Africa

21 May 2008 -- Witnesses say nearly 20 dead whales have washed up Wednesday on a beach in Dakar, Senegal.

Dakar journalist Ricci Shryock tells VOA national police are removing the carcasses in trucks. She said the whales measure some 3.5 to 4.5 meters.

Local villagers say as many as 100 whales swam up to shore late Tuesday night. Fisherman were able to tow some of the animals out to sea.

It is unclear why the animals swam close to shore.

Source: VOA News

Washington, D.C., May 14, 2008 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed a settled enforcement action charging Willbros Group, Inc. and four former employees with violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), alleging that they paid more than $6 million in undisclosed bribes to Nigerian government officials and others to obtain significant contracts for the Houston-based company.    » read more »

14 May 2008 -- With senior ministers gathered in New York for high-level talks on sustainable development, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called today for a “second green revolution” that would embrace innovative agricultural methods, produce enough food to feed the burgeoning global population, and promote eco-friendly urban and rural development, especially in Africa.    » read more »

May 14, 2008 — The HIV/AIDS epidemic will remain for the foreseeable future an unprecedented economic, social, and human challenge to Sub-Saharan Africa. This, according to a new strategy on HIV/AIDS in Africa launched by the World Bank Group on May 14. As well, African countries must continue to champion efforts to slow and reverse the rate of new HIV infections.    » read more »

ACCRA, GHANA, May 9, 2008—The World Bank Group has selected 16 companies and organizations as winners of the Development Marketplace competition for their innovative products or services tailored to Sub-Saharan Africa’s off-grid lighting market.

LED lighting at home in Accra, Ghana: Photo by The World Bank, International Finance Corporation and Lighting Africa

The winners will receive up to $200,000 to implement projects that offer affordable, clean, and safe off-grid lighting and that improve access to lighting for people living without electricity across the region.    » read more »

April 26, 2008 -- Chicago, IL - "I am deeply concerned by the ongoing crisis in Zimbabwe. Since the elections on March 29, the ruling party has failed to release the results of the presidential election, refused to heed the will of the people of Zimbabwe, and engaged in an unacceptable campaign of repression and intimidation. Instead of the change that the people of Zimbabwe voted for, we've seen opposition and civil society offices raided, opposition supporters sent to torture camps, and communities turned into “no go zones” while the ruling party unleashes brutality without restraint.    » read more »

Document shows that U.S. could also offer removal from state sponsors of terrorism list to Sudan in exchange for allowing some peacekeepers into Darfur region

April 21, 2008 -- WASHINGTON — Last week, the New York Times reported on a Bush administration document showing that it could offer normalized relations with the Sudanese regime and removal from the state sponsors of terrorism list if Khartoum allows Thai and Nepalese peacekeepers into the Darfur region.    » read more »

21 April 2008 -- Africa’s climate, more than that of any other continent, is generally uniform. That’s the result of the position of the continent in the tropical zone, the impact of cool ocean currents, and the absence of mountain chains serving as climatic barriers.

But across Africa, the landscape is changing. The snowy caps of Mount Kilimanjaro are melting and the shorelines of lakes Chad, Tanganyika and Victoria are receding.

Mount Kilimanjaro: Photo by mailliw (CC)    » read more »

Chicago, IL -- April 18, 2008 -- "I am deeply concerned by reports that the Bush Administration is negotiating a normalization of relations with the Government of Sudan that would include removing it from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. This would reportedly be in exchange for Khartoum's agreement to allow Thai and Nepalese troops to participate in the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur.

Barack Obama speaks at Darfur Rally, April 2006: Photo by Toucanradio (CC)

This reckless and cynical initiative would reward a regime in Khartoum that has a record of failing to live up to its commitments.    » read more »

21 April 2008 -- A Somali human rights group says two days of fighting in the capital, Mogadishu, has killed 81 people.

The Elman Human Rights organization says another 119 people were wounded in fighting Saturday and Sunday between Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian troops.

Map of Somalia: Map courtesy CIA World Factbook

The chairman of the rights group, Sudan Ali Ahmed condemned the use of artillery shells in residential areas of Mogadishu.

There was no independent verification of the death toll, but residents had reported escalating clashes since Saturday. Witnesses say they have seen scores of bodies in the streets of Mogadishu.    » read more »

Bipartisan resolution calls for comprehensive peace process to end violence

April 15, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate passed a resolution authored by U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, calling on governments, multinational bodies, and non-state actors in Chad, the Central African Republic (CAR), and Sudan to implement a comprehensive peace process to end the violence.

Women by White Nile, Khartoum, Sudan: Photo by Arne Hoel / World Bank (CC)    » read more »

April 4, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement on Zimbabwe's presidential and parliamentary elections:

"On March 29th, millions of Zimbabweans went to the polls to choose their president and parliament. The resulting defeat of the ruling ZANU-PF party in parliamentary elections underscores the Zimbabwean people's rejection of the failed policies and the widespread suffering caused by Robert Mugabe's repressive rule.

Robert Mugabe protest balloon: Photo by Sokwanele (CC)    » read more »

02 April 2008 -- The House of Representatives has approved bipartisan legislation by a vote of 308 to 116 to provide $50 billion over the next five years for U.S. efforts to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS around the world, and fight tuberculosis and malaria. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill, similar legislation is pending in the Senate.

PEPFAR

The measure extends the program proposed by President Bush in 2003 called PEPFAR (President's Emergency Program For AIDS Relief) for another five years, and goes significantly above the $30 billion initially proposed by the White House.    » read more »

Warns Against Complacency

1 April 2008 -- ACCRA—One year after witnessing the horrific Savelugu Guinea worm outbreak in northern Ghana, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter returned to Accra today to congratulate the national program for its recent effective efforts in reducing the incidence of Guinea worm disease.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter addresses Ghanaian children outside Savelugu Hospital: Jimmy Carter addresses Ghanaian children outside Savelugu Hospital, asking "Who here has had Guinea worm disease?" President Carter visited the parched community of Savelugu to meet with dozens of Guinea worm disease victims.    » read more »

April 1, 2008 -- ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. -- Senator John McCain today issued the following statement on the current situation in Zimbabwe:

"Our ideals must animate our foreign policy and that includes support for democratic forces in closed societies. The opposition in Zimbabwe has endured repression, hardship, beatings and imprisonment.

Senator John McCain: Photo by Dan Bennett (CC)    » read more »