Model Villages in Rural India Fight Massive Sanitation Problem

Rural India faces sanitation problems beyond Western imagination. With its 1.25 billion inhabitants, nearly 800 million people in the country live without basic sanitation.

ICC Drops Darfur Seeks Surrender of Simone Gbagbo

(GIN) – The list of war crimes being investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) is growing smaller.

LOWER GAS PRICES HIT AFRICA HARD

(GIN) – Falling oil prices are happy news for American car owners but disastrous news for Africa which was recently celebrating an “oil boom” around the continent.

Global Economy Set to Improve Marginally

Over the next two years, global economic growth is expected to increase marginally, according to a new U.N. report released Wednesday.

Nuclear States Face Barrage of Criticisms in Vienna

There was a sarcastic laughter when a civil society representative expressed his “admiration for the delegate of the United States, who with one insensitive, ill-timed, inappropriate and diplomatically inept intervention” had “managed to dispel the considerable goodwill the U.S. had garnered by its decision to participate” in the Vienna Conference on Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons.

Malaria Deaths Fall Dramatically

Since 2000, there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of people dying from malaria, according to a new report released Tuesday by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Energy Companies Eye Somalia

(GIN) – It may not be clear who is running Somalia these days but energy companies appear to know who to call as they conduct onshore and offshore seismic surveys which could make the Horn of Africa an oil giant within six years.

Malawi Leaders Back Off on Pay Hikes

(GIN) – A misguided effort to quietly hike up the paychecks of Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika and his VP roundly backfired, forcing them to cancel the generous gift to themselves “until a more appropriate time.”

Fancy Cars, Florida Homes Seized in Probe of Guinea’s Ex-President

(GIN) – In the bad old days, natural resources were bartered away with trinkets and a few suitcases filled with cash.

Scathing Report on Zimbabwe Election Debacle Puts Mbeki on the Defensive

(GIN) – A formerly classified report regarding allegations of voter fraud in Zimbabwe has raised uncomfortable questions for former President Thabo Mbeki about what he knew of problems with the last election of President Robert Mugabe, and when did he know it?.

Electronic Voting Comes to Namibia

(GIN) – Presidential polls in Namibia have incumbent prime minister Hage Geigob of the ruling SWAPO party leading with 84 percent of the roughly 10 percent of votes officially released so far but the new electronic polling gizmos are leaving some Namibians skeptical.

Citizens Worldwide to Celebrate International Volunteer Day

Come December 5, people in over 80 countries will celebrate International Volunteer Day by taking action to improve their communities.

U.S. Demand for Ebola “Moon Suits” Creates Shortages in Africa

(GIN) – Aid agencies that use the iconic ‘moon suits’ – the odd-looking full-body outfits used in battling Ebola – are running dangerously low as the protective garb is being snapped up by institutions in the U.S.

U.N. Marks International Day for Eliminating Violence Against Women

The United Nations marked the International Day for Eliminating Violence against Women with the colour orange.

Nigeria in the Grip of Election Fever

(GIN) – With only three months to presidential elections, Nigeria is witnessing public feuding between the incumbent party of Pres. Goodluck Jonathan and members of the opposition.

African Agro Research & Development Understaffed & Underfunded – Report

(GIN) – Much-needed research and development for agriculture is under-funded and understaffed throughout the continent, threatening food security for African people, according to a new study by researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

Burkina Faso’s Military Scoops Up Major Posts

(GIN) – Three weeks after a people’s revolt in Burkina Faso, which sent President Blaise Campaore fleeing into exile, dreams of a civilian-led transition to free elections were dimmed this week as the military held on to powerful posts in a new Cabinet.

Kenyan Catholic Clerics Attack Tetanus Shot Program

(GIN) - Leaders of Kenya's Catholic Church are attempting to derail a vaccination campaign that would protect 2.5 women from a life-threatening nerve disease.

Burkina Faso’s Army Pick to Fill Ousted President’s Seat

(GIN) - Political and military leaders in the West African nation of Burkina Faso have settled on a former foreign minister, Michel Kafando, to oversee a year-long transition to elections. The country has been without a leader since the former president was ousted by the citizens.

Praise For UNIDO’s Technical Assistance

Ethiopia and Senegal have lauded the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for its “crucial assistance” in enhancing development and progress in Africa.

Liberian Women Push Back Against Ebola Scare

(GIN) - “I am a Liberian, not a virus.” That’s the loud and clear message of a campaign launched online by a group of Liberian women who refuse to be shamed by thoughtless outbreaks of rejection and cruelty that link African people with the epidemic that has taken thousands of lives.