MPs will discuss today the deal that the Congolese government signed with the Chinese government regarding the financing of several projects around the country to be paid off with natural resources. The debate was supposed to take place on Thursday but was postponed to Friday amid suspicions from some MPs that the government is not interested in transparency when it comes to the contracts signed with China. Full Story>>

The former Defense Minister in the transitional period was attacked last night by three armed men in the Ngaliema district of Kinshasa. According to his assistant, he was hit by bullets on his legs after one of his attackers fired on him as he was trying to fend off the attack. Full Story>>

Queen, Leona Lewis, Annie Lennox and the Soweto Gospel Choir are among the acts that will appear at a concert for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday in June. The former South African president will travel to London for the 27 June event, which will also feature Dame Shirley Bassey, Simple Minds and Razorlight. Full Story>>

A senior Chinese legislator met on Monday with a delegation of the Senate of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) led by Vice Senate Speaker Mokolo wa Mpombo, vowing to strengthen the parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. Full Story>>

President Joseph Kabila signed a decree raising the daily minimum wage on Wednesday. The new minimum wage across the country will be set to 1,120 Congolese Francs ($2US) starting June 1, 2008 and will go up to 1,680 ($3US) on January 1, 2009. Full Story>>

An upsurge of elephant poaching in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in the killing of 14 elephants in the past two weeks by militias, the military, and local villagers. Four were felled by an ex-Rwandan Hutu FDLR militia, formerly known as Interahamwe. Three elephants were murdered by the local Mai-Mai militia (PARECO), five by the Congolese military (FARDC), and two by local villagers. Full Story>>

Bosco Ntaganda, known as “The Terminator”, is accused of forceful enrollment of children under the age of 15 for military service in the Ituri region. The warrant alleges that these children received military training from the Forces patriotiques pour la libération du Congo (FPLC) in training camps in Bule, Cantrale, Mandro, Rwampara, Irumu, Bogoro and Sota. Full Story>>

In a BBC radio report of 28 April 2008, certain Pakistani and Indian MONUC blue helmets were alleged to have sold weapons for gold to the militia of Ituri in 2004 and 2005. The UN conducted an investigation in 2007. Alan Doss, head of MONUC, responded to these allegations in an interview with Radio Okapi. Full Story>>

The UN has covered up claims that its troops in Democratic Republic of Congo gave arms to militias and smuggled gold and ivory, the BBC has learned. The allegations, based on confidential UN sources, involve Pakistani and Indian troops working as peacekeepers. Full Story>>

The U.N. refugee agency says it has been forced to suspend a distribution of aid to displaced people in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province because of renewed violence. Full Story>>