Mozambique

Joaquim Chissano, the Mozambican President, today announced that he will not stand for a third term in office in the 2004 general elections, ending debate over whether he should stay or go.

Older people in Mozambique have struggled to recover from the devastating floods of 2000. Necodemus Chipfupa of HelpAge International describes how older people's organisations have mobilised support for vulnerable people in the community.

The Paris Club of creditors agreed to reduce Mozambique's debt by $1.65 billion in net present value under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC). The country will devote all the resources freed by the debt relief into priority areas identified in the country's poverty reduction strategy.

HIV prevention efforts in Mozambique have been hindered by poverty, taboo and sometimes "willfull" ignorance, Reuters reports. An average of 600 to 700 people a day are infected with HIV in the nation, which has 17 million citizens. Mozambique is among the world's poorest nations, where most people have never seen and do not know how to use condoms. In addition, it is considered taboo to talk openly about sex, and many people doubt the existence of HIV/AIDS, making it more difficult to alter ...read more

The Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, on Thursday unanimously passed a government bill on money-laundering on its first reading - but with several deputies indicating that, in the committee stage, they will introduce amendments to widen the scope of the bill.

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