Asia

When men squabble, count on women to patch things up.

Saying women are better equipped than men in handling the more emotional aspects of peace negotiations, outgoing Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Annabelle Abaya has urged the incoming administration to include more women on the government panels dealing with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

In one of the more prominent of a series of recent rape scandals in Kurdish dominated southeastern Turkey, at least four girls aged between 12 and 14 were found to have been sexually exploited by state officials, including an assistant headmaster at a school and an employee of a local police department, over a period of two years in Siirt, a town located in a province plagued by fighting between the Kurdish insurgency and Turkish army.

Women in Fiji will benefit from Australian efforts to reduce gender disparities in developing countries, under a new policy launched by the Australian Government.

Titled 'Gender Equality in Australia's Aid Program - why and how', the policy aims to reduce poverty by advancing gender equality and empowering women.

It highlights the link between gender equality, economic growth and sustainable development.

Anne Walker spent 11 years with the YWCA of Fiji that marked the beginning of her long career with grassroots women. Walker is one of the founders of the International Women's Tribune Centre ( IWTC) and has participated as an activist and organiser in all four UN world conferences on women and NGO Forums in Mexico City (1975), Copenhagen (1980), Nairobi (1985) and Beijing (1995).

Endemic Fighting in Papua New Guinea

August marks Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud's fifth year as king of Saudi Arabia, a good moment to assess reforms in the area of human rights. Saudis are somewhat freer today, and many credit the king. Saudi writers have won regional awards this year, and the diversity of Saudi society is on display, thanks to the growth of electronic media. Yet this freedom remains strictly limited.

The Iranian judiciary should immediately halt plans to execute Zeynab Jalalian and other Kurdish dissidents, Human Rights Watch said today. Jalalian is one of 17 such dissidents currently on death row in Iranian prisons.

There is much to admire in India today, including its vibrant democracy and economy and its rich traditions. It should also lead the way in protecting and empowering women by ending so-called honor killings.

Sahadat Karimi walks to the stage, past the sofas where officials are seated, and retrieves a large colorful parcel from the hands of Herat's director of the Department of Women Affairs (DWA). She pauses, briefly smiles to the cameras, and returns to her seat. The ceremony lasted for just a few seconds but the religion teacher is proud to be acknowledged by her community.