The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has called on the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and Nursing Council to investigate those hospitals responsible for the seemingly negligent deaths of the 140 children in the Ukhahlamba district of the Eastern Cape. IFP Member of Parliament Dr Ruth Rabinowitz said the report into the deaths revealed a health system that was “callous, incompetent and criminally negligent”.

The Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) has given Zimbabwe a second chance to hold the regional bloc’s 13th summit, in what would appear to be a hasty show of confidence in the country as a result of the power sharing deal. The summit had been initially set to take place in May but was called off after state-sponsored violence swept through the country, following Robert Mugabe’s election loss to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the first round of voting in March.

Ericsson announced it will establish an Innovation Center in sub-Saharan Africa to develop mobile applications that will benefit society as a whole, but with a special focus on meeting the needs of poor and rural populations. The initiative will focus on solutions in health, education, agriculture and small business development, and is another important step in Ericsson's ongoing commitment to support the achievement of the UN's Millennium Development Goals.

About 1,200 Congolese have sought shelter in southern Sudan in recent days to escape brutal attacks by members of the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) that have included the abduction of children and the torching of homes, the United Nations refugee agency has reported.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over the volatile security and political atmosphere in Guinea-Bissau, where crucial elections are slated to take place next month, in his latest report to the Security Council on the West African country. Mr. Ban said that the period covered by the new report, from mid-July to September, was characterized by “deepening political malaise and the spectres of military tension and pressure.”