The controversial Children’s Bill has been resubmitted to Parliament, but children’s rights groups say the Bill still has holes that leave children vulnerable. The Bill involves only national stipulations concerning parental rights and duties, the rights of children, surrogate motherhood, adoption and child courts.

In just 10 years arguably one of the most highly politicised generations of youth has given way to one in which apathy is unprecedented and disenchantment with politics is acute. On Thursday the Independent Electoral Commission revealed that just below half the young people eligible to register to vote had done so during the final registration drive last weekend.

Zimbabwe’s coming 2003/04 maize crop is likely to produce a harvest of between 800 000 to 900 000 tons, which is 33%-38% below the country’s national cereal requirement for both human and livestock consumption, the latest Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews-Net) report says.

The police have opened a case of attempted murder against the man who let loose a number of venomous snakes in an Absa bank in Johannesburg on Thursday. ”Obviously the guy was cross with the bank, but he must bear in mind that someone could have been killed,” said police Superintendent Chris Wilken.

The Libyan government daily Al-Zahf al-Akhdarhas been suspended for one week for suggesting that Colonel Moammar Gadaffi should no longer be referred to as the ”guide of the revolution” and should instead start behaving as a genuine head of state.