POLITICS-AFRICA: The Continental Legislature Puts Down Roots

It was a telling incident. While several religious leaders were invited to say a prayer at Thursday's opening of the Pan-African Parliament's second sitting, an imam was not amongst them.

HEALTH-ZAMBIA: In a Quagmire Over AIDS Testing

Voluntary testing or mandatory testing? That is the question AIDS activists and government officials are grappling with in Zambia, where about one million people have already died in the pandemic since the late 1980s.

POLITICS: Soldiers of Fortune Likely to Roam Africa for Some Time

Debate about the role played by mercenaries in Africa has been revived in recent months, following the arrest and subsequent sentencing of 68 men accused of plotting to overthrow Teodoro Obiang Nguema: president of the tiny, oil-rich state of Equatorial Guinea.

POLITICS-ZAMBIA: Tensions Simmer Over New Constitution

Zambians could be forgiven for pleading "constitution fatigue". The constitution that was drawn up for their country at independence in 1964, has been replaced three times in the past 40 years. Now, yet another constitution is up for debate - something that has pitted government against civil society.

ECONOMY-SWAZILAND: A White Elephant for Those Jumbo Jets?

National airports are the primary gateways to countries today. From the design of a terminal building to the swiftness of baggage retrieval, airports give visitors an all-important first impression of a state’s modernity and capacity to provide services.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: Battered and Bruised, the Main Opposition Party Takes Stock

Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), celebrated its fifth anniversary over the weekend. However, ceremonies to mark the event were overshadowed by the question mark hanging over the party’s participation in next year’s parliamentary election.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: The War That Might Not Have Been

Two years after Zimbabwean troops returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe’s public remains largely unaware of the activities of the mission.

ENVIRONMENT-SOUTH AFRICA: To Cull, or Not to Cull?

In recent years, much attention has been given to elephant poaching – and the catastrophic effects of this on herds throughout Africa. Successful conservation of elephants presents its own challenge, however, in the form of overpopulation.

ENVIRONMENT: Upgrading Southern Africa’s Weather Predicting Technology

Southern African meteorologists say regional residents can expect another year of mostly normal rainfall, but with drought-stricken areas repeating dry patterns that have persisted for years, and Indian Ocean nations subject to more cyclones.

HEALTH-ZAMBIA: Poverty Stifling War on Malaria

Zambia’s quest to fight Malaria has come under an unprecedented challenge as it scales up to overcome an epidemic that is claiming an average of 50,000 lives a year.

HEALTH-MOZAMBIQUE: AIDS Stripping Widows Of Their Rights

When her husband died two months ago, Albertina Come did not only lose him. She also lost their house and belongings acquired through hard work over ten years of marriage.

RIGHTS: Army Recruits Seek Legal Action over HIV Sacking

A legal battle looms between the army and four South Africans who claim they have been shut out of the military because they tested HIV positive.

RIGHTS: Concern Over New Law Extends Beyond Zimbabwe’s Borders

A proposed new law that’s set to curtail the activities of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Zimbabwe has grabbed the attention of many among Southern Africa’s human rights defenders.

ECONOMY-ANGOLA: Search for Business Opportunities in a Murky Environment

A high-level South African delegation is in Angola this week to explore economic opportunities there, in the aftermath of that country's civil war.

ECONOMY-ANGOLA: Search for Business Opportunities in a Murky Environment

A high-level South African delegation is in Angola this week to explore economic opportunities there, in the aftermath of that country’s civil war.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: Media Monopoly Said to Underpin Mugabe’s Popularity

An opinion poll published this week indicates that trust in Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has more than doubled since 1999. Researchers says certain Zimbabweans have benefited from ruling party patronage, but that Mugabe’s higher approval rating can mostly be ascribed to state propaganda.

ECONOMY-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Energy Shortages a Pressing Concern

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) this week voiced concern about energy shortfalls in the region.

POLITICS-EAST AFRICA: Inclusive Government Crucial for Burundi – Ambassador

Burundi’s ambassador to Kenya has reiterated the importance of establishing an ethnically-inclusive government in his country. This came after a massacre last week, in which about 160 people were killed in a refugee camp for Congolese Tutsis in Burundi.

RIGHTS-AFRICA: Helping the Continent to Grow Old Gracefully

"If only I can stop sewing for a month, my cough will come down...I spend the money from my sewing for buying food and making sandwiches for my grandchildren to take to school," says an old South African woman captured on video while working at an archaic sewing machine.

RIGHTS-ZIMBABWE: Time’s Up for the "Kerb Crawlers"

A recent crackdown on men who frequent prostitutes in Zimbabwe has left human rights activists there a little confused.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTH AFRICA: Avian Flu Clips Wings of Poultry Sector

Mozambique has become the latest country to impose a ban on imports of poultry products from South Africa following an outbreak of avian influenza virus in the Eastern Cape Province.