Malawi: US donates $50,000 testing machine

The United States of America through its drug company – Pfizer – has donated a high performance liquid chromatography machine to Malawi Bureau (MBS) of Standards valued at $ 50,000.Pfizer, a major US pharmaceutical company donated the machine which is expected to assist MBS in conducting various analyses of food such as the determination of the nutrient values.The machine is also expected to help MBS to identify banned or substandard ingredients that may be found in food products.

Somali gov’t condemn murder of minister

The Government of Somalia has condemned in the strongest possible terms the cowardly murder of Colonel Omar Hashi Aden, the Minister of National Security, in a suicide attack carried out by extremist forces.“The assassination of Colonel Hashi was clearly intended to try to disrupt the successful peace process aimed at restoring stability to Somalia after two decades of conflict. However these bloody murderers will not succeed,” the government said in a statement.

Nigeria: Revealed – UK Toxic Wastes Traced to Alaba Market

Lagos — Potentially dangerous toxic wastes from the United Kingdom (UK) have been traced to Alaba International Market and Apapa, all in Lagos state.The wastes, according to Sky News investigation, comprise abandoned TV set, computer and electrical appliances, which are ordinarily meant to be recycled .The report said the wastes “are traced to Lagos port inside the container. We finally managed to track the television down to a shipping container.”

Equatorial Guinea: ‘Nigeria Not Behind Armed Attack’

Abuja — The Federal Government yesterday denied involvement in Tuesday’s attack on the Presidential Palace in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea.It also expressed solidarity with the people of the country and congratulated the Equitorial Guinea government for repellingwhat it called ‘cowardly action’, by criminal elements.Equatorial Guinea authorities had fingered Niger Delta militants in the attack launched on the country’s presidential palace Tuesday.

Africa: Secretary-General Set to Travel Next Week

New York — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is slated to leave early next week for Africa where he will make his first official visits to South Africa and Tanzania, as well as stops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Egypt, his spokesperson announced today.While in South Africa Mr. Ban will meet with President Kgalema Motlanthe, as well as the Ministers for Finance and Environment, Marie Okabe told reporters in New York. He is also expected to meet with former President Nelson Mandela.

Nigeria: Niger Delta Crisis – Shell Shuts in 180,000bpd

Lagos — The unabated crisis in the oil-rich Niger Delta has continued to take its toll on Shell Petroleum Development and Production Company (SPDC) and Nigeria’s oil revenue, as the company has been forced to shut in production of 180,000 barrels per day (“bpd) of oil following renewed attacks on its facilities.Suspected loyalists of Kitikata, a militant leader linked with the recent killing of soldiers in the Niger Delta region, yesterday invaded the SPDC’s Nembe Creek flowstation in Bayelsa State.

Kenya: Treatment Programmes Recover Patients Lost in Post-Election Violence

Eldoret — When post-election violence struck western Kenya’s Rift Valley last year, hundreds of patients failed to collect their antiretroviral medication from their regular clinics, leading health workers to fear that their patients would develop resistance, or fall ill and even die.More than 90 percent of patients at the Academic Model for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV (AMPATH) did not report to the facility for their treatment; but today, Cleophas Chesoli, AMPATH’s social work manager, is a much happier man. Most patients have returned from the camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) where they sought refuge, and so far there have been no signs of resistance.

New Technology Sweeps Through Africa

In Nigeria, new subscribers are signing up with mobile phone services at a rate of almost one every second. In Kenya, they can transfer money, get exam results and even find dates using their phones.African farmers can decide what crops to plant by checking prices at local markets using their cell phones. Physicians can help nurses in rural clinics diagnose patients by “telemedicine.”In this topical briefing, AllAfrica brings you news of the exciting developments in the fields of telecommunications, information technology and the Internet across the continent.

Zimbabwe: Gono, Tomana Face the Axe

PRIME MINISTER Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday said the fate of Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana would be “first on the agenda” of the new government.In his first interview after being sworn-in as Prime Minister, Tsvangirai told The Standard the new government would have to “sit down” and objectively evaluate the work of the two officials.Gono, who has been considered by many as the de facto Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, has attracted widespread criticism for the way he has stoked inflation by printing high denomination bank notes. He has also controversially funded Zanu PF campaign programmes.

Tanzania: Global Crisis Hits Flower Industry

Arusha — After the badly hit local tourism, now the second major revenue earner for Arusha – the horticulture industry – has its leaves burnt in the raising heat of global economy recession.As global credit crunch continues to bite, life is no longer flowering to Northern-based horticultural growers in Tanzania. Their exports are getting more expensive to ship and even harder to sell while production costs continue hitting the greenhouse roofs.The petals of cash, mostly grown in the northern zone regions of Arusha and Kilimanjaro are no longer yielding the anticipated fortune even during this season of flower demanding observations like Valentine’s Day, Mothers’ Day and Easter holidays.