Football - Despite the economic turmoil of 2009 and its profound impact on the global chemicals industry, South Africa's chemicals markets remained fairly robust, thanks to significant investments in infrastructure leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, according to international Growth Partnership Company Frost & Sullivan.

Nigeria's House of Representatives (parliament) is to in vestigate the recent crash of a Nigerian Navy helicopter during a routine patrol in the country's oil-rich Niger Delta region.

With Nigeria's coach Shaibu Amodu fired over the weekend for the country's poor showing at the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, pundits are fingering former Russian coach Guus Hiddink as the top favourite out of the six coaches shortlisted for the job.

Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ojo Maduekwe and his Power counterpart Lanre Babalola were locked out of an important meeting in the capital city of Abuja Monday, after they came late to the session, the local press reported.

Nigeria is experiencing an unseasonably hot weather that has sent citizens scampering for cover, even as the country's power situation has worsened.

Another attempt to privatise the state-run Nigerian Telecommunications Plc (NITEL) will receive a boost 16 Feb when the country's privatisation agency opens the financial bid for the acquisition of 75% shares in the firm.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague, The Netherlands, has agreed to investigate allegations of unlawful killing of about 326 people and perpetration of other crimes under international law during the violence in Jos, Nigeria's north central Plateau State, PANA reported Monday.

Mauritius and Turkey will start their third round of discussions on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries Tuesday, PANA reported from here Monday.

Kenya's First Lady Lucy Kibaki wants parliament to review laws on rape with a view to providing stiffer penalties for sex offenders.

The East African Community (EAC) secretariat Monday announced a two-day regional conference on persons with disabilities, to determine how best its Treaty could be used as a basis for developing a comprehensive regional policy for addressing the challenges facing the disabled.

Guinea's acting president, General Sékouba Konaté, on Monday appointed a trade unionist, Rabiatou Sérah Diallo, as chairperson of the National Transition Council (CNT), Guinea's national television reported.

Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos on Monday urged his new government to quickly find "appropriate solutions" to the country's problems.

The Libyan leader, Mouamar Gaddafi, on Monday held talks on telephone with the president of Sudan, Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and that of Chad, Idriss Deby, as the two presidents met in a historic summit in Khartoum to cement peace efforts.

The Gabonese Ambassador to Belgium, Rene Makongo, who is also the doyen of the diplomatic corps for members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries in Brussels will Tuesday, in collaboration with the general director of EuropeAid, Koos Richelle, preside over a symposium at which the second ACP-EU water projects will be unveiled, PANA learnt from official sources here.

The Senegalese Minister of Health and Prevention, Modou Diagne Fada, on Monday announced that the country had recorded 14 cases of the swine flu, confirmed by the Pasteur Institute of Dakar.

The former chairman of the Senegalese Volleyball Federat ion, Abdoulaye Baba Sy, died here on Monday after a brief illness.

The Burundian Head of State, Pierre Nkuruziza, on Monday pledged to make the national tax system attractive for Belgian businessmen, saying this would be similar to a "tax haven", PANA reported from here.

The Prime Minister of Mozambique, Aires Bonifaçio Ali, and the Angolan Ambassador to Mozambique, João Garcia Bires, Monday discussed issues bothering on the new areas of co-operation between the two Portuguese-speak i ng states, with highlight on scientific and business sectors.

Djoliba de Bamako maintained its lead in the Malian first division football league despite drawing goalless with Real at the weekend.

Football - Cotonsport of Garoua maintained its lead in Cameroon's national first division football league, despite playing goalless against Panthère du Ndé in the 13th round of matches played on Sunday.

A key opposition leader in Cameroon has urged the co untry's opposition parties to present a common candidate for the 2011 presidential elections to maximise their chances of winning the election.

The Angolan senior national women's handball team is due to leave here for Egypt Tuesday to participate in the 19th African Cup of Nations slated for 10-21 Feb.

Angola President Jose Eduardo dos Santos Monday swore in the new government officials who were appointed Friday in Luanda, according to Angola's press agency, ANGOP. They include former Parliament speaker Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, who was appointed Vice President.

The number of people in southern Sudan in need of food a ssistance has more than quadrupled, from almost 1 million in 2009 to 4.3 million this year because of conflict and drought, the UN food agency and Southern Sudan's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry have said.

The US dollar firmed up against the CFA franc of the Bank of the Central Africa States (BEAC) Monday, according to the day's exchange rates issued by the financial institution in Libreville.

The Chadian government is becoming impatient with the delay in trying its former leader Hissene Habre by Senegal, a Chadian government minister said.

Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Ahmad Mohamed Ali Sunday laid the foundati on stone for 340 housing units, launching the project to construct 20,000 houses in the Malian capital, Bamako, and elsewhere across the country.

A Nigerian militant group, the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), said Sunday it had "successfully disabled" a major oil pipeline operated by Shell in Nigeria's oil producing Niger Delta region.

Africa's livestock producers are proving resilient to climate change and generating huge economic benefits for their nations and regions, researchers said in a book publ ished Monday by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and SOS Sahel.

Mr. Peter Obi of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Party has been re-elected as governor of Nigeria's South-East Anambra state.

Lebanon will hand over the recovered Flight Data Recorder (Black Box) of the crashed Ethiopian Airlines jet, ET 409, to the French authorities for investigations, Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive Girma Wake said on Sunday.

A three-day international conference opened in Accra on Sunday to advance the right of access to information in Africa. Organised by the Carter Centre, the World Bank and other African partners, the African Regional Conference on the Right of Access to Information is being attended by participants drawn from governments, regional and international institutions, civil society, media and the private sector from at least 15 countries on the continent.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has deployed an outstanding Eritrean diplomat, Haile Menkerios, as the new Special Envoy to Sudan, replacing Pakistan's Ashraf Qazi, who said on Sunday he was leaving earlier for personal reasons.

Angolan police have arrested 58 illegal immigrants from several African countries in northern Bengo province for illegally attempting to enter Luanda province.

The head of the Mauritanian branch of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA), Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid, on Sunday denounced discrimination against the Haratine (black Mauritanians).

Football - Al-Ittihad of Tripoli maintained the lead in the Libyan national soccer league despite its barren draw against Attahadi in these cond round of matches played at the week-end.

The US Dollar has appreciated against the Libyan Dinar, according to the latest exchange rates published in Tripoli on Sunday by the Lib yan Central Bank.

A committee for the defence of Mauritanian journ alist Hanedi Ould Dehah has been formed in the country, PANA learned in Nouakchott on Sunday.

Angolan Head of State, José Eduardo dos Santos, on Saturday appointed Frederick Manuel dos Santose Silva Cardoso as the new Secretary of the Cabinet Council.

The Ivorian Inde pendent Electoral Commission (CEI) chairman, Mr. Robert Beugré Mambé, on Saturday dismissed the conclusion of the Abidjan-Plateau court of illegal registration of voters on the electoral roll.

Media experts have recommended that ECOWAS member states enact Freedom of Information (FOI) laws as 'a complementary but critical mechanism' for strengthening public access to information, promoting transparency and accountability in governance in West Africa.

Genital mutilation - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says three million girls are still at the risk of genital mutilation each year. In a message to mark International Day against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), the UNFPA called for change of perception on the practice.

Football - As widely speculated in the local media, Nigeria Saturday fired national team coach Shaibu Amodu, following the country's disappointing run in the just-ended Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.

French Foreign Trade Secretary, Anne-Marie Idrac, will from Monday visit the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Bénin, PANA reported Saturday, quoting official sources.

Bourse - A turnover of 2.73 billion shares worth 18.94 billion naira in 36,457 deals was recorded this week at the close of trading on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), in contrast to a total of 2.32 billion shares valued at 14.15 billion naira exchanged last week in 71,619 deals.

The unexpected giant-killing feat of Ghana's senior national football team, the Black Stars, at the just-ended African Cup of Nations in Angola and the important directives in the mobile telephone sector were some of the major items that occupied the front pages this week in Ghana.

The governorship election in South East Anambra State and the continued pressure on ailing President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to hand over to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan were the major stories during the week in Nigeria.

Media experts have recommended that ECOWAS member states enact Freedom of Information (FOI) laws as 'a complementary but critical mechanism' for strengthening public access to information, promoting transparency and accountability in governance in West Africa.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says three million girls are still at the risk of genital mutilation each year.

Angolan musicians have recorded a song, entitled "Muxima love" in Luanda to express solidarity with the Haitian earthquake victims, PANA reported, quoting a news bulletin in the Angolan News Agency (ANGOP) on Saturday.

Following are the latest exchange rates of the Nigerian currency, naira, against other currencies as released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Armed robbers on Friday stormed the court premises of a Mauritanian judicial division in Kiffa, 600 kilometres east of Nouakchott, the capital, seizing arms and other items in the process, according to local news reports.

The Angolan Minister of Youth and Sports, Gonçalves Muandumba, said Friday in Luanda he believes that the national female handball team will win the African cup that will be held in Egypt from 10-12 February, citing the adequate preparation undergone by the team so far, according to news reports i ssued here by the Angolan News Agency (ANGOP).

The former governor of Mauritania's central bank (BCM), Sid'El Moctar Ould Nagi, and his deputy, Mohamed Ould Oumarou, have been temporarily released from prison, judicial sources told PANA on Saturday.

The dismissal of Benin's football squad and their coaching staff following players' revolt and demand for high bonuses before their dismal performance at the just-ended 27th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2010), made headline news in most of the newspapers in Benin this week.

The Portuguese secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Joao Gomes Cravinho, will begin a working visit to Senegal on Monday, according to a statement issued here by the Senegalese Foreign Affairs ministry.

The Angolan Head of State, José Eduardo dos Santos, has consitituted a new government following the proclamation of the country's new constitution on Friday, PANA reported quoting the Angolan News Agency (ANGOP).

France has donated 25,000 euros (about 5.25 million naira) as relief fund to alleviate the suffering of victims of the recent crisis in Jos, the capital of Nigeria's north-central Plateau State, PANA reported from here Friday.

African leaders have endorsed Ugandan diplomat, Agnes Kalibbala, to replace Tanzania's Anna Tibaijuka, as the next Executive Director of the Nairobi-based UN Settlement agency (UN-Habitat).

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Friday demanded the resignation of Education Minister and top ministry official over a multi-mullion free education funds scam.

Ghana is among the countries that Finland and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have agreed to help develop sustainable and affordable land administration systems.

Bourse - The Regional Bourse for the French West Africa (BRVM) closed its fixing session here on Friday slightly lower than it did Thursday.

The Libyan General People's Committee (government) is to set up an Africa Information Centre that will specialise in information and culture, official sources in Tripoli told PANA on Friday.

Four ministers have been dropped by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh in a cabinet reshuffle announced on Friday.

The first Libyan-Portuguese Fair, Lipo-Expo 2010 on trade, industry, building and education, will take place from 15 to 18 February in Tripoli, the organizers told PANA on Friday.

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) on Friday loaned the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (TEGC) 33.40 million euros to fund a natural gas project in the Gafsa region, official sources in Tunis said.

Niger's opposition Coordination of Forces for Democracy and the Republic (CFDR) has dropped its demand for a return to the Fifth Republic, but is asking for a new constitution on a consensual basis, Boubacar Cissé, the head of the opposition delegation at the Inter-Niger dialogue, said on Friday.

DR Congo will next month host the 4th African Oil Congress (CAPE), which brings together 16 African oil producing countries, the Congolese minister of hydrocarbons announced on Thursday.

Burundi's minister of Gender and Human Rights, Mrs. Rose Nduwayo, has been sacked for continuing to receive salary as a teacher in a high school over the past three years in addition to her minister's pay, according to a decree made public on Friday.

The United Nations on Thursday announced a further allocation of US$20 million from its Peacebuilding Fund to the Central African Republic (CAR) to support security sector reform, economic revitalization and the rule of law in consolidating peace in the country.

The second edition of the literary season in Mali, which opens next Tuesday at Bamako's palace of culture, will see the participation of writers from eight countries.

Supporters of Togolese opposition candidate Kofi Yamgnane are to demonstrate in the capital, Lomé, against the rejection of their leader's candidature by the Constitutional court, sources close to the supporters told PANA on Friday.

Angolan head of state Jose Eduardo dos Santos has called for the development of a sustainable economy with regional balance, saying it is only through continued increase of income together with equitable distribution that the well being of the people will be guaranteed.

UN Special Envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah has termed this week's African Union (AU) Summit a "significant step" towards the recovery of war-torn Somalia, noting the contributions made to stabilize the Horn of Africa nation, PANA reported Friday.

The Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeal in Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, on Thursday jailed the editor of the Taqadoumy news Website, Hanefi Ould Deha, for two years for "inciting rebellion and offending public morals," judicial sources told PANA Friday.

Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos has called on his compatriots to respect the country's new constitution which came into force Friday.

The deadline for the registration of voters in Burundi, set for 7 February, has been extended by two days, sources close to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said.

Germany on Friday made 1 million euros available to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to enable it to provide emergency care for internally-displaced persons in Somalia.

A court ruling in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial nerve centre, may invalidate the governorship election in the South East Anambra State, scheduled for Saturday, according to local media reports Friday.

Bishop Stephen Brislin will be installed the new Catholic Archbishop of Cape Town on Sunday, according to the Archdiocese.

The current electricity outages experienced in parts of Nigeria may get worse due to inadequate gas supply to fire the turbine power stations, according to the privately-owned Vanguard newspaper Friday.

Contrary to the misconception in certain circles, the decision to integrate the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) into the structures and processes of the African Union (AU) is aimed at strengthening the programme, rather than at dissolving it, NEPAD officials said here Friday.

Football - The national football team of Benin and their coaching crew have been sacked by the executive committee of the Beninese Football Federation (FBF), according to FBF sources here.

The exchange rate of the Comorian franc fell on Friday against the US dollar, according to the exchange rates bulletin published by the Federal Bank of Commerce (BFC) of Moroni, the capital city.

The exchange rate of the dollar rose against the CFA franc of the Bank of the Central Africa States (BEAC), as indicated by the exchange rates bulletin of the main currencies issued on Friday morning by the monetary institution at Libreville, Gabon.

Efforts to foster socio-economic cooperation and integration within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and to better manage migration in the region are being hampered by weaknesses in the collection and measurement of international migration data, International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Friday.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) -- an international non-governmental organization devoted to freedom of the press -- Friday said it was very concerned about the fate of 'Umuseso', one of Rwanda's leading independent weeklies, which could be closed down as a result of a case brought by the public prosecutor's office, accusing it of libel and invasion of privacy.

Emphasizing its commitment to justice and total rejection of impunity, the African Union (AU) has expressed disgust over the decision by the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to reconsider whether or not the indictment of President Omar Hassan Al Bashir of Sudan should be extended to cover the charge of genocide.

Nigeria's long-drawn political impasse, caused by the failure of President Umaru Yar'Adua to transfer power to his deputy while on a prolonged medical treatment in Saudi Ara bia, may soon be over, if assurances given Thursday by one of his aides are anything to go by.

The US ambassador-designate to Ethiopia, Donald Booth, has said that his main priorities would be to push for free and fair elections in Ethiopia, to avoid a repeat of the 2005 post-election violence.

South African courts will operate for 16 hours a day during the World Cup to avoid clogging the justice system, the department of justice and constitutional development announced.

The African Union Commission Chief Jean Ping, has informed Eritrea to send an ambassador to represent it in Addis Ababa, the seat of the African Union (AU), despite Eritrea's frosty relations with hosts, Ethiopia.

Football - Primeiro de Agosto on Thursday defeated Petro Atletico de Luanda 2-1 in the first-leg match of the Super Cup played in Luanda.

Hopes were dim as the Niger government and opposition resumed talks in the capital on Thursday to end a political crisis triggered by President Mamadou Tanja extending his term of office in West African state.

The first meeting of the joint cooperation commission of Cameroon and the Central African Republic will meet this weekend in Bertoua, eastern Cameroon, official sources said on Thursday in Douala.

Women human rights activists in Mauritius, under the umbrella Women in Politics (WIP), on Thursday asked political parties to field women as one-third of their candidates in the next general elections.

The Ivorian National Press Council (CNP), a press regulatory body, has suspended for three publications, the Patriote, a daily newspaper close to the opposition political party, the Rally of the Republicans (RDR), PANA reported from here Thursday.

Uganda will host the third East African Community (EAC) Investment conference whereby the five member countries of the bloc will seek to showcase the opportunities that the region offers, the EAC secretariat a nnounced Thursday.

It is a race for points as the Kenya national sevens side rugby team takes on Tonga in their opening match of the Wellington Sevens in New Zealand which kicks off Friday.

Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika Thursday warned "over-expectant Malawians" that there would not be a "chunk of money flowing into the country because we have assumed the chairmanship of the African Union," PANA reported from here.