SmallShop....Africa News

Sierra Leone is working to preserve the ecosystem of coastal mangrove swamps that are threatened by people collecting firewood and harvesting salt

South Africa is in a health care crisis. Doctors and nurses are leaving the country. Equipment, supplies and hospitals are inadequate. And, there are charges that the health care system is rife with fraud and mismanagement. Martin Phillips reports for VOA from Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province.

As Sudan prepares for national elections set for April 11, tensions are rising as some opposition groups call for a postponement of the poll date and threaten to boycott the vote.

In Nyeri, court proceedings came to a halt at the law courts this morning after two inmates escaped. The two charged with robbery with violence took off as they made their way to the dock for the mention of their case.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is opening parts of Lake Tanganyika and Lake Kivu for oil and gas exploration. VOA West Africa corespondent Scott Stearns has more.

As South Africa prepares to host the football, or soccer, World Cup beginning in June, organizers have recruited thousands of volunteers to help the hundreds of thousands of fans who will be attending. VOA's Scott Bobb went to one of the volunteer training sessions in Johannesburg and has this report.

In this video clip, Ottilia Maunganidze of the Institute for Security Studies speaks with Polity's Amy Witherden, about the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the definition of the crime of aggression, which is expected to come to the fore at the upcoming ten year Review conference of the ICC in Uganda.

Prudence Mabhena, a Zimbabwean singer-songwriter born with arthrogryposis, is now a star at home, after a documentary based on her life won an Academy Award last month. Mabhena has long struggled against discrimination, and she hopes the Oscar success will bring a change in social attitudes. Haru Mutasa has the story.

Al Jazeera has obtained footage of Al-Shabab fighters in Somalia destroying grave sites and exhuming bodies before hiding them.The graves belong to foreign soldiers and a Sufi scholar. Al Shabab says it wants to rid Somalia of anything that does not fit with its strict version of Islam, but that has put it on a collision course with Sufi fighters. Al Jazeera's Zeina Awad reports.

The Nigerian city of Lagos is one of the world's fastest growing, but it is also considered one of the five worst places on earth to live. Officials say they are doing all they can, but getting around the city is a problem as its infrastructure is at a breaking point. Meanwhile, Abuja, which was made Nigeria's capital in 1976, appears to lack those problems. Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege reports on what is one of Africa's most overcrowded cities. March 26, 2010

Long-distance running is not only Ethiopias national sport; it is a source of pride for Ethiopians all over the world. Worldfocus contributing blogger Tesfaye Negussie went to Ethiopia and interviewed Derartu Tulu, who won the New York City Marathon in 2009, about what it takes to be one of the best runners in the world

Mombasa residents are facing a major water crisis due to the high number of illegal connections along the main Mzima pipeline in Voi district. Water taps are permanently dry and boreholes are the only alternative source of this precious commodity.

In a deal with donors and the IMF, the Democratic Republic of Congo could have most of its foreign debt wiped away. VOA's Scott Stearns has the story.

The European Union says the Spanish Navy warship Navarra has taken pirates into custody. VOA's Kimberly Russell tells us more.

Rich crop fields are sprouting up across Southern Somalia after heavy rains brought an end to a prolonged drought in the region.

n response to the delay calls, Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president, has threatened to expel all international election monitors.

Zimbabwe is home to more than 100,000 elephants - while the country says it has the capacity to accomodate only half that number. Many villagers are complaining that raids by the wild herds are wreaking havoc to their crop fields and crucial livelihoods, so they are taking the initiative to safeguard their property. But a controversial government scheme called Campfire, which aims to conserve the protected animal, is proving to be a heavy burden on their efforts. Haru Mutasa reports from Zambezi Valley.

The Ugandan government wants to relocate half a million people living in danger of mudslides, following the disaster in the Bududa area earlier this month. But with at least 300 people still missing, many relatives are refusing to move until their bodies are recovered. Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons travelled to Nametsi in Bududa, at the heart of the devastation, and sent us this report

Frequent power cuts in Ivory Coast are hurting the country's economy and affecting neighboring states that have long relied on a steady supply of Ivorian electricity. VOA's Scott Stearns has more.

South Africa has one of the highest crime rates and is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world. In an initiative to boost its security force, South African police have been ordered to shape up or ship out in a newly launched "get fit" programme. The fitness initiative comes after a recent study found that more than half of police officers in the port city of Elizabeth are "clinically obese".

Police in Githunguri have impounded 400 kilograms of meat on its way to Nairobi. According to police the meat was neatly packed in a motorcycle and was being driven to a local market and Nairobi. Public health officers who inspected the meat say its unfit for human consumption. The man transporting the load of meat, however abandoned the motor cycle and took off.Police in the area have cautioned locals to be alert when purchasing meat on butcheries.

In Uganda questions remain over whether a fire that destroyed a World Heritage Site near the capital, Kampala, was deliberate.

Five weeks after assuming executive powers in Africa's most populous nation, Nigeria's acting president has sacked the entire cabinet.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons has this exclusive report on one man who informed authorities about a gang of men he says were armed and organised by politicians to kill people.

Jacob Zuma, South Africa's president, is visiting neighbouring Zimbabwe, to help mediate talks aimed at ending the political deadlock between Robert Mugabe, the country's president, and Morgan Tsvangirai, the prime minister.

Nigeria's police chief has vowed that police officials in Nigeria's central Plateau State will be held responsible for future violent incidents.

Thousands of teachers, classmates and neighbors filled a high school stadium Saturday to honor a 17-year-old girl whose body was discovered in a shallow, lakeside grave as her parents vowed to dedicate themselves to protecting children from sex predators.

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians are being denied vital health care after a row between the government and the state hospitals. The government is said to owe the hospitals more than $270m - more than half the annual budget. The dispute has triggered allegations of fraud and prompted an investigation. Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh reports from Cairo, where as long as the bills aren't paid, hospitals are turning patients away.

Mystery surrounds the death of a two year old child. Walter Odero Odhiambo died on 23rd of February but his burial arranged for 26th of the same month was canceled following a court order to investigate on the cause of death. NTVs Irene Choge reports on a story of a mystery that is apparently far from resolved.

The latest wave of violence in Nigeria was described as retaliation for the outburst of killing in January in which hundreds of people were killed. Now religious leaders are calling on the federal government to help stop the violence. But what are the real causes of the violence? Who is to blame? And is Nigeria on the road to becoming a 'failed state'?

Massive demonstration in Togo from opponent to Jean-Pierre Fabre, former dictator, who was declared winner of a disputed presidential ballot. Riot police threw tear gas bombs at demonstrators....

Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has said that progress is being made to secure the release of a British couple seized by pirates.

Reading's Ghanian community celebrate with High Commisioner Kwaku Danso-Boafo

With Hosni Mubarak's health now being examined under a microscope, people fear his illness or death could leave a power vacuum. With no vice-president, no successor and no peaceful transfer of office, could Egypt tailspin into chaos?

A group of Nigerians armed with guns and machetes has killed hundreds of people, including women and children, in a number of villages near the central city of Jos.

Umaru Yar'Adua, the Nigerian president, has returned home after a 93-day absence while seeking medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. But he has not been seen or heard in public since he returned to Nigeria a week ago, serving to fuel speculation about the state of his health.

Using shovels and their bare hands the residents of a poor rural part of Uganda have been scrambling to reach buried victims of a mudslide that hit the eastern Bududa district on Monday.

With 100 days to go before the South African World Cup FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he was optimistic that the country would host a successful tournament....

Wildlife authorities in Kenya have embarked on a plan to restore the predator-prey balance in one of the country's premier game parks. But relocating herds could be tough on the zebras that were moved.