Deadly Mozambique price riots enter second day
2 September 2010 - Demonstrators blocked roads with burning tyres and looted shops in Mozambique's capital Maputo on Thursday as deadly riots sparked by soaring bread prices entered a second day. On Wednesday police and hospital sources said at least six people were killed, including two children, as police opened fire on protesters in the worst riots to hit the southern Africa country of 23 million people since 2008. The rioting was prompted by a 30 per cent rise in bread prices in one of the world's poorest countries, which has never fully recovered from one of Africa's bloodiest civil wars. (more)

Nigeria on cusp of 'demographic disaster'
2 September 2010 - Nigeria could become the fifth most populous country in the world, teetering on the edge of a 'demographic disaster' unless its stagnant economy rapidly expands to support its teeming youth population, according to a report released Wednesday. Estimates in the report by the British Council show Nigeria's population of 150 million people will swell by another 63 million people by 2050. However, the oil-rich nation's gross domestic product remained flat as its population multiplied in the last two decades, leaving it dangerously out of balance unless true economic development takes hold, the report said. 'Large cohorts of unemployed or underemployed young people destabilize their societies, fuelling crime and creating conditions where civil conflict becomes more likely,' it said. 'Instead of collecting a dividend, a country that is not well prepared to make the most of its Baby Boom generation can find itself in the midst of a demographic disaster.' (more)

Too little sleep bad for teenagers' diets: study
2 September 2010 - Teenagers who sleep less than eight hours a night on weeknights eat more fatty foods and snacks than those who get more than eight hours of sleep a night, US researchers said on Wednesday. They said getting too little sleep can result in chronic changes in the diet that can increase the risk of obesity, especially in girls. Prior studies have shown that too little sleep can lead to weight gain, but the new findings show where the extra calories come from. Increasing intake of fatty foods, which are typically high in calories, can increase the overall daily caloric intake, and if it happens routinely, it can lead to excess fat. (more)

US Energy Disasters in 2010 - Factbox
2 September 2010 - Energy production and distribution in the United States can be a dangerous pursuit, in spite of strict safety regulations for oil, gas, and coal producers and processors. Following is a look at energy-related disasters that have rocked the United States in the course of 2010, including the deadly and environmentally destructive oil spill at BP's Macondo prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, which began in April. (more)