West Africa

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In Senegal, Gold Is a Lucrative but Risky Gig

Mercury used to suss out gold from rock is poisoning those who use it, especially women

(Newser) - The quickest way to separate gold from rock, Sadio Camara says, is with a drop of mercury. She empties a dime-size packet of the silvery liquid into a plastic bucket of muddy sediment outside her home in southeastern Senegal. With bare hands and no mask, she swirls the mixture as...

Iowan Dies of 'Frightening' Virus After Travel to Africa

Lassa fever is suspected in person's death; close contacts are being identified

(Newser) - Health officials are investigating the death Monday of an Iowa resident as a suspected case of Lassa fever, a frightening viral hemorrhagic fever rarely seen in the US , health officials said. The patient returned to the US from West Africa early this month, the AP reports. The person was not...

3 Nations Leave Economic Bloc Over Sanctions Opposing Coups
Nations Leave Bloc After Coups
Jan 28, 2024 10:45 AM CST

Nations Leave Bloc After Coups

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger juntas call sanctions inhumane

(Newser) - West African nations Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have withdrawn from the regional economic bloc known as ECOWAS, their respective juntas announced Sunday, accusing the bloc of "inhumane" sanctions to reverse the coups in their nations. The AP reports that the juntas said in a joint statement read out...

It's Coup Part II for Burkina Faso
It's Coup Part II
for Burkina Faso
Oct 1, 2022 9:30 AM CDT

It's Coup Part II for Burkina Faso

Paul-Henri Damiba, who ousted the ex-president in January, has himself been ousted by soldiers

(Newser) - In January, Paul-Henri Damiba led a military coup that ousted Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore, citing widespread discontent at Kabore's inability to quell relentless attacks by Islamic groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State that have killed thousands. Now, it appears Damiba, who took over as the West Africa...

'Horrendous Loss of Life' After Oil Tanker Explosion

At least 92 are dead, dozens seriously injured after blast near Sierra Leone's capital

(Newser) - An oil tanker exploded near Sierra Leone's capital, killing at least 92 people and severely injuring dozens of others after large crowds gathered to collect leaking fuel, officials and witnesses said Saturday. The explosion took place late Friday after a bus struck the tanker in Wellington, a suburb just...

Scientists Find Clues of 'Ghost' Human Ancestor
Evidence of a 'Ghost' Human
Ancestor Revealed in DNA
in case you missed it
Feb 16, 2020 4:06 PM CST

Evidence of a 'Ghost' Human Ancestor Revealed in DNA

Researchers say unknown archaic population mated with homo sapiens

(Newser) - Scientists already know that early humans mated with Neanderthals and Denisovans, distant relatives on the family tree. Now a new study suggests that another such group existed, one that has yet to be identified, reports the Guardian . In their study in the journal Science Advances , researchers say they found evidence...

Pair Traveling in Burkina Faso Disappears

Edith Blais, Luca Tacchetto have not been heard from in weeks

(Newser) - It was Edith Blais' "lifelong dream" to travel to Africa, her mother tells the CBC . But after the 34-year-old Quebec woman achieved that dream last year, she disappeared—she and her companion, 30-year-old Italian man Luca Tacchetto, have not been heard from since Dec. 15. They were in Burkina...

In Sierra Leone, 'Sounds of Wailing, Mourning Everywhere'

Nearly 400 bodies recovered after mudslide

(Newser) - "We have been through 10 years of war, then Ebola, and now this. Have mercy on Sierra Leone, Father," a bishop prayed Wednesday during a vigil in the country's capital of Freetown, where reports suggest 400 people are dead and another 600 are missing as a result...

Man Finds Huge Diamond, Decides to Give It Up

Gives it to government to fund development in Sierra Leone

(Newser) - A pastor in Sierra Leone has discovered the largest uncut diamond found in the West African country for more than four decades and has turned it over to the government, saying he hopes it helps to boost recent development in his impoverished nation. Pastor Emmanuel Momoh found the 706-carat alluvial...

You Could Have Ebola and Not Even Know It
You Could Have Ebola
and Not Even Know It
NEW STUDY
Nov 16, 2016 8:41 AM CST

You Could Have Ebola and Not Even Know It

Up to 25% of infections may be 'minimally symptomatic'

(Newser) - Ebola doesn't always show itself through fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. A new PLOS study finds that some people with the virus show mild or no symptoms at all—a potential concern for preventing its spread. Researchers who visited the village of Sukudu in Sierra Leone, a hot spot in...

Chimps Are Inexplicably Hurling Rocks at Trees

There are theories, of course—including that it might be part of a 'sacred' ritual

(Newser) - Chimpanzees in West Africa are throwing rocks at trees, and why they're doing it remains a mystery, Discovery reports. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology say this chimp behavior has never before been documented and that it may shed some light on the species' cultural customs—...

Ancient 'Mega-Tsunami' Could Happen Again

 Ancient 'Mega-Tsunami' 
 Could Happen Again 
study says
Oct 4, 2015 3:40 PM CDT

Ancient 'Mega-Tsunami' Could Happen Again

Scientists marvel at what happened on island of Santiago

(Newser) - A huge tsunami apparently struck an island off the coast of Africa in prehistoric times—and if so, people living on islands and coastlines today should take care for their safety. According to a new study , a tsunami over 50 stories high swept through the Cape Verdean island of Santiago...

As Ebola Wanes, US Clinics Become Ghost Towns

Treatment centers in Liberia were built on worst-case scenario that never happened

(Newser) - The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has shrunk dramatically, with an average of fewer than one new case reported each day last week. Nowhere is the drastic improvement more clear than in the many treatment centers the US has built in Liberia. They're full of empty beds, and some...

Lie of the Year: Overblown Ebola Claims

Americans' concern about disease has wildly fluctuated

(Newser) - When Americans learned about the Ebola outbreak in March, they weren't too concerned; then, "from August to October, it was the apocalypse," a researcher tells Politifact . Now, they say it was "overhyped," he notes. Indeed, when a US health worker arrived for treatment in the...

Obama Calls for $6B to Fight Ebola

President makes plea to Congress for emergency aid to help West Africa

(Newser) - West Africa is still in dire need of international help in fighting Ebola, and President Obama is appealing to Congress to approve $6.2 billion in aid for just that purpose, the AP reports. "We cannot beat Ebola without more funding," he said during a visit yesterday to...

NY, NJ to Require Quarantine After Ebola Contact

Health workers returning from West Africa face 'automatic' new rule

(Newser) - The governors of New Jersey and New York today ordered a mandatory, 21-day quarantine for all doctors and other arriving travelers who have had contact with Ebola victims in West Africa. The move comes after a New York City doctor who returned to the US from treating Ebola victims in...

Travelers From West Africa Can Only Arrive at 5 US Airports

Those coming from Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone to go through special screening

(Newser) - In a move that may quell some of the fears of Ebola breaking out around the US, the Department of Homeland Security announced today that all travelers coming from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea—the region in West Africa where at least 4,500 people have died from the disease,...

WHO: Trials of Ebola Vaccine Coming Soon

As CDC releases new guidelines for dealing with cases

(Newser) - A top World Health Organization official says the hunt for an Ebola vaccine will produce data about whether they're safe by December—and they could be in experimental field use by January. Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, an assistant director-general for WHO, says clinical trials planned or underway in Europe, Africa,...

National Guard May Go to Africa to Fight Ebola

President gives Pentagon authority to call up troops

(Newser) - Members of the National Guard may soon find themselves in West Africa helping to contain the spread of Ebola. President Obama today authorized the Pentagon to call up Guard troops and reservists if necessary, reports AP . The executive order doesn't mean these troops are definitely going, however, notes USA ...

Soccer Coaches Resign Over Alleged Ebola Taunts

Pa. students may be disciplined next after alleged digs at West African opponent

(Newser) - The head coach and assistant coach for a Pennsylvania high school soccer team submitted their resignations last night after players allegedly spewed barbs about his race and Ebola at a West African opponent last Thursday, the Morning Call reports. The newspaper received at least two letters from fans who said...

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