The 11th Regional Conference on Latin American and Caribbean Women closes Friday with the approval of the "Brasilia Consensus," which highlights top challenges of women.

For four days, about 800 women from 33 countries and representatives of 100 NGOs worldwide met in the Brazilian capital to talk about diverse gender issues and the need for a new social pact allowing for gender equity in labor.

Cuba was elected Tuesday in Brazil one of th vice presidents of the 11th session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean that will analyze the situation of women and genre equality.

A record 508 candidates will be contesting the 50 seats in the Solomon Islands parliament in next month's national election, according to figures released by the country's electoral commission.

The Solomon Islands Electoral Commission is yet to confirm the number of women to contest the election but media reports say there are 25 female candidates.

In the coming October 3 presidential election, two of the three frontrunners are women. Dilma Rousseff (PT) has 35% of voter intentions in the polls and Marina Silva (PV) has around 7%. Former São Paulo governor José Serra (PSDB) is the man in this political triangle and he also has 35%.

A representative of the 50/50 group in Kono district has revealed that rape is currently on the increase in the area.

It's Friday night, and in a "favela" (shanty town) in this Brazilian city, a group of men relax with a beer after a hard week, while a song can be heard above the rowdy chatter.

Alice Mabota, president of Mozambique's Human Rights League, received in Maputo on Monday the 2010 International Women of Courage Award granted by the United States State Department in recognition of her commitment in promoting women human, economic, legal and civic rights.

Women often bear the brunt of poverty and human rights abuses; but as activists they use these roles to trigger positive social change. To mark World Human Rights Day, Amnesty International spoke to three women who put their lives on the line in defence of human rights.

United Kingdom Justice Minister, Crispin Blunt, has announced that the British government plans to bring forward legislation that would grant anonymity to those accused of rape until they are charged. The government intends on bringing the legislation forward "as soon as possible," bypassing formal consultation, according to the Telegraph.

Civilians in eastern Congo are facing an increased risk of rape and forced labor as a result of internationally backed military operations against rebel groups, according to new research released today by aid agency Oxfam.