Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- Some 39 Heads of State and Government have so far confirmed they will participate in the three-day extraordinary summit of the African Union (AU), scheduled to open here 3 February, the AU secretariat said Tuesday. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- An ad-hoc ministerial committee of countries representing all the African Union (AU) regions began Monday in Sun City, South Africa, to discuss outstanding proposed amendments to the Constitutive Act of the AU. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- An ad-hoc ministerial committee of countries representing all the African Union regions began Monday in Sun City, South Africa, to discuss outstanding proposed amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union. Full text...

Paris- France (PANA) -- A suit belonging to the ex-Emperor of the Central African Republic, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, was sold at 13,000 Euros at the Le Drouot Hotel, a public auction house in Paris, the specialised weekly 'La Gazette du Drouot' reported here. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- The South African government plans to formalise its plans to deploy forces, together with Mozambique and Ethiopia, by the end of January to monitor a cease-fire between the army and rebels in Burundi. Full text...

Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- The African Union (AU) would donate 50,000 dollars to help displaced persons in Sudan, an AU press release quoted AU Interim Chairman, Amara Essy, as authorising here Thursday. Full text...

Maputo- Mozambique (PANA) -- An African Union (AU) interim Commissioner, Daniel Antonio, Thursday predicted a "massive attendance" at AU's second summit scheduled for Maputo, Mozambique, in July. Full text...

Algiers- Algeria (PANA) -- Greek ambassador to Algeria Basile Simantirakis announced here Wednesday that a summit of African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) officials opens in Lisbon on 4 April. Full text...

Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- The Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution organ of the African Union (AU) has called for a speedy implementation of decisions reached at a regional summit on the Burundi peace process held last 2 December in Arusha, Tanzania. Full text...

Algiers- Algeria (PANA) -- President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria has reiterated the import of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), describing the bid for a Northwest African bloc was "a strategic and irreversible option". Full text...

Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- Ethiopia is committed to the ideals and principles of the African Union (AU) just as it was with the former Organisation of African Unity (OAU), said the country's Information Ministry Tuesday. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- South Africa's Deputy President Jacob Zuma left Pretoria Monday for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he is scheduled to update African Union (AU) officials on the peace process in Burundi. Full text...

Saint Denis- Reunion (PANA) -- The African Union (AU) Commissioner for economic issues, Vijay Makhan, has decried the low level American investments in Africa despite the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Full text...

Harare- Zimbabwe (PANA) -- An Australian tourist was killed Monday in Zimbabwe's resort town of Victoria Falls, police said. Full text...

Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- Libya has become the 31st African Union (AU) member state to sign the Protocol on the establishment of the continental body's Peace and Security Council. Full text...

Algiers- Algeria (PANA) -- In connection with a ministerial conference of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) opening Friday in Algiers, secretary general Habib Boulares has stressed the need to revamp the organisation. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- Two South Africans including a female journalist, are on trial in Australia for alleged drug trafficking, officials said in Cape Town Friday. Full text...

Tripoli- Libya (PANA) -- Ambassadors of Senegal, Sudan and Eritrea accredited to Tripoli Thursday presented their letters of credence as permanent representatives of their respective countries to the general secretariat of the Community of Sahelo- Saharan States (CEN-SAD). Full text...

Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- The interim chairman of African Union (AU) commission, Amara Essy averred Wednesday in an end-of- year message that positive trends in 2002 make prospects even brighter for 2003, saying this could be "Africa's Year". Full text...

Addis Ababa- (PANA) -- The Commission of the African Union (AU) has congratulated the people of Kenya for exercising their democratic rights in freely choosing their leaders. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- It might be too early to speak of the achievements of the African Union six months into its official existence, but in South Africa where the organisation was launched the balance sheet is seen to be clearly positive, at least for one man, President Thabo Mbeki. Full text...

Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- The newly built 10 million-dollar African Union (AU) conference centre is set for inauguration during the upcoming extraordinary summit of Heads of State planned for early February in Addis Ababa. Full text...

Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- Ethiopia Friday become the 28th member state of the African Union (AU) to ratify the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The Interim Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Amara Essy has welcomed Tuesday's power-sharing agreement signed by parties to the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, in Pretoria, South Africa. Full text...

Kinshasa- DR Congo (PANA) -- The Kinshasa-based Pan-African Institute for Education and Development (IPED) has signed a partnership agreement on institutional development with a Canadian association grouping 96 universities and colleges. Full text...

Tunis- Tunisia (PANA) -- Tunisian Foreign minister Habib Ben Yahya held discussions Friday with Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) secretary general Mohamed Madani Lazhari, currently on a working visit in the country, according to the Tunisian New Agency (TAP). Full text...

Yaounde- Cameroon (PANA) -- "The stomach of a dead person must always be opened to determine the cause of death," insists Sebastien Sabze, a specialist in "traditional autopsy" in Dschang, a locality on the western highlands of Cameroon. Full text...

Nouakchott- Mauritania (PANA) -- Australian authorities have warned the Mauritanian government of possible terrorist strikes aimed at western interests in several African and Arab countries, including Mauritania, press accounts in Nouakchott indicated Thursday. Full text...

Tripoli- Libya (PANA) -- African Union (AU) Executive Council concluded its two-day session in Tripoli late Tuesday night after lengthy discussions on proposed amendments to the Constitutive Act of the continental body. Full text...

Tripoli- Libya (PANA) -- Amara Essy, the Interim President of the African Union Commission, Tuesday called on African countries to forge a strong and united Union, that would take on the challenges arising from changes in the world. Full text...

Tripoli- Libya (PANA) -- Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, has stressed the urgent need to accelerate the ECOWAS peace process in Cote d'Ivoire, through, among others, the deployment of the regional peace-keeping force contributed by member States. Full text...

Tripoli- Libya (PANA) -- The Executive Council of the African Union, meeting in Tripoli has made "notable progress" on proposed amendments to the Union's Constitutive Act, delegates said in the Libyan capital Tuesday. Full text...

Tripoli- Libya (PANA) -- South African Foreign Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, chairperson of the African Union (AU) Executive Council meeting in Tripoli, has described the Union as a product of compromise and paid glowing tributes to Libya for accelerating the process. Full text...

Tripoli- Libya (PANA) -- Libya's African Unity Minister Ali Triki has urged participants to the second extra-ordinary conference of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), to come out with resolutions that would demonstrate to the entire world that Africans are determined to strengthen their Union at the political, economic, security and military levels. Full text...

Tripoli- Libya (PANA) -- The second extra-ordinary conference of the African Union's Executive Council opened Monday in Tripoli attended by the AU Commission's Interim chairman Amara Essy and representatives of regional and international organisations. Full text...

Libreville- Gabon (PANA) -- The European Union has granted 20 million euros to the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) for the disarming, demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants of nine central and southern African countries. Full text...

Tripoli- Libya (PANA) -- Libya has reiterated its proposal for a united African army under the African Union, at an extraordinary AU executive council meeting holding in Tripoli. Full text...

Tripoli- Libya (PANA) -- Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustapha Othman Ismael has stressed the significance of the African Union's second extraordinary Executive Council meeting holding in Tripoli to discuss amendments to the AU constitutive act. Full text...

Tripoli- Libya (PANA) -- The Executive Committee of the African Union (AU) will meet Monday in Tripoli, according to Amara Essy, Interim chairman of the AU's Commission. Full text...

Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- The Central Organ of the African Union (AU) has strongly condemned last week's terrorist attacks that killed at least 15 people in Kenya's port city of Mombasa. Full text...

Dar Es-Salaam- Tanzania (PANA) -- UNESCO director general Koichiro Matsuura has indicated a willingness for close collaboration with the African Union (AU), following discussions with AU Commission interim chairman Amara Essy on the sidelines of the Conference of African Education Ministers (MINEDAF VIII) holding here. Full text...

Nairobi- Kenya (PANA) -- Kenyan newspapers continued to concentrate on the devastating terrorist attacks in Mombasa last Thursday as one newspaper on Sunday castigated the government of Australia for hoarding information on the planned bombings. Full text...

Cape Town- South Africa (PANA) -- South African President Thabo Mbeki Saturday condemned the anti-Israeli attacks in Mombasa, Kenya, that left 15 people dead and 80 injured. Full text...

Nairobi- Kenya (PANA) -- The Kenya government Saturday blamed Australia for allegedly failing to warn the East African state of an impending terrorist attack. Full text...

Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- The African Union is urging the leadership at all levels of society in Africa "to take the first step in the right direction" in the fight against HIV/AIDS as nations mark the 15th World AIDS Day come December 1. Full text...

Kigali- Rwanda (PANA) -- UN Secretary General's special envoy to the Great Lakes, Ibrahim Fall, held talks in Kigali Tuesday with Rwandan President Paul Kagame on the resolution of the crises in the region. Full text...

Nairobi- Kenya (PANA) -- The Southern African Development Community (SADC), the regional economic block grouping 14 states in the region, is often described as the only example of a well-functioning regional organisation in Africa. Full text...

Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- The Interim Chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission, Amara Essy has appointed Muhammad Ali Foum of Tanzania as his special envoy to Somalia. Full text...

Addis Ababa- Ethiopia (PANA) -- South Africa has become the 16th member state of the African Union (AU) to ratify the Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism, the AU said in Addis Ababa Wednesday. Full text...

Saint-Denis- Reunion (PANA) -- Malagasy Foreign Minister Marcel Ranjeva has said in Reunion that his government was "optimistic" about the Grand Island's imminent return to the African Union (AU). Full text...