Africa’s displaced people: out of the shadows - African Union convention breaks new ground

It was a departure they never had time to prepare for. Seeking to escape death — sometimes amidst fighting between the Senegalese army and rebels in the southern region of Casamance — thousands fled their homes and abandoned livestock and property. Over the past two decades many have resettled in successive waves in Ziguinchor, a major city in Casamance. Since then returning home has been an elusive dream. “We want to, but we fear we might get killed,” Gabriel Tandar, an elder who fled after his village was attacked in 1991, told a Radio France Internationale reporter in December. Up to now their lives have gotten no better, he complained. “We have no jobs, nothing to do and we rely on others for our basic needs. We cannot even go out there to look for firewood. We are afraid.”

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Report: Africa is the most profitable place to invest

Leading financial consulting firms McKinsey and BCG agree that Africa is the most profitable place to invest. Not only does Africa provide the best growth rates; analyses also show that investments in Africa 2000-2009 had yielded the highest profits world-wide.

Film disinformation reports: Sahrawi refugee to court, "I'm not a slave"

Sahrawi refugee Fetim Salam Hamdi has been portrayed as a slave in a poorly translated documentary film. But Ms Hamdi insists she is a free woman and now goes to court to stop the film's screaning.

To the Person Who Turned Neda into a Voice

By Farahmand Alipour (Rooz 1197)- I am writing this in honor of someone I have never seen, Neda, who through the last moments of her life recorded Iran’s voice and cry. And as blood gushed out of her heart and eyes only the screams of her cries could be heard.

Another sad birthday for Aung San Suu Kyi. Protests worldwide

Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi marked her 65th birthday Saturday locked in her dilapidated lakeside compound as calls for her freedom erupted around the world.

Ghana: a huge toxic waste dump

Despite international conventions prohibiting the export of dangerous waste to developing countries, enormous quantities of outdated and destroyed electronic equipment from Europe end up in Ghana's Agbogbloshie dump each week.

Ahmadinejad (probably drunk) accuses Obama of meddling in Iran

Iran's hardline president on Wednesday accused Barack Obama of meddling in his country after the US leader called for global support for Iranians in their fight for greater democracy.

Iran: conspiracy against the leaders of the green movement

By Fereshteh Ghazi (Rooz 1193) - Though, one year after the Khordad 22 election coup, complaints filed by families of post-election martyrs remain to be ignored, the regime is trying to implement a new scenario by forcing the families of martyrs, through threats and intimidation, to speak out and file complaints against the leaders of the green movement.

Iran: Thirty-One Arrests in Two Weeks

By Kaveh Ghoreishi - As civil society and political activists continue to be arrested in Tehran and other cities across Iran, security agents have arrested 31 Azerbaijani political activists in the past two weeks. In this connection, the Association for the Defense of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran (ADAP) released a report detailing the arrests of civil society activists in Tabriz, Urumiyeh, Ardebil, Rasht, Meshkinshahr, Moghan, Naghdeh, Soufian, Miandoab, Maku, Hamedan, Tehran and Karaj. In interviews with families and lawyers of the arrested activists, as well as human rights activist in Azerbaijan, Rooz has asked about the latest condition of the prisoners.

UN envoy accuses rights forum of turning blind eye

An independent United Nations expert accused the main U.N. rights forum on Friday of turning a blind eye to killings in much of the world while concentrating on alleged abuses by Israel.

UN committee moves to keep out gay-lesbian NGO

A United Nations committee that decides which nongovernmental organizations can be accredited to the world body moved on Thursday to keep out the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

Iran: arrest, Interrogation and Lashes for Journalists

By Leyla Tayeri (Rooz 1183) - The third round of mass arrest of journalists and political activists began in Iran as the first anniversary of last year’s June 12 disputed presidential election approaches. After arresting two journalists, Azam Veisameh and Mahboubeh Khansari, security agents failed in their attempt to arrest several other young reformist activities and one political prisoner’s wife. Until the time of publication of this report, no information was available of the fate of Saba Vasefi, a human rights activist who was targeted by security agents for arrest. The conviction of filmmaker and journalist Mohammad Nourizad, and his sentencing to 3.5 years imprisonment and 50 lashes was also widely covered in news circles and sparked protests from his family.