■ Mozambique
Africa has half world's poor
A report released on Wednesday by the World Economic Forum called Africa's stagnating growth the worst economic tragedy of the 20th century. According to the report, in 1970 Africa accounted for one in 10 of the world's poor, but by 2000 nearly half the world's poor were African. Economic growth has been so dismal that most sub-Saharan countries are worse off than they were at independence. The report linked the problem to military conflicts, corruption, absence of the rule of law, undisciplined fiscal policies, poor infrastructure and low investment.
■ Bosnia
Prosecutor visits Srebrenica
Chief UN war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte on Wednesday paid an emotional visit to a memorial near Srebrenica, the site of Europe's worst atrocity since World War II. Del Ponte met with some 50 women from Srebrenica who survived the July 1995 massacre of more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces who overran the UN safe area at the time. She joined them in a visit to the graves of nearly 1,000 identified victims at the memorial cemetery in Potocari, just outside Srebrenica. As Del Ponte walked through the cemetery some of the women shouted: "Arrest them Carla."
■ United States
Ladies' nights ruled illegal
New Jersey's top civil rights official has ruled that taverns cannot offer discounts to women on ``ladies' nights,'' agreeing with a man who claimed such promotions discriminated against men. J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo, director of the state Division on Civil Rights, rejected arguments by a nightclub that ladies' nights were a legitimate promotion. Commercial interests do not override the ``important social policy objective of eradicating discrimination,'' he ruled. The ruling carries the force of a court decision and applies throughout the state.
■ United States
T-shirt gay jibe ends in court
A school district was accused on Wednesday of violating the civil rights of a student who was suspended for wearing a T-shirt saying "Homosexuality is Shameful." The federal lawsuit against Poway Unified School District claims Tyler Chase Harper, 16, was suspended for expressing his religious beliefs during the "Day of Silence" on April 21. During the national event, high school and college students were urged to remain silent to show support for homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender students. "When are public school officials going to learn they are not allowed to silence constitutionally protected student speech just because they disagree with the student?" said Robert Tyler, a lawyer with the Alliance Defense Fund.
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