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Key decisions on the international trade of bluefin tuna, sharks, polar bears and coral, among many other species, will be deci d ed at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Conventio n on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), taking place 13-25 March, 2010, in Doha, Qatar.

Swaziland has launched a Communications Commiss ion Draft Bill 2009 to regulate the broadcasting sector in the southern African c ountry, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) reported Saturday.

Disappointed by the poor performance of an Indi an engineering enterprise with which it had entered a concessional deal in 2007 to manage the Tanzanian Railways Limited (TRL), the government Friday announced its decision to revoke the contract.

As the world marked the International Women's Day on Monday, several Tanzanian papers heaped praises on the world's womenfolk for their economic, political and social achievements.

Nigerian newspapers on Monday highlighted stories from t he renewed sectarian crisis on the outskirts of Jos, capital of the Central Plateau State, in which at least 500 people, mostly women and children, were killed the previous day (Sunday) when armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen invaded three villages - Dogo Nahawa, Zot and Ratsat - to slaughter the mostly Christian villagers in a revenge attack over January's violence that left 326 people dead.

The four-day visit to Ghana of the Japanese Crown Prince, his first to sub-Saharan Africa, and concerns of activities of illegal miners, following the drowning of two children in an open pit left behind by the miners an d the Glo CAF Awards were highlighted by the media this week.

The Cameroonian govern ment will in the next few day s ban the import of rice to encourage local production, Cameroonian Trade Minist e r, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, said on Friday.

The 8th meeting of the African Cotton Association (AC A) ended on Friday in Yaoundé, the Cameroonian capital, with a strong recommend a tion advocating the regionalization of the organization's activities on the basis of economic zones.

The European Union (EU) on Friday gave Benin 24 million euros, or 16 billion FCFA, under an agreement signed in Cotonou to support Benin's road network. The European Union has for 25 years spent 500 billion FCFA to renovate 2,000 km of road, or the equivalent of all Benin's asphalted roads.

Nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Paris have been protesting against staff of the Embassy in France over the delay in the issue of new biometric passports, several sources told PANA on Friday.

Bachir Diop of Senegal has been re-elected chairman of the African Cotton Association (ACA) for another two-year term, offi cial sources told PANA in Yaounde on Friday.

The European Union (EU) has granted Benin 4.5 million eu ros to support the reform of the Beninese legal system, PANA learnt here Friday. The reform, expected to last four years, will enable the West African country to computerize and modernize its legal and judicial processes, including the building of more courts across the country.

Eight Libyan companies are participating in the 44th edi tion of German Tourism Show, the "International Travel Bourse" (ITB), which bega n Thursday in Berlin, the German capital, the online version of the Libyan newspaper, Oyia, reported, quoting the Libyan General Authority of Tourism and Handicraft.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has granted Tunisian US$8 million under nine separate agreements signed by the two parties in Tunis on Friday. The agreements were signed by the Tunisian minister of Development and International Cooperation, Mohamed Nouri Jouini and the AfDB vice-president for Infrastructure, Private Sector and Regional Integration, Bobby Pittman.

The chairman of the International Union for African Journ alists (UIJA), Lanciné Camara, Friday in Paris, France, urged Niger's ruling Su p reme Council for Restoration of Democracy (CSRD) to guarantee full liberty for the press during the nation's transition period.

Some 20 persons were injured Friday when a Nigerian Air Force plane crash-landed in the country's oil city of Port Harcourt, the News Agency of Nigeria reported.

The European Union (EU) will reconsider several articles in the Schengen Agreement under which Switzerland blacklisted 180 Libyan officials from coming to Europe, the EU Director of Immigration and Border Service, Jean-Louis de Brouwer, told the press Thursday in Brussels,the Belgian capital.

There are 7,363 unemployed graduates in Niger, the Director General of the National Agency for Employment Promotion (ANPE), Amadou Idriss a , told a news conference here Friday.

The third edition of the In ternational Cycling Tour of Libya will kick off on Saturday from Tripoli, featuring 13 teams from Arab, Africa n and European countries, PANA learnt from the Libyan Cycling Federation.

Football - Libyan national football team arrived Thursday in Algeria where it will play against its Algerian counterpart on Saturday as part of the qualifiers of the next African Nations Championship (CHAN), slated for 2011 in Sudan.

Some 221 people died and 3,094 others were injur ed in the 2,028 road accidents recorded in Mauritania in 2009, according to a report issued by t he biggest insurance company in the country.

Three major concerts are slated to begin in Dakar, Seneg al, Saturday as part of activities marking the 50th independence anniversaries of 17 French-speaking African nations, organiser Leopold Sedar Senghor French Institute announced in a statement obtained by PANA here.

The European Union (EU) has set up an election observer team to witness Sudan's historic presidential elections to be held 11 April. The EU said Thursday it put in place the election observer mission to Sudan foll owing an invitation from the National Elections Commission and the Government of Sudan.

Former rebels of the Congrès national pour la défense du peuple (CNDP) have established mafia-style extortion rackets covering some of the most lucrative tin and tantalum mining ar eas in the eastern DR Congo (DRC), campaign group Global Witness has reported, following four weeks of research in the region.

Head of Niger's ruling junta Djibo Salou has appointed military officers as governors of eight of the country's regions, replacing civilian governors who were sacked after the country's military coup 18 Feb.

International Mo netary Fund (IMF) Managing Di rector Dominique Strauss-Kahn Friday lauded economic policies put in place by the Zambian authorities to deal with th e global economic crisis, saying due to those measures the Zambian economy had proven resilient to the crisis.

Ivory trade - A new report has exposed large-scale illegal ivory trade in Tanzania and Zambia, on the eve of the opening of the meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Int ernational Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Doha, Qatar on Saturday.

The US dollar fell slightly against the CFA franc of the Bank of the Central Africa States, according to the latest exchange rates bulletin issued here Friday.

The Commander of the military unit that is overseeing security in Nigeria's restive city of Jos has admitted being forewarned about Sunday's massacre of hundreds of people in three villages on the outskirts of Jos, capital of central Plateau state.

Undeterred by the government's refusal to reg ister the Media Complaints Commission (MCC) as their self-regulatory framework, the media in Swaziland have resolved to appeal to the country's Information Minister for intervention, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) said.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Nigeria, Professor Maurice Iwu, announced here Thursday that the commission would release the comprehensive time-table for the conduct of the 201 1 general elections on Tuesday.

Bourse - The Libyan stock exchange Wednesday closed trading at 1228.42 points, an increase of 9.20 points or 0.75 per cent over the previous session.

About 155,000 Burundian refugees, seeking Tanzanian citizenship, have had their requests granted, according to a communiqué from the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), published on Thursday in Bujumbura, the Burundi capital.

The National Bar Association of Mauritania has called for the reform of the country's judicial system, saying that the excessive executive influence had left the system in a bad state.

Mobile phone network - Libyan mobile telephony operator, Al-Madar Al-Jedid, Thursday signed an agreement for the implementation of the sixth phase of the expansion of its network in the country's western region, with international communications equipment supplier, Ericsson, for the cost of 39 million euro.

Bourse - The Regional Bourse for the French West Africa (BRVM) closed trading here on Thursday slightly higher than it ended Wednesday.

The African Union (AU) has called for minor const itutional amendments in Guinea, a review of the voting rules and the extension of the voters' registration exercise, to accommodate thousands of other Guineans in exile across West Africa.

The president of Gambia Football Association, Seedy Kinteh, has clarified that the country's absence in the qualifiers for the CHAN 2011 (African Nations Championship) is due to the late decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to waive a fine incurred by the Scorpions during 2009 inaugural tournament for the qualifying round and not a ban as was widely touted .

Angola and Namibia will Friday, in Ondjiva, Southern Ang ola, examine their cooperation in the fields of defence and security, official sources told PANA here.

The Cameroonian government will allow importers bring in 35,000 tonnes of sugar to end speculation about the product, sources told PANA at the close of a consultation with operators in the sector.

The project aimed at developing the onshore gas deposit, Al-Jorf, managed by Mabrouk, a branch of the Libyan National Oil Corporation, entered its second phase of engineering works for the exploration of gas reserves, estimated at 106 million cubic feet/day.

The African Union (AU) on Thursday demanded an urgent election timetable, leading to the return to constitutional order in Niger following the ousting of President Mamadou Tandja in a coup on 18 February in the West African nation.

The main trade unions in Mauritania say they will organize a general strike on 15, 16 and 17 March, to protest against "the refusal" of the government to begin negotiations with them over allowances, according to a statement issued Thursday by the Unions in the Mauritanian capital.

Cameroon may replace imported flour with Cassava, maize and sweet potatoes which could be used with wheat flour in proportions in bread making, officials disclosed to PANA after their meeting with bakers.

The spokesman of the French Foreign Ministry, Bernard Valero, Thursday described the demise of Sayyed Tantaoui as a major loss to the inter-religious dialogue and peace process in the Near East.

The recently-flooded regions of Kenya could fall victim to water-borne diseases if public hygiene campaigns are not organized, the Unite d Nations humanitarian wing warned here Wednesday.

The Nigerian Senate on Thursday approved special remunerations and allowances as retirement benefits for former leaders. But, it warned that ex-leaders who snatched power through unconstitutional means will not benefit from the new package.

The Russian Federation on Thursday said it was willing to partner with Nigeria's south-west Lagos State Government in areas of agriculture and technology as well as revive cultural ties.

The African Union (AU) is compiling a list of top Malagasy officials who will be hit with targeted sanctions as the AU Peace and S ecurity Council (PSC) meeting is scheduled for 17 March, AU officials said here.

A training programme for regional officials involved wit h the compilation of external trade statistics in ECOWAS and UEMOA Member States is due to start in Lome, Togo, Monday, an ECOW AS Commission statement said Thursday.

Flights to Nairobi's International Airport were forced to divert to Mombasa and at least four international flights were delayed after a light aircraft stalled on a runway after running out of fuel, aviation officials said Thursday.

The Johannesburg-based World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS) has condemned the continued detention of three members of the Malawian civil soc iety organisation.

The government of Niger has honoured the five soldiers who died Monday, when their unit was attacked by yet unknown persons in Tiloa in the region of Tillabery.

Nigeria's opposition Action Congress (AC) party Thursday criticised the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for spending 11.5 billion naira to build its national secretariat in the capital city of Abuja, calling the edifice 'a monument to failure and corruption' (US$1=150 Naira).

Eastern and Southern African countries are resolved to create a huge free trade area spanning from Egypt to South Africa, but without a reliable railway network, their ambiti on would be unattainable, Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete said here Thursday.

Nigeria's opposition Action Congress (AC) party Thursday criticised the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for spending 11.5 billion naira to build its national secretariat in the capital city of Abuja, calling the edifice 'a monument to failure and corruption' (US$1=150 Naira).

Firebrand African National Congress (ANC) Youth League leader Julius Malema is in trouble again, after he sang a song "dubulu iBhunu" ("Shoot the farmers") on at least two occasions this past week.

Despite Africa's annual food aid of US$3 billion and US$33 billion in food imports, about 265 million of the world's 915 million undernourished people are on the continent, leaving one out of every three African people chronically hungry, according to the Director of Food Security and Sustainable Development of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Josue Dione.

Britain said Thursday it would give Zimbabwe 100 milli on Sterling Pounds in humanitarian assistance this year. British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mark Canning, said the money would fund projects in education, health, water and sanitation, and the former colonial power would consider increasing the aid if Zimbabwe made progress in implementing a power-sharing agreement.

Four countries outside the European Union (EU) will take part in Operation Atalante, the European naval force deployed in the Indian Ocean to fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia.

River authorities in Zambia and Zimbabwe Thursday opened spillway gates to the huge Lake Kariba which borders the two countries for fear that flooding in the area, caused by incessant rains in recent weeks, could cause its walls to collapse.

The 2009 African Footballer of the Year will emerge later Thursday at the GLO-CAF Awards Gala billed to hold in Accra, Ghana.

Niger's Prime minister Mahamadou Danda has made an urgent appeal to the international community for a mass support for the country's efforts to tackle famine and achieve food self-sufficiency.

The euro has appreciated slightly, while the pound has lost some ground and the U.S. dollar remained stabled against the Mauritian rupee, according to the exchange rates published Thursday morning by the Commercial Bank of Mauritius.

The US dollar has depreciated against the CFA franc of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC), according to the latest exchange rate bulletin published here Thursday by the Bank.

The Nigerian Army has accused the Governor of north central Plateau State, Air Commodore Jonah Jang (rtd.), of exhibiting 'an embarrass ing naivety in interpreting the dynamics of land operations' by his accusation that the army refused to take action on the intelligence he gave, which could have nipped last Sunday's massacre in Jos.

Major market indicators at the close of trading on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) were on the high side as market capitalization closed on Wednesday at 5.638 trillion naira, higher than 5.586 trillion n aira recorded on Tuesday.

A three-day fasting and prayer period started Thursday for the hundreds of people who were killed in Sunday's sectarian violence on the outskirts of Jos, capital of Nigeria's central Plateau state.

The Government of Mali on Wednesday adopted a bill on the ratification of the credit agreement signed on 12 October 2009 in New Delhi between Mali and the Import Bank of India for the financing of the interconnection of electricity networks of Mali and Cote d'Ivoire.

Inflation in the West African state of Ghana has dipped to its lowest rate in two years, falling to 14.23 per cent in February from 14.78 per cent in January, the Ghana Statistical Service said on Wednesday.

Nigeria's ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday in Abuja, signed a 11.5 billion naira contract for the construction of a new ultra-modern national secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT ) (US$ 1 = 150 naira).

The European Union (EU) Wednesday disbursed 25 million euros (about 5.25bn Malawi Kwacha) to Malawi to cushion the southern African country's economy from the after-effects of the recent financial meltdown, a statement issued by the EU delegation to Malawi announced.

Nigeria's Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, said here Wednesday that African countries could surmount the challenges of the global economic recession by exploiting the rich potentials of their agricultural sectors.

A campaign dubbed "Borderless Trade", which is aimed at fighting against hindrances to the free movement of people and goods in West Africa, was launched on Wednesday in Krak', at the border between Benin and Nigeria.

Representatives of 53 WHO Member States have gathered in Parma, Italy, from Wednesday for a review of the impact of national and cross-border environmental policies on the health status of the population of the WHO European Region with over 890 million people.

The Libyan stock market on Wednesday closed up by 6.34 points, or 0.52%, compared to the previous day's trading, ending at 1,219.22 points.

The Cameroonian government has authorized the importation of 35,000 tons of sugar to cover a deficit in local production. At the end of consultations with operators of the sugar industry, the Minister for Finance and Budget, Pierre Titi, announced that the consignment wou ld be tax exempt.

Gabon and Japan on Wednesday signed an agreement for 1.2 billion FCFA (US$2.465 million) in Libreville for the protection of Gabon's 8 00 km long coastal region.

The working group reviewing the statutes of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) began a two-day meeting on Wednesday in Tripoli to discuss the consultative report on the strategic plan for 2010-2014.

The secretary-general of the International Organization of the Francophonie, Abdou Diouf, has expressed strong concern about the political situation in the Comoros caused by the postponement of the presidential polls until 27 November, 2011 according to a statement issued in Paris on Wednesday.

The former Director-General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, arrived on Wednesday in Mauritius to take part in the country's independence anniversary slated for Friday.

Following are the latest exchange rates for the Nigerian currency, naira, against some major foreign currencies, as published by the Central Bank of Nigeria on Wednesday.

As the leadership crisis thrown up by Nigeria's President Umaru Yar'Adua's illness continues, former military leader Muhammadu Buhari has called for the removal of the President to save the nation from the lingering logjam.

South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) has welcomed the latest report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pointing to the return of growth in the African economy - back from the global crisis.

The killing of over 500 people, mostly women and children, in three villages on the outskirts of Nigeria's northern Plateau state Sunday could have been avoided if security chiefs had acted on information given to them, state Governor Jonah Jang told reporters.

The Japanese Crown Prince, Prince Naruhito, left Accra We dnesday for Kenya after a four-day visit to Ghana during which he held talks with President John Evans Atta Mills and attended the First Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Memorial Symposium.

Japan has granted 4.8 million euros to Mauritania and Senegal to ensure food security in the two countries, according to an agreement signed Tuesday in Nouakchott.

African Union (AU) diplomats met to discuss an as sessment report for the elections in Sudan, amid fears that insecurity and lack of proper roads could affect the April polls, a Sudanese envoy said Wednesday.

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

The Gambian Ministry of Local Government and Lands has asked individuals who purchased lands and other assets from the Ministry from 2005 to date, to provide full information or particulars of those acquisitions or assets to the Ministry within 25 days from 9 March, PANA reported from here Wednesday.

On the first day of her 48-hour official visit to Haiti, Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, said on Tuesday 'I have come to expre ss UNESCO's solidarity with Haiti," PANA reported, quoting a press release from the organisation.

African Development Bank - A seven-member African Development Bank (AfDB) team, on a five-day business appraisal mission to Malawi, has left the southern African country 'highly impressed with the country's progress in reforms and macro-economic stability'.

Administrative reform - The European Union (EU) has granted Mali 6.13 million CFA francs (about 9.35 million euros) intended for the Supporting Programme to Administrative Reform and Decentralization (PARAD), PANA learnt from an official source here.

The head of the ruling junta in Niger, Djibo Salou, on Tuesday, told representatives of the former armed opposition that hisn team was committed to pursuing the peace process in the country, launched in April 2009 in Sirte, Libya.

Enterprise Mauritius, a leading Mauritian government-owned organization, on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Port-Louis, the capital, with the East and Central Africa (ECA) Trade Hub to enable Mauritian companies gain access to the vast US market.

Libya is ready for an international arbitrator to help settle its diplomatic row (in its second year) with Switzerland, Libyan Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ali Abdalla Awidan, said here Wednesday.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it will need about US$20 million to meet the needs of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Mauritania and Senegal have decided to reinforce security cooperation along their common border for a better control of migration and to fight against transnational crime and terrorism, PANA reported.

Five Nigerien soldiers were killed by unidentified individuals in an attack against the military post of Tiloa, in the Tillabery region, Monday, a government statement released to PANA said Wednesday.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is to provide US$2.4 million for a German-financed project financed project to help about 5,000 West African farmers obtain certification for their organic products and meet other requirements for exporting to industrialized nations.