Gabon

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Officers Seize Power, Arrest President in Gabon
Africa Sees Another Coup

Africa Sees Another Coup

Military officers seize power in Gabon, put president under house arrest

(Newser) - Gabon's diplomatic government appears to be falling along with what the New York Times calls "one of Africa's most enduring political dynasties." Military officers in Gabon appeared on television early Wednesday, less than an hour after President Ali Bongo Ondimba was declared to have won a...

Gabon Soldiers Declare Coup
Gabon Soldiers Declare Coup

Gabon Soldiers Declare Coup

They say military will 'restore democracy'

(Newser) - Soldiers from Gabon's Republican Guard have appeared on state television saying they have launched a coup "to restore democracy" in the West African country. Early Monday a soldier who identified himself as Lt. Obiang Ondo Kelly, commander of the Republican Guard, read out a statement saying the military...

Mom Couldn't Pay Bill, So Clinic Kept Her Baby

'Baby Angel' finally home in Gabon after 5 months and public outrage

(Newser) - The BBC has a hard-to-fathom story out of Gabon, where a medical clinic refused to allow a newborn to go home for five months because her mother couldn't pay the bill. Yes, the baby was essentially "held as collateral," in the words of Time . The private clinic...

Gabon Makes Huge Ivory Bust
 Gabon Makes Huge Ivory Bust 

Gabon Makes Huge Ivory Bust

Illegal haul was taken from about 20 elephants: government rep

(Newser) - Two Gabonese men—one of whom reportedly worked for the West African country's water and forest department—have been arrested for allegedly poaching, and a government rep tells Reuters that "We can confirm the seizure of around [440 pounds] of ivory, which represents about 20 elephants." That...

Researchers: Yes, You Do Eat Too Much Salt

As two other studies counter: Salt? No big deal

(Newser) - Whether due to a love of processed food or soy sauce, almost every adult on the planet likes salt way too much—on average, we consume almost double the amount of sodium recommended by the World Health Organization, a new study finds. Think that's no big deal? Well, researchers...

World First: Gorilla Family to Be Released Into Wild

Male, 5 females, 5 offspring headed to Gabon

(Newser) - British conservationists are preparing to release a full family of 11 western lowland gorillas in Gabon, a feat they call a world first. The family includes a 30-year-old, 440-pound male who was rescued from poachers, as well as his five "wives" and their five offspring, who were raised in...

Sarko Jeered at African Leader's Funeral

French president booed, taunted in Gabon

(Newser) - Crowds in the African nation of Gabon booed Nicolas Sarkozy at the funeral of the country's long-serving strongman president, Omar Bongo. Dozens of onlookers shouted "We don't want you, leave!" at the French leader and his predecessor, Jacques Chirac. France ruled Gabon in the colonial era and...

Africa Well Rid of Thieves Like Gabon's Bongo
Africa Well Rid of Thieves Like Gabon's Bongo
Analysis

Africa Well Rid of Thieves Like Gabon's Bongo

(Newser) - Gabon is officially in mourning for Omar Bongo, who was, until his death Monday, the world’s longest-serving president in the world. But unofficially, “it’s worth remembering that Bongo was precisely the kind of leader Gabon, and Africa, could have done without,” Alex Perry writes for Time....

Gabon President Omar Bongo Dead at 73
Gabon President Omar Bongo Dead at 73
Obituary

Gabon President Omar Bongo Dead at 73

In office since 1967, he was world's longest-serving leader

(Newser) - Gabonese President Omar Bongo has died of cardiac arrest at age 73, the BBC reports. Bongo has led Gabon since 1967, which made him the longest serving president in the world. Bongo has been in a hospital in Barcelona since May, and prior rumors of his death had sparked panic...

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