The U.N. refugee agency says it is alarmed by reports of increasing violence and discrimination against sub-Saharan Africans caught up in Libya's conflict. The UNHCR says these accounts are coming from both eastern and western parts of the country.
The U.N. refugee agency says the situation in Libya is becoming increasingly dangerous for sub-Saharan Africans. The UNHCR is appealing to all parties to recognize African refugees and migrants are very vulnerable and in need of protection.
A new survey released to coincide with International Women's Day shows women are making political gains, but their numbers in world parliaments remain low. The survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union finds just over 19 percent of parliamentarians worldwide are women, compared to 16.3 percent in 2005.
As in previous years, the Nordic countries come out on top with an average of nearly 42 percent women in parliament. The survey finds Arab states are at the bottom of the world table for women in parliament; nevertheless the region is making progress, going up from 4.3 percent in 1995 to 11.7 percent last year.