Why Ethiopia's authoritarian style gets a Western nod

csmonitor Friday, February 10, 2012 7:00:00 PM CET | info

Ethiopia is a geostrategically important ally in the West's efforts to battle extremism in the Horn of Africa. Western leaders have also emphasized its progress in battling poverty....

Returnees Could Present South Sudan's Next Big Crisis

voanews Friday, February 10, 2012 6:33:00 PM CET | info

Khartoum sets April deadline for South Sudanese nationals living in north to register or leave country...

HORN: Fears of a new drought as La Niña returns

irinnews Friday, February 10, 2012 6:22:00 PM CET | info

JOHANNESBURG, 10 February 2012 (IRIN) - The climatic conditions linked to the drought in the Horn in 2011 have persisted, and some early warning officials say the aid community should brace themselves for a possible re-run of last year's food crisis....

This week at the Foreign Office

fco Friday, February 10, 2012 6:18:00 PM CET | info

This week Syria dominated the news as violence continued in Homs. Last week Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution which demanded an end to all violence. Foreign Secretary William Hague said their decision to do so was a "grave error of judgement" when he "Russia and China have.......

Somalia's Al-Shabab join al-Qaeda

garoweonline Friday, February 10, 2012 6:10:00 PM CET | info

MOGADISHU ,Somalia 10, Feb ,2012 (BBC)- Islamist militant group al-Shabab, which controls much of Somalia, has released a joint video with al-Qaeda, announcing the two groups have merged. Al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, known as Mukhtar Abu Zubair, said he "pledged obedience" to al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri....

Malawi: Government Finally Moves On Male Circumcision

allafrica Friday, February 10, 2012 6:02:00 PM CET | info

[PlusNews] Lilongwe - Clement Zulu never thought he would be circumcised. A Christian from the north of Malawi, Zulu was among millions of Malawians who believed the practice was a ritual for the southern Yao people, who are mostly Muslims....

New report on R2P challenges humanitarians

AHN Friday, February 10, 2012 5:55:00 PM CET | info

The United Nations recognizes the international community's Responsibility to Protect (R2P) civilians during conflict, and this philosophy has quickly become embedded in peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions, but a new report questions some basic humanitarian assumptions....

Bombings, bombardments kill across Syria

trust Friday, February 10, 2012 5:37:00 PM CET | info

No one claimed responsibility for the attacks in Syria's second city, Aleppo, as the death toll reached 28...

Rap Star 50 Cent: Visit to Somali Refugee Camp Was Devastating

wfp Friday, February 10, 2012 5:18:00 PM CET | info

American rap star Curtis Jackson, known to fans as 50 Cent, calls the sights he saw in a refugee camp in Somalia “devastating.” The United Nations World Food Program recently hosted Jackson on a tour of Somalia and Kenya so he could see the fight against hunger in the Horn of Africa. (.....

Bombings, bombardments kill across Syria (Reuters)

news-yahoo Friday, February 10, 2012 5:00:00 PM CET | info

Reuters - At least 28 people were killed in two bomb attacks in Syria's second city Aleppo on Friday while in besieged Homs, opposition neighborhoods endured another day of bombardment by President Bashar al-Assad's troops....

Turkmenistan's voters assail lack of choice in election

washtimes Friday, February 10, 2012 4:38:00 PM CET | info

PRAGUE Turkmenistan's president is running for re-election Sunday against candidates only from his own party, a contest that voters say provides them no choice. "I think the president will clearly win regardless whether there is a choice of candidates or not," said a journalist in the capital, Ashgabat, ....

‘Foreign military presence in Syria raises ghost of Libya’

rt Friday, February 10, 2012 4:37:00 PM CET | info

Russian lawmakers declared their unanimous support for Moscow's official position on Syria, which one Duma member says may have been infiltrated by foreign military....

Kenya: "Gold mining beats school any day" (2/10/2012)

africafiles Friday, February 10, 2012 4:36:00 PM CET | info

Faced with the choice of school and cash in their pocket, what young person wouldn't take the latter? But when those giving the money are exploiting the dire poverty these children live in, it becomes a whole different issue. Faced with mercury poisoning, lung damage and tuberculosis, no pocket.......

[dehai-news] (Farmlandgrab.org) New global land rush trampling human rights

dehai Friday, February 10, 2012 4:33:00 PM CET | info

New global land rush trampling human rights Published: 07 Feb 2012 National Geographic | 6 February 2012 by Dan Klotz It is an age-old story in the developing world, one that rarely ends happily ever after. Communities without economic power that live off of land to which they do not �own� are.......

occupied Palestinian territory: UN rights expert in fact-finding mission to the occupied Palestinian territory, Egypt and Jordan

reliefWeb Friday, February 10, 2012 4:31:00 PM CET | info

Source: UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Country: occupied Palestinian territory , Egypt , Jordan GENEVA (10 February 2012) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Richard Falk, will conduct a.......

World bank, Niger sign FCFA 30b deal to fight climate change

panapress-en Friday, February 10, 2012 4:30:00 PM CET | info

Niamey, Niger (PANA) - Niger and the World Bank on Friday in Niamey signed a FCFA 30-billion deal aimed at funding the African nation's Community Action Project for climate resilience (PACRC/ PPCR), PANA learned from official sources. Environment...

Int�l envoys optimistic on the Mindanao peace process Friday, February 10, 2012 10:58:26 PM

mindanaoexaminer Friday, February 10, 2012 4:08:00 PM CET | info

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 10, 2012) � Foreign diplomatic envoys have expressed support to the peace negotiations between the Filipino government and the country�s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Former United Nations Special Envoy Francesc Vendrell and Ambassadors Nureldin Satti and Dr....

Liberia: UN Fund Shortfall Could Affect Mission to Country

allafrica Friday, February 10, 2012 4:02:00 PM CET | info

[New Democrat] Funding shortfalls will force the United Nations to shutdown a number of its peacekeeping missions and reduce its presence in Liberia, according to the AFP....

Africa: Domestic Consumption Is Main Contributor to Growing E-Waste

allafrica Friday, February 10, 2012 4:02:00 PM CET | info

[UNEP] Geneva - West Africa faces a rising tide of e-waste generated by domestic consumption of new and used electrical and electronic equipment, according to a new United Nations report....

Sudan: Russian, Chinese Arms Fuel Conflict, Says Amnesty

allafrica Friday, February 10, 2012 4:02:00 PM CET | info

[IPS] United Nations - Russia and China, two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council described as key arms suppliers to the embattled regime in Syria, are now accused of supplying weapons and fuelling an ongoing conflict in another military hotspot: Sudan....

Somalis perish on way to Yemen

ruvr-english Friday, February 10, 2012 3:54:00 PM CET | info

According to the United Nations, 7 Somali refugees are known to have died after their rickety boat went under in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen Wednesday. Thirty four others remain unaccounted for. Last year alone, an estimated 103 thousand Africans crossed the sea to reach Yemen. (TASS)...

UN Refugee Agency seeks 145 mln USD for Sudanese exodus

xinhuanet_en Friday, February 10, 2012 3:45:00 PM CET | info

GENEVA, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Refugee Agency on Friday announced its appeal to seek 145 million U,S dollars to help refugees fleeing fighting from Sudan's Blue Nile and South Kordofan states into neighboring countries. The fund, UNHCR said, would be used to cover the needs of up to.......

Somali pirates seize cargo ship with 21 Pinoys

tribuneonline Friday, February 10, 2012 3:45:00 PM CET | info

02/11/2012 Another group of 21 Filipino sailors was seized by ransom-seeking Somali pirates off Yemen, indicating that the threat of piracy and kidnapping across Africa and the Middle East remains active. The latest kidnapping incident brought to 47 the total number of Filipino seamen being held by.......

MAURITANIA: Ravaged by Drought - the Number of Malnourished Children Rises

ipsnews Friday, February 10, 2012 3:28:00 PM CET | info

Mariem Mint Ahmedou sits cross-legged on a worn-out carpet in a basic tent built with mud bricks and layers of sewn-together fabric. Her eight-month-old twins, Hussein and Hassan, lie weakly against her body. Both of them have been malnourished since birth, because Beydar, undernourished herself, cannot produce enough breast milk to feed them....

Bomb blasts bring death to Aleppo

iol Friday, February 10, 2012 3:14:00 PM CET | info

“Mangled, bloodied bodies as well as severed limbs lay on the pavement outside the targeted buildings.”...

Congo-Kinshasa: Is the DRC Slowly Falling Into the Trusteeship of the UN?

allafrica Friday, February 10, 2012 3:02:00 PM CET | info

[Fahamu] The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has a less than glowing image in the DRC, but there is no sign in sight of the mission's end....

UN official outlines priorities for Rio+20 summit

panapress-en Friday, February 10, 2012 2:59:00 PM CET | info

New York, US (PANA) - The Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), Mr. Sha Zukang, on Friday outlined the priorities that member states should tackle ahead of the summit, due to hold in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June, in order to set a clear framework of action during the event....

Saudi king slams veto of Syria U.N. resolution

dailystar-LB Friday, February 10, 2012 2:59:00 PM CET | info

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah on Friday slammed the Russian and Chinese veto of a UN resolution on Syria as an "unfavorable" move....