The body of a French soldier who has been missing since 3 March may have been found by Sudanese authorities.

A spokesman for the EU (Eufor) force in Chad said Sudan believed a body discovered near the border of Chad may be the body of a missing soldier. Eufor helps protect refugees from Sudenese region of Darfur and the Central African Republic. The soldier went missing after his vehicle strayed over the Sudan border. This is the first serious incident experienced since forces have been deployed. Last month, 3,700 French soldiers were deported to eastern Chad and the Central African Republic.

I hope that the soldiers body can be recovered and returned to his rightful place. In a time of war, I think it is always important for deceased bodies to be returned to their home town so they can have a proper burial. 

CRASH: The Movie

The film Crash won three Oscars for a good reason, it was a wonderfully powerful movie. The movie takes place over two days and explores racial, and cultural differences between fifteen people who's lives seem to all intertwine together. The story switches from a black man stealing a senators car to a cop saving a womens life in a car who he violated just the previous night. This movie also explores the bias towards stereotypes. For example, a Persian immigrant father tries to buy a gun at a local gun shop, but it becomes a hassle because the white shop owner only sees him as a "terrorist" because he is middle eastern. By the end, it seems as though every characters eyes are more open to the world of stereotypes and each person is given a second chance in that way.
My favorite story was the one between the cop and the black woman because after getting pulled over for nothing, the cop violates the woman right in front of her husband. She goes home humiliated and it starts an uprising between her and her husband. However, the next day the woman's car flips over and is leaking gasoline and who but the cop pulls up to the scene. He runs into the car and tries to pull her out but she refuses because she recognizes him. This was a very powerful scene because the woman is so scared of the cop because she was broken down to nothing the night before and now she has to let this man save her life. He has to tell her over and over again that he is not going to hurt her and that the car is leaking gas and that she needs to get out, and this is when she listens to him.

A leader of a Niger Delta oil militant group due in a Nigerian court has still not been seen.

Henry Okah, a captain in the Nigerian Merchant Navy was arrested last September in Luana. Okah, along with Edward Etatah. " They kidnapped foreign oil workers for ransom, holding them deep in the creeks of the swampy Niger Delta and sending their pictures to international news desks, along with demands for a bigger share of the oil wealth. Oil companies have slashed production and evacuated many staff to safer areas" (BBC). Because of this, "copy cat" groups have also tried targeting relatives of politicians and Nigerian national staff.
Mr. Okah did not appear at court yesterday and is being charged with murder, bank robbery, kidnapping, endangering the state and gun-running. The judge has stated that Mr. Okah must be produced in court by March 5.
I hope that the Nigerian government will be able to locate Okah if he does not decide to show up for his second court date.

Chasing The Sand

Scientists have been trying to track down the hot Saharan desert sand in order to see how it effects marine biology and, the ocean's ability to soak up the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Eric Achterberg, principal scientist for the Natural Environment Research Council funded Solas (Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study) expedition took a one month cruise in order to search for intense dust storms that carried the Saharan sand. He encountered two storms, one that lasted 3 days, the other one lasting almost 5 days.

"We were on top of the ship, you could just see it coming - there was a wall of dust coming towards us and it got very hazy after that. The ship was covered in dust - it was just fantastic. The dust from this one went all the way to south-west England; we heard reports that in Plymouth there was Saharan dust on cars."

Each year, about 1,700 million tonnes of dust are produced by deserts around the world and about one third of this falls into the oceans. The North Atlantic receives the most dust due to its proximity to the Sahara Desert. This sprinkling of sand can be critical for marine life in the area. All this sand can have a profound effect on marine life, and even endanger the health of some species.

I personally think this topic is very interesting. I think it is amazing how sand all the way from Africa can reach parts of the world that are thousands of miles away. I wanted to write about something different other than war and conflicts in Africa. I wanted to take a break from that and write about something on the more scientific side.

This satellite image shows the dust blowing across the Atlantic

Rebel Death Might Slow Down Peace Talks

The death of rebel Vincent Otti could possibly slow down peace talks to end a 20-year conflict. Vincent Otti was second in command of the Lord's Resistance Army rebels. He was suspected to be killed by LRA commanders last year, but not until last week was it officially confirmed by the LRA. "Now that he is dead it leaves a huge gap on the LRA's side," the minister for international affairs said ahead of the talks that are to resume on Monday. This conflict has made millions of people angry, and has also killed tens of thousands. Before the LRA confirmed Otti's death, they told officials that he was under house arrest-accused of being a government spy. Officials say Otti played a key role in initiating the talks which began in July 2006. Otti was one of four other LRA commanders wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
Now, with Otti dead, I believe it will cause much conflict hence the fact that Otti seemed to be a key contributer to peace talks. Also supporters of Otti could possibly become outraged at the fact that the LRA lied about his death for so long. All in all, I hope some kind of peace agreement will come out of this so this 20-year conflict can be put to rest.

South African Gold Mines Shut Down By Power Cuts

Yesterday, South Africa's biggest gold and platinum mine companies have paused due to recent power cuts in the area. "They took the drastic measure after state power company Eskom said it could not guarantee supplies, raising fears of miners being trapped underground" (BBC news). South Africa is one of the largest producers of platinum and gold. The world's biggest platinum miner, Anglo Platinum, and the three largest gold mining companies, Anglo Gold Ashanti, Gold Fields and Harmony have all suspended production.
This is in no means good for the South African economy. Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin, says the next two years will become very critical for South Africa. Because of this crisis, the prices of precious metals around the world have greatly increased, while shares on the four suspended companies have dwindled.

Kenya To Boycott Over Rally

Kenya now says that they will use boycotts instead of rallies, ever since last months poll created mayhem. "The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) says it will boycott companies run by senior allies of President Mwai Kibaki" (BBC News). Since last month, 600 people have died because of violence. Police have taken force in Mombasa by releasing tear gas and unloading fire on unruly protesters.
At a news conference in Nairobi, sponsors of Kenya released a list of irregular tallying and announcement of results. 360,000 votes could not be verified, and about 230,000 votes separated the two candidates. Supporters of ODM candidate, Raila Odinga have become outraged with the recent happenings; apparently so has Odinga, who has demanded a re-run. Today will be the last day of a three day straight nationwide protest. "ODM spokesman Salim Lone told the BBC that from next week, the opposition would switch to other forms of action, such as boycotts of companies run by what he called the government hardliners" (BBC News). Boycotts could very well be seen at companies such as Brookside Dairies, Equity Bank, and City Hopper bus services.

first blog

Hi everyone! My name is Brittany and I am 18. I am currently taking a class called Contemporary World Issues at my school, and as an assignment my teacher has asked us to open up a google email account and post blogs on a specific continent. I chose Africa, so I am going to be following the news about any interesting things happening in the country, and posting blogs about their current events.  So yep.....thats what I'm gonna do. :)