Southern Africa's largest association of independent grassroots publishers will be formally launched at a small media summit near Johannesburg on September 16. The new Association of Independent Publishers of Southern Africa (AIPSA) is expected to launch with a membership of 120 rural, township, and neighbourhood publishers from across the region. The new body will incorporate the 126-year-old Community Press Association (CPA) and the Independent Media Alliance (IMA), and will automatically gain membership of the umbrella Print Media South Africa (PMSA) association.

On August 27 2004, the Lusaka High Court dismissed an application by the state arguing that six media organizations that sued the state had wrongly commenced the matter of challenging the legality of government's decision not to take all the recommended names appointed to sit on the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and the Zambia National Broadcasting Services (ZNBC) boards to parliament for ratification. In his ruling in chambers, High Court Judge Gregory Phiri said the matter was properly commenced before the court and could therefore be heard by judicial review.

Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has welcomed reforms passed by the Togolese National Assembly amending the press and communications law so that press offences are no longer punishable by prison terms. In a 24 August 2004 extraordinary session, Parliament unanimously adopted the draft law. The new text replaces the 25 September 2002 law, previously considered one of the most repressive in Africa. Thirty-four of its 112 articles were amended and four repealed.

The oil giant Shell is challenging the authority of the Nigerian Senate by rejecting an order to pay compensation of $1.5 billion to communities in the Niger Delta affected by oil pollution. In an advertisement published in Nigerian newspapers the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) claims the Senate failed to follow "due process" in imposing the fine, announced last week. Friends of the Earth Nigeria reacted angrily to the advertisement, saying it showed that the oil giant was yet again trying to avoid facing up to its responsibilities to the local communities.

The Parliamentary Briefer is prepared to inform organisations, particularly Civil Society Organisations, what is happening in Parliament in order to encourage more timely engagement with legislative and other processes. If you would like to be added to the list, please send an email to [email protected]

The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) invites proposals for its Poverty Reduction Outcomes Through Education Innovations and Networks (PROTEIN) programme. COL-PROTEIN is seeking to support initiatives that will adopt open and distance learning and information and communication technologies (ICT) to help build rural capacity under the following areas: Food Security, Environmental Protection, Rural Development, Nutritional Education and Micro-Enterprise. Limited financial support up to CAD20,000 will be granted.

The current situation in Zimbabwe under the ZANU-PF government shows increasing signs of abuse of power by those in political control. They also direct their desire to suppress criticism towards the media. Press organs in private ownership have been closed down and journalists have been physically harassed, arrested and expelled. Laws are abused to regulate and manipulate public opinion by a policy of banning. Worldwide condemnation of the growing restrictions upon the freedom of expression goes hand in hand with the protests inside the country against the growing tendencies of totalitarian rule.

AFFORD maintains an online Database of UK based African civil society organizations engaged in development activities both in the UK and in Africa. The Database is one stage in a strategic effort to document and assist increased partnerships and linkages between African organisations in the diaspora and civil society organisations in Africa.

South Africa's biggest mobile phone company, Vodacom, has set itself the ambitious target of launching a 3G mobile phone service by Christmas this year. The company has spent R500m developing and upgrading its existing network for 3G capability and amongst other benefits analysts have noted that 3G offers the potential of bringing internet access to areas where it is currently limited.

Rather than taking decisive action to curb widespread human rights violations in Darfur, the Sudanese government instead is seeking to gag those who are speaking about the abuses, Amnesty International said in a new report published this week. Under increasing international pressure, the Sudanese government is attacking freedom of expression, so as to control information which would reveal whether or not the government is fulfilling its commitments, Amnesty said.

A publication detailing the Internet profiles of 22 African countries has been launched by the resource portal Balancing Act. The publication contains key statistics, descriptions of the principal issues involving the Internet in each country and summaries of initiatives under way to combat the digital divide.

Tectonic is expanding its coverage of open source software in Africa. Over the next four months it will be publishing three full-length features on key issues including a look at the strategies needed to migrate to an open source software environment and how to benefit from the Linux desktop.

During the early morning hours of 15 August 2004, BBC Banjul correspondent Ebrima Sillah's house was set ablaze by suspected arsonists. Sillah, who was alone in the house, was sleeping when the arsonists attacked. According to Media Foundation for West Africa sources in The Gambia, the incident occurred in Sillah's home village of Jamburu, 30 km southwest of the capital, Banjul. The attackers reportedly doused the house's sitting room with petrol before setting it on fire.

A Bill seeking to establish a Media Practitioners Complaints Commission (MPCC) has been introduced in the House of Representatives, Nigeria's lower house of chamber. The Bill, titled "Journalism Enhancement Bill", seeks to establish an MPCC in each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Commission shall have the power to take "disciplinary" action against media practitioners who flout the law.

On 17 August 2004, Minister of Land and Housing Margaret Nasha instructed the producers of "The Eye" programme to re-record a segment of the show in order to exclude opposition party member Dumelang Saleshando, who is seeking election as a member of parliament. In an interview with MISA-Botswana, Saleshando said he, Nasha, who belongs to the ruling party, and Robert Molefhabangwe, of the Botswana National Front, were interviewed on 16 August for a "The Eye" show that was to be aired on Botswana Television (BTV) the following day. After the interview, Saleshando said the minister allegedly gave instructions for the programme to be re-recorded, saying that Saleshando was "too political in his deliberations".

At least four Beninese reporters face criminal defamation charges and two of them have already spent time in prison this year - the first journalists to be imprisoned for their work since 1996 in the West African nation. The defendants include Patrick Adjamonsi, publication director of the private daily L'Aurore, who was released after spending six days in prison. Adjamonsi, whose original sentence was overturned, faces a new trial.

A group of Commonwealth parliamentarians, meeting in July under the auspices of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the World Bank Institute, adopted a set of Recommendations for Transparent Governance. The Recommendations address a wide range of important measures to be taken to promote access to information and openness more generally.

Simplice Kalunga wa Kalunga, producer and host of the "Nouvelle Donne" ("New Order") show, broadcast on the privately-owned, Kinshasa-based Channel Media Broadcasting (CMB) television station, was summoned for questioning by a Gombe court judge on 19 August 2004. Kalunga was interrogated at length about a 9 August programme during which he had discussed with his guest, well-known Kinshasa lawyer and clergyman Pastor Théodore Ngoy, the various deficiencies of the Justice Ministry's "Nationality Bill", which is currently before Parliament.

A new series of guides from Eldis, developed in collaboration with the Environment Team at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, examines the current scientific, legal and governance processes surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and agriculture. Emerging research suggests that in order to respond better to the concerns of more marginalised farmers and consumers, policy and regulatory processes must be 'democratised' to become more responsive and accountable.

At One United Nations Plaza on September 16-18, the Ghana Cyber Group (GCG) will host the 2004 Ghana Conference on Technology Parks & the IT Economy, in cooperation with the United Nations. The conference should bring together corporate executives in the United States to learn about the growing IT economy in Ghana.