Category: World » Africa
Terrorists Attack French-Run Uranium Mine In Niger
4:05 pm Eastern | World
At least 20 people were reportedly killed and several injured in two terrorist attacks in Niger which included a French-run uranium mine in Arlit.read more »
Cholera Epidemic In Niger Claims Seven lives
22 May 10:16 | World
Refugee agencies areworking to help contain a cholera epidemic in Niger that has already claimed seven lives, including two Malian refugees, in a little over a week. read more »
Over 7 Million Now Receiving HIV Treatment In Africa
22 May 08:50 | World
The number of people in Africa receiving antiretroviral treatment increased from less than 1 million to 7.1 million over seven years, according to a report which documents the progress in the AIDS response in the world’s second largest continent.read more »
Eight Countries Submit Plans To Combat Illegal Trade In Elephants
19 May 10:53 | World
Eight countries identified as being the most affected by the illegal trade in elephant ivory have submitted national action plans to a treaty to combat the scourge.read more »
Nigerian Rebels Could Face War Crimes For 'Population Cleansing'
18 May 15:56 | World
Members of Boko Haram and other extremist groups in Nigeria could face war crimes charges for deliberate acts leading to ethnic and religious cleansing, according to officials.read more »
Concern About Deteriorating Security In Northeast Nigeria
17 May 06:40 | World
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on all extremist groups in Nigeria to cease their attacks amid deteriorating security in the country and where a state of emergency has been declared in parts of the northeast. read more »
Tetanus Eliminated In Over 30 Countries At High Risk
16 May 11:23 | World
Tetanus – one of the most deadly diseases a mother and her newborn can face – has been eliminated in more than 30 countries with previously had high rates of the illness. read more »
Syria: Thousands Displaced By Deadly Violence In Baniyas Area
10 May 2013 | World
Relief agencies say they have begun distribution of emergency assistance to thousands of Syrians who were recently displaced by alleged massacres in Baniyas and its surrounding areas. read more »
Libyan Trials Could Be 'Nuremberg Moment' Says ICC Prosecutor
9 May 2013 | World
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) says if Libya can conduct fair trials of alleged perpetrators during the pro-democracy uprising in 2011, the proceedings could equal the lasting impact of the Nuremberg trials.read more »
Embassies Urge Calm In Libya
8 May 2013 | World
The U.S., U.K., and French embassies in Libya have issued a statement calling on all Libyans to refrain from armed protest and violence during "this difficult time" in the democratic transition.read more »
Heavy Fighting In Northeast Nigeria
4 May 2013 | World
Nearly 220 civilians have reportedly been killed during violent clashes between military forces and the Islamist group Boko Haram in Nigeria.read more »
Media Freedom Faces 'Greatest Challenge Since The Cold War'
3 May 2013 | World
Media freedom faces its greatest challenge since the Cold War with Internet blocking, satellite jamming and the return of shortwave jamming said a group of leading international broadcasters.read more »
Somalia Famine Killed Nearly 260,000 People, Half Of them Children
3 May 2013 | World
More than a quarter of a million people died in the famine in Somalia between October 2010 and April 2012, in part because the international community did not act quickly enough, according to a new report.read more »
Gunmen Overtake Libya's Ministries And Other Institutions
30 Apr 2013 | World
Armed gunmen have overtaken the ministries of justice and foreign affairs and other State institutions in Libya. read more »
South Sudan And Local Militia Reach Peace Agreement
30 Apr 2013 | World
The Government of South Sudan and local militia groups have reached a peace agreement where they will begin interacting with each other "without any confrontation".read more »
Social Protection Measures Key In Fight Against Child Labour: Report
29 Apr 2013 | World
The implementation of social protection measures can play a key role in rescuing minors from occupational bondage, a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) has found.read more »
French Embassy In Libya Attacked
24 Apr 2013 | World
A car bomb has exploded in front of the French Embassy in downtown Tripoli injuring two French guards and destroying much of the diplomatic compound. read more »
Experts Warn Of Negative Consequences Of Coffee Privatization
19 Apr 2013 | World
The World Bank-led privatization of the coffee industry in Burundi that began in 2008 is having a negative impact on farmers, two experts have warned, calling for the suspension of the policy pending an assessment based on human rights.read more »
Rwandan Genocide Marked With Call For Arrest And Prosecution Of Remaining Fugitives
18 Apr 2013 | World
Commemorating the anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the international community to do more to prevent such atrocities and encouraged Member States to expedite the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the atrocities in the African nation.read more »
Over 2,000 Children Recruited As Soldiers In Central African Republic
14 Apr 2013 | World
More than 2,000 boys and girls have reportedly been recruited by armed forces in the Central African Republic since the latest wave of violence in the country began in December.read more »
Fresh Tribal Clashes In Darfur Trigger Large Refugee Movements
12 Apr 2013 | World
Some 50,000 refugees from south-western Darfur have arrived in Chad following fresh tribal clashes, with more shelter, clean drinking water, food and medicine needed in what is called the largest influx of refugees from Sudan into Chad since 2005.read more »
Delays In Carrying Out Peace Agreement Harm Darfur
11 Apr 2013 | World
International groups working to support the peace efforts in Sudan’s Darfur region have condemned recent attacks in the troubled region and cautioned that any serious delays to carrying out the 2011 peace agreement could further destabilize the entire region.read more »
Land Degradation Damaging Global Agriculture Production
10 Apr 2013 | World
The international community is losing vast amounts of agricultural production due to the effects of continuing land degradation such as desertification, a new study has warned, adding that without sustainable land management, development initiatives the world over will be stymied. read more »
Food Aid Reaches Sudan's Blue Nile For First Time In Over A Year
5 Apr 2013 | World
The World Food Programme (WFP) says the first food rations have reached conflict-affected people in Sudan’s Blue Nile state since 2011, when the isolated rural area near the South Sudan border was cut off by insecurity and movement restrictions imposed by the Government.read more »
Deadly Household Air Pollution Leads To Call For Biomarker Studies
2 Apr 2013 | World
Almost four million people die each year from household air pollution (HAP) caused by exposure to the combustion of biomass fuels (wood, charcoal, crop residues, and dung), kerosene, or coal. read more »
Global Arms Trade Treaty Fails To Reach Consensus
29 Mar 2013 | World
The Final United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) has failed to reach an agreement among all 193 Member States on a treaty text during the last day of the conference. read more »
Millions Needed To End Locust Plague In Madagascar
27 Mar 2013 | World
Madagascar needs more than $41 million to eliminate the severe locust plague that is threatening the country's crop production as well as the food security of more than half of the country’s population, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). read more »
1.1 Billion People Still Defecate In The Open As Action Urged On Sanitation Crisis
22 Mar 2013 | World
Of the world's seven billion people, six billion have mobile phones but only 4.5 billion have access to toilets or latrines – meaning that 2.5 billion people, mostly in rural areas, do not have proper sanitation. read more »
African States Seek To Combat Piracy In Gulf Of Guinea
21 Mar 2013 | World
Representatives from three African sub-regional organizations focused on ways to cooperate to eliminate piracy in the Gulf of Guinea during a meeting held this week in Cotonou, Benin.read more »
Wanted Congolese Rebel Leader Bosco Ntaganda Surrenders
19 Mar 2013 | World
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has welcomed the surrender of rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. read more »
Record Disaster Losses Top $100 Billion For Third Consecutive Year
17 Mar 2013 | World
Thousands of people were killed in extreme disaster events in 2012 with more than $100 billion in property losses for a third year in a row.read more »
Ancient Chinese Coin Found On Kenyan Island
13 Mar 2013 | World
A joint expedition of scientists has unearthed a 600-year-old Chinese coin on the Kenyan island of Manda that shows trade existed between China and east Africa decades before European explorers set sail and changed the map of the world.read more »
Deaths In DR Congo Detention Centres Doubled in 2012
13 Mar 2013 | World
A report released today shows that the number of deaths in detention in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) nearly doubled in 2012, and the conditions in which prisoners live remain extremely poor in the majority of the detention centres.read more »
Global Food Prices Expected To Remain Stable
10 Mar 2013 | World
World food prices have held steady for another month with falling cereal and sugar prices offsetting gains in vegetable oils and dairy, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said, while also pointing to what could be a record wheat crop this year. read more »
Almost Half Of Africa's Lions Facing Extinction: Report
6 Mar 2013 | World
A new report published today concludes that nearly half of Africa's wild lion populations may decline to near extinction over the next 20-40 years without urgent conservation measures. read more »
"Legal Highs" Represent Threat To Public Health, Says Panel
5 Mar 2013 | World
An independent body tasked with monitoring the production and consumption of narcotics worldwide has warned of the increase in use of psychoactive substances known as 'legal highs' which reproduce the effect of illegal drugs, and represent a threat to public health.read more »
$10 Billion Needed To Aid World Hotspots
5 Mar 2013 | World
The United Nations humanitarian chief has urged the international community to dig into its wallet for the $10.4 billion needed this year to help more than 57 million people around the world.read more »
One Billion Deaths From Tobacco Projected By End Of Century
4 Mar 2013 | World
If the word's nations are going to prevent tobacco smoking from causing a projected one billion deaths by the end of this century, they must classify tobacco marketing as a threat to public health, according to an international gathering of health experts. read more »
Illicit Trade In Great Apes Linked To Organized Crime
4 Mar 2013 | World
Almost 3,000 live great apes are stolen annually from the forests of Africa and South-east Asia in an illicit trade increasingly linked to organized crime and trans-boundary networks that move the animals in the same ways as drugs, arms and laundered money, according to a new report. read more »
Risk Of Mass Atrocities Has "Possibly Never Been Higher"
28 Feb 2013 | World
The number of situations around the world that clearly indicate a risk of mass atrocities has possibly never been higher, demanding urgent preventive action, according to an expert on the Prevention of Genocide. read more »
'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius Granted Bail At $113,000
22 Feb 2013 | World
South African Olympic athlete and murder accused Oscar Pistorius has been released from prison after a four-day hearing, with bail set at $113,000. read more »
Human influence Contributed To East Africa Drought, Says UK Met Office
21 Feb 2013 | World
Human influence on global climate contributed to the causes of the 2011 East Africa drought, according to new research by the Met Office. read more »
Envoy Urges Greater Efforts To End Use Of Child Soldiers
13 Feb 2013 | World
From the besieged cities of Syria to the desert battlefields of Mali, children throughout the world continue to endure the indignities of forced conscription and suffer the resulting legacy of combat on their health and well-being, a top United Nations official has warned.read more »
Sudan And Darfur Rebel Group Sign Ceasefire
11 Feb 2013 | World
The Government of Sudan and one of the main rebel factions in Darfur have signed a ceasefire agreement to move the peace process forward, the United Nations-African Union mediator has announced. read more »
Tougher Measures Urged To Combat Forced Labour
10 Feb 2013 | World
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has released a new report highlighting the need for tougher efforts to prevent, identify and prosecute cases of forced labour which claim 21 million victims worldwide. read more »
Assassination Must Not Derail Tunisia's Transition Says UN
8 Feb 2013 | World
The United Nations is encouraging Tunisia to move forward with its democratic transition despite the assassination earlier this week of Tunisian political leader Chokri Belaid. read more »
11,000 Elephants Slaughtered In National Park
7 Feb 2013 | World
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) says a national park which was once home to Africa's largest forest elephant population has lost a staggering 11,100 individuals due to poaching for the ivory trade.read more »
Thousands Flee Fighting In Mali
22 Jan 2013 | World
The United Nations refugee agency says the number of people fleeing the fighting in Mali is increasing, amidst reports of growing food shortages.read more »
International Criminal Court Opens Investigation Into War Crimes In Mali
17 Jan 2013 | World
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has formally opened an investigation into alleged crimes committed in Mali since January 2012 – including murder, torture and rape – with a focus on the northern part of the country. read more »
Humanitarian Situation In Mali Deteriorates After Latest Wave Of Fighting
16 Jan 2013 | World
The latest round of military clashes over the weekend between the Malian army and radical Islamist groups have sparked a new wave of displacement and led to a worsening of the humanitarian situation in the North African country, according to the United Nations. read more »
