DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: LDC Status Hard to Shake

There were 18 in Africa 35 years ago. There are 34 now - which begs the question: are policies to thin the ranks of the almost three dozen least developed countries (LDCs) on the continent even somewhat effective?

RIGHTS-GHANA: The Impossible Task of Pricing Misery

For victims of human rights abuse in Ghana, the long wait for some form of restitution may finally be at an end. This follows indications that government will soon begin disbursing about 1.5 million dollars to people identified by the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) as requiring compensation.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: “NAM Only Needs to Redefine Itself”

With countries in Africa accounting for almost half the membership of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), it could be argued that this continent has a particular interest in the future strategies and effectiveness of the grouping - now holding its fourteenth summit, in Cuba.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: What They’ll Talk About in 2007

With dozens, if not hundreds of organisations likely to attend next year's World Social Forum (WSF) - and almost as many issues clamouring to be addressed there - nailing down a programme for the Jan. 20-25 event promises to be a daunting task.

RIGHTS-COTE D’IVOIRE: “The Sun’s Rays Have Become Strangers To Our Eyes”

To get a sense of the problems besetting prisons in Côte d'Ivoire, look no further than Building C of the House of Arrest and Correction of Abidjan (Maison d'arrêt et de correction d'Abidjan, MACA).

DEVELOPMENT: From “Survival or a Better Life”, to Survival and a Better Life

At the recent meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) held in Cape Town, South Africa, the key word was "partnership".

SCIENCE: Excellence and Cooperation in the Developing South

High-quality scientific research is also carried out in the developing South, especially in response to problems specific to the Third World, and in a spirit of cooperation - all of which will be on display as of Saturday at a paradisiacal Brazilian beach resort.

POLITICS-CENTRAL AFRICA: Three Countries, One Common Problem

The banditry activities along the Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic borders are worsening and claiming innocent lives.

HEALTH-COTE D’IVOIRE: Abortion – Illegal, Sought After, Sometimes Fatal

Poverty, civil war, fears of religious persecution: any one of these can push women to have abortions. In Côte d'Ivoire, however, all of these factors are present, leading to what some claim are substantial increases in the termination of pregnancies.

ECONOMY: For African Cotton Farmers, More Crops Equal Less Pay

François Tani - a cotton grower in Koumbia, western Burkina Faso - has cleared extra land this year for cultivation, bringing the total number of hectares he is farming to 28. But, he's under no illusion that a larger harvest will bring him more money.

MEDIA-AFRICA: “Threatened From Everywhere”

Concerns about restrictions on press freedom in Africa have surfaced again, this during a two-day conference held in Kenya that attracted over 100 media representatives from across the continent.

CULTURE-CAMEROON: Celestial Solutions for Material Problems

Crumbling campuses, inadequate equipment, a lack of bursaries: the problems facing Cameroonian students are numerous - and they're not only compromising the education that students receive. These difficulties have also laid the ground for sects and religious groups to flourish on campuses.

ENERGY-NIGERIA: ‘Solar Power Brings Relief to Villagers’

Bishop Kodji, a small fishing and canoe carving island in the Atlantic Ocean off Nigeria's sprawling commercial hub of Lagos, has become the first village to be electrified under the Lagos State government's pilot solar energy project..

RIGHTS-BURKINA FASO: Journalist Case Puts Spotlight On Justice System

A decision by a judge to drop charges against the suspect in the case of slain journalist Norbert Zongo has placed Burkina Faso's justice system in the spotlight.

ENVIRONMENT-NIGER: City Takes Step to Protect Forest

As fears of its destruction mount, city authorities have taken steps to protect the forest, or the greenbelt, around Niamey and evict squatters living within its confines. The forest protects the city from encroaching desertification and the extremes of Niger's climate.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: To End Hunger – More Aid, Quicker Aid, Smarter Aid

Global aid agency Oxfam has called for a thorough review of efforts to end hunger in Africa, arguing that emergency assistance is often inadequate and arrives too late - while the underlying causes of hunger are going largely unaddressed.

RIGHTS-CAMEROON: Legislation Against Child Trafficking Only a First Step

For 13-year-old Helen Angwa, days are long, beginning at 05.00 and continuing to about midnight. The hours in between are spent on ceaseless work for a restaurant owner who bought her when she was just nine.

ECONOMY-CENTRAL AFRICA: Profits to Be Had in Becoming a Banana Republic

It's a tale of two countries, and competing groups of female sellers. The account of the banana trade between Cameroon and Gabon is also an illustration of how difficult regional economic integration can be.

IRAQ: A Story Left Incomplete

Alaa Hassan never did live to see publication of the last story he had filed. It got caught for a while, as stories sometimes are, in that no man's land between what a correspondent could reasonably get, and what an editor would really like.

DEVELOPMENT: Aid for the Poor, Not for the Consultants

No less than a quarter of annual development aid - about 20 billion dollars - is being used by donor countries to fund technical assistance of sometimes dubious worth, says ActionAid International in a new report.

IRAQ: A Story IPS Never Wanted to Tell

IPS contributor Alaa Hassan was killed on his way to work last Wednesday. He was 35 years old. He is survived by his mother, five brothers, five sisters and his wife who is pregnant with their first child.