"How do you find blogs which might be of interest to you? Until now I've just followed my nose and clicked through links on other people's blogs. Now there's a portal offering a directory of blogs at - http://quacktrack.com"

"You've heard of blogging, right? But have you ever thought of starting your own? Like many skills in IT, it's easy once you know how. But I don't know anybody who hasn't had problems starting up. So here are some guidance notes to help you through the initial stages. They also let you in on the secret of how to make money from it."

The government is in the process of drafting a bill providing for the creation of a special agency bringing together both Ugandan state radio and television. The draft bill is currently under examination by a Parliamentary committee. The future body, to be called the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), will take over the management of radio and television programs being broadcast respectively by Radio Uganda (RU) and Uganda Television (UTV). This initiative is in line with the government's desire not to cede control of RU and UTV to "foreign elements", and the importance of the two state broadcasters to national interest and security.

A group of farmers in Burundi's northwestern province of Cibitoke, who were recently banned from a forest reserve, have appealed to the government to allow them to harvest their crops, their representative said on Monday. "In [the northern province of] Kirundo people are dying because of food shortage; we are worried that the government will not allow us to harvest our crops in the Masango Zone yet it has not been able to feed all people starving in Kirundo," Michel Niyonsaba, 44, the farmers' representative, said.

BBC Focus on Africa Magazine is published quarterly by the BBC World Service. Each edition covers the latest political, economic, social, cultural and sporting developments in Africa. The latest edition looks as Somalia and the challenges that lie ahead for the country.

"The future of ICT in Secondary Schools - Strategizing for Implementation" was the title of a four-day workshop held at Kunduchi Beach Hotel of Dar es salaam from January 24 to 27 this year. It was a unique workshop that probed and eventually set a foundation for integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a compulsory subject and a learning tool in secondary education in Tanzania Mainland. Aloyce Menda, a journalist with JUSTA-AFRICA who participated fully in the workshop narrates his observations.

The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), an African initiative aimed at tackling poverty on the continent through better governance, has been criticised by international organisations for ignoring press freedom. Five organisations, including the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), the International Press Institute (IPI), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and the World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC), have expressed concerns that NEPAD's lack of safeguards for press freedom may encourage some governments to continue repressing the media.

Directed by the women's group, Les Pénélopes, the bilingual international feminist quarterly magazine Digitall Future is produced by an international team gathering of activists, professional or not of information, renewed with each edition. It analyzes the international actuality with a feminist perspective and proposes a vision of the world coupling local situations and global context. To subscribe to Digitall Future, send an email: [email protected] Or to sign up to the Les Pénélopes mailing list, go to: http://www.penelopes.org/Anglais/xabonnement.php3

The head of security for Middle Shabelle region, who is also the brother of local chief Mohamed Omar Habeb, authorised journalist Abdiqani Sheik Mohamed to return to work on 3 February 2005, the local press freedom group Somali Journalists Network (SOJON) told Reporters sans frontières (RSF). The journalist, formerly of the privately-owned station Radio Banadir, had been living in internal exile in Mogadishu, in precarious circumstances, since a decree issued on 27 September 2004 banned him from "practicing his profession." (Fench version included)

Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda, has reiterated the role ICT can play in accelerating the socio-economic development in a recent interview. The recent Accra preparatory regional summit has provided the Rwandan government an opportunity to review its ICT policies.

The primary target participants of this workshop are:
- People who are directly involved in rural development projects, say in economic, education, health, environment, culture, etc.
- Those who have already integrated ICT in their programmes and have adequate experience in terms of challenges or successes that they would like to share with other participants.
As a part of the selection process, geographical diversity, gender and self-sponsored participants will all be taken into consideration.

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and its partners are pleased to announce the 2005 African Information Society Initiative (AISI) Media Awards. The Awards are aimed at individual journalists and media institutions based in Africa that are promoting journalism which contributes to a better understanding of the information society in Africa. Deadline for Applications: 31 July 2005

This award for African journalists recognises the best articles on education published in the African press. The goal of the award is to highlight the paramount importance of relevant and quality public information and communication for the development of education in Africa.

Professional Development and Training International (PDTI), Swaziland, will be organizing dozens of courses from April to June 2005 such as Advocacy, Lobbying and Fundraising, IT Skills for Managers, Advocacy, Behaviour Change Communication, Education and HIV/AIDS and Gender and Sustainable Development. If you or your officers are interested in attending any of the courses, please indicate this by requesting for an application form from: The programme Coordinator, Professional Development and Training International P. O. Box 5124, Mbabane, Swaziland. Tel.: 00268 4221882/6037576; Fax: 00268 4221882/4048262.

The Islam and Human Rights Fellowship Program at Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, USA is pleased to announce the launch of an updated version of our Islam and Human Rights website (www.law.emory.edu/IHR ) with lots of new content offerings. The new content on the website includes:

a) Versions of the site in Farsi, French, and Bahasa Farsi: http://www.law.emory.edu/IHR/FARSI/index.html French: http://www.law.emory.edu/IHR/FRENCH/index.html Bahasa: http://www.law.emory.edu/IHR/BAHASA/index.html
b) Section on religious rights and fundamental freedoms http://www.law.emory.edu/IHR/actcons.html c) A special module on the Islam and Human Rights Fellowship workshop held in Istanbul in 2004. The section includes downloadable presentations and audio files of workshop sessions and public events http://www.law.emory.edu/IHR/workshop.html
d) A revamped articles section, with articles classified by topic for easy access http://www.law.emory.edu/IHR/acessay.html

Additionally, other sections on the site, containing valuable content for scholars, activists, and media persons, have also been updated. We invite you to visit the website at www.law.emory.edu/IHR. We welcome contributions to the website, as well as comments and suggestions on how to improve and enrich the website. Any feedback may be sent to [email protected]

Reknowned Gambian journalist and Reporters Without Borders correspondent Deyda Hydara was shot dead on 16 December 2004 as he drove two of his newspaper staff home after work. Hydara fought tirelessly for press freedom and democracy under the military regime and called for equal opposition access to the media during the 1996 presidential election campaign. All his colleagues, including his rivals, considered him the wisest and most thoughtful of journalists. Currently Reporters Without Borders have set up an appeal to call for an independent inquiry to his murder. To sign the petition, please go to http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=12243

The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) is accepting nominations for its Courage in Journalism Awards and one Lifetime Achievement Award. The Courage in Journalism Awards honor women working in the news media who have demonstrated extraordinary strength of character in pursuing their profession under difficult or dangerous circumstances, such as government oppression, political pressure, physical danger or other intimidating obstacles. The award carries a cash prize of US$5,000 and a crystal sculpture that symbolizes freedom and courage. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a woman journalist who has a pioneering spirit and whose determination has paved the way for future generations of women in the media. Recipients also demonstrate a strong commitment to freedom of the press and a solid record of accomplishments in journalism. A crystal sculpture is presented with this award. Deadline for nominations is March 15, 2005.

The would-be assassin of former Daily News editor Geoff Nyarota decided he could'nt go ahead with the plot after he met Nyarota in a lift and the editor enquired after his family. Instead he confessed his intentions and details of the plot, intended to silence the Daily News, were published in the newspaper. But six months later on January 28, 2001, an explosion destroyed the printing press of the Daily News. In this commentary Nyarot`a, remembers the extraordinary sequence of events that led to the uncovering of the plot to kill him.

The IEEE 3rd International Workshop on Technology for Education in Developing Countries (TEDC 2005) is being organised on July 6, 2005 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. TEDC2005 will take place in Conjunction with IEEE Intl Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT 2005). The goal of this third international workshop is to bring together researchers, and educators to discuss various issues involved in developing new techniques and on novel uses of technology for education in developing countries. The workshop will include invited papers and a panel. High quality submissions from developing countries are strongly encouraged. Submissions due: February 4, 2005

Stay connected with events and happenings. Register now to receive africast eNewsletters hot off the press via e-mail. And, send it to a friend. To recieve weekly summaries of major African news stories by email, go to http://www.africast.com/news.php to subscribe.