ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Dozens of African leaders met Saturday to mark 50 years since the founding of the African Union, a continent-wide organization that helped liberate Africa from colonialism and which now is trying to stay relevant on a continent regularly troubled by conflict. Upon opening the summit, attended by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and [...]
Prime Minister of St. Lucia Heads to Cuba to Strengthen Bilateral Ties
May 25, 2013 | Posted by
HAVANA – St. Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Davis Anthony will arrive in Cuba on Monday, where his busy agenda includes talks with officials here and visits to places of scientific, medical and educational interest. According to the program released to the media, the president will remain on the island until June 1, to strengthen the [...]
Caricom Demands Change in UN Security Council
May 24, 2013 | Posted by
Caricom nations are pushing for a change in the composition of the United Nations Security Council. “We have argued that small states should have a political presence in the Security Council,” Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Dookeran said on Wednesday night. “We have made the call for the change in the Security Council operations both in [...]
African Union Seeks Financial Independence From Foreign Donors
May 24, 2013 | Posted by
The African Union has vowed to finance its working budget using mainly domestic resources as it marks its 50th anniversary this week, the deputy chairperson of the continental body’s commission has said. Erastus Mwencha made the comments on Thursday at the AU’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, while addressing a news conference about [...]
Chinua Achebe: Thousands Mourn Celebrated Nigerian Author
May 23, 2013 | Posted by
The funeral of Nigeria’s celebrated writer, Chinua Achebe, has been held in his small hometown in a ceremony that drew crowds of mourners. Achebe, author of the widely praised novel Things Fall Apart, was buried on Thursday, two months after he died in the US aged 82. His private burial on the family compound followed a [...]
UN Struggling to Cope with Limited Darfur Funds
May 23, 2013 | Posted by
More than a quarter million people have fled fighting in Sudan’s Darfur region, adding to the 1.4 million already living in refugee camps. The U.N.’s humanitarian chief says a serious funding shortage is impacting on their needs.
Best Western Upscale Hotel Opens in Suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti
May 23, 2013 | Posted by
The Pétionville suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has long been a tourism-friendly area, with a smattering of boutiques, galleries and restaurants. Now it is home to a Best Western Premier, the first of several of the hotelier’s upscale branded properties that are planned throughout the Caribbean. The $15 million hotel is also the first in the [...]
Obama Restricts Use of Drones, Acknowledges Strikes Killed 4 Americans
May 23, 2013 | Posted by
President Obama is in the midst of a major shift in the nation’s war on terror, as he prepares to give a speech today in which he will announce that his administration will be restricting the use of the controversial unmanned drone strikes. He will also be renewing his efforts to close Guantanamo Bay prison in [...]
IMF Pleased With Jamaica’s Progress
May 22, 2013 | Posted by
Senior International Monetary Fund mission representative to Jamaica, Jan Kees Martijn, yesterday said the fund is “encouraged by the steady progress being made” by the country under the extended fund facility (EFF). “We have found a strong resolve to implement the program and that is indeed critical because we all realize that there are serious [...]
Kenyatta, Ruto Linked to 2007-08 Post-Election Violence
May 22, 2013 | Posted by
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy have been named in connection with post-election violence in a long-awaited report investigating human rights abuses in the country. The report gave no recommendation for action to be taken against Kenyatta and Vice-President William Ruto. The report’s chairman told the BBC this was because they already face charges [...]
