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UN official highlights positive trends in Africa to protect indigenous peoples rights

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:16:36 -0400

23 May 2013 150 A United Nations official today stressed that Africa has taken positive steps to protect the rights of indigenous people, adding that the continent must continue making progress and avoid repeating mistakes made by other regions. "Africa has been consolidating and strengthening the legal framework protecting indigenous people," Senior Specialist on Indigenous Tribal Peoples' ...

DR Congo In Goma Secretary-General hails regional accord as best chance for peace in years

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:16:07 -0400

23 May 2013 150 Arriving today in restive eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged all the leaders of Africa's Great Lakes region to throw their support behind a recently-signed peace accord which aims to ensure security, as well as development, for the long-troubled country. "We have the best chance in many years to bring peace and ...

South Sudans President Says Never to ICC

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:15:06 -0400

JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN South Sudan President Salva Kiir said Thursday that he would "never acceptrdquo; the International Criminal Court. He spoke during a visit from new Kenyan president and ICC indictee Uhuru Kenyatta, who pledged the creation of roads, rail and pipelines to deepen economic ties between Kenya and the new nation. It was Uhuru Kenyatta's first visit to South Sudan since ...

African Leaders to Meet As AU Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:15:02 -0400

African leaders plan to meet this weekend at a summit in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).The Theme of the summit is pan-Africanism and renaissance. "Under this theme, Africa will be looking at that spirit of pan-Africanism that inspires through solidarity, unity of purpose for us to be ...

Retiring Kirsten hopes to go out with a bang with Proteas Champions Trophy win

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:50:04 -0400

Outgoing South African coach Gary Kirsten has said that he wants to leave his post with a 'bang' by winning the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. Determined to end his coaching tenure in the best possible way following his decision not to renew his contract with the Proteas earlier this month, Kirsten said that he hopes for a successful outcome at the Champions Trophy to end his career with a ...

Proteas back Steyn to be better than more skillful Anderson

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:00:02 -0400

South African cricketer Dale Steyn's Proteas team mates have backed him to better than England pacer James Anderson, despite England's bowling coach David Saker saying the latter is "more skillfull". Saker's remarks have agitated the cricket community, with Proteas Test skipper Graeme Smith and wicketkeeper Mark Boucher postingd tweets of disbelief, Sport 24 reports. Boucher said that while ...

South African MP says Prez Zuma root cause of Guptagate

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:00:02 -0400

A government report released into the use of a military base by an influential Indian family for a high-profile wedding in South Africa has implicated suspended Chief of State Protocol Bruce Koloane and exonerated President Jacob Zuma and his ministers. The report claims Koloane pressured military officials into allowing for a Gupta-chartered jet to land at Waterkloof Air Base under the premise ...

Hamid Ansari to represent India at 50th African Union Summit in Ethiopia

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:30:01 -0400

Vice President Hamid Ansari will visit Ethiopia to attend the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Organisation of African Unity/African Union (AU) on May 25. Ansari will address the gathering of top African leaders in the Ethiopian capital on May 25, focusing on the road ahead, especially in the fields of peace-keeping and security. Besides India, the other select partners invited for the ...

AU condemns suicide attacks in Niger

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:53:50 -0400

The African Union (AU) on Thursday condemned the suicide attacks in Arlit and Agadez in Niger. In a statement AU announced that Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the AU Commission has strongly condemned the two suicide attacks that took place Thursday's morning in Arlit and Agadez in Niger. The Chairperson expressed AU's full support to the Niger authorities' resolute ...

UN chief condemns deadly suicide bombings in Niger

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:53:49 -0400

Ban Ki- moon on Thursday strongly condemned two deadly suicide bombings happening in northern Niger in the same day. "The Secretary-General reiterates the support of the United Nations to the efforts of the Government of Niger and other countries in the Sahel region to combat the scourge of terrorism and transnational crime, in close collaboration with ...

Nigeria ETF Gets Good News on Glum Day For Global Markets

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:33:11 -0400

ETFs tracking a plethora of global markets closed lower. Predictably, emerging markets sagged with the Vanguard MSCI Emerging Markets ETF ...

Police crackdown on radical Islamists tests stability in Tunisia

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:01:11 -0400

Ansar al-Shariah supporters clash with police Sunday after Tunisia's Interior Ministry banned their annual conference that was to be held in Ettadhamen, near ...

New Strife in Darfur Leaves Many Seeking Refuge

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:58:21 -0400

ZAM ZAM CAMP, Sudan ...

1497 Illegal Routes Into Nigeria – Interior Minister

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:57:51 -0400

By SaharaReporters, New York ??There are no fewer than 1,497 illegal routes that lead into Nigeria. The startling disclosure was made earlier today by Nigeria’s Interior Minister, Abba Moro. Mr. Moro spoke in Abuja while briefing the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the party's national headquarters.??In order to curb the security crisis ...

NOAA forecasts active or extremely active 2013 hurricane season

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:35:43 -0400

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration issued a forecast Thursday for an active or extremely active 2013 Atlantic hurricane season. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, in its hurricane season outlook, forecast a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher) -- of which seven to 11 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including ...

US officials meet the Libya Contact Group at historic time

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:08 -0400

US officials meet the Libya Contact Group at historic time Libya-USA, Politics, 8/26/2011 US Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns led the U.S. delegation to the August 25 Libya Contact Group meeting in Istanbul, where representatives from 28 countries, the UN, EU, NATO, AU, OIC, Arab League and GCC came together to demonstrate the international community's firm commitment to ...

Ghana to begin GMO Testing

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:30:31 -0400

Although the politicians in Ghana’s parliament have done their bit and have allowed Monsanto lobbyists and scientists influenced by this corporate giant to pass the Bio-Safety Bill in Ghana, that does not stop conscientious objectors from continuing to point out the gross error these politicians in parliament have ...

World Briefing | Africa Congo U.N. Leader on Peace Mission

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:24:01 -0400

The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, arriving just hours after a rebel group halted fighting to allow his visit to proceed, said Thursday that security must go hand in hand with development in the Democratic Republic of ...

Jodi Arias Jury Fails to Reach Decision on Death Penalty

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:05:05 -0400

An Arizona jury tasked with determining whether convicted killer Jodi Arias should be put to death for the brutal murder of an ex-boyfriend failed to reach a unanimous verdict on Thursday, and a judge ordered a retrial in the penalty phase. Arias, 32, was found guilty earlier this month in the murder of Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home in ...

Kenya asks UN to terminate ICC crimes against humanity cases against president and VP

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:32:28 -0400

Kenya on Thursday got a chilly reception to its appeal to the U.N. Security Council to "terminate" International Criminal Court cases against the president and deputy president for planning and financing Kenya's 2007-08 postelection violence in which more than 1,000 people died and 600,000 were evicted from their homes. President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto ...

Kenya Crisis talks at Kitale Governors office as ghost of tribalism rears its ugly head

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:27:35 -0400

County Governors office with a ghost of tribalism and doubtful documents rocking the recruitment of officials. According to documents to weekly citizen,it is alleged that theTransitional Authority in charge of deployment Mr. Makori working under Kinuthia Wamwangi ...

Kenya Executive Cabinet Nominees represent the face of Kisumu County says Elders

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:27:32 -0400

nomination have invariably reflected and represented the faces of the entire County. The Forum Chairman Walter Adel Kitoto said the nominated candidates have the academic qualifications and technical skills required to implement the county's development agenda. "The nominees have wide, long and solid working experiences and commitment in their respective dockets," said Kitoto. ...

Kenya to Venture in Sports Tourism

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:27:31 -0400

By Thomas Ochieng API Kenya 21/5/2013 Kenya is in pursuit of harnessing sport tourism and the honor of underscoring this initiative has been bestowed on the Sotokoto Safari Marathon. The ...

UPDATE 2-One dead about 10 injured in Guinea opposition protest

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:07:46 -0400

Thu May 23, 2013 7:07pm EDT * Protest against June election plans turns violent * Opposition says president plans to rig the poll * Election meant to complete transition to civilian rule By Saliou Samb CONAKRY, May 23 (Reuters) - One person was killed and about were 10 injured when security forces and supporters of Guinea's president clashed with protesters marching in the capital on Thursday ...

UN troops in DR Congo within months

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:55:39 -0400

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has pledged that UN troops will be in place within "one or two months" to battle armed rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo's volatile east, as he toured the flashpoint city of Goma. Ban's visit on Thursday came after three days of sometimes deadly fighting between rebels and government forces that ended a precarious calm spell in the mineral-rich east ...

US Forecasters Predict Busy Atlantic Hurricane Season

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:53:01 -0400

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday there is a 70 percent chance that 13 to 20 named storms will form in the Atlantic Ocean this season. It says as many as 11 of them could strengthen into hurricanes -- storms with winds of 119 kilometers per hour or higher. The forecasters say they cannot predict if any of those storms will strike land. NOAA says warmer than ...

Forcast Above-Average Storm Activity Likely During 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:53:01 -0400

The 2013 Atlantic Hurricane season could be busier and deadlier than average, according to predictions released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA. The six-month seasonal outlook for Atlantic storms will be above average says Jerry Bell, lead Atlantic hurricane forecaster with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. "The outlook is calling for 13 to ...

And now Africa rises to unite in prosperity

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:44:43 -0400

Kwame Nkrumah, the first prime minister of Ghana, envisioned an Africa united by necessity. Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi made a half-hearted attempt at subverting traditionalism to have himself crowned the continent's king of kings. And, when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was constituted in 1963, several of the founders considered stronger ties between themselves as a survival ...

Lesotho chieftainship for men only

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:44:42 -0400

In a case brought by Senate Masupha, the first-born female child of a chief, Lesotho's Constitutional Court has reiterated that daughters cannot succeed their fathers to become chiefs. The court said last week that not allowing daughters to inherit the role, based on Lesotho's customary law, was not discrimination and therefore not unconstitutional. "It is our view that the ...

Refugees sending wrong signal

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:44:42 -0400

, Rwandan high commissioner Vincent Karega said Rwanda was classified as a "post-conflict, safe country, not a country in transition or crisis" and that, in accordance with the "thorough assessment" of the country by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the country was intent on securing the return of its refugees. He said: "Staying in foreign ...

Rwandan exiles dread going home

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:44:41 -0400

Virginie* was 19 when the killing started in Rwanda in 1994. She had left her boarding school in Butare to go home for the holidays. "For a short time, for three or four days, I didn't think I would be going cross border to cross border," she says of her forced journey that began after people started "disappearing" and bodies started piling up in the streets. The ...

Alaska Rep. Don Young gone hunting in Africa misses subcommittee oil hearing

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:44:32 -0400

WASHINGTON - When a key House of Representatives panel took up a bill this week that would require annual lease sales and streamline permitting in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, home state Rep. Don Young missed the session. He was on a big-game hunting safari in South Africa.Aides said Thursday that Young, a 21st-term Fort Yukon Republican who is Alaska’s sole representative in ...

Soil Atlas of Africa created to help farmers land managers

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:12:25 -0400

International experts say they've created a Soil Atlas of Africa to help farmers, land managers and policymakers understand soil's diversity and importance. Despite its importance, most people in Africa lack knowledge about soil, partly because most information tends to be limited to publications read only by scientists, said researchers at the at the land resource management unit of ...

Music Review Emel Mathlouthi at the French Institutes Tunisia Festival

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:52:42 -0400

The Tunisian singer Emel Mathlouthi, a gentle firebrand whose song ...

Syrias Civil War Fuels Violence in Iraq

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:46 -0400

Ominous ties are emerging between skyrocketing sectarian violence in Iraq and Syria's civil war. Analysts say al-Qaida-linked militants are flowing back and forth from both countries and are seeking to use religious differences to bring down the government, not only in Damascus, but also in Baghdad. Iraqis are witnessing the worst violence to rock their country in five years. Bombings ...

Moore Oklahoma Holds First Funeral of Tornado Victim

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:46 -0400

Moore, Oklahoma held the first funeral for a victim of Monday's monster tornado -- a nine year-old girl killed when the storm tore apart her elementary ...

Africa Tempts High-Tech Companies

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:45 -0400

Multinational high-tech companies looking for new frontiers and fresh ideas are lining up for a slice of Africa’s relatively untapped consumer market. Many experts are saying the continent is poised to be the next hotbed of technological innovation. Others are even more ...

African Progress Panel Urges Leaders to Exploit Resources

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:45 -0400

ADDIS ABABA -- As the African Union celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding, a group of respected leaders and activists led by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is urging African leaders to maximize the continent’s natural resource potential. The African Progress Panel ...

Volunteers Help Revive LAs Concrete River

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:45 -0400

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles River is a concrete drainage channel through much of its 80-kilometer length. It channels waste-water from storm drains and has become a receptacle for much of the city's trash. But, the river is slowly being restored to its natural state with the help of volunteers, who take part in an annual clean-up. Thousands of volunteers turned out on a recent weekend ...

Group set for $10bn direct investment in Nigeria

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:34:15 -0400

The drive of Federal Government for Foreign Direct Investment into the Nigerian economy has yielded fruit as a multinational group of high net-worth private investors with base in Europe and Singapore has concluded plans to make major investments in the oil and gas sector, real estate, agriculture, university education and power generation in the ...

Castle Minerals confirms Ghana prospect as a gold and zinc discovery

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:31:07 -0400

(MENAFN - ProactiveInvestors - Australia) Castle Minerals (ASX: CDT) has confirmed that its Bundi Prospect in northwest Ghana as a new gold discovery with associated zinc mineralisation.Reverse circulation drilling had intersected a coherent zone of gold mineralisation over at least 1100 metres of strike.This occurs within a zone of sulphide alteration that has a strong correlation with elevated ...

Nigeria’s Northern Elders Will Soon Come Home To Roost By Paul Omoruyi

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:19:53 -0400

Lately, there has been so many "elderly rascality" taking place in Nigeria. From Gabriel Igbinedion’s complete disregard for the law of the land on election-day in Edo State to the recent preposterous and outlandish statements by Northern Elders Forum (NEF) regarding Nigeria’s Government fight against Boko Haram, elderly rascality is on full display all over ...

Uganda CAA annouces plans to remodel departure area of Entebbe airport

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:07:23 -0400

(eTN) - Travelers using the Entebbe International Airport have for long been suffering the inconvenience of being made to walk long distances from the car parking to the main terminal, often subjected to pouring rain, as a result of the security requirement to keep vehicles away from the terminal. 'Entebbe is the only airport in the region where you cannot drive up to the terminal and ...

International Institute for Peace through Tourism announces launch of Peace Tours Morocco

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:07:22 -0400

STOWE, Vermont; TORREMOLINOS, Spain & CASABLANCA, Morocco - The International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) is pleased to announce the launch of Peace Tours Morocco as its second "Legacy Project" commemorating the 25th anniversary since its first global conference, "Tourism - A Vital Force for Peace," held in Vancouver in 1988. Peace Tours Morocco is a ...

Nigeria struggles to shift maternal care to tackle mortality rate

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:58:32 -0400

At large public hospitals in Nigeria, overworked nurses snap at crowds of pregnant women, who wait hours to receive quality care. With 630 deaths for every 100,000 live births, Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Government officials urge women to seek care at local clinics, but expecting mothers say they are unaware they ...

Safe Rooms Saved Lives in Tornado Disaster

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:25:02 -0400

WASHINGTON -- The scattered ruins of Moore, Oklahoma, a town devastated for the fourth time in 14 years by a major tornado, are a grim reminder that current building codes can’t do much to prevent property destruction and loss of life, especially when a powerful twister cuts through town. But the death toll can be dramatically reduced when people take shelter in underground storm bunkers ...

Obama Renews Pledge to Close Guantanamo Prison

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:25:02 -0400

In a speech addressing U.S. national security and counter-terrorism strategy, U.S. President Barack Obama announced additional steps to reaffirm his pledge to close the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He said Guantanamo "has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law." In a speech Thursday at the National Defense University in ...

Kenyan Cooperation with ICC Questioned

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:25:02 -0400

An April 2011 Combination picture shows Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta, who was finance minister, and William Ruto, former Higher Education Minister at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The ...

Pyongyang Willing to Take Chinas Advice on Talks

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:25:01 -0400

A North Korean envoy has told a senior Chinese official that Pyongyang is willing to take China's advice to start talks aimed at resolving tensions on the Korean peninsula. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that envoy Choe Ryong Hae made that remark to a high-ranking member of China's Communist Party, Liu Yunshan, during talks in Beijing Thursday. Liu told Choe that China ...

Telescopes Spot Colliding Galaxies

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:25:01 -0400

Several telescopes have teamed up to discover a rare and massive merging of two galaxies that took place when the universe was just 3 billion years old (its current age is about 14 billion years). (Photo: ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech/UC ...

WTO to East Africa Improve Your Infrastructure

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:25:00 -0400

NAIROBI -- World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy said East African governments must improve roads, ports and trade procedures if the region is to meet its full economic potential. He said specifically that border administration must be improved and there has to be cross-border recognition of technical standards. The call of the WTO chief comes as trade partners across the ...

African leader says Intl court designed to humiliate

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:24:33 -0400

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudan's president is criticizing the International Criminal Court, saying the court is designed to humiliate African leaders.Salva Kiir spoke Thursday during a visit by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces ICC charges related to Kenya's post-election violence in 2007-08 that killed more than 1,000 people.Kiir said that South Sudan — the ...

Kenya Relief as surgeons re-attach mans severed private organ

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:24 -0400

Surgeons at the hospital have successfully reattached his partially severed organ. However, experts at the hospital Thursday indicated it is not possible to determine if the victim will regain full sexual function of his ...

Kenya Mother claims nurse watched her newborn die

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:23 -0400

The couple had prepared to welcome their newborn baby and when Ann went to labour on January 17, this year, they knew that the moment they had prepared for had ...

Kenya Police arrest former councillor for piracy

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:21 -0400

• Secondary school set books analysed, recorded and saved in DVDs which were later sold to bookshops • Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education 2012 marking schemes for different subjects • Heavy duty printers, DVD burners which Gitimu told the police officers were used in the production of the copies of DVDs at night • Others were theatre books and anthology of poems for ...

Kenya Weather pushes inflation food prices down

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:20 -0400

inflation eased significantly from 14 per cent in 2011 to 9.4 per cent in 2012 with the country's reliance on rain-fed agriculture paying out. The drop ...

Kenya Report shows jobs in formal sector declined

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:19 -0400

jobs in the 2008/2009 financial year, a period following the post-election violence. This year, the firms that employed the highest number of people were in ICT, education, health and building and construction sectors. A vibrant property market stimulated by a reduction in the cost of borrowing lifted the building and construction sector to a growth of 4.8 per cent in 2012 compared to a growth of ...

Kenya County chief vows to grow tourism sector

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:17 -0400

County Governor Kinuthia Mbugua said he is determined to create thousands of jobs for the youth through the tourism industry besides other sectors. To realise this dream, the Governor said he would devise ways of promoting local tourism and convince residents to visit tourist resorts in the county beginning with Lake Nakuru National Park. "Other tourist resorts worth visiting are Hells Gate ...

Kenya I found broken IEBC seals court told

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:15 -0400

William Oduol , the court heard that he first discovered the broken seals at the tallying centre when he went to pay agents under him. The green seals were brought as exhibits before the court presided over by Justice Aggrey Muchelule.? ? "I saw a lot of broken seals at the school. They were lying on the ground outside the hall where tallying was taking place," he said.? Omondi said he ...

Kenya TNA stopped from ejecting six committee members

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:14 -0400

On Wednesday evening, Speaker Mwangi Mugo stopped a bid by the TNA core team to replace six TNA members from all the 12 assembly committees. Majority leader Mwangi Kibuu (Gatitu/Muruguru Ward) sought to replace the six members from Kieni Constituency with new nominees claiming they had shown marked indifference to their party agenda. The six are Duncan Gituanja (Kabaru), Mwaniki Kanyiri (Mweiga), ...

Kenya Envoy Japan seeking closer ties with Kenya

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:13 -0400

Japan will scale up its operations in the country by drafting stout policy frameworks and constructing developmental projects to accelerate growth in Kenya. Japanese ...

Kenya Farmers fault States deal with the EU

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:09 -0400

Through the Kenya Small Scale Farmers Forum, they told a Nairobi Court yesterday that the Government had not complied with some requirements before sealing the ...

Kenya Kibor wins land case 20 years later

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:07 -0400

The High Court in Eldoret ordered Samuel Rono, who had bought the land from Kibor to leave the farm. High Court Judge Festus Azangalala gave Rono 30 days to vacate the farm failure to which he would be evicted. This followed failure by Rono to pay Kibor the full amount agreed for the land. In 1991, Kibor entered into a sale agreement with Rono to purchase the land at Sh22.5 million, a price that ...

Kenya Uhuru submits nominee list to Parliament

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:21:06 -0400

House Speaker Justin Muturi noted that the National Assembly is required to conclude the process of approval or rejection of the nominees within 14 days from the date of notification. "I now direct that the nominees' names and Curriculum Vitae be forwarded to the Committee on Appointments for the necessary approval hearings to be conducted," said Muturi. Uhuru nominated Joseph J ...

Business Kenya rises to second spot as conference tourism leader

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:20:57 -0400

The two countries had previously dominated top spots. The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) also rated Kenya at 58th position globally in the 'Country& City rankings 2012' Ruth Solitei, Permanent ...

Business Agriculture Secretary outlines plan to raise Kenyas share of meat market

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:20:56 -0400

Coffee stakeholders are working on strategies to enhance the industry competitiveness by expanding the market share locally and ...

South African Miners Demand Salary Increases

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:19:05 -0400

Pretoria, May 23 (Prensa Latina) The National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa has demanded a wage increase of 15 percent for employees and skilled miners who work both underground and on the surface, local television published today. The request, which implies a minimum salary of 7.000 rand ($ 750 USD) for gold and coal miners, increased the fears that the strikes spread to the rest of the ...

Ten hurt in Guinea protest

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:58:43 -0400

Opposition supporters gather during a protest in Conakry. One person was shot dead and several others were wounded in clashes between security forces and demonstrators after the protest on ...

Kenya seeks African help to drop Hague charges against Kenyatta

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:52:33 -0400

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Kenya has asked other African countries to urge the International Criminal Court (ICC) to drop crimes-against-humanity charges against its new president and his deputy, according to an African Union document seen on ...

Rwanda’s Festival of the Gorillas becomes annual tourist destination

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:51:44 -0400

(eTN) - When the Rwanda Development Board's (RDB) Tourism and Conservation Department holds their annual Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony on Saturday, June 22, at Kinigi, outside Volcano National Park, exactly a dozen newborn gorilla babies will be named this year. One of them was only born two days ago to the joy of the park staff and the conservation and tourism fraternity at large. It ...

15 injured in clashes with security forces in Guineas capital

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:51:14 -0400

CONAKRY, Guinea - A government spokesman says at least 15 people were injured, four of them by bullet wounds, during a protest in Guinea's capital between opposition parties and security forces. The clashes are the latest iteration in the ongoing fight between the country's opposition and the ruling party over the details of a much-delayed parliamentary election. Albert Camara, ...

Hydropower megaproject to dam River Congo

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:43:13 -0400

Africa's greatest river is about to be tamed. The River Congo is set to succumb to a series of giant hydroelectric dams with twice the generating capacity of the world's most powerful hydro-plant, ...

Cardinal Onaiyekan Nigeria is in Jeopardy

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:40:12 -0400

Nigerian Prelates Meet With European Union Representatives to Discuss Rise in Corruption and ViolenceBy John NewtonROME, May 03, 2013 (Zenit.org) - NIGERIA'S leading bishop has told the European Parliament and other politicians that his country is being jeopardised by "the twin monsters of corruption and insecurity".In a meeting organized by Aid to the Church in Need, Cardinal John ...

DR Congo shelling kills three

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:35:24 -0400

SHELLING has killed three people in the flashpoint Democratic Republic Congo city of Goma ahead of a visit by UN leader Ban Ki-moon. Three shells were fired into the Goma district of Ndosho late on Wednesday, killing three people and wounding 10, according to the UN humanitarian co-ordinator for DR Congo Moustapha Soumare. He did not say whether rebel or government forces were behind the ...

Report At Least 1 London Terror Suspect is of Nigerian Descent

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:09:37 -0400

A picture of victim Drummer Lee Rigby, of the British Army's 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is displayed with flowers left by mourners outside an army barracks near the scene of his killing in Woolwich, southeast London May 23, ...

White House Fact Sheet on Counterterrorism Policy

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:09:36 -0400

Fact Sheet: U.S. Policy Standards and Procedures for the Use of Force in Counterterrorism Operations Outside the United States and Areas of Active Hostilities Since his first day in office, President Obama has been clear that the United States will use all available tools of national power to protect the American people from the terrorist threat posed by al-Qa’ida and its associated ...

LIVE Obama Speaks on Counterterrorism

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:09:36 -0400

2001, we were shaken out of complacency. Thousands were taken from us, as clouds of fire, metal and ash descended upon a sun-filled morning. This was a different kind of war. No armies came to our shores, and our military was not the principal target. Instead, a group of terrorists came to kill as many civilians as they could. And so our nation went to war. We have now been at war for well ...

HRW Mozambique Families Displaced by Foreign Mining

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:09:35 -0400

Rio Tinto's "Benga" coal mining operation in Tete province in central Mozambique. Arid, coal-rich Tete has been at the epicenter of a coal mining boom that has attracted billions of dollars in foreign investment. Without adequate safeguards, this surge ...

OECD Developing Green Cities Key to Sustainable Future

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:09:35 -0400

PARIS -- By the middle of this century, two-thirds of the world's population will live in cities, posing a major environmental challenge. But a ...

France Wants Hezbollah Armed Wing on EU Terror List Soon

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:09:34 -0400

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Sudan UN humanitarian chief urges stronger bridges between humanitarian development work

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:08:19 -0400

UN Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos arrives in El Fasher en route to the Zam Zam camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in North Darfur. Photo: UNAMID/Albert González ...

ICC persecuting Africans S Sudan

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:58:03 -0400

JUBA - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir said on Thursday his country would never become a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying it appeared to be preoccupied with prosecuting African ...

UPDATE 1-Ghana cabinet approves $1 bln Eurobond for July - fin min

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:52:13 -0400

Thu May 23, 2013 2:52pm EDT ACCRA May 23 (Reuters) - Ghana's cabinet has approved a Eurobond issue of up to $1 billion tentatively scheduled for July, Finance Minister Seth Terkper said on Thursday. "Based on anticipated market conditions and financing needs, a transaction size of up to $1 billion was recommended to, and approved by, cabinet," Terkper told reporters, adding that ...

UN warns DR Congo rebels it will intervene

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:46:49 -0400

The UN Secretary General has warned armed rebels in eastern Congo that the organisation's new "intervention brigade" would prevent any repeat of the fighting that has driven thousands of refugees out of camps this ...

South Sudan says war crimes court persecutes Africans

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:35:33 -0400

South Sudan President Salva Kiir waits for the arrival of his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta, who is on his first visit to the region as head of state, in Juba May 23, ...

Kenya AGOA’S unexploited opportunities

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:28:03 -0400

http://www.africanpress.me/ A facilitator addressing the African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA) forum in Kisumu this morning. (photo by Alal) This is the irony of people laying emphasis on value addition as the sure way to lift the business fraternity in Kenya ...

Africa Raising the Bar on Extractive Resources Transparency and Accountability

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:28:02 -0400

Over 3.5 billion people-or half of the world’s population-live in countries that are rich in extractive resources such as oil, gas, and minerals. Yet, too often, the benefits from this wealth do not go to support the development of the country and thus do not work to the advantage of the average citizen. Extractive resources are inherently challenging for governments to manage effectively, ...

Africa Climate Change and Economic Development

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:28:01 -0400

Although Africa contributes only about 3.8% of total greenhouse gas emissions, the continent is among the most vulnerable in the world. According to IPCC's climate change modelling results (IPCC, 2007), decreasing water resources as a result of climate change is heavily affecting water levels of major rivers and lakes in Africa. Climate change will result in increased frequency and severity ...

UN World Bank Say Development is Key to Congo Peace

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:51:07 -0400

GOMA -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been visiting the war-weary city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), accompanied by the president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim. Both men stressed they see investing in development as the way out of Congo’s conflicts. The front lines outside Goma were silent on Thursday morning as Ban and Kim conducted their ...

New Standards Approved for Extractive Industries

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:51:07 -0400

New performance standards have been announced (5/23) for oil, gas and mining companies, requiring them to be much more transparent in their business dealings. to De Capua report on extraction industries The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative approved the new performance standards at a meeting in Sydney, Australia. Created in 2003, the initiative includes government, business ...

Star Trek Influence Lives Long and Prospers

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:51:06 -0400

WASHINGTON -- Academics, professionals and Star Trek fans are once again discussing the iconic franchise's influence on society, science, and technology, as the dazzling new sci-fi ...

Singer Piaf Songwriter Georges Moustaki Dies at 79

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:51:06 -0400

PARIS -- French singer and songwriter Georges Moustaki, beloved in France for his songs celebrating liberty and collaborations with Edith Piaf, died on Thursday after a long illness. He was 79. The Greek-born singer grew up in Alexandria, Egypt, and arrived in Paris in 1951, where he began to play guitar at nightclubs and met some of the period's best-known singers. He was introduced ...

S. Sudan leader Intl court humiliates Africa

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:46:14 -0400

JUBA, South Sudan -; South Sudan's president is criticizing the International Criminal Court, saying the court is designed to humiliate African ...

Democratic Republic of Congo - Congolese journalist’s body found in river 12 days after disappearance

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:39:11 -0400

Reporters Without Borders is dismayed to learn of radio journalist Guylain Chandjaro's death in Bunia, a city in the eastern region of Ituri. He was a Swahili-language journalist with Radio Canal Rvlation, a community radio station, and freelanced for the Bunia branch of the national broadcaster RTNC.His body was found in the bed of the River Ngezi - which crosses the city - on 17 May, 12 ...

UN chief visits Goma after deadly fighting

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:38:19 -0400

UN chief Ban Ki-moon arrived in the DR Congo flashpoint city of Goma on Thursday after three days of sometimes deadly fighting between rebels and government forces that ended months of calm in the volatile east of the country.Ban's brief visit to the mineral-rich trouble spot comes a day after he and the World Bank chief made a fresh push for peace and development in the region.The latest ...

China offers soldiers for Mali UN mission

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:38:18 -0400

China has offered to send more than 500 soldiers as part of the United Nations (UN) force seeking to contain Islamist militants in Mali in what would be its biggest contribution to UN peacekeeping, diplomats said.The move could be a bid to overcome tensions with the West over the Syria conflict and to strengthen Beijing's relations in Africa, where it is a major buyer of natural ...

The Gulf of Guinea Another Somalia

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:36:54 -0400

, a container ship flagged in Antigua and Barbuda, was about 160km (100 miles) off the Nigerian coast in the evening of April 25th when 14 pirates, armed to the teeth, boarded her and broke into the ship's safe room. They made off with an undisclosed sum of cash and five crew members, who were freed on May 13th, probably after a ransom had been paid. The incident is typical of piracy in ...

Kenya South Sudan and Uganda Pipeline poker

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:36:53 -0400

IN MARCH last year the heads of state of Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan met among mangroves in Lamu, a Kenyan town on the Indian Ocean, to launch the construction of a port and oil pipeline together costing $16 billion that would serve all their countries and vastly enrich them. Taxpayers were billed $350,000 for the celebratory meal, according to local officials, though it actually cost only ...

Nigeria’s northern insurgency A city under siege

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:36:52 -0400

Just your friendly neighbourhood cops SOLDIERS sit sweltering in bunkers made from sandbags on the streets of Maiduguri, a town in north-eastern Nigeria at the centre of a four-year Islamist revolt. Around them, young boys on clanking bicycles carve through sand blown in from the Sahara, which has been slowly burying a town that was once, long ago, a thriving Islamic trading centre. It now ...

Minister of Human Rights Bahrain and Morocco are on the Path of Reform Democracy and Reinforcing Rights and Freedoms

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:34:35 -0400

Rabat, May 23rd (BNA) -Minister of Human Rights, Dr. Salah Bin Ali Abdul Rahman met with Moroccan Minister of Interior, Mohanad Laenser within the official Bahraini delegation's visit to Kingdom of Morocco, in reply to the invitation received by Ministry of Human Rights from the Moroccan Government through the ministerial commissary in charge of human rights. At the beginning of the ...

Kenyan police clear truckers blocking east Africas main trade route

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:23:51 -0400

MOMBASA (Reuters) - Kenyan police cleared the only highway from the Indian Ocean port city of Mombasa to the capital Nairobi on Thursday, two days after striking truck drivers blocked it and threatened to choke the main trade artery in east ...

Sudan South Sudan vow to keep oil flowing differ on pumping problem

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:18:51 -0400

KHARTOUM/ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Sudan and South Sudan's oil ministers on Thursday vowed to continue cross-border oil flows but gave contradictionary opinions whether a technical problem at a pumping station which had cut output had been ...

UN 300000 Sudanese have fled Darfur fighting this year 1.4 million are living in camps

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:16:54 -0400

The U.N.'s top humanitarian official says that 300,000 people have fled fighting throughout Sudan's rebellious province of Darfur in the first five months of this year, more than the total number of people displaced there in the last two years put together. U.N. Humanitarian Chief, Valerie Amos is on a visit to the area and spoke Thursday in Khartoum, Sudan. She says "We cannot ...

Liberia Several Top Govt Officials Snub LACCs Assets Verification Exercise

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:11:49 -0400

The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has disclosed that several top officials of the Government of Liberia (GOL) have "deliberately refused to cooperate" with its Assets Verification Exercise. The LACC has the broad mandate to investigate, prosecute and prevent acts of corruption amongst other things (LACC Act of August 2008). Included in this mandate also is the mandate of ...

Liberia Global Witness On Govt Back

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:11:49 -0400

The international watchdog, Global Witness, has challenged the Government of Liberia (GoL) to urgently address violations of Liberian laws recently published in a LEITI Audit Report. According to a Global Witness' statement issued Wednesday, 22 May 2013, the recently published LEITI Audit Report reveals significant violations of Liberia's laws that the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf led ...

Gambia Trade Ministry U.S. Embassy Poised to Improve Bilateral Trade Investment

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:11:48 -0400

The US Embassy Wednesday organised a seminar on Franchise at the Sunswing Hotel in Kololi. The seminar was designed to educate interested Gambian private sector operators on the procedures for acquiring a US Franchise and the rules and regulations of operating such a business. Speaking at the occasion, the US ambassador, Edward Alford, said that his embassy and the Gambia Ministry of Trade have ...

Kenya Nurses and midwives trained on safe abortion methods to curb high mortality rate

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:11:48 -0400

Executive Director of KMET the training is to enhance the capacity of health providers to offer quality abortion related services within the confines of the law in Kenya. Monica said health providers need to understand provision of Comprehensive Abortion Care services such as the use ...

Gambia Eight km Ballangharr-Jimbala Feeder Road Rehabilitated

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:11:48 -0400

Janjangbureh - Over two hundred people from Ballangharr and Kaur wards in the Central River Region (CRR) recently embarked on a rehabilitation of eight-kilometer feeder road linking Ballangharr and Jimbala, in Lower Saloum District of the region. Until this self-help project by the rural dwellers, this feeder road had been badly damaged by last year's torrential rains. The rehabilitation ...

Ghana TOR Crashes Out in Oil Deals

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:11:48 -0400

One of the reasons why the Ghanaian Italian Petroleum Company (GHAIP), which later became known as Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), was established in 1960, was to process crude oil for the Ghanaian domestic market. But, 53 years down the line, the refinery is in a sorry state as a result of mismanagement and failure to procure modern machines to replace the obsolete ones. As a result of this, many of ...

Ghana TWN Blames Scale Mining Menace On Weakling Economy

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:11:48 -0400

Third World Network-Africa (TWN), an Accra-based a research and advocacy non-governmental organisation (NGO), has blamed the recent gangsterism and other challenges in the artisanal and small scale mining (ASM) in Ghana on a weakling economy. The NGO argued that if the Ghanaian and African economies were creating enough jobs, no citizen of African would have engaged in illegal scale small ...

Liberia Secrecy in Oil Gas and Mining Conspires Against Economic Development

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:11:48 -0400

The lives of over a billion citizens could be transformed if their governments managed their oil, gas and minerals in a more open, accountable manner, according to the Resource Governance Index released by the Revenue Watch Institute. The Index measures the transparency and accountability in the oil, gas and mining sector of 58 countries worldwide and finds that the vast majority surveyed fail ...

Ghana Ghana to Use UK Technology for Street Naming

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:11:47 -0400

Ghana will use Intelligent Addressing (IA) technology from the UK to name streets and properties in Ghana. Mr. Tony Black, an IA Consultant who participated in a recent workshop in Accra, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview at the weekend, that a national address gazetteer will be built alongside the street-naming project. He said IA employs the technique of Unique Property Reference ...

South Africa Guptagate Report whitewash Reinforces Need for an Independent Investigation

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:11:47 -0400

Aircraft parked at South Africa's Waterkloof Air force Base which is considered a national key point. The final Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster Report of the Landing of a Chartered Commercial Aircraft at Air Force Base Waterkloof reinforces the need for an independent investigation into "Guptagate". The final report was deliberately and cynically withheld from ...

South Africa Agang Response to the Release of the Gupta Report

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:11:47 -0400

Aircraft parked at South Africa's Waterkloof Air force Base which is considered a national key point. Johannesburg - ‘We note with interest the Government's report into the failures of governance that led to the landing of the Gupta family's aircraft at Waterkloof Air Force base. ‘The report confirms that ‘a culture of undue influence, underpinned by poor ...

Ten dead in Somalia after al-Shabaab clash with Ethiopian troops

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:08:43 -0400

About 10 people are believed to have been killed in clashes between Ethiopian troops and al-Shabaab insurgents in the Somali city of Beledweyn, officials say. The fighting began after al-Shabaab fighters opened fire on residents of a small town on the outskirts of the city, Shabelle Media Network reported Thursday. Ethiopian troops quickly arrived, causing the insurgents to retreat, said Isaq ...

Indonesia Papua New Guinea plan joint exploration

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:08:33 -0400

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are planning joint exploration for potential oil and natural gas reserves in border areas. "The border possesses a huge amount of unexplored oil and gas reserves, according to data obtained by our team," Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik was quoted as saying by The Jakarta Post after meeting this week with Papua New Guinea's ...

Syrian Opposition Figure Offers Transition Plan

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:35:03 -0400

A prominent Syrian opposition figure has proposed a transition plan for the war-torn country, requiring President Bashar al-Assad to hand power to a senior aide and leave the country with 500 ...

US One Drone Victim Was Intent on Anti-American Terrorism

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:35:03 -0400

U.S. law enforcement officials say that one of the four Americans it now acknowledges killing in drone strikes was a young man who left the country for Pakistan intent on engaging in violent terrorism against the United States. Jude Kenan Mohammad had not been previously identified in news media reports as being killed by a U.S. drone attack, unlike three other Americans the government on ...

Florida FBI Shooting May Be Linked to Boston Area Triple Slaying

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:35:03 -0400

U.S. news reports say a Chechen man killed in an altercation with an FBI agent implicated himself in a triple slaying that may have been connected to dead Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan ...

Whats Behind the Drop in Syrian Refugees to Jordan

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:35:02 -0400

A Syrian refugee woman carrying her son is reflected a puddle of rain water as she stands outside her tent after heavy rain at al-Zaatari refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the Syrian border, January 10, ...

Religious Award Sparks Indonesia Protest

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:35:02 -0400

JAKARTA -- Leading religious figures in Indonesia have come out against a U.S.-based interfaith group's plan to award President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's support for religious freedom. They said it sends the wrong message about a country where religious minorities face increasing violence and persecution. Minority faiths in Indonesia are under attack. Local governments have been ...

Doctors Without Borders Shuts Clinic in Northern Nigeria

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:35:01 -0400

ABUJA -- Aid organization Doctors Without Borders says it has suspended emergency health care in Borno State, Nigeria, - the heart of an insurgency now under assault by government troops. The decision comes after five gunmen hijacked an aid vehicle on Saturday. A couple of weeks ago, Doctors without Borders moved into Baga, a town where thousands of homes were burnt to the ground and hundreds ...

Violence in Somalia scares investors aid workers

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:30:24 -0400

MOGADISHU, Somalia -; A spate of attacks by Islamic insurgents in Somalia's capital is forcing investors, businessmen and aid workers to have second thoughts about expanding operations in ...

Togo police fire tear gas at protesters

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:30:23 -0400

LOME, Togo -; Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the latest confrontation between the ruling party and Togo's increasingly active opposition. Demonstrators were gathering to protest the death of an opposition member, who died in ...

WTO Leader Criticizes Trade Costs and Corruption in Africa

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:28:57 -0400

Nairobi, May 23 (Prensa Latina) The director general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Pascal Lamy, questioned today the negative impact of the high cost of cross-border trade and corruption for consumers in East Africa. "Due to these scourges the region pays 40 percent higher market prices," Lamy told local reporters in this capital. "If you are a consumer in Rwanda, you must ...

Kenya - Witnesses describe police killings of protesters bystanders in Kenya

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:23:03 -0400

The Kenyan authorities should promptly investigate and prosecute those responsible for shootings by the police in Kisumu on March 30, 2013, Human Rights Watch said today. Five people died and at least twenty-four were injured.The shootings occurred in the wake of demonstrations against the Kenyan Supreme Court ruling on March 30 upholding President Uhuru Kenyatta's election victory on March ...

Regional Integration for Africa’s Structural Transformation

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:16:40 -0400

structural transformation " in order to take the bulk of its population out of poverty.Critical to the attainment of this structural transformation is without a doubt ...

UPDATE 2-S.Africa holds rates but cut was on table

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:15:08 -0400

Thu May 23, 2013 12:15pm EDT * Bank discusses rate cut "extensively" * Concerned about steep wage settlements * Cuts growth forecasts (Adds analyst comment, writes through) By Xola Potelwa JOHANNESBURG, May 23 (Reuters) - South Africa's Reserve Bank left its repo rate unchanged on Thursday, while admitting for the first time in nearly a year that it had considered a cut to try to ...

Suicide Bombers Kill 20 Soldiers In Niger Republic Nigeria Mounts Troops Across Borders With Niger

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:14:00 -0400

By SaharaReporters, New York Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), an Islamic group which claims to be committed to the enforcement of Shariah law in West Africa, has claimed responsibility for a twin suicide bombing attack this morning at the Nigerian/Niger border in which over 20 Nigerien soldiers were killed. A journalist in transit in the area told SaharaReporters that the ...

Congo has chance for peace U.N. ready to enforce Ban Ki-moon

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:02:33 -0400

1 of 5. U.N. peacekeepers patrol the streets during the visit of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim to Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo's war-torn east, May 23, ...

Killing of British soldier stirs tension in poor corner of London

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:01:06 -0400

LONDON (Reuters) - The gory killing of a British soldier at the hands of two suspected Islamist militants has shone a spotlight on Woolwich, the London district where it happened, stirring racial tensions in one of the most ethnically diverse parts ...

Chinua Achebe remembered as fearless writer in uncertain times in Nigeria feted in hometown

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:34 -0400

Men ride a motor cycle taxi past a poster of late author Chinua Achebe, in Awka, Nigeria, Wednesday, May 22, 2013. People gathered Wednesday to celebrate the life of author Chinua Achebe, who died in March at the age of 82. His family plans to bury the literary icon Thursday in his home village of Ogidi. (AP Photo/Sunday ...

Guinea Bissau Security Council Extends UN Political Mission

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:55:38 -0400

The United Nations Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations political mission in Guinea-Bissau to assist in finding solutions to the political and economic crisis being exacerbated by additional challenges posed by transnational crime, in particular drug trafficking and money laundering. The 15-member council voted unanimously to extend through 31 May 2014 the work of ...

Liberia Govt Silent Over Reported Sale of Japanese Donated Rice in Guinea

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:55:37 -0400

The Government of Liberia (GOL) through the Ministry of Commerce & Industry is yet to comment on the reported sale of a huge consignment Japanese donated rice to Liberia in neighboring Guinea. Last week, the Heritage, based on cogent reports obtained from officialdom, reported that the United Commodities Incorporated (UCI) recently sold huge consignment of the Japanese donated rice to Liberia ...

Radio may be old but its the most accessible form of technology on the continent which is why some African leaders feel threatened by it.

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:53:08 -0400

Radio threatens many of Africa's big men. Thugs working for Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe have recently been confiscating and destroying receivers. Eritrea's President Isaias Afewerki stopped issuing import licenses. Other iron-fisted rulers such as Swaziland's King Mswati III and Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir rarely hand out frequencies, thus reducing the range ...

African Union Don’t Let Them In

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:51:39 -0400

On May 19, African countries will kick off a special summit to celebrate 50 years of unity, first under the Organisation of African Unity and, since 2000, under the African Union. This is an opportune time for the AU to set the record straight on its support for accountability, especially the atrocities during Kenya’s 2007-08 post-election violence. Indeed, Kenyan government sources ...

Inside Mercks new crusade against cervical cancer in Africa

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:33:49 -0400

Merck's cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil. A new agreement between the GAVI Alliance, Merck and GlaxoSmithKline (which makes a similar vaccine, Cervarix) will provide vaccines in Africa at a fraction of their normal commercial cost -- with the goal of vaccinating 30 million women by 2020. Most pharmaceutical companies spend huge money on research and development, with new drugs requiring years ...

Global Advocacy Group Urges Pakistan to Protect Press

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:20:46 -0400

ISLAMABAD -- A U.S.-based international press watchdog organization is calling for the incoming Pakistan government led by Nawaz Sharif to take urgent steps to stem "the murderous silencing" of the press by bringing to justice those who have attacked journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists said many reporters killed in Pakistan during the past decade were targeted and ...

Gay Rights Activist Held in China

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:20:44 -0400

BEIJING -- A young gay rights activist was detained last week in the southern city of Changsha, following a rally organized by local groups to mark an international day against homophobia, his lawyer said. The man, 19-year-old Xiang Yuhan, was taken into custody early Saturday after police came to his hotel room. "He’s been put under administrative detention for 12 days on ...

Writer Chinua Achebe honored in Nigeria funeral

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:16:19 -0400

SA Defence Force trained some DRC M23 rebels

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:12:15 -0400

Edward Xolisa Makaya, chief director for Southern Africa at the international relations and cooperation department told the parliamentary oversight committee on Wednesday that over the years, South Africa has been "very present" in the military training of the DRC's troops. The South African National Defence Force trained three military battalions over the years and that police ...

South Africa Clash of Booker titans

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:08:55 -0400

With freedom of expression under threat in South Africa again, Anton Harber recalls an electric confrontation between two Booker prize winners, JM Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer, about the censorship of a third - Salman ...

Shura Council Chairman Receives Bahraini Ambassador to Morocco

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:04:43 -0400

Manama, May 23. (BNA) -- Chairman of the Shura Council Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh has lauded the tremendous efforts exerted by the Kingdom's ambassadors to strengthen ties with brotherly and friendly countries and open up new horizons of cooperation in various fields. Speaking as he received here today Bahrain's Ambassador to Morocco Khalid Salman Jabr Al-Musallam, Al Saleh asserted ...

Emmanuel and St. Chad reach deal to stay open

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:58:29 -0400

The 134-year-old College of Emmanuel and St. Chad will remain open with the help of other Saskatoon seminaries, reversing its plan to suspend operations for three years.A deal with the two other members of the Saskatoon Theological Union - St. Andrew's College and the Lutheran Theological Seminary - allows Emmanuel and St. Chad to reduce its budget and remain open for the 2013-14 academic ...

Rwandas main opposition figure Twagiramungu plans his return

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:49:32 -0400

The former prime minister plans to challenge President Kagame and the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front. Rwanda's former prime minister Faustin Twagiramungu, now in exile, says he plans to return by the end of the year to recommend President Paul Kagame loosen his authoritarian grip."I have decided to go back home this year," Twagiramungu said during a brief trip in early March to ...

Madamfo Ghana Commissions Classroom Block For Detieso Community

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:48:42 -0400

Madamfo Ghana Foundation, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) from Germany, has commissioned a three-classroom block, with an office and store room, and Kindergarten block for the Detieso Community in the Bosome-Freho District of the Ashanti Region. The project was funded by Engagement Global (GIZ) NRW Germany at the cost of 24.000 Euros, the equivalent of GH60,000. Nana Anim Kokor II, Apewu ...

Africas dead women walking

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:44:13 -0400

>Editor's note: The names of some fistula patients have been changed to protect their privacy.(CNN) -- It's a condition practically unheard of in the United States and most Western countries. But in a culture where a woman's status and dignity is decided by her ability to provide a husband with multiple children, it can be a fate worse than death. "Obstetric fistula" is a mouthful. But to ...

Guinea UN Official Initiates Consultations Between Govt Opposition Leaders

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:54 -0400

A United Nations envoy today convened a consultative meeting in the Guinean capital, Conakry, between the Prime Minister and opposition leaders, pressing ahead with UN efforts to assist the parties in resolving differences over preparations for stalled legislative elections and other contentious issues through peaceful means. Said Djinnit, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for ...

Uganda Today in Parliament Decision On Kampala

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:54 -0400

Parliament is expected today afternoon to take a decision on whether President Yoweri Museveni should take over Kampala management for six months or not. This followed a directive yesterday night by house Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah to the clerk of Parliament, Jane Kibirige, to investigate minutes of the controversial report by the Parliament's committee on public service and local ...

Liberia Assets Declaration Ignored

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:53 -0400

The latest assets declaration report released by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) on the verification of public officials' assets has exposed several officials who allegedly refused to allow their assets [already declared] to be verified by the LACC. The verification process by the LACC was intended to show the truthfulness of the assets that have been declared by officials of ...

Uganda Norway Pledges Funds for Forests

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:53 -0400

Uganda loses nearly 100,000hectares of forest cover annually through encroachment, exposing the population to the risks and costly consequences of climate change. It is therefore for this reason that the Norwegian Embassy has pledged continued support to Uganda in form of increased funding in forest restoration, environment management and conservation as part of their micro-development projects ...

Tunisia Nation Jails Outspoken Femen Activist

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:53 -0400

Najjar in Tunis - Nineteen-year-old Tunisian feminist "Amina" was arrested in Kairouan on Sunday (May 19th). Tunisia's prosecutor ordered the arrest of the Femen activist after she tried to take off her clothes opposite Uqba Ibn Nafi Mosque. She was also reportedly seen painting the word "Femen" on a wall near the mosque. Interior Ministry spokesperson Mohamed Ali Aroui ...

South Africa Water Debt and Leaks Plague City Residents

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:53 -0400

Cape Town - Nokuzola Bulana has a problem with leaks. The water that drips from the pipes of the toilet outside her home in Khayelitsha, a large semi-informal township on the fringes of Cape Town, South Africa goes to waste and drives up her water bill. Bulana, a water activist, says she fixed the leaks in January but water on the floor at the base of the toilet, which is inside a stall painted ...

Swaziland Govt Wrong On Election Freedom

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:53 -0400

dialogue on the national election due in Swaziland later this year. Political parties banned in Swaziland were invited to the meeting. According to the Observer, Simelene said the parties were, 'practicing their democratic right to expression and assembly, and government had no business stopping them'. He told the Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan ...

Africa Dlamini-Zuma - Pan-Africanism Is More Important Than Ever

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:52 -0400

The three issues - pan-Africanism, sustainable development and the empowerment of women - loom the largest in Nokosazana Dlamini-Zuma plans for the African Union. This is according to The Africa Report. Like many South African activists, Nokosazana Dlamini-Zuma's attachment to pan-Africanism is more practical than ideological. It was the African National Congress's ability to mobilize ...

Africa Time for Africa to Be Food Secure

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:52 -0400

As the continent celebrates the 50th anniversary of the continental organisation, Mrs Rhoda Tumusiime, African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture has spelled out the AU's Vision for agricultural development for the next 50 years. On 25th May 2013, Africa will celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Organisation of African Unity and the African Union promoting Pan-Africanism ...

Africa 23rd Ordinary Session of AU Executive Council Kicks Off

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:52 -0400

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros Adhanom said on Wednesday Africa should build up on its achievements as it strives to advance the continent's transformation agenda for the next decades. Tedros made the remark at the opening session of the 23rd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union at its Headquarters. "I believe our priorities should be to ensure lasting ...

Africa Nepad Says Agriculture Development Key for Africa

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:52 -0400

The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) said on Thursday Agriculture development has the potential to uplift millions of rural farmers out of poverty and create employment. In a press briefing NEPAD organized at the African Union, Chief Executive Officer of NEPAD Agency, Ibrahim Assane Mayaki stressed the need to improve rural life through modern agricultural mechanism. To this ...

Africa Ban Ki-Moon World Bank Group President to Visit Africa

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:52 -0400

World Bank Group President Dr. Jim Yong Kim and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will make an historic joint visit to Africa's Great Lakes region from May 22nd - 24th. This is in support of a recent landmark peace agreement and to push for economic development in one of the world's most troubled regions. According to the World Bank, Kim and Mr. Ban will travel to the ...

Africa Africa Must Guarantee Her Own Security