RIGHTS: “War on Terror Is Sending People Into the Hands of Terrorists”

Political repression and the war on terror are expected to be amongst issues discussed at the five-day CIVICUS World Assembly that begins in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Jun. 21.

SPORTS-KENYA: “For Our People in East Africa, Soccer Is Very, Very Important”

It has been dubbed "The Greatest Show on Earth", and in Kenya that's precisely what the Football World Cup is. So, with just days before the latest tournament kicks off in Germany, excitement amongst sports fans in the East African country is mounting.

ENVIRONMENT DAY: Conflict, Environmental Degradation Scar Kenya’s Drylands

Garissa district, in Kenya's arid and semi-arid North Eastern Province (NEP), is to host national events marking World Environment Day (Jun. 5), which this year focuses on safeguarding drylands, and those who inhabit them.

HEALTH-KENYA: Using ARVs to Fill Empty Stomachs

"ARVs can change things, but they do not change my socio-economic status. Yes, I get the ARVs; but I cannot afford to put a simple meal on the table," says a man who insists on being identified only as wa Kimani.

CORRUPTION-KENYA: A New Anti-Graft Plan, Amidst Old Scandals

A new plan to address corruption in Kenya has been adopted in the East African country - this as government continues to be criticised for overseeing widespread graft.

HEALTH-KENYA: Changing Tradition Through Talk

It is a part of Kenya where prevalence rates for female genital mutilation (FGM) are at their highest, and communities deeply resistant to cultural change. However, Kajiado district is also an area where simple conversations hold out the promise of helping to end FGM.

POLITICS-DRC: “We Cannot Have Elections Like This”

Hundreds of combatants in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are said to be joining a nascent militia based in the north-east of the country: the Congolese Revolutionary Movement (Mouvement Revolutionnaire Congolaise, MRC). This comes just weeks before the first multi-party elections to be held in 40 years, and is undermining prospects for a successful poll.

KENYA: Doctors for the Haves, Lions for the Have-Nots

For Nalangu Taki, a simple glass of water can come with a heavy price. This resident of Narok in south-western Kenya says women in the district have to walk long distances to obtain water, sometimes getting attacked by lions.

HEALTH-KENYA: Preventing Rape Survivors From Becoming AIDS Statistics

For women who are victims of rape, recovery from the violation is typically arduous and draining. When they're unable to get treatment to prevent possible HIV infection the process is even more fraught, however - something Kenya is grappling with.

ENVIRONMENT-RWANDA: Park Fencing to Protect the Mountain Gorillas

Authorities in Rwanda have announced that the "Parc national des volcans" (National Volcano Park) will soon be fenced off to stem the killing of endangered mountain gorillas, and prevent further destruction of the park forest.

UGANDA: Abstinence Clashes With Reality When Women Are Powerless

Tens of thousands of Ugandan schoolchildren have enrolled in 'True Love Waits' clubs that promote sexual abstinence as the way to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

POLITICS: Legislators Debate Whether Democracy Fits the Bill in Africa

A meeting of parliamentarians may seem an odd place to hear the virtues of regular elections questioned. But discussion on this, and a variety of other issues, has taken place with IPS over the past few days at a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Kenya's capital - Nairobi.

POLITICS-KENYA: Where Are the Bright Young Things?

In an isolated village in Kenya's western Siaya district, near Lake Victoria, 75-year-old William Onyango gazes at a faded newspaper clipping pinned to the wall of his dank, makeshift store.

DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: Coffee Profits Not Percolating Down to Farmers

Lucy Wangui once appreciated her coffee trees, but not any more. Instead, the small-scale grower from central Kenya says they are causing her more trouble than they're worth.

SUDAN: For Vendors, It’s a Case of Struggle – and Struggle Again

Suzie Bernardo arrives at the market in the centre of Sudan's capital, Khartoum, at dawn, after a long bus ride from a remote slum. There she erects her portable charcoal stove, and sets out tea glasses clouded with fingerprints, and jars of tea, coffee and sugar.

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY: Of Information Bills, and Schools on Bars

As preparations to mark World Press Freedom Day (May 3) in Kenya move into high gear, calls for government to pass a freedom of information bill are intensifying.

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY: Little Said or Heard of Jailed Eritrean Reporters

Good news about media freedom in Eritrea is rare - so it's understandable that delight and relief greeted the announcement last November that Isaac Dawit, an Eritrean journalist with Swedish nationality, had been released after four years in prison.

INT’L LABOUR DAY: A Call for Hawkers to Be Treated With Dignity

The dark clouds threaten a downpour. Already, light showers have started, and people in the streets of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, are hurrying to their destinations to avoid getting soaked.

DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: From Petrol Power to Pedal Power

Minibus taxis, referred to as "matatus", have long been a ubiquitous feature of the Kenyan landscape, providing transport in cities - and linking urban and rural areas.

HEALTH: A Weapon Against AIDS That Looks Just Like Hair Gel

"Mafuta" is the word used by Kennedy Mundia to describe the colourless, odourless gel that he wants 1,500 women in the Southern African country of Zambia to try out, starting next month.

RIGHTS: Kenya’s Parliament Hears that Women Who Say “No” Often Mean “Yes”

Although hopes were high that debate on a bill seeking harsher penalties for perpetrators of sexual violence in Kenya would be smooth sailing, discussions have already been marked by controversy.