http://www.irinnews.org/irin-fp.aspxUpdated everydayen-gbFri, 06 Jan 2012 14:30:36 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. ]]>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.]]>Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 01 December 2011 (IRIN) - This World AIDS Day on 1 Dec should have been a much more joyous event: the global HIV/AIDS response has turned a significant corner, with record numbers of people on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and fewer new HIV infections. But the announcement by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria, cancelling its next funding round, has cast a shadow over any celebrations and highlighted the precarious nature of HIV/AIDS funding.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94354JOHANNESBURG 01 December 2011 (IRIN) - This World AIDS Day on 1 Dec should have been a much more joyous event: the global HIV/AIDS response has turned a significant corner, with record numbers of people on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and fewer new HIV infections. But the announcement by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria, cancelling its next funding round, has cast a shadow over any celebrations and highlighted the precarious nature of HIV/AIDS funding.]]>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.]]>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>LONDON 20 September 2011 (IRIN) - Last year, an estimated two million women around the world developed breast cancer or cancer of the cervix (the neck of the womb); more than 600,000 died – the equivalent of six large passenger planes crashing every single day.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=93767LONDON 20 September 2011 (IRIN) - Last year, an estimated two million women around the world developed breast cancer or cancer of the cervix (the neck of the womb); more than 600,000 died – the equivalent of six large passenger planes crashing every single day.]]>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).]]>Thu, 19 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG/LONDON 19 May 2011 (IRIN) - A recent study by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated global food loss and wastage at 1.3 billion tonnes a year, which it calls a “major squandering of resources”.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=92753JOHANNESBURG/LONDON 19 May 2011 (IRIN) - A recent study by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated global food loss and wastage at 1.3 billion tonnes a year, which it calls a “major squandering of resources”.]]>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.]]>Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 14 April 2011 (IRIN) - Flooding in northern Namibia has killed 65 people and displaced about 60,000 others, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its southern Africa flood and cyclone report published on 13 April 2011.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=92477JOHANNESBURG 14 April 2011 (IRIN) - Flooding in northern Namibia has killed 65 people and displaced about 60,000 others, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its southern Africa flood and cyclone report published on 13 April 2011.]]>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.]]>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 06 April 2011 (IRIN) - Water levels in flood-hit northern Namibia "are significantly higher than they were in 2009, when flooding affected an estimated 350,000 people," the UN Office of the Resident Coordinator said in a situation report released on 5 April 2011.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=92394JOHANNESBURG 06 April 2011 (IRIN) - Water levels in flood-hit northern Namibia "are significantly higher than they were in 2009, when flooding affected an estimated 350,000 people," the UN Office of the Resident Coordinator said in a situation report released on 5 April 2011.]]>Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 01 April 2011 (IRIN) - Namibia has declared a state of emergency in response to widescale flooding in the north that has claimed 62 lives since January 2011. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=92343JOHANNESBURG 01 April 2011 (IRIN) - Namibia has declared a state of emergency in response to widescale flooding in the north that has claimed 62 lives since January 2011. ]]>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 08 March 2011 (IRIN) - Farming is a risky business anywhere in the world, but especially if you are a subsistence farmer in southern Africa, where a few weeks of too much or too little rain can wipe out your one hectare of maize and your ability to feed your family in the coming months.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=92136JOHANNESBURG 08 March 2011 (IRIN) - Farming is a risky business anywhere in the world, but especially if you are a subsistence farmer in southern Africa, where a few weeks of too much or too little rain can wipe out your one hectare of maize and your ability to feed your family in the coming months.]]>Mon, 07 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 07 February 2011 (IRIN) - In the deep north of Southern Africa’s driest country, Namibia, about 10km from the Angolan border, live an elderly farming couple and their 10 adopted children, who watch the sky every day for rain. If the heavens do not open in another three weeks, they will not have enough food this year.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91843JOHANNESBURG 07 February 2011 (IRIN) - In the deep north of Southern Africa’s driest country, Namibia, about 10km from the Angolan border, live an elderly farming couple and their 10 adopted children, who watch the sky every day for rain. If the heavens do not open in another three weeks, they will not have enough food this year.]]>Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 28 January 2011 (IRIN) - More than 1,000 people have been "relocated permanently" from 32 flood-prone villages in Caprivi, as Namibia’s most northerly province prepares to meet a Zambezi River swollen to near-record size at this time of year by torrential rains upstream.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91770JOHANNESBURG 28 January 2011 (IRIN) - More than 1,000 people have been "relocated permanently" from 32 flood-prone villages in Caprivi, as Namibia’s most northerly province prepares to meet a Zambezi River swollen to near-record size at this time of year by torrential rains upstream.]]>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.]]>Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 14 January 2011 (IRIN) - As heavy rains continue to pound parts of South Africa, the meteorological bureau has warned that there was a "high risk of floods" in the central and northeastern parts of the country over the next few days.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=91634JOHANNESBURG 14 January 2011 (IRIN) - As heavy rains continue to pound parts of South Africa, the meteorological bureau has warned that there was a "high risk of floods" in the central and northeastern parts of the country over the next few days.]]>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.]]>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?]]>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.]]>