CARE Turns Down Federal Funds for Food Aid

CARE, one of the world’s biggest charities, said that American food aid may hurt the people it aims to help. nytimes.com

New Power in Africa: Chinese Entrepreneurs Flourish in Africa

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese migrants are doing business on a continent that had been terra incognita. nytimes.com

London profits while Africa awaits Kyoto benefit

Huge profits made by London-based brokers who arrange emissions-cutting projects in developing countries contrast with little benefit for the world's poorest nations, company and United Nations data shows. africa.reuters.com

Civil Society Groups Call for Suspension of Trade Talks

Civil society groups in Africa have called for the suspension of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) negotiations between the European Union (EU) and the 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries for at least three years to allow African governments to critically look through other regional initiatives they are already engaged in. The Nation / http://allafrica.com

Africa seen losing out on cotton without Doha deal

The collapse of global trade talks could thwart efforts by poor African countries to curtail cotton subsidies and capitalize on a higher world price for the crop, a global cotton organization said on Monday. africa.reuters.com

Launch of the Africa Channel

The Africa Channel, the U.S.-based television network showcasing the rich and diverse perspectives of Africa’s people, has entered into a distribution agreement with Sky, the leading multi-channel television platform in the United Kingdom and Ireland.  The announcement was made today by James Makawa, co-founder and CEO of The Africa Channel.

Southern Africa: New SADC Chair to Prioritise Infrastructure

The new chairperson of the SADC, President of Zambia Levy Patrick Mwanawasa is to prioritise a number of focus areas during his term, including regional infrastructure development. BuaNews / http://allafriac.com

Summit fails to pressure Mugabe

Southern African leaders put no public pressure on President Mugabe to solve Zimbabwe's problems. bbc.co.uk

Zimbabwe's neighbours, awed by history, tread softly

Zambian Finance Minister Ng'andu Magande thinks there may be only one way to influence defiant Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe -- enlist the help of African liberation giants like Nelson Mandela. africa.reuters.com

Southern Africa says on track for free trade area

Fourteen Southern African nations are on track to launch a free trade area next year, a senior official for their regional body said on Monday. africa.reuters.com

East Africa: EAC States Beat Deadline On Key Trade Pact With EU

East African states have agreed on key aspects of a regional Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to be signed with the European Union, removing the threat of a looming fallout over failure to beat the December 31 deadline. Business Daily / http://allafrica.com

China, Filling a Void, Drills for Riches in Chad

Chinese companies are investing heavily in impoverished African countries like Chad, raising Western concerns. nytimes.com

Corruption trial of ex-Zambian leader resumes

The trial of former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba, accused of stealing public money, resumed on Wednesday after being suspended for more than a year. africa.reuters.com

India doubles trade, ploughs cash into Ivory Coast

India's trade with Ivory Coast has doubled to $500 million in the last two years and it hopes to make the tropical country a hub for investment elsewhere in West Africa, its ambassador there said. africa.reuters.com

East Africa: Intra-Comesa Trade Up By 35 Per Cent

Cross-border trade accounts for up to 35 per cent of the current value of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) formal trade. East African Standard / http://allafrica.com

Kenya: Flower Farmers Bow to EU Quality Demands

The horticulture industry has enlisted the services of the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) to enhance quality certification and meet the expectations of key European consumers. Business Daily / http://allafrica.com

Nigeria set to free its currency

Nigeria's central bank plans to lift restrictions on its currency, the naira, making it convertible by 2009. bbc.co.uk

Investing in Africa the final frontier for adventurous investors

Africa is a financial wild west that could prove very lucrative for adventurous investors looking to cash in on emerging markets - as long as that investment recognizes the dangers that exist on the continent. finance.sympatico.msn.ca

Nigeria: Shell Loses $10.6 Billion to N. Delta Crisis

Dutch Oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, (SPDC) has lamented that it lost over $10.6 billion to the crisis in the Niger Delta region.SPDC said the ugly development has affected oil production at Western terminals of the company since February last year. Daily Champion / http://allafrica.com

Angola: BP Spends U.S. $40 Million On New Offices in Luanda

The Angolan subsidiary of the British multinational company (BP) invested, from 2005 to 2007, a total of USD 40 million in the construction of its new offices in the Angolan capital, located in the logistics base of assistance to the oil exploring activity, Sonils, in Luanda. Angola Press Agency / http://allafrica.com