494-UNITED NATIONS, May 16, 2012 (IPS) - The statistics have remained staggering: every two minutes, a woman dies of pregnancy and child birth-related complications caused primarily by severe bleeding, infections, high blood pressure and unsafe abortions. And 90 percent of maternal deaths occur in the world's 132 developing nations, according to U.N. estimates. Still, there are hopeful signs in the horizon, says a new report jointly commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the U.N.

384-Rohan Marley, son of music legend Bob Marley and the father of five children with singer Lauryn Hill, is engaged to Brazilian model Isabeli Fontana.The pair made headlines last year when it was reported that Marley had dumped Hill for Fontana while the singer was pregnant. Fontana, who has been twice divorced and has two sons, revealed that she and Marley plan to marry in Ethiopia.

426-"Casablanca" is not my favorite movie, but along with "The Godfather," it's the one I can most easily be talked into watching again - and again. The latest welcome excuse is the 70th anniversary rerelease of the film in a deluxe three-disc set, consisting of a Blu-ray copy, a DVD copy and a disc of special features. It also comes with a poster and a hardcover booklet filled with stills and memos made during the production.

195-IDS hosts debate on how integration and knowledge sharing among the social protection, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction communities can contribute to sustainable development.

443-?Impressive GDP growth rates in Africa have not translated into the elimination of hunger and malnutrition,? said the Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Helen Clark, at the launch of the report today in Nairobi. ?Inclusive growth and people-centred approaches to food security are needed.? With more than one in four of its 856 million people undernourished, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the world?s most food-insecure region.

438-Download PDF (315.38 KB) The 7-day cumulative satellite rainfall estimate (RFE) image below indicates moderate rains were received within the Juba and Shabelle basins in Somalia and within the Ethiopian highlands. The rainfall forecast for the coming week is pointing towards moderate to heavy rains within the Shabelle and Juba basins both in Ethiopia and Somalia. There is minimal risk of flooding during this week along the Juba River.

419-The Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden (Djibouti Code of Conduct) was today (15 May 2012) signed on behalf of South Africa by the South African High Commissioner, His Excellency Dr.   Zola Skweyiya, who was attending an IMO Conference on Capacity Building to Counter Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (on Tuesday, 15 May).

483-A U.N. report warns that sub-Saharan African nations will not be able to sustain their economic growth unless they eliminate hunger. UNDP Administrator Helen Clark said Tuesday many sub-Saharan economies are growing fast but the growth rates have not translated into elimination of hunger. According to the agency's African Development Report, nearly 218 million people on the continent are undernourished and 55 million children are malnourished, a figure that is projected to rise.

188-Tesla Reports Record 2012 First Quarter Results");//]]-- Tesla Exploration Ltd. ("Tesla" or the "Company") (TSX:TXL) today announces its 2012 first quarter operating and financial results.

369-European Commission - Press release Commissioner Piebalgs welcomes Development Ministers' endorsement of the Agenda for Change Brussels, 14 May 2012 " EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs welcomes European Ministers for Development' conclusions on the proposals of the Commission for a new orientation of EU development policy through the Agenda for Change.

249-?Ethiopia has made quite incredible advances in mitigating the impact of drought,? said the Operations Director at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), John Ging, in a news release following a two-day visit to Ethiopia.

226-NAIROBI (Reuters) - Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), a Lagos-based development financier, is considering potential investments worth $3 billion across sub-Saharan Africa over the next year, its chief executive said on Monday.

441-European Commission - Press release EU's first Economic Partnership Agreement with an African region goes live Brussels, 14 May 2012 " The trade and development agreement concluded by the EU and four Eastern and Southern African states Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles and Zimbabwe will take effect today. EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said: "Today, our first interim Economic Partnership Agreement with an African region is applied.

475-Rose was in the middle of an English lesson at her school when the bombers arrived. Hearing the buzz of old Russian Antonov cargo planes, the students scurried outside, peering into the sky. At that moment, high above the children's heads, airmen rolled bombs out the planes' cargo bay, sending a firestorm toward the remote village in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. "That day many of us died," 14-year-old Rose said of the day earlier this spring when the Sudan Army attacked.

121-A subscription is required to read the full article. There is no summary. Source Wolfgang H Thome's Blog More from source

400-By Rebecca Murray KUFRA, Libya, May 13, 2012 (IPS) - As dusk settles over the isolated Saharan town Kufra, young guards order a few hundred migrants lined up at a detention centre to chant "Libya free, Chadians out", before they kneel down for evening prayers. Most of the prisoners in the small, squalid compound called the Freedom Detention Centre - run by Kufra"s military council - are from Chad.

486-KUFRA, Libya, May 13, 2012 (IPS) - As dusk settles over the isolated Saharan town Kufra, young guards order a few hundred migrants lined up at a detention centre to chant "Libya free, Chadians out", before they kneel down for evening prayers. Most of the prisoners in the small, squalid compound called the Freedom Detention Centre - run by Kufra's military council - are from Chad. Hundreds more, from Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia, were moved to bigger facilities due to overcrowding.

501-Martha Fischer, 48, curator of mammals, ungulates (hooved animals) and elephants at the St. Louis Zoo and director of the zoo's WildCare Institute's Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa and its Elephant Conservation Program. FAMILY • Married to Frank Fischer, a zoo penguin keeper. Three children: a son, 21, who is studying anthropology at Washington University; a daughter, 18, who is a senior in high school; and a son, 16, who is a sophomore in high school. The family lives in west St.

87-On Friday, the International Institute marked having served 20,000 refugees since 1979.

395-ST. LOUIS • In a tiny windowless room of a rundown office building just off Interstate 70, cabs are dispatched throughout the region. This is the headquarters of Metropolitan Taxicab Corp., the third-largest taxi business in the region with just more than 100 drivers. Two other equally small rooms make up the entire operation of the company, run by Zerebrook Gebru and four other Ethiopians.