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Afghanistan: Year in Review 2005 ... African pouched rat

Afghanistan: Year in Review 2005 A new constitution was ratified in Afghanistan on Jan. 4, 2004, after weeks of contention in a constitutional Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly). The constitution called for a strong president and two vice presidents as well as a National Assembly of two houses, and it specified individual rights of the kind ... Afghanistan: Year in Review 2006 In 2005 Afghanistan appeared to move toward constitutional stability and economic growth, but widespread incidents of violence made it clear that the Taliban, driven from power in 2001 by U.S. forces, and other fundamentalist guerrillas remained a serious threat to the government of Pres. Hamid Karzai. Supported by some 30,000 ... Afghanistan: Year in Review 2007 In 2006, five years after the overthrow of the Taliban, the government of Pres. Hamid Karzai remained dependent upon international military assistance to face the threat of growing armed resistance. With no fighting force at his own command, Karzai was compelled to seek support from ethnic and provincial leaders supported ... Afghanistan: Year in Review 2008 Afghanistan's government, supported by almost 50,000 NATO and U.S. soldiers, in 2007 faced a Taliban resistance that had refocused its tactics. Pres. Hamid Karzai worked to extend the reach of government authority while balancing the need for international assistance against the appearance of favouring foreign interests over Afghan ones. Afghanistan: Year in Review 2009 Afghanistan in 2008 saw a surge of violence from militants using relentless and brutal attacks against the U.S.-backed Kabul government. This drew increased attention to tribal areas in northwestern Pakistan that were being used as a base and sanctuary for Taliban operations in Afghanistan. Afghanistan: Year in Review 2010 The war in Afghanistan assumed a higher global profile in 2009 as Taliban attacks inside Pakistan demonstrated the international character of the Islamist insurgency in both countries. U.S. and NATO troop levels in Afghanistan rose above 100,000, most of them American. Afghanistan: Year in Review 2011 Foreign military support for the Afghan government of Pres. Hamid Karzai peaked at about 150,000 troops during 2010, but insurgent attacks increased in intensity and extent. Afghan support for foreign troops faltered, however, when civilians were killed, and NATO shifted its strategy from counterterrorism, which focused on destroying the enemy, ... Afghanistan: Year in Review 2012 Despite the presence of 130,000 NATO and U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2011, the level of violence throughout the country did not decline. Taliban activity was contained in some areas, but deadly strikes at military and civilian targets continued. As the 2014 deadline for the departure of international forces neared, ... Afghanistan: Year in Review 2013 In 2012 Afghans seemed to realize that NATO and the international community-which had established, supported, and protected their new democracy for more than 10 years-were intent on transferring responsibility for Afghanistan's security to the Afghans themselves. The uncertainty regarding life after the withdrawal of NATO forces cast a dark shadow ... Afghanistan landlocked multiethnic country located in the heart of south-central Asia. Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern Asia to Europe and the Middle East, Afghanistan has long been a prize sought by empire builders, and for millennia great armies have attempted to subdue it, leaving traces of their ... Afghanistan War international conflict in Afghanistan beginning in 2001 that was triggered by the September 11 attacks and consisted of three phases. The first phase-toppling the Taliban (the ultraconservative political and religious faction that ruled Afghanistan and provided sanctuary for al-Qaeda, perpetrators of the September 11 attacks)-was brief, lasting just two months. ... Afghanistan, flag of vertically striped black-red-green national flag with a central coat of arms. Its width-to-length ratio is 1 to 2. Aflaq, Michel social and political leader who played a major role in the Arab nationalist movement during and after World War II. aflatoxin Complex of toxins formed by molds of the genus Aspergillus, which frequently contaminate improperly stored nuts (especially peanuts), grains, meals, and certain other foods. Discovered after an outbreak of "turkey X disease" in England in 1960, aflatoxins may cause liver disease and cancer and may trigger Reye syndrome. Afonso I ruler of Kongo (historical kingdom in west-central Africa) and the first of a line of Portuguese vassal kings that lasted until the early 20th century. He is sometimes called "The Apostle of Kongo" for his role in making Kongo a Christian kingdom. Afonso I the first king of Portugal (1139-85), who conquered Santarem and Lisbon from the Muslims (1147) and secured Portuguese independence from Leon (1139). Afonso II the third king of Portugal (1211-23), under whom the reconquest of the south from the Muslims was continued. Afonso III fifth king of Portugal (1248-79), who supplanted his brother, King Sancho II, and completed the reconquest of the Algarve from the Muslims. Afonso IV seventh king of Portugal (1325-57). Afonso V 10th king of Portugal (1438-81), known as the African from his campaigns in Morocco. Afonso VI king of Portugal, whose reign was marked by internal disputes between his partisans and those of his brother Pedro. Afram River river, in southern Ghana, western Africa. It rises 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Mampong and flows southeast into Lake Volta (formerly the Afram was a tributary of the Volta River). The Afram is about 55 miles (90 km) long. The river is important for fishing, despite its running dry ... Afranius, Lucius Roman general, a devoted adherent of Pompey the Great. Africa the second largest continent (after Asia), covering about one-fifth of the total land surface of the Earth. The continent is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the east by the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and on the south ... Africa in ancient Roman history, the first North African territory of Rome, at times roughly corresponding to modern Tunisia. It was acquired in 146 BC after the destruction of Carthage at the end of the Third Punic War. Africa's Struggle Against AIDS: Year in Review 2000 Sub-Saharan Africa will move into the 21st century carrying the crippling burden of AIDS, a disease that is slashing life expectancy, shattering families, pushing industries to the brink of bankruptcy, and creating a generation of orphans. This disease was by far the leading cause of death among adults in much ... Africa, Horn of region of eastern Africa. It is the easternmost extension of African land and for the purposes of this article is defined as the region that is home to the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, whose cultures have been linked throughout their long history. Other definitions of the Horn ... African Affairs: Year in Review 1994 The subcontinent's 48 states experienced a year of promise and disappointment. A new state, Eritrea, was born in May; three serious violent conflicts were halted with cease-fire agreements (Rwanda, Liberia, and Mozambique); but three others (Somalia, Angola, and The Sudan) saw an intensification of fighting. The movement toward democracy kept ... African American English a language variety that has also been identified at different times in dialectology and literary studies as Black English, black dialect, and Negro (nonstandard) English. Since the late 1980s, the term has been used ambiguously, sometimes with reference to only Ebonics, or, as it is known to linguists, African American ... African American History Month a monthlong commemoration of African American history and achievement that takes place each February in the United States. It was begun in 1976. African American literature body of literature written by Americans of African descent. Beginning in the pre-Revolutionary War period, African American writers have engaged in a creative, if often contentious, dialogue with American letters. The result is a literature rich in expressive subtlety and social insight, offering illuminating assessments of American identities and history. ... African Americans one of the largest of the many ethnic groups in the United States. African Americans are mainly of African ancestry, but many have nonblack ancestors as well. African architecture the architecture of Africa, particularly of sub-Saharan Africa. In North Africa, where Islam and Christianity had a significant influence, architecture predominates among the visual arts. Included here are the magnificent mosques built of mud in Djenne and Mopti in Mali, the rock-hewn churches of Ethiopia, and the Islamic monuments of ... African art the visual arts of native Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, including such media as sculpture, painting, pottery, rock art, textiles, masks, personal decoration, and jewelry. African arts the visual, performing, and literary arts of native Africa, particularly those of sub-Saharan Africa. African Cup of Nations the most prestigious football (soccer) competition in Africa. It is contested by national teams and is organized by the Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF). The competition's format has changed over time, with the number of teams increasing from 3 in 1957 to 16 in 1996. Growing participation also led to ... African dance performing art deeply woven into the social fabric of Africa and generally involving aspects of music and theatre as well as rhythmic bodily movement. See also African music and mask. African Development Bank African organization established in 1964, operational beginning in 1966, and dedicated to financing the economic and social development of its African member countries. Its membership includes 53 African states and 24 non-African countries. ADB headquarters are in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. African Games international athletics (track-and-field) competition sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and contested by athletes representing the nations of Africa. The African Games were first held in 1965, in Brazzaville, Congo, and consisted of contests in athletic sports exclusively. Attempts to hold such African games date back to ... African Greek Orthodox Church a religious movement in East Africa that represents a prolonged search for a Christianity more African and, its adherents say, more authentic than the denominational mission forms transplanted from overseas. It began when an Anglican in Uganda, Reuben Spartas, heard of the independent, all-black African Orthodox Church in the United ... African horse sickness disease of Equidae (horses, mules, donkeys, and zebras) caused by an orbivirus called AHSV (family Reoviridae) that is transmitted by arthropods, notably biting midges (Culicoides imicola). The disease, which is not usually fatal to indigenous zebra herds, is often fatal in horses. Dogs have also been fatally infected after eating ... African hunting dog (Lycaon pictus), wild African carnivore that differs from the rest of the members of the dog family (Canidae) in having only four toes on each foot. Its coat is short, sparse, and irregularly blotched with yellow, black, and white. The African hunting dog is about 76-102 cm (30-41 inches) long, ... African lily perennial evergreen herbaceous plant (Agapanthus africanus) of the Alliaceae family, native to Africa. In summer, long stalks bear many funnel-shaped flowers. The attractive, thick, dark green leaves are sword-shaped. There are many varieties, some with white or purple flowers and others with patterned leaves. If grown in a climate with ... African literature the body of traditional oral and written literatures in Afro-Asiatic and African languages together with works written by Africans in European languages. Traditional written literature, which is limited to a smaller geographic area than is oral literature, is most characteristic of those sub-Saharan cultures that have participated in the cultures ... African Methodist Episcopal Church black Methodist church in the United States, formally organized in 1816. It developed from a congregation formed by a group of blacks who withdrew in 1787 from St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia because of restrictions in seating; blacks had been confined to the gallery of the church. Those ... African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church black Methodist church in the United States, organized in 1821; it adopted its present name in 1848. It developed from a congregation formed by a group of blacks who in 1796 left the John Street Methodist Church in New York City because of discrimination. They built their first church (Zion) ... African music the musical sounds and practices of all indigenous peoples of Africa, including the Berber in the Sahara and the San (Bushmen) and Khoikhoin (Hottentot) in Southern Africa. The music of European settler communities and that of Arab North Africa are not included in the present discussion. For the music of ... African National Congress South African political party and black nationalist organization. Founded in 1912 as the South African Native National Congress, it had as its main goal the maintenance of voting rights for Coloureds (persons of mixed race) and black Africans in Cape Province. It was renamed the African National Congress in 1923. ... African penguin species of penguin (order Sphenisciformes) characterized by a single band of black feathers cutting across the breast and a circle of featherless skin that completely surrounds each eye. The species is so named because it inhabits several locations along the coasts of Namibia and South Africa. African popular music body of music that emerged in Africa in the 1960s, mixing indigenous influences with those of Western popular music. By the 1980s the audience for African popular music had expanded to include Western listeners. African pouched rat any of five species of African rodents characterized by cheek pouches that are used for carrying food back to their burrows, where it is eaten or stored. All are terrestrial and have gray to brown coats with white or gray underparts, but the three genera differ in size, behaviour, and ...