The Nigerian national assembly voted today to install Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan as interim leader until ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua is fit enough to return to office. Nigerian bloggers comment on the unfolding leadership crisis in the country.
Africa
Nigeria moves to end power vaccum left by ailing president
Debating the impact of the ICC ruling on Sudan’s Al-Bashir
This week, an appeals chamber at the International Criminal Court ruled that the ICC should review evidence of genocide against the current President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir. Worldfocus contributing blogger Ayo Johnson and others weigh in on the decision.
Smoking rates remain stubbornly high around the globe
According to the World Health Organization, while cigarette consumption is declining in some countries, the number of smokers worldwide is on the upswing. Those smokers also consume more cigarettes than ever. Explore our maps of smoking rates around the globe.
Court opens door to new charges against Bashir
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has traveled freely for months, despite the existence of an international warrant for his arrest from the International Criminal Court. Today an ICC ruling raised the possibility that genocide could be added to the charges against Bashir, reports Deutsche Welle.
Morocco shuts down magazine that criticized government
Aida Alami is a Moroccan freelance journalist who wrote for Le Journal Hebdomadaire until the magazine was shut down by the government last week. Worldfocus interviewed her about why the Moroccan government closed one of the country's most independent news outlets.
Evaluating the treatment of homosexuals across Africa
Media attention has recently focused on the Ugandan government's consideration of legislation that would make homosexual behavior punishable with the death penalty. For a wider look at the issue of gay rights in Africa, Daljit Dhaliwal interviews Michael Heflin, the director of the Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, and Intersex Rights Initiative at the Open Society Institute.
Gays in Africa face increasing homophobia
In October 2009, Uganda proposed a bill that would introduce the death penalty for those who are HIV-positive. In Malawi the first gay couple to marry openly was arrested in early January 2010 and faces up to 14 years in prison. Read how African bloggers have reacted to increased legal restrictions.
Football rivalry dominates news from Egypt and Algeria
Worldfocus Mohammad Al-Kassim writes about the emotional soccer rivalry between Algeria and Egypt. The rhetoric is high, and the war drum beat is getting louder. Meanwhile, the Algerian government is helping to shuttle at least a thousand of its citizens to watch the match in Angola.
News from the Middle East: Obama, football, and intifada
Worldfocus' Mohammad Al-Kassim looks at headlines from Middle East news outlets, including: a talk-show host's critical assessment of President Obama's first year in office; a legendary football rivalry; and a prediction about a third intifada.
In South Sudan, schools still function under trees
Jen Marlowe is an independent journalist with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. She is currently documenting and writing about education, infrastructure and health care, which remain among the most vital needs in rebuilding South Sudan.
More from: Africa
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- Cape Town makes strides in combating tuberculosis
- Ethiopian marathon runner fueled by homeland
- Worldfocus Radio: Demographics of the Arab World
- Living in fear: a lesbian in Zimbabwe shares her story
- Worldfocus Radio: Rwanda as Regional Power
- Military coup wrests Niger's president from power
- Two decades after Mandela's release, economic rift lingers
- Nigeria violence may have claimed lives of innocent civilians