By Peter Heinlein

Economists are rapidly lowering growth forecasts for Africa and urging donor countries and lending agencies to increase assistance in light of the recent sharp increases in commodity prices. As VOA's Peter Heinlein reports from Addis Ababa, the authors of a just-released economic snapshot are warning African policymakers to be cautious as they plan for the future.

The African Economic Outlook report forecasts a nearly six percent growth in the continent's Gross Domestic Product this year, continuing through 2009. The report was prepared jointly by the African Development Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

Significant progress has been made in reducing the harm of tobacco in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Early this month, May 8,  marks the 10-year anniversary of Minnesota’s historic settlement with the tobacco industry. The settlement and the trial leading up to it made national headlines for exposing millions of tobacco industry documents and for creating ClearWay Minnesota, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to eliminating the harm tobacco causes Minnesotans.

OverExposure awarded artist grants to Michael Dvorak, Dusky Hoskovec, Sarah Stacke, and Xavier Tavera to record Twin Cities neighborhoods as part of the second phase of “What’s New”.

“What’s New”, is a three-year photography project to artistically document the changing demographics and challenges currently facing Twin Cities neighborhoods.  OverExposure, a media arts organization initiated “What’s New” in 2007. OverExposure creates partnerships between photographers and nonprofit organizations on theme specific projects.

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has revised Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. The revision was necessitated by changes to the Tuberculosis (TB) Component of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Technical Instructions for Civil Surgeons.

By Fanuel Jongwe

Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe called for unity in his faltering party on Sunday ahead of next month's presidential run-off and also threatened to expel the US ambassador in a fiery speech.

Speaking to a crowd of 2,000 at his party's headquarters, he launched his election campaign with a series of attacks on newly returned opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai who he likened to a frog and described as a coward.

The City of Minneapolis is giving residents and businesses an opportunity to comment on the preliminary design plans for the Central Corridor Light-Rail Transit (LRT) Project at a public hearing on June 3. The Central Corridor LRT Project would run from Minneapolis to Saint Paul along University Avenue. It would share stops in downtown Minneapolis with the light-rail line currently in service. Plans call for construction on the 11-mile Central Corridor line to begin in 2010, with service beginning in 2014.

(Minneapolis) The U.S Department of State and the Tanzanian Foreign Ministry have completed Kjell Bergh, the Consul, his transfer of accreditation to Minnesota. Originally accredited to the State of Florida in January 2000.
Mr. Berg previously worked as Honorary Consul for Tanzania in a large number of states. Now that the formal transfer has taken place, the Minneapolis Consulate said that they can now assume a more active and visible role in Tanzanian affairs also in the Midwest. 

By Sara Chute

Immigrants with disabilities arrive in this country seeking a new life while burdened with physical and mental ailments. These ailments can cause these immigrants to have low self esteem and hamper their ability to succeed in their new homeland. They also know that they are lucky in coming to this country where they can get better health, education, and can be fruitful to the community. 

By Mary Turck

The Daily Planet turned two years old on May 1, marking two years of constant growth and change. Our front page changes daily, featuring an average of eight to ten stories from community media partners and citizen journalists. New media tools range from Google maps to Twitter, offering increasing interactivity for our growing community of readers, writers and viewers.

By Dane Smith,
President Growth & Justice
 
How regressive are residential property taxes? Very Huge. Households in the top 1 percent of incomes (those making more than $450,000) are projected to pay on average about 0.7 percent of that income in residential property taxes in 2009. The household average for the state as a whole will be about 2.5 percent of our annual income in property taxes, or more than three times the effective tax rate of the to-enders. And those right in the middle and just below the middle will pay about 3.5 percent of their income in property taxes, or five times the effective rate paid by those at the very top. 

By Manjeet Kripalani and David Rocks

As Chinese companies have snapped up oil and mineral rights across Africa in recent years, India has been slower on the uptake. Last year, China's two-way trade of $55 billion with Africa was more than double its big Asian rival's. Now India is trying hard to catch up.

In April, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted a summit in New Delhi to boost ties with Africa. And Indian companies are ramping up their dealmaking on the continent. "Africa has emerged as an important partner, as a market for our goods and services [and] a vital element in our quest for energy security," says Navdeep Suri, India's consul general in South Africa.

By Joe DeCapua

In Djibouti, talks continue between the Somali Transitional Federal Government and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia. While there’s no word on reaching a political solution to the fighting in Somalia, the two sides today released a joint statement on the humanitarian situation.

The brief statement says they are aware of the deteriorating situation and are determined to help the Somali people through this difficult period. They also call upon their supporters to put aside their differences and allow immediate, unhindered access and delivery of aid to those in need.

For reaction to the statement, VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua spoke with Profess David Shinn of George Washington University and former ambassador to Ethiopia.

The Afterschool Alliance today honored Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman for his support for afterschool programs at the “Breakfast of Champions,” a gala event in Washington, D.C. Mayor Coleman was one of 16 individuals and four organizations honored for their tireless work on behalf of afterschool programs. He was nominated by Youth Community Connections, Minnesota’s Statewide Afterschool Alliance.

Mayor Coleman has made afterschool programming a priority in Saint Paul. He is working to ensure that the City helps to meet families’ needs by organizing out-of-school programming and partnering with youth programs across Saint Paul. Mayor Coleman has also expanded the public transportation system to offer free rides to young people to afterschool programs and other locations that provide learning opportunities.

In recent years, over 1 million people became Lawful Permanent Residents of the United States (LPRs).  Under the law there are a variety of different categories and means through which a person may become eligible for permanent residence.  A substantial number of these categories have numerical limitations – annual caps on how many people can immigrate.  There are other aspects to these caps as well, such as limitations per country.

While there are many different categories and means by which a person may become a permanent resident, there are two ways a person is actually granted permanent residence.

By Seyoum Tesfaye

When you think it could not get worse and you are hoping the conflict he triggered with Ethiopia will be finally resolved so that the Horn of Africa will get a chance to live in peace, the Eritrean tyrant decided to create another diversion from his chronic domestic crisis by advancing his army to the border of another sovereign nation: Djibouti.

The UN Security Council has clear evidence, as if it needed another one, to fully grasp the true nature of the Eritrean regime.