Cheetah journal – The daily cheat sheet on African news

11/23/09

1. 1. Happy birthday EAC – But More Work in Needed

It is exactly 10 years since the East African Community (EAC) was revived. Last Friday all roads led to Arusha for the anniversary and Summit. It has been a long haul for what is billed as the most promising regional grouping on the continent. Read More…

2. Global warming will increase likelihood of civil war in Africa by 55 percent

There have been many warnings by policymakers that rising temperatures in Africa could lead to civil conflict, however a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is the first to uncover empirical evidence for these warnings and quantify them. The results—that higher temperatures increased the likelihood of civil war in sub-Saharan Africa by over 50 percent—took aback even the researchers. Read more…

3. Eni to buy oil stakes in Uganda

Eni SpA of Italy is to acquire stakes in two Ugandan oil fields from U.K.-listed Heritage Oil PLC for $1.35 billion, the company said Monday. Read more…

4. China-Africa summit in Egypt hailed as success

A new chapter in relations between the People’s Republic of China and the African continent began during the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum (FOCAC), which was held Nov. 6-9 in the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. Read more …

5. Georges Weah expects African success

Africa has emerged as a major source of talent, with players such as Liberian-born Weah, Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o playing for some of Europe’s leading clubs. Former world footballer of the year, Georges Weah believes an African team could win next year’s World Cup in South Africa. Read more…

6. South African Economy rebounds as World Cup nears

South Africa’s spending to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the world’s most-watched sporting event, and a rebound in manufacturing may have pulled the economy out of its first recession in 17 years in the third quarter. Read more…

7. The emergence of African Fashion magazines

Sub-Saharan Africa does not bring to mind an image of a woman with perfectly manicured nails flipping through glossy magazines in search of the latest handbag or celebrity haircut. Yet such women are there, and in far greater numbers than the news media’s portrayal of Africa might suggest. Read more…

8. Fela! On broadway – African rebellion

NEW YORK — After having Los Angeles singing about their “Empire State of Mind” at the American Music Awards on Sunday, Jay-Z returned home on Monday evening to share in a different kind of celebration. Along with celebs like Ben Stiller, Harry Belafonte and Gayle King, Jay attended the Broadway opening of “Fela!,” a musical celebrating the work of another great man, the late Nigerian superstar Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Read more…