Topic: West Africa
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5 invasive species now in retreat
Invasive species are ones that don't naturally occur in an area and may have detrimental effects. Here are some eradication success stories.
Sources: Global Invasive Species Database, International Union for Conservation of Nature, National Cotton Council, US Dept. of Agriculture
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In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Looking deeper
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In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Currents
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Orange Prize for fiction 2011 shortlist
Celebrating its 16th anniversary this year, the Orange Prize for Fiction honors "excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing from throughout the world." Last year's winner was American author Barbara Kingsolver for her novel "The Lacuna." The 2011 award will be announced on June 8, 2011, and the winner will be one of these six novelists.
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In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Infrared
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The men who would save Mali's manuscripts
Islamist militants in Timbuktu destroyed graves and shrines associated with Sufism this year. Ancient manuscripts are not directly threatened, but some fear they are next.
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'Pilgrims' pour into Sandy Hook Village after massacre (+video)
As church bells pealed in Sandy Hook Village Sunday, people from across the region came to the site of the school shooting to offer teddy bears and roses as they tried to sort out a national tragedy.
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Mali's ex-rocket-scientist prime minister forced to quit by army (+video)
Cheikh Modibo Diarra's forced resignation at the hands of the military complicates African efforts to challenge Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists that hold the country's north.
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Why Africa's lions are rapidly disappearing
Africa's lion population has dwindled to 32,000, a nearly 70 percent decline in the past 50 years, according to a new survey by Duke University.
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Focus
Islamists silence the musicians who guide rural MaliFor centuries, griots have directed ceremonies, smoothed over disputes, and served as repositories of history and genealogy. Now in northern Mali they are out of a job.
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Focus
Will Mali be Africa's Afghanistan?Mali was hit by two successive shocks to its system this year – with the north seized by rebels and a coup in the capital – leaving its government fragile and the international community mulling intervention.
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Opinion: Mali security nightmare: Why foreign intervention alone won't stop the chaos
A divided Mali could become a haven for armed groups and a security nightmare for the whole of West Africa and far beyond. But foreign military intervention alone will be insufficient to address the turmoil. External troops will need the help of local and regional civil society organizations.
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In world's most religious country, humanists rally for secular space
A group of humanists is looking to find its niche in Ghana, recently ranked most religious in a survey of 57 nations.
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Presidential debate 101: In oil drilling spat, did Obama make his best case?
A tense exchange between Romney and Obama on oil drilling was perhaps the most contentious of the second presidential debate. Here's a look at what was said, and whether it was accurate.
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Change Agent
Mobile technology boosts access to clean water for the poorThe widespread availability of mobile phones has enabled the development of low-cost solutions aimed at improving water security and reducing poverty.
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How much is Romney backed in Britain?
Most of the British public and political class – including many Tories – prefer President Obama to his Republican challenger, but Mitt Romney is not without fans among the British government.
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New French Muhammad cartoons inflame prophet film tensions (+video)
After worldwide protests, some of them deadly, over an amateur film mocking the Prophet Muhammad, a French magazine now seeks to make Muslims even more angry.
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How do you contribute to modern day slavery of human trafficking?
You may contribute to human trafficking in ways you're unaware of, suggests the US State Department in a run-down of how what Americans wear, use and consume in daily life can be affected by "modern day slavery."
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Africa Monitor
Arms, drugs, and human trafficking: What does the future hold for northern Mali?A new unity government was formed in Mali this week, though it remains unclear whether it will be successful in restoring constitutional rule in the Tuareg-held north.
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Briefing
Turmoil in Mali: Is it another Somalia?Islamists hijacked a long-running Tuareg rebellion in Mali and have turned the north into a strict Islamist state. Here are four key questions about where things might go from here.
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After death of Ghana's president, a calm transition
After the death of President John Evans Atta Mills, Ghana peacefully transferred power to its vice president – a reminder that not all political transitions in West Africa are violent.
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African Union gets a South African leader, lending the group heft
Observers hope that the long-deadlocked African Union will wield more influence with the economic and political power of South Africa behind it.
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Christians retaliate after three more churches bombed in Nigeria
More than 10 churches have been attacked in 2012 alone, with an Islamist militant group often claiming responsibility. On Sunday, some Christians launched deadly reprisals.
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Is Liberia turning into a haven for militant groups - again?
Human Rights Watch issues report saying Liberia is failing to control rebel groups launching raids into neighboring Cote D'Ivoire. Liberia rejects the charges.
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Change Agent
Versatile engines power up rural African villagesMultifunction platforms (MFPs), engines powered by diesel or local vegetable oil, can do everything from turning on the lights to milling grain and powering tools.
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Change Agent
Nigerian banker urges a businesslike approach to poverty in AfricaTony Elumelu, who has become one of Africa’s most prominent philanthropists, calls his idea 'Africacapitalism' – an African-run effort that uses business concepts to fight poverty.
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Consumer Energy Report
Blessing and a curse: countries struggle with oil resourcesWhere drilling used to be in established areas, like Texas, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, it is now moving offshore, leaving some to wonder whether the institutional capacities of these countries and regions are sufficient to avoid the resource curse.
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Rebel alliances strengthen in Mali's north, rattling neighboring countries
The northern two-thirds of Mali is now under control of Tuareg and Islamist rebels who want to redraw national boundaries and export revolution. Displaced minorities tell of brutality.
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Opinion: My final phone call with warlord Charles Taylor
Former president of Liberia Charles Taylor called me regularly in the early 1990s when I was the director of Voice of America's English-to-Africa broadcasts. I'll never forget one strange phone call from him. Unfortunately, my hunch about Taylor's connection to Sierra Leone would prove correct.
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Keep Calm
West African group backs off intervention in Mali messECOWAS had warned of a possible military intervention, but at a meeting in the Malian capital of Bamako, they accepted an interim president chosen by military coup leaders.
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