by Herve Asquin

NIJRAB BASE, Afghanistan, March 1, 2009 (AFP) - The Afghan man lying on the examination table, his eyes rolled back and his body emaciated, is in agony.

He breathes roughly through a pipe in his trachea and has tubes in his stomach and bladder as well as a bulky pins through a fractured leg.

"If he is not taken care of quickly in intensive care, he will die in a month from dehydration and infection," says the head of a medical post staffed by French doctors about 50 kilometres (30 miles) northeast of Kabul.

Fabien C., whose full name cannot be

by Charly Wegman

JERUSALEM, March 1, 2009 (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed on Sunday to respond "severely" to militant rocket strikes from Gaza on the eve of an international donor conference on funding the territory's reconstruction.

Israel waged its deadly 22-day offensive with the stated aim of halting rocket and mortar fire by Gaza militants, a goal it signally failed to achieve.

"If the rocket fire from Gaza continues, we will hit back severely, so much so that the terrorist organisations

MOGADISHU, Feb 28, 2009 (AFP) - Somalia's President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said Saturday he accepted a proposal by local and foreign religious leaders for a truce with hardline Islamists and the implementation of sharia, or Islamic law.

The religious leaders are trying to mediate between the government and its foes who have ramped up their onslaught against the new president, elected on January 31.

"I met with religious leaders and elders and accepted their demand for ceasefire and reconciliation with the opposition members and I call on all opposition parties to halt the

MANILA, Feb 28, 2009 (AFP) - One of three Red Cross workers being held by militants in the southern Philippines has re-established contact more than a week after the group was last heard from, a report said Saturday.

Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, 37, said life in captivity was tough for her and colleagues Eugenio Vagni of Italy and Andreas Notter of Switzerland and called on government negotiators to step up efforts to secure their release.

The three have been held in captivity in the jungle on southern Jolo island for 44 days. They were seized by

LA PAZ, Feb 28, 2009 (AFP) - Bolivia's dengue fever epidemic, which has left at least 20 dead in recent weeks, is "unprecedented" and could affect neighboring countries, Health Minister Ramiro Tapia warned Saturday.

"This is an unprecedented epidemic," Tapia said on state television TVB, calling on the population to acknowledge the full and serious extent of the outbreak.

"Bolivians must be aware of the seriousness of the disease and all -- national and local government, municipalities and individuals -- must help fight the disease."

GENEVA, Feb 27, 2009 (AFP) - The UN refugee agency said Friday it was preparing for the arrival of tens of thousands of displaced people fleeing the conflict zone in northern Sri Lanka over the coming weeks.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it had received three acres of land from the government to set up, by the end of the week, a camp for 42,000 people.

But it warned that it needs to double that capacity.

"UNHCR is urging the government to continue to make necessary preparations to receive and accommodate the

ANTANANARIVO, Feb 27, 2009 (AFP) - Two people were killed Friday and 13 were injured as security forces broke up an opposition protest in southern Madagascar, police and organisers said.

"Two people died when an opposition gathering was dispersed in Fianarantsoa," spokeswoman Lala Rakotonirina told AFP.

Thirteen people were also "seriously injured" and taken to hospital, a rally organiser told AFP from the town, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) south of the capital Antananarivo.

Details on the precise circumstances

by Sakher Abu El Oun

CAIRO, Feb 26, 2009 (AFP) - Rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas are holding reconciliation talks brokered by Egypt on Thursday aimed at paving the way for the creation of a unity government.

On the eve of the talks, the feuding factions agreed to resolve the fate of prisoners detained by both sides, a key stumbling block in reconciliation efforts, and stop a war of words being played out in the media.

The stakes are high as billions of dollars of funds to rebuild the Gaza Strip after Israel's war on the territory

by Fanuel Jongwe

HARARE, Feb 26, 2009 (AFP) - President Robert Mugabe said Zimbabwe could hold fresh elections in two years, and refused to back down on his choices for central bank chief and other top posts, in an interview with state media Thursday.

Mugabe, 85, said in the Herald newspaper that the new unity government with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, formed only two weeks ago, was a temporary solution until the parties could agree on a new constitution and fresh polls.

"We are an interim arrangement. We are not a permanent inclusive government," Mugabe said.