French mourn Chirac as African leaders extend condolences

French mourn Chirac as African leaders extend condolences

African leaders were quick to extend their condolences after hearing the news that former French president Jacques Chirac had died in Paris. Chirac, 86, had a history of illness. President George Weah was among those who expressed his sorrow over the loss of Chirac, who considered himself a friend to…

South Africa’s Zuma family grieves loss of son to lupus

In South Africa, the family of former president Jacob Zuma – mourning the loss of his son, Vusi Nhlakanipho Zuma – issued a statement Wednesday explaining that the 25-year-old died at the weekend from complications of lupus. Services will be held Saturday in Johannesburg, followed by burial at the Westpark…

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela dies in South Africa

South Africans mourned on Monday the loss of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the apartheid-era leader of the country’s struggle for justice and former wife of the late Nelson Mandela. Madikizela-Mandela, 81, died at a Johannesburg hospital where she had been treated over the last year for chronic illness, the family said in…

Sudan, world’s last male northern white rhino, has died in Kenya

Sudan, the world’s last male northern white rhino, has died following a series of age-related health complications and infections. The 45-year-old rhino has been at the center of global attention because unless science can perform a technological miracle, the northern white rhino – which once roamed East and Central Africa…

Zimbabwe opposition leader Tsvangirai dies

Former Zimbabwe prime minister and longtime political opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has died, members of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party confirmed late Wednesday. The 65-year-old Tsvangirai was reportedly battling cancer for which he was treated in South Africa, and in recent weeks had taken a turn for the…

Global migration leaders react with sadness to death of Sutherland

The world’s financial and diplomatic leaders have reacted with sadness to news of the death of Peter Sutherland, the 71-year-old Irish statesman and former European Union commissioner. Among the many tributes to his influence as a United Nations diplomat, or his leadership as a World Trade Organization negotiator, were those…

Ghanaian who died in NYC fire hailed as life-saving hero

Emmanuel Mensah, a Ghanaian immigrant living in the United States, is being hailed as a hero for saving the lives of four neighbors before he couldn’t escape from what is now New York City’s worst fatal fire since 1990. Twelve people died in Thursday’s blaze, among them the 28-year-old member…

Mahmoud Fikri, WHO regional director in northern Africa, has died

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Tuesday that Dr. Mahmoud Fikri, the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, died suddenly while en route to a global health summit in South America. Fikri had served since February as the regional director of a challenging territory that includes Djibouti, Egypt, Libya,…

Kenyan wildlife filmmaker Alan Root dies at age 80

Alan Root, the award-winning British filmmaker who documented the beauty of the Serengeti and other African ecosystems and wildlife for decades, has died at age 80. Root, a resident of Kenya, traveled for years with his wife Joan as they worked together on films that helped to build an understanding…