UPDATE: 9 dead and 86 injured in plane crash Amsterdam

By Miriam Mannak Nine people have died after a Boeing 737 of Turkish Airlines crashed at Schiphol Airport. About 86 were injured, of whom 25 were in serious and six in critical condition. "We just got back from...

39 people feared dead after blaze guts Nairobi supermarket

The 39 people who went missing  after a massive fire broke out in a large supermarket in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, are feared dead. So far, one person has been reported dead. The man jumped from the...

Cholera spreads to river system of South Africa's Kruger Park

There is no sign the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, which claimed over 3000 lives in the troubled country, is under control - especially now the disease has been detected in the rivers flowing through the Kruger...

Bloodshed in the Congo far from over

Even with notorious rebel leader Laurent Nkunda arrested, the chance of peace returning to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains rather slim,  especially now the Lord's Resistance Army is firing up...

Malawi first recipient of IMF's 'emergency fund'

Being one of the poorest countries in the world, Malawi has not had a lot of luck lately. the nation in southern Africa was hit hard by high fuel and fertiliser costs, and with persisting droughts and failed...

Fragile Hope For Peace in Congo After Arrest Rebel Leader Nkunda

With the capture of Laurent Nkunda, the hope for stability and peace in the north east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has grown. Nkunda, the notorious rebel leader who caused havoc and despair in the north...

Disasters 2008: Over 211 million people affected & 325 000 killed

The year 2008 was a dramatic year for many. According to the Center for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), a Belgium based organisation, 321 disasters killed 235 816 people, affected 211 million others,...

HUMAN RIGHTS: Uganda moves towards abolishing death penalty

It seems that Uganda, a country in central Africa, is one big step closer of banning capital punishment. On January 21, the Ugandan Supreme Court ruled that death sentences will be turned into life imprisonment...

Climate Change to fuel hunger in poverty struck Southern Africa

By Miriam Mannak (story written for Inter Press Service) Climate change will have a significant impact on southern Africa’s already compromised food security, environmental experts warned. At the moment,...

Toxic paracetamol syrup kills dozens of Nigerian babies

Nigeria's health authorities are warming citizens of a toxic paracetamol syrup which has killed dozens of children two months after they started teething. It is yet to be determined which ingredient of the syrup...

Army worms causes havoc in Liberia - Over 19 villages invaded

Over 19 towns and villages in the African country of Liberia have been attacked by  legions of hundreds of thousands of army worms, which have destroyed a significant quantity of crops - leaving the grounds...

Zimbabwe cholera: Over 2200 fatalities and 42600 infections

While all eyes are focused on the shower of violence and despair drenching the Gaza strip, the inauguration of America's first black American, and the crumbling global economy, the Zimbabwean fight against cholera...

While Zimbabwe suffers, the Mugabes go on holiday

By Miriam Mannak While ten-thousands of Zimbabwean people are battling cholera, while the country's political opponents are being subjected to torture and the economy has plunged into a dark pool of no return,...

Eight years behind Senegalese bars - for loving men, not women

By Miriam Mannak In Senegal, nine men have received a nine-year jail sentence. Not because they killed, stole, pillaged, raped, abused, hijacked, hurt, stabbed, shot, assaulted or robbed - they were punished...

Zimbabwe Accuses Boy Scout Instructors of Terrorism

By Miriam Mannak Three boy scout instructors have been arrested by the Zimbabwean police and are accused of training terrorists to topple the government of president Robert Mugabe. The white men run the outdoor...