Africa – News Stories About Africa - Page 14

OPINION

Mar 8, 2011 1:31 PM CST

What We Can Learn from Mauritius

How a tiny African nation provides education, health care for all

(Newser) - Imagine a nation that provided free health care and a college education for all its citizens while maintaining a nicely balanced budget. Sound impossible? Well, they’ve managed it in Mauritius, a small island nation off the east coast of Africa with no "exploitable" natural resources to speak of....

World's
Newest Country
Picks a Name

Feb 17, 2011 5:40 AM CST

World's Newest Country Picks a Name

South Sudan beats Nile Republic, Kush

(Newser) - Southern Sudan already had a flag and an anthem when its people voted to secede and split Africa's biggest country in two; the nation-in-waiting now has a name as well. The secretary-general of the ruling party, keeping things simple, says the name South Sudan has been chosen, the BBC reports....

Protests Fueled by Facebook
Begin in Sudan, Too

Jan 30, 2011 12:52 PM CST

Protests Fueled by Facebook Begin in Sudan, Too

In southern voting results, 99% want to split from north

(Newser) - Protesters inspired by the goings-on in Egypt and Tunisia took to the streets of Sudan today. Riot police beat demonstrators in Khartoum and in the western city of el-Obeid who called for the resignation of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, reports Reuters . It notes that a "Youth for Change" Facebook...

Malawi to Outlaw Farting

Jan 29, 2011 1:40 PM CST

Malawi to Outlaw Farting

'Local courts' law will also forbid impersonating a fortune teller

(Newser) - The government of Malawi is about to enact a law making it illegal to “foul the air” in public, the Daily Mail reports. Yes, farting will be one of many behaviors outlawed by new legislation that will set up “Local Courts” around the country. These courts will be...

Humans Left Africa
Far Earlier Than
We Thought

study says

Jan 28, 2011 9:17 AM CST

Humans Left Africa Far Earlier Than We Thought

Stone tools defy genetic story

(Newser) - Stone tools discovered in the Arabian peninsula suggest modern humans may have left Africa 125,000 years ago—some 50,000 years earlier than previously believed. Genetic data points to humans departing Africa around 60,000 to 70,000 years ago, the BBC notes. But the genetic data is "...

Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two

Jan 21, 2011 9:55 AM CST

Africa Rapidly Breaking in Two

Quakes widen fissure at rarely-seen speed: scientists

(Newser) - Africa is gradually breaking apart—and in the past several months, the process has accelerated. Now, amid earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, it’s happening exceptionally quickly, reports Der Spiegel . Water is threatening to flood a fracture between Ethiopia and Mozambique, scientists say; while it will be millions of years before...

George Clooney
Gets, Beats
Malaria

Jan 20, 2011 5:02 PM CST

George Clooney Gets, Beats Malaria

He contracted it during a visit to Sudan

(Newser) - Lots of celebrities do philanthropy, but George Clooney's actually suffering in the line of do-goodery—the actor contracted malaria while on a recent trip to Sudan, People reports. However, he's fully cured after a 10-day convalescence, said a spokesman. Clooney was in Sudan ahead of its vote on southern independence....

South Africa Floods Kill 39

Jan 17, 2011 9:25 AM CST

South Africa Floods Kill 39

Thousands of homes in neighboring Mozambique decimated

(Newser) - Floods in South Africa have left 39 dead or missing after downpours this weekend followed heavy rains that began last month. The army is on standby to lead evacuations and “all disaster management structures in the country have been put on high alert,” authorities said. Farming officials expressed...

KFC Looks to Conquer Africa
With Fried Chicken

KFC Looks to Conquer Africa With Fried Chicken

Chain to open hundreds of restaurants in a dozen countries

(Newser) - Kentucky Fried Chicken wants to take over Africa. Like McDonald's and other fast-food giants, KFC parent company Yum Brands has been countering the slowdown in American spending with expansion overseas. Having populated China with KFC outlets, Yum now plans to double the number of stores in Africa to 1,200,...

Imperiled African Gorilla Population Surges 26%

Dec 9, 2010 11:03 AM CST

Imperiled African Gorilla Population Surges 26%

Efforts to decrease poaching and disease have helped

(Newser) - Finally, some good news for an endangered species: The mountain gorilla population in central Africa has swelled since 2003. The Virunga Massif, made up of three national parks, had only 380 gorillas seven years ago and is now up to 480. "This is a spectacular upsurge," says a...

Ivory Coast in Chaos
as 2 Claim Presidency

Dec 4, 2010 2:19 PM CST

Ivory Coast in Chaos as 2 Claim Presidency

Incumbent president refuses to concede defeat

(Newser) - The two candidates in Ivory Coast's disputed presidential election took dueling oaths of office today after each claimed victory, renewing unrest in this country once split in two by civil war. Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo defied calls from the US, France, and the UN to concede defeat, wrapping himself in...

Bush:
AIDS Fight
in Africa Is
American Way

world aids day

Dec 1, 2010 10:46 AM CST

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’...

All Praise the
Lowly Sweet Potato

nicholas kristof

Nov 25, 2010 11:55 AM CST

All Praise the Lowly Sweet Potato

High-tech version could save countless lives in Africa: Nicholas Kristof

(Newser) - As you take a seat at the table tonight and give thanks for the bounty, give a special nod to the pecan- and sugar-encrusted sweet potatoes sitting before you. In a "happy column about hunger," Nicholas Kristof declares the Thanksgiving staple a true hero. Writing for the New ...

Chocolate May Be 'Like Caviar' In Near Future

Shortage predicted as cocoa farmers switch to biofuel crops

(Newser) - Enjoy that Halloween candy while it lasts, kids, because in the not-so-distant future, no one’s going to be giving away chocolate. With a growing number of farmers abandoning their cocoa crops in West Africa, the world may just plain run out of affordable chocolate within 20 years, industry experts...

Don't Blow It, World:
Sudan Has Chance at Peace

OPINION

Nov 9, 2010 1:52 PM CST

Don't Blow It, World: Sudan Has Chance at Peace

Op-ed: Other nations must keep up pressure ahead of referendum

(Newser) - For Sudan, this might be as optimistic as it gets: Two experts have returned from a two-week visit and concluded that war and violence "are not inevitable" following January's referendum on southern independence. "But only if the international community sets clear lines of acceptable behavior as the two...

Swaziland Tries to Protect
Albinos From Witch Doctors

Oct 21, 2010 5:16 PM CDT

Swaziland Tries to Protect Albinos From Witch Doctors

Police set up national registry in wake of girl's murder

(Newser) - Swaziland police will keep a registry of every albino in the country to help protect them from witch doctors who wish to use their body parts for rituals, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The move comes after the killing of an 11-year-old albino girl , which many fear is the first...

Obama Is
Failing Sudan

Nick Kristof

Aug 29, 2010 7:08 AM CDT

Obama Is Failing Sudan

Even Bush was better, Kristof writes

(Newser) - When is comes to Sudan , Barack Obama has been worse than even George W Bush, argues Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times , who despite his many failings, managed to secure the 2005 deal that ended Sudan's 20-year civil war. Obama's "incoherent, contradictory and apparently failing Sudan policy" is...

Oil Tanker Explodes, Kills 204 in Congo

Jul 3, 2010 6:32 AM CDT

Oil Tanker Explodes, Kills 204 in Congo

Many victims were indoors watching World Cup match

(Newser) - At least 204 people were killed in Congo when a tanker truck transporting oil flipped over and exploded overnight in the east of the country, a Red Cross official said today. The truck was carrying fuel from neighboring Tanzania when it overturned at high speed late yesterday in the village...

'Blood Diamonds' Are Back

Jun 19, 2010 9:55 AM CDT

'Blood Diamonds' Are Back

This time, the problem isn't rebels, it's corrupt governments

(Newser) - The diamond industry says 99% of its gems for sale these days are "conflict-free," meaning it has wiped out the so-called "blood diamond" trade. A visit to Angola by Michael Allen of the Wall Street Journal knocks a big hole in that claim. "A violent economy...

Out of Jail, Gay Malawi Couple Breaks Up

Jun 9, 2010 7:34 AM CDT

Out of Jail, Gay Malawi Couple Breaks Up

One dates a woman, says he wants 'to live a normal life'

(Newser) - Despite the eventual pardon , Malawi’s anti-gay laws “worked” on one half of the gay couple who was recently jailed : Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga separated, and Monjeza is now seeing a woman. “I have had enough,” he says. “I was forced into the whole drama...