RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: “Many Men Fear Losing Their Power”

One in four women in an abusive relationship, a woman killed approximately every week by her close male partner: these figures, from People Opposing Women Abuse, a Johannesburg-based non-profit, indicate the extent of the problem posed by gender-related violence in South Africa.

TRADE-SOUTHERN AFRICA: EU Agreement Has ”Not Been Beneficial”

A senior member of parliament of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), Ben Turok, says the existing trade agreement between South Africa and the European Union (EU) has not benefited his country.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: ”Extreme Water Events” Predicted

In Africa, 25 countries are expected to experience water scarcity or water stress in the next 20 to 30 years. This translates into 16 percent or 230 million of Africa's population facing water scarcity by 2025, and 32 percent or 460 million people living in water-stressed countries by that time.

RIGHTS: Zimbabwe Opposition Seeks Support at U.N.

A group of Zimbabwean citizens - among them activists, lawyers, journalists and leaders of the democratic opposition - were at the U.N. Wednesday to shine an international light on the brutal government crackdown they have suffered.

DEVELOPMENT: Biofuels vs Food Crops?

While South Africa is planning on increasing biofuels production some experts warn the move may hurt subsistence farmers and cause more hunger in impoverished areas of the country.

ENVIRONMENT-SOUTH AFRICA: Political Sins Continue to Scar the Land

While South Africa's "homelands" - areas formerly set aside for blacks - have been relegated to the dustbin of history for more than a decade, their legacy lives on in the form of land degradation, and even desertification in northern and eastern parts of the country.

TRADE-KENYA: Farmers Ask Germany to Intervene in EPAs

Fears are high among Kenyan farmers that a new trade regime following a forthcoming deal between developing countries and the European Union (EU) may drive them deeper into poverty.

RIGHTS-ZIMBABWE: Neighbours Remain Mute Amid Flood of Refugees

The rattling sound of galvanized tins has become characteristic of Patience's* daily routine which starts at 4 am every day. Patience (43), a single mother, is one of the many who rush in the early morning to the Zimbabwean capital's Mbare Musika market to buy fruit and vegetables to hawk.

DEVELOPMENT-TANZANIA: MDGs a ”Bright Idea” or Scam of the Rich?

While the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a ‘‘bright idea'', the ‘‘hidden agenda'' of western countries makes it impossible for African states like Tanzania to achieve the goals, expounds actor Rashid Mkwinda.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: The Arrival of ”Homo Urbanus”

The year 2007 marks the birth of a new ''species'': Homo Urbanus. For the first time in history there will be as many city dwellers as rural inhabitants in the world.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: UN Habitat Fund to Finance Slum Housing

Some relief for the pressing housing needs of slum dwellers may be in sight. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat) is planning a revolving fund to assist poor people with credit to build houses in slum areas.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: Independence Day in Name Only, NGOs Fear

Reports that Zimbabwean Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu has annulled the registration of all non-governmental organisations (NGOs) active in the country have been greeted with dismay by civil society representatives.

ECONOMY-MALAWI: Being a ”Good Pupil” Can Be Bad for You

Five years after the famine in which more than 1,000 Malawians died and 8 million of the country's 12 million people suffered from hunger, the bitter memory of bad policy advice still lingers on.

EDUCATION-ZIMBABWE: ”It Is All Zero Here. We Have Nothing”

Chippy Ncube, aged 6, jubilantly hurried home as soon as she received her school report. She could not hide her excitement at being the top student in her grade one class when schools closed for the holidays recently in Zimbabwe.

HEALTH-AFRICA: Beef up Budget Allocations to Achieve MDGs

African states should put in place sufficient budget allocations and the right policies if the continent is to meet the global and regional health care targets that governments have committed themselves to, say campaigners.

ENVIRONMENT-MALAWI: Waste Not, Want Not

In many parts of Malawi, discussing human excreta is taboo. The mere mention of faeces, in any of the country's 10 official languages, makes those taking part in the conversation uncomfortable. But, excreta could be about to gain respectability.

ZIMBABWE: “Mbeki Needs to Move from Quiet Diplomacy to Open Mediation”

A debate is underway among analysts and civil society activists about how South African President Thabo Mbeki should proceed in fulfilling the mandate given to him last month by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to continue mediating between Zimbabwe's government and opposition.

WORLD HEALTH DAY-SOUTH AFRICA: An Outbreak Kept From Breaking Out

South Africa seems to have succeeded in preventing an outbreak of Extreme Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (XDR-TB) from spiralling out of control and spreading beyond its borders, at least for now.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Surviving Informal Work – and Politics

While informal work is insecure and low-paying, it has become the primary way in which most Southern Africans earn a living. Without such work, the meagre livelihood options in the region dwindle even further, as shown by a number of recent studies.

ENERGY-SOUTH AFRICA: Fuel in the Car at the Expense of Food on the Table?

South Africa has joined the race to find alternative sources of energy: government has already approved a 'Draft Biofuels Industry Strategy', and called on stakeholders to discuss it.

TRADE-MALAWI: Tobacco Industry Going Up in Smoke

Tobacco prices and production levels are dropping amid pressure from the anti-smoking lobby and the general downturn in agricultural produce markets. But Malawi has still not made adequate progress in promoting crops to replace its primary foreign exchange earner.