African countries are giving away vast tracts of farmland to other countries and investors almost for free, with the only benefits consisting of vague promises of jobs and infrastructure, according to a report published on Monday. “Most of the land deals documented by this study involved no or minimal land fees,” it says. Although the deals promise jobs and infrastructure development, it warns that “these commitments tend to lack teeth” on the contracts.

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade on Thursday granted audience to the head of Madagascar’s transitional authority, Andry Rajoelina, the Senegalese press Agency (APS) reported. “I am leaving with a feeling of relief in the sense that the situation which prevails in Madagascar has been clarified to President Wade who is leading mediation between the two parties,” said Mr Rajoelina, who ousted President Marc Ravalomanana in March.

Defence ministers on 18 May discussed a French proposal to enhance the EU naval operation fighting piracy off the Somali coasts with a police training mission in the African country that could start in September. "There was a French proposal discussed today on a police training mission in Somalia, but no decision was taken yet," Czech minister of defence Martin Bartak told a press conference after the meeting.

Even by Africa’s grim standards, it was a horrendous statistic: 5.4m people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo from “war-related causes since 1998”, claimed the International Rescue Committee in January last year. The figure, based on a series of house-to-house visits across the country conducted by the New York-based agency, won widespread acceptance. It was used by the IRC and other relief bodies in their appeals for funds, cited by diplomats in their efforts to restore peace to the region and reported by journalists seeking a statistical shorthand for an African catastrophe.

The Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP) – formerly the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality - is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that works towards achieving full legal and social freedom, dignity and equality for lesbian, transgender, gay and bisexual (LGBT) people in South Africa. As part of implementing the strategic plan, the LGEP is now seeking to employ a Senior Programmes Officer.

AJSTID is a multi-disciplinary and refereed international journal with a special focus on science, technology, and innovation in developing economies, with a special reference to Africa. It has been established on the basis of the recognized role of innovation in the development of economies and on the relative absence of research in the area, particularly in the case of Africa.

Zimbabwe's power-sharing government has resolved most disagreements but remains deadlocked on the appointments of the central bank governor and the attorney general, the Prime Minster said on Thursday. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said the regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) would be approached to mediate over the disputed posts.

Sudan's Government of National Unity should act to prevent a recurrence of clashes by military units and ensure justice for abuses committed in the Southern Sudanese town of Malakal in February 2009, Human Rights Watch has said in a letter to President Omar al-Bashir and First Vice President Salva Kiir. The government's Joint Defense Board, which commands the military units that clashed in Malakal, is scheduled to meet in the last week of May.

Sanusha Naidu compiles a list of the top stories on Sino-African relations.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the arrest of two senior independent journalists by police in Harare over a story about the alleged involvement of state security agents in the abduction and torture last year of human rights activists, journalists and members of the opposition.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has for the first time bought food from small-scale farmers in Kenya under a new initiative aimed at boosting agriculture by connecting farmers to markets. Under ‘Purchase for Progress’ (P4P), WFP has a committed policy to buy from low-income farmers, allowing them to invest profits to boost production and increase food security, according to a news release issued by the agency.

The controversial Governor of the Reserve Bank, Gideon Gono wrote a blistering letter to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last week, in which he accused Finance Minister Tendai Biti of victimising him and of corruption. Gono claims, in the letter which was leaked to the media this week, that Honey and Blankenberg, a law firm in which the Minister was a senior partner, externalised more than US$1 million in foreign currency in contravention of Exchange Control regulations. Gono said this happened between October 2005 and May 2006.

Many HIV-positive women in Rwanda are infected with strains of human papilloma virus associated with a high risk of cervical cancer, investigators report in an article published in the online edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Their study also showed that women with cancer-associated strains of human papilloma virus who had a low CD4 cell count were more likely to have cancerous or pre-cancerous cell changes in the cervix.

A health centre in one of Lesotho’s poorest districts has scored significant success in implementing a prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) programme, but health experts warn that a number of factors, including cultural beliefs and stigma, threaten to derail it. "It was the most difficult decision to make in my life, but I knew that I had to do it for the sake of my unborn child. The pre-testing counselling we received also helped a great deal," recalled 24-year-old Nthabiseng Rannyali who decided to undergo HIV testing to protect her unborn child.

Reporters Without Borders expressed its concern after the closure of privately owned opposition Joy Radio and the arrest of four staff, two of them journalists, accused of breaking election rules. The director of the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), James Chimera, ruled that satirical programme, Chilungamo Chili Kuti? (Is there any justice?), broadcast at 2am after the closure of the official election campaign, had violated the law banning endorsement or ridicule of a candidate.

While Asia and Latin America are seeing a boom in the use of free software, now taking the global lead, Africa is still lagging behind, depending largely on expensive programmes and pirate copies. Researchers from the University of Seville, Spain, have carried out a report mapping the use of free software around the world, concluding that the use of free software in South America and Asia will be around 70 percent in 2010, with a special relevance in the education sector.

Ugandan HIV activists have expressed concern over a recommendation by parliament's budget committee that the allocation for antiretroviral (ARV) drugs be cut. The national budget for 2008/09 allocated 76 billion shillings (US$38 million) to purchasing ARVs, the first such allocation in the country's history, but this week the house standing committee recommended that the amount be cut to 40 billion shillings in the 2009/2010 budget.

The trial has begun in Burundi of 11 defendants accused of attacking and killing 12 albino people, starting with the murder of a young girl. It is thought to be the first trial linked to the recent spate of albino killings in East Africa, which has claimed more than 50 lives.

The United Nations Security Council should vigorously condemn war crimes by Congolese army soldiers in the eastern part of the country, Human Rights Watch said. Human Rights Watch urged the Security Council to condition UN support for Congolese military operations on the removal of known human rights abusers from command positions.

Since its first edition in 2003, the International Day Against Homophobia has grown larger year by year. With this, May 17 has become the prime moment to remember that homophobia still exists and that we must combat it. The proposed goal for the 2009 Campaign is to make the general population and, more specifically, ethno-cultural communities of all backgrounds more aware of gay and lesbian issues, and sexual diversity. Ethno-cultural communities occupy an increasingly significant place in our societies. What’s more, contributions by these communities are invaluable to our country.