Community members must understand that socio-economic circumstances are not caused by sorcery - Justin Bahunga

The national women's cricket team continued their winning spree in the Under-19 African championship after beating Botswana and Kenya at the University of Dar es Salaam grounds on Wednesday.

Kenyan pupils have been ranked second to those from Mauritius in maths in southern and eastern Africa.

African countries should adopt a common approach when dealing with new sources of capital for development, a venture capitalist said on Thursday.

Africa is set to get its first low-cost budget airline service, thanks to one of the world's leading experts in the field, EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

Almost 1,500 children gathered on the beach in Durban today to form a human aerial of a lion, to send a message to the leaders of COP17: show some courage for the climate.

Friends of the Earth International has issued strong warnings against climate inaction at the UN climate talks in Durban, and blamed industrialised countries like the US, Canada, Japan and Europe for seeking to unravel existing agreements under the guise of a "new mandate" for the climate negotiations.

Africa is sticking to its guns by pushing for the second commitment of the legally binding Kyoto Protocol despite ambivalences by economic powerhouses - Russia, United States, Japan, Canada and their partners among others.

Ghana's Minister of Environment, Sherry Ayittey says the future of the Kyoto protocol should not be terminated on African soil. According to her, Durban should provide a global roadmap that would define a second binding commitment period on Annex 1 parties, taking into consideration "our common desire to save our planet based on the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities, equity and the rule of law".

Germany has offered to host the yet-to-be-established Green Climate Fund. It has pledged a contribution of 40m euros for climate change activities in developing countries. Denmark has also pledged its support for the fund, but has not yet made any further commitments.

The United States was committed to a workable solution to the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and the "architecture" of a future regime governing emissions, US climate envoy Todd Stern told the UN COP17 conference.

You might be confused in thinking that the ubiquitous baseball caps are the sign of delegation status in Durban. Or that the equally abundant "Be Veg, Go Green 2 Save the Planet" t-shirts were official kit for COP 17. This attire, however, is worn by the followers of the Supreme Master Ching Hai, whose teachings on veganism and climate change have been a feature of this year's conference.

The UN climate talks yesterday struggled to overcome fissures on the future of the Kyoto Protocol which is teetering on the brink of collapse with less than a day to secure a deal.

Chair of the African Group at COP17, Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, recounted to journalists a somewhat chilling, but nevertheless instructive conversation that he had with one of the European negotiators. He said that now, African children are suffering as a result of global warming brought about primarily by the industrialisation of Europe and other western nations. If global warming continues unchecked, he continued, the European children will also suffer - but the difference is "that your children are not used to s

African civil society leaders from across the continent have petitioned climate negotiators and warned that focusing on launching a new mandate at the Durban climate talks risks backtracking on promises to the poor and the planet.

The African Group of negotiators have set out five key demands as the UN climate talks in Durban moved into the ministerial stage of negotiations on Wednesday. These demands include a second and subsequent commitment periods under the Kyoto Protocol as well as ambitious science-based mitigation targets for rich countries.

Turning to the sun is an urge as old as mankind itself. Like the sunflower, we turn to it for life, warmth and light - three words which could easily be used to describe the music of the newly-formed group, Jika Nelanga (which means sunflower in Zulu).

Africa is furious over the collapse of negotiations to save the troubled Kyoto Protocol without an appropriate replacement to the 'legally' binding document that could lift the continent from its quagmire following reproach by developed countries.

The European Union can give the deadlocked Durban climate talks a dramatic boost by recommitting to the Kyoto Protocol, Christian Aid has said.

"We will be dooming ourselves and the future of our children if we do not come out with tangible measures to combat climate change," said Burundi's Water, Environment and Sustainable Minister, Jean Marie Nibirantije.