The minister of fisheries and marine resources tabled the revamped policy for marine resources in the National Assembly this week. It was necessary to review the existing policy framework of 1991, the Minister said. The new document retains all of the key policy elements of the 1991 White Paper, but addresses new concepts and considerations. The 24-page documents gives an overview of the marine fishing sector in general, explains marine resource management and deals with individual species like monk fish, orange roughy, guano, seaweed and the protection of the marine environment.

The Permanent Technical Team (PTT) on land reform was given an extension of its work until 30 November 2004. The team was appointed for 9 months in September 2003 to take stock of, evaluate and review land policies and activities to assist the government to formulate strategic options towards land reform. The PTT must also compile an Action Plan for the land reform programme. It was unable to complete its work and was given the time frame until 30 November, Cabinet decided during its meeting on 17 August. Meanwhile Deputy Lands Minister Isaak Katali now also doubles as acting CEO of AgriBank since 1 September. He will hold this additional responsibility for six months. According to reliable sources, this was decided at State House. AgriBank is still looking g for a new CEO to be appointed permanently.

Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher has agreed to pay the bail of 165 000 pounds (N$ 2 million) to free her son Mark from house arrest in South Africa, British newspapers reported on Wednesday.

Mark Thatcher, a 51-year-old businessman, was arrested in Cape Town last week on suspicion of co-financing an alleged coup Equatorial Guinea. Thatcher denied the allegation. Sources close to Margaret Thatcher (78) said the money would be paid by Friday. Her son Mark was charged on 25 August with contributing 275,000 US dollars to the alleged plot to overthrow Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who himself came to power 25 years ago in a coup.

During a visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Minister of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development, Helmut Angula discussed technical cooperation between the two countries to enable Namibia to develop rice production and specifically the implementation of the Kaliimbeza rice project in the Caprivi.

A Memorandum of Understanding i.a. provides for Vietnamese technicians in crop farming and animal husbandry, including aqua-culture, apiculture and poultry to be based at Kalimbeza to train local small scale farmers in the technique of rice production and related activities. The two sides also emphasized specific areas of scientific and technical cooperation in agriculture, being paddy and upland rice cultivation: establishing a practical in-service training programme; water resources management and general farming techniques.