Police on Wednesday (10 January 2007) recovered the body of a 13-year-old girl who was apparently raped and then thrown over a cliff in Durban's Molweni area. The police search-and-rescue unit had to retrieve Londi Mdunge's body, which had fallen nearly 60m down a cliff overlooking the Inanda Dam.

IRIN’s principal role is to provide news and analysis about sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia for the humanitarian community. We are looking for an internship candidate to work for a period of three to six months as assistant Photo Editor in the newly established photo department (IRINPhoto).

The critical phrase in Firoze Manji's essay ‘African Perspectives on China in Africa’ (http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/38873)
as far as I am concerned is 'uncritical acceptance or mere rejectionism'.

As an African at home, I am aware of prejudices against Chinese products. I am also aware of some substandard practices which dominate production of these products. Their sales outlets are everywhere in Nigeria. Imitation goods are common. As a result, we have to be circumspect. The inspectorate arms of government bureaucracies must be strengthened in order to perform their oversight functions.

The Chinese manufacturers themselves should realise the enormity of the tasks ahead. Africa needs genuine business partnerships as there is a huge market for goods to be sold. But the whole purpose would be defeated if their goods turn out to be inferior. Business ethics all over the world need to be governed by trust and commitment to excellence.

African Heads of State ought to welcome the investment opportunities provided by the Chinese, but they have an obligation to ensure that the people get the best deals. The rail network the Chinese want to build linking Lagos with Kano through Abuja is a welcome development in this direction.

If the African continent has been disappointed by the West, the Chinese should remember history and know that rejectionism would follow once the wrong signals or actions are given. Thanks for a stimulating essay.

The African Human Rights and Access to Justice (AHRAJ) Initiative aims to expand the domestication of international human rights standards in Africa through modest financial support for litigation and development of legal opinions, and amicus curiae briefs.

China has promised funds to the crisis-ridden West African state of Côte d'Ivoire. Ivorian authorities described the gesture as a fulfilment of a promise made by China at a recent China-Africa summit in Beijing.

Chinese Foreign minister Mr Li Zhaoxing will spend more than half of this month in Africa, visiting about a dozen countries. China is making itself an indispensable player in Africa. A recent study indicates that it has overtaken Britain to become Africa's third most important trading partner after the US and France.

Journal of Men, Masculinities and Spirituality (JMMS) is a new online, scholarly, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal. The first issue is now available on an open access basis. JMMS is currently seeking papers and reviews for its second issue with a deadline of 10 March 2007.

The so-called “Muslim World” is undergoing change and transition both politically and sociologically. This conference aims to explore the Gulen movement’s past, present and potential-future influence on this transition.

The African film conference in Urbana-Champaign will explore how an appreciation of films as mode of expression and form can be combined with an understanding of their content.

The Global Accountability Index is the first initiative to measure and compare the accountability of transnational organisations across sectors. In doing so, it extends basic principles of democracy to the global level. The 2006 Report presents the findings of research into the accountability of 30 of the world's most powerful organisations on the basis of four dimensions of accountability: transparency, participation, evaluation, and complaint and response (see Figure 1). Each sector has leaders and those that fall behind, there is significant room for improvement and for valuable learning to be shared across sectors. Copies available for download from the Oneworld Trust website.

“In 2004, the internet was a different place: there was, for example, no YouTube, and most people online didn't have broadband. That's changed dramatically. The arrival of Web 2.0 has brought sites where the interaction is as fast as if it were on your machine,” says this article in South Africa’s Mail and Guardian, which looks at the "cream of the crop" when it comes to websites.

The advent of antiretroviral therapy has brought greatly reduced morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV disease. Unfortunately, it has also meant that we often focus on the clinical aspects of therapy and viral suppression to the exclusion of the enduring principles of palliative care: attention to the physical, emotional and spiritual distress of those patients and families affected by life-threatening disease.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Sudan's Darfur region. Over 200,000 have fled across the border to Chad. Millions more are homeless. Most are women and children, terrified while the fighting continues.

This article tackles the history of diamond mining in the context of the movie Blood Diamonds, taking issue with a CNN report and exposing the history of De Beers diamond company.

The European Union and Guinea signed a deal on Friday to turn the spigot on EU aid for the first time in four years, but transparency and economic issues still dog the country’s creaking post-socialist economy, and the aid will not dent the main concerns of powerful unions that called strikes twice this year.

The Graduate Research Conference in African Studies is an interdisciplinary conference intended for students at all levels of their graduate careers. The conference aims to provide a friendly and informal setting in which students can discuss their research.

While research on colonial architecture and space has found a broad academic interest during the past several decades, research on the architectural staging and spatial implications of the worldwide expansion of religion has found much less concern.

From 22 to 24 November 2007 the Belgian Association of Africanists organizes an international conference on “Borderlands and Frontiers in Africa”. This conference will take place in Leuven, Belgium. It welcomes contributions from scholars across the humanities and social sciences working in and on Africa, and it especially welcomes contributions by African scholars.

The next volume of New Black Orpheus is billed for publication in May 2007. It will be the second to be published in the newly revived authoritative journal on African Literature. The first Vol. 7 No. 1 which carries an interview with South African poet and activist Dennis Brutus, is in press, due to be released in January 2007. Vol. 7 No. 2 will focus on literary currents and other cultural developments in the East Africa sub-region as seen by creative writers, critics, scholars and culture analysts.

Indeed, any reflection on China and Africa is timely and it is encouraging that you are taking the lead. Two weeks ago, the President of the African Development Bank (ADB) was at my Institute at the invitation of the Dutch Government to talk about poverty reduction, governance and regional intergration vis á vis the ADB lens. In his speech, Mr Kaberuka mentioned that he was optimistic that Africa could leap out of its 'misery' and that the Africa-China relationship could accelerate this development. That comment raised some 'expected' response from the host (the Chief Economist at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) who sharply remarked that she was of the view that 'China is a Wolf in Sheep’s skin'. So now you know it will be interesting to hear a comprehensive African voice on CHINA!