The Senate Committee on Information is planning to hold a one-day public hearing on the Freedom of Information Bill on March 15 to seek public input into the proposed law, before presenting a final text to the full house. The Committee's Chairman, Senator Tawar Wada, announced the date Wednesday when its members met with a delegation of the Freedom of Information Coalition.

This portal, launched by the Institute of Security Studies, provides Anti-Corruption practitioners (in government and the private sector), researchers, policy makers and civil society activists - concerned with combating corruption in Southern Africa - with 'an entry point' into anti-corruption activities in the region. Civil society anti-corruption organisations signalled the need for such a portal as far back as 2002 in a meeting in Zimbabwe and the ISS Cape Town Anti-Corruption project is attempting to meet this demand by broadening the scope of the document database previously made available on the ISS website.

Biowatch South Africa achieved a major victory last week in a five year battle to gain access to important information about genetically modified (GM) crops in South Africa. The Registrar of GMOs was ordered to release this information to Biowatch by no later than April this year. Acting Judge Eric Dunn upheld the right of access to information, enshrined in the Constitution. He reaffirmed that Biowatch has a Constitutional right to the information, and that access to this information was in the public interest.

Gambian authorities have arrested a Lebanese businessman in connection with the murder of veteran journalist Deyda Hydara, according to local press reports. Wally Mahmoud Hakim was detained after officials found arms in his house. Authorities gave no details about whether they had specifically linked any of the guns with the killing. While local journalists cautiously welcomed the arrest, they have urged officials to investigate the "Green Boys," a pro-government group that has issued numerous threats to independent journalists who report critically on ruling authorities, as Hydara did.

Reporters Without Borders has voiced "outrage" at the treatment reserved for the press in Gambia, where President Yahya Jammeh promulgated at least one press law on 28 December without the Gambia Press Union (GPU) - the journalists' union - ever being able to get a copy. "Gambia sinks deeper into darkness and the international community pretends not to see," the press freedom organization said. "Gambia's journalists have learned through the press that, despite the appeals of African journalists and international organizations, the president surreptitiously promulgated a draconian press law without the government seeing the need to tell them for two months."

A lower court in Lomé has withdrawn an order that kept two radio stations off the air for the past two weeks. Radio Nana FM manager Peter Dogbé and Radio Kanal FM manager Modeste Mesavusu-Ekué said their stations were able to resume broadcasting on 24 February 2005. The only other radio station that was still closed, Radio Lumière, in the town of Aného, east of Lomé, was permitted to resume broadcasting the same afternoon.

Reporters Without Borders have condemned the announcement by the Zimbabwean government's Media and Information Commission (MIC) on 25 February that it is closing the independent Weekly Times for a year for "violating the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act." "As usual, the Zimbabwean authorities find any old pretext for gagging independent media that might spoil things for them at the height of an election campaign," the press freedom organization said, calling it "the second serious press freedom violation in two weeks," after three foreign press correspondents were forced to flee the country.

What are associations of working children and youth, and other child led organisation doing in the towns of Africa together with their supporting structures, to increase their rights? Calao Express, is a new monthly electronic newsletter edited by Enda TM Dakar. It is made up of the contributions of child led organisations.

On 17 August 2004, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders meeting in Mauritius adopted the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. "Mauritius Watch" provides a regular, objective and non-partisan assessment of Zimbabwe's compliance with these Principles and Guidelines. In the run-up to the 2005 Parliamentary Elections we note any significant failures to adhere to the SADC standards. This special weekly feature assumes even greater significance as the date of the Parliamentary Elections (March 31) approaches. Email [email protected] with the word 'Subscribe' in the subject to receive the Sokwanele newsletter or visit www.sokwanele.com

One of Africa's biggest electricity companies has unveiled plans to build the world's biggest hydro-electricity plant on a stretch of the Congo River, harnessing enough power for the whole continent. The proposed plant at the Inga Rapids, near the river's mouth in the western Democratic Republic of Congo, would cost $50bn (£26bn) and could generate some 40,000MW, twice the power of China's Three Gorges dam. But critics say even run-of-river plants can damage the environment, by blocking the migratory path of fish and stalling the flow of silt downstream.

The Citizen Lab (www.citizenlab.org), an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto, Canada, with the support of Internet services company Tucows, is offering free web blogs to all those working in global civil society with their Civiblog service. The project aims to showcase all communiqué in the sector and to support community in global civil society online. To sign up for a free blog, visit ww.civiblog.org. For more information, contact Jennifer Leonard at [email protected].

The Secretary General of the United Nations has commissioned a global study on violence against children. For more information about the Study, we suggest that you look at the following web pages:
- www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/crc/study.htm
- www.crin.org/violence/
An essential aspect of the data gathering for the study is a series of Regional Consultations, within 9 different regions. As a first step to ensuring meaningful NGO participation in the region, a pack of information has been compiled for your attention and information.

Soul Beat Africa has launched a new feature on the website - a Community Radio Window - focusing on experiences, strategic thinking, materials, evaluations and other information related to community radio in Africa! Once you have entered the Window, identified by the blue coloured left navigation bar, everything you view will be related to community radio. You can browse each of the sections, and find information from the Soul Beat Africa network about community radio.

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector in Tanzania is growing rapidly in most areas except in the maintenance and repair of IT equipment, particularly computers and their accessories.

SANGONET is looking to appoint a Senior Information Co-ordinator for PRODDER, a new web-based database of South African NGOs and development organisations.

YouthNet invites you to participate in an online discussion,"Youth Forum on Pregnancy Prevention in a Time of AIDS," to be held March 15 - April 15, 2005. You can share your experiences and lessons learned, along with guest experts from the United Nations and other international agencies.

SANGONeT Technology Services have developed a database-driven website with a content management system for Agenda, a Durban-based feminist media project. The website is based on robust open source technology and features interactive polls and subscription-based access.

A senior Chadian mediator on Wednesday said he had received unverified reports that one of the main rebel groups in Darfur had broken a fragile ceasefire by attacking government troops in Sudan's western region. Allam-Mi Ahmad, a top member of a Chadian team which has been mediating between Sudan's warring parties, told reporters that rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), had reportedly attacked government troops south of Nyala.

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, journalists and media executives, has condemned the intimidation and harassment by the Zimbabwean authorities that has led to a foreign journalist fleeing to South Africa. According to information provided to IPI, the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) correspondent for Zimbabwe, Jan Raath, has been forced to leave the country after considerable pressure from the police and out of fear he would be arrested. On 14 January, eight policemen and two government officials raided the offices of Raath, where he worked with a number of other foreign journalists. Over a period of two days, police carried out an intensive search of the offices without the official documentation proving they had legal authorization to carry out the search.

The Constitutional Court of South Africa has launched a new Web site, www.constitutionalcourt.org.za, which offers access to cases, judgments and legal research in the fields of constitutional, public, international and human rights law, reports Balancing Act News Update. The site, developed by Vivid New Media in collaboration with Big Media, allows the public to access information on human rights, as well as link to legal organisations they can approach for help in the protection of their rights.