INTER PRESS SERVICE

Henry Dike, a Nigerian footballer who plies his trade in Germany, ruined his holiday after disposing refuse at a wrong spot in Lagos.

DEVELOPMENT: Burkina Faso Considers Use of Genetically Modified Cotton

The impoverished West African nation of Burkina Faso is giving serious consideration to planting genetically modified cotton due to the destruction of nearly half its crop seeds annually by caterpillars resistant to pesticides.

ENERGY: Fears of Mismanagement, as Oil Fever Grips Chad

''They say oil is spurting out of the ground, but I haven't seen it yet," says Faustin Gayande, a young man from the Chadian capital of N'djamena.

POLITICS-SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE: Coup Leaders Warn Foreign Powers to Stay Out

Coup leaders, who seized power in the tiny West African island state of Sao Tome and Principe on Wednesday, have warned foreign powers to stay out of the island's problem, as rumours of military intervention to restore the ousted government intensify.

POLITICS-SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE: Nigeria, UN Condemn Military Coup

Nigeria and the United Nations have condemned the military coup in the tiny West African island state of Sao Tome and Principe, which toppled President Fandique de Menezes this week.

CULTURE-GHANA: Churches can help perpetuate emotional violence against Women

-Exhilda Natogma (Not real name) is a nurse at a mission hospital of one of the popular Pentecostal churches in Madina a suburb of Accra, the capital city of Ghana.

POLITICS: Military Coup in Sao Tome and Principe

Army officers seized power in the tiny West African state of Sao Tome and Principe Wednesday, while President Fradique de Menezes was away on a private visit to Nigeria.

POLITICS: Sierra Leonean Refugees Head Home

”Thank God for arriving home safely,” says 20-year-old Emerson Fowai, who was among 360 Sierra Leoneans evacuated from war-torn Liberia last week.

HEALTH: Bush Winds Up Trip, Pledges Support for War on HIV/AIDS

U.S. President George W. Bush ended his five-nation tour of Africa Saturday, with a pledge to support Africa's fight against HIV/AIDS and poverty.

POLITICS-NIGERIA: Bush’s Safari to Benefit U.S. Investors

U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to Nigeria on Friday will only benefit American investors, says a human rights activist.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: President Taylor’s Days Numbered

For Liberia's 3.5 million people, there is not much doubt about it: Charles Taylor, the strongman or common enemy, is nearing his end in office. With the capture of the seaport of Monrovia, the rebels belt the Liberian leader a strategic and psychological blow.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Whether Taylor Quits, He Must Stand Trial – Court

Whether or not President Charles Taylor leaves office, his indictment will still stand, says the UN-backed Special War Crimes Court.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Pressure Mounts on President Taylor to Resign

Any abrupt exit of President Charles Taylor could leave behind a power vacuum and plunge Liberia into chaos, warns a senior government official.

POLITICS-GHANA: Marital Rape Under The Spotlight

-"How can my wife tell me I have raped her?" Atsu Nutor a carpenter asked while sipping the locally prepared gin popularly known as Akpeteshie. "That would be the end of the marriage," his friend Kwame Obi, also a carpenter, answered.

RIGHTS-LIBERIA: Fighting Leaves Humanitarian Chaos in Capital

Three days of bloodletting in Liberia's capital, Monrovia - the second in 10 days - left "tragic humanitarian consequences with people still suffering and dying of hunger, starvation and a multitude of diseases," says health minister Peter Coleman.

ENERGY-SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE: Oil Raises Hope, Fear

The discovery of oil in the rugged and forested islands of Sao Tome and Principe has raised both hope and fear in the former Portuguese colony located off the west coast of Africa.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Fighting Closes in on Capital

"We know that the insurgents are not just rebels of LURD, but a force backed by Great Britain and the U.S. to remove this (Liberian) government," claimed Reginald Goodridge, information minister of the embattled government in Monrovia, Thursday.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: Bright Future for Cotton Producers

By 2010, central and west African countries will start processing 25 percent of their raw cotton into finished products to reduce the negative effects created by subsidies in the developed nations.

DEVELOPMENT-NIGERIA: Cassava Disease Threatens Food Security

Tunji Adelakun, 57, sits dejected on a bench in front of his thatched hut, complaining about the loss of his cassava crop to a devastating disease that twists the leaves and turns them yellowish.

ECONOMY-NIGERIA: Panic At Fuel Stations After Obasanjo Hints At Price