In Southern Sudan, preliminary referendum results point to 99 per cent of those polled voting to split from the North. Panos has spoken to voters in the Warrap and West Bahr al Ghazal states about their hopes for the future. Ariac Kuot Akuei, 64, waited in line for nine hours to cast her vote for separation after walking four kilometres to her polling station at Kuajoc Secondary School, in Warrap state.

The 'deafening' silence by the South African government on issues relating to homosexuality on international platforms has been highly condemned by gay rights groups at a rally spearheaded by the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP) outside offices of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in Pretoria on 01 February 2011. Over 150 people attended the march which called for DIRCO and government as a whole to uphold and promote the South African Constitution and urge African Union member states to fight discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.

Experts warn an influx [of returnees] is expected to cause dire shortages of food, water, health care and sanitation in Southern Sudan. The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Mr. Georg Charpentier says even when the referendum results are announced, the number of returnees could keep increasing.

With the world’s population slated to top the milestone seven billion mark by late 2011, the new head of the United Nations agency that helps countries use population data for policies to reduce poverty pledged today to focus on the largest global youth generation ever. 'Investing in youth, their reproductive health and gender equality can help put countries on a path to accelerated economic growth and equitable development,' UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin said in his first address to the UN Development Programme (UNDP)/UNFPA Executive Board.

We, civil society organizations from across the world, strongly urge all governments, as well as regional and international organizations, to clearly and unequivocally denounce the ongoing violent crackdown against the public protests and demands for democratic reform and government accountability that have been occurring across Egypt since the 25th of January.

During the course the participants are familiarised with contemporary theories of conflict and conflict resolution, acquainted with a range of relevant information on conflict on the Internet and introduced to practical issues and debates within the field. They are brought together in a 'learning community' with people with a professional interest in conflict. The subjects for each of the course weeks are: Introduction to Conflict Resolution, Conflict Analysis and Conflict Prevention. The students participate through online debates, assignments and exercises and are coached intensively online. Information about the content, fees, planning and approach to the conflicts can be found in the demos course: If you are interested in participating in the courses or if you have additional questions regarding course content and fees, please contact us at [email][email protected] Information about the Network University or its partner Modus Operandi can be found on our respective websites www.modop.org

In this week's edition of the Emerging Powers News Round-Up, read a comprehensive list of news stories and opinion pieces related to China, India and other emerging powers.

Much has been aflutter on twitter about the very visible presence of women among the protests that have taken Egypt by storm over the last few weeks, but images of them have remained sparse amid the digital slideshows strung together by major media outlets, portraying mainly dense crowds of the manly. Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights activist Ghada Shahbandar claims the crowd in downtown Cairo is up to 20 per cent female. Others have put the number much higher, at 50 per cent.

Two violent attacks by police on news photographers in Pretoria and Bloemfontein are to be taken up by the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD). The investigation comes as editor and journalist groups condemned the attacks and demanded that the policemen responsible be criminally investigated and prosecuted.

The Congo government's ban on trade in conflict minerals has met with little success as trade in North Kivu remains dominated by a mafia network that connect the mines to international markets, a report by the Enough Project said on Tuesday. Many armed groups have benefited from Congo's protracted violence and don't like the possibility of a shrinking market for their minerals, Research Director David Sullivan said in a statement. 'So it should come as no surprise that some of the fastest-moving efforts to trace and audit mineral supply chains are actually being driven by many of the same commercial actors and regional governments that have been indiscriminately purchasing Congolese minerals for years, as documented by UN investigators,' he said.

As most Libyans are still are too afraid of secret government agents to express their ample discontent, three of Muammar al-Ghaddafi's sons are preparing for a possible popular uprising. One is a reformist; two are hardliners. Tunisia is Libya's main western neighbour; Egypt its main eastern neighbour.

Delays in drug registration by the country's Medicines Control Council (MCC), contribute to depriving South African HIV patients of important fixed dose combination antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. But there are indications that the effects of the delays are being felt even farther afield. In December 2010, South Africa announced a new, two-year tender for ARVs which halved drug costs for the national HIV treatment programme; The tender however failed to include many fixed dose ARV combinations, which although approved by bodies like the World Health Organisation are not yet registered by the MCC for use in South Africa.

The government has announced that laws requiring foreign mining companies to sell a majority of their shares to locals will be gazetted by the end of February. In a statement published in the state-run Herald newspaper on Wednesday, the Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere, said consultations were at an ‘advanced stage’ and new regulations would be gazetted no later than the end of February. A controversial Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act, requiring all businesses to give 51 per cent of their shares to locals was signed into law in 2008, but the government has not yet acted on it.

Do you want to change the world? Are you a woman working in tech, or working for a cause in which Google Maps could help tell your story? Or perhaps you’re just interested in Google Map Maker and mapping your world, as well as interacting with other like minded women? Then join us at iHub on 12 February 2011 for a Mapping Party using Google Map Maker.

Survival International has reported that: 'In a momentous decision, Botswana’s Court of Appeal today quashed a ruling that denied the Kalahari Bushmen access to water on their ancestral lands...Celebrating after the decision, a Bushman spokesman said, "We are very happy that our rights have finally been recognised. Like any human beings, we need water to live."' Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow says, 'This is a major win, it’s the first test case of our right to water resolution at the United Nations.'

Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) has issued a statement showing how solidarity groups can help following the murder of David Kato on 26 January 2011. Kato was an advocacy officer and a longtime leading activist for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights.??

The Commission of the African Union invites applications from University lecturers, who intend to undertake postgraduate studies at the PhD level in any reputable Indian University. The applicant must possess a Masters degree with at least 3 years post-graduation experience, and not above be 45 years of age.

From the grassroots to the global, communities and movements are imagining and creating a world where people and planet come before profit, and democracy trumps corporate power. 6 Billion Ways is a day that explores this resistance through discussion, ideas, action and the arts. With speakers and practical workshops for all ages, debates, films, music and art, 6 Billion Ways is your chance to inspire and be inspired, and to make connections with others who want to challenge injustice and inequality, both in the UK and globally.

Fahamu events at 6 Billion Ways include:

- Africa: Empire and Resistance

Africa is still portrayed as a hopeless, famine-struck continent in need of rescue. In this session, leading thinkers will paint a more positive picture, and assess the hopes and prospects for African resistance in the twenty-first century.

Speakers

Samir Amin, Third World Forum, Senegal
Firoze Manji, Fahamu network for social justice
Patrick Bond, Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal

- Film: Tin Town

Promised housing by the South African government, more than a hundred Cape Town families found community through their struggle as squatters on a sandy road known as Symphony Way. Recently moved by court order to an indefinitely temporary relocation area dubbed ‘Tin Town’ or ‘Blikkiesdorp’ in Afrikaans, community members reflect on that road in their past and on the road ahead.

This is a short film followed by a discussion with Firoze Manji, Editor-in-chief at Pambazuka News.

The book 'No Land! No House! No Vote! Voices from Symphony Way' will also be launched at the screening.

On 26-28 June 2009, Oxford Transitional Justice Research (OTJR) hosted the international conference, 'Taking Stock of Transitional Justice'. 170 delegates from 36 countries took part in the event, which was held in the Social Sciences Building at the University of Oxford. Featuring 75 presentations by established experts and new thinkers who challenge accepted positions, the conference provided the basis for re-orienting the study and practice of transitional justice. Bringing together speakers and participants from a wide range of geographical areas, with a focus on transitional justice-affected countries, the conference provided a means to foster dialogue and establish long-term working relationships. The podcasts for this event, which include a series on Sudan, are now available from the website provided.

With nearly one in three South Africans expected to receive state assistance in the form of welfare benefits during the 2011/12 financial year, commentators are wondering how the country can afford to keep providing an ever expanding social safety net. According to the latest South Africa Survey, released on 1 February by independent think-tank the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR), the number of social grant beneficiaries has increased by more than 300 percent in the past nine years, while the number of registered individual taxpayers has grown at a much slower rate.