POLITICS-LIBERIA: Government Has Mixed Record After 100 Days in Office

Liberia's hopes for peace were rekindled last October when a power-sharing transitional government took office with a mandate to run the country until elections in 2005.

LABOUR-SOUTH AFRICA: German and South African Unions Strengthen Ties

"We live in one world. Not in the first, second, third, fifth or sixth world," Michael Sommer, head of the Confederation of German Trade Unions, said in South Africa this week.

SPORT-AFRICA: Soccer Greats Gather for Cup of Nations

The 24th edition of Africa’s premier soccer showcase, the African Cup of Nations, kicks off Saturday in Tunisia. In the only game to be played on the first day, the hosts are tackling Nations Cup debutantes Rwanda after the opening ceremony at Rades Stadium in Tunis.

ECONOMY-NIGERIA: Nationwide Strike Suspended

The Nigeria Labour Congress announced Wednesday that it was suspending a nationwide stay away that had been called to protest against a fuel price increase.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Good Governance a Key Theme of German Chancellor’s Visit

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will arrive in South Africa Wednesday for a two-day visit to the country. This forms part of a four-nation African tour - Schroeder's first since he became chancellor in 1998.

/UPDATE/ECONOMY-NIGERIA: Emergency Stockpiling as Fuel Strike Looms

A court of appeal in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, has ordered the Nigeria Labour Congress to suspend a proposed strike that had been scheduled to start on Wednesday. It has also ordered authorities to reverse the one cent petrol tax that is at the heart of the labour dispute.

ECONOMY-SIERRA LEONE: Police Clamp Down on Hawkers

A seemingly intractable dispute is underway in Sierra Leone between hawkers, and those who're tired of weaving their way through the teeming roadside markets that have sprung up in the capital.

ECONOMY-LIBERIA: Perilous Times for the Banking Sector

Public confidence in Liberia's banks appears to be at a new low, with many people now opting to keep their money elsewhere - some in foreign accounts.

MEDIA-AFRICA: A Depressing Start to 2004 for African Journalists

The new year has started on a bad note for the media in Africa, with journalists under siege in various parts of the continent.

POLITICS-SIERRA LEONE: Disarmed, Demobilised – and Desperate

A lengthy disarmament programme has wrapped up in Sierra Leone, with organisers giving themselves a pat on the back: "I think that the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants have been a success," says Francis Kaikai, Executive Secretary of the programme.

CULTURE-NIGERIA: Should the Death Penalty be Put on Death Row?

Almost 10 years after the death of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, his father - Pa Beesam Wiwa - remains angry and sad.

LABOUR-NIGERIA: Union Leaders Call for Strike Over Fuel Tax

A showdown is looming between Nigeria's labour unions and government over a controversial fuel tax, which consumers want the authorities to scrap.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Famine Poses a New Threat

Spared from death by the bullets, thousands of Liberian war survivors face a new threat: famine. Unless something is done urgently, people will start dying of hunger soon, warn aid workers.

TRANSPORT-AFRICA: Too Many Air Disasters

African airlines have set an ambitious target of reducing by 50 percent the number of accidents by the year 2010.

HEALTH-AFRICA: HIV/AIDS Campaigners Invest in the Youth

The new year has begun with a small but significant contribution to the fight against AIDS, which is devastating Sub-Saharan Africa.

POLITICS-NIGERIA: 007 Babangida – Never Say Never Again

The next presidential election in Nigeria is not due until May 2007. While that might seem a long way off to some, aspirant contenders have already emerged - and they include the man who plunged Nigeria into a political crisis in 1993: former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida.

POLITICS-GUINEA: What Future for the Opposition?

"The elections were fixed. We know that Lansana Conte was re-elected through fraudulent means and so his tenure cannot be legitimate," remarks Ba Mamadou, Chair of the Revival Front for Democratic Change: a coalition of opposition parties that boycotted last month's presidential poll.

ECONOMY: Armed Gangs Plunder Liberia’s Resources

Liberia's power-sharing transitional government has begun to identify the roadmap for the exploitation of the country's resources that are being plundered by armed gangs violating UN sanctions.

ECONOMY-NIGERIA: Child Labour Concerns Give Cocoa a Bitter Taste

Alowonle Ajayi, a Nigerian farmer in his mid-fifties, harvests cocoa pods from his plantation of tall, old trees using a pole with a sickle attached. Ajayi's five-acre property was inherited from his father, who taught him what being a cocoa farmer is all about.

POLITICS-GUINEA: Poll Marred by Boycott and Low Turnout

"These elections had been fixed even before actual polling; they are fraudulent," cried Mamadou Boye Barry of the opposition Union for National Progress. Boye Barry was one of only two candidates in Guinea's presidential election, held on Sunday. The other was incumbent President Lansana Conte.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Disarmament Kicks Off On A Chaotic Note

The disarmament and reintegration of 40,000 Liberian combatants started off on a chaotic note Sunday when hundreds of angry fighters went on the rampage, shooting at random in demand for benefits in exchange for the surrender of their weapons.