Johannesburg - Queen Rania of Jordan shared a school bench with children in South Africa's famous Soweto township this week during a visit to promote education.

The 38-year-old queen visited Phefeni Secondary School in her capacity as ambassador for the United Nations children's agency UNICEF, South Africa's The Star newspaper reported Friday.

UNICEF is funding a gender equality programme in South African schools, aimed at improving educational opportunities for girls.

Johannesburg  - A human rights group in Malawi, where US popstar Madonna is trying to adopt a sibling for her three-year-old adoptive son David Banda, has warned the government to grant her no special favours.

The 50-year-old star, whose 2006 adoption of Banda from an orphanage in Malawi was dogged by controversy, is expected to return to the country on Saturday with her family, Undule Mwaksungula, spokesman for Malawi's Human Rights Consultative Committee, said.

Johannesburg - International advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday called on Southern African leaders meeting next week to discuss aid for Zimbabwe to make any rescue package contingent on an end to human rights abuses.

Leaders of the 15-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) political and economic bloc are meeting on Monday in Swaziland to consider a request from Zimbabwe's new unity government for 2 billion dollars in short-term aid.

Johannesburg - Madagascar's deposed president, Marc Ravalomanana, has based himself in South Africa, from where he travelled to Swaziland for meetings this week over his ouster from office, a Swazi official said Wednesday.

Swazi King Mswati III currently chairs the security organ or troika of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), of which the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar is a member.

Johannesburg  - Madagascar's deposed president, Marc Ravalomanana, is in Swaziland after being forced from office, according to a Swazi newspaper report Tuesday.

The Swazi Observer newspaper, quoting the Foreign Ministry of the mountain kingdom that is landlocked with South Africa, reported that Ravalomanana had arrived the previous day on an undisclosed mission.

Swazi King Mswati III currently chairs the security organ of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), of which the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar is a member.

Johannesburg - South Africa and Brazil have all the necessary measures in place to co-operate on security issues during the 2010 World Cup South African media reported on Tuesday.

The South African Press Association quotes the South African Defence Minister Charles Nqakula as saying that an initiative between Brazil, India and South Africa identified a need for a better co-ordinated approach to new threats regarding security and social economic development.