A summit of African leaders, farmers and international agriculture experts aimed at tackling soil degradation and food shortages in the world’s poorest continent opened on Friday in Nigeria. The African Fertiliser Summit, which began in Abuja with a two-day technical session, was being attended by about 500 delegates from across the world.
Health for all is one of the central goals of South Africa’s reconstruction and development, says South African President Thabo Mbeki, who on Friday indicated that South Africa is putting too few resources into the development of sport, which is currently in the doldrums on the international stage.
Fighters loyal to a United States-backed warlord alliance reinforced their last remaining stronghold on Friday as Islamist militia in control of the capital gathered for a feared attack, witnesses said. Heavily armed gunmen backed by machine-gun mounted pick-ups set up barricades and took up positions around the town of Jowhar.
Global stock markets advanced on Friday as bargain hunters snapped up shares after a turbulent week of sharp losses, the result of concerns about rising inflation and interest rates. European stock markets recovered some ground on Friday, following Thursday’s massive sell-off, and after a steadier overnight performance on Wall Street.
A United States federal judge, miffed at the inability of opposing attorneys to agree on even the slightest details of a lawsuit, ordered them to settle their latest dispute with the hand-gesture game of ”rock, paper, scissors”. The argument was over a location to take the sworn statement of a witness in an insurance lawsuit.
The former executive chairperson removed from Zimbabwe’s troubled power utility says his tenure at the helm of the company was a ”nightmare”. Sydney Gata had his post abolished this week when the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, which is experiencing serious viability problems, was restructured.
Security guards will be urged to accept a revised offer made by their employers after marathon talks, the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) said on Friday. ”We are going to report back to our members in a positive light,” Satawu general secretary Randall Howard said after the two-day discussions.
Economically ravaged Zimbabwe’s inflation rate soared to a record high of 1 193,5% for May, officials said on Friday. ”The year-on-year rate of inflation in May 2006 was 1 193,5%, gaining 150,6 percentage points on the April rate of 1 042,9%,” said Moffat Nyoni, acting director of the Central Statistical Office.
A strong earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 6,1 struck on Friday near the Pacific island of Fiji, Australian officials said. Geoscience Australia said the quake hit about 300km north-east of the Fijian capital Suva. The United States Geological Survey earlier described the epicentre of the quake, which occurred at 5.58am GMT, as 563km north-west of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa.
At least two people were killed and six wounded on Friday when rival gunmen clashed in the temporary home of Somalia’s largely powerless transitional government, witnesses said. The fighting, which appeared unrelated to fierce battles between Islamists and a United States-backed warlord alliance, erupted after a dispute over a checkpoint in the town.