Brangelina join list of moral poseurs in Africa

Brendan O'Neill: "However, this Western security force was not a US or European army plundering Namibia's natural resources or threatening to topple its government. It was the security entourage of one Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the celebrity couple better known for living it up in Los Angeles than slumming it in Namibia. They reportedly wanted their first child to be born in Namibia because the country is "the cradle of human kind" and it would be "a special experience". And it seems that no security measure is too stringent in the name of making Ms Jolie feel special. Welcome to the new celebrity colonialism.

Pitt and Jolie went to Namibia, a small and largely impoverished nation of 1.8 million, six weeks ago. Their daughter -- Shiloh Nouvel -- was born on May 27. As they awaited the birth, they reportedly surrounded themselves with their own personal security detail and armed Namibian police. There was even a no-fly zone, enforced by the Namibian Government, over the luxurious Burning Shore beach resort where Pitt and Jolie were holed up.

Apparently, the stars also got to dictate which reporters could and could not enter the country. According to one report, the Namibian Government bowed to pressure from the duo and granted them the right to ban foreign journalists from entering the country, a remarkable move for the government of any sovereign state. The Government is said to have granted this extraordinary veto to Brad and Angelina after the couple told ministers that they would be forced to quit the country unless allegedly intrusive journalists and paparazzi were brought to heel. Namibian ministers hoped that a trip by two Hollywood bigwigs to their shores would do wonders for their tourism industry. They did everything they could to keep the couple happy."

Mystery Disease Hits Namibia

Josephine Roque: "Three people die and 19 others are hospitalized due to a still unidentified disease.

The Namibian reports that the Ministry of Health and Social Services indicated that the disease was not confined to the Khomas Region, and that the cases of "undiagnosed paralysis" among adults had been reported in the Otjozondjupa and Hardap regions.

Two other people are in critical condition at the Windhoek Central Hospital after contracting the mystery disease.

Due to similar symptoms, it is suspected that the mystery disease might be Guillain-Barrй syndrome (GBS) - a disorder of the peripheral nervous system which causes the nerves to inflame, slowing communication to and from the brain, leading to severe paralysis."

Namibia: Undetermined Disease Puzzles Health Officials

allAfrica: "Five people have died from an as yet unnamed disease in Namibia and health authorities are eagerly awaiting the results from urine, stool and blood specimens sent to South Africa.

Tests carried out locally failed to yield conclusive results. "We really don't have an idea what the disease is, and investigations are going on," Erna Awaseb, acting director of primary healthcare, told IRIN.

Initially, the disease was confirmed in three informal settlements in Katutura, the capital's oldest township, but Awaseb said it had also been found south of Windhoek in the Karas Region and to the north in the Otjozondjupa Region."