Several political parties, largely Islamists, are challenging the results of Algeria's legislative election. The National Liberation Front (FLN) came away with 220 out of a possible 462 seats in the People's National Assembly, according to the preliminary tally released Friday (11 May). But those displeased with the outcome have spoken of irregularities and alleged fraud in the way the election process was handled.

The trade and development agreement concluded by the EU and four Eastern and Southern African states Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles and Zimbabwe will take effect today. EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said: 'Today, our first interim Economic Partnership Agreement with an African region is applied. This is excellent news and I salute the hard work of negotiators and colleagues on all sides. With this trade deal we hope to accompany the development of our partners in Eastern and Southern Africa and open up better and lasting business opportunities.'

With only one year to go before deadline, the finalisation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is increasingly becoming important for Namibia. In this regard, a meeting is scheduled in a fortnight, where Namibia, along with other smaller member states of the Southern Africa Customs Union, hope to reach consensus with South Africa on outstanding issues that have blocked the signing of the EPA. Issues include market access for South Africa, something which Namibia and Botswana are particularly wary about as market access agreed to between South Africa and EU have direct impact on their individual economies.

Helen Zille must honour her promise to resign should wrongdoing be found in the W Cape communications tender, says the Christian Democratic Party. ” ... Helen Zille can only blame herself for tweeting that she will resign if any wrongdoing is found in the Western Cape communications tender,” said party leader Theunis Botha in a statement on Sunday. In the draft report, Madonsela reportedly found that the tender awarded to advertising agency TBWA/Hunt Lascaris in 2010 to centralise communications was invalid. Madonsela’s report was leaked to newspapers a week before a deadline for the province’s response. Botha said the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) leader Zille had often criticised members of the ruling party, and should therefore take this opportunity to be “an example to her opponents in the ANC and resign, so saving the DA’s reputation”.

On Saturday 19th of May, Algeria Solidarity Campaign invites you to scrutinise the context of this month’s elections and how it relates to Algeria’s most recent history. The panellists will discuss the pouvoir’s resilience over the past twenty years, its relationship with leading western capitals and the degree of manoeuvre it has today amidst regional reshaping of polities. The results of the 10th of May elections will also be addressed in the same framework.

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling for the European Patent Office to stop granting patents on the conventional breeding of plants and animals. The resolution was jointly tabled by Members of Parliament from several parties and was adopted with a large majority. The vote follows the demands of some national parliaments, such as the German Bundestag, to put a stop to patents on plant and animal breeding. 'This is a huge success for all farmers, breeders and consumers who are concerned about the monopolisation of our food resources,' says Ruth Tippe from the coalition No Patents On Seeds!

The United Nations has adopted global guidelines for rich countries buying land in developing nations. The voluntary rules call on governments to protect the rights of indigenous peoples who use the land. It is estimated that 200m hectares, an area eight times the size of Britain, has been bought or leased over the past decade, much of it in Africa and Asia.

At least 41 people have been injured in clashes in Guinea between police and opposition protesters demanding long-delayed parliamentary elections. A total of 24 protesters were hurt in Thursday's (10 May) riots, including one in a serious condition after being shot, hospital sources said, while 17 police officers were injured by missiles, according to local television reports.

Algeria's National Liberation Front and a sister party have won legislative elections, defeating an Islamist alliance. Dahou Ould Kablia, interior minister, said on Friday the National Liberation Front took 220 seats and its sister party in government, the National Democratic Rally, took 68 seats. The two parties now form a majority in the 462-seat parliament.

Egypt’s state-owned MENA news agency reported on Saturday that a court ruling in Switzerland has been issued in favor of Egypt, which would allow Egypt to recover funds embezzled by former President Hosni Mubarak and his cronies. The ruling was in response to Egypt’s efforts to recover the money since the January uprising ousted the former president, who smuggled money illegally into Switzerland, and had been frozen since February 2011.

The tough times for Malawians after the kwacha was devalued by 49 per cent on are finally here, reports Malawi Today. The announcement made on Friday of the rise in fuel prices is expected to trigger a reciprocal upward movement in the prices of other basic commodities. Petrol is now selling at K490 from K380, representing a 29 per cent increase. Diesel is selling at K475 from K360 representing a 31 per cent surge while paraffin has been pegged at K171 for domestic use and K388 for industrial use from K171, translating to 126 per cent increase.

The fallout between factions in the Swaziland prodemocracy movement has thrown into relief the disagreements over their objectives for the future of the kingdom. The People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) has indefinitely suspended the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) after the SSN criticised PUDEMO’s leadership in the struggle for democracy. In very broad terms SSN supporters seek a republic in Swaziland, reports the Swazi Media Blogspot.

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce its 2012 Child and Youth Institute that will be held for three (3) weeks, from 3rd to 21st September 2012. The institute is one of the components of the Child and Youth Studies Programme and is aimed at strengthening the analytic capacities of young African researchers on issues affecting children and youth in Africa and elsewhere in the world. The institute is designed as an annual interdisciplinary forum in which participants can reflect together on a specific aspect of the conditions of children and youth, especially in Africa.

Zambia's President Michael Sata has warned Western diplomats against meeting his country's opposition leaders, saying such acts amounted to meddling. 'We do not do it in Europe, and why should they do it here? I am therefore directing the minister of foreign affairs to address the issue of diplomats meddling in internal affairs of the country,' Sata said on state radio.

Tanzania will campaign for South African Home Affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who is seeking to become the next chairperson of the African Union Commission. But neighbouring Kenya has turned down a request from South Africa to support its candidate. When meeting with a South African delegation, President Mwai Kibaki said South Africa's ambition for the AU top job clashes with Kenya's own interest to have Erastus Mwencha, a Kenyan, for the post of deputy chairperson.

The late President Mutharika was hailed at home and abroad. But after the 2009 landslide re-election victory, his quest to engineer the election of his brother to succeed him in 2014 and increased autocracy astounded many.

With the perpetrators of a war that has killed an estimated six million people in the Congo still roaming free, justice needs to be delivered to create the conditions for peace and reconciliation.

Mass unemployment is forcing thousands of Kenyans into the hands of private employment bureaus who export them to the Middle East where they often become trapped in abusive and exploitative work.

Are international criminal courts serving political agendas rather than upholding legal principles of justice? The recent ruling on the Charles Taylor case raises troubling questions.

Moving beyond ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and ensuring that it is incorporated into national legislation is the way to ensure children’s rights.