This journal published by AGenda, creates a space for discourse between generations. Feminists and activists of the 'older generation', the stalwarts of the women's rights movements, investigate the successes as well as the short-comings of the last two decades.

Hailing from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Eritrea, South Africa and other countries, the area's African-born population is diverse within itself. Its growth in recent years, which is expected to continue, could change the face of the traditional black community here as it has in some other parts of the country.

This paper from UNHCR is a compilation of questions and answers regarding Internally Displaced Persons. For decades they were largely ignored and forgotten, but together they probably comprise the world's largest group of vulnerable people.

In a packed plenary room of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome this week, the BBC’s World Service Trust organised a world debate, hosted by BBC World star moderator Stephen Sackur. The “Is a Free Media Essential for Development?” question was asked to a panel of five people from all continents, as a contribution to the first World Congress on Communication for Development (WCCD) that spans from October 25 to 27.

The Individual Registration Form is now available on the website. Download it, fill it in, and return the form to the WSF 2007 Secretariat. A few days after you have registered, you will receive a CODE that you need to make the payment for your individual registration; then visit the event website (www.wsf2007.org) to make the payment online.

On more than one occasion over recent months I’ve heard or read something actually defending inequality. After a lifetime of hearing about the idea of “liberty, equality and fraternity”, I was hearing educated people saying inequality is what keeps the system going - a motive force propelling our society to ever new heights.

In this week's podcast in our series on trade justice, Pambazuka News talks to Etienne Vlok from the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union about the impacts of World Trade Organisation regulations that have meant massive job losses for the poorest.

White African reviews five blogs from Uganda. "I don’t know any of these bloggers, but found them all compelling reads in their own way."

I am writing in response to the letter from Margaret Kathemba (2006-10-17). She asks the question what does the MDC have to do with the current situation in Zimbabwe. Does she not know that the United States and Britain have implemented sanctions against the country at the invitation of the MDC? These sanctions have much to do with the current situation in Zimbabwe. How can the MDC be a champion of the people if it makes invitations to the West to hurt the people? ZANU-PF is the liberator of the people and understands that the struggle continues. And it appears that the MDC has volunteered to be the puppet of the West. How do members of that organization sleep at night? Shame on MDC. SHAME!

Leeds is host to thousands of African people who have been forced to flee war, persecution and poverty in their mother continent and come to Britain in search of refuge and a better life. Yet most are living in day to day destitution, fear of arbitrary detention and brutal deportations.

Tropical forests' ability to store carbon dioxide and mitigate climate change makes them more valuable than alternative uses like pasture or lumber, and rich countries ought to pay tropical countries to preserve their forests, the World Bank says. However, some environmentalists caution that while reducing deforestation is vital, a so-called carbon trading system is the wrong approach and too complicated to implement.

The UNITWIN directory, now in its fifth edition, is now available online. It is an important networking tool for one of UNESCO’s major education networks. UNITWIN is the abbreviation for the UNIVERSITY TWINNING and networking scheme.

Following historical general elections in Sweden in the last week of September that brought the centre-right "Alliance for Sweden" to power, the new Prime Minister, Mr Fredrik Reinfeldt, announced his Cabinet on Friday, October 6, a day after he was elected by Parliament.

The Centre for Democracy & Development, a West African NGO with headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria is searching for a coordinator for its international office based in London. Job title: Coordinator (International Office) P/T (3 days a week) Scale and Salary: Negotiable

The model of trade liberalisation, deregulation of capital and erosion of labour standards has not translated into an improved standard of living for the people nor has it eliminated poverty, rather it has led to the weakening of public policies, particularly social policies. We think that these negotiations are framed in and deepen the same model.

This column has raised the issue of corporal punishment in schools previously. It has queried the lack of implementation of the existing policy, and the absence of additional policies to protect children in schools against caning and other forms of beatings. It has presented avenues for teachers to learn about alternatives to corporal punishment in schools.

Swaziland's decade-long economic malaise took a sharp downward turn with the central bank's disclosure this week that growth had slowed to its lowest level in 40 years. The Central Bank of Swaziland's governor, Martin Dlamini, said in a candid admission, "This year's unimpressive economic growth implies a deterioration of the standard of living as measured by per capita income," in the bank's annual report to the government, covering the period March 2005 to February 2006.

In a poor section of Bamako, Melé (Aïssa Maïga), a beautiful bar singer, and her husband Chaka (Tiécoura Traoré), who is out of work, are having marriage difficulties. In the courtyard of the house they share with a number of families (in reality, the director's late father's house), a court has been set up. On trial are the international financial institutions, the World Bank and the IMF, who are facing proceedings brought against them by African civil society for their disastrous policies on Africa, which have brought most African countries into extreme financial and economic penury. African countries spend almost £10 billion annually on debt service, at the expense of public social services such as health and education.

Madonna said Tuesday (17 October) she had acted according to the law in taking custody of a 1-year-old Malawian boy, responding for the first time to the fierce debate about the legality and morality of the planned adoption. The pop star's statement came after she was united with David Banda at her London mansion.

The 6th edition of the World Social Forum will bring together activists, social movements, networks, coalitions and other progressive forces from Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, Europe and all corners of the African continent. They will converge in Nairobi, Kenya, for five days of cultural resistance and celebration; panels, workshops, symposia, processions, film nights and much, much more; beginning on the 20th of January and wrapping up on the 25th of January 2007.