The Dutch government on Friday pledged €5-million (,4-million) in aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to improve health care and help people displaced by years of war return to their homes. About 1 200 people die each day in the DRC, Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation Agnes van Ardenne said in announcing the aid.
I cannot recall a time when disputes in the alliance over policy and politics have generated as much heat as they have in the past few weeks. No doubt uncertainties about succession play a part, as well as anticipation of serious debate over economic policy at the national policy conference later this year, but there is more to it than that.
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Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states need to contribute more to the regional body’s budget, outgoing SADC chairperson Festus Mogae said on Thursday. The SADC, as a regional organisation, still has difficulties implementing any of its targeted development programmes, he said at a summit meeting in Maseru.
Lebanese troops deployed in south Lebanon on Thursday, linking up with United Nations peacekeepers to take control of Hezbollah strongholds as Israeli forces pulled back after their 34-day war with the guerrillas. Hezbollah fighters melted away as the troops crossed the Litani River, about 20km from the Israeli border, to take over a region the army has not controlled for decades.
Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang should resign over her lack of leadership on HIV/Aids, the Aids Law Project told a conference in Toronto, Canada, on Thursday. ”I believe our minister of health should resign,” head of the project Mark Heywood said to shouts of approval from a packed session room at the International Aids Conference.
Australian police evacuated and searched a Pacific Blue flight from Fiji to Sydney on Thursday after a threat was made against the plane, but nothing suspicious was found on board. Oficials said 102 passengers and seven crew aboard flight DJ 154 were evacuated from the Boeing 737 after it landed at 5.45pm local time at Sydney’s international terminal.
England striker Michael Owen may be out all season after a severe knee injury sustained at the World Cup, his Newcastle United manager Glenn Roeder told the BBC on Thursday. ”It’s a long-term injury. I don’t know if he’ll play again this season,” Roeder said.
A young crocodile was spotted in the Vaal River system on Thursday morning, said the Vaal Rand police water wing. ”It was going from Klip River mouth into the Vaal River, a small one, about 1m,” said Inspector Gerrie Steyn. ”We’re going to look for that one, take it out and take it to the zoo.”