Washington, Oct 14 : A population survey of West African chimpanzees living in Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) has revealed that this endangered subspecies has dropped in numbers by a whopping 90 percent since the last survey was conducted 18 years ago.

The few remaining chimpanzees are now highly fragmented, with only one viable population living in Taï National Park.

Washington - Sub-Saharan Africa is facing a spike in inflation and a slowdown in growth over this year and the next as it deals with the triple threats of food and fuel price surges and some spill-over from the financial turmoil, the International Monetary Fund warned Friday.

The region is still showing stronger growth than much of the world. Growth will fall to 6 per cent in 2008 and 2009, down from 6.5 per cent in 2007, according to the IMF's semi-annual economic report on the region.

New York - The flare-up in fighting along the border areas between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo may provoke a wider conflict in the region, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday.

The continued fighting between Congo's armed forces and Rwanda's local group known as CNDP (the National Congress for Popular Defence) under Laurent Nkunda is inflicting added suffering on the civilians in Congo, he said.

Washington  - Sharp increases in food and fuel prices will send inflation soaring to 12 per cent this year in sub-Saharan Africa, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.

Washington, Oct 8 : Scientists have determined that biotechnology is not the final solution for the food insecurity and poverty problems in Africa and other developing countries.

According to a report in ENN (Environmental News Network), scientists made the statement at the first All Africa Congress on Biotechnology in Nairobi, Kenya, recently.

“This is no silver bullet to the food insecurity in Africa and the rest of the developing world, but it must be looked at as one of the most important tools that will contribute to increased food production and thus, poverty reduction,” said Clive James, chairman of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications.

Vatican City  - Africa can claim some of history's greatest biblical centres, but today the holy scriptures remain unaffordable to many of the continent's people, a Nigerian cleric on Tuesday told the Roman Catholic bishops Synod meeting.