Mozambique limits election observers' access

Mozambique's National Elections Commission has announced it will not give observers access to all stages of the vote counting in December's presidential and parliamentary elections. The decision has prompted an angry objection from the European Union, which plans to send one of the largest observer missions to the election.

All is well in Zim, according to Robert Mugabe

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe wrapped up a three-day state visit to Mozambique on Wednesday by playing down the economic and social turmoil in his country. Mugabe told journalists the meeting with Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano was very fruitful and the two had discussed the state of his own country.

Mozambique opposition urged to give up weapons

Mozambique's national police chief on Wednesday called on armed members of a former rebel movement to surrender their weapons following a gun battle in Sofala province last week that left one policeman dead. "It's about time the Renamo men give up their weapons and join the police as the [1992] peace accord envisaged," he said.

Mozambique hunts lions after attacks

Police in northern Mozambique have enlisted the help of local hunters to kill lions and other wild animals following a recent spate of attacks on locals, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. "The populations of these areas have lived in an atmosphere of fear because of the high presence of wild animals out of control," police said.

Lessons learned about Aids prevention

The Aids pandemic has taken a particularly heavy toll on Southern African countries -- not least Mozambique. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids latest statistics indicate that about 13% of the country's 19-million-strong population is infected with HIV.

Nigeria to launch software to nab 419 scammers

Nigeria plans to launch software that would help catch people who send scam letters via e-mail, known as the 419 advance fee fraud, a meeting on the sidelines of Africa's World Economic Forum has heard. The new technology, which would identify key words used in the e-mails, is likely to be made available to internet service providers and government departments.

Botswana is Africa's most competitive economy

Botswana ranks as Africa's top competitive economy, ahead of other powerhouses such as South Africa and Nigeria, according to a survey by the World Economic Forum released on Wednesday at the opening of a three-day conference on business in Africa in the Mozambican capital of Maputo.

Mozambique battles malaria

Mozambique said on Friday it is stepping up a prevention campaign against malaria, the country's third-biggest killer after cholera and Aids, by encouraging the use of mosquito nets and looking at new treatments. Malaria killed 3 200 people in Mozambique last year out of a total of 4,5-million cases.

Church insists organ-trading claims are true

The Roman Catholic Church in Mozambique's northern Nampula region on Thursday insisted its claims of a human organ-trafficking network operating in the province and targeting children were true. The church demanded a continued probe to bring the alleged criminals to book.

SA will get to bottom of Machel air crash

South Africa's Deputy President Jacob Zuma promised Mozambicans on Saturday that the truth about an air crash that claimed the life of their communist leader Samora Machel in 1986 would be uncovered. Machel died when the plane he was travelling in crashed in northern South Africa on October 19 1986.

Cholera toll rises in Mozambique

The cholera death toll in Mozambique's capital, Maputo, since Christmas has risen to 20, health authorities said on Thursday. Deputy national health director Avertino Barreto said about 250 people were being treated daily for the waterborne disease at the Mavalane hospital in the east coast port city.

Former Zim farmers bring jobs to Mozambique

White Zimbabwean commercial farmers have created more than 4 000 jobs in neighbouring Mozambique, where they settled after being ousted from their land back home, a regional governor said on Tuesday. He said there are about 100 Zimbabwean farmers in the fertile districts of Manica province.

Mozambique storm kills one, injures many

A sudden storm with winds gusting up to 75kph killed a child, injured 78 people and displaced hundreds of families in the southern Mozambique town of Moamba, state radio reported on Monday. The storm lasted barely 10 minutes on Saturday afternoon, but razed hundreds of flimsy homes.

Polling in Mozambique off to slow start

Local polling in Mozambique started slowly on Wednesday as voters queued to cast their ballots in the first municipal elections contested by a former rebel group. The Mozambique National Resistance (Renamo) party is participating in local elections for the first time since independence from Portugal in 1975.

AU summit tackles Aids

African leaders meeting in Mozambique this week for the second African Union (AU) summit said the fight against HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis (TB) was a priority for the continent, and a new regional effort which would demand greater financial support from the international community was needed.

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