FUNGUKA

YOLA, NIGERIA— The United Nations refugee agency expressed concern that Niger is forcing Nigerians away from Lake Chad and their livelihoods in the wake of a deadly battle with the Boko Haram extremist group. Thousands of Nigerians who worked in the fishing industry are being forced away from Lake Chad by the government of Niger and back into Nigeria, according to authorities on both sides of the border. The order comes in the wake of an attack, by the Boko Haram extremist group on the island of Karamga in Lake Chad last month, that killed at least 74 Niger soldiers and civilians. Alhaji Muhammed Kanar, northeast coordinator for Nigeria’s emergency management agency, said, “From the first three days, we received nearly 4,000. And in fact, another batch of nearly 3,000 or above, we are now in the process of registration.” Boko Haram’s six-year rampage across northeastern Nigeria has displaced more than a million Nigerians. The attack in Niger came three months a...

1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and ruler of Dubai (C) takes part in a ceremony to unveil UAE's Mars Mission in Dubai.       2 Boys sit in a tree under a partly cloudy sky in an open field in Karachi, Pakistan.     3 People walk through the garden of Changgyeonggung Palace in Seoul.     4 A boy jumps into the Ganges river to cool himself off on a hot summer day in Kolkata, India. Temperature in Kolkata is expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit).       5 A couple uses a smartphone as they wait for the start of a shadow play performance at Changgyeonggung Palace in Seoul.       6 A man drives the "Iris viseo", an electric surveillance vehicle with a telescopic cockpit designed and manufactured in France at the car park of a shopping center in Noyell...

  From the outside, the Syrian opposition group Harakat Hazm seemed like the perfect candidate for the CIA’s covert program to train and arm moderate rebels. The group, whose name means “Movement of Steadfastness” was secular, well-organized and dedicated to bringing down the government of Bashar al-Assad to “restore the freedom and dignity of the Syrian people.” In the spring of 2014, Harakat Hazm was given 50 TOW anti-tank missiles.  In addition, the U.S. provided the rebels with salaries, medical supplies and ammunition, but never enough, rebels said.  The episode is an example of the Obama administration’s apprehensions about supporting the fragmented rebel groups in Syria.  The U.S. is concerned that arms could end up in the wrong hands - something that has already ocurred with some military aid. And, if Assad were ever ousted, U.S. officials worry American involvement could inadvertently lead to radical Islamic groups gaining power – something the U.S....

1 Pedestrians pass before Storm Troopers at a toy shop in Tokyo. May 4th is called the "Star Wars Day" among Star Wars fans as the famous phrase "May the Force be with you" in the movie sounds like "May the 4th be with you." 2 A young Indian Buddhist monk opens the petals of a lotus flower as he sits with others while offering prayers on the occasion of Buddha Purnima in Bangalore, during the 2559th Buddha Jayanthi or birth celebrations of Buddha. 3 Men duck for cover as shots are fired in Bujumbura, Burundi. 4 A competitor goes down steps of an alley during the Favelas Mountain Bike circuit at Turano shantytown in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 3, 2015. 5 Nepalese Buddhists light incense sticks at the Boudhanath Stupa during Buddha Jayanti, or Buddha Purnima, festival in Kathmandu. 6 Israeli security forces scuffle with a demonstrater during a protest called by members of the Ethiopian community...

  12 A worker of the recently closed Swan garments factory covers her face with a scarf to shelter herself from the sun as she participates in a protest outside the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Export Association (BGMEA) office in Dhaka.

  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he will discuss a proposed "humanitarian pause" for war-ravaged Yemen when he travels to Saudi Arabia later Wednesday. For more than a month, Saudi Arabia has conducted airstrikes against Houthi rebels trying to overthrow the Yemeni government. Attempts by international relief groups to deliver humanitarian aid, including fuel and other commercial goods, has been severely hampered by the fighting. “The harsh restrictions on importations imposed by the coalition for the past six weeks, added to the extreme fuel shortages, have made the daily lives of Yemenis unbearable, and their suffering immense,” Cedric Schweizer, who heads the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yemen, said in a statement Monday. VOA's Pam Dockins, who is traveling with Kerry, said the secretary of state also announced $68 million in new U.S. aid to Yemen during a stop in the East African nation of Djibouti Wednesday. The State Dep...

DAR ES SALAAM— Tanzania has postponed a referendum on a new constitution after delays in registering voters, the electoral body said Thursday. The postponement heightened tensions over the charter, which the main opposition parties have rejected. The delay also could complicate presidential and parliamentary elections due to be held in October. The new constitution would replace one passed in 1977, when the state was under one-party rule. The opposition said it was approved last year without a quorum by an assembly dominated by President Jakaya Kikwete's Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has been in power since Tanzania's independence from Britain in 1961. The electoral commission said it had not received enough biometric voter registration kits to enable the vote on the constitution to take place as planned on April 30. "The previously announced referendum ... has been postponed until the National Electoral Commission announces a new date,"...

    Sun and wind are seen as the most abundant sources of clean, renewable energy, but as many 'ocean-hugging' countries know, the energy of ocean waves is also both powerful and endless. Looking for the most efficient ways to capture that energy, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced a $1.5 million-prize competition for new ideas. The department estimates that waves and tides along the U.S. coasts generate 1,420 terawatt-hours of energy annually. That is equal to the output of more than 330 nuclear power plants. Unfortunately, the efficiency of today’s technologies for capturing that energy is only about 20 percent, too low for the investment to be economical, says Jose Zayas, director of the Wind and Water Power Technologies Office at the Department of Energy. “We’re really looking to step-change that into the high 30s-40s [percent] and I think… once you achieve that, then the economic competiveness of this industry really comes to life and that’s r...

  President Barack Obama said Monday that recent urban protests show the United States needs to do more to make sure its youth – particularly black and Latino boys and young men – have an equal chance to succeed in America. "We cannot guarantee everyone's success," Obama said, but the country can "ensure an equal shot." Speaking at Lehman College in New York, he announced the launch of a nonprofit foundation aimed at carrying out his My Brother’s Keeper initiative to improve education and job prospects for youths across the country – particularly in impoverished communities. Announcement of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance came a week after rioting and looting erupted in the eastern city of Baltimore, Maryland, following the death of a young black man from a spinal cord injury while in police custody. Six police officers have been charged with various crimes in the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray. Protesters in Baltimore also cited high unemploym...

  NAIROBI— On the streets of Nairobi, Kenyans are talking about a photograph on page two of The People's Daily newspaper. Attached to a story about John Kerry’s visit, it shows a heavily-armed American soldier, in full body armor, with an assault rifle in his hands and another sidearm strapped to his leg. Next to him is a Kenyan police officer seemingly unarmed in a standard issue uniform, no body armor, standing with his arms behind his back. For Chery Ogola, the picture is worth a thousand words. “The Kenyan policeman is just plain; it’s just the uniform that tells you he’s a policeman, otherwise you would mistake him for a watchman," says the 24-year-old student. "He doesn’t have any sort of protection, even a gun holder, a simple gun holder. It’s a very bad image.” Although the picture isn't truly indicative of the preparation of Kenyan security forces on the whole, Ogola says it sends a message to Kenya’s enemies. “It’s so bad. It shows the...

NAIROBI— U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has announced millions of dollars in new aid for Africa at a Monday news conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Kerry said $45 million in additional funding will be provided to help the UNHCR provide better school, health clinics and clean drinking water to refugees. The State Department said the funds will help 600,000 refugees living in Kenya, including 400,000 people from Somalia and 45,000 refugees from South Sudan. It said that including the just announced funding, the United States has provided since 2014 more than $289 million in humanitarian assistance for Kenya.

  HOUSTON— U.S. federal authorities are investigating two men killed by police in Texas after the men shot a security guard outside a free speech event. Police officials said the shooters were roommates Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, of Arizona. Court documents show that Simpson had been under surveillance since 2006 and convicted in 2010 of lying to FBI agents over his desire to join violent jihad in Somalia. FBI agents and police searched the two men's home in Phoenix, cordoning off the apartment complex and evacuating residents for several hours. U.S. federal authorities were investigating two men killed by police in Texas after the men shot a security guard outside a venue holding a contest for Prophet Mohammad cartoons. An investigator talks to police officers at the Autumn Ridge apartment complex which had been searched by investigators in Phoenix, Arizona, May 4, 2015.     Officials were searching the Phoenix, Arizona, apartment Monday of one of ...

5 Russia's Aleksandra Soldatova performs in the individual final program at the 31st European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Minsk, Belarus.

7 Russia's Margarita Mamun performs in the individual final program at the 31st European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Minsk, Belarus.

1 A Buddhist monk takes part in the traditional "hi-watari", or fire-walking ritual, at Shiofune-kannonji temple in Ome City, Tokyo.       2 Visitors stroll through a garden with colorful azalea bushes in full bloom at Shiofune-kannonji temple in Ome City, Tokyo.       3 A sculptor makes a sand sculpture devoted to the WW II victory in Minsk. Belarus will celebrate the end of WW II on May 9.       4 A bird in a cage is hung on a branch along a roadside near the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.       5 Russia's Aleksandra Soldatova performs in the individual final program at the 31st European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Minsk, Belarus.       6 People pose with a dog covered in color powder during the first color run called "Alwan LB" in Beirut.       7 Russia's Marga...