Organisations working with indigenous peoples living in forests say the United Nations programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+) is just another way for big corporates to reap huge profits. REDD+ has been touted as a global scheme to conserve forests, enhance carbon stocks and support sustainable forest management. 'It is a system where you pour a lot of money into forests that will attract powerful international investors who will make big profits,' warned Simone Lovera, managing director of the Global Forest Coalition.

The State Council on Tuesday (29 November) adjourned till 27 December a case against the military institution to end the practice of virginity tests.The case was filed by a women who was subjected to a virginity test in military prison last March. The victim, Samira Ibrahim, was arrested by military police during a sit-in in Tahrir Square and was subject to a forced virginity test inside the military prison by unidentified military personnel.

In 2007, Robert Amakobe went public and declared that he was HIV positive. He formed the Elwesero Men’s Support Group with other men who were public about their HIV status. Theirs was probably the first men’s HIV support group in Kenya. It has become an important force in diffusing the stigma around HIV and AIDS in their community, reports Farm Radio Weekly.

Meet You At The Crossroads is a library of public images of resistance, rebellion, revolt and rebuilding occurring in cities right across the globe, often on the streets; in the public realm. You are invited to send in your images and sign up to receive a weekly public image.

Marking International Day Against Violence Against Women, Take Back the Tech! has launched an online map to document stories and experiences of women and girls who face violence online. Visit the website to find out more.

The Constitutional Court has directed a Mail & Guardian application to have a South African government report on the 2002 Zimbabwe general elections made public, back to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria for further consideration. This decision, says the blog Writing Rights, shows the fragility of legality and the rule of law should the Constitutional Court become pro-executive or pro-wealth rather than stand fearlessly on the side of the Constitution and the people’s right to know.

Just days after Asmara called for reprimand against Kenya for associating her with Somali rebel group Al-Shabaab, Kenya has filed a case before the UN Security Council's sanctions committee calling for investigations into Eritrea's alleged support to the insurgents. Kenya's UN Permanent Representative Macharia Kamau filed the case days after the Eritrean Foreign minister Osman Saleh wrote to the Council, calling for independent investigations into Kenya's accusations that it was arming the Al-Shabaab in Somalia.

Laurent Gbagbo, the former president of the Ivory Coast has left the country for The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is investigating alleged crimes committed during post-election violence, an official has said. Gbagbo will become the first former head of state to be surrendered to the ICC.

The Central African Republic and DR Congo have accused the UPDF hunting down LRA rebels in the two countries of allegedly involving in illegal extraction of timber, gold, diamond and other gems. This is contained in a report by the Brussels based International Crisis Group. The Ugandan military reacted angrily to the accusations, describing the report as a 'hogwash' writing tinged with accounts by 'racist armchair' researchers.

Several demolitions of housing near airports in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, have not only displaced hundreds of families but challenged the humanitarian response in urban emergencies. Amid criticism of the way the demolitions were carried out, humanitarian workers say relief aid for urban crises was often not pre-positioned, unlike in rural-based emergencies.

Kenyan doctors are set to go on strike from December 5, saying talks with the government over their terms of service had stalled. The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union accused the government of dragging its feet in starting negotiations. The 2,300 doctors in public hospitals issued a 19-day strike notice. They are demanding a 300 per cent salary increase and hardship allowances.

The Nigerian senate on 29 November passed a bill prohibiting same-sex marriage. Termed Same-Sex Prohibition Bill, it stipulates a 10-year jail term for offenders. Announcing the passage of the bill, Senate president David Mark said that marriage between same sexes is alien to the Nigerian tradition and against all religious morals.

Over the past week, it's been hard to find articles not looking at the DRC elections through the lens of fear and/of violence. This is in contrast to how Congolese citizen journalists have reported on the elections on their blogs, in their local papers, or on their facebook pages, says blog Africa is a Country. For reports by local journalists outside Kinshasa, read Now AfriCAN (North Kivu), Local Voices (Bunyakiri, South Kivu), Mutaani FM (also in Kivu), Radio Okapi (MONUSCO’s website and radio channel) and Le Congo.

Early morning on day one of the first peasant-organised international conference to stop land grabbing held in Nyéléni, Mali, delegates from more than 30 countries took their seats for the opening ceremony. Delegates strategized late into the nights, resolving to make land rights a reality. On the final day, both exhausted and energized, they read the fruition of their work - the Final Declaration to Stop Land Grabbing.

'Women in this second wave of the revolution are participating more, although it is more violent, they are challenging the protective circles that are built around them by the patriarchal society...On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women we are asking for your support to the Egyptian revolution, in its second wave, to move into a peaceful stage and continue our role in building our country and continue playing our role.'

'We, women and men peasants, pastoralists, indigenous peoples and their allies, who gathered together in Nyeleni from 17-19 November 2011, have come from across the world for the first time to share with each other our experiences and struggles against land-grabbing. One year ago we supported the Kolongo Appeal from peasant organizations in Mali, who have taken the lead in organising local resistance to the take-over of peasants' lands in Africa. Now we came to Nyeleni in response to the Dakar Appeal, which calls for a global alliance against land-grabbing. For we are determined to defend food sovereignty, the commons and the rights of small scale food providers to natural resources.'

A refugee from Eritrea has obtained an urgent North Gauteng High Court order to force Home Affairs to supply him with application forms and to immediately process his application for travel documents so that he can attend a peace conference in Djibouti next month. Tsehaye Yoel Alem applied for a court order with the help of Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) after being told Home Affairs no longer issued refugee travel documents as the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees no longer provided such documents. He said there was no certainty as to what Home Affairs was doing to reinstate the issuing of refugee travel documents and it in effect meant it was almost impossible for refugees like himself to travel outside SA.

A meeting organised by an African gay lobby group ahead of an AIDS conference in Ethiopia has sparked a rare spat between the government and religious groups. Religious leaders demand the cancellation of the gathering scheduled for Saturday, organised by African Men for Sexual Health and Rights, saying it would violate the country's conservative culture. State officials, however, are unwilling to budge having lobbied hard to win hosting rights for the influential 16th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa due to start a day later.

The Burundi Security Council has recommended that the president impose sanctions against media and civil society groups who made comments over September’s massacre in a Gatumban bar that claimed the lives of more than 39 people. 'We recommend the empowered authorities take remedial measures or sanctions against the media and civil society groups who violated the law,' said Major General Pontien Gaciyubwenge, the Burundian minister of defence.

Although there has been considerable progress towards reducing maternal and infant mortality, millions of women and children in Africa are still in need of better health services, food and sanitation. Some 250,000 mothers are estimated to die in Africa every year, leaving behind infants with reduced chances of making it beyond five years of age. Statistics by Save the Children, an international non-government organisation, reveal that African countries claim nine out of ten bottom places in a worldwide maternal health ranking that involves 164 countries.