There’s an Obama baby-naming boom in Kenya. Ever since President-elect Barack Obama won the election over his Republican rival last week, little baby “Obamas” have been popping up all over the world, reports United Press International. This is especially the case at a hospital in Kisumu, Kenya. Officials at Nyanza Provincial Hospital say that 43 babies, between Nov. 4 and Nov. 8, were named after Obama or some of his family members. Twenty-three boys were given “Barack Obama” as their first and middle names and 20 girls were named after his wife, Michelle Obama. One mother, Pamela Odhiambo, says she gave birth to little “Michelle Obama” during Obama’s victory speech. “It’s a new start, a new beginning,” said Odhiambo.

The U.N. is forced to cut food aid to Zimbabwe. The United Nations’ food charity has to cut back on food distribution in Zimbabwe because the international aid agency is running low on money. Although the U.N.’s World Food Program (WFP) has fed 2 million people in October, a number they expect to grow to 4 million this month and rise to more than 5 million by early 2009, it lacks the funds to keep it going in 2009. “There is currently no food in the pipeline for distributions in January and February - just when the crisis is reaching its peak,” said the agency in a statement. The U.N. also asked for $140 million in more funding so it will be able to keep distributing aid in the nation until at least the end of March. A “disastrous” harvest in the country has resulted in millions of Zimbabweans being hungry; the demand was such that the WFP had to reduce cereal and pulse rations. The country has had a rough time with food shortages for the past seven years. Critics of longtime leader Robert Mugabe say that the country’s food problems were made worse when he enforced his policy of kicking White farmers off their land to redistribute to Blacks. Black Zimbabweans gained their independence from White rule in 1980.

Nigerian man is put in jail for being lazy.

To all the lazy young people out there: Lying around the house and doing no good could get you jailed in Nigeria. A 20-year-old Nigerian man was sentenced to six months in jail and 30 strokes from a cane for being idle, reports the BBC. And it was the young man’s own father who turned him in. Jamilu Samaila refused to attend school or look for a job and joined a gang, his father told the court in the country’s Bauchi state. He was “bringing shame on the family,” said the father, Samaila Tahir. He also told the court that his son wouldn’t listen to him and that he’d grown “sick of his nefarious deeds.” “Please put this boy in prison so that I can be free,” he pleaded, adding that his son should be jailed “for as long it deems fit.” Jamilu was ultimately sentenced for “having no job and also for associating with bad friends, which is an offense contrary to the Sharia penal code,” according to the court’s clerk. Jamilu got the 30 cane strokes immediately. Bauchi, along with several states in the nation with mostly Muslims, re-introduced the Islamic Sharia law eight years ago. The penalties under this system are a lot harsher than those in the previous system.
 Zimbabwean opposition leader can’t attend talks. Zimbabwean opposition leader and designated Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai can’t attend negotiations with leaders. The talks, which will be held Monday with other regional leaders in Swaziland, will focus on breaking through the deadlock in the country’s power-sharing negotiations. But Tsvangirai didn’t have all of the travel papers he needed to travel to the nation, reports the AFP. Member countries of the Southern African Development Community’s Organ on Defense, Politics and Security - which include Swaziland, Mozambique and Angola -  are attending the meeting. Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has been mediating power-sharing talks between Tsvangirai and longtime Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe, will brief attendees on progress.  Members of Tsvangirai’s party, Movement of Democratic Change, have cited Mugabe’s unwillingness to fairly divide key cabinet posts as the reason for the standstill.

Ugandan man killed because he kept smoking.

In Uganda, a group of people attacked and killed a man because he would not stop smoking, reports the BBC. The incident, which has left local officials in shock, happened in a public bar, where the country has had a ban on smoking for about four years. “I’m really not happy with it. He had broken the law, but they should have taken it to the police for the law to take its course,” saidJohn Okeya, an official in the village where it all happened. While the victim was smoking and drinking at the bar he made “provocative comments” to others who told him to stop smoking before the mob eventually approached him and strangled him to death. Many residents have spoken out against the case of extreme vigilantism, saying the attackers went too far. “These people who killed made a mistake because the law does not say kill a smoker, the law says take the smoker to the authority concerned,” said one resident. However another local said the action was necessary. “He was told to move away and smoke from outside and he refused,” the he said. The police have detained several suspects in the killing.

Zimbabwe leaders already aren’t getting along, reports say. Not too long after holding a press conference where everyone was all smiles, it looks like there’s trouble between the Zimbabwe leaders already. Just days after President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai (along with Arthur Mutambara who leads a small faction of the opposition) publicly agreed on a power sharing deal, they are reportedly deadlocked once again on ministry appointments. Sources tell CNN that ZANU-Pf, the party of controversial longtime leader Mugabe wants to control important ministries like defense, justice and home affairs while giving Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change less important ones like correctional services. In the deal signed earlier this week, ZANU-Pf was assigned 15 council ministers and the opposition altogether was assigned 16. Mugabe seemed to have misgivings about the deal very early on. In fact, he told his supporters that the agreement was a humiliation, but that he had to sign it since Tsvangirai gained so many votes in the first round of elections (while Tsvangirai had the majority he didn’t have the over 50 percent needed to secure a victory). And at least one official from the Movement for Democratic Change also had problems with the deal the weekend before it was signed, saying Tsvangirai shouldn’t sign until issues with the ministries were taken care of. Still, he went ahead and inked the deal on Monday.

Wyclef helps Haiti, and there’s model search in Kenya

World Lens: Musician Wyclef Jean pitches in to help Haiti, Zimbabwe leaders are all smiles and the search for is on for Kenya’s next top model. See these pictures and more.

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Zimbabwe leaders resume power-sharing talks. On Monday, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai resumed their power-sharing talks, mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki, reports The Associated Press. The talks, which follow June’s disputed run-off election, have been at a standstill. The main point they can’t seem to agree on is how much power Mugabe should give up. Tsvangirai (who believes he fairly won the first round of elections in March, and says he dropped out of June’s race because of government-sponsored violence against his supporters) wants Mugabe to be only a ceremonial president while he holds most of the power. If that doesn’t happen, he wants “elections under international supervision and see who will carry the day,” he said at a Movement for Democratic Change party rally Sunday.  Mugabe, the country’s longtime leader, is opposed to relinquishing power and recently threatened to go ahead and appoint a Cabinet without help from Tsvangirai. But the opposition leader made it clear he’s not budging. “We should not be pushed into a deal. We would rather have no deal than get a bad deal,” he said at the rally. He has also been vocal about the South African president’s effectiveness as a mediator, saying that President Mbeki is biased toward Mugabe and should be relieved of his duties, reports the news service. “The biggest problem we have is there are people who are putting pressure on the MDC, not (on) Mugabe,” Tsvangirai said at the rally.

Swaziland king catches heat for flossin’ at his party. Last weekend’s party in Swaziland , celebrating both King Mswati III’s 40^th birthday and the African nation’s 40^th independence day, left many up in arms. The lavish event, which could have cost anywhere between $2.5 million and $12.5 million, have many people wondering why so much money would be spent on a single shindig while most of the nation is struggling. Swaziland has the highest AIDS rate in the world and, ironically, only 25 percent of citizens reach the age of 40. Hit hard by the AIDS epidemic, life expectancy in the nation is less than 31 years, reports CNN. Despite those depressing stats, King Mswati III was driven around a stadium in a BMW in front of thousands of cheering people during the celebration. Before the event, people protested against its high cost. “I’m aware that many in the world might be wondering why we are so excited about the celebrations of our 40^th anniversary. The answer is simple. We are celebrating our nationhood,” King Mswati told the audience. That was the closest he came to acknowledging his citizen’s general discontent, adding that citizens should do more to fight AIDS and appealing to tourists. “We are telling a world full of prejudices that we are a happy nation in spite of the challenges that face us,” he said. Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe made an appearance as well and was greeted by cheers from the crowd. A controversial and unpopular figure in the international community, many in the region like Mugabe for his stance against the West. The king and his 13 wives have been criticized for their expensive lifestyle. Adding fuel to those concerns, eight of his wives hopped a plane and flew to Dubai ahead of the party to buy birthday outfits.

South African dog fights another dog to save boy. In South Africa, a Rottweiler fought off a pit bull who was mauling a little boy, reports the BBC. Two-year-old Tshepang Taeli and his grandmother were walking down the street when the pit bull attacked him, viciously dragging him down the road. Several residents kicked the dog to try to get him off of the child but he would not let go. “I have never felt so much pain in my life. The dog was attacking him and I was trying to release him and I could not,” said the boy’s grandmother. That’s when one neighbor went to get his Rottweiler, Blade, who helped save the boy’s life. “He fought the other dog to free the child. Blade is very protective,” Blade’s owner, Ricky Veludo told a local newspaper. The child was taken to the hospital, where he is now recovering from suffering bites on his face, legs and stomach. Police are investigating the attack.

Zimbabwe police arrest opposition lawmakers

Zimbabwe police arrested more opposition members Wednesday, saying they were connected to the violence before the country’s runoff election in June, reports CNN. Police insist the arrests of Movement for Democratic Change members, five in total, are not politically motivated. “These (parliament members) have been on the police wanted list which we made public. We have been looking for them for a long time since the offenses were committed,” a police spokesman said. But MDC officials are not buying it. They think the government along with longtime leader Robert Mugabe is just trying to cut down on the number of opposition members in parliament. “The arrests are harassment and an attempt to undermine our parliamentary majority,” MDC’s information director said. “We expected that retribution after having shown Mugabe that he is not welcome in parliament.” Mugabe was booed and heckled when he spoke in front of the body Tuesday. He still remains optimistic that a power sharing agreement, between himself and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai can be reached. The two are set to resume talks, mediated by South African president Thabo Mbeki, this week.

.Zambia’s president passes away at 59. President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia died Tuesday at a hospital in France, reports CNN. Mwanawasa, who was 59, suffered a stroke about two months earlier. He had originally gotten sick at June’s African Union summit in Egypt. He was taken to a hospital in Egypt, then to an intensive care unit at Percy Military Hospital near Paris. Zambia’s vice president announced Mwanawasa’s death on television. “In order to prepare for the funeral, I suspend business of the house until further notice,” he said. He also announced seven days of national mourning. French President Nicolas Sarkozy described his death as “a great loss for the Zambian people who respected and had great affection for him,” reports the news service. “It’s a great loss for the African continent as a whole, which appreciated his political courage. It’s a big loss for democracy, for which he was an ardent defender his whole life.” Mwanawasa was only Zambia’s third president, and earned worldwide praise for slowing his county’s inflation and controlling spending. “As president of Zambia, President Mwanawasa launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign and dedicated himself to improving the welfare of all Zambians,” President George Bush said in a statement. Mwanawasa was also chairman of the Southern African Development Community and an outspoken critic of Zimbabwe’s controversial longtime leader, Robert Mugabe, reports the AFP. “Sadly he has left us at this most trying time. … His passing on is a sad day [for] the Zimbabwe people,” oppositional leader and Mugabe rival Morgan Tsvangirai said. Mwanawasa, a lawyer before entering politics, was one of the founders of the Movement for Multi-party Democracy, which ousted former leader Kenneth Kaunda in 1991. He was vice president until 1995 when he retired, then was elected president in 2001. Elections for his replacement will be held in 90 days, in accordance with Zambia’s constitution.

Zimbabwe’s inflation shot up to 11.2 million percent. With a rate at a staggering 11.2 million percent in June, Zimbabwe has the highest inflation in the world, reports United Press International. The African nation’s inflation rate was already very high, 2.2 million just in May, but the government’s attempt at price control did not keep it from shooting up. However, Zimbabwe’s government is pointing the finger elsewhere. “While our case has been aggravated by the illegal sanctions imposed by the Western powers, rising food prices are a world phenomenon because of the use of bio-fuel. But we will continue to fight inflation by making sure that prices charged are realistic,” said the country’s finance minister. Many in the nation have resorted to exchanging goods instead of using money, since the value of the money is quickly sinking, reports Bloomberg. Zimbabwe has suffered hard financial times since the government implemented land reforms, which kicked White farmers off of their land. And the problem might be even worse than the government is admitting. Kingdom Bank, one of Zimbabwe’s top institutions, claims that the country’s inflation rate is actually over 20 million percent and predicts the situation will get worse. Zimbabwe’s longtime leader, Robert Mugabe, is in talks with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to form a power-sharing government after a violent and turbulent election season. Some believe the election dispute is directly connected to the nation’s current financial difficulty. “That is the stumbling block. If they resolve the political crisis, there’s no doubt they’ll get the balance of payment funding they need,” economist Victor Munyama, who works at a prominent African lender, told Bloomberg.

Death toll in Somali minibus attack rises fThe death toll in Friday’s attack on two Somali minibuses by Ethiopian troops has risen to 60 after people in the neighborhood discovered 16 more bodies, reports the BBC. The attack happened near Mogadishu when Ethiopian forces were hit by a roadside bomb and retaliated by shooting, according to witnesses. “Ethiopian convoys opened fire into different areas where thousands of displaced people were living; they killed everyone on the road,” Sahra Nor Osma, a witness, told The Associated Press. Ethiopia is in the country supporting Somalia’s transitional government, and trying to rid the country of insurgents. But Mogadishu has been prone to attacks. On the same day of this attack, insurgents fired on President Abdullah Yusuf’s convoy while it was leaving the country for Ethiopia for ceasefire talks. Government troops then fired back, killing five civilians.

Still no Zimbabwe power-sharing deal after summit

This weekend’s Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit came to a close Sunday without a power-sharing deal between Zimbabwe’s president and opposition leader, reports the BBC. South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki hosted the summit (which includes 14 member nations) and is also the lead mediator of the talks between longtime Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. “It’s clearly not possible to say when negotiations will be concluded. It’s a matter of negotiating parties reconvening,” he told reporters following the summit. Other leaders at the summit were optimistic that there is a base for a deal, though. Hundreds of protesters, upset that Mugabe was even invited to the summit, protested outside of the meeting Saturday. They, along with Botswana’s President Ian Khama, who actually boycotted the meeting, don’t think Mugabe should be recognized as president of Zimbabwe after June’s runoff election, which many in the international community called a sham. Days before the runoff, Tsvangirai dropped out of the race because of violence against his supporters.

Nigeria hands over land to neighboring Cameroon. Nigeria officially agreed Thursday to hand over claims to a peninsula to neighboring Cameroon, reports The Associated Press. Ownership of the Bakassi Peninsula had been disputed for years. In fact the two nations almost went to war during the 1990s over the peninsula that is said to contain possible energy reserves since it is in an oil-rich area. But in 2002, an international court ruled that Cameroon should get the land, which is why officials from both Cameroon and Nigeria signed an agreement stating that Nigeria would withdraw their claims to the land, reports the news service. “As painful as it is, we have a responsibility to keep our commitment to the international community, promote international peace and cooperation and advance the cause of African brotherhood and good neighborliness,” Michael Aondaokaa, Nigeria’s attorney general, said. Many Nigerian citizens, though, are very unhappy with giving the land to Cameroon. According to Nigeria, about 300,000 citizens live on the peninsula. Before Thursday’s ceremony, security was increased throughout southeast Nigeria, and officials changed the location of the ceremony from the peninsula to the city of Calabar at the last minute and did not give an explanation.

Zimbabwe opposition leader gets his passport back.

After confiscating his passport Thursday, Zimbabwe authorities then returned it to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai the same day, reports Reuters. Tsvangirai was on his way to the Southern African Development Community summit in South Africa when he was held up by authorities. Members of his party are still in the dark about why his passport was taken in the first place. “The passport situation has just been resolved,” said an official from Tsvangirai’s party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). “They have their passports now. They will be leaving [for South Africa] on the 6 p.m. flight. There was no explanation.” This weekend’s conference in South Africa is hosted by the country’s president, Thabo Mbeki, who is also helping mediate power-sharing negotiations between Tsvangirai and longtime leader Robert Mugabe. Even though the two leaders haven’t reached a deal yet after three days of meetings in the country’s capital, Tsvangirai told reporters at the airport that he remained optimistic. A smaller, breakaway faction of MDC (a group that has 10 seats in Parliament) recently reached a power-sharing deal with Mugabe.

Police are wondering how he got his hands on that much money.
Nigerian official allegedly spent $4 million on a witch doctor. Nigerian police arrested a government employee for allegedly hiring a witch doctor to kill a fellow employee, reports CNN. Sam Edem, the head of the Niger Delta Development Corporation, was suspended after the local press got word that he allegedly spent $4 million on the witch doctor to hex and kill another official in his agency. Edem wanted him killed because he believed the employee had ill will against him, police say. He also wanted the witch doctor to influence a state governor to give him “juicy contracts,” said a police statement. Edem became upset when none of the things he asked the witch doctor to do actually happened, and demanded a refund which the witch doctor refused to give him. Both police and those in the federal government are trying to figure out how Edem got his hands on that much money to give to the witch doctor in the first place. He, although not available for official comment, has not denied any of the charges against him, according to the government. Since the nation’s independence from Britain in 1960, about $400 billion of the Nigerian government’s money has been stolen or wasted, according to investigators.

Rival Zimbabwe leaders will resume talks later today. This weekend’s power-sharing negotiations between Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai ended without an agreement, reports CNN. But they are scheduled to resume the talks later today. “We have not finished. We obviously have sticking points like in any talks, but we look forward to overcome them,” Mugabe told the press after talks adjourned early on Monday. Tsvangirai did not answer any questions, instead referring reporters to the meeting’s mediator, South African President Thabo Mbeki who also had no comment. In June, following violent weeks which saw people killed and beaten, longtime leader Robert Mugabe was re-elected in a runoff election that many in the international community dismissed as a sham. Tsvangirai had dropped out of the runoff days before voting, saying that he was fearful for his life and the lives of his supporters. Tsvangirai’s party, Movement of Democratic Change, says that 100 of its supporters were killed by members of the president’s political party, Zanu-PF. But just last week, in a written statement, both parties took responsibility for the violence that occurred ahead of the runoff and pleaded with their supporters to stop fighting, reports the news service. “We further reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that the law is applied fairly and justly to all persons irrespective of political affiliation, to take all necessary measures within our power to eliminate all forms of political violence,” the said statement.

All parties report progress in reaching a deal.

A negotiated political settlement that addresses the problems besetting Zimbabwe could be agreed to as soon as this week, The Standard of Kenya is reporting. The negotiators representing the three parties at the talks resume their negotiations in Pretoria, South Africa, on Sunday. Two weeks ago when the leaders of Zanu-PF, MDC-T and MDC signed a Memorandum of Understanding, they committed themselves to concluding the talks within two weeks. Tomorrow (Monday) marks the last day of the two-week timeline the parties set themselves to reach an agreement. But The Standard was told that while an agreement might not be reached within the next couple of days, the deal will not be too far off the deadline the parties committed themselves to as they were inching toward a final agreement. While there was some groundwork to be covered, the parties to the negotiations were in agreement that there were no insurmountable obstacles to a final settlement, according to The Standard. The optimism on a final agreement being reached this week is indicated in the statements of the three leaders and the arrival here of the chief mediator, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa. After Mbeki’s visit, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai told reporters that he was “fairly satisfied” with the talks, while acknowledging there were “sticking points.” Professor Arthur Mutambara, who heads the other MDC formation, has used pretty much the same language, saying his side remains committed to finding a settlement to the impasse. President Robert Mugabe spoke of the “talks progressing well” and pledged his party’s total commitment to the “speedy conclusion and successful outcome of the talks so that we can focus on the recovery of our economy.” Tsvangirai and Mutambara are in South Africa, but there was no immediate indication suggesting their presence there signaled imminent conclusion to the talks.