Making a dent in South Africa’s drug culture

JOHANNESBURG, 17 June 2013 (IRIN Global) - In pink tracksuit and big sunglasses, Nomvula Mokonyane, premier of South Africa’s Gauteng Province, delivered a combative warning to the drug dealers of Eldorado Park that had the crowd buzzing: “Leave, your days are numbered!” But then a distraught mother, urged to speak but unable to, brought everyone back down to earth with the news that her addict daughter had just died. full report

Syria crisis puts Lebanese farmers at risk

EL QAA, 13 June 2013 (IRIN Middle East) - In Lebanon’s Beka’a Valley, bordering Syria, some farmers have abandoned their fields as the fight between Syrian rebels and government forces has spilled onto their territory. Those who can still harvest have trouble selling their crops because export routes to and through Syria have been interrupted. Some are now resorting to selling their animals to make ends meet. full report

Smuggling devours Ivoirian cashew revenue

ABIDJAN, 13 June 2013 (IRIN Africa) - About a third of Côte d’Ivoire’s cashew nuts are smuggled abroad every year, robbing the country of a valuable income stream. full report

Intellectual property reprieve for poor countries

NAIROBI, 13 June 2013 (IRIN Global) - Least developed countries (LDCs) will continue to have access to affordable medical technologies for an additional extra eight years before they are required to implement the World Trade Organization’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) Agreement, following a series of negotiations. full report

Hunger drives hunt for gold in South Sudan's east

NANAKANAK, 10 June 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Around 60,000 people are thought to be mining gold in South Sudan, using the bare hands they once used to harvest crops. In the new nation's east, where poor rains have caused widespread hunger, women, children and the elderly have joined the hordes of people seeking their fortune through this back-breaking labour. full report

Senegalese gear up for likely flooding

DAKAR/PIKINE, 7 June 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Senegalese authorities and aid organizations say they have begun preparing for what will likely be another round of heavy flooding during this year's upcoming rainy season, but observers and local residents say not enough has been done to reduce the risk of annual floods ruining their homes. full report

Fears of a malaria relapse in Madagascar

ANTANANARIVO, 7 June 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Madagascar’s recent gains in the battle against malaria are likely to be reversed because funding problems have interrupted prevention activities. full report

Analysis: The dangers of rushing Mali elections

DAKAR/BAMAKO, 6 June 2013 (IRIN Africa) - As international donors, notably France and the USA, as well as the Economic Community of West African States, push for July presidential elections in Mali, critics say doing so could foment factionalization in the north thus further destabilizing it, threaten ongoing negotiations over Kidal town, and hamper reconciliation and dialogue. IRIN spoke to analysts, citizen activists and would-be voters to glean their views. full report

Deported from South Africa, Zimbabweans struggle at home

HARARE, 6 June 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Maxwell Zimbume, 37, left his job at a beverage company in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, at the height of the country’s economic crisis in late 2008. His salary was not being paid regularly and had become almost worthless due to hyperinflation. Like hundreds of thousands of other Zimbabweans, he decided to try his luck in neighbouring South Africa. full report