POLITICS: Conflicts In the Spotlight at African Union Summit

The conflicts in Somalia and Darfur have come under discussion at the African Union (AU) summit underway in Accra.

POLITICS: "Take The Bull By the Horns And Move Towards a New Country – Africa"

Positions are being staked out concerning the establishment of a pan-African government, this at the annual summit of the African Union (AU), underway in Accra. Heads of state and government from around the continent began meeting in the Ghanaian capital Sunday; they will wrap up talks Tuesday.

AFRICA: Regional Integration No Path to Continental Government, Says Gaddafi

The final leg of the 2007 African Union (AU) summit kicked off in the Ghanaian capital of Accra Sunday, with a three-day gathering of the AU Assembly - comprising heads of state and government.

DEVELOPMENT-MOZAMBIQUE: Jose Negrao, An Economist Who Cared

The late activist and economist Jose Negrao, who posthumously won the Southern Africa Trust’s Drivers of Change Award last year, is featuring again at this year’s awards. His brainchild, Mozambique’s Group of 20 anti-poverty civil society organisations, has been nominated for the 2007 award.

SOUTH AFRICA: "You Cannot Keep People Away From Settling in Cities"

Population issues are in the spotlight at present with the recent release of the United Nations Population Fund's annual report - and World Population Day, to be commemorated Jul. 11.

Q&A: "Species Are Moving Southwards"

For South African author Leonie Joubert, global warming is a grass roots issue - literally.

DEVELOPMENT-MOZAMBIQUE: An MDG Temperature Check Gives Mixed Results

Only about 30 percent of Mozambicans think that their quality of life has improved since 2000, the year when the international community agreed on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), while about 42 percent believe life has not changed.

ECONOMY-TANZANIA: Tourists vs Traders – Who Will Make a Killing?

On display among the bold African patterns and chunky jewellery, a carved giraffe flashes a price tag of 20,000 Tanzanian shillings (15 US dollars).

AFRICA: Food for 12 Billion. So Why Did 854 Million Go Without?

"As you are suffering from over-consumption, I am suffering from under-consumption. We need to strike a balance," said Mary Wahu Kaara from the Kenya Debt Relief Network with reference to the North and the South.

TRADE-AFRICA: Kenya and South Africa Growing Their Links

Strolling through the aisles of one of the shops of the biggest supermarket chain in Kenya, it is easy for a South African to spot familiar brands. There are boxes and bottles full of cereal, instant coffee, fruit, soup, toiletries and other products imported from South Africa. And then there are the well-known clothing retailers.

DEVELOPMENT: Chances of Achieving MDGs “Slim” Without Civil Society

Global civil society leaders called on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Thursday to use both international channels and their muscle on the ground for applying pressure on governments to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

DEATH PENALTY: Concerned Zambian Activists Look Beyond Moratorium

Zambian anti-death penalty activists are expressing anxiety over the fragility of the country’s current moratorium on executions, as the courts and lawmakers continue to resist formally banning state executions.

DEVELOPMENT-ZIMBABWE: Food a Political Tool?

Zimbabwe’s escalating food crisis comes amid resurgent accusations that food aid is being abused as a political tool.

HEALTH-ZIMBABWE: Fighting the Spread of Polio – Again

Richard Chirew’s prominent stoop makes him look older than his 30 years. He is a resident of Kambuzuma, a dusty and poor Harare suburb where he survives as a street vendor.

DEVELOPMENT: “If Anything Goes Wrong, Africa Is Blamed” – Sachs

Development plans like the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are "just words" if financing is not made available to implement the plans, says Jeffrey Sachs, head of the Earth Institute at New York's Columbia University.

Q&A: “Too Few African Governments Have Had the Guts to Say ‘No'”

While Kofi Annan was the United Nations' secretary-general, he handpicked Eveline Herfkens to be the executive coordinator of the Millennium Campaign, a body which mobilises support for the achievement of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Herfkens had previously worked as the Dutch minister of international development and as an executive director at the World Bank.

MALAWI: Judges and Lawyers Bring Relief To Condemned

Malawi's death row prisoners are breathing more easily after three High Court judges unanimously agreed in a test case that the courts are not bound to sentence anyone to death for murder, as this would be a violation of that person's human rights.

RIGHTS-ZIMBABWE: Another Attempt to Reclaim Media Independence

Zimbabwean media practitioners have launched a self-regulatory media body for journalists despite government threats of unspecified action against them.

DEVELOPMENT-BOTSWANA: Even More Children Are Dying

While Botswana has succeeded in decreasing its poverty rate, it is unlikely that the country will achieve the United Nations' fourth Millennium Development Goal of decreasing child mortality rates by two-thirds by 2015. Figures have shown an increase in child mortality between the 1990s and the 2000s.

AFRICA: “If You Want More Development, Include Women in Decision-making”

The '8th Triennial Commonwealth Women's Affairs Ministers Meeting' (8WAMM) has closed with an acknowledgement that gender equality is central to democracy, peace and economic growth; ministers also called for greater efforts to achieve parity between men and women.

TRADE-MALAWI: Clothing and Textiles Become Unstitched

Following the liberalization of the global trade in textiles and clothing between 1994 and 2005, Malawi has seen an influx of second-hand clothing on the local market. But while consumers have been happily buying cheap items on almost every street corner, the country's textile industry has been steadily collapsing.