Liberian Prez's Plea: Don't Let Global Crisis Kill African Gains

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»

(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»

At 23.5%, unemployment keeps nation locked in poverty

(NEWSER) - South Africa is facing its first post-apartheid recession, and unemployment has hit 23.5%—a punishing figure that has ended the honeymoon of its new president, Jacob Zuma. Many who voted for Zuma have never had a job at all and are desperate for work, Celia Dugger reports for the New York Times. But the president is caught between competing demands from economists and union leaders, and South Africa's masses may be disappointed. 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»

With no consumer spending, economy keeps dragging

(NEWSER) - There are plenty of theories and explanations for the economic crisis that has afflicted the United States for years now, but they all miss the element of the continuing malaise—it's really about the bursting of the decades-long consumer spending bubble, writes David Leonhardt in the New York Times . "Discretionary service spending" (think education and entertainment) has never fallen more than 3% in a recession in decades—in this recession, it has fallen 7%. "If you’re looking for one overarching explanation for the still-terrible job market, it is this great consumer bust," says Leonhardt. More»