HEALTH-AFRICA: Prevalence of Extensive Drug-Resistant TB Unclear

What is known so far about the scope and prevalence of extensive drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) in sub-Saharan Africa may only be the tip of the iceberg, said TB experts Thursday during the 38th Union World Conference on Lung Health, in the South African coastal city of Cape Town.

RIGHTS-COTE D&#39IVOIRE: Fighting FGM From Mosque and Pulpit

In certain parts of Africa, female genital mutilation (FGM) has been linked to religion, with Muslim communities mistakenly believing that the practice is a religious requirement. But in Côte d'Ivoire, religion is also being put at the service of fighting FGM.

HEALTH-AFRICA: HIV and TB – An Ever Deadlier Combination

The prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) amongst people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa has reached crisis levels and will escalate further if decisive steps are not taken, says a new report by the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research - 'HIV-TB Co-Infection: Meeting the Challenge'.

ENVIRONMENT: Central Africa&#39s "Most Beautiful Waterfall" Under Threat

Described as the most beautiful waterfall in Central Africa, Gabon's Kongou Falls are also at the heart of an environmental controversy that some believe has far-reaching implications for conservation in the country.

Q&A: “We Don’t Believe Gbagbo Will Organise Transparent Elections”

Will it be third time lucky for Ivorian opposition leader Alassane Ouattara during presidential elections which many hope will take place in Cote d'Ivoire next year?

DEVELOPMENT-MOROCCO: Debate Over Policies to Assist Beggars

Morocco's social development minister, Abderrahim Harrouchi, says efforts are underway to address the plight of thousands of beggars in the North African country.

DEVELOPMENT: India, Brazil, South Africa – the Power of Three

Brazil, India and South Africa will intensify their campaign for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council when their leaders meet in the South African capital, Pretoria, on Oct. 17. President Luiz Inácio da Silva of Brazil, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will discuss U.N. reforms and other issues of common interest at the second IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) summit later this week.

Q&A: "Inmates Who Are on Death Row Are Without Legal Representation"

Olawale Fapohunda is a leading human rights lawyer in Nigeria and managing partner of the Legal Resource Consortium, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in the economic capital of Lagos that provides free legal aid to prison inmates.

COTE D’IVOIRE: Educating Children on the Job

Nibon Soro and Kartenin Silué, two children living in the Korhogo region of northern Côte d'Ivoire, should be in school. But, farm duties - and their family's poverty - stand in the way of education.

TRADE: Exports Should Be Priority for African States

The ‘‘Mobilising Aid For Trade: Focussing on Africa’’ high level conference ended this week with admonitions from the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Q&A: "The Advice I Give Women Is to Leave Hang-Ups Behind"

For women politicians in Mali, winning a seat in parliament is a tall order - difficult enough with party backing, and possibly harder still without it. But, this didn't stop Haïdara Ichata Cissé from taking her chances as an independent earlier this year.

AFRICA: Aid For Trade Could Help Producers in Poor Countries

Agricultural exporters in poor nations need funds and technical assistance to comply with food safety norms in order to boost their share of world trade, according to World Trade Organization (WTO) representatives.

HEALTH: UNAIDS Head Puts the Spotlight on Children and Teens

The executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is urging action as concerns the transmission of HIV to children through sexual abuse, incest and early teenage sex.

HEALTH: Simpler AIDS Drugs to Benefit Children

A new form of AIDS treatment for children, targeted at families in rural areas, will be available within months, according to an official from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

ENERGY-AFRICA: Big Potential and Challenges for Biofuels

Biofuels offer Africa the chance to supply itself with alternative energy sources, and also to become a major supplier of these sources for developed markets. Yet, challenges - from creating the relevant infrastructure to competition for biofuel crops from food markets - remain.

DEVELOPMENT-GHANA: Picking Up the Pieces After the Floods

"We prayed to God to open the heavens, but this is not what we expected," says Peter Nayoon, a farmer from Gushiegu in the north of Ghana, one of several African countries blighted by floods over recent weeks. "I am finished," he adds, pointing dejectedly towards the area that used to be his yam farm. "Who would give me money to start a new life?"

MOROCCO: Polls Largely Maintain the Status Quo for Women in Parliament

This month's parliamentary elections in Morocco have seen the number of women legislators decline from 35 to 34 in the 325 member body. With 30 of the female representatives elected under a quota, the results would seem to indicate that women face challenges in making their presence felt in the lower house - even though a proportional representation system is used for polls.

POLITICS-SIERRA LEONE: A Sea of Challenges for the New Government

A voting process that has stretched over more than a month came to an end this week with the announcement that Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) had won the presidency in Sierra Leone's general elections.

HEALTH-WEST AFRICA: Rural Areas Said To Be in the Shadow of AIDS Efforts

Certain West African researchers have expressed concern at the disparities between rural and urban areas in their countries as regards HIV/AIDS services and prevention initiatives.

Q&A: "The Involvement of the Government Is Still Mixed"

Some cause for optimism, but several reasons for concern...That's the message from Amadou Wassouni as regards efforts to address desertification in Cameroon.

ENVIRONMENT: Parliaments Said to be "Weak" in Fighting Desertification

Legislatures have been taken to task over their track record in addressing desertification, this at the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP8), currently underway in the Spanish capital, Madrid.