(NNPA/GIN)-- From a sugar cane workers village in the Dominican Republic, 16 year old Francia Simon was selected from among 80 entries to receive the global KidsRights prize for helping children, including Haitian refugees, obtain necessary ID documents.

“My own situation gave me a reason to work with other children, whose basic rights were violated since birth, without a name or nationality,” said Francia, who is Afro-Dominican and had no birth certificate herself until last year.  “Without a certificate, you are nothing.” she said.

FRANCIA SIMON

(NNPA/GIN)—The publication of confidential diplomatic cables on the website Wikileaks gave ammunition to some African leaders who have complained, without previous proof, of U.S. interference in their country.

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe for example, learned from the cables that the U.S. is leading efforts to remove him from power. In the leaked memos, former U.S. ambassador Christopher Dell wrote that the U.S. was taking a leading role to bring Mugabe down and that former colonizer Britain could not do the job because it was hamstrung by its colonial past.  “Thus it falls to the U.S., once again, to take the lead, to say and do the hard things and to set the agenda,” Dell said in a cable posted on the Wikileaks site.

Also, the secret cables revealed that former President Nelson Mandela was resolutely against the Iraq war, and that he believed President Bush ignored calls by the United Nations for restraint because the U.N.’s then-General Secretary Kofi Annan is Black.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)—Kenya's government spokesman said Nov. 30 that a U.S. characterization of the country as a "swamp" of corruption in reports of leaked diplomatic memos is "malicious" if true. Alfred Mutua also said that the top U.S. diplomat for Africa called Kenya's prime minister to apologize for the leaked memos.

U.S. Embassy spokesman John Haynes said senior State Department officials have called senior Kenyan government officials to inform them and to discuss their concerns. The Obama administration has undertaken a worldwide effort to contain damage done by the release of more than 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables by online clearinghouse WikiLeaks.

OUTRAGED—Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga speaks at a conference to review reforms Kenya is making, in Nairobi, Kenya, Dec. 2. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) —The U.S. giant retailer Wal-Mart is offering to buy 51 percent of South Africa’s Massmart stores, the two companies said in a joint statement Monday.

MOVING INTO SOUTH AFRICA—The Wal-Mart logo is seen on a delivery truck in Springfield, Ill. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

Wal-Mart is offering 148 rand (about $20) per share to Massmart stockholders in a 17 billion rand (about $2 billion) deal that has sparked concern among South African unions. It would be Wal-Mart’s first African foothold. Massmart shares were trading at 143.75 rand Monday morning, up 1.45 percent from Friday’s close. Massmart shares have been buoyed since Wal-Mart’s interest first became public in September.

Massmart will continue to be listed on the Johannesburg exchange, addressing a concern of some major Massmart stockholders that led Wal-Mart to revise an earlier bid to buy all of Massmart.