Katharine Houreld
latest news & developments
Pakistani family sentenced to death for ‘honour killing’
The relatives of Farzana Iqbal who bludgeoned her to death in May outside a Pakistani court, causing a public outcry, have been sentenced to death.
Online abuse a real danger for Pakistani women
Online abuse in Pakistan is triggering real-world violence against women owing to slow responses from Facebook and Twitter and poor law enforcement.
Afghanistan’s vice-president Fahim dies
The powerful Afghan vice-president Marshal MQ Fahim has died of natural causes, weeks before the country goes to the polls.
Kenya’s march to find militants in Somalia fruitless
Kenyan troops marched into a Somalian fishing village two months ago, but they have not yet found the al-Qaeda-linked militants they came to hunt.
Rules of engagement move into the 21st century
The spokespeople of Kenyan soldiers and members of an extremist Islamist militant group have taken their battle to Twitter with insults flying.
AU troops in Somalia face funding shortfall
African Union troops fighting al-Qaeda-linked Islamists in the failed state of Somalia have a $10-million funding gap.
Somali women preyed on by rapists amid famine
Somali refugees are falling victim to rape and assault as the region endures its worst drought in over 60 years.
The lifesaving technology lurking in the laundry basket
What do mosquitoes like more than human skin? Stinky socks. Scientists think the odour of human feet can be used to attract and kill mosquitoes.
Suicide attack on AU base in Somalia kills three
Three people were killed after suicide bombers attacked an African Union peacekeeping base in the Somali capital on Monday.
Somali AU bases hit by simultaneous suicide attacks
Five simultaneous suicide attacks targeted African Union bases in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, officials have said.
‘Undeniable proof’ of Khartoum’s war crimes
An advocacy group on Sunday said new satellite images provide evidence that northern Sudanese troops have committed war crimes.
Mending American fences
Embattled Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo will try to mend fences with the United States, but US politicians are fuming over the debacle with former Liberian president…
Nigeria divided over ‘third-term agenda’
High above the traffic jams and street vendors choking on exhaust fumes, Nigeria’s larger-than-life politicians stride majestically towards the edge of towering billboards, arms…
New threats in oil wars
Abducting oil workers for ransom has become so common in Nigeria that beer mats in expatriate bars read, "Eat a lot — fat people are harder to kidnap". But for the four foreign…
Ellen’s elephantine task
After a year dominated by tsunamis, earthquakes and conflict, the small West African country of Liberia is seen as an unusual success story. The civil war was ended by…