African Union Gets First Female Leader

A female leader has taken up the top leadership position at the African Union for the first time. South Africa's Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma today took charge of the African Union, where she will be in charge of peace, security, politics, and economic affairs of the continent. Dlamini-Zuma was most recently South Africa's minister of home affairs, and also served as the country's minister of foreign affairs. Outgoing AU chair Jean Ping gave the gavel to Dlamini-Zuma during a ceremony at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ping had held the position since 2008. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn, who attended the ceremony, wished Dlamini-Zuma good success, but warned that her tasks will be arduous. (More African Union stories.)