 |
 |
|
Navigation |
| CNN.com - Africa |
| U.N. extends Darfur peacekeeping mission Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:53:37 EDT The United Nations Security Council has renewed the mandate of its mission in the Darfur region of Sudan for another 12 months. |
| Uganda charges 3 in connection with World Cup bombings Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:58:38 EDT Uganda has charged three people in connection with the bomb blasts that erupted in an Ethiopian restaurant and a rugby center in Kampala earlier this month, killing some 76 people, a government official said Friday. |
| From the Nile to the Yangtze: Sailing the world's great rivers Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:46:17 EDT The life-blood of civilizations and natural wonders, rivers are one of the best ways to explore the world's most spectacular scenery. |
| Kenya's Prime Minister likely won't commit troops to AU force Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:36:30 EDT Kenya's Prime Minister says his country probably won't commit troops to an expanded African Union force for Somalia, but he's leaving the door open to "review." |
| Cape Town's 'Ghetto Ballerina' lands U.S. scholarship Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:29:08 EDT A South African ballet dancer from a poor township outside Cape Town has been given the chance to train in the United States -- all because of a documentary film, and an email from a caring viewer. |
| Dozens killed in Somali violence; many more forced to flee Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:57:11 EDT Fighting in the Somali capital this week led to the deaths of dozens of civilians and injuries to scores of others, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday. |
| Scores die of cholera in Cameroon Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:45:10 EDT More than 100 people have died of cholera in Cameroon, according to Joseph Beti Assomo, a regional governor. |
| Al-Shabaab spokesman denies the group is in Puntland Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:51:08 EDT A spokesman for the militant group Al-Shabaab denied Thursday that it has been involved in recent fighting in northeastern Somalia's semiautonomous region of Puntland, but said the group supports it. |
| 80 die in ferry accident Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:58:51 EDT Eighty people were killed late Tuesday in a ferry accident in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a government spokesman confirmed Thursday. |
| Anthrax kills 82 hippos, 9 buffalo in Uganda Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:35:45 EDT More than 90 animals in Uganda have died since June from a vicious strain of anthrax, officials said Thursday. |
| Useful Links: |
| News Search Engine |
| Word of the day |
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 31, 2010 is:
sirenian • \sye-REE-nee-un\ • noun
: any of an order (Sirenia) of aquatic herbivorous mammals (as a manatee, dugong, or Steller's sea cow) that have large forelimbs resembling paddles, no hind limbs, and a flattened tail resembling a fin
Example sentence:
"Looking humanlike in certain aspects, sirenians are thought to be the basis of the myth of mermaids." (Michael McCarthy, The Independent [London], February 28, 2009)
Did you know?
"Sirenian" traces back via Latin to Greek "seirēn," which is equivalent to our word for the sirens of Greek mythology. And what is the connection between sirens and sirenians? Modern sirenians do not resemble the half bird, half woman creatures who lured sailors to their doom with their sweet singing. But as our example sentence states, sirenians are considered by some to underlie the ancient legends about mermaids. In European folklore mermaids were sometimes called "sirens," and apparently this confusion resulted in the granting of sirenians the name they bear today.