World Briefing | Africa: Nigeria: Militant May Be Released
The Nigerian militant leader Henry Okah, who is on trial for gun-running and treason, welcomed a government amnesty offer and could be released soon, his lawyers said.
West Africa: UN Security Council Anxious Over Drugs, Niger, Mauritania
The Security Council today voiced its concern over the fragile democratic and economic progress achieved in West Africa, which continues to face grave challenges ranging from coups d’état to organized crime.
Côte d’Ivoire: UN Calls for Free, Fair Polls
Côte d’Ivoire’s political parties have the responsibility for ensuring that much-delayed presidential elections, now scheduled to take place on 29 November, are held on time and are free, fair and transparent, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says, urging them to act appropriately.
World Briefing | Africa: South Africa: 31 Die After Circumcisions
Thirty-one teenagers died from complications after botched circumcision rites in the rural Eastern Cape region.
Mauritania: First Steps for Women’s Cooperatives
In December 2008, a group of young women staged a protest against the common practice of fattening women before marriage, intended to make them more attractive in the eyes of men. The protest did not immediately result in the end of the practice, but it was a landmark event showing a new assertiveness among Mauritanian women in a society where men use tradition and sharia law to maintain their dominance.
Death in Birth: Fragile Tanzanian Orphans Get Help After Mothers Die
An innovative program in Africa protects motherless infants through their risky early years.
Hoquiam church sets benefit concert to help Uganda widow & 4 children (The Daily World)
The community is invited to a benefit concert at 7 p.m., Saturday, July 18 at the First Baptist Church of Hoquiam. The concert is to raise funds to provide a new home for a Ugandan widow and her four children.
World Briefing | Africa: Sudan: National Elections Are Postponed Again
Sudan will delay national elections for two months, to April 2010, officials said.
Nation in Disarray Holds Few Hopes for Vote
The government is in a shambles in Guinea-Bissau, and many people have lost hope that a presidential election will make much difference.
