CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and Fahamu have launched a petition calling on African Union Heads of State to release all incarcerated journalists and repeal all anti freedom of expression legislation. The petition is to be presented at the African Union meeting of Heads of State in Maputo in July and is addressed to President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the current Chair of the AU. Click on the link below to read the full letter and join the petition.

CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and Fahamu have launched a petition calling on African Union Heads of State to release all incarcerated journalists and repeal all anti freedom of expression legislation. The petition is to be presented at the African Union meeting of Heads of State in Maputo in July and is addressed to President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the current Chair of the AU. Click on the link below to read the full letter and join the petition.

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) says it has been informed by the Sudanese Organisation Against Torture (SOAT) of the sentencing to 30 lashes of the whip of a 15 year-old girl in Nyala, Western Darfour, in Sudan. The OMCT is calling for letters to be sent to Sudanese authorities protesting the sentence.

The importance of registering a child's birth formed the central theme of Monday's Day of the African Child commemorations throughout Southern Africa. The campaign, which is being led by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and regional governments, hopes to give almost 17 million unregistered sub-Saharan children access to the rights they would automatically qualify for, just by being registered.

Gymfoe was trafficked in Ghana when she was 12: "The woman told my mother I'd go to school, I was so happy. But that's not what happened." In reality she was forced to work long hours in harsh conditions. She received no money and was denied her rights to school and rest. The International Labour Organisation (ILO ) the UN body which regulates the world of work, has adopted 12 June as World Day Against Child Labour. This year the focus was on child trafficking, and the damage it can do to children, families, communities and ultimately whole countries.

CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and Fahamu have launched a petition calling on African Union Heads of State to release all incarcerated journalists and repeal all anti freedom of expression legislation. The petition is to be presented at the African Union meeting of Heads of State in Maputo in July and is addressed to President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the current Chair of the AU. Click on the link below to read the full letter and join the petition.

CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and Fahamu have launched a petition calling on African Union Heads of State to release all incarcerated journalists and repeal all anti freedom of expression legislation. The petition is to be presented at the African Union meeting of Heads of State in Maputo in July and is addressed to President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the current Chair of the AU. Click on the link below to read the full letter and join the petition.

A measles vaccination and vitamin A campaign, targeting more than five million children aged between six months and 15 years, was launched on Friday by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the health ministry. "This campaign is part of our joint efforts to fight the major childhood killer diseases in Ethiopia," said Dr Mahendra Sheth, the head of UNICEF Ethiopia's health and nutrition section.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has issued a statement in solidarity with all journalists, media practitioners and human rights advocates who have been the worst victims of the campaign of repression, predation and mayhem that have institutionalised the culture of impunity as an instrument of rule since President Charles Taylor came to power in Liberia on August 2, 1997.

Five Africans die every minute as a result of HIV/AIDS. But Africa is unable to wage full-scale war on the disease because it is crippled by debts. Even with debt relief, African governments are still being forced to make repayments of over $14 billion every year. Join ACTSA's latest campaign by sending a message to Tony Blair urging him to deliver debt cancellation for Africa now.

Harald T. Nesvik, a Right-wing Norwegian Member of Parliament, has nominated U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush for the Nobel Peace Prize for their "decisive action against terrorism". Sign this petition to say you agree on rejecting Bush and Blair for Nobel Prize Nomination.

Despite the introduction of Free Primary Education (FPE), latest statistics indicate that out of the 1.9 million child labourers in Kenya, 1.3 million are completely out of school, while the rest combine work with school. These children, aged between five and 17, still prefer to stay at home or seek permanent employment rather than enrol in school.

A training video produced by WITNESS, an organisation that aims to advance human rights advocacy through the use of video and communications technology, uses footage shot by human rights activists from around the world, and illustrates various strategic ways video and communications technology can be used to further human rights advocacy. The video is accompanied by a written manual.

President Levy Mwanawasa's anti-corruption crusade has reached into the heart of his government and claimed the jobs of both his vice-president and finance minister. Mwanawasa at the weekend released an eight-page letter addressed to former vice-president Enoch Kavindele and finance minister Emmanuel Kasonde who were both sacked on Thursday. The letter for the first time publicly outlined the reasons for their dismissal, citing alleged corruption and disregard for tender and procurement procedures.

A vaccination campaign to halt the spread of yellow fever in Imotong and Ikotos, Eastern Equatoria, southern Sudan, began on Sunday, Ben Parker, the spokesman for the UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, told IRIN.

When generic medicines entered the market in Uganda, the price of patented medicines fell dramatically, reinforcing the view that an important determinant of price, and therefore accessibility of drugs to fight HIV/AIDS, is competition from generic medicines. This was one of the conclusions of Oxfam research into the accessibility of ARV therapy in Uganda since 2000.

This review from the International Labour Organisation of national HIV/AIDS and child labour policies and programmes, NGO projects, and community-based initiatives illuminates the harsh realities of the link between child labour and HIV/AIDS. The report identifies the broad range of responses, large and small, to these intersecting issues.

Dozens of Africa advocacy organisations have signed a letter to US President George Bush calling on him to reaffirm his commitment to defeating AIDS in Africa, and urging him to reschedule his postponed trip to Africa as a matter of priority. The letter applauds the President's promise to show leadership in the fight against AIDS in Africa, but emphasizes that funds must be made available immediately, this year, in order to save lives now and respond to what the President himself has rightfully called an "emergency."

Millions of Zimbabweans are starving. Thousands have been tortured. Hundreds of women have been raped. ONE man has led us into despair: the dictator, mugabe. But YOU are now being asked to join in mass action that will make sure the old man goes.

The G-8, in effect, asserts its function as a kind of world government, a role for which the world's people never asked of it. The G-8 thus illegitimately imposes its will upon the world's order. The G-8 prescribes neo-liberal policies that accelerate the concentration of wealth, attack workers' rights, jeaporadize employment, lower living conditions for the vast majority of the population, disrespect cultural differences, and harm the environment. Sign a statement against the G8 by clicking on the web link provided.