THIS WEEK

9: US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello is travelling to Riyadh, Cairo and Ankara to continue urgent efforts to end the war and resultant famine in Sudan. Building on the recent success of the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan initiative, diplomatic priorities continue to include the co-ordination of efforts to urge the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to expand humanitarian access in Sudan; to ensure the protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as applicable, and their existing commitments under the Jeddah Declaration; and seeking a cessation of hostilities.

9:  SA businessman Thoshan Panday is expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on 27 counts of tax fraud. The state alleges that Panday was effectively in control of several entities which had received payments from the SA Police Services (SAPS) owing to a corrupt relationship with members of the Supply Chain Management Division. These payments were allegedly made in respect of services rendered to the SAPS preceding and during the Football World Cup in 2010 (Durban).

11: The Malta-based Universal Air will launch new direct flights between Malta International Airport and Tripoli’s Mitiga airport. Flights will take an hour and are scheduled to run all year round every Wednesday and Saturday.

11: Five African designers are set to showcase a collaborative bespoke collection at New York Fashion Week as part of the #GiveHerACrown campaign. The runway presentation, led by The Change Collective in conjunction with Jaguar South Africa, interior design studio ARRCC and the African Fashion Council celebrates emerging talent, artistic freedom and cultural expression.

12: UN International Day for South-South Co-operation

OTHER:

* Libya participated in the opening of the twenty-third Turkish-Arab Economic Co-operation Forum held in Istanbul this weekend. Minister of Health Ramadan Abu Jinah participated in the opening of the forum and the second exhibition for medical and medical tourism, and the second exhibition for cosmetic care products and medical equipment, organised by the Joint Co-operation Association for Turkish and Arab Countries TRAP Expo.‎

* At least 48 people have been killed in the central Nigerian state of Niger, after a fuel tanker collided with a lorry carrying passengers and cattle, the country's disaster agency said. The Niger State Emergency Management Agency said the collision happened at about 12.30am local time on Sunday, and caused an explosion which engulfed both vehicles.

* A fire in a school in central Kenya has killed 17 students, a police spokesperson said on Friday, following media reports that they had been burnt beyond recognition.

* Every September, members of the nomadic Wodaabe tribe gather near the desert town of Ingall, Niger, to celebrate the end of the rainy season with the Cure Salee festival. The most famous aspect of the festival is the Gerewol, a male beauty pageant that sees the tribe's young men dress in elaborate costumes and make-up to perform traditional dances. The week-long festival also includes camel races, livestock parades, and feasting.

* The US Department of State has imposed visa restrictions on individuals responsible for, or complicit in, undermining and impeding a sustainable peace in South Sudan. These individuals, who include members of the South Sudanese Government, participated in obstructing life-saving humanitarian aid through the taxation of aid shipments, the US State Department said in a statement.