IMF Agrees to Cancel Liberia's Debt

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf spoke while Tony Blair squirmed

(NEWSER) - Nobel Peace Prize winner and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says gay sex should remain illegal: "We like ourselves just the way we are," she told the Guardian . "We've got certain traditional values in our society that we would like to preserve." Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, visiting on a humanitarian mission, squirmed in his seat during the joint interview but refused to address the issue. "I'm not giving you an answer on it," said the longtime advocate of gay rights. More»

Johnson Sirleaf, Gbowee, Karman to share prize

(NEWSER) - This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to three women the Nobel committee wants to reward for "their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work." The prize will be shared between Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is Africa's first democratically elected female president; Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee; and Yemeni human rights activist Tawakul Karman. More»

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton ended her African tour today on a note of optimism colored by disdain, the New York Times reports. The secretary of state visited seven nations over 11 days and made her final remarks on the Cape Verde islands off the coast. “I leave Africa after this remarkable trip even more committed,” Clinton said. She commented on the “joy and energy Africans have,” as well as on having “seen the worst humanity can do to itself.” More»

This mess is not of Africa's making

(NEWSER) - Africa is in the midst of a great turnaround, with economies growing and democracy and human rights improving, Liberia’s president writes in the Washington Post. But progress is threatened by a global economic crisis it had no hand in creating. Some $50 billion in income could be lost as jobs and businesses disappear. “African economies need a boost to keep their progress on track,” Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf says. More»

Nafissatou Diallo argues rape part of a pattern of misogyny

(NEWSER) - Nafissatou Diallo has added a new wrinkle to her lawsuit against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, arguing that he hates women and that his alleged rape of her hence amounted to gender violence, the Guardian reports. "Strauss-Kahn's conduct towards women generally is, and more specifically his sexual assault of Ms. Diallo was, motivated by gender-animus and a misogynistic attitude," the lawsuit alleges. The charge is significant, because New York City recently outlawed gender-based violence. More»