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UNCONFIRMED REPORTS REACHED US AT PAMBAZUKA NEWS AS WE GO TO PRESS THAT TOGO HAS BECOME THE 15TH AFRICAN COUNTRY TO RATIFY THE PROTOCOL ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN.

This means that the Protocol will enter into force thirty (30) days after the date of deposit by Togo. Congratulations are due to all the many organisations that have been involved in the campaign. This is a major victory for the women's movement in Africa. Is this the fastest ratification of such an instrument? Standby for further updates.

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EDITORIAL: Patrick Bond on the great robbery of Africa’s wealth
COMMENT&ANALYSIS: Economist Sanjay Reddy asks whose interests the World Development Report actually serves
- Human rights lawyer Yav Katshung Joseph joins the discussion about the DRC with an exploration of security and resource issues that block peace in the region
- An official response from UNHCR to last week’s editorial – “Sudanese Refugees In Cairo: We'll Wait Here, We’ll Die Here”
- The Protocol on the Rights of Women and legal strategies for implementation
LETTERS: Policing Africa and an appeal for IDPs
PAN-AFRICAN POSTCARD: Agrarian revolution - a serious proposition or a vote-catching gimmick?
BLOGGING AFRICA: No holes barred and the Musings of a Naija Man
BOOKS&ARTS: Pambazuka News reviews ‘A Tragedy of Lives: Women in Prison in Zimbabwe’
GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION AGAINST POVERTY: Farewell Chinwuba, Justice and John - "Blow in the winds, glow in the darkest room and in all our hearts" - Tributes to the campaigners who lost their lives in the recent plane crash in Nigeria.
CONFLICTS&EMERGENCIES: Darfur: Continual Targeting and Attacks on Villages and IDPs
HUMAN RIGHTS: The MDGs and human rights
REFUGEES: Spain/Morocco: The authorities must be held accountable for the violation of migrants' rights
ELECTIONS: Tanzania awaits elections; Liberia heads for run-off, Zim’s MDC in turmoil
WOMEN&GENDER: Benin becomes 14th country to ratify Protocol – one more to go…
DEVELOPMENT: Does anyone remember Make Poverty History?
CORRUPTION: International donor agencies and corruption
HEALTH&HIV/AIDS: Stephen Lewis slates Live 8/rich country aid
EDUCATION: Education of nomadic peoples of East Africa
MEDIA&FREEDOM OF EXPRESION: Tunisia: Government urged to heed demands of “18 October Movement” hunger strikers
INTERNET&TECHNOLOGY: Will Blogs change development thinking?
JOBS: Pambazuka News: Correspondant régional pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest/ West Africa Correspondent