With raised consumer awareness about green issues, forestry companies have
scrambled to acquire environmental certification. But as Khadija Sharife
investigates, the credentials of those who keep an eye on the process is often
murky.

Links on biofuels, land rights in Africa and global land grabbing

Jamaica: 70 killed in street fighting in May 2010. Nigeria: an estimated 1,000 people killed in the country’s oil region in 2008. Kenya: 140 lives lost in post-election riots in 2007. Mexico: 28,000 people dead from drug-related violence since 2006. Troubling as such figures are, they are but a small part of a much larger picture: there are up to 490,000 deaths annually that result from homicidal and non-conflict violence – a quarter of a million more than those who die in war zones.

Gay rights groups and human rights activists will hold a public meeting at J Dumani Community Hall in Vosloorus on 9 October 2010 to develop a plan of action to deal with the 'growing homophobia at the hands of the police', following the arrest and verbal harassment of 12 people at a house party attended by gay people in Vooslorus after the Joburg Gay Pride event on 4 October 2010.

A Kenyan minister who expressed her opinion in support for HIV and Aids mitigation programmes for gays and lesbians has come under sharp criticism from church and Muslim leaders who said her remarks we 'satanic' and 'contrary to African culture'. Esther Murugi, the special programmes minister in the Kenyan government, challenged the government to help the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community efforts in the war against the scourge.