Yahoo! News Canada - Africa Headlines

Nadal overcomes disastrous 1st set to edge qualifier Gulbis and reach Rome quarterfinals

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:47:42 -0400

ROME - Six-time champion Rafael Nadal overcame one of the worst opening sets of his career to edge Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 on Thursday and reach the Italian Open quarterfinals.

Actor Gregory Smith tries his hand behind the camera on 'Rookie Blue'

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:50:07 -0400

It's no surprise, really, that Gregory Smith is directing episodes of the series he co-stars in, "Rookie Blue." The Toronto-lensed cop drama returns for a fourth season May 23 on Global and ABC.

Nobel laureate Coetzee calls on Spain to drop pro-bullfighting legislation

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:56:52 -0400

LONDON - Nobel Literature laureate J.M. Coetzee has called on Spain to abandon plans to protect bullfighting, making a rare public appeal against what he called "an archaic form of entertainment."

David Beckham says he will retire from pro soccer at the end of the season

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:48:32 -0400

LONDON - David Beckham is retiring from soccer, ending a career in which he transcended the sport with forays into fashion and a marriage to a pop star that made him a global celebrity.

Over 20 South African boys die in circumcision rituals: police

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:55:38 -0400

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - More than 20 South African boys have died over the past week during coming of age rituals, police said on Thursday, and they blamed botched circumcisions as the likely cause of death. Northern Mpumalanga province's police department has opened 22 murder cases but no arrests have been made so far, spokesman Colonel Leonard Hlathi said. Every year in South Africa, boys aged 10 to 15 years from several of the country's tribal groups are circumcised in traditional "initiation rituals". The ceremonies usually take place over a number of weeks in remote rural areas. ...

Analysis: UK trade may struggle to stand still after EU exit

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:10:08 -0400

By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - As British Prime Minister David Cameron struggles to accommodate eurosceptics in his own party, trade experts warn that quitting the European Union would force Britain not just to rework trade relations with the EU, but also with the EU's trade partners and probably the World Trade Organization. Moreover, it would struggle to maintain the same level of trading rights it now enjoys, they say, including those that benefit London's financial centre, a major contributor to the national economy and a significant exporter. ...

RCMP probe more SNC officials over alleged bribes

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:11:13 -0400

CBC News has learned from a confidential source that RCMP are investigating a number of senior employees of SNC-Lavalin International Inc. over who knew about and who approved alleged bribes paid through a secret accounting system for projects in Africa and Asia.

Nevsun Resources raising dividend by 40 per cent with next semi-annual payout

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:39:27 -0400

VANCOUVER - Nevsun Resources Ltd. (TSX:NSU) is increasing its semi-annual cash dividend by 40 per cent, starting with the summer payout.

BlackBerry launches Q5; makes BBM available on iOS, Android devices this summer

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:13:07 -0400

ORLANDO, Fla. - BlackBerry announced an expansion of its popular BlackBerry Messenger service to iPhones and Android devices this summer and a new smartphone aimed at emerging markets as it kicked off its annual technology conference Tuesday.

Alliance Grain Traders reports best quarter since market soured in 2011

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:58:41 -0400

REGINA - Alliance Grain Traders Inc. (TSX:AGT) says it has benefited from an improvement in market conditions that began in late 2012 and continued into the first quarter of this year.

Former Bangladesh minister denies any role in SNC-Lavalin bribes in contract

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:04:36 -0400

MONTREAL - A former Bangladesh government minister hopes an impending trial in Toronto of former SNC-Lavalin executives accused of bribery will help clear suspicions he solicited bribes to favour the engineering company.

John Baird appoints Canada's first ambassador to Somalia in more than 20 years

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:06:03 -0400

OTTAWA - A longtime Canadian diplomat will become the country's first ambassador to Somalia in more than two decades.

Toronto index falls, while New York lifted amid negative economic data

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:00:00 -0400

TORONTO - The Toronto stock market plunged more than 100 points Wednesday as traders digested a slew of economic data signalling a possible slowdown in both the Canadian and U.S. economies.

Billion-year-old underground water could hold clues to early life on Earth, Mars

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:48:24 -0400

TORONTO - Deep underground within the Canadian Shield, scientists are probing for life — yes, life.

Swiss say terror financing reports jumped in 2012 amid suspected money laundering cases

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:49:26 -0400

GENEVA - Swiss authorities investigated several reports of terrorist financing among a high number of suspected money-laundering cases connected to banks last year, federal police said Tuesday.

UN General Assembly approves nonbinding resolution calling for political transition in Syria

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:13:16 -0400

The U.N. General Assembly approved an Arab-backed resolution Wednesday calling for a political transition in Syria, but more than 70 countries refused to vote "yes" because of its support for the main opposition group and fears the resolution could torpedo a new U.S.-Russia effort to end the escalating conflict.

AP Exclusive: Dick Pound's WADA report cites major failings in global drug-testing

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:02:31 -0400

LONDON - Dick Pound has written a report for the World Anti-Doping Agency assessing the current state of drug-testing. It doesn't paint a pretty picture.

U.N. condemns Assad forces, but unease grows about rebels

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:35:52 -0400

By Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and praised the opposition on Wednesday, but a decline in support for the resolution suggested growing unease about extremism among Syria's fractious rebels. While the non-binding text has no legal force, resolutions of the 193-nation assembly can carry significant moral and political weight. ...

Loss of RCMP firearm labs will hurt police, critics say

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:44:15 -0400

Critics fear that police could lose timely access to a key technology used to investigate shootings as Ottawa shutters several regional forensic laboratories.

Nigerian troops on new offensive against Islamists

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:30:29 -0400

By Ibrahim Mshelizza and Emma Ande MAIDUGURI/YOLA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria launched a military campaign on Wednesday to flush Islamist militants out of their bases in remote border areas, after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the northeast. Nigerian troops deployed in large numbers, part of a plan to rout an insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamist group that has seized control of parts of the region. ...

SNC-Lavalin International used secret code for 'bribery' payments

Wed, 15 May 2013 05:16:02 -0400

A division of Canadian engineering giant SNC-Lavalin has for years used a secret internal accounting code that former employees say was for bribes on projects across Africa and Asia, a joint investigation by CBC News and the Globe and Mail has found.

Former Dutch minister Koenders to be named UN Mali envoy-diplomats

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:33:42 -0400

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Former Dutch development minister Albert Gerard Koenders will be named U.N. special envoy for Mali and head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the West African country, where Islamist militants hijacked a revolt by Tuareg rebels, diplomats said on Wednesday. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has written to the U.N. Security Council to notify the 15 members of his intention to appoint Koenders, who is currently head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast, council diplomats said. ...

BlackBerry unveils new phone, expands BBM to rival devices

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:39:07 -0400

BlackBerry chief executive officer Thorsten Heins has unveiled a new smartphone for the developing world and says the company will soon offer its BBM messaging service on iPhones and Android-powered devices.

CA-TECH Summary

Tue, 14 May 2013 19:16:17 -0400

Nokia unveils new metal-body Lumia smartphone LONDON/HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia unveiled a lighter, metal model in its Lumia smartphone range, as it tries to catch the eye of buyers to close the huge market lead of rivals Samsung and Apple Inc in the lucrative handset market. The Lumia 925 is the latest in Nokia's range using Microsoft's Windows Phone software and will be sold for 469 euros ($610) before taxes and subsidies through carriers such as Vodafone and China Mobile. ...

South Africa: online video shows guide at game reserve charging on foot at elephant

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:24:26 -0400

JOHANNESBURG - A safari guide rushed on foot toward an elephant at a South African game park while fellow guides whooped and laughed at the foolhardy stunt, which cost the ranger his job when a video of the incident was posted online.

US appeals court weighs conviction of Somali man called biggest US piracy catch

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:19:36 -0400

RICHMOND, Va. - A federal appeals court is weighing the conviction of a Somali man called the biggest U.S. catch in the international war on piracy in waters off Africa.

Thieves in South Africa escape with stadium cash after Justin Bieber concert

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:11:29 -0400

JOHANNESBURG - South African police say thieves stole several hundred thousand dollars from a safe at a Johannesburg stadium where Justin Bieber and Jon Bon Jovi performed over the weekend.

Selena Gomez & Justin Bieber Show Moms Love For Mother's Day; Selena Says She's Single, Again

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:40:23 -0400

The "Are they? Aren't they?" saga continues for Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Two weeks removed from their cuddly black and white photo, Selena Gomez says she currently has "no strings attached."

Aeroplan operator Aimia increases dividend amid higher Q1 revenue but lower EPS

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:35:34 -0400

MONTREAL - Aimia Inc. (TSX: AIM) is increasing its quarterly dividend by a penny per share even though the operator of the Aeroplan loyalty rewards program also reports an 8.3 per cent decrease in its net earnings per share in the first quarter.

Montreal Science Centre adds 3-D Imax film to exhibition on sharks

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:36:40 -0400

MONTREAL - The Montreal Science Centre's temporary shark exhibit, which opened last month and runs throughout the summer, will soon have a big-screen supplement.

Eating insects could help fight obesity, U.N. says

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:43:46 -0400

By Catherine Hornby ROME (Reuters) - The thought of eating beetles, caterpillars and ants may give you the creeps, but the authors of a U.N. report published on Monday said the health benefits of consuming nutritious insects could help fight obesity. More than 1,900 species of insects are eaten around the world, mainly in Africa and Asia, but people in the West generally turn their noses up at the likes of grasshoppers, termites and other crunchy fare. The authors of the study by the Forestry Department, part of the U.N. ...

Union organizer shot dead in South Africa's restive platinum belt

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:53:28 -0400

By Ed Stoddard JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A militant South African union said on Sunday that one of its organizers had been shot dead in the platinum belt city of Rustenburg, a potential flashpoint at a time when tensions are running high with job cuts and wage talks looming. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), which poached tens of thousands of disgruntled workers last year from the dominant National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), said the unnamed organizer had been killed on Saturday. ...

Egypt says thwarts suicide attack on foreign embassy

Sat, 11 May 2013 16:52:00 -0400

By Tom Perry and Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian have security forces thwarted a plan by an al Qaeda-linked cell to carry out a suicide attack on a foreign embassy, capturing three militants, the interior minister said on Saturday. Mohamed Ibrahim said the men, who he accused of having links to militants in the Middle East and Pakistan, were found in possession of 10 kg (22 lb) of aluminium nitrate, which is used to make bombs. He declined to say which embassy had been targeted. ...

Ethiopia arrests minister, 11 others over corruption

Sat, 11 May 2013 10:27:09 -0400

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian police have arrested a minister and 11 other people on corruption charges, an official and state media said on Saturday, in the country's most high-profile swoop against graft for more than a decade. Businesses in the region regularly complain of corruption as an obstacle to their work. Transparency International ranked Ethiopia 113 out of 176 nations worldwide in its 2012 perception of corruption index, where No. 1 is considered least corrupt. ...

Canada Olympic chief would back Toronto 2024 bid

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:59:57 -0400

By Steve Keating VANCOUVER (Reuters) - The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said on Friday it will back a possible Toronto bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics ahead of a potential Quebec City bid for the 2022 Winter Games. "There is no doubt, no doubt that what the country needs most is a Summer Olympic Games," COC chief Marcel Aubut told Reuters ahead of the organization's Sochi media summit this weekend. "Toronto is going to deliver a great 2015 Pan Am Games and it should be the first step in going higher for the Olympics like Brazil did. ...

Flamboyant Nigeria newspaper publisher, known for bringing in celebrities, hit by strike

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:50:41 -0400

LAGOS, Nigeria - Known for bringing in celebrities and smiling in photographs next to former Western leaders, a flamboyant Nigerian newspaper publisher now faces a challenge from his most vocal critics — his own employees.

Leaving Saskatoon: police mourn homeless drunk they considered a friend

Fri, 10 May 2013 08:00:07 -0400

SASKATOON - He was one of the most recognizable residents in Saskatoon and some people consider the Prairie city a little different now that he's gone.

Countries where ATMs were plundered in unprecedented global theft ring

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:12:47 -0400

Criminals working in cells around the world stole $45 million by hacking into a database of prepaid debit cards and making withdrawals from ATMs, federal prosecutors said Thursday. The 27 countries where they say cash machines were plundered:

HPV vaccines become an option for girls in poorest countries

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:26:51 -0400

Millions of girls in developing countries will receive vaccinations to protect against cervical cancer under a new international agreement.

Up to 3,000 African peacekeepers killed in Somalia since 2007: U.N.

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:29:15 -0400

By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - As many as 3,000 African Union peacekeepers have been killed in Somalia in recent years in an attempt to end an Islamist insurgency and bring stability to the Horn of Africa nation, a senior U.N. official said on Thursday. "I want to pay tribute to the countries and to their soldiers who paid such an enormously heavy price," U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told reporters. ...