DORKING, England, February 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – The Maldives has once again topped Kuoni’s annual poll of where UK customers want to spend their holidays. In the company’s top ten selling destinations for 2012, the Indian Ocean archipelago has held on to the top slot since 2005. Where holidaymakers want to go is just part [...]

GENEVA, Switzerland, February 2, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A number of UN human rights experts on Thursday expressed their dismay at the continuing abuse of anti-terrorism legislation to curb freedom of expression in Ethiopia. A week ago, three journalists and two opposition politicians* were given prison sentences ranging from 14 years to life imprisonment [...]

GENEVA, Switzerland, February 2, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — FIFA is deeply saddened by the tragic incidents which led to the death of football fans and others at last night’s match in Port Said (Egypt). As expressed by President Blatter in a letter to the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) today (direct link: http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/president/01/57/81/93/condolence_efa.pdf), FIFA is [...]

GENEVA, Switzerland, February 2, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Thursday expressed concern about possible use of excessive force by the authorities in the Senegalese capital Dakar, and in other towns, and warned that the country’s strong tradition of peaceful, democratic elections could be jeopardized if [...]

GENEVA, Switzerland, February 2, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regrets the decision of the Office for Supervising the Affairs of Foreign Agencies of the Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen to terminate the agreement under which the ICRC was allowed to deliver emergency food aid in Al-Shabaab administered areas [...]

By Rebecca Chimjeka Vendors in Malawi seem to be fed up with the Chinese nationals’ who have taken over the small-scale business from the natives in the name of ‘investors.’ This follows the petition by Malawi’s Northern district Kalonga based vendors to the District Commissioner (DC) who wants the investors to leave districts market as [...]

By Rebecca Chimjeka The Malawi government has trashed remarks by the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that African leaders should respect gay rights. Malawi Minister of Information and Civic Education Patricia Kaliati said there is no way the country can legalize homosexuality since it is against traditional values and commonly taken as a taboo. “We can [...]

NEW YORK, February 2, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: The Secretary-General is concerned about the upsurge of tensions in Senegal ahead of the presidential election scheduled for 26 February 2012. The Secretary-General urges all political parties and national stakeholders to refrain [...]

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, February 2, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African Union (AU) on Tuesday, 31st January 2012 hosted a fund-raising luncheon to propel forward the recently launched Pan-African University (PAU). Holding at the sidelines of the 18th AU Summit, the event took place in the new African Union Conference Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. [...]

LONDON, United-Kingdom, February 1, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade must rein in security forces, Amnesty International urged today after a third person was killed and dozens injured by police during two days of demonstrations across the country. At least one man was killed yesterday when a police car ploughed into a [...]