By Kalinga Seneviratne This article is the 33rd in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous series. SINGAPORE IDN) – Thousands of Indonesian Buddhists went on a 4 km procession from Mendut monastery to the historic Borobodur temple in Central Java […]
African Governments Join Activists to Fight Sextortion
By Kizito Makoye DAR ES SALAAM (ACP-IDN) – A poster bearing a message “Graduate with A’s not with AIDS” at the University of Dar es Salaam, tells a grim story of female students who offer sex to obtain higher grades. “My teacher wanted to date me. When I refused his sexual advances, he retaliated by […]
Growing Opposition to Cameroon President Paul Biya
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | YAOUNDE (IDN) – Facing a growing pro-democracy movement, Cameroon is resorting to an old formula – namely unleashing government power in the form of threats, arrests and excessive force. Hundreds of supporters of Maurice Kamto, leader of the opposition Cameroon Resistance Movement, have been filling the […]
Ghana’s President Stuns Women with Demeaning Remarks
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – In this day and age of “Me Too” shaking up outdated gender relationships around the world, it was somewhat unsettling to hear Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo demean his country’s working women as insufficiently activist and dynamic enough to obtain better leadership jobs. Did he really […]
New President Feels the Heat of Trouble Brewing in Liberia
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | MONROVIA (IDN) – Liberian President George Weah is having a few bad days. And more may be on their way. A citizen action group – the Council of Patriots (COP) – has a long list of demands covering governance, human rights and the rule of law, […]
The Electric Vehicle Revolution Is Underway in Africa
By Giles Kirkland An automotive expert and blogger, Giles Kirkland says he has a passion for new technologies. LONDON (IDN) – In 2016, a businessman called Francis Romano imported an electric car Nissan Leaf to Nairobi, Kenya. However, the car was held up at the Customs for an intriguing reason: they had never seen an […]
Female Solar Engineers Light Up Remote Villages in Zanzibar
By Kizito Makoye KENDWA, Tanzania (IDN) – As darkness falls, Natasha Mahmood and her brother huddle around the weak flame of a paraffin lamp, rushing to finish their homework before their mother blows it out to save fuel. “I often try to get it done early. But that’s not always the case. My teacher sometimes […]
Kenya ‘Hanging at the Edge of a Debt Trap’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Lending institutions fear that Kenya’s foot may be stuck on the debt pedal with the latest loan of USD 750 million from the World Bank to be paid over 30 years. Several experts and players in the financial sector do not think all is well. […]
Thousands in DR Congo Trek to Opposition Icon’s Reburial
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | KINSHASA (IDN) – The father of Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi, opposition icon Etienne Tshisekedi, was laid to rest on June 1 in his homeland more than two years after he died in Belgium during a political stalemate over the country’s long-delayed elections. Thousands […]
Volunteering Kicks Up a Notch in Kenya
By J W Jackie RENO, Nevada, USA (IDN) – One of the biggest cross-nation collaborations currently, is between the European Union and Kenya. This unusual pairing provides Kenya with the resources to implement development strategies with a Sh8 billion line of credit (USD 78.922.800,00) from the European Investment Bank (EIB). While the loan is earmarked […]