>> Namibia's ministry of fisheries and marine resources has lifted a two-month fishing ban in the river Zambezi which was imposed in December 2006 because of bacterial contamination of the river's waters.

>> At a meeting in Oxford, uk, scientists have added all three species of deep-sea thresher sharks (known for their scythe-like tails) to the endangered Red List of the World Conservation Union.

>> Four African countries (Uganda, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso) have reported meningitis outbreaks. South Sudan alone has reported 1,477 cases of meningitis, including 117 deaths, while Burkina Faso has reported 2,752 cases including 258 deaths.

>> Bangladesh is seeking US $300 million in loans from the World Bank to develop its inland waterways, as many of them are polluted and silted. So far the bank has offered US $51 million to develop the waterways.