Africa Leader
AfricaLeader.com Saturday 4th February 2012 Edition 057/2012
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"Syria is surprised and regrets the decision taken by el-Arabi to suspend the observer mission after having decided this week to extend it for a month."
Syrian government
This statement was issued through Syrian state media in response to the decision by the Arab League to suspend its observer mission.

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bullet Central Africa corner
UN says Somali famine over, but warns action needed to forestall new crisis
Zambia through to semifinals at African Cup
S. Africa's ANC dismisses youth leader's suspension appeal

bullet North Africa corner
Drone crashes near Somalia refugee camp
China's Rise Poses Challenges for Its African Peacekeeping Missions
Aid Groups Ask US to Consider Cross-Border Aid Effort in Sudan
UN declares end of famine in Somalia

bullet South Africa corner
South Africa's Malema loses appeal against ANC suspension
Julius Malema loses appeal against suspension from the ANC
Contested ANCYL victory as barging charge is dropped
ANCYL group may argue in mitigation
Two die in Mpuma accident
13 injured in taxi crash

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Angry protesters clash with police over soccer riot deaths, nine killedAngry protesters clash with police over soccer riot deaths, nine killed
CAIRO - Three people were killed in Cairo, and 6 in Suez, as thousands of angry protesters clashed with security forces in Egypt's capital Cairo and other cities for a second day Friday over the...

Black CEOs comprise just 1% of leaders of largest companies in US
African -American CEOs account for a mere one percent of the chiefs of the 500 largest companies in the US, a new study has revealed.

The study published in the current issue of the Academy of...
S. African court says Dalai Lama visa issue 'dead in the water'
The Western Cape High Court has dismissed an application on the Dalai Lama's visa, claiming that it was too late to fix the past, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) said on Friday.

Judge Elizabeth...
More breaking stories
Pentagon rounds on whistle blowerPentagon rounds on whistle blower
A private in the U.S. Army is to face a court martial after leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks.

Private First Class Bradley Manning, 24, has been in prison since his arrest one-and-a-half...

Syrian forces kill hundreds in renewed wave of violenceSyrian forces kill hundreds in renewed wave of violence
In the worst violence of the near year-long crackdown by government forces, Syrian security forces have launched a massive attack on the people of Homs.

Using heavy artillery, the Syrian forces...
Evidence of Iranian nuclear ambitions sketchyEvidence of Iranian nuclear ambitions sketchy
Many of us doubt that Iran is on the way to building a nuclear bomb.

Trying to find the truth is not easy. It was a bit of a one sided conversation since I don't know the inner workings of the...
More international stories
U.S. stocks rise as unemployment plummetsU.S. stocks rise as unemployment plummets
243,000 new jobs were added to the U.S. economy in January, pushing unemployment down to 8.3% from 8.5%.

Market analysts were stunned by the improvement in employment, a major bellwether for the...

Imogen Thomas dresses down for shopping
Imogen Thomas was spotted in a dressed down look for her trip to Tesco in North London on Thursday - a far cry from her glamorous appearance at a party the night before.

The 29-year-old glamour...
Hope for eurozone debt as China indicates it may help in bailoutHope for eurozone debt as China indicates it may help in bailout
BEIJING - China, the holder of one of the world's largest foreign exchange reserves, has indicated it may get "more deeply involved" in resolving the European Union debt crisis.

This was stated...
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bullet South Africa Under Fire For 'Dirty Energy' corner

As host of the current United Nations Climate Conference, South Africa is under the spotlight and under fire for what many are calling a "dirty energy" policy. More than 90 percent of South African electricity is produced from coal - believed to be the worst contributor to greenhouse gases and climate change. Activists are calling for the government to develop alternative and clean supplies of energy.

South Africa is among the top five coal producing and exporting countries in the world. And, with voracious energy needs, South Africa relies almost exclusively on coal to power its homes, businesses and economy.

And, the government here has plans to grow its coal dependency in the short -term by opening another two new coal-powered energy stations.

This has environmentalists worried that there is no view to evolving a clean energy policy. And, as host of the U.N. Climate Conference in the Indian Ocean city, Durban, South Africa is attracting scrutiny like never before.

There have protests in Durban against all kinds of so called anti-green policies. South Africa is being lumped in with some of the world's largest carbon polluters, like the United States, Russia and China.

Professor Patrick Bond, a leading academic in Durban and a clean energy activist, says he had hoped that democratic South Africa would reverse its dependence on what he calls dirty energy, but that this has not happened.

"Like the apartheid system, the use of coal, like black labor, was terribly destructive by the big companies that set up apartheid to serve their profitability interests," said Bond. "So, we have never taken into consideration the environmental costs. It's a long legacy that we thought post-apartheid could change."

He says South Africa has failed to underwrite job-creating renewable energy systems since the first democratic elections in 1994.

"Of course we have got such excellent solar capacity especially on the western side and there is already a small solar chimney being constructed, and of course solar hot waters heaters should be put onto every house," added Bond.

South Africa government officials have been on the defensive in Durban, saying keeping coal as the primary source of the power is necessary, in the short term, to meet development needs here in the country with 25 percent unemployment.

Minister of Economic Development Ebrahim Patel told conference participants in Durban his country shares the challenge to evolve in an energy thirsty planet.

"We recognize, as a country, we followed a path of coal-based industrialization in the 20th century," said Patel. "For us the challenge is how to change from that trajectory and create more jobs in the process."

Environment Minister Edna Molewa says the government does have a plan in place to increase use of renewable energy, but that it will take time.

"The objective is to ensure that we move into the renewables, not abandoning coal completely," said Molewa. "Because we need space to develop those renewables until we have adequate infrastructure that is inexpensive for our people within the area of renewables. At the same time, acknowledging that there are industries like mining that still need some level of usage of coal."

She says the two new coal-powered electricity stations that have come under fire will be far more efficient than the majority in operation, many of which were built more than 50 years ago.

The government here owns the power company ESKOM, one of the world's top 10 electricity generators, and which produces about 95 percent of South Africa's electrical power. At its recent shareholders" meeting, ESKOM management said the authority was moving as fast as it could to diversify South Africa's energy mix to be less dependent on coal.


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Taking the lead across the African continent is the Africa Leader, an online newspaper dedicated to reporting the latest news from and about Africa.

This vast continent contributes major world news daily. Whether it�s human rights, civil rights, wars, AIDS or whatever, there�s
always major breaking news in Africa.

Some of the countries making the headlines in recent times include Liberia, Zimbabwe, Congo, and of course South Africa. Read of the major AIDS epidemic sweeping the continent, the civil wars, the coups, the tragedies and the triumphs of the African people.

Africa Leader is the voice of Africa, providing not only regional news, but coverage of the major stories in the key cities and countries.

Whether it�s Zambia, Cameroon, Sudan, Kenya, Chad, Algeria, Botswana, Ghana, Ethiopia, Liberia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Nigeria, Niger, Morocco, Mozambique, or Mauritius, if there�s major news unfolding the Africa Leader will be there.

Find out what Nelson Mandela is up to, and Desmond Tutu. See what the UN is doing. Keep abreast of the AIDS crisis. In fact for anything to do with Africa, follow the Leader.

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    bullet More Africa News corner
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    Renewed Atrocities Threaten IDPs in Eastern DRC
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    bullet Editorials corner
    Lawyers seek to block new trial in 1987 homicide
    Opinion: Living Alone Means Being Social
    Cambria County wrong-way driver dies in head-on collision
    Patricia Sheridan's Breakfast With ... Melissa Gilbert

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    Do you believe talent quests for very young children are healthy for their development?


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    Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan
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    The taxi drove through the center of the building to an arrival station for the Crowne Plaza which is a building towering 42...


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    Pollution costing China dearly: Report
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