News Desk Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Foreign Worker Kidnapped in Nigeria, Ending Months of Relative Quiet

A foreign worker has been taken hostage by gunmen in Nigeria's troubled oil-region. This is the first kidnapping of a foreign national for almost five months and it has raised fears that a period of relative calm in the Niger Delta could be coming to an end. For VOA, Sarah Simpson has more from Lagos. MORE>>>

Obasanjo's power at stake in Nigeria party polls

ABUJA, March 4 (Reuters) - Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo faces a battle to keep his grip on the highly influential ruling party on Saturday when it chooses new leaders, party members say. MORE>>>

Four international airports up for lease

THE Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano and the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) are to be concessioned soon. MORE>>>

UN: Rights Council Should Tackle Somalia Crisis

The armed conflict in Somalia that began in late 2006 when Ethiopia ousted the Islamic Courts Union from Mogadishu has resulted in numerous violations of international humanitarian law by all sides. Ethiopian armed forces, troops of the Transitional Federal Government, and the insurgents have all been responsible for deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against civilians in the capital, Mogadishu. MORE>>>

Zuma says racism still widespread in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, March 4 (Reuters) - Ruling ANC party leader Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday that racism was still a major problem in South Africa, after a video in which white university students degraded black campus cleaners sparked outrage. MORE>>>