We, members of Vondrona Miralenta ho an'ny Fampandrosoana (VMLF), association working to promote women's increased political participation in Madagascar, are outraged and grieving because our sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and friends had been slaughtered.

The number of women contesting council seats in Selebi-Phikwe is disappointing despite efforts to sensitise and encourage them to occupy positions of authority.

5 WOZA members have been detained at Harare Central while 9 are being treated for injuries, after being severely beaten by police on Wednesday. The group were waiting to present a petition to David Coltart, the new Education Minister, when they were set upon by riot police. WOZA leader Jennie Williams said the pressure group had an official appointment to meet Coltart and had been gathering peacefully waiting for him.

Faced with enormous debt, poverty, political instability and ongoing violence, Haiti is struggling on multiple fronts. Women, though, are continuing the legacy of resistance and reform that has characterized the country since its founding more than 100 years ago.

Kristin Palitza interviews NOKUTHULA MAGUDULELA, executive director, Agenda Feminist Media

Asha Abdul*, a single mother of five, can put up with the rubbish and appalling roads connecting the modern shopping malls in Eastleigh, a suburb east of Nairobi's central business district, as long as she is not questioned about her status in Kenya.

The Sudanese people began voting Sunday in an election that will decide whether President Omar al-Bashir wins another term despite his indictment on charges he committed international war crimes in Darfur.