When Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected Liberia’s president—and Africa’s only female head of state—in 2005, she inherited a country decimated by years of violence. Between 1989 and 2003, two horrific civil wars had killed as many as 250,000 of Liberia’s 3 million people, and displaced thousands more; more than 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers were deployed on the ground to maintain a fragile peace. At the time of her election, Sirleaf—who held positions at the World Bank and the U.N. before her political run–told NEWSWEEK, “I’m most concerned with being a mother to Liberia. I want to heal the deep wounds of... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Friday, August 20th 2010 |
Caught on camera in China recemtly, The Zimbabwe Dance Company led by the multi-talented journalist-cum-poet, Nqobile Malinga, thrilled Chinese audiences with their energetic dances.
Publish Date: Wednesday, August 18th 2010 |
TOKYO – The Government of Japan has decided to provide additional assistance to peacekeeping training centers in Africa, amounting to approximately 2.52 million US dollars (approximately 237 million Japanese yen). Specifically, 0.6 million US dollars will be provided additionally to the Peace Keeping School (Ecole de Maintien de la Paix) (EMP) in Mali, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Ghana and the Cairo Center for Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa (CCCPA) in Egypt, respectively, as well as approximately 0.72 million US dollars to newly EIFORCES in Cameroon. In recognizing that training of personnel is essential in... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Wednesday, August 18th 2010 |
PARKER – With over 178 quality entries submitted this year, Mohamed Soliman of Cairo emerged victorious as the winner of the 2010 WorldNomads.com Travel Documentary Scholarship. Documentaries were submitted from places like Africa, India, Alaska, South America, South East Asia and Papua New Guinea, but Soliman’s piece on Northern Uganda touched the judges more than the others. Mohamed’s video documented the strife in Northern Uganda through the eyes of a teenager — poignantly showing the loss he suffered and the way in which this extraordinary young man is learning to embrace life again. Judge Trent O’Donnell commented, “One of the... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Wednesday, August 18th 2010 |
In an effort to encourage breast-feeding and improve the health of babies around the globe, The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action and nursing advocates in more than 170 countries are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week. In its 19th year, this year’s theme is “Breastfeeding: Just 10 Steps. The Baby-Friendly Way,” created to draw attention to steps hospitals can take to encourage mothers to nurse. The steps include helping moms hold their babies skin-to-skin immediately after birth, providing breast-feeding training for staff and connecting mothers to support in the community upon discharge from the hospital, said Mary O’Connor, lactation services leader at... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Monday, August 16th 2010 |
