SmallShop....Africa News

Uganda's electoral commission has declared 6 candidates eligible to run in February's presidential election. VOA's Paul Ndiho reports.

n the Democratic Republic of Congo the ongoing brutalities against civilians are source of frustration to many, but little is being done to stop the suffering. VOA's Vincent Makori reports.

Presidential elections in Cote D'Ivoire are just two weeks away, and the focus is firmly on its struggling economy. The country is the world's biggest cocoa producer, but the sector is in decline.

Many Egyptian adults have been having a hard time getting married because of soaring marriage costs. The problem has sparked a crisis and widespread debate in a society that gives marriage a top priority.

What was once a booming market place at the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, has now become a ghost town after battles between government troops and al-Shabab fighters wrecked havoc in the area.

Reporters without Borders puts Egypt in the bottom 35 out of 175 countries when it comes to freedom of the press. And now with parliamentary elections fast approaching, journalists in Egypt say the government is clamping down on them more than ever before.

Somalis living in and around the South African city of Cape Town say they have become the victims of a spike in deadly robberies. Community leaders claim 15 people have been murdered in the past two months. Many of the Somalis had recently moved to South Africa to escape the civil war at home. But after some became successful business owners, discriminatory violence was stepped against the minority

South Africa's ruling party is proposing a Media Appeals Tribunal that would apply legal penalties for inaccurate reporting. How will media reforms impact freedom of speech and access to information in South Africa? Are the proposed laws targeting freedom of information or seeking to protect fair and accurate reporting?

IVORY COAST: Getting prepared for long delayed presidential polls The visit of French official Claude Guéant to Ivory Coast a few days before the holding of the much-delayed presidential poll opens a new chapter of mutual cooperation between the two countries. The symbolic trip comes as Ivory Coast prepares for long delayed presidential polls... Following the UN's certification of the voter list, elections finally look set for October 31st. Guéant's visit is a sign of France's goodwill. Its hoping the polls in its former colony will be democratic and transparent but has stopped short of backing anyone in the running.

Henry Okah is being tried in South Africa, where he now lives. He's thought to be one of the main leaders of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Deltao (MEND). The group has claimed responsibilty for the attack which killed 12 people, and has threatened more. In this Aljazeera exclusive, Yvonne Ndege reports from a MEND training camp in their heartland, the oil-rich Niger Delta.