A group of Tunisian civil society organisations last week warned that the draft law on a new electoral body might put the country's democracy on a dangerous path. 'The government's project is awash with shortcomings and gaps; something which would lead to an election that is neither democratic nor transparent,' Kamel Gharbi, representative of Ofiya coalition, said at the September 19th conference in Tunis. The Ennahda-dominated government in July proposed a set of regulations to establish a new commission to supervise next elections. According to the proposal, members of the Independent High Electoral Commission (ISIE) will be selected by the two-thirds majority of the Constituent Assembly, while its head will be named by the governing troika.

It is easy to condemn violent protests by angry Muslims, but often nothing is said to those who provoke these reactions by denigrating the sacred beliefs of others. They are thought to be exercising their freedom of speech.

What is the value of America’s military and humanitarian interventions? Just look at Mali: Its shattered democracy and roving rebel groups are a troubling picture of an AFRICOM partner state.

Propping up the US financial system is a clever ploy that vests power in the top one per cent globally, with dire consequences on commodity prices and forward planning. The peoples of Africa and the global South must adopt measures to respond to this cascading economic and political maelstrom.

For much of this winter, communities in shack settlements across Cape Town have taken to the streets in some of the most active civil disobedience protests since 1994.

‘In our struggle to give concrete form to Pan-Afrikanism, it is clear that we must continue and advance our anti-oppressive struggles with an understanding that the union of Afrikan people worldwide is an emancipation-from-below project.’

The UN Human Rights Council (the Council) should not take a soft approach to the deteriorating situation in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur when it adopts a resolution on Sudan at the end of its 21st session this week. The Council should act in accordance with its mandate to address ongoing widespread and serious violations of human rights and prevent any further deterioration of the situation in the conflict areas. 'The Council should not turn a blind eye to the potential for further abuses, in particular in South Kordofan, Blue Nile. The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) and FIDH call on the Council to keep a close watch on the human rights situation in Sudan,' said ACJPS Director Osman Hummaida.

The Millennium Development Goals may not be perfect but they are simple and straightforward - qualities diplomats and others fear could be lost in the process of crafting new targets to replace the MDGs, which expire in 2015. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon underscored this in remarks to members of a high-level panel charged with working out what comes next. 'We need a clear post-2015 development agenda - an agenda with shared responsibilities for all countries, with the fight against poverty at the fore and sustainable development at the core,' he said.

Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi died in August after ruling the country from 1995 to 2012. Contrary to regime claims of economic development, he will be remembered for crushing all dissent to his rule.

Five Cuban men were arrested in Miami, Florida in September, 1998, and charged with 26 counts of violating the federal laws of the United States. Most of the counts were minor and technical offenses, such as the use of false names and failure to register as foreign agents. None of the charges involved violence in the US, the use of weapons, or property damage.

Angola's top court recently rejected appeals by the main opposition Unita and two smaller parties over alleged irregularities in an election won comfortably by the MPLA party of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos last month. The ruling by the Constitutional Court - Angola's highest legal body - means the opposition parties have run out of legal avenues to contest the vote outcome and paves the way for Dos Santos to be sworn in.

While change has swept other parts of the world over the past couple of years, Togo, an impoverished and largely agricultural nation under French rule before independence in 1960, can sometimes feel like a throwback to another era. Lingering suspicions over an alleged coup bid in 2009 have added to tensions, with the president's half-brother sentenced to 20 years in prison and 32 others to a range of jail terms over the incident last year. Opposition and civil society groups have been organising protests that the government seeks to prevent, usually with police firing tear gas.

Pro-and anti-Malema factions have vowed to demonstrate outside court as the expelled ANC Youth League leader faces criminal charges. The Polokwane Regional Court looks set to become the stage for a media circus, as both supporters and opponents of expelled ANC Youth League president Julius Malema vowed to launch protests and counter-protests in the Limpopo town ahead of his court appearance this week.

The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program at the Washington, DC–based National Endowment for Democracy invites applications for fellowships in 2013–2014. This federally funded program enables democracy activists, practitioners, scholars, and journalists from around the world to deepen their understanding of democracy and enhance their ability to promote democratic change.

The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program at the Washington, DC–based National Endowment for Democracy invites applications for fellowships in 2013–2014. This federally funded program enables democracy activists, practitioners, scholars, and journalists from around the world to deepen their understanding of democracy and enhance their ability to promote democratic change.

Proscovia Alengot Oromait has become Africa's youngest Member of Paliament (MP) at the age of 19, after she won the Usuk county election with 11,059 votes. The outspoken youngster replaces her father who died earlier this year, reports Global Voices Online. Alengot is a member of National Resistance Movement, headed by President Yoweri Museveni. Other people who stood for the post included, Charles Ojok Oleny with 5,329 votes, Charles Okure from FDC with 2,725 votes and Cecilia Anyakoit of UPC with 554 votes.

Anuak indigenous people from Ethiopia’s Gambella region have submitted a complaint to the World Bank Inspection Panel implicating the Bank in grave human rights abuses perpetrated by the Ethiopian Government. The complaint alleges that the Anuak people have been severely harmed by the World Bank-financed and administered Protection of Basic Services Project (PBS), which has provided 1.4 billion USD in sectoral budget support for the provision of basic services to the Ethiopian Government since 2006.

There is ample evidence to show that national independence does not mean much for most citizens of Uganda. The upcoming anniversary should be a day to reflect about where Ugandans want to take their country in the next 50 years.

The struggle for justice and peace in Congo has cost many human lives, caused horrendous suffering and destruction. What is needed now is for all actors to set aside their differences and hold a national dialogue in the interest of the people.

Huge shopping malls are spreading social alienation, intensifying economic distortions and amplifying ecological decay.