Africa

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African Colleges Fail a Generation
African Colleges Fail
a Generation
May 19, 2007 9:49 PM CDT

African Colleges Fail a Generation

Underfunded and overcrowded, promising universities begin to buckle

(Newser) - Once a beacon of hope for the world's poorest continent, Africa's colleges are collapsing under the weight of too many students and too little cash, the Sunday Times reports. At Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, students are packed into overcrowded dorms and classrooms, labs are dilapidated, and qualified teachers...

Secretive French Office Wields Power in Africa

New regime may sever link to colonial past

(Newser) - The election of Nicolas Sarkozy could end the influence of the "African Cell," a tiny French government office that exerts great power in Africa. Since 1958, the Cell has used the French military to install and protect African leaders it considers friendly, opening it to charges that it...

Ethiopia Pushes for Somalia Pullout
Ethiopia Pushes for Somalia Pullout
May 15, 2007 7:54 AM CDT

Ethiopia Pushes for Somalia Pullout

UN calls refugee crisis worse than Darfur's; skirmishes continue

(Newser) - Ethiopia wants its troops out of Somalia, where the UN says the refugee crisis is now worse than the situation in Darfur, the BBC reports. But a pullout now could spell disaster for the estimated 300,000 Somalis displaced by recent fighting between the Ethiopia-backed government and the Islamist resistance,...

Kenya Airways Flight Crashes in Cameroon

Dropped off the radar shortly after takeoff; 114 aboard

(Newser) - A Kenya Airways plane with 114 aboard has disappeared and is believed to have crashed in southern Cameroon. The Kenyan Standard reports that the plane sent out an automated distress signal five minutes after takeoff, and villagers near the suspected crash site say they heard an explosion.

Nigerian 'Lesbian' Turns Herself In
Nigerian 'Lesbian' Turns Herself In
Apr 28, 2007 10:40 PM CDT

Nigerian 'Lesbian' Turns Herself In

Pursued by police after 'gay' wedding, woman says she's straight

(Newser) - The Nigerian woman whose story of lesbian love on the run made international headlines yesterday has news for the authorities who hoped to arrest her: she's not a lesbian. "I have never practiced— never heard the word 'lesbian'—truly," says Aunty Madiguri, who was accused of violating Sharia...

Nigerian Lesbians Take Forbidden Love on the Run

(Newser) - Five Nigerian lesbians are running for their love after a weekend wedding put them in direct violation of the local Islamic law. Police have issued arrest warrants against Aunty Maiduguri and her four wives, charging them with violating the Sharia law that governs much of northern Nigeria.

Faulty Nigerian Election Sparks Fears of Unrest

Observers call vote a charade; opposition plans protests

(Newser) - The ruling party candidate has won Nigeria's presidential election by a landslide, sparking fears that political unrest could compromise the supply of oil in Africa's largest producer. Umar Yar'Adua was declared the winner of Saturday's election yesterday with 70% of the vote, ending a campaign marked by intimidation, ballot-stuffing, and...

Nigerians Reject Election Results
Nigerians Reject Election Results
Apr 23, 2007 7:21 AM CDT

Nigerians Reject Election Results

Candidates charge fraud; observers say polling should be repeated

(Newser) - Opposition candidates in Nigeria’s presidential elections have rejected the results of  Saturday’s voting, accusing the governing party of fraud. Foreign observers concur that the polling was faulty, with violence, intimidation, missing ballot boxes, and even abduction and murder of electoral officials and the police officers escorting them the...

UN Urges Mass Circumcision
UN Urges Mass Circumcision
Mar 29, 2007 11:03 AM CDT

UN Urges Mass Circumcision

Mass circumcisions in AIDS-stricken region could reduce infection

(Newser) - Mass circumcision should be urged in AIDS-devastated regions to cut infection rates, the UN said yesterday. With trials demonstrating that circumcised men are 60% less likely to contract HIV, such programs could prevent 5.7 million new HIV cases in the next two decades, the Guardian reports.

Zimbabwe Gets a Hero
Zimbabwe Gets a Hero
Mar 15, 2007 1:46 PM CDT

Zimbabwe Gets a Hero

Opposition leader becomes rallying cry after beating

(Newser) - When Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe's police force brutally beat the leader of an opposition party, Morgan Tsvangirai, they might have unwittingly  created their own Nelson Mandela. Photographs of a battered Tsvangirai being led to a hospital in police custody Tuesday circulated around the globe, prompting impassioned cries of protest.

Fossil Proves We're All African
Fossil Proves
We're All African
Mar 14, 2007 7:04 AM CDT

Fossil Proves We're All African

Moroccan find sets human origins back 100,000 years

(Newser) - An ancient jawbone found in Morocco suggests that modern human ancestry emerged 100,000 years earlier than previously believed—and in Africa, rather than Europe. Until now, scientists believed that modern humans didn't emerge until 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. But the Moroccan bone is 160,000 years...

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