Twenty Exceptional South American Wines Oct 11, 2008
Of course, if warm, dry weather were all there was to making great wine, the Sahara Desert would be Ch. teauneuf-du-Pape. (Forbes)
Keeping it under their hats Oct 10, 2008
"Dave Groner donned the broad-brimmed Fulani hat he wore immunizing at the Libyan border with Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula in the Sahara Desert of north Niger."It covers your head," he said, "and your shoulders when you're riding camels. I noticed when I put the hat on to come down here that instantly my legs started to ache. (Dowagiac News, MI)
France's Le Clezio wins Nobel literature prize Oct 10, 2008
It describes the ordeal of Lalla, a woman from the Tuareg nomadic tribe of the Sahara Desert, as she adapts to civilization imposed by colonial France at the beginning of the 20th century. The Swedish Academy said Le Clezio from early on stood out as an ecologically engaged author, an orientation that is accentuated with the novels 'Terra Amata,' 'The Book of Flights,' 'War' and 'The Giants. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Senegal: Going Solar Could Help Poor Oct 8, 2008
"Research suggests that by tapping into just a small section of the solar energy resources of the Sahara desert, you could theoretically produce enough energy to fuel the entire planet," said UNEP's Nuttall. Senegal, like many of its Sahelian neighbours, gets 3,000 hours of sunshine a year at an intensity of 5. (allAfrica.com)
The Green Sahara, A Desert In Bloom Oct 8, 2008
New North African climate reconstructions reveal three green Sahara episodes during which the present-day Sahara Desert was almost completely covered with extensive grasslands, lakes and ponds over the course of the last 120 ... We found three distinct periods with almost only river-transported particles and hardly any wind dust particles, which is remarkable because today the Sahara Desert is the world s largest dust-bowl, says Rik Tjallingii ... Computer model simulations for the future... (Science Daily)
EU to open 'job centre' in Africa Oct 6, 2008
Thousands of young West Africans set off from the north of Mali each year across the Sahara Desert towards Europe. They are often ill-prepared for the journeys and many die on the way. (BBC News)
Tiny Dust Particles From Sahara Could Help Scientists Study Climate Change Oct 5, 2008
(July 17, 2003) Dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa may modify clouds and rainfall both in Africa and across the tropical North Atlantic as far away as Barbados, according to a study that uses data from NASA. (Oct. (Science Daily)
Algerian Sahara flooding kills 30, injures dozens Oct 3, 2008
A town of about 100,000 people, Ghardaia lies 370 miles south of Algiers on the edges of the Sahara Desert in a long and narrow valley known as the M'zab, which is listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO.. It is the seat of the Mozabite people, who practice a form of dissident Islam unique to their region. (Boston Globe)
29 die, dozens hurt in Algeria floods Oct 3, 2008
It lies on the edges of the Sahara Desert in a long and narrow valley known as the M'zab, which is listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO.. The storms this week caused a local wadi or seasonal river that remains dry for most of the year to rise at some points by 26 feet within hours, APS said. (MSNBC -- International)
Europeans describe kidnap ordeal Oct 3, 2008
The tourists also revealed dramatic details of their seizure at gunpoint by unidentified attackers on 19 September, which was followed by a dash through remote areas of the Sahara Desert. Giovanna Quaglia, another Italian tourist, told La Stampa: "The water and food was rationed, we were scared.". (BBC News -- Africa)
Algerian flood victims protest government response Oct 3, 2008
Torrential rains caused rivers in this usually arid region bordering the Sahara desert to overflow on Wednesday and Thursday, destroying hundreds of houses in the historic town and a neighboring oasis. National radio on Friday put the death toll at 31. (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
Algeria Floods Kills 29 In Sahara Town - Gov't Oct 3, 2008
An interior ministry statement added that 48 people had been injured and one person had gone missing since heavy rains began on Tuesday around the town on the northern edge of the Sahara desert, the official APS state news agency reported. Earlier Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni issued a preliminary toll of 13 dead and said that between 300 and 600 homes had been inundated in the town of about 100,000 people 700 km (437 miles) south of the capital Algiers. (Planet Ark, United States)
Migrants risk all from Libyan port Oct 3, 2008
A 23-year-old Nigerian, who gave his name only as Zachariah, says he saw many dead bodies as he was crossing the Sahara desert. "I had three friends, two of them are dead - I saw them with my own eyes," he said. (BBC News -- Africa)
19 Hostages Holed Up In Egyptian Desert Sep 25, 2008
Undated file picture showing Egypt's south western desert, where a group of 11 European tourists and eight Egyptians were kidnapped during an adventure safari in the Sahara desert and were taken across the border into neighboring Sudan, Monday ... Germany, five of whose citizens are among the captives, has been negotiating with the kidnappers since the group was snatched on Friday while on a Sahara desert safari to a remote plateau in the southwestern corner of Egypt, according to Egyptian... (CBS News)
Europeans abducted on desert safari taken to Libya Sep 25, 2008
The kidnapped party was on a Sahara desert safari when they were snatched Friday by suspected tribesmen. They are five Germans, five Italians and one Romanian. (KOLD.com, AZ)
Sahara Solar Scheme Could Power Poor West Africa Sep 25, 2008
NASA scientists have identified a site in the Sahara desert in northern Niger as the sunniest piece of land in the world. "We have the natural resource -- enough sunshine that can supply our total power requirements," Kwame Ampofo, an energy expert and a member of Ghana's parliament, told Reuters late on Tuesday after legislators from the region discussed the project. (Planet Ark, United States)
Giant Mirrors Tap Sun, Subsidies in European Power Bid: MARKETS MAGAZINE Sep 25, 2008
He's devised an audacious plan to erect fields of mirrors in the Sahara Desert and connect North African countries to Europe's power grid across the Mediterranean Sea ... An orange, cloudless expanse marks the Sahara Desert in North Africa. (Bloomberg)
Study: More workers check e-mail off clock Sep 25, 2008
"The scariest thing was when I was on vacation a couple of years ago, and my BlackBerry rang. I was in the middle of the Sahara Desert!" Soto said. Checking work e-mail is considered much more important for people making more than $75,000 a year than it is for low earners, just as high earners are more likely to have longer hours. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Europeans Abducted In Egypt Taken To Libya Sep 25, 2008
(AP) The kidnappers of 11 European tourists and eight Egyptians snatched while on a Sahara desert trip in Egypt and moved to Sudan were taken to neighboring Libya Thursday, according to the Sudanese government. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali Youssef told The Associated Press that the group was moved to Libya and was now some 10 miles inside Libyan territory. (CBS News -- World)
Technology: Work e-mail use creeps into off hours Sep 25, 2008
I was in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Soto said. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Ransom demand for tourists snatched in Egypt Sep 24, 2008
The tourist group started their safari last week in the Egyptian oasis city of Dakhla in western Sahara Desert, Rady said. Egyptian authorities became aware of the kidnapping through the wife of the safari company owner, he said. (CNN -- International)
Germany talking to tourists' kidnappers: Egypt Sep 24, 2008
Abu Simbel, Egypt German authorities are negotiating with kidnappers demanding millions in ransom after they snatched 11 European tourists and eight Egyptians during a Sahara desert safari trip in a remote southwestern corner of Egypt, the Egyptian tourism minister said Tuesday ... The tourists were visiting Gilf al-Kebir, an isolated plateau in the Sahara desert famed for its prehistoric cave paintings. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Al-Qaida in North Africa issues new threats Sep 23, 2008
He cited as proof U.S. plans for military bases in the Sahara Desert to fight trafficking and terrorism, and a French-backed effort to create a common structure between the European Union and countries south of the Mediterranean Sea. Droukdel's group, known as Al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, is a militant faction left over from a civil war in the 1990s that joined Osama bin Laden's terrorist network in 2006. (MSNBC -- International)
Abducted tourists still held, Egypt now says Sep 23, 2008
CAIRO, Egypt - Egypt on Monday retreated from claims by its foreign minister that captors had released 11 European tourists and eight Egyptians kidnapped during an adventure safari deep into the Sahara Desert. Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in New York on Monday that the group was freed unharmed after being captured by "gangsters.". (MSNBC -- International)
Europeans kidnapped in Egyptian desert near Sudan Sep 23, 2008
Undated file picture showing Egypt's south western desert, where a group of 11 European tourists and four Egyptians were kidnapped during an adventure safari in the Sahara desert and were taken across the border into neighboring Sudan, Monday ... CAIRO, Egypt Kidnappers have seized 11 European tourists and eight Egyptians during a Sahara desert safari to Gilf al-Kebir, a plateau famed for its prehistoric cave paintings, Egyptian officials said Monday. (DeKalb Daily Chronicle, IL)
Egypt: Germany is talking to tourists' kidnappers Sep 23, 2008
Egypt says the 11 European tourists and eight Egyptians kidnapped while on a Sahara desert safari trip remain held in Sudan and that Germany is negotiating with the kidnappers on their release. Tourism Minister Zoheir Garana says in comments carried by Egypt's official MENA news agency late Monday that the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of up to $ US15 million. (International Herald Tribune)
Europeans kidnapped in Egypt freed Sep 23, 2008
CAIRO Kidnappers seized 11 European tourists and eight Egyptians during a Sahara desert safari to Gilf al-Kebir, a plateau famed for its prehistoric cave paintings. Egypt's foreign minister said Monday the tourists had been freed unharmed. (Globe and Mail)
Egyptian FM: 11 European tourists released Sep 23, 2008
Kidnappers reportedly seized 11 European tourists and eight Egyptians on Friday during a Sahara desert safari to an area plateau famed for its prehistoric cave paintings. The tour company had been negotiating with the captors, who demanded millions of dollars in ransom, AP said. (Xinhuanet, China)
Egypt Says Kidnapped Tourists Have Not Been Freed Sep 23, 2008
Kidnappers seized the European tourists and their Egyptian guides during a Sahara desert safari to a plateau famed for its prehistoric cave paintings. The tour company had been negotiating with the captors, who demanded millions of dollars in ransom. (Newsmax)
Egypt tourists freed after ordeal Sep 23, 2008
The captives were released near the Libyan-Sudanese-Egyptian border, he added, three days after masked gunmen attacked their group of four off-road vehicles in one of the most isolated parts of the Sahara desert on Friday. The tourism ministry of Egypt, which relies heavily on tourism earnings, had stressed that "this is an act of banditry not of terrorism." The Egyptian government had said the group had been taken across the border to Sudan. (India Times, India)
11 European Tourists Kidnapped In Egypt Sep 22, 2008
(AP) A group of 11 foreign tourists and four Egyptians were kidnapped during an adventure safari to one of the remotest sites in Egypt deep in the Sahara desert and were taken across the border into neighboring Sudan, officials said Monday. The kidnappers may have been desert tribesmen. (CBS News -- World)
Nigeria: Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline - Yar'Adua Happy With EU Offer Sep 19, 2008
The project, which stretches a distance of 4,300 kilometers across the Sahara desert - Nigeria (1,050km); Niger (750km), and Algeria (2,500km) when completed will connect Nigeria's gas reserves to Europe via Algeria's Mediterranean coast. A top presidential source disclosed that the EU's latest expression of interest in the project came amidst fears that Gazprom, a Russian gas company, might win the contract as part of a strategy to tighten its grip on energy supplies to Europe. (allAfrica.com)
Four New Objects Added to Tutankham... Sep 19, 2008
The material, its presence unusual in Eighteenth Dynasty Egypt, has been traced to a remote region of the Sahara Desert. How it arrived in the Valley of the Kings, ancient Egypt's western necropolis for royal burials, remains an enigma. (Suite101.com)
Artifacts from sunken steamship recovered Sep 14, 2008
"If you were to take all of the water out of the river, it would look like the Sahara Desert, but instead of sand dunes, we have sand waves," Amundson said, describing some as 100 metres long and two metres thick. Disturbing the sand too much creates a thick murk. (Star Phoenix)
President Kufuor please dont insult us Sep 14, 2008
May I respectfully submit to President Kufuor that I do not think the hundreds of Ghanaians who are migrating everyday from the rural areas to the urban areas to engage in dehumanizing and backbreaking labour just for survival are lazy, I do not think that the hundreds of Ghanaians who still risk crossing the Sahara desert in search for greener pastures are lazy, I do not think that the hundreds of Ghanaians being detained in China for breeching their Visas are lazy, I do not think that the... (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Release of Mali soldiers welcomed Sep 12, 2008
The Tuareg are traditionally a nomadic people living in the Sahara desert. Civil society groups in Mali have welcomed the release of 44 soldiers held by Tuareg rebels, saying it could pave the way for lasting peace. (BBC News -- Africa)
Morocco "Goat Plague" Poses Regional Threat - FAO Sep 10, 2008
Morocco's first ever outbreak of "peste des petits ruminants", also known as PPR or "goat plague", shows the virus has crossed the natural barrier of the Sahara Desert which had previously kept north Africa free of the disease, FAO said. The Muslim festival of Ramadan could accelerate the spread of the virus which passes from animal to animal and is 80 percent fatal to livestock in acute cases, the Rome-based agency said. (Planet Ark, United States)
Eni to Buy First Calgary in C$923 Million Deal Sep 9, 2008
Eni has a development and production license with Sonatrach for fields in the Sahara desert. Production from the fields averages about 23,000 barrels boed. (ABC News -- Wire)
In Etran Finatawa, nomads unite Sep 7, 2008
Etran Finatawa formed only recently, joining members of two separate traditional groups that were invited to perform at the 2004 edition of the Festival in the Desert - a key event on the world-music circuit, held in Timbuktu, Mali, and crucially, an outlet for musicians from impoverished nations of the Sahara desert region. The idea of playing a song or two together germinated at the home of Sandra van Edig, a German expatriate and onetime anthropologist who was living with her husband, a... (Boston Globe)
NASA: 'Strange Clouds at the Edge of Space' Sep 3, 2008
What is ice doing in a rarefied layer of Earth's upper atmosphere that is one hundred million times dryer than air from the Sahara desert. AIM has just received a 3-year extension (from 2009 to 2012) to continue its studies. (USA Today -- Tech)
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 Aug 30, 2008
The hijacked plane was flown to Libya's Sahara desert oasis of Kufra airport because it was refused landing permission in Egypt and had not enough fuel to fly to Paris. The hijackers hoped to be granted political asylum in France and demanded maps to fly to Paris. (Al-Ahram Weekly)
A's Finally Streaking Aug 29, 2008
And because the A's are a Sahara Desert away from contention, it's hard to call any of their wins "epic" these days, but Kurt Suzuki certainly knows how to create a dramatic ending. Images. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Triathlete dies after bike crash in Santa Barbara Aug 29, 2008
Warren also competed in a seven-day race across the Sahara Desert, and finished a triple Ironman in France that included a 7. 2-mile swim, 336-mile bike ride and 78. (MSNBC -- Sports)
Jury sentences Duncan to death Aug 29, 2008
country gal wrote on Aug 27, 2008 3:56 PM:" lord gregor: I don't want my money wasted on this evil filth and I'm sure others feel the same way. It's either the death penalty or dump him in a dark hole in outer space or miles and miles of desert like the Sahara Desert with no food and water. ". El Gabilon wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:04 PM:" We recommend that the Appeals Court reduce the sentence to life imprisonment in solitary confinement, w/no radio, tv., etc. ". (Longview Daily News, WA)
22-Hour Standoff Ends, 2 Sudan Hijackers Surrender Aug 28, 2008
Aug. 27: the hijacked Boeing 737 Sudanese airliner sits at the remote desert airstrip in Libya's Sahara desert oasis of Kufra. Aug. 27: the hijacked Boeing 737 Sudanese airliner sits at the remote desert airstrip in Libya's Sahara desert oasis of Kufra ... The plane, which had been en route to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, was diverted to a World War II-era airstrip in Libya's Sahara desert oasis of Kufra. (Fox News)
Sudanese hijackers surrender in Libya Aug 28, 2008
The Sun Air Boeing 737 left Sudan's city of Nyala in war-torn Darfur region for the capital on Tuesday but was forced to land at the remote Sahara desert oasis of Kufrah in southeastern Libya. The hijackers first released the passengers - except two Egyptian police officers, two Ethiopians and an Ugandan - and two crew members, but kept six crew hostage during further negotiations before surrendering. (PRESS TV)
Hijackers of Sudanese plane free hostages Aug 28, 2008
Sudan's consul in Kufra, a Sahara desert oasis where the plane landed, said the two Darfur men had been brought into the VIP lounge of the dilapidated airport, looking exhausted. Also freed were crew members whom the hijackers had continued to hold even after releasing 87 passengers. (International Herald Tribune)
Sudan Says Plane Hijacked in Southern Darfur Aug 27, 2008
KHARTOUM, Sudan A man waving a knife hijacked a plane with about 100 passengers in Sudan's troubled Darfur region Tuesday, forcing it to land at a World War II airfield in the heart of the Sahara desert. The Boeing 737 was seized soon after taking off from Nyala, the capital of southern Darfur, en route to Khartoum, and was diverted to Libya, said Yusuf Ibrahim, director of Khartoum's airport. (Fox News)
Niger: Conflict Disrupts Maternal Health Care Aug 27, 2008
Agadez, a main entry point to the Air Mountains bordering the Sahara desert, is under a state of alert after northern desert rebels took up arms a year and half ago against the government. All buses and private cars travelling to the north can only do so every other day when military convoys are available. (allAfrica.com)
1,000 dogs are rescued from W.Va. kennel... Aug 27, 2008
Hijackers in Sudan's wartorn Darfur region seized a jetliner carrying nearly 100 people, including local Darfur officials, and forced it to land at a World War II-era airfield in the heart of the Sahara Desert in neighboring Libya, officials said. PHONE IN YOUR YELLS TO: 1-866-616-5354. (The Drudge Report)
Hobbit-like Dwarfs: Bone Parts Don't Add Up Aug 27, 2008
14, 2008) Two new 110 million-year-old dinosaurs unearthed in the Sahara Desert highlight the unusual meat-eaters that prowled southern continents during the Cretaceous Period. Named Kryptops and Eocarcharia. (Science Daily)
Australia largely untouched by humans Aug 27, 2008
Australia is one of the world's top five wilderness havens, ranking alongside the Amazon forest and the Sahara desert, a report has found. Forty per cent of Australia qualifies as wilderness, but it's not all good news because the nation has the worst rate of species extinction. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Wild about us: untouched land equal to Amazon Aug 27, 2008
A STUDY has identified 40 per cent of Australia - 3 million square kilometres - as the largest intact wilderness on Earth, ranking in quality with the Amazon forest, Antarctica and the Sahara desert. "Few Australians realise the extent and quality of their own wilderness," said Barry Traill, a wildlife ecologist who co-authored the study identifying 12 regions of Australia that "remain almost completely untouched by humans". (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Manager Takes Over Financials Fund at Tough Time Aug 20, 2008
Runners cover 156 miles in the Sahara Desert and traverse massive sand dunes and hard flats littered with jagged rocks. And they do it while enduring scorching 120-degree temperatures. (SmartMoney)
2007 hurricane forecasts took blow from winds and Saharan dry, dusty air Aug 19, 2008
A new analysis of environmental conditions over the Atlantic Ocean shows that hot, dry air associated with dust outbreaks from the Sahara desert was a likely contributor to the quieter-than-expected 2007 hurricane season. Factors known to influence the number and intensity of hurricanes in a season, including El Nio, sea surface temperatures, wind, and sea level pressure, led to NOAA forecasts [identify what agency made these forecasts; otherwise it might be assumed they are from NASA] for an... (EurekAlert!)
Weather Eye: when the Sahara was wet and green Aug 18, 2008
A prehistoric graveyard has been unearthed in the Sahara desert, revealing Stone Age people who lived there when the land was wet and green. The site is in Niger in the Tenere desert, an intensely dry quarter of the Sahara. (Times Online)
Remains of children found in 'green Sahara' Aug 16, 2008
Woman and two children laid to rest 5,000 years ago in Sahara Desert ... WASHINGTON (AP) -- A tiny woman and two children were laid to rest on a bed of flowers 5,000 years ago in what is now the barren Sahara Desert. (CNN -- Tech)
Stone Age Graveyard Reveals Lifestyles Of A 'Green Sahara' Aug 16, 2008
Stone Age Graveyard Reveals Lifestyles Of A 'Green Sahara. Stone Age Graveyard Reveals Lifestyles Of A 'Green Sahara. (Science Daily)
5,000 Year-old Sahara Graves Found Aug 16, 2008
(WASHINGTON) A tiny woman and two children were laid to rest on a bed of flowers 5,000 years ago in what is now the barren Sahara Desert. The slender arms of the youngsters were still extended to the woman in perpetual embrace when researchers discovered their skeletons in a remarkable cemetery that is providing clues to two civilizations who lived there, a thousand years apart, when the region was moist and green. (Time.com)
A Computer-Generated Image showing the Phoenix Mars Lander, with ... Aug 15, 2008
The Sahara desert, the biggest and fastest growing desert on Earth, was once a fertile grassland and savanna, and quickly became a desert when the rain patterns suddenly changed. The process may have been sped up because of human activities like raising livestock and cutting down trees. (Pique newsmagazine)
Ancient Cemetery Found; Brings "Green Sahara" to Life Aug 15, 2008
Dinosaur hunters have stumbled across the largest and oldest Stone Age cemetery in the Sahara desert. Paleontologist and his team were scouring the rocks between harsh dunefields in northern for dinosaur bones in 2000 when they stumbled across the graveyard, on the shores of a long-gone lake. (National Geographic)
Sahara reveals secrets of its ancient tribes Aug 15, 2008
A TEAM of archaeologists has discovered by chance what is thought to be the largest find of Stone Age-era remains uncovered in the Sahara Desert. The desert site, named Gobero, includes remarkably intact human remains as well as the skeletons of fish and crocodiles dating back 10,000 years to a time when what is now the world's largest desert was a swampy wetland. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Mauritania coup leaders free prime minister Aug 12, 2008
Mauritania, a country of just 3 million people, is on the southern edge of the Sahara desert that bridges the Arab world with sub-Saharan Africa. The country held historic elections just last year, its first free and fair ballot in more than 20 years. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Bluegrass musician Becky Schlegel has developed a style all her own Aug 12, 2008
Dancing, with performances and lessons by such groups as the Happy Twirlers, Sahara Desert Dancers, Moonlight Dance Club and Clogjam. Geri Parlin can be reached at or (608) 791-8225. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
South Africa: Mbeki's Assistance to Mali Saved Timbuktu Manuscripts Aug 9, 2008
The exhibition, titled "Timbuktu: Script and Scholarship", marks the first time these rare and delicate manuscripts have left the arid and windy sands of Mali, a country that borders the giant Sahara desert. Most of the rare and ancient manuscripts are part of a collection of about 30 000 housed at the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Islamic Studies in Timbuktu, and it is from there that the current exhibited items are drawn. (allAfrica.com)
