Africa

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Africa: Let There Be Light
  Africa: Let There Be Light
Nov 16, 2007 2:50 AM CST

Africa: Let There Be Light

World Bank initiative aims to bring electric power to 250 million Africans

(Newser) - Even after decades of development, most African communities have no electrical power and still go dark when the sun goes down. Only 5% of Ugandans, 6% of the Congolese population and 15% of Kenyans have electricity. Now the World Bank has launched an initiative to light the homes of 250...

Africa's Child 'Witches' Abused, Abandoned

Superstition, poverty take ugly toll on Angolan, Congolese youth

(Newser) - Thousands of children in Angola, Congo, and the Congo Republic are being abused, abandoned, and even killed after being accused of witchcraft, the New York Times reports. Such accusations—born from tribal superstition and poverty that leaves some families unable to care for children—are a "massive" problem, sending...

Growing African Economies Could Lessen Poverty

Ten years of positive growth could 'put a dent' in poverty: World Bank report

(Newser) - The growth of Africa's economy over the past 10 years is strong enough to "put a dent in a dent in poverty," according to a World Bank report. Growth over the past decade has averaged 5.4%, but more foreign investment is needed to keep that going. The...

Type O Blood Protects Malaria Victims

Drugs based on finding could spark cure, save 2 million annually

(Newser) - Scientists may be closer to a malaria cure after learning that type O blood naturally shields victims from harsh forms of the disease. A study published today showed that African malaria victims with type O blood are two-thirds less likely to suffer fatal anemia or unrousable coma, the BBC reports....

ITU Head Wants Broadband Net Help for Africa

Less than 1% on continent have high-speed access

(Newser) - Fewer than four per cent of Africans use the Internet and less than one per cent have broadband access, helping to keep Africa behind in education, medicine and business, the BBC reports. Dr Hamadoun Toure, head of the International Telecommunication Union, is asking world organizations to make sure a third...

Elephants Know Who to Trust
Elephants Know Who to Trust
Oct 21, 2007 7:21 AM CDT

Elephants Know Who to Trust

(Newser) - Elephants apparently never forget a smell or clothing, at least when it comes to spotting their human hunters, researchers have discovered. Pachyderms in a study remained calm near members of an African community who had not harmed them, but instantly shied from those in a tribe who hunted them. It's...

Maternal Death Rate Still High
Maternal Death Rate Still High
Oct 13, 2007 3:11 PM CDT

Maternal Death Rate Still High

(Newser) - Despite two decades of efforts, more than half a million women die each year while pregnant or from complications after childbirth, the Guardian reported. While overall abortion rates have dropped and contraceptive use has increased, Africa and parts of Asia are bucking those trends. Some experts blame the Bush administration,...

African Wars Cost $300B Over 15 Years

Fighting drained as much money as aid programs contributed

(Newser) - Armed conflict in Africa over the last 15 years cost nearly $300 billion—equal to the total amount of  aid received by the continent—a report compiled by several NGOs concludes. Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who wrote the report's preface, says that a key move to counter poverty and spur...

Businesses Line Up for .Asia Domain Rush

Governments also get first dibs on coveted new address suffix

(Newser) - The regional internet domain .asia has opened for registration; businesses and governments will get first crack at trademarked and other protected names. The public will come rushing in to scoop up what’s left of the suffix in February 2008. The second regional domain—.eu began selling in April 2006—...

African Nation's Response to Aid: No, Thanks

Eritrea refuses food and money, raising worries over isolation

(Newser) - Eritrea, one of the world's poorest nations, has a novel response to offers of foreign aid: refusal. President Isaias Afwerki argues that African nations that accept money from the World Bank or food from the UN are "crippled societies." In a time of global connection, the LA Times ...

He Quietly Gave Away Billions
He Quietly Gave Away Billions
Sep 29, 2007 10:39 AM CDT

He Quietly Gave Away Billions

But now the secretive philanthropist spills the beans behind his generosity

(Newser) - Chuck Feeney’s foundation gave $458 million in grants last year—third only to Ford and Gates—but very few know the secretive philanthropist’s name. Having thus far shielded himself from fame, Feeney gets some star treatment in a new biography that sheds light on his good deeds and...

Clinton Summit Pulls in Billions
Clinton Summit Pulls in Billions
Sep 27, 2007 7:19 AM CDT

Clinton Summit Pulls in Billions

Norway, Netherlands, Brangelina vow to help

(Newser) - Over 1,000 philanthropists pledged billions of dollars at this year's Clinton Global Initiative, where the ex-president annually brings together world leaders, corporate biggies and change-minded celebs. Angelina Jolie plans to educate 1 million children in conflicted areas; Brad Pitt pledged $5 million to build homes in New Orleans, and...

Israel Welcomes 500 Darfur Refugees
Israel Welcomes
500 Darfur Refugees
Sep 24, 2007 3:56 AM CDT

Israel Welcomes 500 Darfur Refugees

All others will be expelled

(Newser) - Israel has agreed to allow 498 refugees who fled Darfur through Egypt to remain in the country, although their legal status remains undecided. Africans from other parts of the continent and new arrivals from Darfur, however, will be expelled. Egypt has agreed to accept refugees who are returned after trying...

Floods Devastate Africa
Floods Devastate Africa
Sep 20, 2007 3:04 AM CDT

Floods Devastate Africa

Deluge triggers humanitarian crisis

(Newser) - Several of Africa's poorest countries have been devastated by a catastrophic deluge of rain, washing away lives, communities and crops. As many as 18 of the normally driest countries in the world, from Senegal, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso in the west, to Kenya, Sudan and Ethiopia in the east,...

Cell Phones Spur Growth Surge in Africa

Phones kickstart development, improve standard of living, in remote areas

(Newser) - Mobile phones are revolutionizing the economic life of many of the world's poorest countries, igniting an unprecedented growth surge across Africa. In remote villages in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, people who until recently lived without any modern infrastructure now use cell phones to sell crops, summon doctors, transmit vital information,...

Global Infant Mortality Rate Lowest in Years

Public-health campaigns trigger major advances

(Newser) - Infant mortality rates have dropped to new lows worldwide, according to UNICEF. Vaccination drives, education supporting breastfeeding, and anti-malarial measures helped drive last year's death rate of children under 5 down to 72 per 1,000. It stood at 93 per 1,000 in 1993. "It could be  that...

Painkiller Is Denied to Poor
Painkiller Is Denied to Poor
Sep 10, 2007 10:08 AM CDT

Painkiller Is Denied to Poor

Morphine is cheap and available, but it's withheld because of 'opoid phobia'

(Newser) - Though morphine is cheap, effective, and widely available, most people sufferering extreme pain don't  get it, the New York Times reports. The poorest 80% of the world’s population consumes only 6% of the pain-killer. Why? Because health care workers in poor countries are afraid to prescribe morphine, or not...

China's Africa Aid Has a Price
China's Africa Aid Has a Price
Aug 21, 2007 8:49 AM CDT

China's Africa Aid Has a Price

Manufacturing suffers on the continent as Asian imports flood the market

(Newser) - As China increases its economic investment in Africa, locals are finding that the benefits of increased trade with the East comes at a price. In the third of a series of articles in the New York Times, workers at a Zambian factory describe how Chinese imports have undercut their market...

Israel Rejects Refugees from Darfur Region

Jewish state conflicted about denying migrants targeted by genocide

(Newser) - Israel has turned back 48 Africans to Egypt and says it will no longer accept Darfur refugees who illegally enter the country, the AP reports. Some of the 50 migrants a day who have already snuck into the country will be allowed to stay, Israel says, but all others will...

Chinese Seek Fortune in Africa
Chinese Seek Fortune in Africa
Aug 17, 2007 3:22 PM CDT

Chinese Seek Fortune in Africa

To satisfy country's thirst for oil, emigrants strike it rich out west

(Newser) - A growing number of poor Chinese are flocking to Africa, hoping to cash in on the destitute continent’s infinite growth potential. China is building factories in eastern Africa, and trade between the two burgeoning economies ballooned to $55 billion last year. The eastern entrepreneurs are diving into every sector...

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