An editor of an independent newspaper Agnes Uwimana is at the mercy of a Rwandan prosecutor who is pushing for a 33-year prison sentence, according to state radio on Thursday. She has been accused of denying the 1994 genocide and would know her fate on 4 February at the High Court. Uwimana appeared before the country's High Court on charges of negating the 1994 genocide, defaming senior officials - including President Paul Kagame - and disturbing the peace, all through articles published last year, Radio Rwanda reported.

In February, Ugandans will be going to the polls for presidential and parliamentary elections. It is an interesting time for a changing of the guard in Parliament, as Uganda will soon be the latest oil-producing country on the continent. Already there are concerns over a lack of transparency and government accountability related to oil agreements and revenues. This article from the South African Institute of International Affairs asks what role is Parliament expected to play in holding the Executive to account and ensuring greater transparency in the oil sector?

A new International Council on Human Rights Policy report looks into the human rights implications of contemporary patterns of social control: how laws and policies construct and respond to people, behaviour or status defined as 'undesirable', 'dangerous', criminal or socially problematic. The report explores how changing ideas of crime, criminality and risk are shaping social policy, why incarceration continues to be a preferred sanction and how contemporary policing and surveillance practices order and organise social relations.

‘If the AU and ECOWAS intervene in Cote d’Ivoire on behalf of France and imperialism, it could be a dangerous example, threatening the sovereignty of other African countries, writes Asad Ali.

When darkness descends in the ubiquitous slums and ‘informal settlements’ surrounding Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, women who visit and use communal toilets unwittingly become sitting ducks. The dangers are high, for women living in the slums, that they may become targets of youth gangs and individual male rapists. 'I had heard that it was unsafe to visit the (community) toilet alone,' said forty-two year old, Rebecca Nduku, a single mother of three, when she challenged her friend’s ‘I-told-you-so’ warning. Acting against advice, Rebecca suffered irrevocably for throwing caution to the wind.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and the West African Journalists Association (WAJA) have expressed concerns over the political crisis in the West African country of Ivory Coast. According to agency reports, the distribution and publication of newspapers in Ivory Coast have been blocked. Newspapers ideologically allied with the opposition leader, now internationally recognised Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, are not allowed to publish. Two reporters working for Le Mandat newspaper were briefly arrested, at least eight foreign journalists were arrested in different periods, and the safety and security of local journalists have been compromised by the armed forces of both political camps.

Food riots, geopolitical tensions, global inflation and increasing hunger among the planet's poorest people are the likely effects of a new surge in world food prices, which have hit an all-time high according to the United Nations. London's Independent newspaper reports that the UN's index of food prices – an international basket comprising wheat, corn, dairy produce, meat and sugar – stands at its highest since the index started in 1990, surpassing even the peaks seen during the 2008 food crisis, which prompted civil disturbances from Mexico to Indonesia.

Egyptian activists are calling on the government to take action to save African asylum-seekers from what they call the 'systematic torture' they are being subjected to by their Bedouin captors in the Sinai peninsula who demand thousands of dollars in ransom. 'The government says it does not have information [on this],' said Magda Botrous, a violence and physical safety specialist at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, a local NGO. 'But the problem is that the government doesn't try to get the information,' she told IRIN.

This program will provide a unique opportunity to explore shifting security dynamics in the Asia Pacific region and to discuss the future of the US role. Visits to Okinawa and Tokyo will provide insight into the sensitivities surrounding the physical presence of US troops and Japan’s renewed debates about its defense strategy given the perceived threat from North Korea and territorial disagreements with both China and Russia.

For centuries we have watched and we have listened. Listened to the wind; watched the flowering and shedding of leaf and shrub. Listened to birdsong; watched the movement of termite. Listened to the croak of frog, watched the movement of the river. Through listening and watching, we have been able to advise; to suggest the time for preparation and the sowing of seed. Our story of weather-telling is very long. My family has been given a crucial task: we are the guardians of sacred knowledge...

'We are writing to express our grave concern about the recent escalation of homophobia throughout the African continent. A vocal minority spouting hatred, paranoia, and intolerance is dominating public discourse. In response, increasing numbers of parliaments are attempting to criminalise homosexuality, and increasing numbers of African leaders are publicly endorsing this criminalisation. Currently, over two-thirds of countries in the African Union have legislation that criminalises homosexuality. AIDS-Free World is disturbed by the silence of AU leaders in the face of this discrimination, and we urgently call upon the African Union to hold a special session to address the issue.'

Defense spending in Africa has increased significantly over the last few years, largely because the continent's key oil producers have scored heavy economic gains as crude prices have risen, finds a new survey. The surge in oil revenue 'has provided an opportunity for African governments to support much-needed military acquisition and improvement programs, resulting in defense spending growth that has significantly outpaced that of non-petrostates,' the survey said, as reported by United Press International.

Government has dismissed predictions that this year’s general elections would be the bloodiest ever, describing the prophecy as an attempt to threaten peace and security. And Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has described the statement from Colonel Panji Kaunda as irresponsible and alarming. Kaunda was on 3 January quoted saying Zambia will experience bloody violence if Government does not put measures in place to stop it.

Somali pirates have hijacked a Mozambican-flagged fishing vessel about 200 nautical miles (370 km) southwest of Comoros in the Indian Ocean, the European Union's anti-piracy taskforce said at the beginning of January. The capture of the 140-tonne Vega 5 and its 14-strong crew of unknown nationalities is the second successful strike by pirates off the northern tip of Madagascar in a week.

There’s a nagging misconception that all significant environmental progress begins in wealthy nations, which then shoulder the noble task of aiding and arm-twisting poor nations to do their share in taking care of the planet. But the developing world doesn’t simply do less of what’s wrong, they also have taken some bold steps in embracing a greener future, writes Jay Walljasper on Just last month Kenya adopted a 'new constitution' that declares in Article 42, 'Every person has the right to a clean and healthy environment, which includes the right—a) to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations through legislative and other measures.'

If Mugabe were to call an election in 2011, it would be widely viewed as a political attack on South African President Jacob Zuma, says a new political brief from Idasa. 'South Africa and SADC would not support any such movement by Mugabe or Zanu PF. It must be noted that political activity has not been banned, a signal that an election may not be imminent. Finally, if a constitutional referendum is not held before a fresh election, it would likely prove very difficult to mobilise the population.'

More than 5,000 Mauritanian refugees, intending to return home following a tripartite agreement between the governments of Senegal and Mauritania and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), signed in November 2007, have expressed uncertainty in the move, PANA has reported. Mamadou Wane, spokesman for the Steering Committee of Coordination of the Associations of the Mauritanian Refugees in Senegal, said no information had been given to the UNHCR representative in Dakar to assure the 5,000 Mauritanian refugees awaiting repatriation.

Fahamu and UHAI are co-organising a training programme called the Movement Building Boot Camp. The goal of the MBBC is to grow and strengthen the base of leadership among East African activists working on sexual rights and LGBTI rights. As part of this, the training will build and deepen skills and knowledge on issues of sexuality, gender and human rights, power and accountability. Please do note that this Movement Building Boot Camp is for East African activists only.

For more information and to participate in this exciting and novel journey, kindly fill in the online application form () by 22 January 2011.

To many people Facebook is a tool to announce what they are doing or what they have done, yet to some Zambians, it is being used as ‘Agony Aunt’ from which they are seeking advice on many social problems affecting them, reports Global Voices. A social work graduate from the University of Zambia, Tina Banda, started a Facebook page called Real Life and Hot Issues Discussion Forum with Tina Banda on which a number of topics are posted everyday and responses given by other Facebook users.

In Zambia, a silver lining has emerged for widespread rural hunger and poverty, thanks to homegrown agricultural research. Local scientists have successfully developed four new, early-maturing and high- yielding cassava cultivars in an ambitious research project conducted in the cassava-rich Luapula Province, under the on-going Root and Tuber Improvement Programme (RTIP).