Haiti is caught in tragedy once again. The country has been hit by its strongest earthquake for two centuries. While world leaders, institutions, NGOs, and individuals make their pledges, thousands are trapped beneath the rubble and unknown death tolls mount. The struggle to save lives is hampered by an obliterated infrastructure.

The geopolitics of African countries such as Algeria, a country in North Africa that has traditionally enjoyed strong relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and whose strategic importance and regional profile have increased markedly of late, is key to grasping the dynamics that shape contemporary Sino-Algerian ties and China’s Africa strategy overall, writes Chris Zambelis.

Access to knowledge (A2K) is about designing intellectual property laws, telecommunication policies, and technical architectures that encourage broader participation in cultural, civic, and educational affairs; expand the benefits of scientific and technological advancement; and promote innovation, development, and social progress across the globe.

"The illicit exploitation of natural resources is not a new phenomenon in eastern DRC. It has characterised the conflict since it first erupted in 1996 and has been well documented by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the United Nations Panel of Experts and Group of Experts, journalists and others. Twelve years on, the patterns remain the same, and despite abundant evidence of these activities, no effective action has been taken to stop this murderous trade." - Global Witness

Climate change, associated with a four-fold increase in natural disasters in the last decade, and the growth of world population, which is expected to reach nine billion by 2050, pose new challenges for aid initiatives like those of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

Thousands of immigrants protested against racism in a southern Italian town on Friday, after a night of rioting that was sparked by an attack on African farm workers by a gang of white youths.

China says it will give a $7m (£4.4m) grant to help fund infrastructure development projects in Kenya. The announcement came at the start of the Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's latest Africa tour.

Index on Censorship is the UK’s leading organisation dedicated to the promotion of free expression worldwide. In March 2010, we will be holding our 10th Annual Freedom of Expression Awards and would like to invite you to submit nominations for the categories below. Please note that the deadline for nominations is 15th January 2010.

In this week's roundup of emerging powers news, Chinese banks spur global economic recovery, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi tours Africa, and South Africa looks at ways of cutting carbon emissions.

Lucy Corkin reviews 'China into Africa: Trade, Aid and Investment', edited by Robert I. Rotberg, a book which she regards as 'a very interesting read' despite its deficiencies in certain areas.

The search for an effective microbicide has been dealt another blow with disappointing study results from PRO 2000, an early generation microbicide gel that was tested to prevent HIV in women.

People across the world leave their homes, families and countries in search of work and education, and to escape poverty, discrimination and conflict. Many risk everything, even their lives, for security and a chance to earn a living. At every step, they are vulnerable to exploitation, fraud and human rights abuses.

In this week's emerging powers news roundup, China joins the US in making key concessions in Copenhagen, and China continues to invest in, among other countries, Guinea, Ghana Botswana, as Sino-African trade grows to nearly $107 billion in the past year.

Many governments' policies toward migrants worldwide expose them to human rights abuses including labor exploitation, inadequate access to health care, and prolonged detention in poor, overcrowded conditions, Human Rights Watch has said, in advance of International Migrants Day, on December 18, 2009.

The Deputy Commander for Civil/Military Affairs of the US African Command (AFRICOM), Amb. Anthony Holmes, Wednesday visited Luanda, Angola, to foster a working relationship with the Angolan government.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, an arm of the UN, the global food crisis is worsening. In 2009, over 1 billion people were undernourished globally, up from 873 million in 2004-2006; the accelerating growth and urbanisation of the world’s population, which is predominantly taking place in the developing world, is increasing the pressure on food resources and provoking food security fears.

Ama Biney reviews two recent books, united in their call for Africa’s disengagement from aid dependency, but with sharply contrasting ideological visions for how to do this and to what end: Dambisa Moyo’s Dead Aid Why Aid is Not Working and How There is Another Way for Africa and Yash Tandon’s Ending Aid Dependence.

In the wake of the Sharm El-Shikh meeting, Chinese ministries and organizations are even busier mobilising all necessary resources to make up a few shortfalls in achieving “the eight policy measures to enhance practical cooperation with African countries, writes Liu Haifang.

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) recently released a 2010 wall calendar. With a theme of democracy and elections, the calendar features photos from IFES' photography competition held this year that represent efforts to strengthen civil society and democratic governance around the world

Stephen Marks compiles a roundup of emerging players in Africa News.