(( new headline, new info grafs 1-2, edits below The South African parliament has passed a bill aimed at protecting state secrets that opponents say will stifle the media and those who expose corruption. Lawmakers adopted the bill by a vote of 229 to 107 Tuesday, with much of the support coming from the ruling […]
South African Lawmakers Pass State Secrets Bill
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
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Mayor: South African Capital Will be Renamed
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 9:55 am (UTC-5)
The official who oversees South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, says the city will have a new name by the end of next year. The mayor of Tshwane municipality, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, says all of Pretoria will be renamed Tshwane by the end of 2012. The ruling African National Congress party has been working for years to rename […]
Tutu: South Africa State Secrets Bill ‘Insulting’
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 5:40 am (UTC-5)
South Africa’s anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu is urging the country’s parliament to reject a controversial bill that would make it illegal to divulge state secrets. The bill would punish those who publish classified information with up to 25 years in jail. Tutu says the law is “insulting” to South Africans, and that it would effectively […]
South Africa Set to Pass State Secrets Bill
Posted November 21st, 2011 at 8:15 am (UTC-5)
South Africa’s parliament is expected to pass a new state secrets law amid criticism that the measure will suppress the media and those exposing corruption. Lawmakers are due to vote Tuesday on the bill backed by the ruling African National Congress party, which says the law is necessary to protect state secrets. The measure would […]
South Sudan Rebel Leader Says Peace Talks Failed, Violence Likely
Posted November 20th, 2011 at 3:35 pm (UTC-5)
South Sudanese rebel leader George Athor Deng says peace talks with the country’s ruling party have broken down, and that his forces are prepared to continue fighting against the government. Speaking in Nairobi Sunday, Athor said key demands of his South Sudanese Democratic Movement were not met during talks last week with South Sudanese President […]
South Sudan Rebel Leader Says Peace Talks Failed, Violence Likely
Posted November 20th, 2011 at 12:15 pm (UTC-5)
South Sudanese rebel leader George Athor Deng says peace talks with the country’s ruling party have broken down, and that his forces are prepared to continue fighting against the government. Speaking in Nairobi Sunday, Athor said key demands of his South Sudanese Democratic Movement were not met during talks last week with South Sudanese President […]
UN Urges South Sudan Military to Release Child Soldiers
Posted November 18th, 2011 at 4:30 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations is calling for the military of South Sudan to release all remaining child soldiers who are serving within its ranks. The U.N. Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) said Thursday that 53 child soldiers between the ages of 13 and 17 were released by the South Sudanese armed forces earlier […]
South Sudan Looks for Foreign Investors to Reopen Shuttered Factories
Posted November 17th, 2011 at 6:10 pm (UTC-5)
South Sudan’s undersecretary for commerce says the new country plans to reach out to international investors to refurbish and reopen a number of shuttered factories to help create jobs. Elizabeth Manoa Majok tells the Reuters news agency that the country is dependent on imports which means a lot of hard currency goes overseas. She said […]
Crew of Burning South Korean Ship Rescued Off Russian Coast
Posted November 17th, 2011 at 3:25 am (UTC-5)
Russian officials say 89 crew members of a South Korean bulk carrier have been rescued after a fire broke out on their ship in the Bering Sea off Russia’s Far Eastern coast. Officials say the Oriental Angel did not send out a distress signal after crew members failed to put out of the fire near […]
IOM Transports Thousands of South Sudanese Home
Posted November 15th, 2011 at 8:55 am (UTC-5)
A global migration agency is intensifying its effort to bring thousands of South Sudanese home from the north. The International Organization for Migration, or IOM, says a convoy of 12 river barges carrying more than 3,000 southerners left the town of Kosti on Monday, bound for South Sudan’s capital, Juba. It says two IOM-supported trains […]
