A Muslim leader yesterday opposed the Equality Bill, saying it contradicted religious teachings. The deputy director-general of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims, Mr Adan Wachu, claimed that gender equality was "not an issue" among Muslims. He insisted that even if the Bill is passed by Parliament, it should not be allowed to apply to Muslim women as "the Quran has it own way of dealing with marriage, succession, adoption, divorce and abortion."

Millions of African refugees are subjected to violence as war and civil strife ravage most of the continent. Eighty five per cent of the refugees are women and children, writes CALEB ATEMI.

We call your attention to President Bush's new "Global Gag Rule" that will disqualify non-governmental organizations from receiving family planning funding if they provide counselling on abortion, provide safe legal abortion services, except in very narrow circumstances, or participate in political debates surrounding abortion. The result of the "Gag Rule" will be more unintended pregnancies, more unsafe abortions, and more women's deaths.

Nearly three-fourths of women have not yet pressed the "Power" button to get them into the new economy even as the Internet has emerged as the "IN" place to conduct business and to to get competitive information. This piece by Rosemary Brisco analyses why.

The United Nations yesterday appealed to world leaders to shift the central focus from men to women at upcoming talks to devise a global strategy to fight the spread of AIDS.