Raqqa’s underground caliphate
In October of last year the rebel Syrian Democratic Forces with support of the US led coalition entered Raqqa, the former capital of the Islamic State armed group. Civilians returning home not only...
View ArticleReturning to Raqqa
In the Syrian city of Raqqa much of the infrastructure remains flattened. The four-month push in 2017 to oust the Islamic State armed group destroyed 90 percent of the city. Some 20,000 bombs, rockets...
View ArticleWangari Maathai's green legacy to the people of Nairobi
This week marks seven years since the death of Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan Nobel laureate and environmental activist. But her legacy in Kenya lives on. Through the Green Belt Movement, Maathai fought...
View ArticleUnder the leaves of Kenya's sacred forests
The Mijikenda Kaya Forests in Kenya consist of 11 separate forest sites spread over some 200 kilometres along the country's coast. In Kenya, these forests are sacred and have historical, religious and...
View ArticleHow the Marere Springs brings life to Kenya's Shimba Hills National Reserve
Two-fifths of Kenya’s 46 million people do not have access to reliable clean water. The Shimba Hills National Reserve in Coastal Kenya is where the source of the Marere Springs can be found. These...
View ArticleSending peer-to-peer parcels from Senegal by suitcase
In Dakar, Senegal, an unofficial international delivery system that’s existed for decades has recently made its way online. It lets people send anything, anywhere in the world but most frequently to...
View Article200 years of Silent Nights to be celebrated next year
Translated into more than 200 languages, the classic Christmas song Stille Nacht, better known around the globe as Silent Night, turns two hundred years old in 2018. Heidi Fuller-love reports from...
View ArticleBringing cinema to Senegal - by bicycle!
In Senegal this month, a movie club has started in the remote south-east Kédougou region, near the border with Mali and Guinea. But because there is almost no electricity in the area, the films are...
View ArticleDemining Colombia
As Colombia’s Farc rebels continue with their move into party politics, and the government tries to broaden the peace process to include other armed groups, the country is also trying to clean up after...
View ArticleWhere will Gaza stray dogs find shelter?
In the Gaza Strip, thousands of stray dogs are left to run wild without any kind of care. However, over the past few years, a man called Said Al'er has been providing care for some of these stray...
View ArticleSenegal experiments with bilingualism
The official language in Senegal is French, but there are another 21 national languages recognised. Many children arrive at school after speaking wolof, serréré or pulaar at home for years and have to...
View ArticleZambia imposes curfew in Lusaka struck by cholera
The cholera outbreak in Zambia's capital Lusaka has left traders stranded after the central business district was shut by the government. Dozens have died, and thousands of cases have been recorded....
View ArticleTurkey, US relations may get worse
Turkey’s strained relationship with the US has taken a turn for the worse, following a New York court's decision last week to convict a Turkish banker over a massive plot to help Iran evade American...
View ArticleCameroon's well-intentioned plastics ban not being implemented
In April 2014, the government of Cameroon placed a ban on the importation, production and sale of non-biodegradable plastics.Close to four years later, the government seems to be unable to implement...
View ArticleGetting married in Senegal Layene-style!
Once a year members of the Muslim Layene community in Senegal organise a collective wedding presided over by the religious leader. The cost of getting married is dramatically reduced - with couples...
View ArticleFalling in love is no reason to kill, India's top court rules
India’s top court has ruled couples cannot be killed for falling in love. It warned, judges will rule if the government failed to outlaw murders in the name of honor or religion. India reported a...
View ArticleJewel Howard Taylor: From first lady to vice president of Liberia
Liberia will have a new government on 22 January as President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf hands over to George Weah. But this doesn’t put an end to seeing powerful women in Liberian politics. Correspondent...
View ArticleBack to George Weah's hometown
George Weah is the most successful African footballer in history and will be sworn in as Liberia’s next president on 22 January. But his beginnings were humble. Correspondent Lucinda Rouse visited the...
View ArticleBusinesses driving innovation in Liberia’s agricultural sector
George Weah is beginning his first week as President of Liberia after being sworn into office on Monday 22 January. With sky high unemployment and poverty rates, he has a busy time ahead to deliver the...
View ArticleLiberia looks for ways to make rubber prices bounce
In Liberia, former football star George Weah is beginning his third day in office after being sworn in as president on Monday. People are waiting to see how he plans to drive the country’s economy....
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