The United States and 11 African nations on Monday formally opened a regional emergency response center in Nairobi, Kenya, to improve East and Central Africa’s capacity to deal with natural disasters and terrorist attacks. It is part of a US-funded series of symposia aimed at helping African countries better respond to crises.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has lauded the production of the first anti-retroviral drugs used to battle Aids to be produced by an indigenous firm in the country, his office said on Monday. Obasanjo said during the presentation of the Aids drug by a local drug firm that he is encouraged by the achievement of the company.
As neighbouring Niger’s food crisis lessens with international aid and a bountiful harvest is predicted next month, western Mali is praying for rain. Whereas in Niger farmers and officials say the rain has returned this year and crops promise to be abundant come September, in Mali it is a different story.
Private hospitals in South Africa perform much of their surgery better, faster and cheaper than those in Australia and the United States do, a study published on Monday found. The Hospital Association of South Africa did a comparative analysis of average private hospital costs in South Africa, the US and Australia.
Videos are replacing vicars in small town Australia because of an acute shortage of ordained ministers, news reports said on Monday. The Uniting Church already sends DVDs of Sunday sermons to 20 towns considered too small or too remote to have their own ministers.
Poverty and cultural traditions in Niger lead thousands of young women to give birth without medical supervision which exposes them to often irreparable scars. ”Giving birth is women’s work, and these girls are children,” said Lucien Djangnikpo, a physician and director of a maternity centre in Zinder, a city in southeast Niger.
The JSE reached yet another record high on Monday, this time driven by a weaker rand. Trade was brisk, with almost R1,4-billion worth of shares changing hands. At 11.59am, the all share index was up 0,33% at 15 827,71 having reached
a lifetime high of 15 836,16 during the session.
South Africa is looking forward to a windfall from hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup, and hopes other top sports events such as the Rugby World Cup and formula-one auto racing will follow. But who will really benefit from the promised bonanza in a country still bearing the social and economic scars of apartheid?
Free State local government minister Joel Mafereka is to visit Frankfort where protesting residents disrupted schools and traffic on Monday, a municipal official said. Protesters, apparently unhappy with service delivery in the municipality, have been blocking roads with burning tyres and other objects since Sunday.
South Africa would have to spend R25-billion on the proposed pebble-bed nuclear power project before it would be viable, Independent Online reported on Monday. It said this emerged from an international report on the economic impact of the envisioned pebble-bed modular reactor.