TRADE-AFRICA: Debate Over WTO Leadership in the Final Stretch

As the final round of consultations to choose a new director-general for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) wrapped up Thursday, former European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy appeared to be leading in the race to head the body.

INT’L LABOUR DAY: Unemployment Weighs Heavily on South Africa

More than a decade after apartheid was brought to an end, South Africa still basks in the glow of that political achievement. On the economic front, however, there is considerable anxiety about unemployment in the country.

RIGHTS-SOUTHERN AFRICA: The Missing Link in the Fight against AIDS

A group of traditional dancers, donning colourful artificial animal skins and headgears, formed a circle around a drummer, entertaining guests heading to an AIDS event.

RELIGION: An African Successor for the “Symbol of Unity”?

Even as Roman Catholics around the world mourn the death of Pope John Paul II, the attention of many is turning to the future - and the question of who will succeed the Polish cleric as Bishop of Rome.

HEALTH-AFRICA: Thou Shalt Not Condomise

Muslims and Catholics do not see eye-to-eye on many issues. But when it comes to practices which they fear will allow the encroachment of unacceptable secular values - abortion, gay marriage and condom use - they quickly close ranks to form a united front against the threat.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: Upcoming Vote a Rite of Passage for SADC Guidelines

Daniel Molokela is joining other exiled Zimbabwean activists in planning a mock election in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, ahead of the parliamentary poll in Zimbabwe on Mar. 31. Hopes are that about 1,000 Zimbabweans will congregate in front of their country’s embassy to support the event.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: A Campaign Tailor-Made for the Ruling Party

A routine visit to a relative living in a rural area is, in most parts of Africa, a private family matter. Not so in Zimbabwe, says Tiseke Kasambala, a researcher with Human Rights Watch.

RIGHTS: Children Bear the Brunt of Donor Hostility to Zimbabwe, Says UNICEF

Carol Bellamy's final trip to Africa as head of the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, has been overshadowed by what she terms the "stark contrast" between aid given to Zimbabwe - and that received by other African countries in need, especially those in Southern Africa.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: A Mixed Verdict for Commission’s Report

A "decisive first step" towards making poverty in Africa history, an "exercise to cover up the Iraq war": reactions to the report issued last week by Britain's Commission for Africa have been many and varied.

POLITICS-DRC: The Challenge of Piecing Together a “Failed State”

This weekend sees a new military operation underway in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reports from the central African country say about 800 United Nations troops have been deployed in the north-eastern Ituri region to disarm local militias held responsible for the death of nine peacekeepers last month.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: The San a “Community Fast Losing Hope”

The plight of an indigenous community in South Africa, the San, was placed in the spotlight this week with the launch of a report by the South African Human Rights Commission.

RIGHTS-AFRICA: Uganda, DRC in Sights of International Criminal Court

Luis Moreno Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court (ICC), is going to be a busy man this year as far as Africa is concerned.

POLITICS-IVORY COAST: Mbeki Soldiers On

The past few days have seen South African President Thabo Mbeki push ahead with his initiative to bring peace to the Ivory Coast, even postponing his departure for the World Economic Forum. As the week ends, however, it is clear that the future of the West African state still hangs in the balance.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Is It Africa’s Turn Next?

The World Social Forum (WSF), sometimes described as the "carnival of the oppressed", is about to get underway in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre.

TRADE-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Textile Industries in Turmoil

A few years ago, the tiny kingdom of Lesotho appeared to have a lot on offer for investors: cheap labour, generous tax incentives and proximity to the regional powerhouse, South Africa.

ECONOMY-AFRICA: Debt Activists Keep the Champagne on Ice

Civil society groups and anti-debt campaigners in Africa have cautiously welcomed a British proposal for the debt of Africa’s poorest states to be cancelled.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: Judging the Judges

A statement by South Africa’s ruling party concerning judicial reform has sparked heated debate in the country.

POLITICS-AFRICA: A Challenging Road Ahead for the Peer Review Mechanism

Since the African Peer Review Mechanism was launched about two years ago, less than half of the African Union’s 53-member states have acceded to the process – designed to improve governance on the continent.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: South Africa Reaches Out to Disaster Victims

A South African delegation will be amongst those attending an international donor conference in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, Thursday, to discuss the needs of people affected by last week’s tsunami disaster.

POLITICS-SUDAN: Conflict and Trade on the Agenda of Talks with South Africa

South African President Thabo Mbeki begins a three-day visit to Sudan, Thursday, during which initiatives to end the various conflicts in the East African country will come under discussion.

CHALLENGES 2004-2005: Where To for the DRC?

For the better part of this year, the peace accords that brought five years of civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo to an end have been described as "fragile". As 2004 ends, however, the agreements seem perilously close to breaking down completely.