IRIN News carries a feature on Moulid Iftin Hujale, who has spent 14 of his 24 years in the world’s largest refugee complex, Dadaab, in eastern Kenya, close to his home country, Somalia. As well as working with an NGO in the complex’s Ifo camp, Hujale is a writer and freelance journalist. In this installment of his account of life in Dadaab, he reflects further on the quotidian reality of camp life and the tantalizing opportunity of escape offered by a scholarship.

This documentary investigates the alleged sexual exploitation of female students in some of Ghana’s schools, especially the tertiary institutions. In this piece, former students talk about how their lecturers pestered them for sex in exchange for grades. For some of the victims the experience has completely changed their outlook on life.

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network sent a 15 member mission to observe Zambia‘s tripartite elections held on the 20th of September 2011. The objectives of the mission were multifaceted and included; to observe the Zambia’s electoral processes, to explore and understand civil society initiatives within and around the electoral process. Lastly, the mission sought to glean lessons and insights to inform Zimbabweans as we prepare for the referendum and the general elections in the future.

One in four people will require mental health care at some point in their lives but in many countries only two per cent of all health sector resources are invested in mental health services, according to the World Health Organisation's Mental Health Atlas 2011, released on the eve of the World Mental Health Day, celebrated worldwide on 10 October. 'Average global spending on mental health is still less than US$3 per capita per year,' said the Atlas, adding that 'In low income countries, expenditure can be as little as US$0.25 per person per year.'

The African Gender Institute (AGI) and the Women and Gender Studies programme of the University of the Western Cape will on the 11th and the 12th of October 2011, co-host Professor Sylvia Tamale. Professor Tamale will be launching the book, 'African Sexualities, A Reader' and also presenting a seminar on the politics of sexualities in African contexts. The book launch will be on the 11th of October at the Book Lounge (71 Roeland Street, Cape Town) from 17:30hrs to 20:00hrs while the seminar will be on the 12th of October at the Graduate School of Humanities Building at the University of Cape Town from 13:00hrs to 14:30hrs.

A firm call for African Union member states to impose sanctions against Morocco until it abides by the United Nations mandate that affirms the people of Western Sahara's right to self-determination was made at the Pan African Parliament proceedings. The Pan African Parliament (PAP), the legislative organ of the African Union (AU), is meeting from 3-14 October for the Fifth Ordinary Session of the Second Parliament in Midrand, South Africa. The call comes as PAP reviewed recommendations of a fact-finding mission to the region on Wednesday.

In this week's edition of the Emerging Powers News Round-Up, read a comprehensive list of news stories and opinion pieces related to China, India and other emerging powers...

Tanzania should encourage gender parity if it wants to have a competitive economy, a new World Bank report shows. In the report on women, business and the law, Tanzania is listed among 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa with high levels of gender discrimination regarding the use of property and basic legal transactions such as signing contracts or getting a passport.

Reporters Without Borders visited Cameroon from 26 September to 2 October to assess the degree of media freedom during the campaign for the 9 October presidential election and to promote a series of reforms that are needed to improve media freedom, including a new media law and the decriminalization of press offences. 'The media's coverage of the campaign is trying to be balanced but the campaign itself is not,' Reporters Without Borders said. 'President Paul Biya, who is running for reelection, and the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Rally (RDPC) are everywhere. Biya is the only candidate to be seen on campaign posters. The opposition is hardly managing to make its voice heard. Everyone agrees that there is little political debate and this is reflected in the media.'

A network of Pan-Africanists from Ubuntu Pan African Network and Pan Africanist Unity groups are initiating an invitation to Cynthia McKinney to serve as the African World Envoy starting 28 October 2011. It has been recognized that Cynthia McKinney, a former US Representative and 2008 Presidential Election Candidate, has contributed her voice and her life to justice and WORLD peace. She is a long time proponent of abolishing NATO and a tireless voice against the genocidal exploitation of humans and the environment by multinational companies and the West.

There has been an increase in the number of cholera cases and deaths in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo where an outbreak has been ongoing since March, say humanitarian agencies. At least 6,910 cases and 384 deaths had been reported as of 3 October, according to a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), compared with a total of 3,896 cases and some 265 deaths by 20 July 2011.

Every graduate in Ghana is mandated to do a year’s national service. The programme coordinated by the National Service Secretariat was introduced 30 years ago. The purpose was for graduate students to give their first fruits of labour to their country. Students should also be posted to areas where they can best apply the knowledge acquired at university. This documentary highlights concerns the programme is not achieving the purpose for which it was introduced.

Police in the Tunisian capital have used tear gas in an attempt to disperse hundreds of protesters who were attacking authorities with stones and batons. The protesters, who are aligned with conservative Islamic groups, had gathered at the main university in Tunis on Sunday to protest against a ban on wearing the niqab, or full-face veil, as well as the closing of a mosque near the campus.

Freedom Now! host Dedon Kamathi interviews Mahdi Nazemroaya, one of the last independent journalists in Tripoli, and former Rep. Cynthia McKinney, about Nazemroaya's findings regarding the fabricated claims that led to the US war on Libya.

African countries which persecute gays will have their aid cut, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell has said. He was quoted by the Britain’s Mail on Sunday saying that already his country has cut aid to Malawi by £19million after two gay men were sentenced to 14 years hard labour. Mr Mitchell, one of Mr Cameron’s closest allies, is also threatening to impose further aid 'fines’ against Uganda and Ghana for hardline anti-gay and lesbian measures.

The poorest countries in Africa are not merely the victims of natural calamities. They are also ravaged by the continued denial of market access as promised in the Doha trade negotiations, say African trade diplomats. Almost six years ago at the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Hong Kong ministerial meeting, the least-developed countries (LDCs) in the global trading regime, drawn largely from Africa, were assured that their industrial products will be given duty-free and quota-free market access in rich countries. Sadly, there are grave doubts now that these promises will be addressed at the WTO’s eighth ministerial meeting in December.

For a man who thrives on giving the impression he is in total control, Robert Mugabe surprised many people on Thursday when he admitted he could not call for elections when he wants them. Addressing the ZANU PF Central Committee in Harare Mugabe said: 'We were looking forward to holding elections soon but I’m not in control of the mechanism that would lay the road to elections this year.' For months ZANU PF was adamant that elections would be held this year.

West Africa Network for Peace building (WANEP) in partnership with Crises Management Initiative (CMI) has launched a project on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Accra. The initiative is aimed at harnessing the dynamics and socio-political impart of gender-based violence for sustainable peace processes in West Africa. The Project dubbed: 'Addressing GBV in Peace Processes in West Africa', hopes to increase the capacity of local and regional mediators in West Africa to address GBV more effectively in peace mediation processes.

Media reports that Zambian Watchdog reporter George Zulu is in police custody are not true, the reporter told the International Press Institute, while expressing concern that the newspaper's staff is being intimidated by police who want them to reveal their sources on a controversial story. IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie called on Zambia's new government to be diligent in protecting the rights of journalists to report freely and in calling to task police or other officials who would intimidate journalists or pressure them into revealing their sources.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) are delighted to announce the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) to be awarded for the first time in February 2012. This prestigious and well-endowed award aims at encouraging innovations that contribute to sustainable development in Africa. The amount allocated towards the winners for the selected innovators and entrepreneurs, in the three thematic areas of ICTs; Green Technologies; Health & Food Security are two generous prizes: First prize USD 100,000; and USD 50000 for the second prize.