By Daniel Ooko NAIROBI , (Xinhua) -- The World Food Program (WFP) is stepping up its humanitarian operations in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) in response to deadly fighting between government forces and armed rebel groups that has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. 
As part of its response, the WFP is extending its humanitarian relief efforts to Orientale province, where civilians have been caught up in a separate conflict involving the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel militia that has waged a war against Ugandan government forces since the mid-1980s. 
“The WFP increased its delivery of food assistance to a total of 564,000 people across eastern DR Congo. Of this number, 383,000 were displaced in North Kivu alone,” the WFP said in a press release received here on Thursday. “Insecurity and the difficulty of negotiating poor roads continued to hamper access to an estimated 70,000 displaced people in North Kivu .” 
The escalating conflict between Government forces (FARDC) and a rebel militia known as the Congress in Defense of the People (CNDP) has uprooted an estimated 250,000 people in the past few months, mainly in North Kivu province, which borders Rwanda. 
The WFP has increased its delivery of food assistance to reach some 564,000 people across eastern DR Congo, where around 383,000 were displaced in North Kivu alone and 70,000 more remain inaccessible due to poor roads and insecurity in the region. 
The agency is also concerned about a humanitarian crisis unfolding around Dungu, in far northeastern Orientale province, where LRA forces have been attacking civilians. 
The WFP added that its efforts to assist the estimated 70,000 people displaced by the LRA have been hampered by the worsening security situation and the area’s impenetrable roads. 
To reach those affected by the conflict, the WFP is opening a strategic air bridge from Entebbe , in Uganda , to Dungu which will be made available to other humanitarian agencies. 
The WFP airlifted two trucks on Tuesday using a giant helicopter into Dungu, where they will be used to transport food to distribution sites. 
In North Kivu, the International Committee of the Red Cross, a WFP partner, has delivered food to nearly 45,000 internally displaced persons living along the Sake-Sasha axis, where CNDP rebels are reported to be advancing. 
The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONUC, and the UN Office for Project Services have undertaken to improve a particularly poor stretch of road between Sake and Masisi. 
Further to the north, around Nyanzale, a non-governmental organization partner of WFP has distributed food from the UN agency to more than 56,000 people, many of whom also received non- food items, such as jerry cans, cooking pots and sleeping mats. 


     UN peacekeepers to “press” rebels to leave town in east DR Congo

UNITED NATIONS, (Xinhua) -- UN peacekeepers in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are trying to press fighters in a rebel group to leave a town they recently entered near the Ugandan border, said a UN news release Thursday. 
The UN Mission for the DRC, known by its French acronym MONUC, rejected some reports that the DRC-based Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) had systematically occupied positions vacated by another rebel group, the National Congress in Defense of the People (CNDP). 
“UN peacekeepers, meanwhile, will be redeploying in the Ishasha region until later this month,” UN spokesperson Michele Montas told a news briefing in New York . 
“The peacekeepers are patrolling the region, and they intend to press the FDLR forces to leave,” Montas said. 
Deadly fighting between government forces, the CNDP and Mayi Mayi militia in North Kivu province in recent months has forced some 250,000 people to flee their homes. 
MONUC said that it is continuing to reinforce its presence in North Kivu , after the French-speaking blue helmets arrived in the provincial capital Goma to protect civilians. 
The mission noted that its combat helicopters in Goma and neighbouring provinces are on alert and ready to respond to any threat of attack.
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     Uganda hands over 141 policemen, rangers to DRC authorities

KAMPALA , (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan government on Thursday handed over 141 Congolese policemen and rangers who fled fighting back home to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) authorities. 
Capt. Tabaro Kiconco, western Uganda army spokesman told Xinhua by telephone that the officers together with their 65 sub-machine- guns and 483 family members, mainly wives and children, were handed over to the authorities at Rubiriha. 1 km inside eastern DRC. 
“Upon their request to be repatriated, we are now handing them over to the authorities,” he said. 
The officers and their families crossed into Uganda on Nov. 27 fleeing fighting between rebels loyal to renegade commander Laurent Nkunda and the DR Congolese army. 
According to the latest situation update by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office here, a total of 27,000 DR Congo refugees have crossed into Uganda since August this year. 
According to the update issued on Tuesday, no further influx of DR Congolese refugees into Uganda has been reported since November 28.
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     DR Congo says Bemba’s pretrial hearing postponed to January 12

KINSHASA, (Xinhua) -- A pretrial hearing for former Vice President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Jean- Pierre Bemba, who is charged with war crimes, has been postponed till January 12, because it could not be held in the absence of one of the judges, the authorities has announced. 
Paul Madidi, bureau chief of the International Criminal Court in DR Congo, told reporters on Wednesday that the hearing has to be postponed as it is impossible to change a judge dealing with a dossier of 7,000 pages. 
On Tuesday, the court said the five-day hearing set to start on Dec. 8 will not take place until January because a judge is preoccupied with “grave family circumstances.” 
Bemba, one of the DR Congo’s four vice presidents as part of a peace deal to end the 1998-2003 civil war, went to Europe in April 2007 after a fighting between his men and government forces. He was arrested in May in Brussels , Belgium , on charges of war crimes and the crime against humanity in the conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) between 2002 and 2003. 
Madidi said if the court demands the arrest of Bemba, it is because it has some evidence of his culpability. 
But in DR Congo, Bemba’s Movement of Liberation of Congo continues to seek his release, insisting that their leader is a “ political prisoner.”
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NIGERIA - ORDER RETURNS TO RIOT-TORN CITY OF JOS

JOS, 2008 (Xinhua) -- Burnt cars are left on the roadside in Jos, capital
city of Plateau State in central Nigeria, December 04, 2008. Triggered
by disputes over north Jos local government elections held on No-
vember 27, the riot leaving hundreds of people dead and thousands
of others homeless has been put under control as everything is back
in order since Sunday. Xinhua PHOTO - Olatunbosun Awoniyi
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JOS, 2008 (Xinhua) -- People stand in the debris of a grain market burnt
in riot, in Jos, capital city of Plateau State in central Nigeria, December
04, 2008. Xinhua PHOTO - Olatunbosun Awoniyi

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     Nigerian military, security chiefs visit riot-hit Jos

JOS, Nigeria, (Xinhua) -- Nigeria ’s chief of Defense Staff and Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike on Thursday visited Jos, the riot-hit Plateau State capital, following the weekend violence that claimed hundreds of lives. 
Dike had in his entourage Inspector General of Police Mike Okiro and other top defense officers. 
He visited troubled areas and camps where displaced persons are staying. 
The defense chief also had brief talks with some locals during his visit which lasted for about four hours. 
He later visited the government houses where he met with state deputy governor Pauline K. Tallen and had a closed door meeting. 
Meanwhile, a senior military source stationed there to tame the crisis said Thursday that a rescue military officer was killed in the riots. The identity of the officer was still unknown. 
According to the source, a fake uniform soldier killed the military officer. 
He said the military is committed to restoring peace and others back to the state. 
The source said over 500 people have been arrested in connection with the riots, adding that the security operations across the state are still going on Thursday.
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NIGERIA - silent tribute to the victims of jos CITY riots

JOS,  (Xinhua) -- Jonah Jang (L4), governor of Nigeria’s Plateau State,
and Deputy Governor Pauline Tallen (L3) stand in silent tribute De-
cember 0 4, 2008 to the victims in the recent riots, in Jos, capital city
of Plateau State in central Nigeria. Xinhua - Olatunbosun Awoniyi

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     ICRC increases support for cholera victims in Zimbabwe

GENEVA , (Xinhua) -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is stepping up its response to the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe , which has so far claimed more than 560 lives and over 12,000 cases, the agency said on Thursday. 
A consignment of more than 13 tonnes of medical supplies arrived at Harare airport Wednesday night from the ICRC’s regional logistics center in Nairobi , Kenya , the agency said in a statement. 
The shipment included a complete cholera kit weighing over six tonnes and containing about 4,000 litres of rehydration fluids, infusion sets, antibiotics, needles, gloves and other medical supplies. 
The items will be distributed in the coming days to health-care centers in the densely populated suburbs of the capital and elsewhere in the country. 
The rest of the consignment—seven tonnes of medical supplies—will be distributed to ICRC-supported health facilities, which include 15 clinics and three district hospitals in remote rural areas. 
According to health professionals, the spread of cholera has been aggravated by lack of access to safe water. 
Some health-care facilities in Harare ’s suburbs are affected by this problem, and the ICRC continues to truck water to two clinics it has been supporting since the beginning of November.
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     Mozambique on high alert against cholera

MAPUTO, (Xinhua) -- The Mozambican health authorities are on “maximum alert” against the spread of the cholera epidemic currently ravaging Zimbabwe into Mozambique, AIM reported on Thursday. 
Health Minister Ivo Garrido said on Thursday that teams have been dispatched to the provinces bordering on Zimbabwe ( Gaza , Manica and Tete) to take charge of anti-cholera operations. 
Garrido added that since cholera has also been reported from Malawi , health teams have gone to the areas bordering Malawi in Zambezia and Niassa provinces too. 
The minister confirmed that Mozambique received an alert from the South African authorities, who tested the water in the Limpopo river and found it contaminated with cholera. The Limpopo forms the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa , and then flows through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean . 
Garrido said instructions have gone to all health units near the Limpopo to take samples of the river water which will be tested for cholera. 
The health ministry, he said, was closely monitoring the development of the epidemic in Zimbabwe , where at least 565 people have died in the outbreak. There is a constant flow of Zimbabweans over the border, but Garrido said he had not yet received any reports of Zimbabweans in Mozambique diagnoswd with cholera. 
However, reports said over the past week 169 cases of cholera have been diagnosed in Changara district in Tete Province in Mozambique . Thanks to prompt treatment by the health service in Changara, none of these cases have resulted in death. 
In October there was a cholera outbreak in Guro district, in Manica, which claimed 60 lives. Garrido said this was now under control, but the problem could recur if the shortage of safe drinking water in Guro was not dealt with. Teams are currently digging boreholes in Guro, in an attempt to improve the water supply. 
Garrido said there had also been a few cases of cholera in Cuamba, in Niassa province, in Gurue and Alto Molucue in Zambezia, and “sporadically” in parts of Maputo Province . 
In Gaza Province , the health teams mentioned by Garrido have visited Chicualacuala and Massengena districts which border on Zimbabwe , speaking with the local authorities, and coordinating the response to the cholera threat.
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     Somalia ’s Puntland leader opposes Djibouti peace deal

MOGADISHU, (Xinhua) -- The leader of the northeastern Somali region of Puntland Mohamud Muse Hersi has rejected the recent power-sharing deal reached in Djibouti between the Somali government and a major opposition faction. 
Hersi said that the Djibouti agreement could lead to the breakup of the war-torn horn of Africa country, saying the deal was signed by “men from a single clan”. 
He said that the deal does not respect clan representation in Somalia . 
“This agreement will escalate further the political crisis in the country and we oppose it completely,” Hersi said in a news conference in Garowe, the capital of Puntland. 
The semiautonomous region, which had been previously led by the current Somali President Abdulahi Yusuf, has supported the central Somali government since its formation in 2004. 
President Yusuf, who has been in Puntland for the past week, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the Djibouti peace deal spearheaded by his Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein. 
Under the UN-brokered power-sharing agreement, the membership of the Somali parliament will be doubled with 275 new members to be included, 200 of which will come from the opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), while 75 will go to members of the Somali civil society groups, Somalis in the Diaspora, and women. 
The new parliament is expected to elect “new leadership” for the country within a period of thirty days from the signing of the agreement which was concluded late last month. 
The Puntland leader called on the United Nations to organize another peace conference for Somalia which, he said, should bring all stakeholders together. 
Somali Prime minster Nur Hassan Hussein will next week ask Somali parliament to approve the Djibouti agreement as well as his new cabinet which the Somali president has refused to endorse.
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     UN expert completes his second field visit to Horn of Africa

By Daniel Ooko NAIROBI, (Xinhua) -- UN’s independent expert on the human rights situation in Somalia has wrapped up a visit to the Horn of Africa where he expressed grave concerns over the deteriorating conditions in the war-torn nation. 
Independent Expert Shamsul Bari said in a statement received here Thursday that he was unable to visit Somalia due to security constraints, but he visited neighboring countries—Djibouti, Yemen and Kenya—to get a sense of the rights situation in the country. 
In Djibouti, he held talks with Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein, Vice Prime Minister Abdi Salam and many other members of the country’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Parliament, as well as with members of the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS). 
“The Independent Expert attended and welcomed the Decisions of the High Level Committee concerning a power-sharing agreement between the TFG and the ARS, in particular the establishment of a unity government and an enlarged inclusive parliament,” the statement said. 
He also applauded the decisions of the two parties to establish a Commission of Inquiry (COI) and an International Tribunal with a view to address gross violations of human rights and the International Humanitarian Law to move forward on accountability and an end to impunity in Somalia. 
In Kenya, Bari visited the Dadaab refugee camp, while in Yemen, he met with Somali officials and new refugee arrivals. 
“Bari ... talked to a number of new arrivals and heard very painful stories about the desperate situation of refugees who have been coming to Kenya in larger numbers in recent months,” the statement said. 
The statement said the Yemeni government reiterated its commitment to hosting the Somali refugees and others as best as they could and expressed in the meantime the need for further support from the international community in view of the increasing number of refugees estimated at 700.000 and the limited resources of the host country. 
The expert will make specific recommendations to the Geneva- based Human Rights Council next March. 
The UN estimates that some 3.2 million people, or 40 percent of the population, are in need of assistance. In addition, around one in six children under the age of five in southern and central Somalia is currently acutely malnourished. 
Somalia, which has not had a functioning national government since 1991, has been plagued by fighting and humanitarian suffering for decades. 
Continuing instability, coupled with drought, high food prices and the collapse of the local currency have only worsened the dire humanitarian situation in recent months. Over 1 million people in the country have been uprooted by violence, and thousands of people are displaced every week.
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     Kenya assures over food shortages

NAIROBI, (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government said on Thursday it will not allow unscrupulous traders to manipulate the supply chain of basic commodities at the expense of the welfare of Kenyans. 
President Mwai Kibaki reassured that his government was working on mechanisms to ensure that basic foodstuffs are made available to the public at reasonable prices. 
“As a government we will remain sensitive to the plight of the common mwananchi (citizens),” Kibaki said in western Kenya, according to a statement from the Presidential Press Service. 
Kibaki said his administration was making efforts to tackle the supply and demand challenges the country was currently facing in food distribution. 
He challenged Kenyan researchers to ensure that the latest techniques trickle down to farmers to ensure increased production of staple food crops in the country. 
“I am aware that our universities and other research institutions have put together positive findings on how to increase our food production. However, those findings are not being applied on our farms where old ways of farming are still evident,” he said. 
He also urged institutions to strive to provide suitable solutions to the problems facing the country, citing the challenge of meeting national food requirements. 
President Kibaki said that the government was currently spending the largest portion of the national budget on education due to its significant role in national development. 
“We are today living in a world in which knowledge is the key factor of production and the basis of competitive advantage. And for us to succeed in the new and highly dynamic global economic system, we must continue to emphasize the pursuit of knowledge,” he said. 
With regard to information technology, Kibaki pointed out the government was implementing measures that would reduce the digital divide between the rural and urban areas. 
He said the government had allocated substantial resources for building the first ever fiber-optic cable in the country that would greatly improve connectivity charges in the country. 
He noted with satisfaction that there was an investor already running information technology related business employing young Kenyans and hailed the plans to designate the park as an Export Processing Zone to attract more investors. 
“I have no doubt that this effort will contribute immensely to job creation and will upgrade livelihoods of many Kenyan families, “ he said.
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     Zambia forms task force to tackle rising food prices

LUSAKA, (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government has formed a task force to tackle the rising food prices. 
The task force will come up with a national action plan and bring out interventions needed in the short, medium and long-term, the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) reported on Thursday. 
The task force will be chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Chief Government spokesperson, Gen Shikapwasha, said was quoted as saying that the government had taken note of the concerns expressed by various people and organizations about the state of food security in the country and how this had impacted the prices of meal and its availability. 
Shikapwasha, who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services said the government was aware that a number of districts were facing food insecurity arising from a number of factors. 
These factors include the general rise in food prices, effects of the failure of the global economic systems, irresponsible sale of maize in some communities and households and the floods in last rainy season. 
Shikapwasha said the government was taking appropriate interventions to prevent people in any part of the country from starving. It has estimated the shortfall at 100,000 tons. 
“The government is currently assessing the level of food insecurity in parts of the country that experienced floods or poor rainfall and is moving maize from surplus to deficit areas,” the official said, adding that there would be a need to import the shortfall to last until May next year when the nation would rely on its own produce. 
He said the government would continue providing relief food to people in areas that experienced food shortages because of floods. This would be one of the main activities within the rehabilitation program. 
The government had so far distributed 5,714 tons of maize out of which 3,254 tons had gone to Southern Province which was the most affected by the floods, he said.
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     Nearly two million people registers to vote in Cote d’Ivoire: UN mission

UNITED NATION, (Xinhua) -- Some two million people have registered to vote ahead of long-delayed elections in Cote d’Ivoire, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Cove d’Ivoire (UNOCI) said on Thursday. 
The elections are considered a key element in resolving a political crisis in 2002 which divided the West African country into a rebel-held north and government-controlled south, the mission said in a press release. 
The UNOCI said it would continue its efforts to pave the way for the polls, originally scheduled for Nov. 30 and delayed recently for the third time. 
Elections are one of the key benchmarks of last year’s Ouagadougou Agreement reached between the government and the rebels. 
The UN mission reaffirmed its support for the agreement, which “has registered undeniable progress that has been recognized by the whole of the internationally community,” the press release said. 
It also called on all sides in Cove d’Ivoire to show restraint in order to consolidate gains that have been made so far and continue the “peaceful” registration process launched in mid-September which has proceeded without major incident. 
Last month, the UN Security Council called for wrapping up the identification and registration process before the end of next January.
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     Zambia President criticises planned demonstrations

LUSAKA, (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Rupiah Banda has described as unreasonable plans by some opposition political leaders and cadres to demonstrate over rising food prices, Zambian News and Information Services (ZANIS) reported on Thursday. 
President Banda said opposition politicians should appreciate dialogue as an effective way of resolving issues affecting the economic welfare of the people. 
Banda said there is nowhere in the world where demonstrations have been used as an effective method of solving issues. 
The president was speaking to journalists shortly before departure to Burundi where he is expected to attend a one-day heads of state and government summit on the Burundi peace process, according to ZANIS. 
“Somehow the Patriotic Front thinks they can do it with demonstrations, they look ridiculous, there is no basis for that and Zambians have shown that they are not interested,” Banda was quoted as saying. 
Commenting on the one day Burundi peace process summit, Banda said the summit is important as it is aimed at finding ways of bringing peace to that country. 
“As you know our friends in that country have not experienced peace like us. So leaders in the region called for a one day summit to see what we can do to bring peace to that country,” said Banda. 
He noted that Zambians should be grateful that the country has, since its independence, enjoyed peace and tranquility.
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     Measles deaths in Africa see largest decline: UNICEF

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- Deaths caused by measles in Africa recorded the largest decline during the period from 2000 to 2007, the News Agency of Nigeria quoted a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) statement as reporting Thursday. 
The deaths caused by measles globally declined from 750,000 in 2000 to 197,000 in 2007, representing 74 percent decline, according to the report. 
It said the African region accounted for about 63 percent of the reduction in death worldwide over the period. 
A measles initiative was launched in 2001 to help reduce measles deaths globally. 
The initiative provides technical and financial support to governments and communities for vaccination campaigns and disease surveillance worldwide. 
It supported the vaccination of more than 600 million children in 60 countries.
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     Madagascar to build national reference center to fight malaria

ANTANANARIVO, (Xinhua) -- Monaco and the World Health Organization (WHO) would support the Madagascan government to build a national reference center for the fight against malaria. 
The ceremony laying the first stone of the center, which was attended by Madagascan Health Minister Dr. Paul Richard Ralainirina, Princess Stephanie of Monaco and WHO representative to Madagascar, was held here on Wednesday. 
Monaco would be in charge of the construction of buildings while the WHO would ensure the acquisition of equipment and training, according to Les Nouvelles, a French-language daily on Thursday. 
The construction of the center, which will be built in an area of 2,500 square meters, would cost around one billion ariaries ( 508,000 U.S. dollars) and the works were expected to be finished towards the end of November next year. 
The center would contain a laboratory, the buildings of data centralization and monitoring malaria in Madagascar, a room for training, conference and meeting facilities which could accommodate at least 100 people. 
Ralainirina said that the establishment of the center would carry out monitoring of parasite resistance to anti-malarial drugs and insecticide vectors.
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     African anti-AIDS fight in critical stage amid global recession: official 

DAKAR, (Xinhua) -- Africa is facing a critical stage in its fight against AIDS as it begins to have initial fruits while support may diminish amid the global recession, an official has told an on-going international meeting in Dakar. 
“This meeting comes at a crucial moment. We have arrived at a new phase in a long and difficult fight against AIDS. The investments begin to bear their fruits,” UNAIDS executive director Peter Piot told the 15th international conference on AIDS and sexually transmitted infections in Africa which opened on Wednesday. 
But Africa is also facing a “critical time” in terms of prevention and treatment of the pandemic, with the surface of “new waves of infections” amid global recession, he said. 
In a report published on Wednesday, an economist of the World Bank warned of negative consequences of the U.S. recession over the funding programs for the anti-AIDS fight. 
In the context of the crisis, it would be more difficult for the world funds to cover the financial needs in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Piot said, stressing the necessity of re-evaluating resources and better defining the needs “country by country” in order to improve efficiency. 
In his address to the conference, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade proposed at least half of the efforts be contributed to the prevention of HIV/AIDS, saying the conference is held in due time for such an action to respond to the disease. 
Jeanne Gapiya, a representative and patient suffering from AIDS, said the financial resources allocated to the fight against HIV proved inadequate to cover the needs and remain too little for vulnerable communities, although they are considered on the rise in recent years. 
She expressed disappointment at a possible cutdown on the funding, saying for the first time the demand from African countries will not be satisfied simply for budget reasons.
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     African countries urged to make better use of anti-AIDS funds

DAKAR, (Xinhua) -- The World Bank (WB) is urging African countries to make better use of funds destined for the fight against HIV/AIDS to ensure the effective functioning of health systems. 
The appeal is contained in a report released here on Wednesday at the opening of the 15th international conference on AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases in Africa. 
“The resources should be invested in the effective interventions,” the document said. 
Elisabeth Lule, a bank official who heads an anti-AIDS team in Africa, said the WB has an important role to play in helping African countries make better use of funds earmarked for the anti- AIDS struggle. 
One of the objectives is to have effective health systems for the treatment of patients, she stressed, calling on African countries to give more support to the fight against the epidemic. 
The increase of the financial aid represents the first order of opportunities to reinforce and enlarge the national systems, she added. 
Since 2,000, the WB has mobilized more than 1.6 billion U.S. dollars to help over 30 sub-Sahara African countries in their combat against AIDS.
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     Kenya announces plans to rehabilitate polluted rivers

By Daniel Ooko NAIROBI, (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government on Thursday unveiled plans to rehabilitate polluted rivers in its capital of Nairobi to the tune of 15 billion shillings (about 187.5 million U. S. dollars) in three years. 
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said the Treasury was already committed to spend 4.5 billion shillings (57 million dollars) which make up 30 percent of the projected total cost of the program after donors and development partners sanctioned their willingness to foot the remaining chunk of the budget. 
The prime minister said cross ministerial project under the Nairobi River Basin Restoration and Rehabilitation program intends to relocate and restrict human activities within the 30 meters riparian reserve to create a buffer zone along the river belt. 
“In fact the Minister for Environment has assured me that we can restore these rivers by hook or crook and I will stand by him if hook or crook is what it takes to restore the rivers” Odinga said. 
He warned developers whose property fell within the range of the riparian area that their investment “will be very costly” in reference to plans to bring them down and give way the river for the growth of vegetative canopy along the banks. “Therefore as of today, those who approve building and construction plans must ensure that the uses of 30 meter riparian are restricted to those of sustainable ecological development. In this case the allocation of the riparian reserve for human settlement should be discouraged,” he said. 
The leader underscored the government’s commitment to the preservation of the riparian reserve, the cessation of the disposal of raw sewer into the river and the proliferation of solid waste into the waterways through haphazard dumping. 
Odinga attributed the sorry state of rivers in Nairobi to the poor management of waste disposal but reiterated that the current situation could not be entertained due to the risks the polluted river posed to the health of people and generations to come. 
He said the country had the responsibility to conserve the environment for the posterity of future generations. 
“The impact of human activities on the environment is enormous and hard decisions must be taken to safeguard the ecosystem not only in Mau but in the Mount Kenya, Aberdares, Cheranganyi, Mount Elgon where the survival of the forest cover was under threat,” he said. 
He told a consultative forum of the 17 ministries enlisted for the exercise that the task ahead entailed a “one-time emergency measure that requires collective and timely intervention by all players hence the need for substantial cooperation and understanding. 
Odinga ordered the ministries to create a budget line specifically to address the way of reversing the environmental rot along the rivers including Ngong, Kamiti, Ruaka, Gatharaini, Nairobi, and Mathare whose water canals were clogged or water flowed with harmful impurities. 
He challenged the private sector and other corporations with potential to exploit business opportunities from clean river to chip in and finance the rehabilitation of at least one mile stretch of the filthy basin to facilitate the implementation of intervention measures. 
Odinga noted that the restoration of the river could create jobs and generate money as many people could be absorbed in the waste management activities and waterfront-related businesses which he said had thrived in other developed countries. 
He said it was time to restore the glory which the capital derived from the natural environment that was once the pride of the city.
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     Ethiopia’s population reaches over 73.9 million: census

ADDIS ABABA, (Xinhua) -- The population of Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa, has reached over 73.9 million, according to the results of the country’s national census released on Thursday. 
Rural population has been put at 62 million whereas that of urban at nearly 12 million, said a report on Ethiopia’s third ever national census conducted a year ago. 
The report, submitted to the lower House of Peoples’ Representatives, was endorsed with 278 votes for, 61 objections and 16 abstentions. 
The first census in 1984 put Ethiopia’s population at 42.6 million, while the second in 1994 put it at 53.5 million. 
Ethiopia’s high population growth is a major challenge to the country’s development and could slow down efforts to alleviate poverty, officials have warned.
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     Angola imports 180,000 containers in first half of 2008

LUANDA, (Xinhua) -- Angola imported some 180,000 containers of various kinds of goods, totaling some 160,000 tons during the first half of 2008, according to statistics issued here on Thursday by the Luanda Commercial Ports Administration. 
The latest statistics also showed that these figures represented increases of 2,000 containers and 40,000 tons of goods as compared with the same period of 2007. 
According to the Luanda Commercial Ports Administration, the growth of oceangoing container shipping business in Angola also showed fast development of the national economy which registered 27 percent increase in 2007. 
The statistics also showed that in the first six months of this year, only 100,000 containers were unloaded, indicating that harbor congestion was still a big headache of Angolan ports, especially in the Luanda Port in the capital.
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     South African FM says Argentina could be very good partner

BUENOS AIRES, (Xinhua) -- South Africa and Argentina could be “very good partners” in both commercial and political terms, South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said Thursday during his visit to Argentina. 
“We have much in common,” Zuma was quoted by local daily “Clarin.”
Zuma is visiting Argentina along with a South African delegation to boost the two countries’ cooperation in political, economic and scientific fields. 
Zuma said South Africa, a member of the African Customs Union, has just signed an agreement with the Common Market of the South, a regional trade bloc to which Argentina belongs. Such ties will widen the two countries’ markets and facilitate a scale economy though the two markets are “small,” the minister added. 
The official, while highlighting the identical political views and economic similarities shared by the two countries, looked forward to extended cooperation in the future. 
Zuma on Wednesday signed a deal with his Argentine counterpart Jorge Taiana on nuclear energy cooperation. 
Bilateral trade between the two countries in the first nine months of this year increased 11 percent from the same period of 2007.
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     Portuguese firms invest in Angola’s hotel market

LUANDA, (Xinhua) -- More and more Portuguese firms have shown their interest in investing in Angola’s hotel market, Angola’s official news agency ANGOP reported on Thursday. 
According to the ANGOP’s report, in Angola’s capital Luanda alone, there are at least six Portuguese companies having invested more than 30 million Euros in constructing modern hotels. 
One of the investors is Teixeira Duarte which is building Baia Hotel, an 18-storey building with 144 rooms in the downtown Luanda, said the report. 
Hotel Skyna Vip Inn, a three-star unit with 236 rooms, built by another Portuguese company called Group VIP Hotels in Luanda is now reaching the finishing touches stage. 
The Portuguese company is now preparing the inauguration of the three-star hotel in June 2009, the report said. 
The Group VIP Hotels will also open a five-star hotel called the VIP Grand Luanda Hotel & SPA in Luanda in 2010 which is part of the “Comandante Gika” project and has 300 rooms and 70 suites. 
Soares da Costa, another Portuguese group company, said the report, has invested 14 million Euros in constructing Sana Luanda Royal Hotel, a five-star hotel with 219 rooms and 69 suites. It will be inaugurated in 2009. 
Following the fast growth of the national reconstruction program after the civil war ended in the country in 2002, hotel business has become a booming sector in Angola. 
Without a reservation at least two months ahead, tourists could not find a hotel room in Luanda although a standard room price is more than 350 U.S. dollars per night.
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     Trade volume between Angola, Spain doubles

LUANDA, (Xinhua) -- Trade volume between Angolan and Spain doubled during the January-September period this year from 333.9 million Euros to 154.3 million Euros of the same period of 2007, a Spanish diplomat said here on Thursday. 
Mariano Muela, a Spanish economy and commercial officer in Angola, told reporters that the foreign trade volume between the two countries have increased by 2.16 times during the first 11 months of this year compared with the same period of 2007. 
He added that such great growth of foreign trade between the two countries attributed to the fact that Angola regularized its debt to Spain in 2007 estimated at 726 million U.S. dollars. 
The Spanish diplomat said this has enabled Spain to offer a credit line for exports through a line from the Spanish Insurance and Credit Company (CESCE). 
According to the diplomat, many Spanish companies are now willing to take the advantages of the credit opportunities offered by CESCE to Angola estimated at 400 million Euros.
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     Tunisia, Algeria sign preferential trade pact

TUNIS, (Xinhua) -- Tunisia and Algeria signed a preferential trade agreement aimed to further economic links, the official TAP news agency reported Thursday. 
The two countries finalized the trade agreement at the end of the 17th session of Tunisian-Algerian joint committee “in which preferential advantages is offered each other,” according to the report. 
“This serves as an important step to boost trade partnership and promote joint investment in Tunisia and Algeria,” the report said. 
Both sides set terms for the mutual recognition of certificates of conformity in order to promote the circulation of goods and speed up trade exchanges, it added. 
Bilateral trade between the two North African countries has grown significantly in recent years. Trade volume has reached 500 million U.S dollars so far this year, up 30 percent over the previous year, according to official figures. 
Algeria is Tunisia’s second biggest African trade partner. 
The two countries also signed other agreements on social issues, human resources and higher education.
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     Nigerian president declares commitment to eradicate malaria

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua Thursday in Abuja declared Nigeria’s commitment to the eradication of malaria by ensuring the success of the UN Roll-Back-Malaria program in the country. 
Receiving the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Malaria, Raymond Chambers in Abuja, Yar’Adua said the country was committed to the campaign against the disease. 
He decried the human and economic costs of malaria in terms of child and maternal mortality that negatively impacted on the country’s economic growth. 
“This program is extremely important to us and we will work hard to ensure that the Roll-Back-Malaria program succeeds,” Yar’Adua was quoted as saying by the official News Agency of Nigeria. “If it works in Nigeria, you can be sure that the whole of Africa will benefit,” he added. 
Yar’Adua, who commended the various programs tailored toward checking and eradicating the menace of malaria, expressed optimism that with the current initiative on the use of treated bed nets, the prospects of a permanent solution was high. 
He noted that the Federal Ministry of Health, the Office of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the states and local governments would be involved in ensuring the success of the distribution and use of treated nets. 
According to the report, the World Bank and UN aid agencies would provide with 30 million bed nets next year and 40 million bed nets in 2010 to help Nigeria’s move against malaria.
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     Infrastructure improvement envisaged in Madagascar

ANTANANARIVO, (Xinhua) -- Three new tunnels were scheduled to be built, two other old tunnels and two bridges already existing were to be rehabilitated in the mountainous capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo. 
Madagascan Minister of Public Works Rolland Andriamampionona said on Wednesday before the parliamentarians that Antananarivo would have three new tunnels. Two other tunnels would also be renovated and two bridges in the capital would be rehabilitated, Les Nouvelles, a French-language daily, reported on Thursday. 
The minister said that these projects were included among those already submitted to donors, including the World Bank which planned to provide a total funding of 58 million U.S. dollars under the program “Urban Titles”. 
Andriamampionona said that 7 million dollars would be for these two tunnels and bridges. Studies on the reparation were underway while those on these new tunnels, including locations, were still to be determined and funding remained to be negotiated. 
He added that the rehabilitation and maintenance of 10,964 kilometers of national and regional roads under the Road Maintenance Fund for the period 2008-2009 were also planned for 22 regions over the country and some of them had been underway.
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     World Bank urges actions to address Africa's youth employment

by Daniel Ooko NAIROBI, (Xinhua) -- The World Bank (WB) has called on African countries to adopt a range of actions to help deal with the youth employment challenge it is facing. 
According to the African Development Indicators (ADI) 2008/09 released Thursday, a job-seeking African youth - typically a poor, out–of–school female living in a rural area—is likely to face increasingly greater challenges in securing employment on the continent. 
Arguing for a multi-sectoral approach, the report, titled “ Youth and Employment in Africa—The Potential, the Problem, the Promise”—suggests several key areas to begin tackling the employment issue, including expanding job and education alternatives in the rural areas; encouraging and supporting entrepreneurship; improving the access and quality of skills formation; and addressing demographic issues. 
“Finding productive employment for the 200 million Africans between the ages of 15 and 24 is surely one of the continent’s greatest challenges,” said Obiageli Ezekwesili, World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region. 
“The findings from this essay, especially with regards to the median African youth who is a poor female living in the rural area with little education and even less job opportunity has important implications for policy design,” she said. 
Citing examples of interventions designed to integrate young people in the labor market, the study reinforces the point that comprehensive and integrated approaches tend to do better than fragmented ones. 
Given the challenges faced by the youth in labor markets, success in pursuing employment for young people will require long term, concerted actions, spanning a wide range of policies and programs. 
Due to an increase in youth population, as well as the still very high fertility rate that characterizes the region, African countries will likely face an increase in job creation pressure for the youth over the coming decades. 
The definition of youth is a person between the ages of 15 to 24 years, according to the document. Young people make up 18 percent of the world’s population today, or 1.2 billion in absolute terms. Of these, 87 percent live in developing countries. 
In Africa, roughly 200 million people fall within this age range, accounting for over 20 percent of the population, but this is expected to increase rapidly because 42 percent of the current population is below 15 years of age. 
While the youth population in Africa is not homogenous, the typical African youth, as given by medians, is an 18 year-old female who lives in a rural area, is literate but no longer attending school, and likely to be married with children. 
In Africa, three in five of the total unemployed are youth (ILO 2006) and on average 72 percent of the youth population live with less than 2 US dollars a day. 
Furthermore, about 70 percent of this youth population is concentrated in rural areas. According to the ADI essay, some stylized facts suggest that: 
Youth make up 37 percent of the working-age population, but 60 percent of the total unemployed. The youth start to work early (a quarter of children ages 5-14 are working), especially in rural areas 
Youth are employed primarily in agriculture, in which they account for 65 percent of the total employment. Youth unemployment is much more prevalent in urban areas, while underemployment is much more prevalent in rural areas 
Young women work more hours than males, are more likely to be underemployed, and more likely to be out of the labor force. 
They also face stronger challenges because of early motherhood and lack of educational and job opportunities, as do the rural youth. 
Youth in post-conflict settings face specific challenges, as many have been deprived of education, have grown up in violent societies, and often have been combatants themselves. 
The youth employment challenge is one that confronts all African countries, regardless of their stage of socio-economic development, although the socio-economic context does contribute to the nature and extent of the problem. 
Apart from demographics and high reproduction rates, factors such as lack of work experience, difficulty accessing education and training, and lack of organization and voice to ensure their needs are addressed in policies and programs, also present barriers to youth entering the work force. 
The report also highlights the valuable resource that young people are to their countries, and points out that helping them gain access to employment is a critical precondition for poverty eradication and sustainable development. 
“One of the challenges faced by policymakers in considering such measures thus far has been the lack of information on what their options are, what works in different situations, and what has been tried and failed. These are outlined in the paper, which also examines past youth employment interventions in the region, and discusses how successful they have been,” said Shantayanan Devarajan, Chief Economist for the Bank’s Africa Region. 
Apart from the main essay, the ADI provides key data sets which monitor development programs and aid flows in the region.
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     European Union approves fresh funds for Zambia

LUSAKA, (Xinhua) --The European Union (EU) has approved about 2 trillion Zambian kwacha (444 million U.S. dollars) for Zambia next year to help the southern African country’s development programs, Head of EU delegation in Zambia Frederick Fee told media on Thursday. 
Fee said the funds were fresh allocations approved under the 10th European Development Fund aimed at supporting Zambia with its Fifth National Development Program. About 1.4 trillion kwacha (311 million dollars) will go towards direct budget support with the other going to supporting various sectors of the economy. 
Fee said the amount of money for Zambia showed the confidence that the EU had in the Zambian government. “Our giving Zambia so much money shows that we have a lot of confidence in the Zambian government.” 
Fee said the EU would continue to assess how the money was being used. The EU had a performance assessment framework which ensured that all the money was put to good use. 
He has since called for transparency by the Zambian government in the utilization of the funds, and urged the government to ensure transparency in the management of funds coming from Zambian tax payers.
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     Uganda to attach properties of corrupt public officials

KAMPALA, (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan government announced on Thursday that it is to start attaching properties of corrupt public officials when a new anti-corruption bill that is currently before parliament is passed. 
Nsaba Buturo, minister of state for ethics and integrity told reporters here that the bill that legalizes confiscation of property acquired by public officials beyond their known means will be debated when parliament resumes business early next year. 
“If we are to start confiscating property that you can not prove you obtained in a proper way, that will be a very important milestone for us,” he said, noting that the move is aimed at recovering the stolen money. 
The proposed legislation is one of the many attempts by the east African country to rid public offices of corruption which has gripped many departments. 
Colossal sums of many have been swindled by high-ranking government officials, some of whom are currently facing prosecution. 
“Officials who stole money deserve severe punishment that should act as a deterrent against future stealing of public resources or tax payer’s money,” Buturo said, adding that the fight against the vice has been made difficult by the ordinary people who glorified some high-ranking officials involved in the practice as heroes.
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     U.S. suggests Zimbabwe’s political settlement will help fight cholera

WASHINGTON, (Xinhua) -- The United States on Thursday urged Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his political rivals in the country to solve their political crisis as early as possible so as to pave the way for the world community to help curb the outbreak of cholera in their country. 
“We’re obviously very, very concerned about the reports of these cholera deaths,” State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood told a news briefing. 
However, Wood noted: “It’s really going to be incumbent on the Mugabe regime, first and foremost, to sit down with the opposition and work out some kind of political arrangement that represents the rule of Zimbabwean people, and then allow the international community to provide the type of assistance that’s necessary.” 
Zimbabwean authorities has declared the recent outbreak of cholera in the country as national emergencies and called on the donor community to provide aid in fighting the disease. 
It was officially reported that the outbreak of cholera in Zimbabwe has so far killed 563 people and caused the malfunctioning of central hospitals.
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     South Africa still believes Zimbabwean deal is possible

JOHANNESBURG, (Xinhua) -- South Africa expects Zimbabwe’s rival political parties to ink a deal on a constitutional amendment within days, paving the way for a unity government, government spokesman Themba Maseko said on Thursday. 
“We expect the amendment should be signed within a matter of days,” Maseko told reporters at a post cabinet meeting briefing. 
“We will put pressure on the political principals to sign as soon as possible,” he added. 
The proposed amendment will create the post of prime minister for opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, but his Movement for Democratic Change insists that other issues still need to be resolved before it will rule with Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF. 
Power-sharing talks were suspended in November after Tsvangirai accused former president Thabo Mbeki, the mediator in Zimbabwe’s political crisis talks, of failing to grasp the situation in the country. 
But Maseko said the South African government continues to support Mbeki’s efforts. 
“The government and SADC (the Southern African Development Community) have expressed full confidence in former president Mbeki’s mediation work. The government still stands by this.” 
Mugabe and Tsvangirai agreed to a power-sharing deal in September after disputed elections earlier in the year.
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     Zimbabwe police arrest more soldiers over disturbances

HARARE, (Xinhua) -- Police have arrested 10 more soldiers in connection with the violent disturbances that occurred in Zimbabwe’s capital city of Harare since last week as investigations into the skirmishes intensified, local newspaper The Herald reported on Thursday. 
Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena confirmed the arrest of the 10, bringing the total number of soldiers arrested since Thursday last week to 16. 
The arrested soldiers were part of a group of 15 that beat up members of the public and riot police at the Roadport International Bus Terminus last week. 
Bvudzijena said a total of 30 soldiers were picked up in connection with Monday’s violence. They were screened, leaving 10 who are being held in custody and assisting police with investigations. 
“Since we launched a joint investigation, which includes the military and police, to look into what has happened, we have picked up 30 soldiers and screened them, leaving the 10 we have an interest in,” Bvudzijena said. 
He said investigations into the disturbances, which were instigated by a handful of soldiers, were still in progress. 
A group of soldiers went on the rampage, beating up illegal foreign currency dealers and looting shops in the city center, Mbare and Chitungwiza between Thursday last week and Monday this week. 
The government has issued a stern warning to the perpetrators of the violence that they will be brought to justice. 
Defense Minister Sydney Sekeramayi on Tuesday called a press conference at which he assured the nation that the situation was under control and that measures would be taken to ensure such wanton acts of violence did not recur. 
He urged all Zimbabweans across the political divide, social affiliation or ethnic groups to shun violence and desist from destructive actions and allow the political process to follow its peaceful course.
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     Mugabe challenges opposition to decide on inclusive government

HARARE, (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Thursday challenged the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai to quickly decide on whether they want to be part of the inclusive government or not. 
Addressing hundreds of the ruling Zanu-PF supporters at the party’s headquarters, the president said the MDC-T was no longer enthusiastic about the inclusive government, yet it was the one that pushed for it, New Ziana reported. 
“The MDC should say so if they do not want to go into the inclusive government and then we will set up the government ourselves,” he was quoted as saying. 
Mugabe said he was due to get a full appraisal on the outcome of the recently concluded negotiations by the party’s negotiators on Constitutional Amendment Number 19 Bill. 
Negotiators for the three parties in the power sharing deal were in South Africa recently where they met with the facilitator in the dialogue, former South African president Thabo Mbeki, and agreed on Constitutional Amendment Number 19 Bill, which puts into effect the inclusive government. 
He also said the inclusive government was not a permanent feature. “This is not a permanent government but an interim, provisional government,” he said, adding that elections would be held after some time to choose a new government. 
He called on party supporters to be prepared for any elections to ensure the party’s victory. He said the party did not want to be caught unaware as what happened in the March harmonized elections when the party lost its majority in parliament for the first time since independence. 
The president called for unity within the party and an end to in-fighting. 
Meanwhile, the Zanu-PF politburo held its meeting on Thursday. 
Issues on the agenda included preparations for the 2008/2009 farming season, the cholera epidemic which has killed over 500 people, review of transport fares, the Commissariat report on the party restructuring and preparations for next week’s 10th National Annual Peoples Conference, according to the report.
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     Mozambican teledensity increases sharply over past four years

MAPUTO, (Xinhua) -- Mozambique’s teledensity (the number of telephone subscribers per 100 inhabitants) has jumped from 3.39 in 2004 to 20.6 in 2008, according to Minister of Transport and Communications, Paulo Zucula. 
Answering questions from deputies in the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, on Wednesday, Zucula said this was due to the rapid expansion in the number of people owning mobile phones, AIM reported on Thursday. 
In 2004, there were just 610,473 subscribers to mobile phone services, but in the first half of 2008, the figure reached 4,223, 911, an increase of over 3.6 million. 
The mobile phone networks now reach 109 of Mozambique’s 128 districts, compared with 73 in 2004. Thus over 85 percent of the country’s districts are covered by mobile telephony. The fixed phone network has also grown, but only by a few thousand new subscribers. 
Zucula said that in 2004 there were 75,256 subscribers to the network operated by the sole provider, the publicly owned company TDM. The figure rose to 78,324 in the first half of 2008. This was due mostly to geographical expansion. In 2004, the TDM network covered only 68 districts, but nowadays it reaches 116. 
Zucula attributed the huge expansion in the cell phone networks to competition. A second operator, the South African company Vodacom, entered the market in 2005, competing against the pioneer in the field, the Mozambican company M-Cel. 
A price and advertising war has followed, with the two companies offering clients a bewildering number of packages, each claiming to be cheaper than its rival. 
Zucula said the climate of competition has resulted in the increase in the number of citizens with access to phone services. 
The main telecom infrastructure in the country is the fibre- optic grid, of which the installation began in 2001. Fibre-optic cables now reach most of the country, and Zucula said the grid will be complete in early 2009 when the cables reach two northernmost provincial capitals, Pemba and Lichinga.
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     Robbery scare forces banks in Nigerian city to shut down

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- Banks and other financial institutions in Ibadan, capital of the Nigerian southwestern Oyo state, on Wednesday shut down their operations as rumors of robbery attacks spread in the city, the Nation newspaper reported Thursday. 
The robbers were said to have raided Dugbe, Mokola and Bodija, home of many banks in the city. A bank official said that they received information from security agencies that intelligence reports suggested that armed robbers were in town. 
According to him, they hurriedly closed doors at 9:00 a.m. ( 0800 GMT) after operating for an hour. Eyewitnesses said the armed robbers had stormed the premises of some of the banks where they engaged in gun duels with policemen. 
It was learnt that robbers, numbering about 20, stormed the premises of a new generation bank, shooting indiscriminately into the air to scare away people. 
The incident, which was said to have occurred at about 11a.m. ( 1000 GMT) on Wednesday, threw the area into panic as guns boomed. The robbers also caused a stir at Mokola as motorists, passersby and traders fled for fear of being hit by stray bullets. 
Oyo State Police Commissioner Bashiru Azeez denied the incidents, saying they were all rumours.Azeez who spoke through the command’s spokesperson, Abayomi Adeniji, that the police received distress calls. 
“But when our men got there, it was discovered that it was all rumor; there was no robbery at all,” he added. 
However, security was tight in most parts of the city as policemen checked vehicles. 
According to the newspaper, in the last two weeks, there have been five armed robbery attacks in Ibadan in which some six policemen and 10 civilians were killed. Over 20 people were injured.
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     Cote d’Ivoire to beef up security in Abidjan against crime

ABIDJAN, (Xinhua) -- Cote d’Ivoire is to beef up security in its economic capital Abidjan against rising criminal activities, the authority announced on Wednesday. 
Security forces will begin patrolling the city for a period of time in a move to curb the worsening situation, said Raphael Lobé, chief of the country’s security operation center, while calling on citizens to maintain “calm and serenity.” 
In the past two months, banditry went on rampage, attacking more than 20 residences, seven shops and 150 citizens. The authorities also seized a large quantity of arms in anti-crime operations, Lobe said.
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     Nigeria, U.S. discuss military collaboration

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- Nigeria’s National Assembly Joint Committees on Defence has held an interactive meeting with the U. S. Joint Committees on Defence to seek ways of military collaboration between the two countries, according to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday. 
The meeting was held on Wednesday.
The U.S.team to the meeting was led by Senator James Inhofe, accompanied by Lisa Piascil, deputy chief of Mission of the U.S. embassy, while the Nigerian team was led by Senator Chris Anyanwu, Deputy Chairman of Senate Committee on Defence. 
Inhofe expressed the willingness of the United States to collaborate with Nigeria, especially in the training of its military personnel. 
He said the U.S military is currently modernising its equipment and would be willing to assist the Nigerian military in the maintenance of its C130 aircraft. 
Anyanwu said Nigeria would appreciate a training program for its military personnel. 
She also called on the United States to assist in the provision of equipment for the Nigerian military.
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     African youngsters start three-day visit in east China

HANGZHOU, (Xinhua) -- A group of 182 African youngsters from 39 countries started a three-day visit in Hangzhou, capital of China’s eastern Zhejiang province, on Thursday. 
The visitors, mainly government staff, heads of organizations,, social workers, entrepreneurs and college students, arrived on Wednesday evening. They visited the scenic West Lake, the Zhejiang University of Technology and Wanxiang Group, one of the biggest private companies in the booming Zhejiang. 
“This exchange gives us a good opportunity to learn more about China, which is helpful for China and Africa to establish a fruitful partnership,” said Kapere Mandela, head of the Namibia delegation. 
“After the trip, we will convey to our fellows the real situation of China, and become messengers of friendship between China and Africa,” he added. 
A young man from Angola was amazed by the ancientry and modernity of Hangzhou. 
“This is something that other cities couldn’t copy,” he said, “we are here to learn.” 
Chinese president Hu Jintao visited Africa in February 2007, when he proposed that during the following three years 500 African young people be invited to visit China. 
The first group of 100 came last December. 
Exchanges between young people in China and Africa were greatly enhanced in recent years. To help Africa with its development, China has launched projects to train African young people. In addition, China has sent 87 young volunteers in four batches to Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Seychelles to work in the fields of medicare and health, sports, agriculture and education.
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     Top West African soccer referee killed in road accident

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- The maiden West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Under-20 Soccer Championship has been dealt a blow as referee Adigun Ojo-Oba was killed in a traffic accident. 
According to a statement by the organizing committee, the accident occurred along the Kwale-Ogwashi-Uku road at about 2.30pm Tuesday when the car conveying match officials had a burst tire and swerved off the road. 
Other match officials in the vehicle were not injured, the statement added. 
Meanwhile, the Delta State government sent a condolence message to the NFF, WAFU and the family of the deceased referee. 
A statement by the chairman of Delta State Sports Commission, Amaju Pinnick, said the death of the referee was a sad and regrettable event. 
Ojo-Oba was scheduled to travel to Congo DR next weekend to officiate a CAF African Nations Championship match. 
The West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Cup Under-20 soccer tournament is being played in southeast Nigeria’s Delta State.
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     Mali, Liberia advance to quarters at WAFU Cup U20 soccer

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- Mali and Liberia have booked their places in the quarterfinals of the West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Under-20 Cup being held in southeast Nigeria’s Delta State, according to local media reports Wednesday. 
Mali secured its spot after a 1-0 victory over Niger while Liberia’s two points from two matches was also enough to see them sail into the quarterfinals. 
Mali coach Djibril Drame expressed happiness over his team’s progression, saying that the squad would put in more efforts to make it to the final. 
“I must praise the team for today’s victory that took us to the quarterfinals and with this we will put in more effort to move on in the competition,” Drame said. 
Cape Verde’s withdrawal from the competition meant that Liberia who got two draws - against Mali and Niger respectively - also earned passage.