The on-going political crisis in Swaziland shows ‘the king continues to enjoy almost absolute control over the country,’ Freedom House has said. The House of Assembly passed a vote of no-confidence in the government and according to the Swazi Constitution King Mswati III should have sacked the government, but he did not. Instead, pressure was put on members of the House and after 12 days of uncertainty they reversed the decision in a controversial vote. Freedom House in a statement said the actions of the king, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, and the government he appointed, ‘demonstrate a lack of consideration for the rule of law and the authority and independence of Swaziland’s governing institutions, including the House of Assembly, as written in the Constitution’.

Egyptian Popular Current leader and former presidential contender Hamdeen Sabbahi joined representatives from Egypt's opposition groups and civil society organisations, to announce the launch of a national front defending a 'constitution for all Egyptians' in a press conference late Tuesday 23 October. The front’s aim, they asserted, is to push for a constitution that better represents Egypt's diverse society and expresses the spirit of last year's 18-day uprising.

Zimbabwe’s three governing parties failed to find common ground on presidential powers and proposed security reforms in the new constitution at a crucial conference to review the charter that ended on Tuesday 23 October. President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party wants an overhaul of the draft constitution produced by an inter-party parliamentary committee claiming Zimbabweans favoured an all powerful Head of State and government. After two days of deliberations, Zanu-PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations in the inclusive government failed to narrow their differences.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has announced it is to open another new camp in Ethiopia to deal with Somalis fleeing conflict and insecurity. A spokesperson for UNHCR in Geneva, Andrej Mahecic, said that with people still arriving at Dollo Ado, 'the Ethiopian Government has authorized the opening of a sixth site and land for this has been designated between the town of Kole and Kobe camp, some 54 kilometers north of Dollo Ado town.'

Apartheid may be officially dead, but its impact is still felt in South Africa. Worse, most Black people have not gained much from the coming to power of a non-racial government.

There was little mention of Africa in the recent foreign policy debate between the US presidential candidates. That suggests whoever is elected will just recycle the same old policies on Africa.

Beyond the limitations of his personal history in the new classic ‘There Was A Country’, Achebe calls on everyone to rebuild an Africa that accommodates all irrespective of race, class, gender or religion.

A great thinker and astute politician, Meles seems to have decided to delay, or probably ignore altogether, the process of democratization for the sake of solidifying the developmental state. He was leftist and thoroughly authoritarian.

A recent Unesco report confirms that poor funding, inadequate facilities and outright criminal neglect of education take their toll on quality in one of Africa’s richest countries.

Shanta Devajaran, the bank’s chief economist for Africa, was the architect of the influential 2004 World Bank World Development Report that portrayed teachers as drunk and rioting in the streets.

The Nigerian militant group Boko Haram has reached a state of total contempt even for universal norms. That means it is a war to the end. Yet there is too much pussyfooting and false intellectualisation of what is going on. President Jonathan should declare war on the group.

How long can the amazing upsurge of class struggle in South Africa go on? Living here 22 years, I’ve never witnessed such a period of vibrant, explosive, but uncoordinated worker militancy.

The case of a young Tunisian woman allegedly raped by two policemen has created outrage and anger among ordinary Tunisians and human rights’ defenders.

Two of the four Kenyans charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, are planning to run for president and vice-president in the March 4 election. If they win, the implications for Kenya will be grave.

Reports of extra-judicial killings and injury of citizens by police officers point to the need for an independent body, like the one established in Kenya, to oversee the operations of the police service.

Black people have not yet fully recovered from the immense psychological trauma caused by colonialism. A complete restoration of their destroyed dignity is essential for meaningful empowerment.

The motley crowd of international players pursuing their own geopolitical agendas is not genuinely interested in a peaceful and stable Somalia, despite their posturing.

More than a thousand people gathered in Tataouine on Sunday (October 21st) to attend the funeral of an opposition party politician, who died three days earlier in clashes with salafists. Interior Ministry Spokesperson Khaled Tarrouche said that Lotfi Nakdh died of a heart attack and there were no traces of violence on his body. While, the Nidaa Tounes ('Call of Tunisia') party, headed by former Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi, insisted that he was beaten to death by pro-government demonstrators.

As seen over and again during recurrent financial crises in both developing and advanced economies, including the recent global crisis originating in the US and Europe, financial instability and boom-bust cycles undermine all three ingredients of sustainable development – economic development, social development and environmental protection. Financial bubbles generate excessive investment which remains unutilized for an extended period even after full recovery from the ensuing financial crisis, argues this South Centre policy brief.

Mozambican President Armando Guebuza has argued that implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the European Union (EU) should be delayed until 2016. Speaking to reporters in Brussels, where he was attending the Seventh European Development Days (EDD), Guebuza said 'our preference is for 2016. Everything is under negotiation and we are waiting for the results'. The EU is currently insisting that countries that do not ratify EPAs by January 2014 will lose out on the benefits of preferential access to European markets.