GANTA, 15 November 2010 (IRIN) – With close to 25 years surveying land and helping resolve land disputes, J. Patrick Vanie has unrivalled expertise on the nuances of land ownership in Nimba County. “I know this county right down to my fingertips,” says Vanie. But Nimba’s land commissioner admits to feeling swamped by an overwhelming caseload. “The land business here is tough, it is no joke,” Vanie concedes. “The demand for land here has become very, very high.” There is serious concern at national and local level over unresolved land issues in Nimba. The northeastern county has remained relatively calm... Continue Reading
By Promise Zalakata Kamanga – Lilongwe, Malawi- At least 100 hospitality units in Malawi are expected to be graded following the launch of the system end last week. This is the first time in the history of the country to have its accommodation units graded since its independence in 1964. The grading system, which has been postponed several times before, stands to be the real test of hospitality industry and the local consumer body has since commended its introduction. “Names will be changed if what claims to be a hotel is only a lodge, every unit will be called by... Continue Reading
By Own Correspondent – ADDIS ABABA (AFP) – The Ethiopia’s Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) rebels on Tuesday issued a statement claiming they had killed more than 200 soldiers in military operations it had conducted since the beginning of October According to the statement , listing all the purported attacks with dates and locations, the rebels claim to have conducted 34 tactical and strategic military operations, killing 267 Ethiopian army soldiers and wounding 157 but the government spokesman Bereket Simon dismissed the emailed ONLF statement saying there was no significant fire on the ground than can be validated apart from... Continue Reading
JOHANNESBURG, 9 November 2010 (PlusNews) – An aggressive national campaign to persuade people to abstain from sex or commit to 100 percent condom use for a month could make a significant contribution to HIV prevention efforts, says a leading HIV expert. Alan Whiteside of the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is trying to get the AIDS community talking about this and other innovative strategies to curtail HIV. Addressing delegates at the Third HIV/AIDS in the Workplace Research Conference in Johannesburg on 9 November, Whiteside pointed out that in countries such as Swaziland, where... Continue Reading
By Justin Oliver Zinda – The British National Party (BNP)’s leader, Nick Griffin, with 2 other members of his party appeared in court on 8th November 2010 accused of lying over the BNP’s constitution. They are facing charges pressed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which says the BNP is refusing to obey orders to remove a ‘non-white’ clause. The Equality and Human Rights watchdog, acting for the Commission, is claiming that the BNP’s constitution is potentially discriminatory. Mr Walker – a BNP Staff Manager, however, seems to believe that the BNP has already altered its constitution to allow... Continue Reading
