Africa

- 'Best Week Ever' for Nothing But Nets
- VH1 Produces, Premieres Public Service Announcement With a Little Help From VH1's Hit Series

NEW YORK, Nov. 5 -- An irritating human-sized mosquito plays it for laughs to highlight a very serious issue in a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) created by VH1 for Nothing But Nets, a global, grassroots campaign that provides long lasting insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa.    » read more »

30 October 2007 -- Some of the world's leading information technology corporations are in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, for what organizers are calling a historic summit focusing on Africa's growing IT sector. Representatives of tech giants are calling for business solutions to alleviate poverty.

Industry leaders say chronic poverty in Africa will be alleviated by investment in information technology, rather than foreign aid.    » read more »

30 October 2007 -- The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela are among Ethiopia's crowning glories, recognized internationally as a unique and important site. Built in the early 1200s by King Lalibela, the churches continue to draw pilgrims from around the world and are a testament to the grandeur of the millennium that has just passed in Ethiopia.

Legend has it that before he became king, Saint Gebre Mesqel Lalibela fell into a deep sleep for three days after his half-brother tried to poison him.    » read more »

October 30, 2007 -- PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. President, thanks for coming. Second time we have met here in the Oval Office, and I told the President that I remember distinctly his description of what life was like in Uganda, particularly when it comes to his raising cows; he's a cattleman, and it gave us something to talk about.    » read more »

October 29, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – Peace talks on the genocide in Darfur that began this weekend in Libya reportedly have gotten off to a sputtering start, in large part because key rebel groups declined to attend. In addition, Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi began the talks with a speech urging the international community to take a hands-off approach to the situation.    » read more »

October 26, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) made the following statement on the meeting of President Bush and President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).    » read more »

29 October 2007 -- Officials with the Global Forum for Health Research say developing countries face a widening range of health problems due to changes in lifestyle. The officials say developing countries need to improve access to health care for the poor to prevent deaths from non-communicable diseases.

The head of the Global Forum for Health Research, Stephen Matlin, says the health problems that developing countries face have changed enormously in the past 10 years.    » read more »

25 October 2007 -- In September 2007 Western time, Ethiopians rang in their new millennium, seven-and-a-half years after the rest of the world. Ethiopia's unique way of measuring time is part of the country's rich religious and cultural heritage, evident in many sites throughout the land.

Ethiopia officially entered the year 2000 at the stroke of midnight on September 12th. In the capital, Addis Ababa, the last hours of 1999 Ethiopian time included cultural dancing and a concert by the American hip hop group, the Black Eyed Peas.    » read more »

Opportunities are being missed due to excess caution, experts say

23 October 2007 -- Washington -- U.S. and African business leaders and officials are encouraging U.S. companies to take a bolder approach to investment opportunities created by rapid economic growth in Africa.

At an October conference on infrastructure organized by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), they urged U.S. companies not to wait for an ideal business climate but to consider investing now in up-and-coming sub-Saharan countries.    » read more »

16 October 2007 -- Some political analyst are blaming Raila Odinga, presidential candidate of Kenya’s leading opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) for investors’ lack of confidence in the country’s economy. Odinga was reportedly quoted as saying the country’s bourse was being used for money laundering and that it was also riddled with insider trading. But Odinga denies the allegations, claiming he was misquoted. He adds that he is a social democrat who believes in capitalism with a human face.    » read more »

October 12, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) made the following statement on the announcement that the Sudan People's Liberation Movement withdrew from Sudan's government of national unity because of the ruling party's breaches of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement:    » read more »

October 11, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressing his concerns about the growing number of systematic sexual assaults against women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since armed conflicts erupted again there six weeks ago. Obama asked Secretary Rice to answer a series of questions about the situation in the DRC and what the United States government is doing to help curb this violence against women.    » read more »

10 October 2007 -- Burkina Faso is among the many African countries that have been affected by heavy rains and floods over the past few months. Reports say more than 40 people have been killed and nearly 100,000 displaced.

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is one of the humanitarian agencies trying to help. Noora Kero has been touring the areas affected by floods.    » read more »

10 October 2007 -- Somali officials and witnesses say a car bomb exploded killing two Ethiopian soldiers as the vehicle was driven into an Ethiopian military base in Somalia.

Wednesday's suicide bombing took place in the town of Baidoa near a hotel where Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi was staying. The prime minister was unharmed.

An Islamist rebel group, Mujahidin Youth Movement claimed responsibility for the attack in an statement on its Web site. It denied that Mr. Gedi was the target, although there have been past attempts on his life.    » read more »

9-10-2007 -- The level of food security in central and southern Somalia has deteriorated dramatically since June owing to an inadequate rainy season, ending in May. Because of the poor harvest, many farmers have been unable to set aside seed for the planting season, which usually begins in October. This problem has been compounded by the disruption in trade in the capital, Mogadishu, where the price of basic consumer goods has risen sharply.    » read more »