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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Africa

Africa stories: 274 news summaries

81 - 100 of 274 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 14 Next >>

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 Church Must Protect 
 Africa's Poor: Pope 

Pontiff praises growing church but worries about 'superstition'

Mar 18, 09 7:36 AM CDT
(AP) - Pope Benedict XVI set down strategy for his church in Africa today, telling bishops to protect the traditional values of the African family and to spare the poor from the impact of globalization. The pontiff, beginning his first African pilgrimage in Cameroon, also said that the exuberant local African rites... More »

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Africa • Pope Benedict XVI • Catholic Church • Cameroon • Paul Biya

(Newser) - Guinness may be synonymous with Ireland, but Nigerians down more of the stuff than the Emerald Isle, GlobalPost reports. Nigerians also out-Guinness the US—their country is second only to the UK in its consumption of the beer and is home to the first Guinness brewery outside the British Isles.... More »

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Africa • advertising • Nigeria • beer • sex • sexuality • Ireland • Guinness • potency

 Pope: Condoms Make 
 AIDS Crisis Worse 

On visit to Africa, pope makes first statement on their use

Mar 17, 09 8:09 AM CDT
(AP) - Condoms are not the answer to Africa's fight against AIDS, and in fact exacerbate the epidemic, Pope Benedict said at the start of a 7-day visit to the continent today. It's the first explicit statement about condoms from the pontiff, who has said that the Roman Catholic Church is at... More »

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Africa • Pope Benedict XVI • AIDS • Catholic Church • HIV • condom • HIV/AIDS • AIDS epidemic

 Tsvangirai Heads Home 
  for Wife's Funeral 

Supporters feared Mugabe power grab in his absence

Mar 9, 09 1:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - Grieving Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is expected back in Zimbabwe today to attend his wife's funeral, days after the couple's car was hit by a US aid truck. Tsvangirai had left for Botswana—home of his closest regional ally—shortly after the accident that some believe may have been an... More »

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Africa • Zimbabwe • Robert Mugabe • Morgan Tsvangirai • death • car crash • power sharing

(Newser) - The International Criminal Court today issued a warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, charging him with murder, extermination, and rape, among other war crimes and crimes against humanity, the New York Times reports. Prosecutors say orders to kill or displace tribal people in Sudan’s Darfur region, which resulted in... More »

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Africa • Darfur • Sudan • war crimes • crimes against humanity • Omar al Bashir • International Criminal Court • arrest warrant

Leaders Fly to Guinea-Bissau to Prevent Coup

Assassination leaves power vacuum in African 'narco-state'

Mar 3, 09 6:57 AM CST
(Newser) - West African leaders are holding an emergency meeting in Guinea-Bissau today following the assassination of the country's president, reports the BBC. João Bernardo Vieira was killed a day after the chief of staff of the army, reputed to be a rival of Vieira's, died in a bomb blast. The... More »

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Africa • West Africa • Fredrick Forsyth • coup d'etat • Guinea-Bissau • João Bernardo Vieira

President of Guinea-Bissau Assassinated

West African leader reportedly killed by army in a hail of bullets

Mar 2, 09 6:49 AM CST
(Newser) - The president of the West African republic of Guinea-Bissau was shot dead today, reportedly by soldiers. The Times of London reports that João Bernardo Vieira was assassinated only hours after the head of the army died in a bomb attack. While it's unclear whether a coup is taking place,... More »

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Africa • West Africa • coup d'etat • Guinea-Bissau • João Bernardo Vieira • narcostate

Mauritian Girls Force-Fed for Marriage

'Torture' returns as ideal of large women makes a comeback

Mar 1, 09 4:00 PM CST
(Newser) - A military coup in Mauritania has erased years of advances in women's rights, bringing a resurgence of the practice of force-fattening young girls to prepare them for marriage, the Guardian reports. "A woman's size indicates the amount of space she occupies in her husband's heart," explains an activist,... More »

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obesity • Africa • women's rights • Mauritania • forced marriage • ancient customs • force feeding

 Mugabe Hosts $250K 
 Party in Starving Zimbabwe 

Cholera, hyperinflation, land grabs... Let's dance!

Feb 28, 09 1:50 PM CST
(Newser) - More than half of his country is starving, just 10% have jobs, and nearly 4,000 have died of cholera since August, but none of that has stopped Robert Mugabe from partying. Zimbabwe’s president spent $250,000 on his 85th birthday bash today, which included a 187-pound cake, the... More »

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Africa • Zimbabwe • Robert Mugabe • Morgan Tsvangirai • corruption • birthday • dictatorship • Zanu-PF

De Beers to Halt Work
at Diamond Mines

Firm last suspended production during the Great Depression

Feb 24, 09 2:19 PM CST
(Newser) - De Beers has temporarily shut down its diamond mines in Botswana due to low demand for the precious stones, the Telegraph reports. The firm’s Botswana mines account for half of De Beers’ output, and about a fifth of diamond production worldwide. De Beers was not able to sell a... More »

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Africa • diamond • sales • mine • De Beers • Botswana • gems

Donations Dry Up for Mugabe's 85th Birthday Bash

Unity government reduces Zanu-PF's ability to intimidate

Feb 23, 09 2:14 PM CST
(Newser) - Celebrations are underway in Zimbabwe this week to honor President Robert Mugabe’s 85th birthday, but the country's economic crisis, cholera epidemic, and shifting balance of power have dried up donations for the usually over-the-top festivities, the Times of London reports. Officials of his Zanu-PF party aimed to raise $300,... More »

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Africa • Zimbabwe • Morgan Tsvangirai • corruption • donation • dictatorship • prime minister • Movement for Democratic Change • Zanu-PF

Interview

'Western Aid, Celebs Are
Hurting Africa'

'Anti-Bono' author rips help for sapping continent's strength

Feb 22, 09 5:39 AM CST
(Newser) - Dependence on celebrities as spokesmen and Western aid are bad for Africa, argues Deborah Solomon's latest interview subject, Dambisa Moyo. The Ivy-educated former investment banker argues in her new book that the culture of aid for Africa discourages entrepreneurship. "You also disenfranchise African citizens, because the government is beholden... More »

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China • Africa • Bono • aid programs • microfinance • celebrity humanitarianism • Dambisa Moyo • Deborah Solomon

Americans Use DNA Tests 
to Trace African Roots

Obama's rise could accelerate trend



Feb 18, 09 12:01 PM CST
(Newser) - As a kid, Isaiah Washington only knew Africans as the “natives running around with bones in their noses” on TV, “trying to put Tarzan in a pot.” Now, the former Grey’s Anatomy actor is chieftain of a village in Sierra Leone, thanks to a DNA... More »

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Africa • African Americans • DNA • Isaiah Washington • ancestry • geneology

Mugabe's Police to Hold Opposition Pol for 2nd Day

Prosecutors fail to show up to present charges against ministerial nominee

Feb 16, 09 3:51 PM CST
(Newser) - In another blow to Zimbabwe's fledgling unity government, police moved to hold a prominent opposition politician in jail for second day, the BBC reports. Roy Bennett will most likely spend the night in jail after prosecutors failed to come to court today to present insurgency and terrorism charges against the... More »

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Africa • Zimbabwe • Robert Mugabe • Morgan Tsvangirai • dictatorship • Movement for Democratic Change • Zimbabwean emigrants

 

 Mugabe Thugs Collect 
 for Presidential Pig-Out 

Starving country's ruling party gets tough to tackle champagne, caviar shortage

Feb 10, 09 3:00 AM CST
(Newser) - Aggressive supporters of Zimbabwe's ruling party have been pressing the country's farmers and businesses for "donations" to fund Robert Mugabe's ultra-luxe 85th birthday bash, the Times of London reports. A wish list supplied to the Times includes 8,000 bottles of champagne, 8,000 lobsters, and 4,000 portions... More »

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Africa • Zimbabwe • Robert Mugabe • food shortage • Zanu-PF

Qaddafi Named Chairman of African Union

Libyan leader vows to pursue plan for 'United States of Africa'

Feb 2, 09 12:19 PM CST
(Newser) - Muammar Qaddafi vowed to pursue his dream of creating a united, pan-African government after being named chairman of the African Union today, Reuters reports. Elected by African heads of state for a 1-year term, the Libyan leader said the organization must consider his proposal for a “United States of... More »

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Africa • Libya • South Africa • African Union • Moammar Gadhafi • chairman

Kenya Mourns Double Tragedy That Killed 136

Grieving kin blame
poor emergency
response in 2 fires

Feb 2, 09 6:23 AM CST
(Newser) - Kenyans are blaming the government for poor public safety and emergency response as they mourn the loss of 136 people in back-to-back fires at a Nairobi supermarket and on a rural highway. Emergency crews were slow to respond to yesterday's fuel tanker explosion, which came as they were still searching... More »

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Africa • Kenya • oil • death • explosion • poverty • Raila Odinga • fire • mourning • public safety

Amid Congo's Violence,
a Gorilla 'Baby Boom'

Population of tame gorillas up 12.5%

Jan 27, 09 2:21 PM CST
(Newser) - The Democratic Republic of Congo has seen unspeakable violence, but one population has managed to thrive: the endangered mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park. The population of gorillas considered tame grew to 81 from 72 over the past year, Bloomberg reports. The gorilla population has boomed even as rangers entrusted... More »

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endangered species • Africa • Democratic Republic of Congo • gorilla • Congolese • mountain gorillas • Virunga Park • Congo

(Newser) - Robert Mugabe has backtracked on his denial of the Zimbabwean cholera crisis, AFP reports. “He is acknowledging there is a problem,” said a UNICEF official who met with him today. “He recognizes there is a problem with the water and the sewer systems.” The admission comes... More »

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Africa • United Nations • Zimbabwe • Robert Mugabe • Morgan Tsvangirai • UNICEF • epidemic • cholera

(Newser) - Pressure from nonprofits and watchdogs is mounting on the UN to intercede in Zimbabwe’s humanitarian crisis, GlobalPost reports. Physicians for Human Rights asserts that Robert Mugabe intentionally dismantled the country’s health and sanitation infrastructure, and is directly responsible for the cholera outbreak that has claimed 1,800 lives.... More »

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health care • Africa • United Nations • Zimbabwe • Robert Mugabe • sanitation • crimes against humanity • International Criminal Court • cholera • Physicians for Human Rights

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