World environment ministers gathered in Bonn, Germany, this evening for crucial talks to agree the implementation of the Kyoto climate protocol. All sides pointed to an atmosphere of increasing optimism that a comprehensive deal on outstanding political issues can be reached. Even just days before the summit the signs of a full agreement had looked bleak.

The Department of Nursing Education, University of the Witwatersrand will provide a platform at this conference to bring together experts from the academic, clinical, corporate and government sectors, as well as non-governmental organisations from all corners of the African continent and the rest of the globe.

At least 70 people were killed and 15 wounded when armed men attacked the north Angolan diamond-mining town of Chinguvu, close to the Congo border, Lusa reported on Monday. Quoting an unnamed military source who identified the attackers as UNITA, the news agency said about 100 rebels were involved in the Saturday assault on a residential area of Chinguvu. A number of local residents were taken away by the attackers.

Communities' clashes in Delta State, Nigeria, sparked off by the activities of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), has claimed about 15 lives in the area.