Features catergory

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | With a devastating drought worsening an already horrendous humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, parents are increasingly compelled to “sell” young daughters into marriage to pay off debt or buy food, the UN said Tuesday. In the drought-hit Herat and Baghdis provinces of Afghanistan, the UN children’s …

Goma, DR Congo | AFP | A former milita leader accused of mass rape and crimes against humanity in the Democratic Republic of Congo went on trial Tuesday at a military court in the eastern city of Goma. Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka and his militiamen are accused of raping more than …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Tired of seeing their holy texts used to justify the subjugation of women, a group of feminist theologians from across the Protestant-Catholic divide have joined forces to draft “A Women’s Bible”. As the #MeToo movement continues to expose sexual abuse across cultures and industries, some …

  Caxito, Angola | AFP |  Boxes of still-green bananas were shifted one-by-one from a towering stack of crates into a refrigerated shipping container. Stamped “From Angola, with love”, the fruit is shipped to consumers 6,000 kilometres (3,700 miles) away and are part of Luanda’s drive to diversify its economy …

The big cats are horribly easy to kill with poisoned meat, allowing poachers to hack off their faces and paws Kampala, Uganda | DAMIAN CARRINGTON | That’s fresh, just a few hours old,” says Kris Everatt, pointing at a clear print of a lion’s paw in the hot dust. “It’s the …

Beijing, China | AFP | In China, where children are often saddled with a packed schedule of extracurricular activities before they even enter grade school, some parents are making room for a surprising pursuit: hip-hop dance classes. Inside a dance studio in central Beijing, a group of kids bopped up …

Why do you crave fatty foods after drinking even when you know it’s a bad combination? Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | You know the drill: You’ve been good all week, watching what you eat. So you accept that happy hour invitation from your co-workers to have a few drinks on Friday …

Harnessing data, awareness and investment to tackle Africa’s wastewater woes Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | With an estimated 56 per cent of Africa’s urban population living in slums, wastewater management on the continent is a problem that needs urgent attention. In the streets of Kibera, one of the world’s largest informal …

And why it may be an element in evaluating one’s well-being, but it is not the only one Kampala, Uganda | HENRY S. RICHARDSON & ERIK SCHOKKAERT | Opinions differ on the definition of well-being. Yet there’s a growing consensus that it cannot be reduced to material consumption and that other …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Lake Victoria is the biggest lake in Africa and crossed every day by scores of boats that are often poorly maintained and overloaded, making them vulnerable to poor weather. Here is some background on the vast lake where more than 200 people drowned last month …