Mali

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Soldiers Shoot Mauritania's President 'by Mistake'

Islamists, however, had vowed revenge against him

(Newser) - Soldiers in Mauritania have shot and wounded the nation's president, but he assures people the incident was all a mistake, Reuters reports. The government flew President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to France yesterday for medical treatment, where he issued a televised message: "I want to reassure everyone about...

Islamists Cut Off Mali Thief's Hand

UN, African Union weigh military intervention

(Newser) - The Islamic rebel groups in control of much of northern Mali are continuing their drive to bring in Sharia law's harsh punishments. In a village near the regional capital Gao, extremists cut off the hand off an alleged thief in front of dozens of witnesses, the BBC reports. "...

Islamists Stone Mali Lovers to Death

Militants in north exact extreme punishment for sex

(Newser) - Two young, unmarried lovers, apparently with children, were buried up to their necks then stoned to death in a Mali town taken over by Islamist extremists. Bearded men, armed with Kalashnikov rifles, dragged the couple from the countryside into the center of the town of Aguelhok, reports the New York ...

Extremists Smash More Timbuktu Sites

'World heritage doesn't exist,' Ansar Dine fighters say

(Newser) - Islamic extremists destroying historic sites in the ancient city of Timbuktu have vowed to keep going until there's nothing left. Gunmen in the Malian city destroyed two tombs at the 700-year-old Djingareyber mosque yesterday, adding to a trail of destruction which includes the mausoleums of numerous Islamic saints, considered...

Ax-Wielding Islamists Attack Timbuktu's Holy Sites

They destroy mausoleums of saints in UNESCO-listed city

(Newser) - UNESCO moved Timbuktu to its list of heritage sites in danger just days ago; the Malian city now more likely belongs on a list of heritage sites in peril. Reuters reports that al-Qaeda-linked Islamists today began attacking local saints' mausoleums, which they consider idolatrous. Armed with Kalashnikovs and using pick-axes...

With Gadhafi Gone, Locusts Plague Libya

Insect swarms threaten crops in neighboring countries too

(Newser) - One little drawback to Gadhafi's downfall: Locust swarms are buzzing around the Libyan desert and putting croplands at risk, Mother Nature Network reports. "The fall of Gadhafi was an enormous factor, to be honest," says the top locust forecasting officer at the Food and Agricultural Organization. "...

Mali President Resigns; West Africa Sighs With Relief

Amadou Toumani Toure steps down after military coup

(Newser) - A military coup in Mali is becoming a more orderly transfer of power and drawing support from the nation's rather nervous West African neighbors, Al Jazeera reports. About two weeks after a military coup , President Amadou Toumani Toure has agreed to step aside for parliament speaker Diouncounda Traore to...

Rebels Announce New State, Break From Mali

But 'Azawad' faces long odds of success

(Newser) - Tuareg rebels in Mali yesterday announced the creation of their own state called Azawad in the country's vast desert hinterland, reports the BBC , but with the African Union and neighboring countries firmly opposed to breaking up its member states, the chances of Azawad succeeding are "slim," notes...

Mali's 'Very Existence' Threatened by Coup

Fears of food, gas shortages as refugees flee

(Newser) - Since we last checked in, the situation in Mali following a soldiers' coup has spiraled, with rising concerns over food and gas shortages, violence, and indeed the country's "very existence," according to Le Monde . An update:
  • The coup has driven more than 200,000 people from their
...

Coup a 'Significant Setback for Mali'

The world weighs in, and it's none too pleased

(Newser) - The world is strongly condemning the mutinous soldiers in Mali who ousted the president and took control of the west African country, reports the BBC . The World Bank, African Development Bank, and France are all suspending all their aid programs to Mali for now, and the UN Security Council called...

Army Mutiny Shakes Mali

 Mutinous Soldiers Seize Mali 
UPDATED

Mutinous Soldiers Seize Mali

Renegade soldiers attack presidential palace

(Newser) - A military coup is under way in Mali, as renegade soldiers stormed the presidential palace in the capital of Bamako today, and soon afterward appeared on state TV to announce that they had booted the president and taken over the country, the BBC reports. The soldiers said they were suspending...

Routed Elsewhere, al-Qaeda Thrives in Sahara

Terror group's move into Africa mirrors old Afghanistan strategy

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda may be on its last legs in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan , but the extremist group is doing better than ever in Africa, growing steadily since 2006—thanks to good community relations and steady handouts of cash, candy, medical aid, and other necessities, reports the AP . Al-Qaeda in...

International Women's Day: Yemen Has the Lowest Ranking in How it Treats Female Citizens
 5 Worst Countries for Women 

5 Worst Countries for Women

Yemen, Congo, Niger among lowest ranking

(Newser) - To mark International Women's Day, AoL News takes note of countries that treat their women the worst. The findings are based on a UN index that factors in categories such as jobs, education, political representation, and reproductive health. The worst offenders:
  1. Yemen: Its female citizens routinely face "violence and
...

Al Qaeda Beheads French Aid Worker
Al-Qaeda Beheads
French
Aid Worker

Al-Qaeda Beheads French Aid Worker

Furious Sarkozy vows revenge

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to avenge the death of a 78-year-old French aid worker beheaded by al-Qaeda's North African wing. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb says it executed Michel Germaneau in retaliation for the death of six militants when French commandos raided a camp in Mali in an...

US-Slovenia Spotlight Shines on Ref
 US-Slovenia Spotlight 
 Shines on Ref 
world cup

US-Slovenia Spotlight Shines on Ref

Koman Coulibaly of Mali stirs controversy by nullifying late goal

(Newser) - The most famous person in American soccer today isn't an American or a soccer player: He's Koman Coulibaly, a World Cup referee from Mali. In today's US-Slovenia match , a 2-2 draw, Coulibaly awarded a free kick on an obvious dive, then negated a goal that would have given the Americans...

Mali's President Bails on Women's Rights Law

Protests force him to send it back for review

(Newser) - Mali's president says he won't sign a controversial new law that gives more rights to women, the BBC reports. President Amadou Toumani Toure says he supports the so-called family law, which Muslim leaders have denounced as the devil's work, but is sending it back to parliament for review. "I...

Al-Qaeda Murders British Hostage Held in Mali

(Newser) - A British hostage held in Mali has been killed by his al-Qaeda captors, the terror group announced on a website. Prime Minister Gordon Brown condemned the murder as an "appalling and barbaric act of terrorism," reports the BBC. Edwin Dyer was kidnapped in Niger in January with a...

Mukasey Steps Into Genital Mutilation Case

Citing further danger, AG gives woman second shot at asylum

(Newser) - In an extremely rare move, the US attorney general has stepped into a low-level immigration case and ordered that a victim of female genital mutilation be given another chance at asylum, CNN reports. AG Michael Mukasey slammed a previous decision that said the African woman had no reason to fear...

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