SOUTHERN AFRICA: No Ivory Sales Now Doesn’t Mean None Later

Concern about ivory sales in Southern Africa is persisting among environmental groups - this after the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) granted Japan stockpile buyer status earlier this month.

ECONOMY-ZAMBIA: China’s Growing Presence Met With Resistance

Votes cast for presidential contender Michael Sata in the recent election suggest a growing discontent among Zambians over the effects of increased Chinese involvement in their country.

ECONOMY-MAURITIUS: Port Louis Targets Neighbours for Clothing Exports

Mauritius is eyeing other markets in Africa as part of its effort to rebuild export manufacturing of clothing. This includes targeting South Africa, which will be limiting certain Chinese imports in 2007.

SOUTH AFRICA: Table Mountain Trails Open Paths for Unemployed

"There are so many stories to tell, about the mountain, the plants and what they mean to my people. Hiking is a wonderful way to teach tourists more about my culture," says 27-year-old Noluthando Mathe.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTH AFRICA: “The Reality of Poverty Is Everywhere”

Twelve years after the demise of apartheid, poverty remains one of the main challenges facing South Africa - although opinions vary about how widespread it is.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Social Security Not So Much a Luxury as a Necessity

Social protection is emerging as a policy option among governments and donors in Southern Africa, as poverty and unemployment persist despite economic growth in the region.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Fighting Hunger May Not Always Require Food

Several studies in Southern Africa show that the direct transfer of cash to people living on or below the breadline not only prevents hunger, but also further impoverishment.

ECONOMY: The Curate’s Egg That Is Africa-Asia Trade

Emerging global powers China and India, both thirsty for new markets and energy resources, are increasing efforts to secure a dominant position in Africa.

LATIN AMERICA: Family Farms – Durable but Fragile

Family farms are not disappearing in Latin America, but they are becoming more vulnerable, requiring government policies to ensure their economic and social inclusion, experts and farmers said at a seminar organised by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in the Chilean capital.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTH AFRICA: Walking the Tightrope of Land Reform

South Africa is caught between a rock and a hard place. It must address the growing hunger for land on the part of black people and, at the same time, avoid going the route of Zimbabwe. Land reform in this neighbouring state, meant to address colonial injustice, has ended up undermining the economy.

POLITICS-ZAMBIA: The Fiscal Conservative or the Firebrand?

Elimination of double-digit inflation, economic growth in the region of five percent last year, a reduction of foreign debt from some seven billion dollars to 500 million: these are figures guaranteed to earn the president of a developing country another term in office, not so? Maybe yes, Maybe no.

HEALTH-UGANDA: USAID’s Malaria Control Plan Risks Public Disapproval

A population explosion in the highlands in south-west Uganda has turned fertile wetlands into breeding grounds for malarial mosquitoes.

DEVELOPMENT: From the Margins of Society, to Centre Field

Nelson Mandela delivered his first speech there after leaving prison. The square has also been the scene of anti-apartheid protests and military parades. This coming week, however, Cape Town's Grand Parade will be a venue for something entirely different: street soccer matches played during the 2006 Homeless World Cup (HWC).

HEALTH-AFRICA: Bringing Traditional Birth Attendants Into the Mainstream

In an ideal world, all of Africa's women would have access to clinics, nurses, obstetricians, medicines: the panoply of staff and equipment needed to make the process of giving birth as safe as possible.

POLITICS-SOUTH AFRICA: Corruption Charges May Haunt Zuma Yet

A vindication, a temporary reprieve, an affirmation of South Africa's justice system, an indictment of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA): the interpretations of Wednesday's dismissal of corruption charges against former deputy president Jacob Zuma are many, and varied.

FINANCE: World Bank Careless About Development Goals – Report

Several developing countries are not reaching sustainable development targets fast enough despite numerous international agreements, says a report, launched here amidst criticism that World Bank energy and mining projects were not doing enough to protect the environment and improve the plight of the poor.

HEALTH-AFRICA: “There Hasn’t Been Adequate Emphasis on Family Planning”

The problem of limited access to contraceptives is taking centre stage at an African Union (AU) meeting currently underway in Maputo.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: Few “Positions Vacant” for the Young

A billion young people aged 15 to 24 unemployed, 85 percent of them in developing countries - with several hundred million more expected to enter the job market by the end of the decade: grim statistics indeed. However, a recent conference offered some ideas as to how they could be addressed.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: LDC Status Hard to Shake

There were 18 in Africa 35 years ago. There are 34 now - which begs the question: are policies to thin the ranks of the almost three dozen least developed countries (LDCs) on the continent even somewhat effective?

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: “NAM Only Needs to Redefine Itself”

With countries in Africa accounting for almost half the membership of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), it could be argued that this continent has a particular interest in the future strategies and effectiveness of the grouping - now holding its fourteenth summit, in Cuba.

RIGHTS-INDIA: Communist Gov’t Evicts Farmers for Industries

Peasants living on the edges of this eastern metropolis are seething in anger at the world's longest serving provincial communist government which wants them to hand over their lush green farmlands for an automobile plant being set up by the Tata group, a flag bearer of capitalist enterprise in this country.