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.

Rev. Jackson meets Chicago sit-in workers. The Rev. Jesse Jackson is beginning to meet with the hundreds of workers who are staging a sit-in at a Chicago factory that they say gave them no notice or severance before closing, according to The Associated Press. The workers say they won’t leave the Republic Windows and Doors plant until they get some assurance that they’ll receive their severance and vacation pay. Jackson met with the workers Sunday morning, and his Rainbow PUSH Coalition says he’s trying to help get Republic’s creditor, the Bank of America, to reinstate the company’s line of credit so that it can pay the workers and possibly save around 300 jobs. Union organizer Leah Fried says the window manufacturer can’t pay its employees because the Bank of America stopped the money flow. The bank said it isn’t responsible for Republic’s financial obligations to its employees.

Zimbabwe’s political rivals sign a deal for formal talks
On Monday, longtime Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and Movement of Democratic Change opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai signed a deal to begin formal negotiations, reports CNN. Both leaders, along with their mediator, South African President Thabo Mbeki, appeared at a news conference together and shook hands on the agreement that could provide the footing for a coalition government between the two. But even though the deal had some outside help from a foreign mediator, Mugabe is determined to limit any outside influences. “We shall be doing this as Zimbabweans … with the help of South Africa,” he said during the conference. Tsvangirai is approaching the negotiations with caution. “It’s too early yet to make a judgment as to the outcome of the process,” Tsvangirai said, adding that it is “a collective effort and it involves tolerance, compromise, [and] putting the best interest of Zimbabwe at the forefront of these negotiations.” He also referred to Mugabe as the president of his political party, Zanu-PF, not of Zimbabwe. This is the first time ever the two have appeared publically together. In the weeks ahead of last month’s runoff vote between the two, Tsvangirai and his supporters reportedly were arrested several times and claimed the government was sponsoring violent attacks against their supporters. Tsvangirai dropped out of the race, days before the election, saying he feared for his and his supporters’ safety. Recently, though, about 1,500 MDC supporters arrested in the past few weeks have been freed, reports CNN. The agreement signed by the leaders Monday states that both parties are, “dedicating ourselves to putting an end to the polarization, divisions, conflict and intolerance that have characterized our country’s politics.” The talks, which will be mediated by Mbeki, African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping and the Southern African Development, will happen over the next two weeks.

Ivory Coast cuts government salaries in half
High fuel prices have forced the Ivory Coast to cut in half the salaries of government officials, reports the BBC. The government made the move to subsidize the rising cost of fuel for its citizens, after increasing diesel prices by 44 percent and petrol prices by 29 percent earlier this month. “Having heard the people’s cry from the heart, the government has decided to cut the price of fuel,” Prime Minister Guillaume Soro said. The announcement had at least one immediate effect. After the plan was revealed, public transportation workers called off their weeklong strike. The cut will enable the government to reduce fuel prices by 10 percent. Trips overseas by government officials would also be cut to a “bare minimum,” Soro said. In March and April, violent protests took place in Abidjan over rising food prices.

International court seeks to arrest Sudan’s president
In a move that would be the first of its kind against an acting president, the International Criminal Court is seeking to arrest Sudan’s leader Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in his country, reports the BBC. ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who is leading the effort, wants Bashir arrested for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Since rebels began fighting the government in 2003, about 300,000 people died and more than 2 million people have been displaced, according to United Nation’s. estimates. Some have accused the government of supporting the notorious Arab Janjaweed militia, which allegedly are responsible for many of the atrocities and genocide against Black Africans. The Sudanese government denies involvement. After at least six weeks, the ICC judges will decide whether or not Moreno-Ocampo has a legit case. The Sudanese government actually does not recognize the ICC and, in fact, calls Moreno-Ocampo a criminal. Thousands of Sudanese (many of whom were government workers or connected to the government in some way) chanted “Down, Down, USA!” as they gathered in the capital city in support of their president Sunday, reports Reuters. In a statement, the protesters said, “The ICC does just what the European Union, the United States of America and Israel tell it to do.” A protester told Reuters, “The Sudanese people are all rejecting this – this is America targeting Sudan. We will not send Bashir. We would die first.” There are fears that the move by the ICC would cause more problems in a nation that is already unstable. In fact, UNAMID, which has 9,000 peacekeepers currently in Darfur, has increased its security alert to “level four” – a move that relocates some foreign staff, reports the BBC.

Charity workers are killed in Somalia
In Somalia, three charity workers were shot and killed in just a few days, reports CNN. Mohamad Mohamud Qeyre, deputy director of Daryeel Bulasho Guud (a German funded charity connected to Bread for the World), was shot and killed outside of an aid distribution facility in Mogadishu. Reports say that it looked like he was targeted by gunmen who might have waited for him to leave the facility. The charity will stop operating in Somalia for now, said the head of the group. Ali Baashi, who was a part of a nongovernmental organization aiding Somalia, was also killed in what appeared to be a targeted attack. World Food Program truck diver, Ahmed Saalim, was killed last week when convoy escorts and militia members exchanged fire at a checkpoint. Saalim is the fourth World Food Program driver to be killed in the nation this year. With the multiple scourges of drought, violence and high food and fuel prices, many Somalis depend on aid.

Cuba will stop paying everyone equally
For the first time in almost 50 years, workers in Cuba can earn performance bonuses, reports the BBC. The nation’s vice-minister for labor, Carlos Mateu, said the old pay system wasn’t “convenient” anymore and did not give employees any reason to want to excel, because everyone was getting paid the same anyway. In Cuba, the average pay for everyone (from farm workers to doctors and lawyers) is $20 a month. With this new system, employees could stand to receive at least a 5-percent bonus for meeting predetermined targets; managers could get a 30-percent bonus if their employees reach performance targets, Mateu said in a Cuban newspaper. “It’s harmful to give a worker less than he deserves,” the article said. “It’s also harmful to give him what he doesn’t deserve.” This is the latest in series of changes to arrive to the Communist nation after Raul Castro took over leadership from his brother Fidel. Earlier this year, the government also lifted a ban on cell phones and computers.