DEVELOPMENT: Trade Rules a Stumbling Block to Realising the MDGs

Less than a decade remains for countries to reach the ambitious targets laid out in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - agreed on by global leaders at a summit in 2000.

SOUTH AFRICA: ARV Programme Less Than the Sum of Its (Monetary) Parts

With over five million of its 47 million citizens HIV-positive, South Africa currently has more people living with HIV/AIDS than any other country.

MALAWI: Farmers Need Mechanisation, Irrigation – And Some Free Stuff

Having experienced a disastrous harvest last year - the worst in a decade, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) - Malawi now appears set to improve its food situation.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY: More Female Voices on Screens, Airwaves and Pages

South Africa has made substantial progress in having women's voices heard in the media, says a study released to coincide with International Women's Day on Wednesday.

HEALTH-MAURITIUS: A Stooped Walk That Comes With the Rains

A few months ago, the average Mauritian might have looked blank if asked what "chikungunya" was. Now, they're probably all too familiar with the term.

HEALTH-ANGOLA: The Dangerous Profession of Motherhood

Walking into the Angolan capital's main maternity hospital, the first thing that hits any visitor is the stench: a nauseating combination of blood and excrement. After a short while, the stomach settles and the eyes adjust to the poor light in the Maternidade Lucrecia Paim; then, the true wretchedness of the grey walls and broken windows begins to sink in.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: “Anything Can Happen to Us, Anytime”

As a community relations officer for the Johannesburg-based Forum for the Empowerment of Women, a non-governmental organisation, Zanele Muholi has become all too familiar with the prejudice against lesbians that exists in South Africa.

DEVELOPMENT: South African Land for South Africans?

A 10-member panel has urged the government of South Africa to bar foreigners temporarily from selling or buying any more land in the country.

ECONOMY-MAURITIUS: Go West, Young Man

Mauritius may be one of the world's most glamorous destinations, but agriculturally-speaking, there's not that much of it to go around. As a result, the island's government and farmers have begun looking west - to the far larger, neighbouring island of Madagascar.

HEALTH-SOUTHERN AFRICA: AIDS Puts Funeral Traditions Under Pressure

Research indicates that traditional burials for those who die from AIDS-related diseases in Southern Africa are having a severe financial effect on households in the region, notably those in rural areas.

ECONOMY-MAURITIUS: Go West, Young Man

Mauritius may be one of the world's most glamorous destinations, but agriculturally-speaking, there's not that much of it to go around. As a result, the island's government and farmers have begun looking west - to the far larger, neighbouring island of Madagascar.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: Ablution Facilities for the Homeless “Essential”

Johannesburg is the financial heart of South Africa, and for those who gain a share of the city's wealth, affluent homes await.

ZIMBABWE: Elephants and Humans on a Collision Course

Sachikonye Lunga's face twists at the mere mention of the word "elephant", which doubtless evokes memories of his eldest son being trampled to death last year by one of the animals.

RIGHTS-MALAWI: “Have Men in Our Land Chosen to Become Worse Than Beasts?”

When police announced recently that they had detained a man in the northern town of Karonga for allegedly killing his wife after she refused him sex, there were hopes that the arrest would send a stern warning to other husbands with violent inclinations.

HEALTH-MOZAMBIQUE: Many Languages, One Message

Travel the length of Mozambique, and chances are that you'll hear a host of different languages being spoken: the official language of Portuguese, Shangana, Elomwe and Cisena to name just a few.

POLITICS: AU Bails Out of Controversy to Focus on Africa’s Ills

Sudan's decision to withdraw its bid for the leadership of the African Union (AU) has been welcomed by human rights groups and local activists, who say it has enhanced Africa's reputation.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Taking Mumbai Forward to Bamako, Caracas and Karachi

Indian participation in the first two phases of the polycentric World Social Forum (WSF), which wound down in the Malian capital of Bamako on Monday and opened in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 24, is mainly from the WSF Indian Working Committee (IWC).

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Satisfaction with an “Afrocentric” Meeting

The first phase of the World Social Forum (WSF), which ended Monday in the Malian capital of Bamako, created a focus on "Afrocentric" issues that was missing in previous forums, said coordinator Mamadou Goita.

POLITICS-AFRICA: AU Summit Faces a Host of Crises

The annual summit of the African Union (AU) begins in Sudan’s dusty capital of Khartoum, Monday, amidst a political crisis in the Ivory Coast, famine in East Africa and conflict in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Tackle Corruption, Cancel Debt

Mali, one of the international community’s poorest nations and host of the World Social Forum (WSF), presents the picture of a country that has been overburdened by debt. Government spends much of its budget repaying what is owed to international creditors – at the expense of development.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Let the Debates Begin

The Malian capital of Bamako opened its doors to the World Social Forum (WSF) Thursday with a passionate call for justice in all walks of life. The historic event – which marks the first instance in which a global forum is being held in Africa – has attracted some 10,000 representatives from civil society organisations and social movements around the world.