Kenya Conducts Controversial Census
The Kenyan government is conducting a controversial national census, where, among other questions, they ask respondents to identify their respective ethnic group, the BBC reports. This is a sore topic for many in the nation, considering last year’s horrific post-election violence that fell largely across ethnic lines. The violence left 1,000 dead. Many are concerned that politicians might use the information to their advantage. But officials insist that information about ethnic background is important for the government to know, saying to leave out such data would be “an exhibition of professional recklessness. If we do not have the official position and people come up with figures and numbers we cannot be able to dispute them,” an official from the National Bureau of Statistics told the BBC.  Information-gathering for the census will continue throughout this week.
 

Tanzanian Students to be Laid to Rest After Dorm Fire
The 12 Tanzanian students who died when a fire swept through their dorm this weekend will be laid to rest Tuesday, reports the BBC.  Since their bodies were burned beyond recognition, the girls will be buried in a mass grave. The fire occurred Saturday night when, it is believed, a candle caught a mosquito net on fire, setting the dormitory of the Idodi Secondary School ablaze. “It burned one dormitory completely and 12 students were killed. Another 20 have been injured,” a police official told Reuters. The candle was probably being used by a student to study at night, he continued. The school has no overnight electricity. Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete will attend Tuesday’s burial. Fires in recent years have killed students in neighboring nations Kenya and Uganda as well, the BBC reports.

Kenya’s Oldest Student Dies at 90
Kenya’s oldest student, a great-grandfather, passed away at 90. Kimani Nganga Maruge made the Guinness Book of World Records for being the oldest person to start primary school at 84, the BBC reports. Maruge had two years left before he finished. He didn’t have the chance to go to school when he was younger and wanted to learn how to read the Bible and study math, so he enrolled in Kapkenduywa primary school in 2004, shortly after the government brought in free schooling. He visited the United States in 2005 to advocate for education for the poor. When his home was burned down last year after the nation’s post-election violence, he had to move to a home for elderly people. He remained committed to his education, though, even asking that teachers come to his home to teach him after he was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, according an official from the home. “He was a very courageous man. Even if you don’t see it through to the end, you will still have achieved something,” said Mumbi Kamuri, who leads the Cheshire Homes in Kenya where Maruge lived for the past year.
 

Nigerian Police Round Up Thousands During Raid on Islamic Camp
Police in Nigeria rounded up held almost 4,000 members of the Islamic sect, Darul Islam, “based on a fear of them becoming violent,” a police official told CNN. On Saturday, 3,950 members were “evacuated” from their camp in Mokawa and were being held in a school building. No word yet on whether or not charges will be brought against the group.  The Darul Islam community was formed with people who wanted to follow strict Islamic principles, the news service reports.

Another provocative video featuring Harlem-based pastor, Rev. David Manning, is making the rounds on the Internet.  This time the Obama-bashing pastor has joined in the chatter of the “Birther” movement, an informal group of people who question President Obama’s United States citizenship, believing he was born in Kenya.

“There’s a snake in the White House,” intones Manning, referring to President Obama.  “It needs to be smoked out.”

The pastor even goes on to blast conservative talk show hosts Shawn Hannity and Bill O’Reilly, two commentators who have dismissed the Birthers’ claims about Obama’s citizenship. “Who’s paying you,” he questions both men, calling them “sellouts.”

Manning got his first splash in the media during the presidential campaign when video of one of his sermons blasting then-Senator Obama appeared online. “Obama is a mack daddy,” he said of the President in that video. “He is an emissary of the devil.” He also ridiculed President Obama’s biracial  background.

Manning, an ex-felon convicted for burglarizing over 100 homes during the 1960s and 1970s, according to the New York Times, is the pastor of ATLAH World Missionary Church on 123rd Street in Harlem. His church has about 150 members.

See a Copy of Pres. Obama’s Birth Certificate.

Watch the video at The Daily Voice.

What do you think about Pastor Manning’s tirade? Comment below.

The White Kenyan aristocrat recently found guilty of manslaughter for shooting to death a Black poacher on his family’s estate in 2006 was sentenced to eight months in prison Thursday, reports the BBC. Read more.

Kenyan Man Sues Over Sex Boycott
A Kenyan man, James Kimondo, is suing the activists in the nation who asked women to boycott sex for seven days, claiming that the sex ban caused him stress, mental anguish, backaches and lack of sleep, reports CNN. The sex boycott, called for by the country’s women’s rights groups, was to protest the increasing rift in the country’s coalition government. But Kimondo claims that the action, or lack thereof, negatively affected his marriage and his lawsuit is asking for undisclosed damages from an umbrella group for women organizations, according to the Kenya Broadcasting Corp. At least on Kenyan activist can’t wait to take a look at the court papers. “I have not been served with the papers, but I was told they are coming and I am eagerly waiting. It will be interesting to see the face of a man who is not willing to abstain for the sake of his country,” Ann Njogu, executive director of Center for Rights Education and Awareness told CNN. After post-election violence in the nation killed more than 1,000 people in 2008, a coalition government between the former opponents and current President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga was created. Since then, the infighting and disagreements within the government has upset Kenyans, prompting the boycott to get the two sides to meet with each other. And, according to Njogu, it looks like it worked. “The prinicipal leaders met as a result of the boycott, and I understand that they are setting up reforms to look into the country’s internal security,” she told the news service.
 
South Africa Swears in New Leader
South Africans celebrated the inauguration of popular African National Congress leader and new president Jacob Zuma at Union Buildings in Pretoria Saturday. Other leaders and former presidents, including Nelson Mandela, were among those in the crowd. The crowd was excited and sang songs during the ceremony, reports CNN. South Africa’s parliament, where the ANC still holds the majority, elected Zuma last week.  Unlike the more reserved former leaders Mandela and Thabo Mbeki, Zuma has a more colorful personality. A Zulu, he often wears traditional clothing, which have included leopard skins and a spear, to events reports CNN.

White Kenyan Aristocrat Found Guilty
Thomas Cholmondeley, a White Kenyan aristocrat, has been found guilty of manslaughter in connection to the killing of a Black poacher on his family’s property in 2006, reports the BBC. The case garnered massive attention from the media, and it was no different on Thursday when the verdict was announced in front of a packed courtroom of reporters, cameramen, and friends and family members of Cholmondeley. “I find as a fact that it was the accused who had shot the deceased resulting in his death. In view of the above analysis, I hereby find which I do, that the accused did not have any malice aforethought to kill the deceased,” the judge read. The verdict surprised many in the courtroom, including Cholmondeley’s lawyers. “I’m amazed – dumbstruck actually,” said his lawyer. “We will appeal. There is no doubt about that.” Cholmondeley, a descendant of one of the country’s first settlers from England, could face a maximum term of life in prison. He will be sentenced next week. At the time of the shooting, Cholmondeley told authorities that the poacher, Robert Njoya, was with three friends and a pack of dogs on the grounds of his family’s estate. He admitted to shooting and killing the dogs, but his lawyers argued that the shot that killed Njoya actually came from the gun of one of his friends, a defense the judge didn’t accept, calling it an “afterthought,” reports the BBC.

Caribbean Nations Will Rebound Sooner
Nations in Latin America and the Caribbean will rebound sooner from the global economic crisis than more powerful countries, according to the International Monetary Fund. The area is protected partly due to the lack of organized banking problems, reports the BBC. Next year the group expects the Caribbean economy to grow 1.5 percent.

Kenyan President Denies Rumors of Secret Wife

In what’s been called an unusual move, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki called a news conference solely to combat rumors he has a second – secret – wife, reports the BBC. During the conference Kibaki threatened to sue anyone spreading the rumor, which even after constant denials, have persisted since he took office in 2002. “I want to make it very clear that I have only one dear wife, Lucy, who’s here, and I do not have any other,” he said. “Anybody who knows me and knows my family and knows how I live – they know I have only one wife.” As one would expect, Mrs. Kibaki was not pleased with the “secret wife” talk and also lashed out at the media. “You keep tormenting us; I don’t know what you get out of it,” she said. “I almost came to your station last night to attack you,” Mrs. Kibaki told one Kenyan station, NTV. If she had, it wouldn’t have been the first time she’s clashed with the media face to face. In 2005, she angrily went to the offices of The Daily Nation newspaper to confront journalists there on how they portrayed her family in a report. She also slapped a cameraman who filmed the exchange. In 2007, she slapped an official who accidentally called her the name of the woman rumored to be her husband’s mistress.  

Trinidad and Tobago Running out of U.S. Dollars 
The Caribbean’s Trinidad and Tobago is running out of U.S. dollars due to increasing demand, reports Caribbean Net. Some business owners are afraid that their inability to pay for imports from North America and Asia will leave them unable to refill their shelves. The nation’s Central Bank has infused the market with $280 million to help with the demand just in the first two months of this year. Richard Young, managing director of Scotiabank, attributes the shortage to people wanting to use U.S. dollars to buy property in the United States (taking advantage of the lower prices due to the economic recession). The shortage might also be due to there being less U.S. dollars in the system because of reduced energy taxes. Since the companies have cut down on production, the taxes might have also gone down, Young speculated.

World Lens: Kenyans gather to mourn mass tragedy; Zimbabwe opposition is sworn in; and partiers hit the street for carnival celebrations in South America. See pics.
Ghana Soccer Fans Died From Heat
High temperatures and overcrowding appear to be behind the deaths of four Ghanaian soccer fans who died Sunday, reports the BBC. Fans crowded into Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium, which was packed beyond its 40,000 capacity. Many fans fainted in the heat. The four who died were suffocated to death, according to the Ghana Football Association. The match, between the Asante Kotoko and the Hearts of Oak, is a fierce rivalry in the west African nation and many fans had gone to the stadium early in the morning to get a spot. Officials sprayed sections of the crowd with water, to provide relief from the heat, and medical officials treated many fans with heat exhaustion.
 

Grenada’s Unemployment Could Skyrocket
The global economic crisis is hitting the Caribbean island nation of Grenada hard, reports Caribbean Net. One official from the country estimates that unemployment could reach a staggering 30 percent by the end of the year. “Unemployment is rising. Already it is very high in the neighborhood of 23 to 24 percent,” Grenada Finance Minister Nazim Burke said at national economic consultation meeting. “Since the onset of the crisis, we have already seen some layoffs in tourism and the telecommunications industry. We are anticipating that by the end of the year we could see unemployment as high as 30 percent.” His gloomy outlook coincides with news that one of his nation’s largest employers, LIME (a telecommunications company), plans to lay off many Grenadians. By September, 40 percent of the LIME’s workers in Grenada are expected to be out of work.

Kenyan explosion kills more than 100.

A petrol tanker in Kenya turned over while traveling on the road and exploded about an hour later killing more than 100 people and wounding several others, reports CNN. The explosion happened near the town of Molo, about 80 miles from the nation’s capital, Nairobi. Not long after the tanker turned over on the highway, hundreds of people surrounded the vehicle trying to scoop up gas. “People were lining up trying to get the fuel. They were siphoning off petrol for over an hour. Some people had drilled holes in the tanker and were charging a fee for the assembled crowd,” said a member of the country’s Red Cross, Titus Mung’ou. The explosion apparently happened when one of the people lit up a cigarette or somehow started a fire another way near the site of the accident, he said. There were 117 people wounded in the explosion, and the numbers are expected to rise. This is the second large fatality incident to occur in the nation in the past few days. Last week, there was a fire in a Nairobi supermarket that killed at least 27 people and 57 are still missing.

Jamaican workers agree to 20 percent pay cut.

In an effort to save their jobs, people who work at Jamaica’s Berger Paints have opted to take a 20 percent pay cut, effective as of Monday, reports Caribbean Net. The global economic crisis hit several companies in the nation hard, causing them to make cuts in spending including staff layoffs. Hundreds of Jamaicans have been laid off and just the past two months. Two worker unions (the National Workers Union and the Clerical Administration and Supervisory Employees Union) inked the deal with the Berger Paints management. The pay cut would save the company $70 million in six months, according to a spokesman.

13 Die in Kenyan Blaze. At least 13 bodies were discovered in burned-down supermarket in Nairobi, Kenya on Friday. At least 47 people are missing after the horrific blaze, officials report. A rumor that security guards locked people inside the burning structure was being investigated today, authorities add. Cops used tear gas and horses to deter the large crowds of worried family members and friends who lingered around the site in hopes of finding their loved ones safe. The Nakamutt store provided the surrounding community with a wide variety of supplies. The fire’s cause was being investigated.

Drought Pushes Kenya to Declare Emergency
A widespread drought in Kenya is causing the nation to declare a food emergency, reports the BBC. Almost 10 million people are in danger of going hungry, according to the Kenya government. “President Kibaki told the food security committee that the entire government must focus on the urgency of providing food to all Kenyans after the failed rains in the last two seasons and reduced production due to last year’s post-election challenges,” said a government statement. The government is planning to bring in 5 million bags of maize, cut the price of seeds (to encourage farming) and buy livestock in areas hit hard by the drought to help ease the crisis. Last year’s post-election violence is also playing a role in the country’s growing hunger problem. Many of the 300,000 people displaced by the violence were farmers, who have since been too scared to come back home and plant crops, reports CNN.
Cubans Can Now Operate Private Taxis
After an almost 10-year ban, Cuba is now allowing new licenses for private taxis. Under the new rules private cabs will also be allowed in rural areas, although they’ll have tighter restrictions than city cabs, reports the BBC. Many Cubans have been operating their own taxi services for years illegally but could have had their cars taken away if they were caught. Officials had originally banned the taxis because they believed they were operating a black market for fuel. Restrictions in the Communist country have lessened in the past months. Just last year the Cuban government loosened restrictions on cell phones and the Internet.