The International Monetary Fund on Monday approved a $156.2 million loan to Malawi's new government to address the country's chronic balance of payments problems and to boost economic growth. The fund said it would immediately disburse $19.5 million to the country, which elected a new president, Joyce Banda, in April. The economy had been teetering on the brink of collapse after former President Bingu wa Mutharika told donors he could run the aid-dependent country without their help.

United Nations helicopters have fired on rebel positions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after new clashes broke out between rebel fighters and loyalist troops, officials have said. The airbourne action followed renewed clashes that broke out between M23 rebel fighters and loyalist troops, north of the regional capital Goma. The second such UN action against rebels came in response to a rebel offensive 'against the civilian population', Mamodj Munubai, a spokesman for MONUSCO, the UN mission in DR Congo, said on Tuesday, 24 July.

The David Kato Vision & Voice Award was launched to recognize those who are working to eliminate violence, stigma and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. The award celebrates the life and work of human rights activist David Kato, who was murdered in his home in Kampala, Uganda on 26 January 2011. Maurice Tomlinson, an outspoken advocate for LGBTI rights in Jamaica, received the inaugural award in January 2012.

Alliance Magazine aims to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas among philanthropists, social investors and others working for social change worldwide in order to maximize the impact of funding for social development. To help achieve this, Alliance offers free electronic subscriptions to those in countries not designated as high-income countries by the World Bank. Visit their website to find your country on an interactive map and to sign up.

In 2008, Egypt reached an agreement with the US-based Monsanto Corporation to import, grow and sell the company's genetically-modified maize. The first shipment of 70 tons arrived in Egypt in December 2010 and was planted in ten governorates without restriction on planting. The second and most recent shipment of 40 tons arrived in January 2012, but was seized by the Ministry of Agriculture because it was not properly approved. 'The January shipment has been imported without the formal approval from the Ministry of Environment, the agency that should approve imported genetically-modified organisms (GMOs),' said Osama El Tayeb, a microbiology and immunology professor.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) and its allies have vowed to put an end to political killings which have been on the rise in South Africa. The National Freedom Party has seen 21 of its members killed since last year, while the ANC has also seen an unidentified number of local politicians killed, according to the South African Press Association.

Drug-resistant HIV has been increasing in parts of sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade, according to experts writing in the Lancet. Studies on 26,000 untreated HIV-positive people in developing countries were reviewed by the team. They said resistance could build up if people fail to stick to drug regimes, and because monitoring could be poor.

Human rights groups under the umbrella of 'The Coalition for Human Rights in The Gambia' have called for an end to the 'reign of fear' in The Gambia. The call was made in a statement issued by the coalition and received by PANA in Dakar as the Gambian government marked the anniversary of the 22 July 1994 military takeover which it termed 'Freedom Day.' According to the coalition, the real situation of human rights in The Gambia 'is often subtly hidden' by the Yahya Jammeh administration on occasions like the celebration of the 22 July, which is a true 'black day' for human rights as it marks the seizure of power through 'a coup by the administration that has since then relentlessly engaged in several serious violations of fundamental human rights'.

South Africa has abstained from voting on a United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria, claiming the resolution was worded in favour of one side of the conflict. Western nations were left perplexed and other onlookers were just as puzzled. Just where does South Africa stand on Syria? asks this article from The Daily Maverick.

South Africa has mostly delegated the care of its poor and vulnerable to NGOs, but with funding drying up, these groups are struggling to keep their heads above water. This Mail&Guardian multimedia presentation provides a visual insight into the situation.

South Sudan has the worst reported maternal mortality rate in the world. A 2012 report entitled Women’s Security in South Sudan: Threats in the Home by Geneva-based think-tank Small Arms Survey (SAS) says a national survey carried out in 2006 indicating 2,054 deaths per 100,000 live births may have been an underestimation.

Authorities in central Nigeria say floods triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 35 people and left several others missing. The flooding has also destroyed or damaged at least 200 homes in Jos city, the Red Cross said on Monday 23 July.

There are fresh fears that plans are being laid by ZANU PF to dismiss the proposed new constitution, in a move that will ensure there are no voting rights for the Diaspora. There is still no confirmation about when the draft charter will be released, but ZANU PF has repeatedly shown resistance to the document spearheaded by the COPAC team. Robert Mugabe’s party has been advocating for the ‘Kariba Draft’ constitution, which was a negotiated document made well before COPAC was tasked with setting the laws for a new, democratic Zimbabwe.

Child labour is on the rise in Ghana, particularly in urban areas. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) 2012 State of the World’s Children Report, 34 per cent of Ghanaian children aged between five and 14 years are engaged in child labour – up from 23 per cent in 2003. Emilia Allan, a Child Protection Officer at UNICEF Ghana, noted that Kumasi alone makes up eight per cent of that figure.

16 July 2012 - From early this evening, the community of SST and the Progressive Youth Movement (PYM) in the Khayelitsha township of Cape Town has been in the midst of a mass action in front of the home of Amos Nkomeni, the ANC ward councilor for ward 93 in the City of Cape Town. Councillor Nkomeni’s response to the community march to his house was arrogant and dismissive, instead of responding to the demand for an end to the degrading and dehumanising bucket system imposed by the City of Cape Town in the absence of decent sanitation at SST.

Fewer people are dying from AIDS-related illnesses and being infected with the HIV virus than at any time in the last decade, but more progress is needed in prevention, testing and treatment, a report from the United Nations AIDS programme (UNAIDS) said. Fewer people are dying from AIDS-related illnesses, with the number of deaths declining to 1.7 million in 2011. New cases of HIV infections were 2.5 million, the lowest level since 2001, according to UNAIDS figures for the last decade.

The UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences, controversially endowed by Equatorial Guinea, was finally awarded in Paris 17 July, after years of wrangling and postponements. The three prize winners - from Egypt, Mexico and South Africa - each received US$100,000 from Equatorial Guinea's vice president, Ignacio Milam Tang, amid speculation about whether the country's dictatorial president, and the prize's original funder, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, would attend in person (he did not).

On 15 July 2012, the Swazi Observer issued letters of suspension to its editor, Thulani Thwala, its weekend editor, Alec Lushaba, and the newspaper's chief financial officer (CFO) and senior manager, Mr. Nala Nkabindze. No explanation was given for the suspension. Both editors have been suspended for one month and await the outcome of an investigation into the matter. National Director of the Swaziland Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Swaziland), Comfort Mabuza, has condemned this development, branding it a clandestine action to silence the editors and prevent them from the informative and critical reporting that they are known to facilitate in Swaziland.

The Moroccan government on 2 July confirmed its decision to withdraw support for UN Western Sahara Envoy Christopher Ross. The Moroccan government had earlier announced that it had lost confidence in the UN envoy and accused him of 'biased and unbalanced guidance' in brokering unofficial talks between Morocco and the Polisario.

Human rights organisations have condemned the acts of violence committed on 26 June 2012 against Dr. Stephen Ulimboka, Chairperson of the Special Committee of Doctors, and called for the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry mandated to shed light on the circumstances of this aggression so that its authors can be brought to justice. Dr. Ulimboka was kidnapped and beaten while leading a strike by doctors seeking improved working conditions in public hospitals.