Gulf War Commander Schwarzkopf Dies at 78

Retired Army General Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in 1991, has died. He was 78.

Schwarzkopf died Thursday of complications from pneumonia in Tampa, Florida, where he lived in retirement.

A much-decorated combat soldier in Vietnam, Schwarzkopf was known popularly as “Stormin' Norman'' because of his notoriously explosive temper. In 1991, he led Operation Desert Storm, which liberated Kuwait from Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's forces.

Schwarzkopf stayed in Tampa after he served in his last military assignment there as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Central Command — the headquarters responsible for U.S. military and security concerns in nearly 20 countries from the eastern Mediterranean and Africa to Pakistan.

Schwarzkopf retired from active service in late 1991. In the aftermath of the Gulf War, there was some speculation that he might run for political office, but he never did.

U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement that Schwarzkopf was “an American original” and said the general's “legacy will endure in a nation that is more secure because of his patriotic service.”

Former U.S. president George H.W. Bush, under whom Schwarzkopf served in the Gulf War, called the general “a true American patriot and one of the great military leaders of his generation.” He also called Schwarzkopf “a good and decent man and a dear friend.”

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called him “a brilliant strategist and inspiring leader” and “one of the great military giants of the 20th century.”

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, also a contemporary of Schwarzkopf, called him “a close buddy” and said his leadership not only inspired American troops, but also the nation.

Ethiopian Leader Meles Dies at 57

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died at the age of 57, after months of speculation about his health.

State television announced his death Tuesday, saying he died from a sudden infection late Monday at a hospital abroad.

Government spokesman Bereket Simon would not say where Mr. Meles died, or disclose the illness that led to his hospitalization.

“The prime minister had been sick for quite a while,” he said. “And he was attending medical support in, somewhere in, ah, abroad. And he had some chance in recuperating. But ultimately some infection happened to him and doctors couldn't control that infection.”

Mr. Meles had not been seen in public for nearly two months before his death.

Spokesman Bereket said Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will serve as acting prime minister.

He said Mr. Meles' body will arrive Tuesday in Ethiopia, and officials are making plans for the funeral.

Prime Minister Meles ruled his country for more than 20 years, after the rebel alliance he led, the EPRDF (Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front), seized power in 1991.

Mr. Meles earned praise abroad for improvements in the economy, education and health care. But human rights groups sharply criticized him for various abuses, including restrictions on independent media.

Under Mr. Meles, Ethiopia fought a border war with Eritrea and sent troops to Somalia to fight Islamist militants.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought from 1998 to 2000 in a conflict that killed more than 70,000 people. Tension between the two countries remained high.

Mr. Meles was also known as an ally to the United States against terrorism.

In 2006, Ethiopian troops entered Somalia to fight Islamist militants allegedly armed and trained by the Eritrean government. Ethiopian forces returned to Somalia last year in a multi-nation offensive against militant group al-Shabab.

Mr. Meles' most serious political challenge came in the 2005 elections, when opposition parties said the government rigged to results to cheat them of victory. Nearly 200 people died in post-election violence and protests.

In the most recent elections in 2010, the EPRDF and its allies took all but one seat in parliament, sparking new accusations of fraud.

The criticism increased in recent years as Ethiopian courts jailed journalists and political activists under an anti-terrorism law that rights groups said was overly vague and broad.

Mr. Meles was born in the northern Ethiopian town of Adwa in 1955. He attended Addis Ababa University for two years before joining the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front, or TPLF, one of several groups that was fighting the government of Mengistu Hailemariam. The TPLF later became the core group within the EPRDF.

After taking power in 1991, Mr. Meles served as president for four years before assuming the prime minister's post in 1995.

(Photo by Monika Flueckiger, 2012.)

Former Macedonian President Gligorov Dies

The first democratically elected president of Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov, has died in Skopje. He was 94 years old.

Mr. Gligorov died in his sleep Sunday night, surrounded by his family.

Once a top communist official, he became president of Macedonia in 1991 when it was still part of Yugoslavia. He peacefully led the country to independence, avoiding the wars that raged in other Yugoslav republics.

Under Mr. Gligorov's guidance, Macedonia joined the United Nations as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia — a concession to neighboring Greece, which sees the use of the name Macedonia as laying future territorial claims to its own northern province of Macedonia. The dispute continues to this day.

Mr. Gligorov was seriously injured in a 1995 assassination attempt, suffering head injuries and losing an eye in a car bomb explosion. No suspects were ever arrested, but he continued his presidency until his term ended in 1999, becoming the world's oldest head of state. He later became a respected author.

A private family funeral will take place in Skopje on Tuesday. Mr. Gligorov is survived by a son and two daughters.

Cape Verde's Former President Aristides Pereira Dies

Cape Verde's former president Aristides Pereira, a leader in the country's fight for independence from Portugal, has died. He was 87.

Government officials say Mr. Pereira passed away Thursday at the University of Coimbra Hospital in Portugal, where he had been hospitalized since early August. Early reports did not indicate a cause of death.

The Lusa News Agency says Mr. Pereira was initially hospitalized for a fractured femur complicated by diabetes.

The former president co-founded the African Party for Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde in 1956. Cape Verde won independence in 1975 and Mr. Pereira became the first president of the the island country, located off the coast of West Africa.

He remained in the post until 1991 when he lost in Cape Verde's first democratic elections.

The Lusa News Agency quotes Minister of Health Cristina Fontes Lima as saying Mr. Pereira's death is “a major loss for the nation of Cape Verde” and that details about his funeral will be released soon.

Photo: President Aristide Pereira of Cape Verde departs after a state visit. Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland (MD), United States of America (USA), 4 October 1983. Photo by U.S. Military.

Belarus Cardinal Kazimierz Swiatek Dies at 96

Thursday, 21 July 2011

The former leader of the Catholic Church in Belarus, Cardinal Kazimierz Swiatek, has died in a Pinsk hospital at the age of 96.

In a statement the Catholic Church of Belarus said he died early Thursday. The cause of death was not specified.

After entering the priesthood in 1939, Swiatek was sentenced to death for spying by Soviet authorities. But he escaped when Nazi Germany's forces occupied the city of Brest.

When the Soviet army took control of Belarus in 1944, Swiatek was re-arrested and sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in the Gulag prison system. He served more than nine years before being released and returning to the church.

Swiatek became archbishop of the Minsk diocese in 1991, and was named a cardinal in 1994. He headed the church in Belarus until 2006.

Photo: Cardinal Kazimier Sviontak, 2009. (Photographer: Serge Serebro, Vitebsk Popular News)

Apartheid-Era Defense Minister Malan Dies in South Africa

Monday, 18 July 2011

A South African defense minister who led military efforts against the anti-apartheid movement has died.

A statement released by the family of General Magnus Malan says he “died peacefully” early Monday at his home in Cape Town. He was 81.

Malan served as South Africa's defense minister from 1980 to 1991 and before that as army chief.

As defense minister, Malan organized the government's response to what he saw as a “total onslaught” against South Africa and its white-minority rule.

He deployed troops to control unrest in South African townships, and also sanctioned raids against anti-apartheid fighters in neighboring countries.

Later, Malan went on trial for the 1987 murders of 13 people in KwaZulu-Natal province. Malan and 19 others who were tried with him were eventually acquitted of those charges.

Malan is survived by his wife, three children and nine grandchildren.

Ex-Zambian President Chiluba Dies

Saturday, 18 June 2011

Former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba died early Saturday at his home in Lusaka. He was 68-years old.

Mr. Chiluba's spokesman, Emmanuel Mwamba, said the country's first democratically elected leader suffered a heart attack after spending most of Friday with members of parliament and his lawyers. Mwamba said Mr. Chiluba became ill Friday evening and died five minutes after midnight.

Mr. Chiluba led Zambia from 1991 to 2002.

In 1990, he helped found the Movement for Multiparty Democracy, leading it to victory the next year in the first multiparty post-colonial elections in Zambia.

The son of a copper miner and former union leader, Mr. Chiluba took office after almost three decades of one party rule by Kenneth Kaunda. He began his tenure by allowing greater political freedoms and liberalizing the country's economy.

But his administration became increasingly bogged down by allegations of corruption and mismanagement. He was also the target of personal criticism for his lavish lifestyle.

After he left office, his hand-picked successor Levy Mwanawasa instituted anti-corruption probes and Mr. Chiluba was charged with misappropriating $500,000 to his personal account, but was acquitted in 2009.

However, state prosecutors also filed civil charges against him in Britain. A court in London convicted him of stealing $46 million in state funds while president of Zambia. He was ordered to repay 85 percent of the money but the court order was never enforced in Zambia.

Mr. Chiluba is survived by his second wife and nine children.