Africa - latimes.com

Egypt's border with Gaza stays closed as protest continues

By Ingy Hassieb, Los Angeles Times — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:10:00 PDT

Nearly 170 demonstrators participate in a sit-in after the kidnapping of seven Egyptian soldiers last week in the Sinai Peninsula.

CAIRO — Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip remained closed Sunday as the families and colleagues of seven Egyptian soldiers who were kidnapped in the northern Sinai Peninsula last week continued a sit-in.

Morale hits a new low on Egypt stock market

By Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:27:00 PDT

Brokers and investors worry the Muslim Brotherhood's rise to power will put the ailing Egyptian economy even deeper in the tank.

CAIRO — His phone doesn't ring and his charts are gloomy.

Defense official says U.S. has authority to target terrorists anywhere

By Ken Dilanian, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:17:00 PDT

Some in Congress sharply question how a law that sprang from the Sept. 11 attacks can be applied so broadly. Panel is also told war with Al Qaeda could last 20 more years.

WASHINGTON — A senior Pentagon official told a Senate committee Thursday that the U.S. would be at war with Al Qaeda for 15 to 20 more years and said the military could target terrorists anywhere under a law passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Administration emails raise new questions on Libya attack

By Christi Parsons and Ken Dilanian, Washington Bureau — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:54:00 PDT

Emails exchanged after the attack on a U.S. diplomatic site in Benghazi, Libya, show the White House and State Department were deeply involved in drafting a talking points document.

WASHINGTON — Email traffic exchanged during the drafting of talking points about the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, last year shows that the State Department and White House were more involved in shaping the document than they previously let on.

How life (and death) change Egyptian soccer and its American coach

By Kevin Baxter — Sat, 11 May 2013 13:25:00 PDT

Bob Bradley, the former U.S. coach once seen as aloof, has become an emotional leader as Egypt's national soccer team moves one win from the final round of World Cup qualifying.

Bob Bradley wasn't looking for an adventure as much as he was looking for a job after being fired as coach of the U.S. soccer team two years ago.

Envoy describes night of Benghazi attack

By Ken Dilanian, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 8 May 2013 16:27:00 PDT

Greg Hicks, deputy chief of the diplomatic mission in Libya, tells Congress he was on the phone with J. Christopher Stevens just before the ambassador was killed.

WASHINGTON — Minutes after Greg Hicks learned that the perimeter of the U.S. mission in Benghazi had been breached by men with guns, he punched a cellphone number to reach Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, his immediate boss, who was at the scene.

Republicans say military could have done more in Benghazi

By Ken Dilanian, Los Angeles Times — Tue, 7 May 2013 20:45:00 PDT

But the Pentagon has said that no forces would have been able to reach the Libyan site in time to prevent the American deaths.

WASHINGTON — The latest chapter in the political battle over the killing of four Americans in Libya is unfolding this week, with Republicans pointing to the testimony of a State Department official as evidence that the U.S. military could have done more to disrupt the attack.

Uganda priest ostracized for publicizing sexual abuse

By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times — Sat, 4 May 2013 18:10:00 PDT

The Catholic Church suspends Anthony Musaala indefinitely for shining a light on what he calls an open secret: Sex abuse is a problem in Africa too.

KAMPALA, Uganda — He is a celebrity across eastern and central Africa, a gospel music star known to many as the "Dancing Priest." But for years he also was a keeper of painful secrets — his own and many others'.

U.S. policy seen as factor in Somalia famine deaths

By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 2 May 2013 16:07:00 PDT

U.S. counter-terrorism measures and Islamist militants contributed to the nearly 260,000 deaths in Somalia's 2010-12 food crisis, analysts say.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — It was the catastrophe everyone knew was coming yet no one seemed able to stop.

Les Rois Hotel on Egypt's Red Sea is alcohol-free

By Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:00:00 PDT

Les Rois is the first hotel in the resort of Hurghada to provide a booze-free atmosphere, a testament to Egypt's new political culture.

CAIRO — Hold the martini, please.