In South Africa, human rights are especially pertinent to business. Many companies have a prominent role in other African countries, which might have human rights implications. In countries characterised by strife or political unrest, companies run the risk of being seen to be complicit in human rights abuses.
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Police and troops in Mauritania, armed with tear gas and automatic weapons, on Tuesday stormed a building in Nouakchott hunting for Islamic extremists but their quarry managed to escape, security sources said. An operational bomb factory was found in the abandoned house, police said.
Several major companies in India looking to expand their global footprint have shown ”serious interest” in investing at Coega, the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) said on Tuesday. The CDC said it had recently met 22 companies in Thailand and India to discuss investment.
Kenya’s environment watchdog has appealed for a public-private partnership to help clean the environment choked by thousands of tonnes of dumped waste. Health experts have blamed industrial, hospital and domestic waste for the spread of diseases, among other problems.
Two staff members of the United Nations refugee agency narrowly escaped an ambush on their vehicle by armed militiamen in Somalia’s northern breakaway region of Puntland, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday. The vehicle was carrying a foreign aid worker and a local driver.
India has joined the race with China for Africa’s abundant hydrocarbons and natural resources while offering to empower the 53-nation continent through affordable technologies, the development of human capital and equal partnerships. The first-ever India-Africa summit began in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Zimbabwe’s opposition slammed the ”deafening silence” on Tuesday of Africa in the aftermath of the country’s elections, warning of blood on the streets unless pressure is brought to bear on Robert Mugabe. Meanwhile, party lawyers argued at the High Court for an immediate announcement of the result of the presidential poll.
The City of Cape Town has launched a high court challenge to the legality of the Erasmus commission, city speaker Dirk Smit announced on Tuesday. The commission was set up by Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool last year to probe the city’s own investigation of renegade councillor Badih Chaaban.
The runway of the country’s most prominent air-force base has to be repaired ahead of next year’s election in South Africa to accommodate world leaders who will attend the inauguration of whomever is elected president. This was revealed at a visit on Tuesday of Public Works Minister Thoko Didiza to the Waterkloof Air Base in Pretoria.