Civil society and non-government organisations are playing a major role in determining the way people use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to build societies free from poverty and oppression, where knowledge and information are used by all sectors of the population for their economic, social, cultural, and political development. Several initiatives are demonstrating how such organisations can utilize ICTs both to increase efficiency and empowerment in their own work and to provide services to local, national, and international communities.

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The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), a regional freedom of expression and media freedom organisation that has been protecting media freedom and promoting free and pluralistic media in the southern Africa region over the past 10 years, says it is deeply concerned about the pernicious security situation facing independent media practitioners in Zimbabwe. MISA has strongly protested the government's tactic of utilising the confusion around the current mass demonstration to launch a crackdown on independent journalists and crush dissent in Zimbabwe.

Liberian President Charles Taylor should be arrested by the government of any country he travels to, now that his indictment has been announced by the Sierra Leone Special Court, Human Rights Watch says. The Liberian president was attending peace talks in Ghana when the indictment was "unsealed."

The situation of human rights in The Gambia remains a "damning indictment" of the government, which is claiming a complete return to democracy and the rule of law, according to Amnesty International. Amnesty International held that the country's human rights record under President Jammeh's leadership had never remarkably recovered since upheavals in 1994.

Investigative reporters from several African countries launched the new Investigative Reporters Africa (IRA) network during a brainstorming session in Johannesburg last week, the Media Institute of Southern Africa said on Tuesday. The IRA would function as an independent professional association of working journalists committed to improving pan-African reporting standards and access to information. "IRA's founding members have committed the organisation to promoting effective, ethical and original investigative reporting that moves beyond mere muck raking in favour of more systematic and issue-based reporting in its proper context," the organisation said in a statement.

In detailed documents submitted to the secretariat of the United Nations’ World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the APC Women’s Programme recognised the efforts of the WSIS drafting committee to include the concerns and interests of the many governments, private sector and civil society stakeholders taking part in the process which will culminate in the first ever UN Summit dedicated to communications in Geneva in December. However, say the ICT activists, “there are critical issues (that) are not addressed sufficiently, if at all”.

A world revolution towards an information society is unfolding that will affect everything from social interaction, media, and political engagement to education, health, and business. By issuing a clear statement of political will and a plan of action, WSIS aims to be in line with the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDG), a broad agenda to decrease global poverty and improve development indicators. The lack of awareness about WSIS seems to stem in part from the lack of media attention for the conference, something that is more pronounced in developed countries such as the US. The potential of new information and communications technologies (ICT) to promote economic and social development has created greater concern, interest, and hence media coverage in developing countries where access to ICTs is more limited.

Imagine a perfect Internet world for Education, where web pages arrive on the screen almost instantaneously. The information displayed is accurate and accountable to the schools' curriculum in whatever part of the world - without the traditional connection to the Internet. Today, this scenario is a reality. It had been a dream for several years for Karim Lakhani, the President and Chief Technical Officer of Advanced Interactive, Inc. Born and raised in Uganda, Mr. Lakhani spent several years seeking ways to deliver the Internet to Africa, where the telecommunication infrastructure is relatively poor, and the Internet access too expensive for most schools.

Management at the government's Chronicle newspaper has ordered Internet service provider, M-Web, to investigate how a hacker broke into its website and posted 'unpalatable' stories that denigrated or criticised President Robert Mugabe. Stories critical of Mugabe were posted in Tuesday's online edition of The Chronicle after a hacker gained access to its website.

In a 27 May 2003 letter to Communications Minister Jacques Fame Ndongo, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and the World Editors Forum expressed serious concern at the government's banning of the launch of the Freedom FM radio station and the threats made against three journalists. According to reports, on 23 May a state official came to the offices of the private radio station Freedom FM, which was due to begin broadcasting on 24 May, with a photocopy of a document issued by the Information Ministry purporting to stop the launch of the station for "illegally exercising the profession" of broadcasting.

Joseph Nkinzo, director of the community radio station Sauti ya Rehema, which airs in Bukavu, was arrested by Intelligence Agency officers on 28 May. Bukavu is the main town in South Kivu province, located in the eastern half of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The area is controlled by the Congolese Rally for Democracy (Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie, RCD/Goma) rebel group.

The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR) has expressed great concern over the detention of five anti-war activists who have been detained by the Egyptian authorities since the middle of April. In addition, Ashraf Ibrahim Marzouq, an engineer, is currently in pre-trial detention in Tora prison. He is charged with filming a demonstration and having certain publications in his possession.

Child Soldiers Newsletter is a free quarterly publication bringing you news, information and campaign updates from the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. To subscribe, send an email to [email protected]. Spanish, German and French versions are available on the Coalition website, and also by email upon request.

The next issue of Other Facets, a periodic newsletter about the international effort to end diamond-related conflict, is available. Other Facets is a publication of the Diamonds and Human Security Project.

Shortly after coming to power last December, Kenya’s new president, Mwai Kibaki, issued a heartfelt plea to the country's graduates now working in the developed world. “We invite all of those who have been hounded out of our shores by repressive policies of our predecessors to come back home and join us in nation-building,” the president said. “Kenya needs the genius of its citizens wherever they are. It’s time for healing, and we need every hand on deck.” The loss of skilled personnel is a major drain on the whole development process, nowhere more than in science and technology. A new SciDev.Net dossier provides a guide to this complex issue.

The African Perspectives discussion series is a component of Africa-America Institute's (AAI's) AFTECH Initiative through which Africans discuss and debate policy issues among themselves and inform U.S. policies toward Africa. The dual objective of African Perspectives is to inform U.S. policy by heightening policy makers' understanding of their decisions vis-à-vis Africa while also stimulating civil society debate and cross sector participation in Africa.

The Economic Policy project E-Bulletin is intended to provide a news round up of activities on economic policy in the East and Southern African region. Also covered will be news, campaigns and resource materials from African economic policy activists, or in relation to African development. The newsletter would also like to cover news from the global movements for social justice, and global, regional and national policy developments that affect African economies. Organisations are encouraged to send in information on their activities (national, regional, international) around economic policy to [email protected].

AMANITARE Voices, the thematic bi-annual newsletter of AMANITARE, the African Partnership for the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Women and Girls offers articles and analyses on key issues around sexual and reproductive health and rights as well as news regarding AMANITARE activities. The theme of the second edition of the newsletter is “reaching out to new generations” and is available to download as a PDF from the website www.amanitare.org in the newsletter section. AMANITARE is an initiative of RAINBO, an African led International NGO working to protect and promote sexual and reproductive. The partnership currently comprises 43 partners in 16 different African countries. For further information on the partnership or the work of RAINBO, contact Karen Efford, Communications Officer at [email protected] or consult the RAINBO website www.rainbo.org

A peace force must be deployed to Liberia before humanitarian aid can be delivered to hundreds of thousands of displaced people, a United Nations official has said. Peace talks between the government of President Charles Taylor and the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Development (Lurd) rebels are due to take place in Ghana next week.