At least 300 die in political fighting in Nigeria. Fighting has calmed in Jos, Nigeria, after days of clashes between supporters of political parties left hundreds dead, reports CNN. Crowds of people, upset that the results of a local election (the first in Jos in over 10 years) were not posted yet gathered Thursday near ballot collation centers. Riots hit the area the next morning and after local leaders made pleas for peace on Saturday, the streets were mostly clear by that afternoon. At least 300 dead bodies were brought to the local mosque for burial, according to the imam, and it’s likely the final death toll will be a lot higher since many Christians are believed to have died during the clashes as well. Police arrested hundreds of people since the riots started, they say. Fighting between the groups of supporters fell along religious and ethnic lines and the country is no stranger to religious violence. Clashes between Muslims and Christians in 2004 led to 700 people being killed in Plateau State and rioting in Jos in 2001 killed more than 1,000.  In a country where Muslims live in the north and Christians in the south, the city of Jos lies in the middle of the nation and in many areas Muslims and Christians live side by side. After the streets were calmed, hundreds of women and children set out in search of water while thousands took shelter in schools and army barracks.

Zimbabwe drought leaves hundreds dead. Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, is suffering from an extreme water shortage, reports the BBC. This comes as the nation is suffering from an outbreak of cholera, which has killed 425 people in the last few months. The disease has also infected 11,000 people in the nation since August. Cholera is spread by water that is contaminated and a lack of water purification chemicals is the reason behind the water shortage, local authorities said. The nation’s Health Minister David Parirenyatwa suggested citizens stop shaking hands to stop the spread. “I want to stress the issue shaking hands. Although it’s part of our tradition to shake hands, it’s high time people stopped shaking hands,” he said.

World Lens: From the coasts of Africa to India to Europe, the world is in an Obama frenzy. Plus, a Voodoo ceremony in Haiti and journalists protest in Sudan. See pictures.

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.

Rape cartoon featuring African leader causes outrage

 South African officials are not too happy about a cartoon depicting African leader Jacob Zuma unzipping his pants to rape “justice.” Both the cartoonist and the paper where it ran are refusing to apologize, reports Agence France-Presse. The cartoon, which appeared in The Sunday Times, features Zuma, the leader of the African National Congress who is currently facing a corruption case. It shows him opening his pants while men representing the ANC, the South African Communist Party, the ANC Youth League and COSATU hold down a blindfolded woman labeled “justice.” One of them tells Zuma, “Go for it, boss.” The groups immediately slammed the paper. “The cartoon rubbishes the collective integrity of the alliance and constitutes yet another continued violation of the rights and dignity of the ANC president,” they said in a joint statement. In 2006, Zuma was found not guilty of rape and some thought the cartoon was trying to insinuate he was a rapist. The paper denies the claim, though, saying the cartoon was only referring to his corruption case. And the cartoonist, Zapiro, stands strongly behind his work. “I am angry at them, I am outraged … at what Jacob Zuma is trying to do to the justice system and constitutional principles along with his team of lawyers and his political allies,” he said in an interview with a South African radio station. “The central message is that Zuma is about to, poised to, trying to rape [the] justice system. …”

Nine die in Somalia fighting. At least nine people died Wednesday when Ethiopia-backed government troops clashed with rebel forces in the Somali capital of Mogadishu The Associated Press reports. The two sides have fought fiercely throughout the year, but the insurgents, who are Muslim, promised to increase attacks during the holy month of Ramadan. About 100 of them shouted “God is great” as they fired at a military base for both Ethiopian and Somali-government troops. They exchanged fire in a heated battle, leaving at least four civilians killed, the news service reports. Ethiopian troops are in the country to help stabilize the nation’s government; political violence has existed there for more than 15 years. The government succeeded in driving rebels out of the capital in 2006, but attacks in the area have spiked this year.

Convicted dog-fighter and suspended NFL star Michael Vick could have a new home in a competing football organization. The former Atlanta Falcon, who’s serving a sentence for sponsoring illegal canine fights in Virginia, has apparently been courted behind bars. United Football League commissioner Michael Huyghue says his organization is “98 percent” sure Vick will play on one of its six teams during their debut season. Vick’s release from federal custody is expected in 2009.

Southern African Countries Form Free Trade Zone. Fourteen Southern African countries will formally launch a free trade zone at a summit on Saturday, South Africa said on Tuesday. The hope is that they can boost the region’s trade and economic growth. The Free Trade Area (FTA) will exempt 85 percent of trade from tariffs, with full implementation expected by the year 2012. South African Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa said while that was a realistic target, greater efforts were needed to develop and integrate the region. “The launch of the FTA is not an end in itself but a beginning of a process we need to embark on to build both productive and trade capacity, improve competitiveness of our industries…,” Mpahlwa said in a statement.The 14-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) needed to focus more on strengthening its agricultural industries and improving infrastructure.

Russian troops have started leaving Georgia. Almost a week after their troops advanced deeper into Georgia’s South Ossetia region, Russia has started pulling back its forces from the city of Gori, according to Georgia’s Interior Ministry. This move allows for Georgian police to return to the city and attempt to regain control, reports CNN. Georgian police, and most of the citizens, left the city a few days after being heavily attacked by Russian troops. Russia says they entered into the area to guard abandoned military hardware. The fighting began last week when Georgian forces moved into the South Ossetia region (a region where many people support becoming a part of Russia) to attack rebels. Russia responded quickly, sending in tanks to the region. Russia’s latest move comes after negotiations with Georgia on Wednesday. When the police presence is fully established, all of the Russian troops with leave the city.

Lawyers for Jacob Zuma, president of the African National Congress, urged judges Monday to declare Zuma’s prosecution on corruption charges unlawful. Zuma contends the case against him is about politics, not actual crimes. He says it’s aimed at harming his chances to become his party’s presidential nominee next spring. Zuma could spend at least 15 years in jail if found guilty of accepting bribes from a company that won a contract for a multi-billion-dollar arms deal.

At least 133 people die in Indian stampede. At least 133 people were killed in a stampede Sunday as panicked worshippers tried to flee a crowded mountaintop Hindu temple in northern India, officials said. The stampede, which occurred on the second day of a nine-day religious festival at the Naina Devi Temple in Himachal Pradesh state, was triggered by a rumor of a landslide on the hill above the crowd, according to Deputy Police Commissioner C.P. Verma. Along with the deaths, 40 people were injured, Punjab Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla and police told CNN’s India affiliate IBN. The dead were taken to a hospital in neighboring Punjab state for autopsies, authorities said. While some victims were crushed to death, others fell to their deaths when a railing along the narrow path to the temple broke under the weight of the throng of panicked worshippers, Verma said.

Somalia fighting claims 27. More than 27 people were killed in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu on Sunday, including at least 20 women who died when a hidden landmine exploded, Radio Garowe reported. Another 42 women were wounded in Mogadishu’s Waberi district after the blast tore through a location where dozens of women were helping clean city streets, AllAfrica.com reports, Medina Hospital director Mohamud Yusuf Hassan said. “Some of the victims have grave injuries, and we are doing our best,” Mohamud told reporters, adding that four of the victims died at the hospital. Mohamed Dheere, Mogadishu’s embattled mayor, quickly blamed al Shabaab insurgents for the deadly explosion, but an Islamist spokesman rejected the accusations. Speaking to reporters at Medina Hospital, the mayor sent his condolences to the families of the deceased while strongly condemning the attackers. Somali insurgents readily claimed responsibility for a deadly battle along Industry Road today, where at least seven people were reported dead. The fighting, which erupted in Yaaqshiid district, pitted allied Somali-Ethiopian government forces against insurgents and led to the country’s rebel Islamic Courts movement.