Africa’s economy grew at 3,1% in 203 compared to 4,3% in 2001, largely due to the sluggish recovery of the global economy and the crises on the continent from conflict, drought and the HIV/Aids pandemic, a leading United Nations economist on Africa said on Thursday.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn in for a second term on Thursday despite opposition calls for the results of last month’s election to be rejected.
The United Nations Security Council is expected to take action "possibly as early as Friday" on a draft resolution to deploy an emergency force to Bunia, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations (UN) News reported on Wednesday.
The New National Party (NNP) has called for an urgent inquiry into the number of people who have died while being held in police custody.
George Soros, the billionaire financier and philanthropist, said on Thursday he disapproved of US President George Bush’s decision to take ”pre-emptive” military action against Iraq.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has asked the Public Protector to investigate Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota’s contravention of the Executive Ethics Code, which forbids a minister from holding directorships, shares and business interests.
Lekota discloses property interests
The Cape High Court heard allegations on Thursday of corruption and maladministration in the Western Cape social welfare department involving more than R1-million.
The National Association of People Living with HIV/Aids announced the suspension of its Black Easter Campaign on Thursday. The campaign started on April 17 in a bid to force drug manufacturers to provide HIV/Aids drugs free of charge.
When Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf, gave his support to the US in its war on Afghanistan 20 months ago, he took a calculated risk: he was confronting his country’s conservative religious lobby in a stand-off that would determine whether Pakistan became a modern, outward-looking democracy or a reactionary Islamic republic.
International relief non governmental organisation (NGO), Action Against Hunger (ACF), expressed concern on Wednesday about the nutritional situation in Lubumbashi, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), because of what it termed a "steady and large surge" in malnutrition among the city’s population.