There are as many as 100,000 visually impaired people in Cameroon, but just one government school for the visually impaired. Most blind students struggle to afford their education. And girls with visual disabilities face special challenges around education and sexual health, Global Press Institute reports.

The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI), which represents 20 families whose relatives were killed by the police on 16 August 2012 at Marikana, have engaged the services of Professor John Dugard SC, one of the world’s leading international lawyers, to consider whether police action in Marikana on 16 August 2012 met international legal standards. Osmond Mngomezulu, attorney for the families of 20 people who were killed by police fire on 16 August, said 'The evidence emerging from the Inquiry is consistent with a picture of sustained police brutality on 16 August. Professor Dugard’s wealth of experience – both in international and human rights law – will assist us in subjecting police conduct to the most searching examination.'

The Pan African Parliament (PAP), now in its third five-year term in Midrand near Johannesburg, is urging the continent's leaders to start taking it seriously by giving it the powers to do the real work of legislation and oversight that it was created to do. The continental institution, created as part of the African Rennaisance vision, has been little more than a talk shop since its inception in 2004.

Ghana’s former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, was on Saturday endorsed as the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Party (NDP) as she continued pushing her ambition to lead the West African state where she was first lady for 19 years. Her breakaway party, formed in May following her humiliating defeat by the late President John Evans Atta Mills at the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) primaries last year, endorsed her by popular acclamation at its maiden national delegates’ congress Kumasi, central Ghana.

Loud explosions and gunfire have rocked Nigeria's northern city of Maiduguri, which has seen growing violence by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram. Details are unclear, but reports said at least 10 people had been killed, including several soldiers. A primary school and a radio tower were reportedly set ablaze.

Developed by the GBV Prevention Network in collaboration with over 100 Network members, 'In Her Shoes' is an interactive, educational tool that raises awareness about the day-to-day reality for women experiencing violence and encourages activism among service providers and community members. By 'walking in the shoes' of survivors, participants gain powerful insight into the many obstacles women face as a result of violence. Click on the URL provided to download in English or Swahili or to find out more.

Africa can ensure food security by producing wheat. New research presented in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this week shows that the continent has the potential to be self-sufficient. The demand for wheat is growing faster than for any other crop, according to statistics of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). Researchers are looking into the possibility of making Africa a major wheat producer, as the continent is the biggest wheat importer worldwide. It is expected that this year alone, Africa will spend 12 billion dollars on importing 40 million tonnes of wheat.

Joint letter requesting Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to remove arbitrary restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and association in Ethiopia.

On 9 October, the Institute for Policy Studies sent the newly appointed World Bank president Dr. Jim Kim a letter signed by 58 organizations from around the world urging him to champion financial transaction taxes (FTT) – a tiny tax on stocks, bonds, currency and other derivatives trades - as an innovative way to raise much-needed money to address climate change, health and other development priorities in poorer countries. The groups – including WWF, Greenpeace, Oxfam, AFL-CIO, World AIDS Campaign, United Methodist Church, and the Main Street Alliance – come from a broad cross-section of civil society and show a growing consensus that it's time for developed countries to get serious about meeting their promises on climate and development finance.

Previously unseen images of South Africa's black consciousness hero Steve Biko have been published by Google, 35 years after his violent death in police custody.

The material was made available by the . See

Sign a petition demanding their release in the absence of a fair and transparent trial.

It is estimated that in South Africa around 2,500 children develop cancer every year, but less than a third (700 children) are actually diagnosed and treated. 'We suspect some cases are treated, but just not reported [to the Paediatric Cancer Registry], but many go untreated because they are just never diagnosed,' says Professor Christina Stefan, head of Paediatric Oncology at Tygerberg Hospital.

President Francois Hollande looks set to make African leaders sweat at a gathering of French-speaking nations in Democratic Republic of Congo this week, when he attempts to cut murky ties with France's former colonies. Hollande has vowed to promote democracy in a continent known for flawed elections and 'sit-tight' leaders, and, unlike his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, he will travel to Africa without any company executives, something that would 'muddy the waters', one adviser said.

The International Monetary Fund has urged Eurozone leaders to act swiftly in response to the debt crisis in Greece and Spain, or risk dragging down the global economy with another financial crisis. The IMF warned that the situation was grave and could escalate into a wider downturn unless national leaders ended their disputes with a long-lasting deal. As eurozone finance ministers met in Luxembourg for crisis talks and the launch of the euro's permanent rescue fund, the IMF urged Europe and the US to promote growth to help major developing economies like China, Brazil and India.

Experts around the globe are calling for a joint effort to tackle the world's leading cause of suffering and disability - mental health disorders. Nearly 450 million people have mental health disorders and more than three-quarters live in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), eight in every 10 of those living in developing nations receive no treatment at all.

Insurgents said they shelled the main city in Sudan's oil-producing South Kordofan state near the border with South Sudan on Wednesday 10 October, the second time that week. Sudan's army has been battling SPLM-North insurgents in the state since June last year, shortly before South Sudan seceded from Sudan, but the South Kordofan capital Kadugli has been mostly isolated from the fighting.

The revolution last year brought a dramatic increase in the number of migrants heading for Italian shores after the Tunisia's security forces reduced their patrols. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded 27,000 Tunisians arrivals on Lampedusa out of a total of 60,000 - including those fleeing the Libyan war and migrants from other countries. A crackdown by Italian authorities has meant that this year, many less have successfully made the journey to the island with about 3,300 migrants from all nationalities arriving between January and June.

The Ethiopian government has announced the release of 68 Eritrean war prisoners captured earlier this year during a cross border attack. The prisoners were captured in March 2012, after Ethiopian troops launched two rounds of military assaults inside Eritrean territory.

The battle between Libya and the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the right to try Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has intensified. The ICC wants Gaddafi in The Hague but Libyans want him tried in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

International Internet giant Google is urging East African countries to reduce the costs of Internet services in the region to promote more local content being available for users. Google’s Field Access Director Kai Wulff said in Uganda that the region 'receives unlimited capacity and yet a very small portion of it is being used'. He said that this is because rates are too high and called on governments and telecom operators in the region to lower Internet prices in an effort to boost penetration, usage and create wealth.