Africa News Report is a specialist information dossier dedicated to providing news information and analysis from a diplomatic and political perspective. Topics covered include some of the most pressing health, economic, political and social issues. Besides bringing its multi-facetted news, views and analysis to the fore, Africa News Report seeks to highlight the United States’ policies and positions on diverse issues affecting the African continent.

The lack of education and political will, poverty, out-moded traditional beliefs, to mention but a few, have been widely blamed for causing severe and sometimes unwarranted health catastrophies of genocidal proportions on the African continent. Child killer diseases, malaria, tuberculosis, water borne diseases, HIV/AIDS, among other preventable ailments have killed millions in their wake. As rightly said by the former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, on May 13, 2000 "More people (...) died of Aids in the past year (1999-2000, ndlr) in Africa than in all the wars on the continent".

Africa Renewal magazine, published by the United Nations, examines Africa’s development, achievements and challenges. It provides expert analysis and on-the-spot reporting to show how policies affect Africa’s people.

In the past year alone, food prices have shot through the roof while other household essentials have undergone unprecedented price hikes. Coupled with a global financial meltdown, this situation has been mostly harsh on African countries. The Haiti food riots which began in April, 2008, spread like wild fire to Egypt, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Cameroon... According to experts, this situation was in part created by careless government policies, the rising popularity of bio-fuels as well as the global financial crisis, among other factors...

A woman’s virginity is one subject that holds a very high place in most African cultures. Among other repercussions for the loss of virginity before marriage are, social rejection, excommunication from family, a bleak future... Faced with this dilemma, it is quite obvious that the subject of virginity is very delicate. Afrik.com explores the arguments of those who oppose this tradition as well as the peculiar world of virgins, ex-non-virgins and non-virgins to better understand the reasons for their drive for hymen repair.

The 21st century will be or not be religious. This Malraux prophecy is being fufilled: the impact of religion on political, economic, financial and social spheres is making front page news. Observatory of Religions’ (L’observatoire des Religions) perspective, that is; the observation, analysis and commentary of religious issues in a current affairs framework, is purely unreligious. L’observatoire des Religions was created by Philippe Simonnot, economist and author of numerous works on history and economics.

The senator of Illinois is currently running for the White House but first of all he has to win the Primaries

The following is a compilation of some scam letters, otherwise known as Advance Fee Frauds, Nigerian connection or 419 (named after a former section of the Nigerian penal code prohibiting activities of such nature). For more insight on the origins of these letters and how to recognise them so as not to fall prey to their devices a visit to the 419 coalition site could prove useful.

Teams representing 47 countries are split into 12 groups of four. The best team from each group automatically qualifies to take part in the 26th edition of the African Cup of Nations football competition which takes place in Ghana.