New York: Could wiki technology find Osama bin Laden?  Imagine if any Pakistani could send an anonymous text message to the authorities…

Kampala:  The Uganda government's oft-stated commitment to fighting corruption is set to remain merely rhetorical for another year at least, as Finance Minister Syda Bbumba presents the 2010-11 national budget this June without proposing concrete steps for stemming this major drain on the country's…

Maputo:  The Maputo Sunday paper "Domingo" has joined the hyena chorus of those who want to end the new regime of compulsory inspections for road vehicles. The editorial in the latest issue of "Domingo" calls on the government to halt the inspections - to "stop and think, in dialogue with citizens".

Washington DC: The report, Africa Development Indicators 2010, notes that most studies on corruption focus on an exchange of money - bribes to powerful political designees or kickbacks to public officials. This report instead focuses on the way "quiet corruption" leads to an increasingly…

Johannesburg:  "Quiet corruption" was pervasive and widespread across Africa, had a disproportionate impact on the poor and would have long-term consequences for the continent's development, a new report released by the World Bank on Monday revealed.

Maputo:  None of the 19 donors and funding agencies who provide direct support to the Mozambican budget have threatened that that they will end this support, Finance Minister Manuel Chang told reporters on Thursday.

Kampala:  President Museveni has hit back in a continuing row with donors telling them not to ask questions about governance. The President's comments on Friday came on the same day this newspaper revealed that three senior western diplomats had written to the Electoral Commission over the slow pace…

Nairobi:  Kenya's corruption networks are in unprecedented flux under the coalition government. It appears the dragon of corruption is so engorged by the feeding frenzy of the past couple of years that it has started to throw up. So many deals by so many politically opposed players have finally given…

Johannesburg:  Barely an hour before the State of the Nation address last year, President Jacob Zuma's speech was nowhere to be found. Even his political adviser, Charles Nqakula, did not know what was in the final draft.

Lagos:  Senate President David Mark and Chairman of the Tanzanian Parliamentary Service Commission, Dr. Chrisant M. Mzindakaya, have advocated closer cooperation between and among African parliaments in order to fashion out a blueprint that would eradicate the problems in the continent.

Lagos:  Former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission boss,  Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has stated that the integrity of the judiciary will go a long way to put pay to corruption in Africa.

Accra: Africa Legal Aid (AFLA), an Accra-based non-governmental organisation, is establishing a Gender Network Forum in co-operation with a core group of organisations and individuals on the Continent.  The forum will provide legal assistance to women in litigation on gender -based violence; request…

Cape Town:  Idasa's latest publication, "Testing Democracy: Which Way is South Africa Going? suggests that South African democracy is developing slowly, stagnating in many areas and actually regressing in others.  The editors of the book, Judith February and Neeta Misra-Dexter, conclude: "The overall…

Accra:  It is an undeniable fact that Ghana's oil wealth would not necessarily translate into benefits that would serve to accelerate economic growth and promote poverty reduction. It is the reason why the country cannot sidestep the nagging challenges of the curious phenomenon - the ‘resource curse'.…

Niamey:  Nigerien NGOs recommended on Saturday the military junta to "renegotiate" mining contracts signed with foreign companies, considered doubtful since 2008 under the regime of ousted President Mamadou Tandja.

Nairobi:  Rwanda's upcoming presidential elections has cast a spotlight on its democratic credentials, with observers warning that allegations of intimidation of opposition leaders could mar the process.

Kampala:   The picture of President Museveni visiting the landslide-stricken areas of Bududa last week while dressed in army fatigues and carrying an AK-47 rifle has dominated debate. Several commentators wondered why the President carried a rifle to a scene of mourning and not a symbolic bible or…

Addis Ababa:  Africa's top peace and security body has given a cautiously optimistic assessment of the outlook for Sudan's upcoming national elections.

Khartoum:  A lack of Sudanese voter education is the major concern for the European Union's chief elections observer, who launched her mission on Thursday to monitor Sudan's first multi-party polls in 24 years.

Niamey:  Niger's ruling military junta has sacked the West African country's eight regional governors -- all political supporters of the previous regime - and replaced them with soldiers.