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In Pictures: Nobel Peace Prize 2011

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Energy Voices Pirates want your oil and they are smart enough to get it

Increased security has forced pirates to rethink their strategy for obtaining oil, Alic writes, and they have repeatedly demonstrated that they are capable of moving with the times.
Mugabe talks up reconciliation, but is it just 'lipstick on a frog'?

The Zimbabwean hardliner utters fine words and a new constitution is near at hand. But on the ground, repression is ongoing.
Focus Why combat role for US women could reverberate worldwide

In many countries, women have historically served in combat when demographics demanded it. But the US move is based on equal opportunity for women – and could become a model for others.
French and Malian forces push toward key Islamic rebel stronghold: witnesses

Two-week-old Malian war against rebel groups holding the north of the country benefits from French military lead, as troops from surrounding African countries now pitch in. Malian army accused of executions and human rights violations.
Greece seen as most corrupt European nation, survey says

Transparency International ranks Greece, along with other European countries racked by the financial crisis, poorly in its 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index.
Change Agent Mobile technology boosts access to clean water for the poor

The widespread availability of mobile phones has enabled the development of low-cost solutions aimed at improving water security and reducing poverty.
Rising seas washing away Ghana's former slave forts

As sea levels rise on Ghana’s populated shores, the government mulls defense measures for its forts, castles, and communities.
Change Agent Activists urge nations to strengthen global cluster bomb treaty

A meeting in Oslo, Norway, seeks to strengthen an international agreement to ban cluster bombs. There’s 'no good reason' for any country 'not to come on board and to sign up to the convention,' says the Cluster Munition Coalition, a disarmament group.
Obama to unveil plan for helping African farmers

Ahead of the G-8 summit, President Obama will unveil a new public-private partnership with DuPont, Monsanto, and Cargill, and almost 20 companies from Africa, to help farmers build local markets and fight hunger.
African presidents forced to turn back from occupied Mali runway

The presidents of Ivory Coast, Benin, Liberia, Niger and Burkina Faso were due to arrive in Mali on Thursday to press for the departure of the junior officers that grabbed power in a coup last week.
Rebranding 'Hotel Rwanda' into tourist destination

Eighteen years after a genocide that killed 800,000, symbolized in the movie 'Hotel Rwanda,' major hotel chains are moving in to take advantage of growing tourist business.
Nigeria closes its borders amid unrest from Islamists, strikers

Nigeria's president met with security chiefs to discuss Islamist group Boko Haram, while Nobel prize winner Wole Soyinka warned his country may be heading toward civil war.
For tiny Burundi, big returns in sending peacekeepers to Somalia

For poorer countries like Burundi, sending soldiers to join a UN or African Union peacekeeping mission offers financial and political benefits, as well as better arms and training.
In Pictures: Nobel Peace Prize 2011
Harnessing the sun’s power to make water flow

Small farmers in Benin in West Africa are using solar panels to power an innovative drip-irrigation system.
Hostage video: Europeans kidnapped in Nigeria blame Al Qaeda

In a video of two European engineers who were kidnapped in Nigeria, the hostages say their kidnappers are from Al Qaeda, but their home governments have doubts.
Piracy on the rise off West Africa's coast

West Africa has seen a sharp increase in the number of pirate attacks off its coast. The goal is not lucrative ransom payments, but fuel, which sells for a large sum on the black market.
An argument for further dividing Africa

Guest blogger G. Pascal Zachary writes that there are some countries, like Sudan, that could benefit from being split up and other countries that could benefit from being combined into one.
Five little-known vegetables that could help end hunger

Native vegetables such as guar, Dogon shallot, and celosia could play an important role in feeding Africa.
What to watch for as election season sweeps across Africa

There are five countries in East and West Africa slated for elections in the near future. Guest blogger Alex Thurston outlines out the issues at hand in each election.
As Gbabgo seizes Central Bank assets in Ivory Coast, a look at the arcane institution

West Africa's Central Bank – perhaps its most important institution – may also be its least transparent. But in the midst of Ivory Coast's conflict, a tradition of secrecy may be an early casualty.
African Union says diplomatic options remain in Ivory Coast

Despite threats from regional bloc ECOWAS that it would soon use force in Ivory Coast, leaders of the African Union said they will give mediation efforts more time.
Nigerian leadership problems can be traced to society's inequality

Nigerian leadership has a record of failure and the roots can be traced to Nigerian society, where echoes of slavery linger, guest blogger Jeremy Weate argues.
Bastille Day features Paris parade, but no presidential garden party

Bastille Day in France becomes a less lavish affair this year, as the country tries to keep a lid on spending.
Why African cities turn to Ivory Coast boat buses

The inner-city boat buses of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, have caught the eyes of other African cities struggling with their traffic problems.