"Development is not going to happen without women", says the regional director for Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands of the UN's recently created Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, Nomcebo Manzini

African Union forces argue that they could soon control all of Mogadishu, but Islamic militants Al Shabaab may just be regrouping 




The Raïs, the Sphinx and 
the maverick President Kabila heads into tense elections facing two opposition leaders who could provide a ­formidable challenge should they join forces

Diplomatic reconciliations are also characterised by warm human relations. A lesson learned by Condoleezza Rice, in 2008, during an official visit to Libya. The former U.S. Secretary of State talks about her unusual meeting with Muammar Gaddafi in her memoirs.

When you pour a packet of South African-made sugar into your morning coffee, you can feel good about the fact that the workers who milled, refined, packed, and shipped it are paid relatively decent wages, enjoy basic benefits, and are protected against severe exploitation.

As the cry goes out for "Economic freedom in our lifetime", it is crucially important we share a common understanding of the idea. This is not an easy task. Commentators across the ideological spectrum claim the term as their own, or attribute different meanings to the words.