Group Names the Happiest Places on Earth
It looks like some of the happiest places on earth have nothing to do with Disney. According to recently released report, Costa Rica, in Central America, ranks No. 1 as the happiest and greenest place in the world. The nation is followed by the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, two countries in the Caribbean, in a report released by the New Economics Foundation, a group based in England. Rounding out the top 10 are Guatemala at No. 4, followed by Vietnam, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Brazil and Honduras. Life expectancy, happiness and a small environmental impact were factors that contributed to the rankings. So, while the United States ranks high on life expectancy and happiness, its large ecological footprint made the country land at No. 114 on the list out of 143 countries.

Nigerian Writer Awarded
EC Osondu, a writer from Nigeria, is the winner of this year’s Caine Prize for African Writing and will receive $16,000. The honor, which is also referred to as the African Booker, is given each year to an African writer for a short story that is published in English, reports the BBC.  It’s named after the an ex-chairman of Booker plc, Sir Michael Caine. Osondu’s short story, “Waiting,” describes “the dislocating experience of being a displaced person,” from a child’s point of view, one of the judges said. Osondu was born in Nigeria and moved to New York to attend Syracuse University where he studied writing. In 2006, he received an honor, the Allen and Nirelle Galso Prize for Fiction, for another one of his stories, “A Letter from Home.” He is currently teaching literature at Providence College in Rhode Island, the BBC reports.

Congo refugees are leaving unsanitary camps. Unsanitary conditions at camps are forcing thousands of Congo refugees to flee the havens and return to dangerous areas controlled by rebels, reports CNN. Even though the refugees had left villages where many were killed and raped as recently as a week ago, the lack of water, food or sanitation at the camps was too much to bear. There are many others, though, who are continuing to flee their homes due to rebel fighting, leaving aid centers overwhelmed. International officials traveled to the country to assess the situation. “The immediate needs are obvious. We saw them yesterday. The cease-fire last Wednesday needs to be bolstered,” British Secretary David Miliband and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a joint statement. “The humanitarian needs for food, shelter, water and health care must be met through universal provision and secure routes for delivery.” After four days of fighting last week, rebel forces from the National Congress for the Defense of the People called a ceasefire Wednesday. And they appear to be following through with it, although troops from both sides have been seen gathering near the cease-fire line, reports CNN. The rebels, who are Tutsis, are at odds with the government because they feel they aren’t doing enough to protect the group from attacks from the country’s majority Hutus.

Fighting between Dominicans and Haitians flares up. Fighting near the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic has been on the rise recently, reports Caribbean Net News. In Guayubin, a town in the Dominican Republic that sits near the Haitian border, a large mob of Dominicans burned down a Haitian shantytown.  About 30 houses were set ablaze during the rampage and people were forced to run away in fear. The act of violence was in retaliation for the murder of a Dominican farmer, who was allegedly killed by a Haitian immigrant.  And just on Monday more violence from Dominicans seeking revenge (this time because of a Haitian who allegedly stabbed a Dominican taxi driver as he was allegedly trying to steal his motorcycle) resulted in two Haitians being killed and more injured. The governments of both nations are appealing to citizens to be peaceful, especially in the border towns. Police presence in the area has also been elevated.

Ambiorix Burgos’ season on DL worsens with allegations.

A New York Mets pitcher is due in court Oct. 23 after authorities in the Dominican Republic accused him of hitting two women, who later died, with his SUV. Ambiorix Burgos, who spent the entire 2008 season on the disabled list recovering from elbow surgery, is charged despite a relative’s claim of having driven the Hummer. “The investigation indicates that Burgos was the driver of the (vehicle) that hit the women,” says police Co. Eulogio Taveras. Several witnesses identified the pitcher after he allegedly struck Josefina Minaya Martinez, 38, and Angely Fana, 29, Taveras says. The women died at a hospital following the Wednesday accident. “We are extremely disturbed by the reports regarding (Burgos’) potential involvement in the hit-and-run accident that, unfortunately, killed two women in the Dominican Republic,” a Mets statement reads. “We take this matter very seriously and have begun an internal investigation to ascertain the facts. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the families of the victims.” Just last month, Burgos encountered other legal trouble when he was arrested on assault and harassment charges for allegedly throwing his girlfriend on the ground in New York.