Africa

This young male, buried at a prehistoric site in Central Sudan, probably munched on the roots of a plant called purple nutsedge.

This Dirty Little Weed May Have Cleaned Up Ancient Teeth

8:19am August 03, 2014

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Turns out that for 7,000 years, snacking on nutsedge may have helped people avoid tooth decay. But at some point, the root it lost its charm. By the 1970s, it was branded "the world's worst weed."

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As Ebola Outbreak Worsens, West Africa Turns To Quarantines

10:13pm August 01, 2014

by Nurith Aizenman

Leaders of the three African nations hit hardest by the Ebola virus met to discuss ways to fight the outbreak. With the situation deteriorating, it's likely more of the region will be quarantined.

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World News

Kidnapping Is A Lucrative Business For Al-Qaida, Documents Show

5:39pm July 31, 2014

Last year, journalist Rukmini Callimachi found thousands of al-Qaida documents in Timbuktu in Mali. She tells Fresh Air about al-Qaida's strategy of kidnapping Europeans and demanding ransoms.

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World News

What's The Outlook For Nigerian Girls Kidnapped By Boko Haram?

8:14am July 25, 2014

Renee Montagne talks with former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell for an update on the 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped in April by the extremist group Boko Haram.

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A dog sleeps in a derelict building in central Kailahun, where the streets are unusually empty.

World News

Ebola Wreaks Economic Woe In West Africa

11:51am July 18, 2014

by Jason Beaubien

In eastern Sierra Leone, health officials have set up the world's largest treatment for the Ebola virus. Businesses in the area are suffering, and people are finding it difficult to earn a living.

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World News

How U.S. Hopes To Jump-Start Stalled Campaign To Save Nigerian Girls

8:40pm July 17, 2014

More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram are still missing. To find out what the U.S. is doing to help, Audie Cornish speaks with Linda Thomas-Greenfield of the U.S. State Department.

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World News

Political Chaos Reigns 3 Years After Moammar Gadhafi's Ouster

3:16pm July 16, 2014

by Leila Fadel

Two men claim to be Libya's prime minister. At the same time, a renegade general has gathered forces and is attacking Benghazi. Libyans who can afford to are fleeing the country.

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World News

Nigeria's Boko Haram 'More Extreme Than Al-Qaida,' Journalist Says

2:20pm July 16, 2014

Journalist Alex Perry wrote the new e-book The Hunt for Boko Haram: Investigating the Terror Tearing Nigeria Apart. He says Boko Haram doesn't have logical reasons for the atrocious acts it commits.

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World News

Young Pakistani Activist Urges Nigeria To Do More For Kidnapped Girls

10:32am July 16, 2014

by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

It's been three months since Islamist extremists kidnapped more than 250 schoolgirls in northeastern Nigeria. Education campaigner Malala Yousafzai appealed to the captors to free the girls.

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2010 World Cup Helped South Africa Attract Latin American Tourists

7:52am July 04, 2014

by Anders Kelto

Brazil's World Cup soccer stadiums and hotels are packed. But events like that don't pay for themselves. South Africa hosted the last World Cup and the country wasn't left entirely empty handed.

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