Child Abuse on the Rise in Jamaica Child abuse reports skyrocketed last year in Jamaica, according to a report from the country’s Office of Children’s Registry. The report, which was released Saturday, revealed that the office got 3,784 reports of child abuse in 2008, reports CNN. The office only received 425 reports in 2007, signaling a large jump in the small Caribbean island of about 2.8 million people. An official from the OCR office said the rise could have something to do with Jamaicans becoming “increasingly mindful of their legal responsibility to report such incidents,” and are hoping to stop the upsurge of violence against children in the nation. Between January and November of last year, 73children were murdered in the country. The severe consequences of not reporting abuse could also have something to do with the higher number of reported cases, he said. “If someone has information of suspected child abuse and fails to make a report to the Registry, that person can be charged a maximum fee of $500,000 or-and six months imprisonment,” the official said. 
Fifteen Nigerian Athletes Killed in Crash A vehicle crash in Nigeria is responsible for the death of 15 football players, reports the BBC. The accident happened in Plateau state as the group was on its way to play a game in Abuja. The country’s roads are some of the most dangerous in the world and thousands of people die each year in accidents on the road, reports the BBC. Mohamed Sanusi, the Nigeria Football Federation head, said 11 players died on the accident scene and four others died in the hospital. Two players survived their injuries, but are “on the danger list,” he said. “It is really another very sad day for Nigerian football,” said Sanusi. A crash in the area not too long ago killed female athletes.

Bus crash in Burkino Faso kills over 60 people. A passenger bus and a goods truck collided in the west African nation of Burkino Faso recently killing at least 66 people, reports the BBC. After the pre-dawn crash, the vehicles caught on fire, leaving many in the bus trapped. “We lament 96 victims, of whom 66 have died. Of the 66, 55 bodies were completely charred. There are 30 injured admitted in [the] hospital,” Gilbert Noel Ouedraogo, the nation’s Transport Minister, said. The bus was carrying over 80 people, according to the driver who survived, and many times trucks in the nation also have passengers aboard. The bus was headed to the Ivory Coast and citizens from that country were also among the victims of the tragedy.  A lot of Burkinabes also travel to the Ivory Coast to work. A court prosecutor described the shocking scene. “The scene is gruesome. The bus is completely askew. There are bodies on the road; some are in the wreckage. There are charred bodies which we are still removing. It’s really horrible,” Maiza Compaore told Agence France Presse. Accidents happen frequently in the nation due to the poor road conditions. 

Nigerian man who married 86 wives is released. The Nigerian man who made headlines a few months ago for having 86 wives has been released from jail, reports the BBC. Mohammed Bello Abubakar, 84, had been in police custody for 59 days for ignoring an order from an Islamic court to divorce all but four of his wives. It is not against the law to marry more than one wife in Nigeria and polygamy is not uncommon. However, Abubakar’s huge number of wives got the attention of authorities. But he insists there is nothing wrong with it. In fact, he argues that the prophet Muhammad commanded him to have as many wives as he was able to, and that the Koran doesn’t state a punishment for having more than four. Many Muslim scholars agree that, providing he treats them all equally, men are allowed to have up to four wives in Islam. Abubakar had been charged with “insulting religious creed” and “unlawful marriages” (although the unlawful marriage charge has since been dropped). Before he was arrested he did obtain an order for the High Court that was supposed to protect him from being detained. In December, a judge will rule on whether or not that order was violated.

Nigerian man who married 86 wives is arrested. A Nigerian man, who has 86 wives, was arrested for refusing to divorce all but four. Mohammadu Bello Abubakar, a Muslim preacher, was charged by the country’s Niger state (a government that operates under Muslim law) with “insulting religious creed” and “unlawful marriages.” But Abubakar, who has 170 children with his wives, insists that the Koran does not state any punishment for having over four wives.  According to Muslim scholars, up to four wives are allowed providing that they are all treated equally. He is being held without bail until a hearing on October 6. Local authorities previously told Abubakar he had to divorce 82 of his wives by the end of August, or he will face eviction from his home. But last week he won an injunction that stopped them for evicting him for that reason. They will hold a hearing Thursday to determine whether or not that order was a violation of his human rights.

Share your PEACE with the world. Ever wished for a chance to spread peace around the world? Well, the United Nations is giving anyone with a cell phone that opportunity. In honor of the International Day of Peace on September 21, cell phone users in the United States are being encouraged to create a 160-character message on peace beginning with the word “PEACE,” according to a press release. Peace wishers should text their messages to the number 69866. After receiving them, the United Nations Department of Public Information will collect the messages and post them on the Web site. They will also give the messages to leaders from around the world when they come to the General Assembly meeting on September 23. The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 and every year the U.N. looks forward to this “day of ceasefire and non-violence.” People all over the world, including in war torn areas like Sudan and Afghanistan, will participate in this year’s celebrations.

Nigerian who married 86 women could face death penalty. The Nigerian man, who gained international fame in recent weeks for having 86 wives, could face the death penalty, reports the BBC. The country’s Islamic authority, Jamatu Nasril Islam, told 84-year-old Mohammed Bello Abubakar that he had to choose only four wives and repent within three days to avoid being sentenced to die. Abubakar, a former teacher and Muslim preacher, lives with his wives and at least 170 children. According to many Muslims, up to four wives are allowed as long as they’re treated equally. But Abubakar (obviously) disagrees. “To my understanding the Koran does not place a limit and it is up to what your own power, your own endowment and ability allows,” he told the BBC. “God did not say what the punishment should be for a man who has more than four wives, but he was specific about the punishment for fornication and adultery.” He also says God gives him the power to handle that many. “A man with 10 wives would collapse and die, but my own power is given by Allah. That is why I have been able to control 86 or them,” he said. The authority made the decision based on Sharia law, which has had its punishments reintroduced in the predominately Muslim state of Niger, in the last eight years. While there have been people sentenced to death for adultery under Sharia, none of them have actually been carried out.

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Dog protects baby abandoned by teen mom. A dog showed its motherly instincts by sheltering an abandoned newborn – along with its own six puppies – in 37-degree weather in Argentina, reports CNN. A man called the police to his house near La Plata (a rural part of the country) when he heard cries from a baby in a field near his house. When he went outside, he saw the baby lying alongside the dog and its six puppies, says a police official. “She took it like a puppy and rescued it. The doctors told us if she hadn’t done this, he would have died,” Daniel Salcedo, chief of police of the Province of Buenos Aires told CNN. “The dog is a hero to us.” It seems as if the dog carried the baby 50 meters from the place he was left by his 14-year-old mother to where her puppies were. The baby, a boy only a few hours old, was found to be in general good shape when examined by the hospital, says Dr. Egidio Melia, director of the Melchor Romero-Hospital in La Plata. The baby’s mother, who was driven to the hospital by a neighbor, claimed the baby as hers the next morning. She was then given psychological care and hospitalized, said Melia. The baby has since been transferred to a children’s hospital.

Nigerian city cracks down on prostitution. Authorities in Bauchi, a Nigerian city under Islamic rule, have decided to crack down prostitution, reports the BBC. Using a census by the Red Cross (which the charity conducted to help slow the spread of HIV) the Sharia commission ordered that the 320 women identified be rounded up. None of the women has been arrested, though; the city just wants to supervise and make sure that no illegal acts go on, according to a commissioner. The Sharia commission (which is ruled under the Islamic Sharia law) went to hotels to round up the prostitutes using only their own security forces and without the help of police. According to the BBC, officials were moved to act against prostitution to get rid of the idea that they were not adequately enforcing laws against prostitution. Sharia commission member Mustapha Babe, refuted any claims that the women were arrested or detained. The commission is just watching some sections of the city more closely, he said. “In every nook and corner and cranny, illegal acts were being committed contrary to Sharia law. As a result of this, we sent them to supervise the areas where something has happened,” he said. Of the 320 women rounded up, between 75 and 100 of them have tested positive for HIV.

Somali charity worker killed in his country. A Somali aid worker for the United Nation’s World Food Program was kidnapped and killed as he tried to escape his attackers, reports CNN. Abdulkadir Diad Mohamed was visiting his home town of Dinsor, Somalia this weekend, when he, along with people he was traveling with in a vehicle, were abducted. When he and the driver tried to escape, they were killed by their kidnappers, but a third passenger managed to escape. “I am shocked by this senseless and barbaric attack on one of our staff. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues,” said Josette Sheeran, the WFP executive director. Mohamed, who was an administration and finance assistant for the organization, joined the charity in June. According to the WFP, this is the first violent death of a worker in Somalia since 1993, although five drivers who were employed by the charity’s contractors were killed this year alone in Somalia.

Poor Whites “shock” South African official
Jacob Zuma, leader of South Africa’s African National Congress, said he’s shocked and embarrassed about poverty among Whites in his country, reports the BBC. The comments (which come ahead of an election year) came after he visited the town of Bethlehem, where many poor Whites do not have running water or electricity. “I am shocked and surprised by what I have seen here,” Zuma said. “The vast number of Black poverty does not mean that we must ignore White poverty, which is increasingly becoming an embarrassment to talk about.” He added that he saw the same problems in White areas that he saw in Black squatter camps. “This is not about politics; it’s about people who are poor, who are in need and want to be helped by government,” he said. The charity South Africa’s Helping Hand, a group that assists the nation’s poor White communities, said the number of homeless White people since 2002 went up by 58 percent. The country’s mostly White trade union, Solidarity, was pleased with Zuma’s visit and comments. “For a long time Whites have been seen as rich and Blacks poor. Talking about White poverty has been seen as politically incorrect,” the group’s secretary general told the AFP. As Zuma is reaching out to the White community, the nation’s predominately White main opposition party is also trying to strengthen ties with the Black community before the election’s next year, analysts say.

Nigerian explosion kills 12
A patrol tanker burst open and caught on fire in Lagos, Nigeria, killing at least 12, reports the BBC. The accident happened when the tanker’s driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a curb causing the big fire. Another tanker and a bus also got caught in the flames of the fire. A hospital official told the BBC that there were “massive” casualties and that the driver of the bus did not listen when he was told to stop before his vehicle caught on fire. The series of tanker accidents in the highly populated city have prompted authorities to ban heavy vehicles from parking on the street.

Millions sought for AIDS treatment in Africa
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have launched a campaign to raise $21 million to fund an AIDS treatment program in five African countries, HealthDay.com reports. The money would be used for a three-year program in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea and Nigeria. The program would reach 950,000 vulnerable people, including 49,000 people living with AIDS, 13,000 sex workers and 10,000 orphans, Agence France-Presse reported. Nearly 4.5 million people, including about 400,000 children younger than 14, are living with HIV in the five countries. In 2006, AIDS claimed the lives of 350,000 people in these countries, which form the Sahel region of west and central Africa. “Even though the impact may vary from one country to another, HIV is a major obstacle to development as it affects all key sectors: the economy, health, education and even food security,” said Abdourahmane Ndiaye, the Red Cross’ HIV program officer for the region, AFP reported.

Nigerian job recruitment drives kills at least 12
In Nigeria, at least 12 people died at separate recruitment drives in recent days. The drives were for positions within the Nigerian Immigration Service. At one drive in Enugu, thousands of applicants were trying to rush in to a government building to take an aptitude test before a recruiter closed the gate. The desperate stampede led to four people being killed. More than 130,000 people applied for just 1,260 jobs. Another four people were crushed in a separate stampede for jobs in Ilorin. And in Asaba (in the Niger Delta region) four job-seekers were killed while doing a fitness test that required them to run miles during the hottest portion of the day, reports the BBC. Others died during fitness tests across the nation but an exact number is not known. Government jobs in the nation are sought after for the good pay and benefits in a nation where there are few good jobs for the thousands who graduate college every year. “After struggling through school, you have unemployment staring you in the face, and when you finally think succor has come to provide you with employment, the recruitment leads to your grave,” said the sister of one of the applicants killed at a recruitment in Kaduna. “That is the pathetic story of the poor in our country.” Over the last eight years, the amount of government jobs has been cut due to economic reforms. And even though the government is the country’s largest employer, most of the population depends on the informal economy to earn money, reports the BBC.

Haitian police and protesters clash at a rally
Haitian police and protesters clashed at a rally to mark the 55th birthday of ousted leader President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, reports The Associated Press. Police had set up barricades around the National Palace, but hundreds of angry protesters poured passed them anyway and were confronted by riot police with tear gas. The protest began as a small, peaceful rally about 200 people gathered around Aristide’s former home. But the number of people expanded to thousands who marched to the capital chanting, “We need Titid,” which is Aristide’s nickname. According to one of the organizers, the march was also a protest against the skyrocketing food prices. At least seven died during food protests in April. Aristide now lives in South Africa, after escaping Haiti in 2004 during a violent rebellion, for which he blames the United States. Earlier this year, 5,000 people demonstrated to mark the fourth anniversary of him being ousted, proving he still has a strong following.