On November 16, 2006 Alpha Camara, a reporter for "L'Observateur", a privately-owned weekly newspaper, was attacked by a police officer from the criminal investigations department in Kaloum district, southwest of Conakry, the capital. The journalist was detained for an hour in custody and was released on the intervention of the chair of the National Council for Communication.

On 2 December 2006, agents of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria's anti corruption agency, raided the privately owned radio station Cosmo FM, based in Enugu in south-eastern Nigeria. They arrested some staff, took away documents belonging to the station house and shut the station down for about two hours.

Libya's internal security agency has held an outspoken critic of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadhafi in incommunicado detention for almost a month, Human Rights Watch said. Libya's Internal Security Agency detained Idrees Mohamed Boufayed, a doctor who had been living in Switzerland for the past 16 years, on November 5 during a visit to Libya, his family and Libyan organizations abroad report.

IFEX-TMG members have called on the Tunisian President to cease harassment of human rights defenders and journalists: “We, the undersigned members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG), again call on Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to stop persecuting human rights defenders and journalists.”

Forcing women or girls to submit to sexual acts has been described as a form of gender-based violence against women. Reports say that rape causes severe physical and psychological pain and suffering. Rape also can have serious physical, psychological and reproductive consequences for the victims, including death, unwanted pregnancies, complications in childbirth, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.

Sub-Saharan Africa must improve its scientific and technological capacity if it is to boost social and economic development. According to UNESCO, there is less than one scientist or engineer for every ten thousand people in Africa — compared with two to five per thousand in Europe and the United States. But experts disagree on how to improve this capacity.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today (28 November 2006) condemned the jailing and harassment of journalists by the Burundi government in an apparent reaction to broadcasts that suggested a failed coup attempt was actually staged by the government.

Reporters Without Borders has condemned the arrest and mistreatment of Abdullahi Yasin Jama of privately-owned Radio Warsan by militiamen loyal to the federal transition government in the western city of Baidoa. They held him for three days and abused him physically after luring him to the presidential palace on 24 November 2006 with an invitation to a fake news conference.

Here is a man who thought of putting African journalists on the global map by awarding them for exemplary performance. Mr Edward Boateng talked to Lillian Aluanga on his mission to appreciate the efforts made by African journalists to tell Africa's stories. It is one of Africa's most sought after journalism awards.

Several hundred people were killed and at least 10,000 displaced in recent militia attacks on approximately 60 Chadian villages, primarily in and around Kerfi, Koloy and Bandikao, in October and November. Many of the attacks were carried out by Chadian Arab militia against non-Arab communities.

The National Media Institute of Southern Africa (Namisa) - also known as MISA Malawi - petitioned Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika on the conduct of the State House Press Officer, Chikumbutso Mtumodzi. The petition is in response to a letter that Mtumodzi wrote to Blantyre Newspapers Limited (BNL) on November 13, 2006, barring its reporter Maxwell Ng'ambi from interviewing the President or attending any State function because, according to Mtumodzi, he is a convict.

Thanks to the mobile phone, telecommunications is the leading area of infrastructure in Africa, but the mobile's success has caused other problems. Between 2000 and 2005, the number of mobile phone lines in Africa rose from 15.6 to 135 million, according to the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union.

The Cape Town Anti-War Coalition will be supporting a demonstration against racism and anti-semitism in the Media24 newsroom, at the offices of the CCMA (Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration) in Darling Street on 27th November at 10:30am. The protest action is in support of a former employee from Media24's People's Post, who has laid several complaints of discrimination against the company, after being dismissed for not complying with the demands of a "white" or "coloured" target market.

Market intelligence and consulting company BMI-T has upwardly revised its previous forecasts for the broadband market. Releasing its latest wireless access and broadband report on Monday (20 November 2006), BMI-T said while ADSL is still expected to lead the way in terms of revenue growth, much of the new growth in terms of subscriber numbers is expected to come from wireless connectivity, with cellular operators likely to exploit this opportunity most significantly.

African airlines have been challenged to embrace electronic ticketing to continue accessing the global market. International Air Transport Association senior vice president and a member of government relations, Mr Thomas Windmuller said only ten airlines were issuing e-tickets while the other 31 were yet to.

As rapidly as news filtered through of their interest in buying out MTN, the cellular phone company, the Chinese telecommunications giant, China Telecom over the weekend denied news reports that it might buy the sub-Saharan Africa's cellphone operator MTN.

The latest buzz in the media community is the opening of Al Jazeera's African offices, one of them right here in Nairobi. For media professionals, there is the expectation of well paying jobs as well as an alternative customer for independent journalists working in the region.

On 12 November 2006, Basile Kokwalet and John Kintendu, Kinshasa correspondents and cameramen for Radio France's overseas division, RFO, were attacked by guards of the minister of the interior and security, General Denis Kalume Numbi, as they attempted to interview a local pastor.

The following is a statement by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe to the 40th Ordinary Session of the African Commission for Human and Peoples' Rights, Banjul, The Gambia, presented by Wilbert Pfungwadzashe Mandinde (MISA-Zimbabwe Legal Officer) on November 15, 2006.

As Angolans prepare to vote next year in the country’s first elections since 1992, the government’s new press law promises much-needed reforms but still fails to protect freedom of the press adequately, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today (16 November 2006).