JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Tens of thousands of South Africans on Wednesday marked the 75th birthday of President Jacob Zuma with a protest against him, pushing for his resignation because of scandals and his dismissal of a widely respected finance minister. The president, meanwhile, danced at a party where well-wishers said they loved him. The rally … Continue reading
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Radical Islamic militants from Boko Haram are increasingly forcing children to carry out bombings, with the number of attacks since January already nearly reaching the total for all of last year, according to a report released Wednesday by the U.N. children’s agency. UNICEF says at least 117 attacks have been carried … Continue reading
The Zuzu African Acrobats, an acrobatic troupe originally from Kenya, will be performing at Norfolk State University on April 19 at 7 p.m. in room 149 of the Student Center. This is a free event. The acrobats have performed throughout America since 1999 and have been featured on “America’s Got Talent” as well as other … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell’s Nigeria subsidiary “fiercely opposed” environmental testing and is concealing data showing thousands of Nigerians are exposed to health hazards from a stalled cleanup of the worst oil spills in the West African nation’s history, according to a German geologist contracted by the Dutch-British multinational. An environmental study found … Continue reading
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s 93-year-old leader might be slowing down, but his busy foreign travels have led the opposition to call him the “non-resident president.” President Robert Mugabe has visited Singapore, Ghana, Swaziland and Mauritius in the past three weeks alone. At times he stops over in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, for just a night … Continue reading
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda is at a “breaking point” as almost 3,000 South Sudanese refugees pour into the country every day, the United Nations refugee chief and Uganda’s government said Thursday, calling for international help to support over 800,000 people now sheltering there. The U.N. has called it the world’s fastest-growing refugee crisis. More … Continue reading
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s government is moving ahead with plans to allow a domestic trade and limited export of rhino horns, alarming many international conservationists who believe rhinos will be more vulnerable to poachers after a record slaughter in the past decade. Draft regulations would allow a foreigner with permits to export “for personal … Continue reading
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The death toll has reached 62 from the collapse of a mountain of trash at a massive garbage dump on the outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital, the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported Monday, as relatives waited for news of the dozens of people said to be missing. It was not clear … Continue reading
BANDARERO, Kenya (AP) — Loko Kalicha Junno says she trekked for a week to save her 10 cattle from dying of thirst and hunger. But none survived. Now, at one of the last watering holes in this remote village, she fears for herself. “If this water gets finished I am going to die,” said the … Continue reading
TSHOLOTSHO, Zimbabwe (AP) — From kitchen items to livestock and even her house, Assa Mkwananzi says she has “lost it all” to floods that have hit southern Zimbabwe. “We lost all our blankets, pots and cooking utensils, our goats and chickens as well because of the heavy rains,” Mkwananzi told The Associated Press in the … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Without fanfare, President Donald Trump signed a scaled-back version of his controversial ban on many foreign travelers Monday, hoping to avoid a new round of lawsuits and outrage while fulfilling a central campaign promise. His order still bars new visas for people from six Muslim-majority countries and temporarily shuts down America’s refugee … Continue reading
BANJUL, Gambia (AP) — As Gambia enters a new era of democracy, President Adama Barrow has reiterated his commitment to ending human rights abuses in the country. “Orders have already been given for all those detained without trial to be released,” he said Saturday before thousands of Gambians who gathered at Independence Stadium Saturday … Continue reading
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia’s new president visited victims wounded by the Mogadishu car bomb that on Sunday killed 34. President Mohamed Abdulahi Mohamed offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those who planned the blast. The explosion hit a busy marketplace in the western part of the capital, said police … Continue reading
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Famine has been declared in two counties of South Sudan, according to an announcement by the South Sudan government and three U.N. agencies, which says the calamity is the result of prolonged civil war and an entrenched economic crisis that has devastated the war-torn East African nation. The official classification of … Continue reading
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — The presidents of Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia will hold a summit soon to try to find ways to reconcile neighboring Libya’s rival political factions and stem the country’s chaos, diplomats said Monday. The summit was announced in Tunis after a new round of diplomatic efforts for Libya, where two rival administrations … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 