In Mali, the Defence Minister says French forces are embroiled in a "real war" with "terrorists" around the town of Gao. Islamists were driven out a few weeks ago but there are continuing skirmishes. The former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo has told Arise News he is confident that the world will find the funds to ensure a peace in Mali.

Rape victim and journalist given prison sentence in Somalia

  By Arise News

An alleged rape victim and a journalist have been sentenced to prison in Somalia. They were convicted of making false accusations and insulting the government, after she claimed she was assaulted by security forces.

 

Tunisian opposition politician Chokri Belaid is shot dead

  By Arise News

In Tunisia – the cradle of the Arab Spring – a prominent SECULAR politician has been assassinated, Chokri Belaid. Dr Ian Patel is an expert in state crime and human rights in Tunisia and other parts of Africa and discusses the impact this has on Tunisia.


Senegal’s new government is determined to overhaul the whole education system

By Arise News 
 

Senegal's education system was neglected for much of the 12-year rule of former President Abdoulaye Wade.

According to the World Bank, the previous Senegalese education ministry was riddled with corruption and inefficiency. It apparently paid over 88-million US dollars to more than 5-thousand teachers who DIDN’T ACTUALLY EXIST! Senegal’s new government is determined to overhaul the whole sector, but near-constant teachers’ strikes and a lack of resources are making THAT a challenging task.

Global demand for Palm oil is huge

  By Arise News

Global demand for Palm oil is huge. The low-cost fat is used in everything from margarine to soap to bio-fuel. And it all adds up to a business worth 20 billion US dollars worldwide.


Now RED FRUIT palm oil’s being called a super-food -  the  health-food industry’s ‘MIRACLE FIND OF 2013’. Good news for palm oil producers in Asia and Africa. But  as Arise News’ Heather Scott reports -  the United Nations Environment Programme says spiraling demand for palm oil is threatening the habitats of the great apes.


India’s Maha Kumbh Mela is the world’s biggest religious festival

  By Arise News

India’s Maha Kumbh Mela is the world’s biggest religious festival - attracting close to 8 million people to the banks of the Ganges River.

It’s meant to be a spiritually uplifting occasion, but for the thousands of pilgrims lost in the swell of humanity, the Mela can be a TERRIFYING ordeal.


Gunmen attack oil barge in Nigeria's Niger Delta region

  By Arise News

Gunmen have attacked an oil barge in Nigeria's Niger Delta region, killing two soldiers and one crew member. So is this the beginning of a new piracy blackspot off West Africa? Chris Trelawny, Head of Maritime Security at the International Maritime Organisation discusses with us.