http://www.voanews.com/archive/africa/latest/594/612.html africa http://www.voanews.com/img/voa/rssLogo_VOA.gif http://www.voanews.com/archive/africa/latest/594/612.html en-US 2012 - VOA 60 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:47:55 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA South Sudanese rebel leader David Yau Yau has agreed to begin peace talks with representatives of the government, members of a delegation from Jonglei state's Murle community said Wednesday after meeting with the hold-out insurgent chief. “We told him to stop his rebellion because it is affecting the community and destroying development in the area. He accepted and demanded government officials talk with him," Nyany Korok, a Murle youth leader who was part of the 15-strong ... http://www.voanews.com/content/south-sudan-yau-yau-peace-talks-murle-delegation/1685460.html http://www.voanews.com/content/south-sudan-yau-yau-peace-talks-murle-delegation/1685460.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:22:23 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Manyang David Mayar) http://www.voanews.com/content/south-sudan-yau-yau-peace-talks-murle-delegation/1685460.html#relatedInfoContainer Malawi’s former president says democracy and independence alone are not the ultimate answer to addressing the growing poverty levels in Africa. But Bakili Muluzi also says the democratic strides Malawi has achieved will remain meaningless if citizens continue to live in abject poverty. “Independence alone is not enough. Democracy alone is not enough People don’t eat democracy,” said Muluzi, “We have to provide employment and put food on the table for our people. I think the time has now ... http://www.voanews.com/content/africa-must-first-tackle-poverty-says-ex-malawi-president/1685354.html http://www.voanews.com/content/africa-must-first-tackle-poverty-says-ex-malawi-president/1685354.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:53:24 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Peter Clottey) http://www.voanews.com/content/africa-must-first-tackle-poverty-says-ex-malawi-president/1685354.html#relatedInfoContainer A hardline Islamist appointed governor of Luxor stayed away from his new office on Wednesday as protesters barred access and demanded Egypt's president revoke a nomination they fear will hurt local tourism. Adel Mohamed al-Khayat, appointed by President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, is a member of al-Gamaa al-Islamiya, the movement accused of killing 58 foreign tourists at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor's Valley of the Queens in 1997. Determined to stop Khayat from ... http://www.voanews.com/content/tourism-protests-keep-new-luxor-governor-away/1685281.html http://www.voanews.com/content/tourism-protests-keep-new-luxor-governor-away/1685281.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:26:35 -0400 Middle East webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Members of a U.S. Congressional human-rights panel are calling on Sudan to stop alleged state-sponsored violence and abuses against civilians. The government is fighting rebel movements in the western Darfur region and two southern states, and stands accused of a long string of rights violations, including alleged "scorched earth" tactics against villages in Blue Nile State. At a hearing Wednesday, the panel also examined U.S. policy on Sudan and how to best help suffering ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-congressional-human-rights-panel-condemns-sudan/1685245.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-congressional-human-rights-panel-condemns-sudan/1685245.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:34:10 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Cindy Saine) Nigeria's military banned the use of Thuraya satellite phones on Wednesday in northeastern Borno state, a step it said was designed to stop Islamist militants communicating.   President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno and two other states on May 14, ordering extra troops in to try to crush Islamist sect Boko Haram, whose insurgency against has killed thousands of people in the past three years.   Authorities cut the mobile network in Borno state in the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/nigeria-bans-satellite-phones-in-boko-haram-battleground/1685098.html http://www.voanews.com/content/nigeria-bans-satellite-phones-in-boko-haram-battleground/1685098.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:57:14 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Four Lebanese men accused of being Hezbollah members remain imprisoned in Nigeria after a court dismissed weapons and terrorism related charges against them on a technicality. The men are suing the government for nearly $25 million for unlawful detention, but lawyers say the government also may present new charges Friday in a higher court.   This story started in May with a stash of weapons that security forces say they discovered under a house in the northern city of Kano.    ... http://www.voanews.com/content/lebanese-accused-of-terrorism-sue-nigeria-for-nearly-twenty-five-million-dollars/1685005.html http://www.voanews.com/content/lebanese-accused-of-terrorism-sue-nigeria-for-nearly-twenty-five-million-dollars/1685005.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:38:50 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Heather Murdock) http://www.voanews.com/content/lebanese-accused-of-terrorism-sue-nigeria-for-nearly-twenty-five-million-dollars/1685005.html#relatedInfoContainer Nelson Mandela's foundation is going ahead with plans to mark his 95th birthday next month, despite his ongoing hospital stay. The foundation said that on July 18, the former South African president's birthday, charities, businesses and individuals will take part in a day of service called the Mandela Day campaign. Participants are being asked to do good deeds for 67 minutes to mark Mandela's 67 years of activism and public work. Some of the suggested actions include ... http://www.voanews.com/content/foundation-to-mark-mandelas-95th-birthday/1684951.html http://www.voanews.com/content/foundation-to-mark-mandelas-95th-birthday/1684951.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:09:39 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) A human rights group is calling on Sierra Leonean authorities to investigate a suspected arms dealer. U.N. investigators have alleged Ibrahim Bah supplied arms to rebels during Sierra Leone’s civil war. The civil war lasted 11 years, ending in 2002. During that time, RUF and AFRC rebels committed many atrocities, including murder, amputations, rape, kidnapping and torture. Ibrahim Bah, also known as Ibrahim Blade, allegedly provided arms and other support to the rebels. “Ibrahim Bah was ... http://www.voanews.com/content/sierra-leone-arms-dealer-19jun13/1684946.html http://www.voanews.com/content/sierra-leone-arms-dealer-19jun13/1684946.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:52:15 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Joe DeCapua) The fragile health of former South African president Nelson Mandela has been making headlines in recent days. But a new exhibition in Paris takes a step back -  looking at Mandela's evolution from political prisoner to one of the world's most beloved and respected politicians. Produced by the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, the show kicks off a year of cultural events in France featuring South Africa. Incidentally, the French capital recently made Mandela an honorary citizen. ... http://www.voanews.com/content/paris-exhibit-captures-mandela-journey/1684921.html http://www.voanews.com/content/paris-exhibit-captures-mandela-journey/1684921.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:36:46 -0400 Arts & Entertainment webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) The poorest children in the world's most impoverished communities are twice as likely to contract malaria as the least poor, according to a new study published in the Lancet medical journal Wednesday. Researchers say the study, led by Britain’s Durham University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, suggests that alleviating poverty could protect children from malaria. Durham University Professor Steve Lindsay, who led the research, says the study highlights a possible ... http://www.voanews.com/content/malaria-risk-spikes-for-worlds-poorest-children-study/1684911.html http://www.voanews.com/content/malaria-risk-spikes-for-worlds-poorest-children-study/1684911.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:36:31 -0400 Health webdesk@voanews.com (Selah Hennessy) http://www.voanews.com/content/malaria-risk-spikes-for-worlds-poorest-children-study/1684911.html#relatedInfoContainer Mozambique is bracing itself for attacks by the former rebel group, Renamo, which is threatening an offensive on a scale not seen since the end of the civil war 20 years ago.   Speaking in the capital, Maputo, Renamo’s spokesman, Jeronimo Malagueta said that beginning Thursday, Renamo guerrillas would start blocking the economically crucial Sena railway line used by foreign companies to transport coal to the coast.  He also warned people not to use the country’s national ... http://www.voanews.com/content/rebel-group-threatens-mozambique-railway/1684883.html http://www.voanews.com/content/rebel-group-threatens-mozambique-railway/1684883.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:53:12 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Jinty Jackson) http://www.voanews.com/content/rebel-group-threatens-mozambique-railway/1684883.html#relatedInfoContainer Present warming trends could roll back decades of development and exacerbate poverty in some of the world’s poorest regions in South Asia, South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new World Bank study, which calls for urgent action to reverse global warming because the window for action is narrowing rapidly.        From declining food production to water shortages, more extreme heat waves to floods, the picture painted by the new World Bank report is ... http://www.voanews.com/content/report-global-warming-could-reverse-development/1684795.html http://www.voanews.com/content/report-global-warming-could-reverse-development/1684795.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:18:51 -0400 Asia webdesk@voanews.com (Anjana Pasricha) http://www.voanews.com/content/report-global-warming-could-reverse-development/1684795.html#relatedInfoContainer Gunmen have raided a village in northern Nigeria and killed at least 48 people in a revenge attack targeting a local vigilante group. Witnesses say dozens of gunmen arrived on motorbikes early Tuesday in the village of Kizara, moving from house to house and shooting at residents. Some of the gunmen climbed on top of a hill and opened fire on villagers who tried to escape the attack. Zamfara state officials say the gunmen were part of a group of cattle rustlers that have been terrorizing ... http://www.voanews.com/content/gunmen-kill-dozens-in-northern-nigeria-village/1684740.html http://www.voanews.com/content/gunmen-kill-dozens-in-northern-nigeria-village/1684740.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:40:08 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) http://www.voanews.com/content/gunmen-kill-dozens-in-northern-nigeria-village/1684740.html#relatedInfoContainer For many Egyptians, the year since Mohamed Morsi became the nation's first democratically elected president has been a failure. After a year of dreadful economic decline, energy and water shortages, lack of security and what some see as the president's overbearing, exclusive, Islamist agenda, they now want to do something about it. Across the country, activists with the Tamarod - or Rebel - campaign have been collecting signatures expressing lost confidence in Morsi and demanding ... http://www.voanews.com/content/morsi-critics-demand-early-egypt-elections/1684744.html http://www.voanews.com/content/morsi-critics-demand-early-egypt-elections/1684744.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:33:58 -0400 Middle East webdesk@voanews.com (Elizabeth Arrott) http://www.voanews.com/content/morsi-critics-demand-early-egypt-elections/1684744.html#relatedInfoContainer South Africa is preparing to host the biggest radio telescope in the world.  Along with Australia, the country has been chosen to host the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), which will be 50 times more sensitive than any equipment so far and will seek answers to the origins of the universe.  About three hours from Cape Town lies the arid and barren Karoo desert.  Soon, that desert will play host to part of the world's largest radio telescope. The SKA will be 50 times more ... http://www.voanews.com/content/south-africa-to-host-worlds-biggest-telescope/1684726.html http://www.voanews.com/content/south-africa-to-host-worlds-biggest-telescope/1684726.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:16:01 -0400 Science & Technology webdesk@voanews.com (Emilie Iob) Militant group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for what officials are calling a suicide bomb attack on a United Nations compound in the Somali capital. http://www.voanews.com/media/photogallery/1684728.html http://www.voanews.com/media/photogallery/1684728.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:15:00 -0400 Africa The United Nations refugee agency says more people in 2012 became refugees or internally displaced people than at any time since 1994.  The UNHCR said in a report Wednesday that war and other crises last year forced one person from his or her home every 4.1 seconds. The agency's annual Global Trends report said more than 45.2 million people were displaced in 2012 compared to 42.5 million in 2011. Antonio Guterres, head of UNHCR, said the numbers "reflect individual suffering ... http://www.voanews.com/content/global-forced-displacement-at-18-year-high/1684711.html http://www.voanews.com/content/global-forced-displacement-at-18-year-high/1684711.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:48:46 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) U.S. President Barack Obama returns to Africa next week, only the second visit of his presidency to the continent. In Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, he will stress support for democracies and economic progress, and speak about the importance of human rights. Obama has spent less than 24 hours in sub-Saharan Africa, an all-too short visit to Ghana in 2009. He spoke to Ghana's parliament about democracy, opportunity and peaceful resolution of conflict, and pointed to what he called a ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-africa-trip-is-effort-to-re-engage-with-continent/1684723.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-africa-trip-is-effort-to-re-engage-with-continent/1684723.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:47:54 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Dan Robinson) http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-africa-trip-is-effort-to-re-engage-with-continent/1684723.html#relatedInfoContainer Space, the final frontier, and one that African nations have largely left unexplored.  But with the emergence of space agencies around the continent, some intrepid space-gazers are studying ways to boldly go where few Africans have gone before. Observers looking at Africa today will see a new reality.   Satellite dishes monitor hundreds of privately owned satellites above Africa in Africa’s largest earth observation center - at the South African National Space Agency.   ... http://www.voanews.com/content/space-africa-looks-to-the-final-frontier/1684704.html http://www.voanews.com/content/space-africa-looks-to-the-final-frontier/1684704.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:58:17 -0400 Science & Technology webdesk@voanews.com (Anita Powell) At least 15 people have been killed, including four foreigners, in a suicide and gun attack by Somali militant group al-Shabab on a U.N. compound in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.  Witnesses say security guards and gunmen exchanged fire for hours before government fighters regained full control of the compound after the attack.  Wednesday's bombing and gun attack on the offices of the U.N. Development Program targeted humanitarian workers going about their daily routine in the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/alshabab-gunmen-attack-un-compound-in-mogadishu/1684664.html http://www.voanews.com/content/alshabab-gunmen-attack-un-compound-in-mogadishu/1684664.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:08:43 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Mohammed Yusuf) http://www.voanews.com/content/alshabab-gunmen-attack-un-compound-in-mogadishu/1684664.html#relatedInfoContainer