537
97 Chad N’Djamena 751,288
98 Israel Jerusalem 747,600
99 Netherlands Amsterdam 740,094
100 Honduras Tegucigalpa 735,982
101 Central African Republic Bangui 731,548
102 Canada Ottawa 731,200
103 Greece Athens 721,477
104 Mauritania Nouakchott 719,167
105 Rwanda Kigali 718,414
106 Latvia Riga 713,016
107 Jamaica Kingston 701,063
108 Kazakhstan Astana 700,000 (2007 est.)
109 Croatia Zagreb 699,164
110 Cambodia Phnom Penh 650,651
111 Moldova Chişinău 592,900
112 United States of America Washington, D.C. 591,833
113 United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi 585,097
114 Tajikistan Dushanbe 582,496
115 Finland Helsinki 568,676
116 Lithuania Vilnius 556,723
117 Gabon Libreville 556,425
118 Eritrea Asmara 543,707
119 Norway Oslo 575,475
120 Portugal Lisbon 564,657
121 El Salvador San Salvador 521,366
122 Paraguay Asunción 520,722
123 Macau (China) Macau 520,400
124 Yemen Aden 507,355
125 Macedonia Skopje 506,926
126 Denmark Copenhagen 506,166
127 Scotland Edinburgh 471,650
128 Côte d’Ivoire Yamoussoukro 454,929
129 Guinea-Bissau Bissau 452,640
130 Slovakia Bratislava 424,207
131 Puerto Rico (USA) San Juan 421,356
132 Estonia Tallinn 403,547
133 Burundi Bujumbura 384,461
134 Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo 383,604
135 New Zealand Wellington 381,900
136 Albania Tirana 376,642
137 Australia Canberra 345,600
138 Costa Rica San José 328,195
139 Qatar Al-Doha 303,429
140 Papua New Guinea Port Moresby 299,396
141 Tanzania Dodoma 287,200 (2002 est.)
142 India New Delhi 292,300
143 Laos Vientiane 287,579
144 Cyprus Nicosia (south) 270,000 (late 2004)
145 Lesotho Maseru 267,652
146 Slovenia Ljubljana 264,265
147 Suriname Paramaribo 254,147
148 Namibia Windhoek 252,721
149 Botswana Gaborone 225,656
150 Benin Porto-Novo 223,552
151 Bolivia Sucre 217,000
152 Western Sahara Western Sahara (Morocco) El Aaiún 194,668 (2009 est.)
153 Mauritius Port Louis 147,251
154 Montenegro Podgorica 141,854
155 Bahrain Manama 140,616
156 Réunion (France) Saint-Denis 140,415
157 Guyana Georgetown 134,599
158 Cape Verde Praia 125,464
159 Switzerland Berne (de facto) 121,631
160 Sri Lanka Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte 118,556
161 Iceland Reykjavík 115,000
162 Maldives Malé 103,693
163 Bhutan Thimphu 101,259
164 Equatorial Guinea Malabo 100,677
165 New Caledonia (France) Nouméa 89,207
166 Fiji Suva 84,410
167 Swaziland Mbabane 81,594
168 Luxembourg Luxembourg 76,420
169 Northern Mariana Islands (USA) Saipan 62,392 (2000)
170 Comoros Moroni 60,200
171 Solomon Islands Honiara 59,288
172 East Timor Dili 59,069
173 Saint Lucia Castries 57,000
174 Sao Tome and Principe Sao Tome 56,166
175 French Guiana (France) Cayenne 55,638
176 Mayotte (France) Mamoudzou 54,253
177 American Samoa (USA) Pago Pago 52,000 (2003)
178 Trinidad and Tobago Port of Spain 50,479
180 Netherlands Antilles (Netherlands) Willemstad 49,885
181 Samoa Apia 39,813
182 Vanuatu Port Vila 38,000
183 Monaco Monaco 32,965 (2009 est.)
184 Kiribati Tarawa 30,000
185 Aruba (Netherlands) Oranjestad 29,998
186 Seychelles Victoria 29,298
187 Jersey (UK) Saint Helier 28,380
188 Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan 28,135
189 Cayman Islands (UK) George Town 26,798
190 Isle of Man Douglas 26,600
191 French Polynesia (France) Papeete 26,200
192 West Bank (Israel/PNA) Ramallah (de facto) 25,500
193 Marshall Islands Majuro 25,400
194 Andorra Andorra la Vella 22,884
195 Antigua and Barbuda St. John’s 22,679
196 Tonga Nukuʻalofa 22,400
197 Faroe Islands (Denmark) Tórshavn 18,573
198 Guernsey (UK) St. Peter Port 16,701
199 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Kingstown 16,031
200 Greenland (Denmark) Nuuk (Godthåb) 15,047
201 Saint Kitts and Nevis Basseterre 13,043
202 Belize Belmopan 12,300
203 United States Virgin Islands (US) Charlotte Amalie 10,817
204 Federated States of Micronesia Palikir 9,900
205 Grenada St. George’s 7,500
206 Malta Valletta 6,315
207 Cook Islands (NZ) Avarua 5,445
208 Liechtenstein Vaduz 5,248
209 San Marino City of San Marino 4,493
210 Tuvalu Funafuti 4,492
211 Falkland Islands (UK) Stanley 2,115
212 Nauru Yaren (de facto) 1,100
213 Vatican City The Vatican 826 (2009 est.)
214 Niue (NZ) Alofi 616
215 Palau Melekeok 391
216 Pitcairn Islands (UK) Adamstown 45
Posted in: General Discussion | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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