Africa

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Contraceptive Shot May Double HIV Risk
 Contraceptive Shot 
 May Double HIV Risk 
study says
Oct 4, 2011 11:39 AM CDT

Contraceptive Shot May Double HIV Risk

Study findings could present a 'major health crisis'

(Newser) - Alarming new research out of eastern and southern Africa, where both unplanned pregnancies and AIDS wreak havoc: The most popular contraceptive used by women there appears to double their risk of contracting HIV—and if a woman already has HIV, it doubles her risk of transmitting it to her partner...

'Crisis Tracker' Maps Atrocities in Africa

Rights groups create site to monitor rebels of Lord's Resistance Army

(Newser) - Two nonprofit rights groups are bringing technology to bear on a rebel group that has terrorized Uganda and central Africa for more than two decades. Mashable takes note of a digital mapping service called LRA Crisis Tracker that provides real-time accounts of assaults, kidnappings, and worse committed by the infamous...

Why Lions Will Eat You After Full Moon

They're especially hungry because they can't hunt on bright nights

(Newser) - African lions are most likely to hunt prey on moonless nights, and especially on nights following a full, bright moon, the Telegraph reports. A study looked at roughly 500 lion attacks on Tanzanian villagers over the past two decades, and found that a vast majority occurred between dusk and 10pm...

African Food Crisis: 4.5 Million People Need Food, Ethiopia Says
 Ethiopia: 4.5M Need Food Aid 
Jul 11, 2011 9:22 AM CDT

Ethiopia: 4.5M Need Food Aid

$400M, or 380 tons of food, needed in Eastern Africa

(Newser) - An estimated 4.5 million Ethiopians are in need of food assistance, says a government official—an increase of 40%. Nearly $400 million is needed to fill the country's food gap, adds Ethiopia's state minister of agriculture, who says Ethiopia needs to distribute 380 metric tons of food....

Michelle Obama Wraps Euphoric Africa Tour

First lady was warmly received

(Newser) - Michelle Obama today wrapped up her weeklong tour of Africa, a whirlwind trek in which she hobnobbed with schoolkids, celebs, and dignitaries, and was hailed as American royalty by enthusiastic crowds. As Nelson Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, said: "We welcome you as a daughter of African heritage and...

First Lady’s Africa Trip Re-Ignites Criticism

Africa advocates say White House overlooks troubled continent

(Newser) - Michelle Obama's trip to southern Africa this week is giving new life to criticism that the Obama administration is overlooking the troubled continent, reports the Washington Post . The president has been to sub-Saharan Africa only once since taking office— a 24-hour trip to Ghana in 2009 —and critics...

Nigeria Prez Sworn In, Bomb Blast Rocks City

Several die as Goodluck Jonathan starts term

(Newser) - A bomb blast rocked the northern Nigerian city of Bauchi within hours of the inauguration of President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday. Several people were killed, but an exact death toll was not released. A second minor blast hit a beer hall just outside the capital of Abuja, where the president was...

Congo's Rape Crisis Isn't What You Think

Weapon of war? That's not the full picture: Laura Seay

(Newser) - News that 48 women are raped in the Congo every hour has led to understandable condemnation of how rape has become a weapon of war, writes Laura Seay in the Atlantic . The problem is that "a growing body of literature suggests that the prevailing journalistic and activist accounts of...

Sesame Street Hits Nigeria, With HIV-Positive Muppet

A Nigerian adaptation of children's show deals with local issues

(Newser) - It's finally ready to go live : A Nigerian adaptation of Sesame Street will debut later this month in Africa's most populous country, according to US officials. It will be called Sesame Square and will feature Kami, an inquisitive female Muppet living with HIV, and Zobi, a blue Muppet...

Gruesome Scenes Unfold in Ivory Coast Capital

Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to leave taking heavy toll on Abidjan

(Newser) - The end may finally be near for Laurent Gbagbo in the Ivory Coast, but it's clear his refusal to give up power continues to take a devastating toll on the country. Traveling on a main access road into Abidjan, Reuters correspondent Mark John describes seeing a dozen corpses lined up...

What We Can Learn from Mauritius

 What We Can 
 Learn from 
 Mauritius 
OPINION
Mar 8, 2011 1:31 PM CST

What We Can Learn from Mauritius

How a tiny African nation provides education, health care for all

(Newser) - Imagine a nation that provided free health care and a college education for all its citizens while maintaining a nicely balanced budget. Sound impossible? Well, they’ve managed it in Mauritius, a small island nation off the east coast of Africa with no "exploitable" natural resources to speak of....

World's Newest Country Picks a Name

South Sudan beats Nile Republic, Kush

(Newser) - Southern Sudan already had a flag and an anthem when its people voted to secede and split Africa's biggest country in two; the nation-in-waiting now has a name as well. The secretary-general of the ruling party, keeping things simple, says the name South Sudan has been chosen, the BBC reports....

Protests Fueled by Facebook Begin in Sudan, Too

In southern voting results, 99% want to split from north

(Newser) - Protesters inspired by the goings-on in Egypt and Tunisia took to the streets of Sudan today. Riot police beat demonstrators in Khartoum and in the western city of el-Obeid who called for the resignation of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, reports Reuters . It notes that a "Youth for Change" Facebook...

Malawi to Outlaw Farting
 Malawi to Outlaw Farting 
Jan 29, 2011 1:40 PM CST

Malawi to Outlaw Farting

'Local courts' law will also forbid impersonating a fortune teller

(Newser) - The government of Malawi is about to enact a law making it illegal to “foul the air” in public, the Daily Mail reports. Yes, farting will be one of many behaviors outlawed by new legislation that will set up “Local Courts” around the country. These courts will be...

Humans Left Africa Far Earlier Than We Thought

Stone tools defy genetic story

(Newser) - Stone tools discovered in the Arabian peninsula suggest modern humans may have left Africa 125,000 years ago—some 50,000 years earlier than previously believed. Genetic data points to humans departing Africa around 60,000 to 70,000 years ago, the BBC notes. But the genetic data is "...

Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two
 Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two 
Jan 21, 2011 9:55 AM CST

Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two

Quakes widen fissure at rarely-seen speed: scientists

(Newser) - Africa is gradually breaking apart—and in the past several months, the process has accelerated. Now, amid earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, it’s happening exceptionally quickly, reports Der Spiegel . Water is threatening to flood a fracture between Ethiopia and Mozambique, scientists say; while it will be millions of years before...

George Clooney Gets, Beats Malaria

He contracted it during a visit to Sudan

(Newser) - Lots of celebrities do philanthropy, but George Clooney's actually suffering in the line of do-goodery—the actor contracted malaria while on a recent trip to Sudan, People reports. However, he's fully cured after a 10-day convalescence, said a spokesman. Clooney was in Sudan ahead of its vote on southern independence....

South Africa Floods Kill 39
South Africa Floods Kill 39
Jan 17, 2011 9:25 AM CST

South Africa Floods Kill 39

Thousands of homes in neighboring Mozambique decimated

(Newser) - Floods in South Africa have left 39 dead or missing after downpours this weekend followed heavy rains that began last month. The army is on standby to lead evacuations and “all disaster management structures in the country have been put on high alert,” authorities said. Farming officials expressed...

KFC Looks to Conquer Africa With Fried Chicken
KFC Looks to Conquer Africa
With Fried Chicken
in case you missed it
Dec 12, 2010 11:26 AM CST

KFC Looks to Conquer Africa With Fried Chicken

Chain to open hundreds of restaurants in a dozen countries

(Newser) - Kentucky Fried Chicken wants to take over Africa. Like McDonald's and other fast-food giants, KFC parent company Yum Brands has been countering the slowdown in American spending with expansion overseas. Having populated China with KFC outlets, Yum now plans to double the number of stores in Africa to 1,200,...

Imperiled African Gorilla Population Surges 26%

Efforts to decrease poaching and disease have helped

(Newser) - Finally, some good news for an endangered species: The mountain gorilla population in central Africa has swelled since 2003. The Virunga Massif, made up of three national parks, had only 380 gorillas seven years ago and is now up to 480. "This is a spectacular upsurge," says a...

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