HUMNEWS HEADLINES - May 6/7, 2010 (Africa and Middle East)

ALGERIA:

Algeria prepares for the World Cup

Algeria wants diversified cooperation with Angola

AL chief condemns  espionage accusations by Algerian paper

The United Nations security council 1920

Zim throws spanner in MTN’s works (telecom)

Marriott international announces first hotels in Algeria and Rwanda (travel)

ANGOLA:

Angolan hospitals get twinned with Portuguese health institutions

Government keeps anti-tuberculosis  ward operational

Angola, Portugal sign military co-operation pact

Cuban VP meets with leaders of Angolan party

BENIN:

Ex-militant donates N2.5million for road repairs in Edo

10 brought to mainland Benin  

Edo chief decries INEC’s delineation exercise

BOTSWANA:

Is Botswana guilty of identity theft?

Has Botswana failed to become a financial hub? (commentary)

Death penalty continues to complicate Botswana/SA relationship

Botswana battles Okavango flood as villagers evacuate

Turkey, Botswana sign economic cooperation deal

BURKINA FASO:

President touts ‘Lamp for Africa’ project

Plan Burkina Faso fights meningitis outbreak

Beer with a bite to avoid (health)

CAMEROON:

World Cup 2010: Cameroon’s fighting spirit will be crucial in South Africa, says Geremi

Prem trio eye Cameroon ace (sports)

World Cocoa Foundation grants Cameroon 5.6mln for in development aid

Reasons for demise in Cameroonian clubs (sports)

CAPE VERDE:

New broadband wireless offerings in Cape Verde

Cesaria Evora and Ballaké Sissoko (entertainment)

New IMF program in pipeline

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC:

New Colonialism: Pentagon carves Africa into military zones

Aid hampered by unsafe conditions (ICRC press release)

Minor rebels, major terror

COMOROS:

Lambs are not yet playing with hyenas

DJIBOUTI:

Half rural population needs emergency food aid

EQUATORIAL GUINEA:

Ghana govt. strikes oil deal with Equatorial Guinea

Africa mulling over an OPEC for its minerals  

ERETRIA:

National museum notes significance of continuous visits to nations tourism sites

Ottawa ok’s sanctions against Eretria

President Isaias holds talks with various government officials

Student from Eretria beats odds to earn masters degree  

GAMBIA:

Gambia detains Guinean nationals over bullet possession

Former Junta Number Two Sanna Bairo Sabally Writes To Jammeh

Qatar, Gambia sign labor agreement  

GHANA:

Yar’Adua: Ghana declares three days of mourning

Ghana is ‘sorrowed’ by Yar’Adua’s death

Ghana eye World Cup trophy

GUINEA:

Guinea’s flag hoist violates boundary laws

GUINEA-BISSAU:

Security is women’s business

LESOTHO:

Ireland - Minister of State for Overseas Development, Mr Peter Power, T.D., renews partnership with the Clinton Foundation to tackle HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa

LIBERIA:

Govt. pleads with the World Bank

Women capacity building craved

Liberia ratifies its condemnation of the US blockade against Cuba

Growth looks brighter Pres. Sieraf assures, as she unveils L$24.6 billion draft budget  

LIBYA:

Libyan stock market closes trading up by 32.34 points

New Libyan oil firm makes huge profit in just 1 year  

MADAGASCAR:

Africa’s war on coup d’ etats

Madagascar’s military officers recalled to camp at dubious orders

MALAWI:

Malawi to cut HIV infections to 2% by 2015

Adequate funding needed to battle HIV and AIDS in Malawi

Bristol blue reef aquarium sees birth of African fish  

MALI:

Joint mission to Mali concludes

MOZAMBIQUE:

Nineteen companies bidding for third mobile phone operator

Funds for rural water and sanitation

Mozambique president officially opens Benga coal mine

France supports Mozambique with US$50 million for gas projects  

NAMIBIA:

Fuel retailers want transaction breather

Gobabis storm damage amounts to millions

Better conditions for farmworkers a priority  

NIGER:

Junta leaders promise fresh polls in Niger

NIGERIA:

The President Nigeria needs

Shell loosing oil in Nigeria

It needs Goodluck (editorial)

Nigeria senate ready for electoral reforms says legislator

Death penalty – a dying fashion  

SIERRA LEONE:

Protecting investors but what about people? Dissecting the contradictions of agricultural investment (analysis)   

Sierra Leone’s ambassador to China sacked

In Sierra Leone, Police beat journalists in court

SUDAN:

How much does Washington care about African democracy? (opinion)

Obama administration must re-focus on Sudan issues, says Republican Wolf

UNAMID urges all parties in Darfur to remain committed to the peace process

YEMEN:

Yemen downplays US security warning

War-torn Yemen launches $1bn tourism campaign

Al-Qaeda in Yemen vows more attacks against Saudi government interests

Anti-piracy forces off Yemen playing pirates with fishermen

Yemen urged to release dissenting journalists

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - May 3, 2010 (North and South Oceans)

ANTARCTICA:

Annual Antarctic treaty conference opens on Monday in Uruguay

Melting icebergs causing sea levels to rise

GREENLAND:

Tourists flock to Greenland’s Ilulissat Icefjord

ICELAND:

Iceland volcano hit travel business hard  

Growing interest in Iceland fish label

Meltdown, volcano: weary Icelanders ask, what next?

From Iceland to Greece, greedy bankers and the fall of the European Union  

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - April 30, 2010 (The Americas)

BELIZE:

Historic Judgment! Westerhaven to pay $11.5 million for Damage to Reef

Global Fund approves US$2.18 million to fight HIV & AIDS

GUYANA:

World Bank economic surveys on Guyana ignore private sector views - Gouveia

Govt. needs to invest $4M a year marketing Guyana

Guyana-Brazil agricultural trade closer

Private investors inching towards creation of Guyana’s second international airport

Outstanding Guyanese playwright  and dramatist passes on

April 2010 will have the highest number of arrivals to Guyana, minister says

Gates Millenium scholar meets her benefactor

Within three years all of Guyana’s electricity will come from renewable energy, says president

FALKLAND ISLANDS:

Falkland’s military base to be powered by wind, following on Stanley’s success

Argentine coast guard to monitor vessels traveling to and from the Falklands

SURINAME:

Latin American mobile voice and mobile data market – new market report published

Regional drug treatment courts yielding positive results, says OAS study

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - April 27, 2010 (Europe and Eurasia)

ANDORRA:

Show and tell – the Hartung Sparta Nature (motoring)

ARMENIA:

Armenia considers energy export to Turkey to be demanded

PACE President to visit Armenia, Russia and Georgia

Armenia has potential to export electricity to Turkey

Karekin II invited Allahshukur Pashazadeh to visit Armenia

GIBRALTAR:

Proof: Guardia Civil plays cat and mouse in Gibraltar waters  

Britain’s newest ship sails into Gibraltar

Gov’t must act to end double standards says Anglers

The rock cracks down on financial scandals  

KYRGYZSTAN:

Kyrgyzstan president charged with mass killings

Events in Kyrgyzstan confirm urgency of Kazakhstan initiatives

Kazakhstan to send Kyrgyzstan 3 tons of diesel fuel for sowing campaign

Great Britain cabinet government to become role model for Kyrgyzstan

For Americans and Russians Kyrgyzstan overshadows nukes: Gazeta, Russia

LIECHTENSTEIN:

Liechtenstein parliament approves TIEA with St. Kitts and Nevis

Visa Europe to ‘cut debit card payment fees’

MOLDOVA:

Slow recovery ahead for emerging Europe and Central Asia

Moldovan president to send soldiers but will skip Moscow WWII parade

Moldovan acting president to visit Romania

MONGOLIA:

Inner Mongolia Yitai to launch HK IPO

Charge d’Affaires of India attacked in Mongolia

Sandstorm sweeps across northwestern China, three killed

Mongolia Approves Meritus Acquisition of Gold Property from Troy Resources

MONTENEGRO:

Internet video co Oversi wins Montenegro telecom deal

Montenegro does not want special ties with Republika Srpska

Investors sue firm of solicitors over 3.9m in losses on Montenegrin investments

TAJIKISTAN:

Polio outbreak in southwestern Tajikistan

Tajikistan’s envoy calls on Rehman Malik

Senior Tajik border guard detained for drug trafficking

Tajikistan to allow Roghun shares on the market

Tinderbox of trouble

TURKMENISTAN:

UAE’s delegation arrives in Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan to build €40m BOPP film plant

OSCE Centre supports training course to prevent human trafficking in Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan and St. Petersburg prepare agreement on economic, scientific and cultural cooperation

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - April 26, 2010 (North and South Oceans)

ANTARCTICA:

Powerful ocean currents off Antarctica factor in climate change

Non-organic mechanism for production of greenhouse gas discovered in Antarctica

Another polar rescue must send chills down spines of alarmists (opinion)

FAROE ISLANDS:

Faroe Petroleum has at third high impact exploration success in a row – this time in the Norwegian Sea

Given injury thrusts unknown Nielsen into the spotlight for City's charge for fourth (sports)

GREENLAND:

WWF wants Arctic ocean global accord

Greenland is divided on wider oil exploration

ICELAND:

Iceland flights slowly getting back to normal

Menzies suffers £2.5m loss from Iceland volcano ash

Moody’s upgrades Iceland’s ratings outlook to stable

Whaling plan would legalize hunt, set limits  

ST HELENA ISLAND:

Absorbing day-to-day account of Napoleon in exile (book review)

SVALBARD:

Dinosaurs died from sudden temperature drop not ‘comet strike’ scientists claim

Dominican Republic Field Notes: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – as seen through the eyes of a young American”

- By Nick Popow

(Map courtesy Lonely Planet)

(HN, April 23, 2010) -- Arriving from the new world to the old - in my case from New York to Santo Domingo - is always a jarring experience.  It was March, and I stepped out of the plane, and into the sweltering Dominican heat I was surprised to see a lavishly decorated, modern airport, with every wall covered with beautiful photographs and artwork, almost like a museum. This was not what I expected after reading about the country’s rampant poverty. It’s as if the excess luxury of the airport was a facade, an attempt to compensate for the poverty of the rest of the country.    Las Américas International Airport, Punta Caucedo, Dominican Republic (courtesy, FLICKR)

Santo Domingo is a historic city steeped in 500 years of rich Caribbean culture, originally founded by Christopher Columbus’ brother Bartholomew in 1496.  Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic’s capital city was even named the 2010 Cultural Capital by the American Capital of Culture.  

But you don’t have to travel far from the gleaming airport to witness the widespread poverty. According to recent official data, more than a third of the country’s population lives in poverty and almost 20% live in extreme poverty.  In rural areas, poor people constitute over half of the population.

Near Caso de Campo, Dominican Republic

My trip to this Caribbean nation with other students was to help the less fortunate and upon arrival we crowded into a few buses and set out for our hotel.  As we traveled through the barren countryside, the heart of the country unraveled before my eyes. We passed through a fishing village, consisting of scanty huts and dirty shamefaced children, who wandered slowly, aimlessly. On the way to renowned luxury resort area of Case de Campo, we traveled through the dirty, crowded streets of a city littered with trash and filth.  

Not all that has gone wrong in this country is visible to the naked eye. The U.S. government has consistently documented reports of discrimination and abuse of Haitians living here.  With no effective government protection against such treatment, Dominican’s of Haitian origin have become the poorest of the poor.  My class and I had the opportunity to meet with some of these fragmented families while visiting schools and hospitals along the Dominican coast and one mother I met in a children’s hospital explained how her twelve-year-old son had been beaten to a pulp in his school playground - simply for being darker than his peers.  Another Haitian girl I met while visiting a private Dominican high school lamented about discrimination, and the fact that she was the only girl in her grade that hadn’t been asked to a school dance.

But amidst the poverty I was astonished to find hope and joy, especially among the children.  In one small fishing village we visited I met an orphan, Manuel who I won’t soon forget. 

Author Nick Popow, with Manuel in the Dominican Republic

About 8 or 9 years of age (he couldn’t be certain), Manuel had a perpetual gleaming grin, which never left his face, as he foraged through the scraps and junk behind his house, searching for a new toy to play with.  Finally he found it – a half-chewed and rotting corn-on-the-cob, and a couple pieces of wire.  Manuel stuck the pieces of wire into the corn to form arms and legs and wrapped a dirty cloth around the top to make a bandana.  When he completed the doll he shouted with excitement and proceeded to run around in circles while holding it aloft.  Although this boy and many of his peers had barely any material possessions or opportunities they appeared to me to be much happier than my American peers who have virtually everything they could want.

In the midst of the apparent misery of their surroundings, these children possessed a kind of happiness and humility that is rarely found in America.  As I stared into Manuel beaming brown eyes, I began to reflect on what true happiness really meant.

--Nick Popow is an 18 year old student at Timothy Christian School in Piscataway, NJ, who will be attending Rutgers University in the Fall.  He has hopes to study journalism in college and wants to keep travelling the world! 

40 YEARS OF EARTH DAY

(HN, April 22, 2010) Earth Day turns 40 today. HUMNEWS spoke with Kathleen Rogers, President of the Earth Day Network about what it means to be an environmentalist.

FACTS ABOUT EARTH DAY:

• The first Earth Day was begun by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin and took place in the United States on April 22, 1970 where approximately 20 million Americans took part.
• In 1990 Denis Hayes (the first Earth Day coordinator) took Earth Day gloabal where 141 countries took part in Earth Day activities.  
• The Earth Day Network has a global advisory committee. Some of the members include: Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa Alaoui of Morocco: President, Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, Antonio H. Benjamin: Justice, High Court of Brazil (STJ); Co-President of the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE) and Deputy-Chair of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law, Sir Richard Branson: British Entrepreneur; Founder and Chairman, Virgin Group, Phillipe Cousteau Jr.: Co-Founder, President and CEO, EarthEcho International; Ocean Environmentalist, Educator and Documentarian, Leonardo DiCaprio (Co-Chair): American Actor and Film Producer; Environmentalist; Founder, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation; Board of Trustees, National Resources Defense Council; Board Member, Global Green USA, Denis Hayes(Chair): President and CEO, Bullitt Foundation; Coordinator of the first Earth Day in 1970, Sheri Liao: President, Global Village of Beijing, and Dr. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• This year 1.5 billion people are expected to take part in Earth Day activities in 190 countries from around the globe including: Andorra, Cameroon, Equitorial Guinea, Gabon, Iceland, Kiribati, Mexico, Qatar, Tajikistan, Vanuatu, and more. To see what Earth Day activities are happening in your part of the world click here - Earth Day 2010

- reporting by Cristina Khalaf, video by John Gardiner

source - earthday.org

ENVIRONMENTAL HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

AFRICA: Africa agriculture suffers from climate

ALGERIA: Algeria meetings show continued confusion about natural gas outlook

ANGOLA: Training constitutes strategy for management of climactic changes impact

AMERICAN SAMOA: Shaken by Wednesday’s earthquake

Tsunami evacuation routes identified in American Samoa  

ANGUILLA: Power of partnerships for region–Wide bird conservation promoted in month-long festival

ARCTIC: Nations debate changes to international ban on commercial whaling

BOLIVIA: How the people’s summit in Bolivia can help (op-ed)

BOTSWANA: Botswana marches towards green economy

BRAZIL: Brazil continues with Belo Monte damn despite protests

CANADA: EU lawmakers turn up heat on oil sands

CHINA: Chinese actress wins UN environment award  

EUROPE: Europe bets on wind energy

FALKLAND ISLANDS: Shearwater ponders connection with nature

GREENALND: High dioxin levels detected in Greenland halibut

GUYANA: Guyana remains committed to protection of Amazon

KIRIBATI: EU extends solar power project to Kiribati and Tonga

ICELAND: Sleepy village radar system tracks Iceland volcano ash

INDIA: Gujarat’s lungs in Gulf of Kutch are getting clogged  

ISRAEL: Israel goes off the grid for Earth Day

JORDAN/ ISRAEL: New life for the Dead Sea?

MALDIVES: Leader wins highest UN environment award

MARSHALL ISLANDS: Marshall Islands takes on difficult UN climate negotiations

MEXICO: Mexico City offers bikes in it’s clean air campaign

MICRONESIA: Micronesia grapples with increasing water salinity

MONGOLIA: How conservation can help Mongolia’s herders fight the dzud

PAKISTAN: Pakistan observes world Earth Day

QATAR: Fair to promote eco-awareness  

RUSSIA: Russia, Ukraine stepping up work on environmental programs

Russian delegations shares OCS insights  

UNITED KINGDOM: Which green questions would you ask in the second leaders’ debate? (blog)

UNITED STATES: Tufts searches for clean energy / Earth Day everyday (editorial)

YEMEN: Yemen, Oman sign two cooperation agreements

INTERNATIONAL: The People v. CO2: The coming tide of international climate lawsuits

COMPANIES: PUMA aims to be carbon neutral / 10 green giants that could change the world

EARTH DAY - GLOBAL ACTION FOR A HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT

(HN, April 21, 2010) This year marks the 40^th anniversary of the modern environmental movement, known globally as Earth Day. HUMNEWS spoke with Nate Byer, the Campaign Director for Earth Day 2010 about the focus for this year’s anniversary and mobilizing people to take action for a healthier environment.

Founded in 1970 by US Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, the first Earth Day aimed at shaking up the political establishment in the United States and forcing environmental issues of the day onto the national agenda. That year 20 million Americans took to the streets to demonstrate for a healthy sustainable environment. Enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, tycoons and labor leaders and people from all walks of life the first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts.

In 1990 Denis Hayes, (National Coordinator for Earth Day 1970) took Earth Day global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries. Earth Day 1990 took environmental issues onto the global stage and gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

This year Earth Day will be marked in 190 countries around the globe by 1 billion people taking part in Earth Day activities, making Earth Day the largest secular civic event in the world.

-reporting by Cristina Khalaf, video by John Gardiner

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - April 21, 2010 (Asia and Pacific)

AMERICAN SAMOA:

Transport matters raise supply concerns in American Samoa’s Manu’a

60,000 gallons of fuel removed from sunken tanker

US grant to save American Samoa park from development

BHUTAN:

Bhutan ready to host green summit

Bhutan on the airwaves

Initiative to check on Bhutanese currency

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM:

Senior golfers ready for Brunei battle

EAST TIMOR:

Criticism of Australia's actions in WWII Timor not so clear cut

MALDIVES:

Tourists stranded in Maldives over Icelandic volcanic ash cloud

Boskalis: Works in vulnerable ecosystems as a specialism

Somalis Capture Illegal Fishing Vessels While Highly Paid Watchmen Are Sleeping

MARSHALL ISLANDS:

Continental to add year-round service to Marshall Islands (travel)

House panel to probe Marshall Islands nuclear testing claims

Pacific fight against AIDS hampered by shame, ignorance  

MICRONESIA:

Micronesia grapples with increasing water salinity

NORTH KOREA:

S. Korea’s hosting of nuclear summit is warning to DPRK

PAPAU NEW GUINEA:

Far South Coast greets floating hospital

Australia and PNG issue Kokoda stamps

Somare stays in touch with Bainimarama

Dialogue vital with Fiji govt-PNG PM

SAMOA:

Samoa AG outlines efforts to curb against organized crime

SOLOMON ISLANDS:

Ocean Park eyes deal leading to dolphin imports from Solomons

Gov’t wants to increase its labour supply to NZ

Poor international shipping hits trade

TONGA:

Tonga’s pro-democracy movement hails assembly reform

Civics education vital ahead of Tonga election, says advocate

EU extends solar power project to Kiribati and Tonga  

VANUATU:

Volcanic Ash Affecting Food And Water On Vanuatu's Gaua

Pacific food summit opens in Vanuatu

CHRISTMAS ISLAND:

Christmas Island stretched by more boat arrivals

FRENCH POLYNESIA:

Former Hilton employees in Tahiti on hunger strike

GUAM:

GTA TeleGuam Responds to Guam Governor Call for Executive Terminations

Guam’s “re-export” report for March 2010

Guam airport welcomes first inaugural Jin air flight

KIRIBATI:

UN warns of Pacific HIV epidemic

NEW CALEDONIA:

Clever New Caledonian crows can use three tools

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS:

Utility may cut service to schools, government in Northern Mariana Islands

FOCUS ON AIDS IN LESOTHO.....APRIL 16, 2010

(HN, April 16, 2010) - Recently, HUM Adviser Dr. Judy Kuriansky travelled to Lesotho - where she returned to this week - to work with young girls aged 13-15 at a camp run by the First Lady of Lesotho, Mrs. Mathato Mosisilli. The camp, now in its third year is held with girls who were orphaned when parents died from the AIDS virus; and is designed to help them learn life skills such as nutrition, health and entrepreneurship; as well as their own HIV status. 

Lesotho, known as the 'Kingdom in the Sky' is the southernmost landlocked country in the world, surrounded entirely by South Africa.  Its capitol city is Maseru, and while the majority of the 1,800,000 people who live here - almost 60% - are between 15 and 64 years of age, Lesotho has a substantial youth population of around 35%.  Roughly 40% of the population lives below the international poverty line of US $1.25 a day.

A tiny country, Lesotho has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infections in the world at almost 25%.  Lesotho’s first AIDS case was reported in 1986 and in cities, almost 50% of women under 40 are infected; and the general life expectancy for women now stands at 37; men at 41.  An estimated 62 new HIV infections and 50 deaths due to AIDS occur each day in the country.  Of those infected with HIV in Lesotho, almost 12,000 are children; an estimated 17% are aged 15-24; and 56% of the infected are women.

To deal with the devastating impact the AIDS epidemic has had on the country, the Lesotho government created a `Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS' in 1999 to address the education, prevention, counseling, and treatment needs of the population and has formed a new National AIDS Commission to coordinate nationwide anti-AIDS activities which also distributes antiretroviral drugs.  Additionally, the government launched a proactive program in 2006 called "Know your status" to test everyone in the country who wants to be tested for HIV, funded by the Clinton Foundation. 

In recent years Lesotho has focused its attention on decreasing the rate of  'Mother to child transmission'.  In 2005 only 12% of pregnant HIV positive women were receiving antiretroviral drugs to prevent infection transmission and by 2008 an estimated 57% of pregnant women were receiving the drugs.  The percentage of women who agree to HIV testing during pregnancy has also increased and currently around 91% of pregnant women are tested. 

However, even with prevention, testing and counseling the number of AIDS orphans in Lesotho is rapidly growing. Out of all countries with HIV prevalence greater than 1 percent, Lesotho has the largest percentage of children who have lost one or both parents and are themselves unclear about what their own infection status is.  The amount of safe houses and orphanages that take care of orphans too young or unable to fend for themselves has grown tremendously and have tended to be unregulated.

This phenomenon can expose already vulnerable children to further trauma, abuse and neglect and serves to highlight why initiatives such as the First Lady’s `Help Lesotho’ leadership camps for girls are so important to the future of not just the children, but to the future of the country overall.

(Dr. Judy Kuriansky returns to Lesotho this week to conduct another edition of the `Help Lesotho’ girl’s camp in conjunction with the First Lady’s office.  Her next report will feature the outcome of her work there.)  

--- HUMNEWS, reporting by Joy DiBenedetto and Dr. Judy Kuriansky

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - April 15, 2010 (Africa and the Middle East)

ALGERIA:

Mearsk takes out case against Algeria

Algeria is Vietnam’s priority partner says,  President Triet

Algeria lineup UAE friendly (sports)

Egypt FA to face FIFA disciplinary hearing (sports)  

ANGOLA:

Angola government uses Chinese credit line to buy rolling stock

BENIN:

Engaging communities to prevent malnutrition in Benin

Protesting Benin doctors face lawsuits from patients

BOTSWANA:

Impact Minerals to kick off drilling at Botswana Uranium Project

Good start for Botswana in regional golf event (sports)

CAMEROON:

South West – Hub of Palm oil production

Production – Several measures, less results!

Cameroon’s population hits 19.4 million

CAPE VERDE:

Seven out of 10 Cape Verdeans have a mobile phone

Cape Verdean PM visits European Commission

DJIBOUTI:

Djibouti seeks to increase 150 scholarships in Yemeni universities

ERITREA:

President Isaias hold talks with German parliament members

Land and the “Land Grabbers” Part 1 (comment-series)

GABON:

Gabon oil workers go on strike

GAMBIA:

Opposition leader appeals against sentence

Earthquakes Sign Youngest Player In Club History, Gambian Midfielder Omar Jasseh (sports)

GHANA:

Ghana’s inflation continues to slide

LIBERIA:

Leader stresses renewal of Togo-Liberia relations

GOL convenes summit

LIBYA:

Libya frees ‘insulting’ dissident Jamal al-Haggi

Government’s unpredictability makes building Libyan economy tourism tricky

MADAGASCAR:

Madagascar's Rajoelina says to form interim body, electoral commission

‘Land grabbing’ in Africa rages on as leaders resist checks

MALAWI:

Malawi, UNDP sign $4.2m climate change deal

Malawi to outlaw polygamy

MAURITANIA:

Arabization and a history of Black-African marginalization in Mauritania

MOZAMBIQUE:

Eqsra wins big coal mining contract in Mozambique

Mozambique to build 600 kilometers of roads in 2010

Mozambique launches tender for third mobile operator

Government sets growth target of 6.2 percent

NAMIBIA:

World cup boon for Namibian beef

NIGER:

Foreigners freed in Niger delta

QATAR:

Qatar invites Gazprom to take part in LNG projects

Industries Qatar operating profit rise in Q1

Qatar’s education presents huge opportunities for Korea

Qatar National Bank becomes first Qatari bank to develop a mobile banking application

SUDAN:

Elections in Sudan ending

How Obama bungled Sudan’s elections (opinion)

Egypt, Sudan opposed to Nile sharing deal

YEMEN:

Yemen confirms cleric Awlaki linked to Al Qaeda

Low funding for WFP threatens vital feeding programs for children in Yemen

Syrian efforts for political parties in Yemen continues  

AFRICA:

Empowering women to boost African development  

Congo, Nigeria, South Africa: Africa bond currency preview

East Africa: Integration spawns cut in military budget

STORIES OF HAITI....April 13, 2010

(HN April 13, 2010) --- Just days after Haiti's devastating 7.0 earthquake struck on January 12, 2010 - HUM Advisor Dr. Judy Kuriansky boarded a plane to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with her colleague from Port-au-Princes' Good Samaritan Center - Father Wismick Jean Charles - where she then hopped a bus to Haiti's capital. In her suitcase were all the medical supplies she could carry; even when the airport gate agent told her she couldn't take them on board, she pleaded for the people of Haiti.

Dr. Kuriansky was no stranger to disaster - she had done this trip before to help victims deal with the lasting effects of trauma. At Ground Zero in NY, in Asia at tsunami sites, to war ravaged countries where people live on with their haunting memories.  Kuriansky knew that saving lives was crucial even in these early hours, but so was saving minds and hearts.  This is her video diary from just three days after the crisis began.

---HUMNEWS

HUMNEWS HEADLINES - April 13, 2010 (North and South Oceans)

ANTARCTICA:

Japan annual whale hunt ‘halved by activists’

Antarctic researchers ease the impact of human activity on pristine environment

Antarctic boffins obtain prehistoric ice core sample

BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY:

British involvement in rendition of suspects will continue, says Straw

ICELAND:

Truth about Iceland’s banking collapse

Iceland lifts lid on ‘excessive loans’ to billionaires

How Iceland lost its soul (comment)

Iceland becomes a hot destination (travel)

More than a letter between Ireland and Iceland  

SVALBARD:

Geese tagged to help steer wind farm locations (energy news)

Telling Haiti’s Stories (OPINION)

By Kimberly Abbott

On January 11, Jonathan Katz of the Associated Press was the only American foreign correspondent based in Haiti. And on that day, just hours before untold thousands were killed when a catastrophic earthquake struck; the U.S. media carried just one news story on Haiti. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere was simply off the radar of its mighty neighbor.

When the ground stopped shaking, major American news agencies found themselves entirely unprepared to cover the developing tragedy on their doorstep with little more than talking heads in distant studios. They struggled for hours to simply produce footage of the devastation and gather the most basic of reactions. And though the coverage went into overdrive in the immediate aftermath, most of the US camera crews were gone soon after, and the headlines all but disappeared. It's not just that the news moved on; it's that news machines have cut foreign news gathering to such an extent, that many couldn't stay longer even if they wanted to. (Such was the sticker shock from the coverage that CNN, which at one point had more than 70 people on the ground in Haiti, reportedly put off plans to open two foreign bureaus).

There are exceptions, of course -- NPR, the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Miami Herald, which has a large Diaspora readership. CNN's Anderson Cooper has also made it a personal mission to keep Haiti in the headlines. But for the majority of American news outlets, like so many international events before, sadly the Haitian earthquake has proven little more than a passing fad.

A few years ago this media flight might have meant the end of news from Haiti, but today compelling stories out of the Caribbean nation are still reaching the American public. Just this week I noticed stories about sex trafficking in the makeshift tent cities, about spontaneous micro lending enterprises, and a story about teachers using tree-mounted chalkboards to instruct outdoor classrooms. All indelible, powerful snapshots of a country in survival mode.

Who reported these stories? Not the mainstream press but humanitarian aid groups - using former journalists from NPR, CNN and the LA Times, who now work for groups like International Medical Corps, CARE and Save the Children. They are blogging, interviewing, shooting video b-roll and taking pictures, and distributing via mobile phones, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and their own websites and email lists. As former journalists, they understand what it takes to tell a compelling story, and they have new, affordable technology platforms to reach the public in ways like never before.

While the missions of aid groups are far different than those of traditional news organizations, their role in telling Haiti's stories is illustrative of what NGOs can and are doing to fill the growing geographic gap in foreign reporting. Clearly there are still questions about objectivity, because often underneath these stories is an appeal for donations. But that doesn't dismiss the real information that well-meaning aid workers are delivering because they are in the field, eyewitnesses to history.

What's more, many Americans want this information, if for no other reason than to see how their donations are being put to work. In the first 48 hours after the disaster Americans opened their wallets in an unprecedented way, giving a whopping $68 million, and in five weeks the total ballooned to over $774 million, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. A full month after the earthquake the Pew Research Center for People & the Press found that 30% of Americans were following the Haiti story "most closely" -- a higher interest rating than any other headline. Only 10% said they were interested in the Winter Olympics, yet the two events received the same amount of coverage. Those numbers suggest Americans wanted more news about Haiti than they were getting from traditional sources -- a powerful message for newsroom executives.

For better or for worse, humanitarian journalism has undeniably become part of today's news narrative. While it may never replace what has been lost in foreign reporting -- and I would like nothing better than to see it come roaring back -- at least those Americans who want to engage with the rest of the world now have a viable alternative.

---  Kimberly Abbott is a founding member of the HUM Advisory Board and is the Communications Director for North America at the International Crisis Group; as well as a former CNN producer (originally posted 3/29/10 on HuffPo).