sub-Saharan Africa

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At This Rate, Child Marriage Will Continue for Centuries: UN

Progress is being made, but not fast enough, according to new report

(Newser) - The world isn't moving fast enough to combat child marriage as, at current rates, it will be another 300 years before the practice is eliminated. That's according to a UN report , which finds 12 million girls are married as minors each year. The report does highlight progress made...

World Population Just Hit a Milestone

It's estimated to top 8B for the first time on Tuesday

(Newser) - You are now one of 8 billion people on the planet, according to UN estimates. The organization calculates the world population will cross the 8 billion mark on Nov. 15, though it admits it could be off as counting every single person on the planet is nearly impossible. Regardless, the...

What's Happened in Africa With COVID Is a Mystery

People have been infected; whether the death rate is lower is up for debate

(Newser) - Where are all the COVID deaths in Africa? It's a question that's been asked repeatedly, and it's one Stephanie Nolen explores for the New York Times —without landing on a definitive answer. She contrasts the situation in South Africa, which got hit hard by variants and...

Human Albinos in Malawi Hunted Like 'Animals'

Increase in murders by 'hunters' seeking 'magical' body parts has made situation dire

(Newser) - There are more cases of albinism in sub-Saharan Africa than anywhere else on Earth, per the Washington Post , and in Malawi, a violent sidebar to this phenomenon has emerged over the past year and a half. People there with the hereditary condition —marked by a reduction or faulty distribution...

Chemical Plant Pollution Growing as Global Threat

Pesticides alone could cost $90B in sub-Saharan Africa between 2005 and 2020

(Newser) - Pesticide poisoning is worsening in sub-Saharan Africa, and the tab for illnesses in the region between 2005 and 2020 could hit $90 billion, the UN warns—more than the aid available. As the production of chemicals in general skyrockets, the UN Environment Program report notes that health and the environment...

Drug Resistance Threatens HIV Fight in Africa

Eastern areas see 29% increase in resistance per year

(Newser) - HIV is developing a growing resistance to drugs in sub-Saharan Africa, and that has researchers worried, the BBC reports. Scientists found a 29% increase in drug resistance per year in East Africa, while Southern Africa saw a 14% increase, they say (compared to zero change in resistance levels in the...

First Lady’s Africa Trip Re-Ignites Criticism

Africa advocates say White House overlooks troubled continent

(Newser) - Michelle Obama's trip to southern Africa this week is giving new life to criticism that the Obama administration is overlooking the troubled continent, reports the Washington Post . The president has been to sub-Saharan Africa only once since taking office— a 24-hour trip to Ghana in 2009 —and critics...

Bush: AIDS Fight in Africa Is American Way
 Bush: 
 AIDS Fight 
 in Africa Is 
 American Way 


world aids day

Bush: AIDS Fight in Africa Is American Way

We've taken big strides, but the fight's not over

(Newser) - When George W. Bush became president, “much of sub-Saharan Africa was on the verge of catastrophe” thanks to the HIV epidemic. So America took action, and now millions are on AIDS medication. The relief effort served US interests in helping to stabilize a region on the brink; but what’...

Albino Girl Beheaded in Witchcraft Murder

Body parts believed to be magical

(Newser) - An 11-year-old girl has become the latest albino to be killed, ostensibly in a ritual murder. Banele Nxumalo was shot and beheaded in Swaziland by a man who grabbed her in front of friends as she washed clothes at a river. Police believe she was murdered because albino body parts...

AIDS Top Killer of Women Worldwide: UN

Women bear larger burden from HIV

(Newser) - HIV/AIDS is the top cause of death and disease among women and girls, says the UNAids program, which yesterday launched a 5-year plan to tackle the problems that put women especially at risk from the disease. Part of the problem is that up to 70% of women worldwide have been...

Architect: Mix Bacteria, Sand for Wall to Stop Sahara

Architect proposes solidifying sand dunes in belt across Africa

(Newser) - With the spread of the Sahara desert threatening the livelihoods of millions in Africa, architect Magnus Larsson proposes solidifying sand into a 3,700-mile wall, the BBC reports. Speaking at a conference today in England, Larsson outlined a plan to saturate sand dunes in a line stretching from Mauritania to...

Obama Arrives in Ghana
 Obama Arrives in Ghana 

Obama Arrives in Ghana

(Newser) - Thousands of thrilled Ghanaians greeted President Obama today on his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa since winning the presidency. Obama, Michelle, and their daughters met President John Atta Mills at the airport in Accra as traditional dancers performed under welcoming banners. Many Ghanaians see Obama's trip more as a homecoming...

Recession Pushes African Immigrants to Head Home

Many opt for slower, cheaper lifestyle

(Newser) - The US recession is driving many middle-class African immigrants home, where life is slower and growth has lately pointed to a bright economic future, the Washington Post reports. Diaspora societies of immigrants say many members are planning to return to Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana.“The people I know here...

Despite Mugabe, Democracy Is Gaining in Zimbabwe

Number of 'free' sub-Saharan nations up; grass-roots efforts continue

(Newser) - Undemocratic though the situation might seem, the fact that the opposition has forced a presidential run-off in Zimbabwe is a sign of democracy's spread in sub-Saharan Africa, the Wall Street Journal reports, where the number of "free" countries has reached 11 of 48, up from 3 in 1977. "...

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