Geneva Ambassadors from the East African Community have called on their governments to halt the signing of Economic Partnership Agreements because of unresolved issues.Read  the full correspondence.

BLANTYRE — More than 100 members of a Christian religious sect have barricaded themselves in an abandoned building in southern Malawi over their refusal to give their children the measles vaccine, a regional health official said Wednesday. Members of Seventh Day Apostolic Church say their doctrine forbids them from taking medication when they fall sick, as they believe prayer will bring divine healing. The weeklong standoff in the district of Mulanje follows an outbreak of the highly contagious disease which has killed 48 people in the southern African country this year. Another 9,600 cases have been registered, the government said. Read more.

It's time to close the net on fishing "pirates" who threaten to undermine vital marine ecosystems, says Karen Sack. In this week's Green Room, she highlights the scale of the problem of illegal fishing and calls on the international community to act. This is a viewpoint written by Karen Sack for the BBC. Click here, for the full opinion piece.