http://www.irinnews.org/irin-fp.aspxUpdated everydayen-gbFri, 06 Jan 2012 14:30:33 GMTFri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 06 January 2012 (IRIN) - Several thousand Angolan returnees from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are stranded by floods in northeastern Angola. They are among the first casualties of what promises to be a very wet rainy season in parts of southern Africa. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94598JOHANNESBURG 06 January 2012 (IRIN) - Several thousand Angolan returnees from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are stranded by floods in northeastern Angola. They are among the first casualties of what promises to be a very wet rainy season in parts of southern Africa. ]]>Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 30 December 2011 (IRIN) - More than five years after the Front for the Liberation of Cabinda (FLEC) filed a complaint with the African Union (AU) against the Angolan government for alleged human rights abuses, the AU says it is willing to hear the “merits” of appointing a special rapporteur to investigate the claims.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94572JOHANNESBURG 30 December 2011 (IRIN) - More than five years after the Front for the Liberation of Cabinda (FLEC) filed a complaint with the African Union (AU) against the Angolan government for alleged human rights abuses, the AU says it is willing to hear the “merits” of appointing a special rapporteur to investigate the claims.]]>Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 29 December 2011 (IRIN) - In 2011 the global economic crisis combined with poor governance, financial mismanagement and unpredictable rainfall to push several southern African countries to the point of crisis. Others responded to rising unemployment and increased pressure on national budgets by hardening their attitude towards immigrants and closing their borders to asylum-seekers. IRIN covered developments from all over the region, but the following stories consistently grabbed headlines:http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94564JOHANNESBURG 29 December 2011 (IRIN) - In 2011 the global economic crisis combined with poor governance, financial mismanagement and unpredictable rainfall to push several southern African countries to the point of crisis. Others responded to rising unemployment and increased pressure on national budgets by hardening their attitude towards immigrants and closing their borders to asylum-seekers. IRIN covered developments from all over the region, but the following stories consistently grabbed headlines:]]>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 12 December 2011 (IRIN) - At any given time, an estimated 130,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa are engaged in forced labour as a result of trafficking. It is a fraction of the global figure, which the International Labour Organization (ILO) puts at 2.5 million, but this highly lucrative and concealed crime is on the rise in Africa and traffickers usually operate with impunity.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94445JOHANNESBURG 12 December 2011 (IRIN) - At any given time, an estimated 130,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa are engaged in forced labour as a result of trafficking. It is a fraction of the global figure, which the International Labour Organization (ILO) puts at 2.5 million, but this highly lucrative and concealed crime is on the rise in Africa and traffickers usually operate with impunity.]]>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>KAMPALA 02 December 2011 (IRIN) - Brandishing a plea for developed countries to make good their promises to reduce carbon emissions, 300 farmers, youths and activists took the scenic route to the COP17 conference in Durban, travelling more than 7,000km from Burundi in 17 days, through 10 eastern and southern African countries, aboard a convoy of buses draped in various national flags.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94372KAMPALA 02 December 2011 (IRIN) - Brandishing a plea for developed countries to make good their promises to reduce carbon emissions, 300 farmers, youths and activists took the scenic route to the COP17 conference in Durban, travelling more than 7,000km from Burundi in 17 days, through 10 eastern and southern African countries, aboard a convoy of buses draped in various national flags.]]>Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>ADDIS ABABA 18 November 2011 (IRIN) - Increasing traffic accident deaths are a likely consequence of economic and population growth in Africa unless leaders on the continent, already beset by the world's worst road-safety record, implement a wide-ranging plan to address the second leading cause of deaths of young people, specialists at a major conference told IRIN.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94238ADDIS ABABA 18 November 2011 (IRIN) - Increasing traffic accident deaths are a likely consequence of economic and population growth in Africa unless leaders on the continent, already beset by the world's worst road-safety record, implement a wide-ranging plan to address the second leading cause of deaths of young people, specialists at a major conference told IRIN.]]>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 18 October 2011 (IRIN) - Genetically modified (GM) food aid bound for Africa has long been a bone of contention among governments, scientists, activists, consumers and aid workers.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=93991JOHANNESBURG 18 October 2011 (IRIN) - Genetically modified (GM) food aid bound for Africa has long been a bone of contention among governments, scientists, activists, consumers and aid workers.]]>Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>NEW YORK 22 September 2011 (IRIN) - The African Leaders Malaria Alliance has launched a scorecard to improve the fight against malaria on the African continent. “This,” said Agnes Bingwaho, Rwanda’s Health Minister, holding up the laminated scorecard, “is something that will help Africa make progress.”http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=93796NEW YORK 22 September 2011 (IRIN) - The African Leaders Malaria Alliance has launched a scorecard to improve the fight against malaria on the African continent. “This,” said Agnes Bingwaho, Rwanda’s Health Minister, holding up the laminated scorecard, “is something that will help Africa make progress.”]]>Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 21 July 2011 (IRIN) - The death toll in southern Africa during the 2010-2011 rainy season (December-May) was “markedly higher” than in recent years, with 477 people killed, compared to seven during the same period in 2009-2010, and 212 in 2008-2009, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=93294JOHANNESBURG 21 July 2011 (IRIN) - The death toll in southern Africa during the 2010-2011 rainy season (December-May) was “markedly higher” than in recent years, with 477 people killed, compared to seven during the same period in 2009-2010, and 212 in 2008-2009, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).]]>Fri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 20 May 2011 (IRIN) - New research on sleeping sickness in African cattle is holding out the possibility that in the not too distant future Africa could start seeing the introduction of cattle resistant to sleeping sickness - a disease which kills billions of dollars worth of livestock every year.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=92773JOHANNESBURG 20 May 2011 (IRIN) - New research on sleeping sickness in African cattle is holding out the possibility that in the not too distant future Africa could start seeing the introduction of cattle resistant to sleeping sickness - a disease which kills billions of dollars worth of livestock every year.]]>Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 21 April 2011 (IRIN) - A group of international academic institutions and an NGO backed by the European Union (EU) have launched Sustainable Nutrition Research for Africa in the Years to come, or SUNRAY, to develop a nutrition agenda for Africa, with specific emphasis on the 34 sub-Saharan countries.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=92550JOHANNESBURG 21 April 2011 (IRIN) - A group of international academic institutions and an NGO backed by the European Union (EU) have launched Sustainable Nutrition Research for Africa in the Years to come, or SUNRAY, to develop a nutrition agenda for Africa, with specific emphasis on the 34 sub-Saharan countries.]]>Fri, 08 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 08 April 2011 (IRIN) - What’s green, controversial, 15km wide, 7,775km long, cuts across 11 African countries and is designed to reduce livestock deaths and boost food security for millions of people? Nothing yet, but the Great Green Wall project, a pipe-dream for decades, was recently endorsed by a swathe of African states stretching from Senegal to Djibouti.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=92422NAIROBI 08 April 2011 (IRIN) - What’s green, controversial, 15km wide, 7,775km long, cuts across 11 African countries and is designed to reduce livestock deaths and boost food security for millions of people? Nothing yet, but the Great Green Wall project, a pipe-dream for decades, was recently endorsed by a swathe of African states stretching from Senegal to Djibouti.]]>Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 25 January 2011 (IRIN) - The Angolan government is preparing to renew efforts to eradicate polio with support from global partners, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has made polio eradication its top priority.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91729JOHANNESBURG 25 January 2011 (IRIN) - The Angolan government is preparing to renew efforts to eradicate polio with support from global partners, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has made polio eradication its top priority.]]>Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 21 January 2011 (IRIN) - Heavy rains and localized flooding across southern Africa from Angola to Madagascar are raising fears that the devastating floods of 2000 will be repeated. Then, thousands of people were plucked from rooftops by helicopter, several hundred died, and Mozambique’s agricultural production was severely impacted.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91698JOHANNESBURG 21 January 2011 (IRIN) - Heavy rains and localized flooding across southern Africa from Angola to Madagascar are raising fears that the devastating floods of 2000 will be repeated. Then, thousands of people were plucked from rooftops by helicopter, several hundred died, and Mozambique’s agricultural production was severely impacted.]]>Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 06 January 2011 (IRIN) - The record prices of staple grains in 2008 made investment in agriculture an attractive proposition for countries exporting as well as importing food. The African Union (AU), with its mix of producers and buyers, has been steadily gearing up for self-sufficiency.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91547JOHANNESBURG 06 January 2011 (IRIN) - The record prices of staple grains in 2008 made investment in agriculture an attractive proposition for countries exporting as well as importing food. The African Union (AU), with its mix of producers and buyers, has been steadily gearing up for self-sufficiency.]]>Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 31 December 2010 (IRIN) - The crises in Zimbabwe and Madagascar were a major focus of IRIN’s Southern Africa coverage, though riots over food and fuel prices in early September 2010 in Mozambique managed to grab the headlines for a while.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91506JOHANNESBURG 31 December 2010 (IRIN) - The crises in Zimbabwe and Madagascar were a major focus of IRIN’s Southern Africa coverage, though riots over food and fuel prices in early September 2010 in Mozambique managed to grab the headlines for a while.]]>Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT]]>HARARE/JOHANNESBURG 30 December 2010 (IRIN) - The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) staffed jointly by officials from Zambia and Zimbabwe, says one of the two major dams on the river between the two countries will open its flood gates in early 2011, meaning that communities may have to be relocated.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91491HARARE/JOHANNESBURG 30 December 2010 (IRIN) - The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) staffed jointly by officials from Zambia and Zimbabwe, says one of the two major dams on the river between the two countries will open its flood gates in early 2011, meaning that communities may have to be relocated.]]>Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 24 November 2010 (IRIN) - Gay rights groups have hailed the results of the first study to show that an antiretroviral (ARV) drug can prevent HIV as an important step in the fight against HIV, but say that in countries that criminalize homosexuality, the breakthrough is unlikely to have a significant impact.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91180NAIROBI 24 November 2010 (IRIN) - Gay rights groups have hailed the results of the first study to show that an antiretroviral (ARV) drug can prevent HIV as an important step in the fight against HIV, but say that in countries that criminalize homosexuality, the breakthrough is unlikely to have a significant impact.]]>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT]]>BRAZZAVILLE 22 November 2010 (IRIN) - Officials and analysts expressed optimism that a convention signed in Brazzaville, the Congolese capital, on 19 November would succeed in stemming the flow of small arms in central Africa, as long as it is backed by robust implementation measures.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91158BRAZZAVILLE 22 November 2010 (IRIN) - Officials and analysts expressed optimism that a convention signed in Brazzaville, the Congolese capital, on 19 November would succeed in stemming the flow of small arms in central Africa, as long as it is backed by robust implementation measures.]]>Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 19 November 2010 (IRIN) - When it comes to understanding what drives HIV infections among young people in southern Africa, the epicentre of the global AIDS pandemic, why not ask young people themselves?http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91138JOHANNESBURG 19 November 2010 (IRIN) - When it comes to understanding what drives HIV infections among young people in southern Africa, the epicentre of the global AIDS pandemic, why not ask young people themselves?]]>Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 11 November 2010 (IRIN) - Efforts to treat and prevent pneumonia are falling short in the 15 countries responsible for three-quarters of the world’s annual deaths from the disease, according to a “report card” issued by the US-based International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at Johns Hopkins University. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91068BANGKOK 11 November 2010 (IRIN) - Efforts to treat and prevent pneumonia are falling short in the 15 countries responsible for three-quarters of the world’s annual deaths from the disease, according to a “report card” issued by the US-based International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at Johns Hopkins University. ]]>Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 09 November 2010 (IRIN) - An aggressive national campaign to persuade people to abstain from sex or commit to 100 percent condom use for a month could make a significant contribution to HIV prevention efforts, says a leading HIV expert.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91037JOHANNESBURG 09 November 2010 (IRIN) - An aggressive national campaign to persuade people to abstain from sex or commit to 100 percent condom use for a month could make a significant contribution to HIV prevention efforts, says a leading HIV expert.]]>Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 04 November 2010 (IRIN) - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique, which share a border with Tanzania, to step up detection of a deadly animal virus which causes Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), a contagious respiratory disease.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=90969JOHANNESBURG 04 November 2010 (IRIN) - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique, which share a border with Tanzania, to step up detection of a deadly animal virus which causes Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), a contagious respiratory disease.]]>Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 04 November 2010 (IRIN) - Dominicano Mulenga, national coordinator of Zambia's Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit, goes through his to-do list as the rainy season sets in: Industrial pumps to suck water out of the roads serviced. Tick. Enough stocks of tents and mosquito nets. Tick. Mobile phones delivered to communities living along the upper catchment areas of the River Zambezi. Check.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=90980JOHANNESBURG 04 November 2010 (IRIN) - Dominicano Mulenga, national coordinator of Zambia's Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit, goes through his to-do list as the rainy season sets in: Industrial pumps to suck water out of the roads serviced. Tick. Enough stocks of tents and mosquito nets. Tick. Mobile phones delivered to communities living along the upper catchment areas of the River Zambezi. Check.]]>Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 28 October 2010 (IRIN) - Angola's "very violent" expulsion of about 200 Democratic Republic of Congo nationals from its territory this month is a sign of the increasing "bad blood" between the neighbours that analysts believe revolves around border demarcations and conflicting claims to resources, particularly oil.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=90906JOHANNESBURG 28 October 2010 (IRIN) - Angola's "very violent" expulsion of about 200 Democratic Republic of Congo nationals from its territory this month is a sign of the increasing "bad blood" between the neighbours that analysts believe revolves around border demarcations and conflicting claims to resources, particularly oil.]]>