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2 men who filmed Namibia seal hunt convicted
Two foreign journalists who were arrested in Namibia while filming the clubbing of seals were convicted Friday of entering a protected marine area without a permit. (Associated Press Writer, 12:40 p.m.)
Congo Republic opposition wants election annulled
The Republic of Congo's top opposition politician filed on Friday for an annulment of the incumbent president's re-election and claimed there had been vote-rigging and intimidation. (Associated Press Writer, 12:23 p.m.)
Nigerian amnesty could affect 10,000 militants
As many as 10,000 militants who have sabotaged oil production in Nigeria's restive Niger Delta could take advantage of an amnesty deal offered last month, an official said Friday. (AP, 12:12 p.m.)
Recollections of the night in question
“About three to four weeks before, one of the prison guards in a supervisory position came and told me that I will be leaving the prison and he wanted to find out that if I was let out of the prison if I could actually get out of the United States as quickly as possible.’’ (Boston Globe, 12 a.m.)
Taylor defends displaying of human skulls at roadblocks
THE HAGUE - In an unusual defense against war crimes charges, Charles G. Taylor, Liberia’s former president, told judges yesterday that he saw nothing wrong with displaying the skulls of slain enemy soldiers at roadblocks. (Associated Press, 12 a.m.)
Liberia’s Taylor says US arranged escape
The mystery has lingered for more than two decades, spawning conspiracy theories about the US government’s connection to one of Africa’s most brutal leaders: How did Charles G. Taylor escape from a Massachusetts county jail in 1985, setting him on the road to a bloody reign as Liberia’s president? (Globe Staff, 12 a.m.)
India, Pakistan meet, no formal peace talks yet
But Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speaking after talks with his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani in Egypt, ruled out a resumption of formal peace talks, known as the "composite dialogue," that Islamabad has been seeking. (Reuters, 7/16/09)
Chad launches air raid on Sudan: state media
Chadian aircraft launched an air raid inside Sudanese territory on Thursday, days after reports the countries were planning reconciliation talks, Sudanese state media reported. (Reuters, 7/16/09)
French hostage handed to al Qaeda-linked Somali group
A Somali Islamist group has handed one of two French hostages over to al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants, and captors have begun negotiating for a ransom, senior officials and rebels said on Thursday. (Reuters, 7/16/09)
Somali minister: Gov't in talks with kidnappers
The Somali government is negotiating with the kidnappers of two French security advisers taken hostage in Mogadishu earlier this week, a Somali minister told French TV. (AP, 7/16/09)
Nigerian rebels call truce, fear troop movements
ABUJA, Nigeria - Nigerian militants called a halt yesterday to their campaign of attacking oil installations and kidnapping foreigners, then said military gunboats and troops were heading toward a rebel camp in a move that could upend the deal. (Associated Press, 7/16/09)
Khadafy backs nuclear power for Iran
SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - Iran should be allowed to pursue a peaceful nuclear energy program, Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy said yesterday at the Non-Aligned Movement’s summit. (Associated Press, 7/16/09)
India, Pakistan PMs to meet, Mumbai attacks cloud talks
The prime ministers of India and Pakistan meet in Egypt on Thursday for talks which Islamabad hopes will pave the way to the resolution of all disputes with its rival. (Reuters, 7/15/09)
Gabon ruling party names Bongo son candidate
Ali Ben Bongo, son of deceased President Omar Bongo, will stand as the ruling party's candidate in Gabon's forthcoming presidential election, the party said on Wednesday. (Reuters, 7/15/09)
Sudan: Progress on southern peace "satisfactory"
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir described as "satisfactory" on Wednesday the implementation of a faltering north-south peace deal that ended over two decades of civil war. (Reuters, 7/15/09)
Analysis: Nigeria oil truce won't end conflict
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- A truce called by Nigeria's leading militant group may provide a brief respite in a conflict crippling Africa's biggest oil producer but is unlikely to end the fight unless the government addresses decades-old grievances such as pollution, underdevelopment, corruption and lack of freedom. (Associated Press Writer, 7/15/09)
Republic of Congo re-elects longtime leader
Denis Sassou-Nguesso, the president of the Republic of Congo, swept this week's election to extend his long tenure in the small coastal African nation, officials said Wednesday. (AP, 7/15/09)
North Korea says no dialogue without respect for sovereignty
North Korea's nominal number two leader said on Wednesday dialogue with foreign powers was impossible without respect for the sovereignty of the communist state. (Reuters, 7/15/09)
AU force in Somalia needs stronger mandate: Uganda
African Union peacekeepers in Somalia need a stronger mandate to help bring security to the anarchic Horn of Africa nation, requiring at least triple the troops, the force's biggest contributor said on Wednesday. (Reuters, 7/15/09)
Search to end for more bodies from Comoros crash
Tanzanian and French rescuers will call off the search for more bodies from a Yemeni plane that crashed off Comoros after pulling out 24 corpses from the waters, an official said Wednesday. (Reuters, 7/15/09)
Islamist rebels holding French hostages
One of Somalia's militant Islamist rebel groups was holding two French security men on Wednesday after receiving them from abductors linked to the government, police said. (Reuters, 7/15/09)
Nigerian rebels halt offensive, seek peace talks
Nigeria's most prominent militant group on Wednesday declared a 60-day ceasefire in its offensive against Africa's biggest oil industry to provide a chance for peace talks with the government. (Reuters, 7/15/09)
SAfrica: World Cup construction workers end strike
Construction workers have agreed to end a weeklong strike that threatened to derail the completion of already tightly-scheduled projects for the World Cup, union officials and employers said Wednesday. (Associated Press Writer, 7/15/09)
Striking WCup workers say they struggle to survive
Mildred Mpundo can only afford to serve meat to her family on Sundays. The rest of the week the mother of four scratches meals out of cornmeal porridge and spinach. (Associated Press Writer, 7/15/09)
Somalia reports arrests in French advisers' kidnap
Somali authorities have arrested suspects in the kidnapping of two French security advisers in the Somali capital, Somalia's defense minister told French radio Wednesday. (AP, 7/15/09)
Nigerian rebels call truce, fear troop movements
Nigerian militants called a halt Wednesday to their campaign of attacking oil installations and kidnapping foreigners, then said military gunboats and troops were heading toward a rebel camp in a move that could upend the deal. (Associated Press Writer, 7/15/09)
Life sentence for ex-Rwandan official for role in genocide
ARUSHA, Tanzania - A United Nations war crimes tribunal sentenced a former governor in Rwanda to life in prison yesterday after finding that he was one of the main perpetrators of genocide in the African country in 1994. (Boston Globe, 7/15/09)
War crimes charges are lies, ex-Liberian leader tells court
PARIS - Charles Taylor appeared yesterday as the first defense witness in his war crimes trial, and, taking his seat at the center of the court, introduced himself as the 21st president of the Republic of Liberia. Impeccably dressed in a dark suit, looking fit despite three years of imprisonment, Taylor, a former warlord long feared in West Africa, dominated ... (Associated Press, 7/15/09)
Two French security advisers abducted in Somalia
PARIS - Two French security advisers posing as journalists were abducted from their hotel in Mogadishu yesterday by Somali gunmen, according to the Foreign Ministry and reports from the chaotic Somali capital. (Washington Post, 7/15/09)
Nigerian militant group declares 60-day ceasefire
Nigeria's most prominent militant group said it would observe a 60-day ceasefire from Wednesday after the release of rebel leader Henry Okah. (Reuters, 7/14/09)
India says Pakistan talks "crucial"
Pakistan's prime minister said on Tuesday he hoped a meeting in Egypt with his Indian counterpart would get peace talks back on track after last year's Mumbai attacks. (Reuters, 7/14/09)
Kenya seizes ivory, rhino horn heading to Asia
Kenya seized more than 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of illegal ivory and black rhinoceros horn -- some of it still bloody -- on a cargo plane headed to Asia on Tuesday, wildlife officials said. (Associated Press Writer, 7/14/09)
Two Israeli warships cross Suez Canal
Two Israeli warships passed through Egypt's Suez Canal on Tuesday heading to the Red Sea on a mission to stop arms smuggling to Palestinian-ruled Gaza, sources said. (Reuters, 7/14/09)
Mandela urges people to spend a day doing good
Former South African President Nelson Mandela is calling for people to celebrate his birthday in the service of others. (AP, 7/14/09)
Somali gunmen kidnap two French security advisers
Somali gunmen stormed into a Mogadishu hotel on Tuesday and kidnapped two French officials working as security advisers for the Somali government, witnesses and officials said. (Reuters, 7/14/09)
Rwanda governor jailed for life for genocide
A U.N. court trying the architects of Rwanda's 1994 genocide jailed a former Kigali governor for life on five counts including ordering the killing of 60 Tutsi boys in a church-run pastoral center. (Reuters, 7/14/09)
Ex-Rwanda governor sentenced to life for genocide
A U.N. war crimes tribunal sentenced a former governor in Rwanda to life in prison Tuesday after finding that he was one of the main perpetrators of genocide in the African country in 1994. (Associated Press Writer, 7/14/09)
Kidnappers want $2 million for Darfur aid workers
Kidnappers of two female aid workers in Sudan's Darfur region have demanded $2 million for their release, but the government is determined not to pay, a minister said Tuesday. (Reuters, 7/14/09)
2 French security advisers seized at Somali hotel
Two French security advisers on a mission to train Somali forces were kidnapped Tuesday at a hotel where they had checked in as journalists, officials and witnesses said. (Associated Press Writer, 7/14/09)
Nigeria fears rebel offensive is widening as militants kill 5 at Lagos oil depot
LAGOS, Nigeria - The country’s main militant group widened its offensive against Africa’s biggest oil sector yesterday despite the release of its suspected leader, raising concern there may be further attacks. (Reuters, 7/14/09)
Two indicted in Minnesota on Somali terror charges
A federal grand jury in Minneapolis indicted two men on Monday on charges of conspiracy and aiding terrorism overseas, according to court papers. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
Mugabe says Zimbabwe constitution reforms to go ahead
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe said on Monday a new constitution was necessary and strongly condemned clashes between political rivals that halted a conference aimed at drafting reforms. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
Nigerian rebel leader released from jail
Nigeria's government freed a prominent rebel leader from jail Monday, his lawyer said, meeting a demand by insurgents who have been attacking the country's oil installations and kidnapping oil workers. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Uganda willing to arrest al-Bashir for war crimes
Uganda said Monday it would arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he enters the country, an unusual stance after a summit of African leaders denounced the international arrest warrant against al-Bashir. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
Somalia clashes subside, rebels return to position
Islamic insurgents have retreated from areas around Somalia's presidential palace after a day of fighting that killed dozens of people and wounded about 150, witnesses said Monday. (AP, 7/13/09)
Mugabe loyalists halt major meeting in Zimbabwe
Militants from President Robert Mugabe's party disrupted a national conference aimed at drawing up a new constitution on Monday in a setback for Zimbabwe's unity government. (Associated Press Writer, 7/13/09)
List of charges against Liberia's ex-leader Taylor
Prosecutors at the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone have accused former Liberian President Charles Taylor of arming and leading rebels in 1996-2002 and being "part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against the civilian population." (AP, 7/13/09)
Darfur rebels threaten to boycott "chaotic" talks
A major Darfur rebel group threatened on Monday to pull out of discussions with Sudan's government if mediators insisted on inviting other insurgents to negotiate. (Reuters, 7/13/09)
Relatives of plane crash victims travel to Comoros
Relatives of those killed when a Yemenia Airways plane crashed two weeks ago traveled Monday to the Comoros Islands in hopes of finding peace after their losses, officials said. (AP, 7/13/09)
Dozens killed in intense Somali fighting
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Islamic insurgents fought their way toward Somalia’s presidential palace yesterday in fighting that killed dozens and wounded about 150, officials said. African Union peacekeepers directly intervened for the first time to support government forces. (Associated Press, 7/13/09)