Egypt
Ethiopia has agreed to postpone ratification of a treaty on sharing Nile River water until a new Egyptian government takes office to join the negotiations. The delay eases a long-running dispute between upstream countries at the source of the Nile and downstream countries that claim historic rights to the water.Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles...
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A U.S.-based group that monitors human rights says the number of people with access to free and independent media has declined to its lowest level in more than a decade. In its newly released annual survey of 193 countries and territories, Freedom House says it rated 68 as "free," 65 "partly free" and 63 as "not free.”The group says during the...
As the country celebrates International Worker's Day, Kenya's unions are demanding higher wages and threatening Egypt-style protests if their demands are not met.On Monday, Kenyans around the country relaxed with family and friends thanks to the public holiday to celebrate the international labor movement. But as the day wound down, a storm was...
The European Union's anti-piracy force says Somali pirates have released an Indonesian ship after holding it for 46 days.
The EU said pirates released the bulk carrier MV Sinar Kudus on Sunday, but it did not say if a ransom was paid. The statement added the vessel sailed to a safe port.
About 50 pirates captured the carrier in the Somali basin on...
May 3, 2011, the United Nations will mark World Press Freedom Day. This year’s event comes at a time when social media, mobile phones and the Internet are playing an increasing role in giving a voice to the oppressed. As recent events in the Middle East and North Africa have shown, so-called "citizen journalists" are playing a major role.Syria...
For the first time, an independent U.S. commission is recommending Egypt be added to a list of the world’s worst violators of religious liberty. The recommendation was contained in the Commission on International Religious Freedom's annual report.The bipartisan commission says Egypt’s religious minorities, like Coptic Christians, have faced severe...
A human rights group says the Ugandan government has a long history of cracking down on freedom of expression. Human Rights Watch [HRW] is reacting to the latest violence stemming from the demonstrations led by opposition figure Kizza Besigye.
“Obviously, we’re extremely worried about the situation recently in Uganda,” said Maria Burnett, HRW...
U.S. officials said Monday that more than a half-million people, most of them third-country nationals, have fled Libya since the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi's government began in February. And they say about 5,000 people are joining the exodus every day. Officials here say the outflow is affecting all six countries bordering Libya, but with...
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders has condemned the Uganda Communications Commission for ordering telecom companies to block access to social networking websites. The order came earlier this month as activists were planning protests against higher prices and corruption. The commission said it took the action to reduce the threat of violence....
With over 30 African countries scheduled to hold parliamentary and presidential elections this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns their leaders to balance their need to spend money for votes with macro-economic prudence.
So far, about 16 African countries have held elections and a few, including Egypt and Sudan, have had referendums...
As Southern Sudan prepares to emerge on the world stage as the newest nation on the planet, health workers combating Guinea Worm disease are hoping the country’s independence will energize the campaign against the parasite.
The end of Guinea WormIts official name is Dracunculiasis. For those stricken, it is a painful experience, particularly when...
The fighting in Libya has devastated coastal cities in the central part of the country, but life in parts of the rebel-controlled east has settled into some measure of uneasy calm.
It is market day at Findiq Market, Benghazi’s largest vegetable market. Business is good despite fighting a few hundred kilometers away.Raja Salem has come shopping...
Social media powered civil society groups and the Nigerian diaspora are trying to help make the country’s ongoing election process credible. Election analysts are impressed, saying such efforts will help democracy establish itself across Africa.A video posted on the YouTube video site Thursday showed alleged rigging by election officials during...
As fighting continues between troops loyal to Libyan leader Moammer Gadhafi and opposition forces determined to oust him, the dead and the wounded fill hospitals. VOA’s Scott Bobb recently visited the main hospital in the opposition-held city of Benghazi, in eastern Libya.It is late morning in the intensive care unit of Benghazi’s Jalah hospital....
Egyptian authorities have detained former president Hosni Mubarak for 15 days as part of a corruption investigation.Prosecutors made the announcement Wednesday shortly after Mubarak was hospitalized with heart problems while being questioned by authorities in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Egyptian media reported that his sons Alaa and...