Africa

Stories 421 - 440 | << Prev   Next >>

Cholera Is Raging, Whatever Mugabe Says

Zimbabwe nears total collapse as health sector shuts down

(Newser) - Robert Mugabe says that the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe has ended, but health experts say that 60,000 people could succumb to the disease, and half of the country's population is at risk. Zimbabwe's socioeconomic collapse has frighteningly accelerated, writes Celia Dugger in Harare, and daily life has become impossible....

Ghana Election Goes to a Runoff

Neither of top two candidates secured requisite 50%; next vote is Dec. 28

(Newser) - Voters in Ghana will have to go to the polls again to decide their next president, as neither major candidate received the 50% in Sunday’s election. Governing-party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo scored 49.13%, with key opposition leader John Atta Mills pulling in a close 47.92%. The next vote...

Carter: Zimbabwe Conditions 'Horrifying'

Humanitarian crisis getting worse because of stubborn Mugabe

(Newser) - Jimmy Carter and his group of international peacemakers have been barred from entering Zimbabwe, but reports of conditions there are “horrifying,” the former president tells NPR. Mugabe’s “campaign of oppression” has frustrated attempts to deal with a spreading cholera outbreak. “Mugabe had made every effort,...

Hit Pirates With Somalia Blockade
 Hit Pirates With 
 Somalia Blockade 
OPINION
Dec 4, 2008 12:18 PM CST

Hit Pirates With Somalia Blockade

Policing them where they hold their prey is more effective than ocean patrols

(Newser) - The Somali pirates terrorizing shipping lanes are clever, Peter Fromuth writes in the Washington Post, but their biggest advantages are those pirates have enjoyed throughout history: “big seas, many prey, and few protectors.” There are too many targets for warships to mount effective patrols on open waters. Instead,...

Female Thieves in Uganda Use Chloroformed Bosoms

Ugandan crooks rob Lotharios knocked out by chemical on female conspirators' breasts

(Newser) - Ugandan men, particularly traveling salesmen with hefty wallets, have been beset by bandits employing femmes fatale outfitted with chloroform-laden bosoms, the Telegraph reports. After being stripped and relieved of all his possessions, a typical victim “just remembers being in the act of romancing” and nothing after, says one official.

Troops Run Amok in Zimbabwe Capital

Police, soldiers clash after unpaid troops turn to robbing, looting

(Newser) - Unpaid Zimbabwean soldiers battled riot police on the streets of Harare today, venting their frustration after waiting all day to withdraw money from a bank, the BBC reports. Dozens of troops ran riot before order was restored, robbing moneychangers, looting shops, and encouraging civilians to join them. Some passers-by threw...

Unrelated Obamas Relish Connection

(Newser) - Ordinary citizens who share the last name Obama with the president-elect are seeing goodwill and unexpected perks lately, the Washington Post reports. They might not be able to score Inauguration tickets, but entrance to a swanky nightclub? No problem. Speeding ticket? Fixed. And it’s an exclusive club: The country...

Nigeria Struggles to Protect Child Brides

Underage marriage outlawed, but Muslim leaders support it

(Newser) - In northern Nigeria, almost half the girls are married by age 15, and a law outlawing child marriage faces serious resistance from Muslim leaders, the Times of London reports. "We have no choice," says one teen who was brutally raped by her husband. As a result, fistula—a...

Man's New Best Friend: Rats Ferret Out Land Mines, TB

(Newser) - Move over, Rover: Man has a new best friend that is helping to combat two scourges plaguing the developing world. Rats, normally reviled as filthy vermin, are sniffing out land mines and detecting tuberculosis bacteria. "Rats are usually considered pests or enemies of humanity,” said one Mozambican handler,...

Rich Nations Snap Up Third World Farmland

(Newser) - Rich nations are buying up farmland in developing countries and drawing the ire of some critics, the Guardian reports. One UN official said the purchases, designed as a hedge against food shortages, could put poor nations at risk of starving to feed the wealthy. In "this scramble for soil...

Find Your Tipping Point Abroad
 Find Your Tipping Point Abroad 
TRAVEL
Nov 20, 2008 2:26 PM CST

Find Your Tipping Point Abroad

With gratuity varying by country, it's important not to offend

(Newser) - Knowing the appropriate level of gratuity can be tricky, and it gets even more difficult abroad, where tipping practices widely vary. Forbes offers some help, noting, for instance, that for a cab ride in South America, rounding up the fare to the next dollar is an acceptable tip, while in...

Saudi Tanker Owners in Talks With Pirates

Saudi foreign minister pledges to eradicate Somali maritime threat

(Newser) - Negotiations are under way between Somali pirates and the shipping company that owns the Saudi Arabian oil supertanker they hijacked over the weekend, the BBC reports. The Saudi foreign minister could not say whether Vela International might agree to a ransom.

Somali Pirates Hijack Yet Another Cargo Ship

A Hong Kong ship carrying wheat is the latest victim

(Newser) - Pirates off the coast of Africa have struck again, hijacking a Hong Kong cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, the Financial Times reports. The Delight has 25 crew members and 36,000 tons of wheat, and hijackers were reportedly steering it toward Somalia. It's the latest in a string...

Somali Pirates Could Force Shipping Detours
Somali Pirates Could Force
Shipping Detours
ANALYSIS
Nov 18, 2008 10:43 AM CST

Somali Pirates Could Force Shipping Detours

Attacked ship anchored off Somalia

(Newser) - The pirates who seized the Sirius Star have reportedly brought their massive prize to anchor off the coast of Somalia, the BBC reports. The Saudi oil tanker’s entire 25-person crew is believed to be safe, but the consequences for international shipping may be far-reaching, Roger Middleton writes in the...

Pirates Hijack Saudi Oil Tanker
 Pirates Hijack Saudi Oil Tanker 
Nov 17, 2008 11:36 AM CST

Pirates Hijack Saudi Oil Tanker

Ship loaded with oil is taken to Somalian port

(Newser) - Pirates flying the Liberian flag hijacked a Saudi Arabian oil tanker today, the BBC reports. The Sirius Star is now bound for the port of Eyl, Somalia, a common destination for pirates to unload their booty. Currently holding its full load of 2 million barrels, the Sirius Star contains one-quarter...

Islamists Take Somalian Port, Near Capital

Insurgents encroach Mogadishu

(Newser) - Islamist rebels in Somalia captured the port city of Merka today as they continue to move in on Mogadishu, the weak transitional government’s stronghold, the New York Times reports. Hundreds of militants entered Merka, unopposed because government forces had fled the city the previous night. After weeks of steady...

Teen Hits Choppy Waters on Global Sailing Trip

Daring Californian faces pirates on quest to beat sailing record

(Newser) - Most 16-year-old boys pass their days pining for Miley Cyrus, but Zac Sunderland spends his fending off pirates and feeding on cold, canned meals. The California native is 5 months and nearly half-way into his quest to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world, the Los Angeles ...

Palin 'Didn't Know Africa Is a Continent'

Insiders spill beans on Mac's troublesome veep choice

(Newser) - Sarah Palin's shaky grasp of geography stressed out the McCain campaign, the Chicago Tribune reports. A Fox News reporter, sworn to secrecy until after the election, said a campaign insider told him Palin was unaware that Africa was a continent rather than a single country, and she was unable to...

Mating Antelope Show Off Knees. Seriously.

Sound communicates animal's strength, prevents conflict

(Newser) - Doesn't sound all that sexy, but Africa’s male eland antelope has developed his own way of demonstrating its sexual prowess and warding off rivals. Males click their knees to establish mating rights and avoid brawls: the louder the click, the larger the animal, and the more likely he is...

Edwards' ER Check Funds African Hospital

Anthony Edwards asks for charity donation for cost of guest appearance

(Newser) - In lieu of a paycheck for his return to ER as the deceased Dr. Mark Greene, with scenes shot in flashbacks, Anthony Edwards asked Warner Bros. to donate $125,000 to help build a 250-bed hospital in Africa, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Steven Spielberg matched that money, and ER's executive...

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