ZIMBABWE: Constitution in the Limelight
Harare - A new play, Waiting for Constitution has generated great interest among politicians and civil society groups anxious to get consultations over drafting a new constitution under way.

ZIMBABWE: Informal Sector Lures University Graduates
Bulawayo - From the rickety old buses that miraculously make long cross-border journeys to the frustrating red tape at the border post, from fending off sexual advances from bus crews and customs officials to losing goods worth thousands of dollars, 28-year-old Irene Moyo has seen it all.

MALAWI: Catapults Against Cholera
Lilongwe - By this time last year, Mkanda had recorded 14 cholera cases as rainy season descended on central Malawi. This year, there has not been a single report of cholera.

EGYPT: Families Uprooted as Sphinxes Revive
Luxor - Hajj Khodari lifts a defiant fist at the demolition machinery now just meters away from his front door.

MAURITIUS: Plea for More Female Candidates
Port-louis - Sandhya Boygah considers herself a victim of male-dominated politics. In 2007, she was asked by her party, the ruling Labour Party, to step aside and allow a man to stand for the elected post she sought.

SOUTH AFRICA: Women Traders Demand Support
Johannesburg - Support for regional trade is one of the cornerstones of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). But the focus has been on large scale trade in goods and services, ignoring one important group trading throughout the region.

MIDEAST: Opposition Grows Against Egypt-Gaza Barrier
Cairo - Activists and opposition groups are stepping up pressure on the Egyptian government to stop constructing a barrier along the border with the Gaza Strip. Officials say the barrier will prevent cross-border smuggling, but critics say it will seal the fate of the people on the Gaza Strip.

AFRICA: "Women's Decade": Greater Attention to Implementation
Addis Ababa - Fears that the impact of the global economic meltdown would affect funding to various development areas have been rife. Already, several governments have cut their budgets for HIV and AIDS and bilateral and multilateral funding partners have done likewise.

ENERGY-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Small Is Beautiful, Say Independent Power Producers
Windhoek - Independent power producers argue that small hydroelectric plants have a key role to play in avoiding an energy shortfall in the Southern African region.

COTE D'IVOIRE: Crisis Within a Crisis Delays Elections Again
Abidjan - A week after President Laurent Gbagbo dissolved the government and the electoral commission, thousands marched in the city of Bouaké, damaging cars and shops. There have been almost daily demonstrations in cities across the country as Côte d'Ivoire's political crisis deepens.

EUROPE: Fight Female Mutilation Harder Activists Urge EU
Vienna - With hundreds of thousands of girls and women believed to be at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Europe, rights groups have mounted a campaign to get EU leaders to stop what they see as a barbaric and dangerous procedure.

MALAWI: Free Education at What Price
Lilongwe - He fishes by night and sells his catch by day. He's the breadwinner for his family of six. Maliko Malombe is nine years old.

SWAZILAND: Dating in a Time of HIV
Mbabane - Jabulile Dlamini* is sweet sixteen and has never been kissed. And she is not expecting to be kissed any time soon or to even receive any gifts this Valentine’s Day.

ZIMBABWE: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Arrears?
Bulawayo - Faced with nearly six billion dollars of external debt, Zimbabwe's national unity government is considering applying for Highly Indebted Poor Country status.

ETHIOPIA: Dam Critics Won't Go Away
Addis Ababa - Ethiopia is building a 240-metre high dam on the Omo River that is intended to end the country's electricity shortage and supply power to neighbouring countries. Not everyone's happy.

UGANDA: Early Diagnosis of HIV Still Elusive
Kampala - HIV-positive Justine Kirumira* torn between doing what is right for her daughters She suspects that her eight and 12-year-old daughters may also have the virus. But she may never know the truth of their status because she refuses have them tested.

Nigeria: No Oil Company Will Know Peace in the Creeks
Yenagoa - Three flow stations in the oil-rich Niger Delta have had to be closed after a pipeline was sabotaged, according to Royal Dutch Shell.

SIERRA LEONE: World Social Forum Goals unsustained
Freetown - The World Social Forum held in Nairobi in 2007 inspired Sierra Leonean activists to organise themselves to demand things like housing, health care and greater accountability from their government. That inspiration was not sustained.

UGANDA: Fugitives in Their Own Country
Kampala - Every morning Pepe Julian Onziema wakes up not knowing if she will live to see another rising sun. Onziema is transgender and she lives in fear for her life because of a national campaign against gay people.

KENYA: Documenting Sexual Violence
Nairobi - The testimonies of women who survived sexual violence during post-election conflict in 2008 should be heard, say advocates. The magnitude of the crimes committed against women because of their gender must be recorded and prosecuted to prevent such violence from occurring again.

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