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/ 6 September 2004

Kenyan women seek access to land

A campaign to set up a women’s land movement has kicked off in Kenya, at a time when the East African country has embarked on a controversial land-reform debate. Campaigners argue that such a movement would ensure women speak with a unified voice. It would also incorporate their concerns in the on-going land debate.

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/ 6 September 2004

Fictitious facts, real issues

The logo of the Pretoria University-based Centre for Human Rights shows a butterfly in full flight with a colourful map of Africa as its wings. The logo could not have been more apt for the centre which leads the campaign to train young lawyers in human rights jurisprudence. This year it hosts a moot court competition. More than just a good training ground — it gives Africa a chance to reflect on itself.

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/ 6 September 2004

China’s agricultural surplus disappears

China’s leaders have raised the alarm about their country’s ability to feed itself as rapid development sucks land, water and people from the food-producing countryside into increasingly large and hungry cities. After a steady fall in grain harvests, the world’s most populous nation recently became a net importer of food for the first time in its history, driving up international prices of wheat, rice and soya.

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/ 6 September 2004

Public-sector strike looms

The possibility of a public sector strike loomed on Monday as both the government and trade unions refused to move on pay negotiations. With weeks to go before the matric exams, teachers and other public sector employees including police and nurses, threatened to go on strike if their salary demands were not met by Thursday.