CORRUPTION-KENYA: Donors Take Aim at Graft

The diplomatic community in Kenya has coined a new phrase to describe the country’s new political leadership for its inability to fight corruption.

TECHNOLOGY: Rural Africa Yearning for Internet, Connectivity

In a few years, an old woman in rural Africa should be able, if all goes according to plan, to connect to the net and communicate with her children in the city.

ENERGY-RWANDA: No Relief in Sight for Victims of Power Cuts

In recent months, Rwanda has experienced long, daily power cuts because of electricity rationing. This began after two of the country’s hydroelectric plants, Ntaruka and Mukunga, which are responsible for providing half of Rwanda’s power, experienced drops in yield.

RIGHTS-SUDAN: Rape, Deaths Ravaging Darfur – Amnesty International

‘’Five to six men would rape us, one after the other, for hours during six days, every night. My husband could not forgive me after this, he disowned me,’’ says a woman, whose story was recorded in a new report by Amnesty International, the London-based human rights watchdog.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Women Legislators Lobby for Peace

In a bid to promote peace in Africa's conflict-ridden Great Lakes region, women parliamentarians from the area say they intend taking a more prominent role in talks to end fighting.

DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: A Preventable Disaster?

Should Kenyan authorities have been better prepared for the drought that has ravaged most of the country, prompting widespread food shortages? It's a question that elicits a mixed response from analysts.

POLITICS-DRC: Pantheon of National History Expands to Include Women

For those largely unfamiliar with Congolese history, a list of people who have shaped the country's past might include no more than two or three names. Patrice Lumumba and Mobutu Sese Seko would certainly feature; perhaps Laurent Kabila as well.

POLITICS-EAST AFRICA: “It Is Not Our Intention to Stay Here Indefinitely”

The United Nations has voiced fresh concerns over the stalemate in efforts to end the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea, saying it poses a security threat in the Horn of Africa.

ENERGY-DRC: Power Under Uncertain Circumstances

In recent years, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become a byword for violence and human rights abuse. Now, inhabitants of Butembo in the North Kivu province are seeking renown for something else: entrepreneurial initiative.

HEALTH-UGANDA: Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV Defies Prevention Efforts

Uganda's success in fighting AIDS has been justly celebrated. In 1993, the country had an HIV prevalence rate of 30 percent - this according to the Uganda AIDS Commission, which was set up by government to coordinate the fight against HIV. The rate now stands at six percent.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTHERN AFRICA: NEPAD Highlights Infrastructure Needs

"If you see a set of bright, shining lights at night, it's not a vehicle but a giraffe that got stuck in a pothole in the middle of the road. So, watch out," Zambians used to joke about the state of their roads a few years ago.

POLITICS-SUDAN: No Peace in the South Without Stability in Darfur – Annan

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan says mediators in peace talks for south Sudan should turn their attention to the western region of Darfur, as any peace deal for the south will be compromised by a continued humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Champagne Tastes on Beer Money?

It was billed as a summit where a new future for Africa would be unveiled. African Union chief Alpha Oumar Konare laid out a 1.7 billion dollar plan that would help revitalise the troubled and marginalized continent.

DEVELOPMENT-SOMALIA: Khat Dampens Euphoria About Peace

After a marathon round of talks, peace may finally be in sight for Somalia, which has been without central government since 1991. But, some fear that a deeply-rooted practice - the chewing of khat - may undermine the gains of negotiations.

POLITICS: Cleaning Up Africa's Image

Conflict resolution and poverty reduction will dominate the annual summit of the African Union (AU), to be held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, this week from Jul. 6 to 8.

POLITICS: An African Army, for Africans?

As the third annual summit of the African Union (AU) draws closer, the spotlight is falling on the organisation's newest branch: the Peace and Security Council, and its proposed standby force.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Women Charting the Continent’s Future

"We must congratulate Rwanda for achieving 48.8 percent of women representation in parliament. This is the highest in the world. It means gender parity is no longer a dream but a reality in Africa," said Lulu Xingwana, South Africa's Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy, to thunderous applause from over a thousand women who gathered in the capital, Pretoria, this week.

POLITICS-KENYA: Another Deadline Goes By

Thursday, Jul.1, should have been the day that Kenya woke up to a new constitution that set the country on a path of improved governance and development. But yet again, government has failed to deliver this document to the people.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: Reversing the Medical Brain Drain

The flight of nurses and doctors from South Africa - and other African states - has long been a source of concern for the governments of these countries. And, the advent of AIDS has sharpened fears about the effects of this migration.

HEALTH-AFRICA: Pregnant Women Beware

A decade after the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development, maternal mortality continues to plague Africa. Delegates to a meeting held in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, recently heard that of the 585,000 deaths caused every year by obstetric complications, many occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

ECONOMY-AFRICA: Be Careful What You Wish For

The 79-member grouping of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries known as the ACP bloc wrapped up its latest summit in the Mozambican capital, Maputo, this week, with delegates expressing a willingness to kick start stalled global trade talks.