The Working Group on Gender Justice in Africa has called on the African Union (AU) to encourage member states that are yet to ratify the protocol on the rights of women in Africa to do so. In a statement made available to PANA, the Working Group said the AU should ensure that states which have ratified the protocol domesticate it and ensure its implementation. So far, 32 states have ratified the protocol: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The authorities in Sudan must stop their crackdown on press coverage of the ongoing protests in Khartoum and allow the media to report independently without fear of retaliation, the media watchdog, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), has said. In statement it said two journalists had been detained without charge, while the whereabouts of a third are unknown, although local news accounts said the reporter may be in state custody.

From the reaction of various stakeholders, ranging from the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) to the Zambia Federation of Employers and ordinary citizens (through spoof letters stating new conditions of service for the domestic servants) who, before the new policy came into effect, could afford to employ domestic help, the minimum wage effected on 4 July 2012, is arguably one of the most controversial policies of the 10 months old Patriotic Front (PF) government, begins this article from Global Voices Online.

Kenya's High Court lifted a ban on Wednesday on a separatist group demanding the secession of the country's coastal strip and famed tourist haven, the latest twist in a dispute that has unnerved investors and raised fears of violence. The Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) was outlawed by the Kenyan government in 2010 along with 33 entities described as 'organised criminal groups', but a Mombasa-based court ruled that the ban was unconstitutional.

The Progressive Youth Movement (PYM), based in Khayelitsha and the Democratic Left Front (DLF) condemn the South African Police Services based at the Harare police station in Khayelitsha for their biased and anti-constitutional actions against PYM activists. The PYM and the DLF call for the release of Noxolo Nqingo and Sandile Fotoyi, PYM activists who were arrested on false charges of intimidation.

Providing free school uniforms to enable children to stay in school, in addition to exposing primary school students to the national HIV/AIDS prevention curriculum, appeared to have a greater effect on reducing risky sexual behaviours among youth and in particular girls in Western Kenya than either intervention alone, Dr Vandana Sharma reported at the 19th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) in Washington. The randomised trial comprised over 19,000 youths (50% female) enrolled in one of 328 primary schools from 2003 to 2006. The follow-up cross-sectional survey looking at herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) prevalence and behavioural outcomes took place between February 2009 and March 2011, six to seven years after the intervention.

The Arabic Network on Human Rights Information has denounced the continued presence of former members of Mubarak's regime in positions of power, such as universities. Ahmed Zaki Badr, former minister of education and now the president of Akhbar El-Youm Academy, arbitrarily fired six employees due to their participation in a demonstration calling for his dismissal. Mohamed Atwa, Nagla Ismail, Hossam Hosni, Yahia Zakaria and Mohamed Abdulaziz, were among those dismissed.

The mysterious collapse of honey-bee colonies is becoming a global phenomenon, scientists working for the United Nations have revealed. Declines in managed bee colonies, seen increasingly in Europe and the US in the past decade, are also now being observed in China and Japan and there are the first signs of African collapses from Egypt, according to the report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The authors, who include some of the world's leading honey-bee experts, issue a stark warning about the disappearance of bees, which are increasingly important as crop pollinators around the globe.

The revelation of gargantuan levels of corruption in the government’s fuel subsidy programme is sparking a groundswell of activity among the opposition and civil society groups. Opposition politicians, civic activists and trade unionists are joining forces this month to demand action against grand corruption at the heart of government. They promise it will be their biggest show of strength on Nigeria’s streets since protests in January that forced the government to back down on its plans to abolish the fuel subsidy scheme.

An activist serving life imprisonment with hard labour for printing and distributing T-shirts calling for an end to dictatorship in The Gambia must be freed, global rights body, Amnesty International (AI), has said. The global rights body made the call as it marked its annual Day of Action, calling for improved human rights in the West African country.

From 12-14 July, the International Detention Coalition hosted the first Africa Regional Immigration Detention Workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa. 18 organizations from 10 countries participated, including representatives from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa and Senegal. Over the three days, participants had the opportunity to share detention related skills, experiences, challenges and opportunities, thereby building relationships, learning from each other and engaging on thematic issues including legal framework for detention, monitoring places of detention, working with vulnerable people in detention, self care and advocacy techniques.

Global funding for humanitarian aid interventions saw the biggest shortfalls in 10 years in 2011, according to a new report, raising questions about the international community’s ability to meet a 20-per cent greater need for 2012 driven by drought and conflict. The launch of the 2012 Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) report last week coincided with the release of new mid-year data by the UN that scaled up earlier projections of humanitarian needs from 7.9 billion to 8.8 billion dollars for 2012.

The current political instability in Bamako and the insecurity in northern Mali continue to trigger important influxes of refugees into the neighboring countries of Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger, says UNHCR. Altogether, the crisis has now displaced over 400,000 Malians.

The head of the US war crimes office has warned Rwanda's leaders, including President Paul Kagame, that they could face prosecution at the international criminal court for arming groups responsible for atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Stephen Rapp, who leads the US Office of Global Criminal Justice, told the Guardian the Rwandan leadership may be open to charges of 'aiding and abetting' crimes against humanity in a neighbouring country.

Over the years, the ambiguous nature of the Zimbabwe prostitution law has subjected women to arbitrary arrests and detention if found walking at night in the streets of Harare. Those accused of loitering have to pay a maximum fine of 16.50 euros. Led by prominent activists – including renowned writer and politician Tsitsi Dangarembga, herself a victim of the arrests – over one hundred women rallied at the Africa Unity Square in Harare to express their anger at the ongoing injustice.

Can shopping save the world? The Story of Change urges viewers to put down their credit cards and start exercising their citizen muscles to build a more sustainable, just and fulfilling world.

Arbitrary arrests, kidnappings and torture by armed groups and government forces since the end of Côte d’Ivoire’s bloody 2010-2011 post-election unrest are stifling national reconciliation and causing fear and mistrust among civilians. A local human rights group estimates that around 200 supporters of ousted president Laurent Gbagbo have been detained, mostly in northern Côte d’Ivoire. In the western and central towns of Daloa and Issia, several civilians have been arrested and mistreated.

Madagascar’s army said Sunday 22 July it had put down a mutiny in a military camp Sunday, after clashes in which at least three people were killed. 'Mopping up operations are continuing,' said Rarasoa Ralailomady, the army's chief spokesman. 'A night operation has not been ruled out but the situation is under control.' The army also announced that they had neutralized the mutiny leader nicknamed 'Koto Mainty' aka Black Caporal.

The European Union is to suspend most sanctions against Zimbabwe once it has held a credible referendum on a new constitution, EU foreign ministers say. More than a 100 key individuals have been covered under an EU travel ban and assets freeze imposed in 2002. The sanctions were originally imposed a decade ago in response to human rights abuses and political violence. But sanctions would remain against President Robert Mugabe, AFP news agency quotes EU diplomats as saying.

The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI), Bert Koenders, has strongly condemned the attack carried out by some 300 individuals against a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Cote d'Ivoire, which resulted in seven deaths and injuries to 13 people.